***20 Minutes before Knox arrived***
“So what should we do with him?” Sara asked Jake, her tone hesitant yet determined.
“You haven't fallen in love with me yet?” Jake responded with biting sarcasm, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. “First, we need him to let his guard down so that we can dispose of him. We can’t hope to defeat him head-on.”
“You don't think you can win against him?” inquired one of the soldiers, her voice tinged with uncertainty.
Jake regarded the woman with a mixture of disdain and resignation. “Win? Ha! I'd be fortunate to make a move before meeting my demise. Whatever that creature did to him has transformed him beyond recognition.”
“And his hair...it's white now,” remarked the other soldier, her eyes reflecting a mix of curiosity and fear.
“No, his hair turned white before he gained this newfound power…”
Sara cleared her throat softly, directing their attention back to the matter at hand. “Well, how are we supposed to make him drop his guard?”
“Oh, that,” Jake replied dismissively, as if it were a trivial matter. “You'll have to seduce him and kill him while he sleeps.”
“S-seduce him?! Are you out of your mind, old man?” Sara's cheeks flushed with embarrassment at the suggestion.
Jake clicked his tongue impatiently. “Tch, mind your tongue,” he retorted sharply, his gaze piercing. “This is the best plan I’ve devised yet, especially considering the boy seems to be teetering on the brink of insanity. The only reason we're still breathing is because of your intervention,” Jake remarked, his tone carrying a hint of grudging admiration.
“Me?” Sara's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“Yes, you. Didn’t you convince him not to engage in combat earlier?”
“I suppose I did, but I didn’t realize its significance at the time.”
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“If that's the case, what’s to stop me from ordering him to kill you all and spare us?” Sara gestured towards Timmy and herself, her voice laced with a mixture of defiance and fear.
Jake's smirk widened, a cold glint in his eyes. “That's simple. I've implanted a mana bomb inside the child, set to detonate upon my death.”
“Y-y-you DID WHAT?!” Sara's voice trembled with a mix of disbelief and rage as she jumped up from the table and slammed her fists down with a resounding thud.
Jake merely smirked in response. “You should quiet down before Knox returns, Sara. I can sense his presence almost at the entrance.”
***Back to the present***
Sara took a deep breath, steadying herself. She knew what she had to do, no matter how uncomfortable it made her feel. As he walked into the room, she greeted him with a warm smile, trying to channel as much charm as she could muster.
“Hey, Knox,” she said softly, her voice carrying a hint of sweetness. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”
Knox looked at her curiously, his expression a mix of surprise and suspicion. “Sure, what's up?”
Sara gestured for him to sit beside her, patting the spot on the bed. As he sat down, she edged closer, her movements deliberate but subtle. She could feel her heart racing, but she pushed aside her nerves, focusing on the task at hand.
“I just wanted to say... I'm glad you're back,” she began, her tone gentle and sincere. “It's been tough without you around.”
Knox shifted uncomfortably, clearly unsure of how to respond. Sara took his hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. She leaned in closer, her breath warm against his ear.
“You know, Knox,” she whispered, her voice low and seductive, “I've always admired your strength and determination. You're... impressive.”
She felt him tense up slightly, but she pressed on, her words becoming more intimate with each passing moment. She trailed her fingers lightly along his arm, sending a shiver down his spine.
“I've been thinking about you a lot,” she confessed, her eyes locking with his. “And I... I can't stop thinking about what it would be like to be closer to you.”
Knox swallowed hard, his gaze flickering between her eyes and her lips. Sara leaned in even closer, her lips barely grazing his ear as she whispered, “Maybe we could... explore that together.”
She held her breath, waiting for his response.
Knox's heart raced as Sara's words hung in the air, sending a jolt of conflicting emotions through him. He could feel the warmth of her breath against his skin, her touch igniting a fire within him. Despite his better judgment, he found himself drawn to her, unable to resist the allure of her seductive charms.
"Sara..." Knox started, his voice wavering slightly as he struggled to find the right words. "I... I appreciate your kindness, but I don't think..."
Before he could finish, Sara interrupted him, her voice low and persuasive. "Shh, Knox," she murmured, her fingers tracing patterns on his arm. "You don't have to overthink it. Just... let yourself go."
Her words sent a shiver down Knox's spine, his resolve weakening in the face of her undeniable appeal. He felt himself leaning closer to her, unable to resist the pull of her magnetic presence.
As their lips met in a tender kiss, Knox's mind went blank, his thoughts consumed by the intoxicating sensation of her touch. In that moment, everything else faded away, leaving only the two of them entwined in a passionate embrace.
But as the kiss lingered, a nagging doubt crept into Knox's mind, a voice whispering in the back of his head that something wasn't right. Pushing aside his doubts, he forced himself to focus on the present, losing himself in the moment with Sara.
It was only later, as they lay entangled in each other's arms that Knox's suspicions resurfaced. Despite the undeniable chemistry between them, he couldn't shake the feeling that Sara's affections were not genuine, that she was merely following Jake's orders. With that thought lingering in his mind, he fell asleep with Sara in his arms.