Hellbound Heart

There were an abundance of emotions flashing across Sebastian's eyes currently as he looked down at his little wife taking the initiative to stand before him and acting as his shield. He had not thought that she would be this protective of him. He had not expected such an action from her that it took him quite a while to snap out of the surprise that came out of it. r

His gaze moved to her slender hand that was still stretched out horizontally, blocking him from moving to the front and before he had even realized it, his reserved dimple slowly made its way out. Suddenly, he imagined in his mind, a little white and innocent bunny enthusiastically jumping around, thumping its feet, trying to protect the deadliest beast behind it. And his smile widened more than a fraction. His eyes gleamed with amusement, awe, and something… more. r

"I think we should shout and call for help, right? Maybe that would be enough to alert the guards patrolling here?" she asked Sebastian while peeking out of the tree trunk, still not looking at his face as she was busy taking stock of the situation. r

When he did not make a sound nor responded to her question, she looked over her shoulder. Tilting her head at him, she blinked and wordlessly asked the question again with her actions.r

Quickly, he bit his lip to hide his smile from her. Her actions were just… fucking adorable right now. And he found himself enjoying seeing her reactions and wanted to observe more. Somehow, he just could not get enough of it.r

"It's to let them know… the hunter that people are here. If they know that there were others moving around in this area, I'm sure they will not dare to simply shoot, right?" her expression was serious and troubled, but she was calm. It could be seen that she knew how to respond in dangerous and high-risk situations. The fact that she could think of this option within a few seconds had impressed Sebastian. He already know Izabelle was different from those sheltered royals he knew but her actions and reactions in such threatening circumstances still surprised him. r

"Hmm… I think so?" Sebastian replied in a questioning tone and as soon as she peeked past the tree trunk again, she took a deep breath and suddenly yelled.r

"Hello!!! Someone's here!!! Can you hear us?!!!" Her high-pitched voice projected at what he suspected to be her maximum volume echoed through the immediate area of the forest. Then utter silence followed, after her yells subsided. r

Elle creased her brows as there were no responses or any of the guards that appeared even after waiting for a while. "Is anyone out there?!!" she shouted again. Still, the only response she got was silence. Frowning, she wondered what had happened to the guards that were supposed to be patrolling around the area. Could they have encountered the hunters and were hurt?r

Slowly, she turned to look over her shoulder again, only to find Sebastian standing there, leaning against the tree trunk in such a relaxed stance as he watched her with hooded eyes. She had wanted to ask him about the absence of the guards. But… He was looking so… was he in daze? That should not be the case, right? r

Elle got momentarily distracted by the seemingly dreamy look in his eyes as he continued staring straight at her. This was the first time she was seeing him having such look. No, this was the first time she was receiving such a look from him! It was almost as if he was in a daydream, and he was… oh lord… this man… or was she just reading him wrongly? What could he have been thinking about in this situation that he could even wear such an expression? Does he not realize how precarious their situation was?r

Part of her somehow could not believe that Sebastian was caught in some kind of a dreamy trance. It was just too unbelievable for her to even consider it. Because well… this was Sebastian! She had never even imagined him ever having this kind of expression! Much less, training said expression onto her! What had gotten into him? r

The dog's high-pitched whining sounds reached her ear, causing her to immediately whip around. r

Seeing the snow-white animal falling to the ground had her heart jumping to her throat. Fear immediately gripped her. The dog cannot possibly die here! Not on her watch!r

Elle let go of Sebastian's hand and was about to rush out to the animal's aid when Sebastian grabbed hold of her wrist, pulling her back before she could expose herself. r

"Don't rush over it. Let me –" he whispered.r

"No!" Elle cut him off as she pressed both her hands onto his chest to push him back into hiding. "Please stay here. It's dangerous." r

His lips hung open in surprise, but Elle was too worried about the dog to notice his facial expressions right now. r

"Izabelle –"r

"We don't know if any moment, someone might shoot. So, stay here, okay? No matter what, please don't come out!" she firmly said, causing Sebastian to run his fingers through his hair in exasperation. This little… how could she be thinking of someone else's safely and not think of her own? r

At that moment, he looked like he did not know whether to be amused or angry at her. These actions of hers right now was something he could never even imagine a princess to have. He could not even deny how all this was making him feel inexplicable things. Suddenly, a memory flashed pass his mind. r

It was an image of him when he was a child standing right behind his… older brother. He looked terrified as he looked at his brother who was drenched in blood but was still protecting him. r

That flash of memory had him spacing out and he was too late to realize that he had released Izabelle's hand, until he saw her already about to reach the animal. r