Page 161 of Daughter of the Serpent

“And then you kissed me.” The memory struck like a thunderclap, rattling through her, leaving her breathless. She swallowed hard, her throat constricting. “And you told me things I never thought possible. That I was the light - ” Her voice cracked, and she exhaled sharply, blinking against the hot sting in her eyes. “Yourlight.”

His chest rose and fell in uneven, shallow breaths.

"And you can’t take that back."

Her voice was a whisper now, but no less fierce.

"You can’t erase what you’ve done, what you’ve already given me. Because it’s here, Axel.In me.”

She pressed her palm deeper against her chest. "Burned into my heart, my soul."

His gaze was fire.

"And I refuse to believe it was a mistake. I won’t. Ican’t."

She swallowed hard, lifting her chin. "Because whether you like it or not, you’ve already become a part of me." Her voice was steady, but her pulse was a war drum in her ears. "Not just through the bond. Not just through magic. But in every way possible."

Her breath hitched as she stepped forward, closing the last of the distance between them.

He went still.

Rigid. Tense.

But he didn’t move away.

Her gaze burned into his, daring him.

Daring him to deny her.

"And now, as I stand at the edge of everything," she whispered, her heart hammering, "I see more clearly than I ever have.”

Her eyes roamed over him, drinking him in, like she could carve this moment into her very bones.

"I know what I want.”

Her eyes cut through him.

“It’s not the gods. It’s not Haldor. It’s not the trials - it’s you."

He shook his head - as if he could shake her out of him.

As if he could force her words away. But he couldn’t.

She saw it in his eyes, in the way his fingers curled into fists at his sides. Her words had already burrowed too deep.

Silence - taut and heavy, enveloped them.

His jaw clenched, the war raging in his eyes laid bare. And then - his restraint shattered.

"Don’t you think I’m in agony over you?"

The words ripped from him, raw and uncontained, a confession he hadn’t been ready to make.

"Ever since I kissed you, held you, touched you - " his voice was a plea, a wound ripped open - "it’s beenbreakingme inside."

His breath was uneven, his body taut like a bowstring about to snap.

Sylvie inhaled sharply as he took a step.