Chapter 44 · The Crown Must Break

"Put the knife down, Nora." Lucan caught my wrist before the blade touched the crown.

His fingers locked around me. Warm. Hard. Too careful for a man who claimed he was ready to die.

Behind the black-gold crown, the queen laughed through my mouth.

"Still pretending you can save her?" she asked. "How sweet. How useless."

Lucan's grip tightened. "Get out of her head."

"You don't give orders here, boy."

The crown pulsed between us. Red light crawled through its cracked metal and climbed the veins in my arm. My bloodline answered it. Every mark on my skin burned at once, including the execution seal stamped into my palm.

I yanked against Lucan's hold. "Let go."

"No."

"You heard me."

"I heard the queen using your voice. I don't know which one of you I'm touching."

The words hit harder than they should have.

The queen smiled with my lips. "There. He finally understands. Nora Bell is gone. I'm wearing the body now."

"Shut up," I snapped.

Lucan's eyes jumped to mine.

The queen's smile slipped.

I drove my elbow into his ribs. He grunted and released me for half a second. That was enough.