The forest seemed to tighten around them, branches stretching and twisting as though alive, whispering secrets in a language only Sebastian understood. Aliena's pulse pounded in her ears. Each shadow now seemed a threat, every rustle a warning.
"Stay close," Sebastian ordered, voice sharp, commanding. His eyes swept over the darkness, scanning every curve of tree and undergrowth. The faint glow of his golden-red eyes pierced the night like twin torches, illuminating shapes in the distance that would have gone unnoticed by anyone else.
Aliena clutched the fabric of her dress, trying not to stumble as he moved. "Sebastian… how do you know they're here? How can you feel them?"
His gaze remained fixed ahead. "Because they are. And they are patient predators, they stalk, they wait, they test. But they make mistakes."
A low, guttural hiss answered him from the shadows. Three figures emerged, moving with unnatural silence despite their size. Their eyes glinted with a sickly amber light. The demons had come.
"Here," Sebastian muttered, his jaw tightening. "You stay behind me. One false step, one panicked motion, and—"
Aliena shivered but nodded, gripping his cloak. He didn't wait for her to recover.
The first demon lunged, its clawed hand slashing toward him. Sebastian moved like a shadow himself, dodging effortlessly. Before Aliena could react, his fist struck the creature's chest with a force that sent it crashing into the roots of an ancient oak. A sickening crack echoed through the forest.
The second demon hissed and charged, moving with speed that should have outmatched him. But Sebastian was already gone, appearing behind it as if he had vanished entirely. With a precise motion, he disarmed the creature, tossing it aside into the dense undergrowth.
Aliena's eyes widened. "He's… so fast…"
"Yes," she whispered to herself, unable to look away. "Faster than anyone I've ever seen."
The final demon paused, circling, calculating. Its amber eyes flared with hatred and frustration. "You… are not a vampire!" it spat, voice echoing unnaturally, layered as though several beings spoke at once.
Sebastian's eyes narrowed. "I am what I need to be," he said. Then, in a motion almost too fast to follow, he struck. The demon's scream pierced the night, chilling Aliena to the bone.
She stumbled back instinctively, covering her mouth as the forest seemed to tremble with the impact of Sebastian's strength. His movements were fluid, precise, and terrifyingly controlled. It was as if the forest itself bowed to his will, clearing paths, shadowing him, hiding him from the creatures that dared challenge him.
"Aliena," he said suddenly, his voice cutting through the haze of fear. "Do not move. Watch, learn, and understand that survival depends on awareness."
Her hands shook, but she obeyed. Her heart raced not just from fear, but from awe. Sebastian was more than a prince, more than a vampire, more than a witch, he was a force of nature, and she had been foolish enough to think the world would allow her to remain untouched.
The final demon, severely wounded, hissed and lunged one last time. Sebastian caught it by the throat mid-air, lifting it clean off the ground. Its amber eyes bulged with panic.
"You will not threaten me. You will not threaten her," Sebastian said, voice low, deadly calm. His strength constricted like a vice, and the demon's screams slowly stilled.
Aliena gasped. "He… he didn't even hesitate."
"No," Sebastian said, lowering the corpse. "I don't hesitate."
The forest grew silent once more. The rustling of leaves was the only sound, but it felt heavier now, more alive. Aliena glanced around, realizing that the shadows themselves seemed to watch her, not menacingly, but alert, like they were waiting for Sebastian's next command. She knew there was more to what the Prince let people see.
He turned to her, expression unreadable but eyes sharp. "Do you understand now? You cannot wander, not even within the palace grounds. The world is larger, darker, and more dangerous than you imagine."
"I… I do," she whispered, still trying to steady her trembling hands.
"And yet," he added, voice softer but no less serious, "I will protect you. But only if you listen. Only if you follow instructions."
Aliena swallowed hard, the weight of the words pressing into her chest. She nodded. "I will."
Sebastian allowed himself a brief moment of calm. He brushed a strand of her hair back from her face, a gesture so fleeting that she almost questioned whether she imagined it.
"Good," he said. Then, shifting his gaze back to the forest, he added, "We move. They may regroup, and I will not be caught unaware again."
Aliena followed closely, trying to match his stride. Every step felt like walking through a living maze, shadows pressing against her, trees creaking and groaning as though alive. She kept her eyes on Sebastian, who moved like a predator, alert, fluid, and terrifyingly precise.
"Do you… always fight like that?" she asked quietly, not wanting to break his focus.
"Always when necessary," he said shortly. "I do not fail. I do not hesitate. And I never allow weakness to be exploited."
Aliena's lips pressed together. She didn't know whether to feel awe, fear, or a strange mixture of both.
Another rustle. Another hiss. Aliena froze, but Sebastian didn't flinch. His body coiled like a spring, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
"Patience," he whispered. "They are testing you as much as they are testing me. Watch closely. Learn the forest, learn the threats… and remember this night."
Aliena nodded. The events of the night, her abduction, the demons, Sebastian's raw power, etched themselves into her memory. She realized then, fully, that nothing would ever feel the same again.
And somewhere deep in the shadows, the remaining forces that had sent the demons were already watching, already planning.
Sebastian sensed it first, a subtle vibration in the air, the forest itself warning him of unseen eyes. His jaw tightened, and for the first time since Aliena had been abducted, a hint of something unrestrained flickered in his eyes.
"They are not finished," he said softly, almost to himself. "And neither am I."
Aliena shivered, her hands tightening on her dress. She didn't fully understand what he meant, but she understood enough. The forest was no longer just trees and shadows. It was alive, dangerous, and far larger than anything she had ever known.
And she was trapped within it, beside a prince who was more powerful, and terrifying than she could have imagined.