Page 84 of Savage Crown

A distant boom shakes the Midnight Den, rattling the floor beneath our feet.

Seraphina jerks back.

I snap my head toward the hallway, where the air suddenly smells of smoke and steel.

Another explosion shakes the walls, followed by the unmistakable sound of shouting, steel clashing against steel.

Something is wrong.

I move fast.

I reach the nearest window. The view from the second level gives me a perfect sight of the horror below.

And just as I feared?—

Assassins.

More of them.

Dark elves, clad in shadow, pour into the Den’s entrance, cutting through my men like butchered animals.

Fuck.

I curse under my breath, my grip tightening against the window ledge.

This is precision.

This is planned.

And I know exactly whose work this is.

Lartina.

I should have killed her.

I should have torn her throat out the moment she tried to get into my bed again.

Instead, I played my game too carefully, too patiently—I wanted to use her against Nhilian.

Now she’s using me.

A mistake I will never make again.

The door slams shut behind me.

I turn in time to see Seraphina backing away, her face pale, her eyes widened with understanding.

She knows.

She knows that if Lartina’s men are here, they are also here for her.

She brought this on us.

I move fast.

Too fast.

She barely has time to react before I have my hand wrapped around her wrist, dragging her forward.

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