Axel found me near the edge of the training cliffs, the cold wind cutting against my cheeks as I watched the river below s***h through the rocks like a silver blade. I didn’t hear him approach—he was always like that, too quiet for a man his size.
“Should’ve figured you’d come here,” he said. “You always did like high places. Gives you the illusion you’re above the mess.”
I didn’t turn to look at him. “I’m not in the mood for riddles, Axel.”
His boots crunched over the gravel behind me. “It’s not a riddle, Nina. It’s a truth. And I’ve come to offer you another one.”
Now I looked at him. He was wearing that same smirk he always had—charming, dangerous, and far too controlled. But his eyes... they were serious.
“What kind of truth?” I asked.
He folded his arms. “You’re too good for thi
