Sebastian's POV
The tent was too quiet.
Painfully quiet.
Sebastian sat hunched over, elbows on his knees, staring at the sleeping figure across from him.
No... Not "Shae."
Shoshana.
The Demon Princess herself.
And she trusted him.
Trusted him enough to sleep soundly next to him without a second thought.
Sebastian's throat burned.
He was supposed to kill her.
End the mission. End the threat.
Instead... he had fallen in love with her.
"Emotion is weakness," he reminded himself bitterly.
But he could already feel it cracking, splintering apart inside his chest like a dam about to break.
He squeezed his eyes shut and fumbled for his communicator.
His fingers flew over the screen in raw desperation.
Request: Mission refusal. Target shows no hostile behavior. I believe redemption is possible. Requesting alternative orders.
The reply came back instantly.
Mission Denied.
Failure to comply will result in immediate elimination order. Enforcement unit dispatched.
Sebastian's heart stopped for half a beat.
He knew exactly who they'd send.
The Three Hunters.
He could still hear them from the training grounds — sneering, laughing, using the words "beast" and "monster" like badges of honor.
They weren't broken kids like him.
They chose to be cruel.
And they would be here soon.
Hours Later
The sun dipped fully beneath the horizon, casting a bloody, eerie glow across the forest.
The woods shifted.
Three shadows emerged, cocky and smug, walking like they owned the damn universe.
"Hey, Harrington!" the tallest sneered, spitting Sebastian's fake name like venom. "Or should I say Leon Castillo now? Got tired of playing the good little soldier? Or did you just get sidetracked playing mouse with the unholy whor-"
Another chuckled lowly, interrupting his peer . "Tsk tsk... You've gone soft, man. Falling for a freak?"
Sebastian said nothing. His fists clenched so hard his nails cut into his palms.
The third hunter — the worst of them — grinned wide, practically salivating with cruelty.
"You know this is against protocol, right? Mission abandonment. Harboring a monster. You'll be lucky if they only gut you."
The second hunter snorted and leaned in, voice dropping to a vile whisper:
"Maybe we'll keep her alive after we bag her. Train her. Break her. You're too soft to see it, but monsters like that need collars, ESPECIALLY HER and she'll forget ALL ABOUT YOU once we're DONE with her."
They all laughed.
Laughed like it was some big game. Like Shoshana wasn't even human to them.
Like she didn't matter.
Sebastian saw red.
Shoshana's POV
She had woken up the moment the first blow landed.
The sounds of fighting hadn't even scared her — not really.
But feeling his vines slither so close to her body?
Shoshana froze under her blanket, cheeks burning, as the memory of her mother's steamy romance novels came rushing back:
The dashing hero, scarred and brooding, his strength curling around the maiden protectively...
The tent scene, where a single touch could spark an inferno...
The whispered confessions in the dead of night...
Oh no.
Ohhhh nooo no no no I am NOT prepared for this, I'm not even the Demon Queen yet, I can't be deflowered before THAT! her brain screamed.
Her heart thundered in her ears.
Every instinct told her to keep pretending to sleep — because if Sebastian even glanced at her right now, she would probably combust on the spot.
She peeked through her lashes.
Sebastian stood at the entrance, looking at her with a face full of pain — raw and real, like a man barely holding himself together.
Slowly, he stepped closer.
He knelt down, a trembling hand hovering over her... like he wanted to touch her, to make sure she was real.
But he didn't.
Instead, he slipped a small, folded piece of paper into the crook of her arm.
Then he stood up — and disappeared into the night without a sound.
Shoshana sat up, heart breaking, and unfolded the note with shaking hands.
The Note:
Shae, I mean,Shoshana
I'm sorry.
I'm not leaving because I don't care.
I'm leaving because I care too much.
You deserve to live without a target painted on your back because of me.
I was sent to kill you, but I fell in love. Crazy how that works, right?
Don't try to find me, not only for your OWN good, but also for MINE. My last favor to ask of you? Please… Just be happy.
—Sebastian
Shoshana's POV (Continued)
Tears blurred the words almost immediately.
She clutched the note to her chest, feeling her soul crack.
A flurry of memories — her memories — tumbled through her mind like a film reel:
— Sebastian teaching her how to roast marshmallows.
— His careful, almost shy glances when he thought she wasn't looking.
— The quiet moments where he stood just a little too close, just a little too long.
— His voice, low and rough, calling her "Shae" like it was something precious.
He cared.
He had always cared.
Shoshana wept silently, alone under the stars, realizing the truth she had been too scared to name before:
She loved him.
And now... he was gone.
