Page 155 of Daughter of the Serpent

Shock thrummed through her, sharp and cold.

Her lips parted, but no words came. The wind howled, tearing at the silence between them. She felt a rush of disbelief flood her veins, drowning out the sound of the crashing waves below. Her stomach lurched, as if her body was rejecting the truth.

“No,” she whispered, shaking her head in a frantic denial. “That’s... that’s impossible.”

But Axel’s eyes never wavered. They locked onto hers with an intensity that seemed to burn through the fog of her confusion.

“You don’t understand,” he said, his voice low and steady. “Rederick has seen what you are becoming. What you’re capable of.”

Sylvie staggered backward, her heart pounding in her chest. Her breath was shallow, ragged, as if she had just been plunged underwater and was struggling to find air. She searched Axel’s face, looking for a crack in his sincerity. For anything that would give her permission tonotbelieve such an absurd possibility.

But there was none.

She shook her head, fingers coming to her temples as she stepped back. She couldn’t handle this.

She couldn’t fathom it.

Rederick?Afraid of her?

Impossible.

Her voice cracked as she spoke again. “But I’m not... I’m not dangerous. I’m not a threat to him.”

“You will be,” Axel said, his voice unwavering. “And you’re already starting to see it. The moment you step into your true power, he will have no place for you. He’s too invested in keeping you small. He needs to keep you feeling unworthy, insignificant, Sylvie. But the gods... the gods have other plans.”

Her breath hitched. The truth of it - that gnawing, uncomfortable truth - was beginning to seep into her skin, crawling through her thoughts, reaching every crevice of her being.

“That is why you must face the trials, Sylvie. And win.”

Axel watched her, reading every doubt, every emotion on her face.

It was too much. It was all too much.

“And what of Haldor?” She asked, breathless.

Could he be right about him too?

Had she been so blinded by her love for Haldor - by their history, by the comfort of their friendship - that she hadn’t seen the truth?

The thought scraped against her ribs like a blade.

Axel exhaled sharply. “He’s desperate to keep you safe, that much is clear.” His voice was tight, as if it took effort to keep his irritation in check.

“But his fear had made him reckless, dangerous.” He exhaled. “But I cannot fault him for it.”

Sylvie’s chest constricted.

“What do you mean?”

He shifted. “Because you’re not just anyone, Sylvie.” His eyes dropped. “And even still you fail to see it.”

Her breath caught. Something inside her twisted, grief unraveling into something else. Something fragile. Something like hope.

Axel’s gaze returned to hers, unreadable, but she saw it - the war, the restraint in every muscle, the way his breath came just a little too slow.

“I don’t know what the gods have planned,” he admitted.“But despite my distaste for him - despite how much I would love nothing more than to drag my blade across his throat for what he’s done - ”

He broke off. His fists clenched at his sides, tension rippling down his arms, veins taut beneath his skin.