Masked Love Read online

  “No… It’s nothing Pete… Don’t worry…” But the other two were still staring at him and he let out a sigh before explaining everything to them except about Venus.

  “What…?” fumed Peter. “Are you out of your mind? Do you know what they will do if they catch hold of us…?”

  “They can do nothing more than kill us… And, everyone has to die one day!” he smiled easily at a fuming Peter.

  “But Rey… What if…?” started Mia in a nervous tone.

  “Mia… Come on… nothing happened to me… and nothing will happen at least any time soon…” he sighed. “So… what’s the new report on the other group…? I’ve heard they had started to enter the villages…” asked Rey.

  “Yeah… This is terrible… I mean, they are killing the innocents and it might lead us in trouble too… We must stop them as soon as possible, Rey.” said Peter.

  “Hmm… Wait till I get hold of the leader of their group… They are going to pay…” Rey said in a serious tone. He noticed the worried expressions of Mia and smiled at her. “Now… can I get something to eat? I’m starving…” he said and Mia let out a warm smile.

  “Rey…” started Peter, but he cut him off.

  “Pete… Why don’t you help your love to prepare something delicious for all of us…?” he asked and Peter let out a sigh as he followed Mia.

  “Hey… where’s Lilly?” asked Rey, suddenly remembering. “Hope she’s not making any trouble…”

  “She’s at the village…” Peter called out from the kitchen. “Toying around with the guys, as usual…” said Peter and Rey chuckled.

  He sat there, leaning against the chair, slowly closing his eyes. But all he could see was her face. He opened his eyes and shook his head, and then tried to close his eyes again. But it was still the same… Those dark eyes… burning with determination… the strength he’d never seen or experienced before… seems to pierce through him both inside and out.

  Rey ran his fingers over the bandage in his arm, which she had tied. “Venus…” he smiled.

  “Lunch’s ready!” called out Mia from the kitchen. “Rey…”

  “Yeah… Coming!” he strolled towards the others, the smile still lingering over his lips.

  Chapter 3

  Venus was walking through the forest, collecting herbs as usual. The twin brats of the village, both about 10 years of age were with her, running and playing beside her. She was laughing with them.

  “Venus, I’m hungry…” One of the kids ran to her and held her leg.

  She smiled at him warmly and then, knelt before the both of them. “Ah… I’ll tell you what? I’ve made some delicious pancakes and left them back at my home… Let’s eat it together when we reach there and then, I’ll take you boys to your home… ok?”

  The boys accepted with a smile and Venus placed a sweet kiss on their foreheads and then they walked back to the village.

  Rey was watching her, leaning against a tree. She looked beautiful as always. It had been a hobby of his to walk into the forest every day and wait there to see her. Some days she won’t be there, but still he made sure he never missed a chance. Why was he doing that? He himself didn’t know…

  Jellal was waiting for her when she walked back after leaving the kids at their home.

  “Good evening, Venus…” he said as he took her hand in his. “You look beautiful as ever…” He tried his usual attempt to kiss her but Venus pulled away with a forced smile.

  “Thank you…” she said, opening the door. “So, what’s up…?”

  “Why are you roaming in the forest alone? You know it’s dangerous-” He sounded a bit annoyed.

  Venus hated this. He was overprotective and a bit too much possessive as well. If she could only call the engagement off… But she didn’t want to upset his parents who love her like their own daughter.

  “I wasn’t alone… Tom and Ken were with me…” she said as she walked towards the kitchen.

  “The twin brats?” he said unbelievably. “What? Are you kidding me, Venus? How could they help you in danger…? By crying out loud…?” he mocked.

  She sighed. “I can take care of myself perfectly, Jellal… Don’t worry…”

  “I’m worried…” he moved behind her and held her shoulders. “I’m really worried when it comes to you…” His voice had dropped a notch and Venus noticed it. She turned around to face him.

  “I’m not a baby Jellal… I’ve lived by myself all these years and I’ve been perfectly fine…”

  “You’re not…” he started with a smile. “-going to live alone anymore…”

  “What’s that supposed to mean…?” she asked as she slowly pulled away from his grip.

