After years alone, Sabine adjusted to constant company with Hector and Renata aboard a stolen ship. They spent days hidden in the dark hold and nights going ashore to feed, skimming numerous harbors and departing before their victims were discovered. At times they staged distress to lure rescuers, then killed and cast the bodies overboard, and when boredom set in, they sold the ship and sought landbound trouble.

In taverns, roads, squares, and inns, Hector and Renata brought Sabine into their predatory games. The trio hunted seamlessly and killed carelessly, savoring the thrill. Sabine continued collecting tokens—charms and pendants—from those she killed, wearing them as rattling trophies and letting them fall away when they broke, confident there would be more.

As seasons turned, Sabine changed under their influence. She realized how rigid solitude had made her and let their physical ease soften her. Renata’s fingers traced Sabine’s spine and smoothed her brow, a touch that sparked heat beneath Sabine’s skin. Hector’s hand stroked her hair and cheek with steady, non-possessive warmth, different from her husband’s claim, and more familial than erotic.

Time blurred in happiness across the first year, but one night remained vivid. Drawn by guitar and drum into a public square, Sabine, Renata, and Hector danced and drew attention—Sabine’s red hair flashing, Renata’s skin glowing, and Hector’s charm binding them. Afterward, Hector plucked two white roses, gifting one to Renata and one to Sabine, naming Renata his petal and Sabine his thorn.

Hector explained the compliment, saying they all grew in the same soil but some withered while others thrived, and hinted at choosing which of their kind became better monsters. Sabine accepted the identity with a twitching smile. As Renata called to them, Hector drifted away with her, and Sabine removed the rose, its barbs catching her hair. She pressed a thorn into her thumb, watched the slow welling of blood, licked it away, and followed as Renata beckoned, leaving the flower on the street.