'Please, Zayden...'
'Please kiss me!'
Ziana woke up gasping loudly. Her face cringed in disgust as she recalled the scenes from her dream. Was she begging that bastard to kiss her? Eww! It was worse than getting eaten by a wolf.
Her hands instantly touched her bleeding stomach, and a gasp left her mouth in shock. It was completely healed, and she felt no pain.
Wait! Her eyes scanned the place, and her brows shot up in disbelief. This afterlife chamber looked exactly like her room. Were they trying to make her feel at home?
"Oh, you are awake." Yael walked inside the room, and Ziana stared at him in confusion. So he was her assisting grim reaper this time.
Too bad! That bloody nasty creature wasn't here to escort her. He deserved way more than just a simple punch, and she would have really torn his lips off and thrown them at the pigs if he were here today.
"Let me check your wound," Yael said, sitting beside her on the bed. She blinked in confusion but let him look at her stomach. What's the use when she's already dead?
"I am glad it didn't leave behind a scar." Yael commented with a smile, and dropping her hoodie, he added, "You scared us last night, and we almost gave up on you."
When Yael and Xavier arrived at Zayden's message, she was barely breathing. He had rushed to chase after the wolf, leaving the poor girl to die in the cold breeze.
"So, I didn't die yesterday?" Ziana murmured in confusion.
"No." Yael shook his head with a smile.
But she was pretty sure that the son of a bastard had left her to die. And he had probably asked them to escort her to the afterlife once she was completely dead. However, they decided to be kind and saved her instead. Yes, that must be the case! Ziana nodded in justification.
"Thank you for saving me." She muttered, bowing slightly to him.
"Your body is still under stress even though I have completely healed your wound. So you need lots of rest." Yael said with a smile. She was slightly weak compared to other humans he had healed before, and even Xavier commented that her qi was very low.
"How did you heal my wounds?" Ziana asked, still perplexed by the sudden recovery of her injuries.
"We grim reapers have more powers than humans imagine," Xavier replied as he walked into the room. Ziana's eyes fell on her husband, and despite the smile on his face, she felt an overwhelming urge to slap him again.
"Be grateful that you got to marry one of us," Zayden said, trying to provoke her. He seemed to enjoy making her suffer, all because of that one slap.
"Oh, yes! I'm so grateful that I want to die of happiness," Ziana retorted, her frustration mounting.
"Should I help you then?" Zayden raised his right hand, moving his slender fingers to taunt her. "I will be honored to choke you with my own beautiful hands."
Ziana glared at him, seething with anger. "Fortunately, you can also use them to sign divorce papers." She turned to Yael, desperately seeking a way out. "Can't he?"
She couldn't continue with this marriage. Certainly not with a douchebag who left her to die instead of saving her last night.
Sadly, Yael shook his head, trying to suppress a laugh. Xavier didn't like their argument, but he found it amusing. They were bickering like a typical married couple, and he enjoyed seeing their progress. But it wouldn't last much longer, only a few more months at best.
Zayden smirked, relishing his earthly vacation. He had no intention of leaving soon as her fallen face was becoming his new obsession.
"Why did the wolf attack me?" Ziana asked, changing the subject. A car had chased her, and a wolf had attacked her for no apparent reason. It couldn't be a coincidence.
"Your soul is now connected to a grim reaper, and dark creatures like wolves can sense that connection until you become immune," Yael explained, although it was all still a mystery. They needed to find answers to these questions and better understand Ziana's role in the human world.
"Don't worry, we'll guard you well. Just stay home for a few more days," he added, noticing her confusion. "Take Zayden with you if you want to go out."
Ziana shook her head at the last statement. She would rather sit at home than go out with him.
"If you're done, let's leave," Xavier said, checking his watch. Yael pleaded with him to stay until Ziana woke up. They had already wasted an entire night waiting for her to regain consciousness.
Yael sighed, frustrated with Xavier's impatience. He turned to Ziana. "Call me if you need anything. I've saved my number in your phone," he said with a smile.
"Thank you," Ziana replied, nodding and smiling back. She had meant to ask how he had unlocked her phone, but it didn't matter much to creatures like them.
As the trio walked out of the room, Ziana heaved a heavy sigh. She didn't quite understand what Yael had said, but she trusted him and Xavier more than that jerk.
Taking her phone off the nightstand, she decided to call her mother and ask for an extension to their vacation. Having these guys around was like carrying a ticking time bomb, especially with her douchebag husband.
---
Zayden walked out of the house and his eyes fell on the green grass that had blackened after last night's incident. The wolf was a mythical creature that could absorb life energy from its surroundings, leaving destruction in its wake. Its presence had caused the grass to wither and die, leaving a charred mess on the lawn.
"Why couldn't you track it?" Xavier asked as they looked at the damage.
"It disappeared after a few turns."
"That means it can also teleport?" Yael gasped in surprise. This looked terrible and he was worried about Ziana's safety.
"What did Lia say?" Zayden asked Xavier, who had returned back to the afterlife last night, seeing the urgency of the matter.
"They have promised to look at it as early as possible. And your mother asked me to focus on our mission." He answered, partly frustrated. Their higher-ups were hiding something disastrous from them and he hated working in their shadows.
"Isn't it strange that Lady Winter suddenly suggested you marry a dead human and settle on earth?" Yael wondered in confusion.
This was odd because even after Zayden's multiple attempts to step into the human world and have fun, he was never allowed to cross the afterlife chamber gates. However, Lady Winter suddenly decided to send him to Earth, with a crucial mission in hand. Why?
"Let's just focus on our mission," Zayden said with a sigh. Even though he was skeptical and uncertain of his mother's intentions, little did he know that this mission was merely an excuse. There was something off in this mortal realm, and the attacks on Ziana were the leading example.
"We will fetch the amulet and message you." Xavier said, looking at the time. They needed it to complete their mission, and a dealer agreed to buy them one today.
Zayden nodded and bid them off. And as they drove away, he walked back inside the house with a smirk.
Now that she was awake, he needed to continue his mission. A mission to torture her and have fun!
---
"Why are you back?" Ziana asked with a frown. Didn't he have some secret mission? He needed to complete it soon and bless her with eternal peace.
"I am tired, and I need to rest," Zayden said, walking to the bed. And without her permission, he sat on it, making her frown deeper.
"Go rest in your home!"
"You are my home, darling."
Ziana wanted to puke at his comment. He was trying to flirt, and it was disgusting.
"And you are my escape, sir," she replied with a fake smile, much to his amusement. Pointing at the door, she ordered, "Now leave!"
"I won't," Zayden replied, leaning back on the headrest. With his arms crossed, he closed his eyes, causing Ziana to groan in frustration.
"I am gonna call the cops if—" Ziana stopped when she heard a familiar voice entering her house.
"Alright, Matthew. I will be there soon."
Shit! What was Kate doing here?
And then she realized they had been staying together ever since her family was on vacation. So obviously, she would return here after her night shift.
Fuck! She was doomed! Ziana thought, looking at her dearest husband.
"Zia, are you still sleeping?" Kate asked as she walked into her room. "It's almost 11. You should—" She paused, her eyes widening in shock.
What was a man doing here? And why the hell was he sleeping on Ziana's bed?