9 A cringeworthy husband

"Why did you steal it?" Ziana grumbled as the officer cuffed her hands. Having a criminal record was a nightmare for any aspirant wishing to join the civil service. And because of this bloody damn creature, her reputation would be tarnished now!

"He stole it, so you should arrest him, not me!" Ziana groaned desperately as the cop dragged her toward his car.

"Bloody hell, say something!!" She turned around and yelled at Zayden standing at her entrance. He was enjoying her misery for sure!

"Can I have a word with you?" He finally spoke much to her relief and the cop stopped doing his job. The car owner looked at him in confusion before nodding and Ziana sighed in relief.

They walked slightly away from her and Zayden explained something to them. Well, she didn't care as long as these damn cuffs were taken away from her.

What if some of her neighbors were enjoying this drama through their windows? What if they inform her mother? That woman would surely break a leg or perhaps even, throw her out on the streets!

Her blood pressure soon dropped when she saw him smirk during their conversation. He was planning something sinister again and she regretted signing this crazy deal.

Living as a raccoon seemed more peaceful than this whole shit life!

The cop nodded and walked towards her. He even took out the cuffs and apologized to her. He nodded at Zayden and headed back to the car. Even the guy smiled at him and returned to his car.

"Did you hypnotize them?" Ziana asked in confusion.

"Sort of," Zayden mumbled waving at the guy.

"That's unfair! How could they let you go so easily?" Ziana grumbled as the two cars drove away from her house. She wanted to see him getting dragged away by the cop but he let him go? This was totally wrong!

"He even let you keep his brand-new car?" Ziana asked as they had even left the car he had stolen. This creature sure had very useful powers.

"I will pay him double next week. So he will obviously leave it." Zayden said flaunting his superiority over humans and Ziana felt offended for some reason.

Zayden's tactics were deeply unethical and immoral. Having mystical powers didn't mean he could trick people and make them obey his commands. Whatever, it was none of her business. She thought with a heavy sigh.

"Wait, why are you going inside again?" She frowned at seeing him walk towards her house. After all this drama, she would never let him near again. Not even an inch!

"You have already created enough problems, so better leave me alone!"

"I am a man of words. I promised your friend to stay and I will." Zayden walked inside her house, and she scoffed out loud.

This bastard!

Rushing behind him, Ziana replied, "I will handle my friend. So leave!"

"Then what about the creatures wanting to rip you apart?" Sitting on her couch, he elegantly crossed his legs and asked, "Can you handle them?"

Oh yeah! How could she forget about the wolf and its attack?

"Yes, I will!" Ziana confidently replied though she was terrified inside.

"Are you sure?" Zayden asked raising his brow. His look made her nervous but she nodded. Having wolves rip her stomach was better than letting him boil her blood!

"But, I cannot leave you alone." He said crossing his arms. With a sweet smile, Zayden added, "You are my wife and it's my responsibility to protect you after all."

Ziana clenched her fist as her face cringed in frustration. Indeed, living as a raccoon was better than being this damn creature's wife!

"And isn't it a husband's responsibility to accept his wife's choices?" She decided to go in his way and crossed her arms, she added, "And my choice is for us to never see each other's faces again."

"So, being the perfect husband you are, accept it and get lost!" Ziana declared in a high tone.

Zayden raised his eyebrows and smiled at her words. "So, you finally accept me as your husband." He said with a smirk.

Ziana turned red in anger. This man was becoming a pure torture to her.

"Now be a good wife and get me a cup of coffee." He added much to her pleasure.

"Would you prefer it with salt?"

"Only if you add it with love." Zayden replied with a smile.

This bastard! How could he twist everything into something cringe? Eww, she really wanted to puke on his face!

"Go make it yourself!" Ziana yelled and stormed into her room. Arguing with him was like jumping into the dirt. It would only hurt her, not the dirt himself!

Shutting her door, she slumped on her bed and cried in frustration. Why the heck did she sign a deal with this jerk?!

"Arghhhhh, I hate myself!" She cried out loud and pulled her hair out in frustration.

Zayden smiled hearing He enjoyed torturing her with his words. He liked seeing the pain in her eyes and hearing the despair in her voice. It was a twisted pleasure, but it was something he craved.

Taking out the phone Xavier bought last night, he decided to order something to eat. It had been years since he last saw this device and he needed to learn to use it again. Human life was so tiring! And he hated it for the same reason.

'Come to the afterlife gates soon. There's something you need to see.' Lia's message popped up and Zayden sighed.

And his grim reaper life was also getting tiring these days!

Taking a deep breath, he got up and left her house. But he would come back for sure! After all, it was his pretty wife's house!

--

Stopping the car on the side of the highway, he got down and walked into the thick dense forest. Trees towered over the sky and darkness filled the place. The air was still, and the only sound was leaves crunching under his shoes. It was a dead forest and no one dared to come here, afraid of the folklore they had spread centuries ago.

Reaching a clear zone of the forest, he snapped his fingers and an invisible radiant dome appeared in front of him. Its walls shimmered and sparkled in the faint sunlight, and a faint hum filled the air as he stepped into it. They built this magical barrier to keep the gates away from human eyes, as well as to protect it from creatures lurking in the dark.

"What happened?" He asked walking to the two tall pillars that reached up to the sky. The magical stones glowed as he stepped closer and he frowned at seeing a slight hole in the transparent blue layer between the pillars.

Was the gate ripped off?

"Someone tried to enter the gates." Lia answered followed by a deep sigh. Everything happening in this world was weird and made her anxious.

These events were a sign of something bigger and more dangerous coming. As if a storm was awaiting to destabilize the balance between worlds and lead to catastrophic consequences that would disrupt humans' well-being.

"Your mother and other elders will show up in a few minutes." Lia said heaving another sigh. "You better behave!" She warned knowing his reputation.

"Where's Yael?" He asked turning to Xavier who simply stood as if nothing mattered to him anymore. He had decided to resign and go back to the afterlife soon.

"He is sick. All thanks to your dumb brother's wise actions." Lia answered staring at Xavier.

"What about the amulet?" Zayden asked feeling it was related to it. He was so damn confident about finding amulet stones, so he guessed something went wrong again.

"Oh, yeah! He got the amulets and even ended up in jail." And when Zayden frowned in confusion, she explained everything in detail.

Zayden sighed and shook his head. Xavier sure had his ways of entertaining elders with his clumsy decisions. They wanted them to commit such mistakes and later get grilled in hell.

Xavier stood like they weren't talking about him. He acted mute and Zayden sighed out loud. He would never grow up. Would he?

"How's your new wife, by the way?" Lia asked as they patiently waited for the elders to arrive.

A smile spread across Zayden's face as he recalled their sweet conversation. "She's good."

"Your smile looks cunning!" Lia smiled and added, "Treat her nicely, please."

"I am being very nice to her." Zayden replied with a smirk.

Ahh, Ziana would have loved this line and screamed in anger! He thought and smiled imagining her cute angry face.

"What are you guys doing here?" A sudden voice startled the three and turned around in surprise.

Kate stood behind them, a few meters away. Crossing her arms, she stared at Xavier and Lia, but then blinked when she saw Zayden.

So he was involved with these weirdos?

"And why are you here?" She asked turning to him in confusion.

"Do you know her?" Xavier asked in disbelief and Zayden had the same look on his face.