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The Crown stopped me after half a step. Pressure closed around my wrist without anything touching it, holding my hand in the air.
“He’s already dying. Take me, and you can save him. One touch will open the iron. One command will bring him to your feet.”
Fear tightened my chest. The pull wasn’t subtle now. It used Stellan’s blood, Edith’s warning and every locked door at once.
I wanted Harrowmere open. I wanted Adrian outside it. I wanted Stellan free enough to touch me without a chain deciding how far he could move.
Wanting those things didn’t make the Crown safe.
My trust in Stellan was unfinished. That didn’t make the Crown honest.
“Stellan.”
His breath came back in a harsh drag. “I’m here.”
“Keep talking.”
“Your name is Bryony Ellison. You came here with a torch and Edith’s key because you thought an animal was trapped. You questioned everything I told you. You tested the doors yourself and made Adrian lose his temper before he could frighten you into obeying.”
His mouth moved despite the strain in his face. “You chose when I fed. You chose when we entered the garden. You kissed me because you wanted to. The Crown didn’t give you any of those choices, and it can’t take them back. Keep hold of what you know.”
My fingers lowered by an inch.
The Crown flashed hot enough to make my eyes water.
“He killed the last woman who wore me.”
I knew that part. Adrian had said it in the garden, and Stellan hadn’t denied it.
“Tell me,” I said.
Stellan’s fingers slipped on the doorway. “I killed Cecily. I’ll tell you why, and you can decide what it means. I won’t let the Crown decide for you.”
He didn’t try to make the answer sound better. The pressure around my wrist loosened for one second, and I used it.
I grabbed the hem of my shirt with both hands and held on. The band dropped through the space where my fingers had been.
“No.”
I said it clearly. The Crown stopped turning.
Every light in the throne room went out except the red glow around its points.
“You would leave him in chains.”
“I’m leaving you above the throne.”
The longest point tipped towards Stellan.
“He will betray you. He will drink from you and call it necessary until you no longer know which choices were yours.”
“Then I’ll deal with Stellan. He doesn’t get my trust because I want his mouth on me, and you don’t get it because you can open a door. I’m still not fucking touching you.”
The Crown rose sharply. The air grew heavy enough to hurt my ears. The doors began to close behind me.
Stellan drove one foot over the threshold.
The chain at his waist snapped tight. The one at his throat jerked him back, but he caught the edge of the door with both hands and stopped it closing.
