Page 124 of Daughter of the Serpent

Axel’s gaze locked onto hers, steady and unyielding. “That is why I brought you here,” he said, voice thick with meaning. “To show you that there is life beyond the temple. Truth beyond the temple. That there is magic - untouched, unbroken, free.”

And he was right.

As she looked at the fairies, the swaying trees, the wind carrying their laughter, something unfurled inside her - something wild, something aching.

Awe. Longing.

A hunger she had never dared name.

This world had once felt impossible.

And yet, here it was. As real as the man beside her.

Axel watched her closely, his gaze flickering over the emotions shifting across her face.

A slow, smoldering heat coiled between them.

What was this fire? This invisible thread that wove them together?

And why, despite everything she had been taught - everything she had feared - did she suddenly want to follow where it led?

Fairies flitted by, filling her plate with a snap of their tiny fingers, and suspending mugs airborne around her - goblets of mead, freshly pressed fruit, or frothing pink wine. Sylvie accepted a mug of thesparkling brew, and it landed softly before her. A loaf of freshly baked bread then appeared, a knife slicing through its honey - glazed crust to reveal swirls of wild berries and nuts that sparkled with lavender sugar.

"I shouldn’t," she murmured, lifting a hand in hesitation, guilt twisting inside her like a knot.

Axel didn’t waver. "You’re not within the temple walls tonight," he reminded her, his voice steady, his gaze warm. He reached for a dish of butter and held it out to her. "Besides," the corner of his lips tilted into something almost playful, "it would be an offense to refuse."

His voice was lighter, teasing, yet there was something deeper beneath it. She swallowed hard, glancing at the dish before meeting his eyes once more. It had been two days since she last recalled eating, and her stomach throbbed. She also didn’t want to give the fairies the wrong impression - she knew what a rarity it was to be granted such an audience.

Reluctantly, she nodded.

Axel slathered a generous spread of butter onto the slice and offered it to her. Her eyes closed when she took a bite, and she moaned. The flavors exploded on her tongue - sweet berries mingling with the rich, creamy butter.

“I’ve never tasted anything like this…” she gasped, her eyes wide with surprise as she looked at him. He smiled, and she laughed, and such a sound seemed foreign and yet strangely musical on her tongue.

“I shall savor that sound.” He murmured, as he reached for a mug of mead.

“What sound?” She asked innocently.

“Your laugh.” He said, his eyes drawing over her. “It is a rare thing.”

A weak smile curled her lips.

“I would hear it again before the night ends.”

Her pulse faltered, heat blooming across her cheeks. Everythingabout this moment felt foreign, like stepping into a dream she had no right to claim.

No one had ever done this for her.

No one had ever cared enough to try to quell her sadness, to soothe the raw edges of her grief.

And now, as she sat before the feast, before the beauty of it all - beforehim- an old, familiar weight coiled in her chest.

"I don’t deserve this, Axel. This beauty. Your kindness - " she looked away. "I don’t deserve any of it."

The familiar whispers of doubt slithered in, curling around her ribs.

The weight of her vows to the gods, the temple.