His shoulders sag just a fraction. “We do not.”
The orb hums softly, heat radiating against my senses like a living thing, and the silence stretches heavy and uncertain between us.
“We leave it,” Axel says finally, making the decision with visible reluctance, “but you stay away from it.”
“I can do that,” I say, though the certainty wavers even as I speak.
He looks at me hard. “I mean it, Bella. No curiosity, no testing, no trying to figure it out on your own.”
I nod. “I hear you.”
He steps closer then, placing himself between me and the shelf, his presence grounding but firm. “If this is another anchor, another lock, or another weapon, we will deal with it together.”
Together.
The word settles something restless in my chest, even as doubt still flickers at the edges.
Axel waits un
