HAZEL
Still nothing. Axel still doesn't say a word.
I push myself back against the bed, using it to steady myself, and look at him properly now. His face isn’t twisted with rage. There’s no cruelty written there, no madness. He looks composed. Controlled. Unaffected....
That scares me more than anger ever could.
“You locked me in,” I say, my voice trembling despite myself. “ You want me to lose my mind.”
His jaw tightens. Just slightly.
“So this is it?” I whisper. “This is the consequence?”
He finally moves.
Just one step forward.
I flinch before I can stop myself, my body betraying me, every nerve screaming danger. His eyes flick down to my throat, to the place his hand was, and something dark passes through his gaze.
“I didn’t come here to kill you,” he says.
His voice is calm
