Page 90 of Savage Crown

“I told you. I was born with it.”

A lie.

Or a half-truth.

I can’t tell which.

But I can smell deception like I can smell blood.

I tilt my head, dragging my gaze down to where the markings are hidden beneath her clothes once more.

It’s still there.

Even covered, I can feel the weight of it.

A map.

Not just a key—but a curse.

A sentence written into her very flesh. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, you’ll only see scars.

No human should have something like this burned into them from birth.

Which means it was never meant for a human.

A pulse of something dark coils in my gut.

Something like recognition.

Like I have seen this before.

Felt it before.

I release her, stepping back.

She watches me carefully, wary of the space I have given her.

“You were chosen for this,” I say, my voice unreadable.

She hesitates. Then, slowly, nods.

I exhale sharply.

I don’t know why it makes me want to tear something apart.

I should have killed her the first night she came to me.

I should have let her die when I had the chance.

It would have been easier.

Cleaner.

Instead, she is here, bound to me now by more than just a stolen bargain.

What the hell do I do with that?

I sink into a chair, my head tipping back, staring at the ceiling.

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