  “That honey… you’re going to live under a roof with me…” he smiled again. “As my wife!”

  “Huh…?”

  He dug into his pocket and took a small box. Then took her hand in his and kissed the fingertips before slipping a beautiful diamond ring on her ring finger. “That marks you mine!” he whispered huskily.

  ‘My confinement…’ thought Venus as she stared at the ring… She couldn’t see its beauty… it felt just like a strap to keep her bounded…

  “I’ve talked to my parents and they have decided on our wedding…” he said, staring at her eyes. ‘It is always so…’ sighed Venus. “And they’ve fixed it on next week.”

  “Oh…?” That was the only thing she could reply with though she wanted to scream in anger.

  “Yes…” nodded Jellal. “My parents will be coming here to talk to you about this tomorrow.”

  “Hmmm…” she sighed.

  The next evening, as Jellal had mentioned, his parents visited Venus and told her about their decision. She could only smile at them in reply. She managed to stay with a smiling face until they left.

  ‘Why can’t they at least ask if that is really what I want…’ she thought as she closed the door and headed towards her bedroom.

  She liked Jellal… but it wasn’t in the way they thought or wanted… Jellal was a good friend to her from her childhood. Then suddenly, this marriage issue came up. Her father shouldn’t have done this to her and the most irritating thing was that she couldn’t even remember him mentioning it to her. May be she was way too young when they decided it.

  ‘Man… I’d do anything to get away from this mess…’ she sighed as she changed into her night wears. ‘If only I can get away from here… Only a miracle could save me…’ she thought as she climbed on her bed and slowly closed her eyes.

  Evening at Rey’s place.

  “So… how are we going to do it…?” asked Mia in confusion.

  “I told you… we must find someone worthy enough… that makes them ready to do whatever it takes to get them back…” said Lilly.

  “Lilly… and why are you suggesting a kidnap? Isn’t there any other way…?” started Peter.

  “Well… if you didn’t notice, we are running out of resources and the village is already starting to feel it… We must do something soon…” said Lilly.

  “So… Who would be perfect? I mean, who do you have in mind…?” asked Mia.

  “The head of the nearby village has a daughter… she is the only heir of all their wealth and her parents passed away a few years back… The villagers seemed to love her… And being the next head of the village, she’ll have great priority…”

  “You’re suggesting to kidnap nearby village’s head? And that too… a young lady…?” asked Rey, talking for the first time since the meeting started. He knew that they had to do something, the resources of their village were running low… but kidnapping someone, especially a lady, was against his code.

  He took the cup of coffee from the nearby table and sipped it, thinking something.

  “Now…” Lilly continued. “I’ve made some enquiries about the village, and, our target lives alone… It makes it easy to get to her. We could lock her here or in the village…”

  “What if she repeats what she sees here to anyon
e…?” asked Peter, irritably. He was totally against the idea.

  “Don’t worry… we’ll never let her see anything…” smiled Lilly and Rey ignored her. “Now, I guess her name is… er… What was it…? Yeah- Venus!”

  Rey choked on the coffee he was drinking. “What…?”

  “Her name is Venus…” said Lilly and everyone stared at him.

  Rey nodded and sunk back in his chair. ‘She’s the head of the village…? Didn’t seem like one though…’ But Rey didn’t push it more to avoid suspicions.

  “We must do it sooner as the other group might be planning the same thing…” said Lilly.

  “How come she’s the main target…? I mean, there are other villages around here…” asked Rey, his whole concentration on the matter in hand.

  “It seems the people of her village are really fond of her and they are really co-operative and compassionate to one another… So, it makes it easier for them to get anything they want from kidnapping a person from their village… and it being the village head’s daughter, adds to the benefit…” explained Lilly.

  “Alright then… We’re doing it tonight and the plan is…” Lilly explained her plan.

