Love and Deepspace - Upon a Fairytale Dream

Part 5 - Ice Heart

The light and chirping of birds wake me up. I find myself covered under a blanket but no longer outside, instead, I'm in my bed on a pillow of softness. I turn my head and see Zayne sleeping soundly next to me. I smiled and turned to him. He sleeps in his clothes with a frown on his face.

I touched his frown lines with my finger and smoothed them out. Suddenly, his eyes fluttered open, and he gazed at me. We lay in bed silently, staring at each other for a few moments. Then Zayne leaned forward and kissed my forehead.

"Good morning," he said softly with a low voice.

"Good morning. Are you hungry? I'll cook us something." I sat up and yawned. He sat up along with me and got off the bed.

"I'll help you, too." He reached out his hand to me. In a flash, he pulled me up and towards him making me squeal. He chuckled as he held my hand and led us to the kitchen.

I sat on the counter as Zayne cooked the fresh eggs in a pan. I spread raspberry jam on a slice of bread as I swung my legs slightly, content and relaxed. Out of the blue, Zayne held my wrist and took a bite out of the bread. His lips grazed against my fingertips as he gazed at me under hooded eyes, glowing from the bit of sunlight shining through the window. I frowned at him as he smiled and plated the eggs like he didn't just tease me.

When we finished breakfast and freshened up for the morning, Zayne and I sat outside on the bench by the side of the cottage reading a book together. My head rested on Zayne's shoulder when suddenly something changed. A chill ran down my spine and I quickly sat up straight staring in the direction of the woods ahead.

"What is it?" Zayned asked and before I could answer, a dozen men with guns and dogs on leashes came rushing out from behind the trees. Zayne and I stood up in alarm as the book fell to the ground. The birds around the cottage chirped frantically and flew back and forth above our heads as the group of men headed closer.

"Sorry for the interruption. May we come in?" asked an older man who was standing in the front with a gun attached to a holster around his waist. Without waiting for an answer, he pushed the unlocked gate open and walked inside with the dogs and his other men following behind him. The wind chime crashed harshly against the iron bars as my hand shook in fear and anticipation.

Zayne stood in front of me, shielding me from the men. His gaze was dark and cold. All signs of calmness and warmth I saw before were gone from his eyes. This is a side of him I have never seen.

"Zayne, great to see you again. We've been searching for you," the older man said. I glanced at Zayne with a worried look.

Does he know Zayne? What is going on?

"You were supposed to disappear years ago. I already did everything I needed to do and left. This isn't a part of our agreement," Zayne said coldly.

The man glanced at me and smirked. "You didn't finish the job, Zayne. From the looks of it, you didn't tell her everything, did you?" I looked at Zayne, more confused than ever.

"What is he talking about?" I asked him as he stood in silence. The man laughed.

"Let me tell you, sweetheart. Zayne here is a murderer. He was known as The Grim Reaper. He can kill anything in his sight whether it's women, children, or animals. He's the most vicious of them all. You might be safer with us than him," the older man said as he laughed.

"Don't listen to him. It's not true. I was indeed involved in something, but I would never hurt anyone for no reason. Besides, I got out several years ago. You have to believe me," Zayne said as he refused to look at me. "This was what I wanted to share with you yesterday night. I used to work for people who deal with illegal projects, and they called me to clean the messes. They experimented with people for special abilities, like what I have, and when things go wrong, which they do, I have to hurt others. I had to because, if I didn't, they would be released and hurt innocent people because they have the strength and power to do so. It's not right, but I was raised in it. That was my life. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before," Zayne said dejectedly.