Page 132 of Savage Throne
Moni
Leo stepped further into the tent.
The air shifted.
It thickened, turning sharp as glass and pressing against my skin.
My breath caught, and I dove my hands into the deep pockets of my gown where the two guns rested like lifelines.
Leo’s presence wasn’t justthere—itconsumedthe space. With each step, his polished leather boots thudded against the ground and that sapphire robe swirled around him like a stormy sea.
He moved with the kind of confidence that said nothing could touch him—because nothingwould.
He stopped a foot from me and trailed his sharp gaze over my appearance—my crown of sapphires, my gown, the fur draped over my shoulders.
He took his sweet time perusing me, and that alone made the hair on my arms prickle.
There better not be any more tests, Leo, or I’ll shoot you. In fact. . .
Slowly, I wrapped my fingers around one of the guns, and the cool metal became a steady anchor against the tremble building in my chest.
Maybe, I should shoot you now.
The thought slithered through my mind like smoke, dark and dangerous.
What if I shot him now? What would happen?
So many possibilities unfurled.
My hand could move in a flash—take the gun out, point his way, pull the trigger, end this nightmare, endhim.
One bullet.
That was all it would take.
He was close enough, and I had the element of surprise.
But even as the idea took root, my instincts screamed at me.
Leo was fast.
Too fast.
He wasn’t just powerful—he was a predator honed by decades of survival, a man who had likely faced more attempts on his life than I could count.
People stronger, smarter, and more ruthless than me had tried to take him down, and I bet he’d bested them all. Surely, he’d be watching for a flicker of hesitation coming from me, a twitch of movement.
He’d see it coming before I even lifted the gun.
Would he knock it from my grip?
Twist it around and press it to my own skull?
I tensed.
What would he do to me if I failed?
Shivering, I forced my fingers to loosen.