  At midnight, Rey and the others entered the village. They had their faces covered. Lilly and Mia stood watch near Venus’ house while Peter and Rey broke the door knob and entered her house silently. They walked towards her bedroom and saw her lying on the bed, in a deep sleep. Venus was wearing a thin white night shirt and pants and even in the casual night wear, Rey thought she looked breath-taking.

  “Are you sure this is the right idea?” asked Peter, still feeling a bit uneasy with Lilly’s plan. “I mean… she looks so innocent…”

  “She is…!” said Rey, staring at her closed eyes. Peter was staring back at him, his eyes narrowed. “er… let’s get to business before she wakes…” whispered Rey as he noticed his stare. But the sudden noises had wakened her up. Venus opened her eyes and stared at the masked men beside her. She immediately tried to sit up, ready to scream.

  But Peter covered Venus’ face with a towel dipped in sleeping drug. She struggled at first, but then, went into a deep sleep. Rey slowly lifted her off the bed and carried her on his shoulder. They slowly made their way out of the house. But when they reached near the ladies waiting for them, they heard some noises behind them and turned around to see some people heading their way.

  “Hurry everyone… Move now!” whispered Peter.

  “Guys… it’s too risky to move together…” whispered Rey. “Let’s split… We’ll meet at the village…” The others nodded and they all went in different ways. Rey turned around to look at the people again and he narrowed his eyes. With a sigh, he moved into the forest. It was hard for him to move with Venus on his shoulder. She wasn’t heavy… not at all. But it was still lagging him down.

  After long hours of continuous walk, when he was sure that they had reached deep into the forest from the village, he slowly lowered her down. Venus was still sleeping… her eyes closed tight… her beautiful dark hair fanned out around her.

  He sat there staring at her.

  There was only a couple of hours walk to his village, and they were sitting near the detour to their place. Rey leaned against a tree and slowly closed his eyes.

  Chapter 4

  After a few minutes, Venus slowly opened her eyes, feeling awful. She looked around and slowly took in the place. She sat up and felt a little dizzy. She slowly shook her head trying to remember what happened and it came to her.

  Venus looked around in panic and she noticed the man sitting across from her. His face was covered. He looked like he’d passed out. This was her chance! She slowly stood up and then backed away, eyes nervously placed over him. Then with a hurried turn, she ran through the muddy path before her.

  It was still dark, and her feet were bare and she could feel the sharp stones and thorns pierce through her, but she didn’t stop… She ran for her life.

  Rey woke up and stretched himself. It was time to get moving. He turned to look at where Venus was sleeping and his eyes widened in shock to see it empty. He stood up and then looked around him before starting to run through the way ahead of him.

  Venus felt that she might collapse if she carries on… she might even fall down and hurt herself bad. She was determined to escape, but her legs were too weak to move an inch. She sat there under a tree… gasping for air.

  ‘What was happening? She had a normal life until yesterday before going to sleep… and now, she wakes up to run as if the death itself was after her…’ she closed her eyes taking deep breathes. ‘She did wish for a miracle… to get away from everything… But this wasn’t really the idea!’ She closed her eyes.

  It had been a few seconds or so thought Venus as she had fallen into a deep sleep due to the fatigue, she jerked up hearing footsteps getting closer. Venus looked around, but it was hard to say from where it was coming as it was echoing around.

  She stood up ignoring her screaming body ache and started to run. But when she turned around, it was to bump into something that was right behind her.

  She fell back and immediately raised herself to stare at a masked face. Venus was frightened to see the man who’d kidnapped her, stand right before her. She stood up and tried to back away, but he caught hold of her arms and pulled her close. Venus tried to hit him with her hands and in her struggle she pulled away the cloth he’d covered his face with, revealing a pair of striking blue eyes!

  “You…!” she seethed in fury. “Let-go… What do you want?” she asked. Rey was staring at her. She gave him the fright of a life time.

  “Why the heck did you runaway?” asked Rey, fuming, stuffing the cloth which he’d used as a mask back in his pants pocket.

  “What the heck did you kidnap me for…?” she asked equally fuming.

