Page 116 of Daughter of the Serpent

“Is that what’s been bothering you?” he asked. “You think I am ashamed of you?”

“How could you not be?” She replied earnestly, the emotions coiling around her thick and suppressing. She hadn’t realized how much it hurt. How much it had pained her to think even for a moment that he could be, that he would reject her - just like everyone else. A searing pain ripped through her chest as she realized it, recognized the true source of her anger, and why.

Her eyes snapped up.

When did the space between them disappear?

She hadn’t even noticed him moving toward her, yet now she stood so close that his presence pressed against her like a second skin. The heat of him wrapped around her, and she could feel the strength of his frame radiating through the space separating them. Or was there any space at all?

Her pulse quickened, her breath hitching in her throat. His eyes - those eyes, flickering with fire - had changed. Gone was the anger she had grown accustomed to; in its place, a warmth stirred, deeper and fuller than anything she had ever seen from him. She felt as though she might drown in it, no longer wanting to fight the current.

“Sylvie, I would see you shine.” he said at last, the words weaving through her like a gentle embrace. They settled over her, warming places within her she hadn’t realized were cold, soothing cracks she hadn’t known were there. His gaze softened, the sharp edges of his usual demeanor giving way to something unguarded, something genuine.

“I have never been, and will never be, ashamed of you.”

Her arms ached with a need she didn’t understand, a yearning to close the gap entirely. To press her cheek against the solid wall of his chest and feel his heartbeat beneath her skin, to wrap herself in his warmth. What would it be like to let herself be held, even just for a moment? To surrender to a comfort she had never dared seek from anyone else? She had never allowed herself such vulnerability, not with any man - not with anyone. Yet now, with Axel, she wondered if she could.

She swallowed hard, trying to push the thought away. Despite hisrigid stance, the coiled tension in his body, there was something impossibly tender in the way he stood before her, something in the way his energy seemed to soften, but only for her.

“Be careful,” he growled, breaking the silence. His voice was gravelly, edged with something unspoken.

Her eyes flickered. “Careful of what?”

“With the way you’re looking at me.” His voice dropped lower, the words heavy with implication.

“How am I looking at you?” she asked, her tone feigning coyness, though her heart pounded like a war drum.

“Like you want something from me.” His eyes dipped to her lips, the brief glance enough to send a surge of heat racing through her veins. Her chest tightened, and the space between them seemed to grow smaller, their breaths mingling in the charged air.

Her body froze, caught in the tension that hummed like a taut bowstring ready to snap. The anger and sharp edges of their earlier exchanges dissolved, leaving behind something far more dangerous, far more consuming. It sent a shiver down her spine. She knew he could see it - the longing she didn’t know how to hide.

“Something I’m not sure I can give you,” he murmured, his voice barely audible over the thunder of her pulse.

The spell broke as he stepped back, the cold quickly rushing in where his warmth had been, and Sylvie exhaled sharply, her cheeks blazing. Her stomach twisted painfully, a mix of frustration and embarrassment knotting in her belly.

Had he felt what she was feeling? Had he seen the yearning in her eyes?

She hated how exposed she felt, hated how easily he had unraveled her.

She straightened, pulling herself back together, her hand meeting her waist and loosing the straps of leather that bound his ax, releasing it from her hip. Sharply she shoved it in his direction.

“Don’t worry, Axel,” she snapped, the words tumbling out before she could stop them. “I don’t want anything from you.”

She turned from him, her heart pounding so loudly she feared he could hear it. But she didn’t look back.

She wouldn’t.

“Sylvie - ”

The deep sound of the blow horn shattered the air, causing her head snap toward the temple, her pulse quickening. Across the other training fields, warriors froze mid - motion, their swords lowering as the call echoed again. She kept her eyes on the temple, while the final blast of the horn vibrated through the air.

“It’s time,” Axel’s voice came from behind her, all softness gone. He stopped just at her back, his words shifting through her. “The final offerings take place today. We must be in attendance.”

Despite everything that had happened, the trials were on their doorstep - and today signified just how close she was to her departure. She clenched her fists.

“Let’s go,” she said at last, her voice tight, eyes fixed forward as she forced her feet to move. Anything to keep from meeting the gaze she felt boring into her back.

The air hung heavy with anticipation as Sylvie made her way to the sacred clearing, the earth beneath her feet soft and yielding. She had exchanged her battered fighting leathers for the flowing white robes required for the sacred rituals, and had joined her fellow brethren of the light as they made their way to the ceremonial grounds. Ahead her sisters moved silently, their robes shifting like pale shadows under the forest’s gaze. The golden hues of the setting sun spilled through the leaves, illuminating their path. Sylvie’s fingers curled tightly around the edge of her sleeve, her knuckles pale as the voices of the others drifted faintly around her - soft murmurs of prayer and meditation. Yet, her mind refused such peace.