  “Look… this forest is filled with some really dangerous wild animals and more dangerous bandits…” he started but she cut him off.

  “Like… you?” she asked and Rey stared at her. The main reason he joined Lilly’s plan was to protect Venus from the other bandit group… But he cannot say it out to her… It might seem stupid when there’s no reason for him to do so.

  “I’m leaving…” she said and turned around. Before he could stop her, she was walking towards the other side.

  “Alright go… Go and be a poor wild animal’s breakfast…” he said, folding his hands over his chest.

  ‘He’s just trying to scare you… Just keep walking and you’ll be fine.’ said Venus to herself. But suddenly, there was a loud noise as if some wild animal was roaring and she stood there shocked.

  “Ah… Now do you trust me…?” he asked holding her shoulder as Venus backed towards him, scared. She turned around to look at him and Rey noticed the fear in her eyes.“Come on… We’ve come really deep into the forest… it might take us a day or two to reach home…”

  Venus sighed and followed him, staring around nervously for any wild beast heading their way. ‘Why is it still dark?’ thought Venus and stared at the sky to see rain clouds hovering over them. She gave a deep sigh and walked behind Rey. ‘I’m going to find a way to escape from him… soon after I cover this dangerous area…’ But then her leg tripped over some roots and she fell down.

  “Hey… are you alright?” asked Rey, hurrying towards her and holding out his hand to help her. But she just slapped it away, staring at him. Her leg was hurting her real bad. It had been hours since they started walking and all she could see was dense forest ahead of her.

  “I don’t need your help!” fumed Venus to a frowning Rey.

  “Well… Suit yourself!” he mumbled as she tried to get up but fell down slipping on the mud. Venus stared at the sky feeling a water drop fall over her head and within minutes the droplets turned into drizzles and before they could even realize it was raining heavily.

  “Oh… please!” sighed Venus staring at the sky.

  “Come on… We should move now…” said Rey, tryi
ng to raise her up by holding her shoulders. But again she slapped his hands away and sat up.

  “Don’t touch me…!” she fumed. “I can take care of myself… Anyway, nothing of this sort would’ve happened if you didn’t kidnap me in the first place… And trust me, this is the biggest mistake you’ve ever done…”

  She stared at Rey, but his gaze was… elsewhere. Rey was standing there with his mouth parted and eyes widened with some strange feelings at the moment. Venus slowly dropped her eyes to where he was staring at the moment, and her heart almost skipped a beat. Her white shirt was totally soaked and it had clung tight to her body, making it really transparent. She immediately crossed her hands across her chest and stared at Rey, her eyes wide with shock, and noticed him stare back at her face.

  “I-” But he stopped as he heard an angry sob from her. He turned around on the spot and cleared his throat as she slowly raised herself and turned to her side, her hands still crossed over her chest. The rain was still pouring hard. “Let’s… er find some place to stay until the rain stops…” he said and walked ahead.

  He wasn’t sure that she’d follow and he turned around to see her hesitate for a few seconds, but then slowly followed him.

  They walked for a few more minutes through the forest, in the pouring rain, and then noticed a small cave. Rey entered first, checking if it was really safe. Then, nodded at Venus to enter. She was shivering uncontrollably by the time she sat in a corner, her hands still wrapped around her.

  “Er… You should’ve worn something thicker than that…” mocked Rey, sitting across from her. She stared back at him, her eyes burning with wrath.

  “I don’t…” she was trying hard to keep her voice steady but it was shaking due to the cold. “-remember you giving me a printed card before kidnapping me…” she fumed back and Rey felt his insides boil. She was doing something strange to him… something which had never happened to him before.

  He stared at her shivering form. She was breathing hard… trying to blew warm air into her shivering hands… her beautiful dark eyes were flickering around nervously… long dark hair was pasted to her face in an attractive way and its length was covering half of her body… Her lips were the ones his eyes seemed to focus its attention on… it was blood red… slightly parted and the shivers… Oh… It just made him feel things… right from his toes to his entire body…