The Masked Hero

Chapter 1

Valentina's POV

“Breaking news.” I turned my gaze back to the TV up on hearing the broadcaster's signature opening speech. Whenever she started a news section like that, it meant two things; it was either good news, or bad news. Most times, I had fun trying to guess what type of news she was going to start with first, but the sad frown on her face gave everything away. It was bad news. “Today, the entire state mourns the death of Tristan Steele, who was nothing short of the world's top military commanders, and the strongest war god. He was said to have drowned at war, following the failure of his fighter jet to securely bring him back to land.”

“Over the last few days, security personnel have combed the suspected area where his jet had crashed.” The lady on the TV screen continued. “ but all of their efforts have been futile. If our beloved Tristan were still alive, then he would have been found by now.”

“It's no news that the entire world has been thrown into a state of mourning at this awful news.” Something sharp tugged at my chest as the lady on the television droned on. Tristan was loved, and his heroic deeds to the country made him the most admirable person there ever was. He didn't deserve to die, at least not this young. “To further celebrate the life he lived on earth, the government has declared the next couple of days, a free holiday.”

That was all I needed to hear before tuning out of the conversation. I didn't particularly want to believe it when I heard the rumors online, but this was all the confirmation I never knew I needed. Something churned at the pit of my stomach, and I recognized it almost immediately. It was anxiety, with a side serving of sadness. Yes, Tristan's death was truly devastating, but there was something else.

While the world was mourning, I was doing the same too, but I liked to think mine was a little bit worse than Tristan's fate. In three days, I was to be married off to my fiance, and under the strict supervision of my uncle. I had tried everything in my power to call it off, but they just wouldn't budge, any of them and It was frustrating to say the least. The mere thought of it was….

A loud beep from my side was all it took to pull me out of my thoughts. After fiddling around the sofa for a while, I found my phone, nudged in between one of the pillows. With a quick swipe, I picked up the call after checking the caller ID and seeing who it was.

“Valentina?” The voice on the other side called out. Her tone was filled with worry, and it made my heart break a little. “ Are you okay?”

“Yes, Camilla.” I let out a small sigh. It wasn't totally a lie, but Camilla was sure to catch up on it sooner or later. She was my best friend, and she always saw right through me. “I'm fine, I'm just exhausted.”

“Where are you?” she asked. “I do hope you're safe.”

“Yes, I am.” If there was one thing Camilla was good at, it was looking out for my safety. “I'm in the ancestral villa.”

“What?” I could tell she was shocked from her tone. “What are you doing all the way there?”

“I'm hiding.”I muttered underneath my breath, like it wasn't already obvious. “ I don't want to get married to Felix.”

“What? Why?” I fought the urge to roll my eyes at Camilla's words. “Why would you want to do that? He's rich, influential and…”

“Why wouldn't I?” The mere thought of Felix was more than enough to sour my mood. Yes, he was rich and all that, but his atrocities were too many to ignore. Despite having a reputable company, he allowed his recklessness eat into his personal life. He attended all sorts of parties, wouldn't pass up the chance to sleep with as many ladies as he could, and there were cases filed against him for having assaulted underaged girls.

That wasn't even all, there were more, more disgusting tales and attitudes I wasn't sure I could keep up with.

“I still think you should reconsider.” I tuned back into Camilla's conversation just at the right time. “Maybe, marriage will change him?”

“Yeah right.” I scoffed out loud. “I just have to lay low till the wedding passes, before figuring what to do next. Until then, I'm safe here.”

Camilla and I didn't say much after that, before she ended the call. I glanced at the TV in front of me, and a wave of sadness washed over me again. Without giving it so much as a second thought, I decided to go for a swim.

The backyard of my family's ancestral Villa, was one of the few houses in the state that could boast of a sort of connection to a part of the sea. I wasted no time in stripping myself down to my undies when I got there. By this time of the year, the sea was usually very cold, and that was all I needed to help clear out my head and mind.

A cold rushed up my spine the moment I dipped myself into the water. I shivered, but somehow it made me feel better. I had barely swam a couple of laps in the water before something caught my eye.

“What's that?” I muttered to no one in particular as I strained my eyes. It was a little off from where I was, and I was going to have to swim a bit farther if I wanted to know what it was.

Emotions swirled around my belly as I swam towards my target. I had kept my mind open in case of what I was going to bump into, but nothing prepared me for what I saw.

“Oh my God!” I screamed as a man floated towards me. He was pale, with his eyes pressed shut and barely moving. Even with the little tides that rocked the water, I could tell he was no longer breathing, or close to not breathing. Panic bubbled underneath my veins as I struggled to figure out what to do.

Seconds rolled into minutes and I finally decided. I was going to bring him with me. There was no way I was going to leave him out here to die. He was heavy, but after minutes of struggling and almost drowning myself, I finally pulled him to the shore.

“Oh God.” I huffed, as I pulled his body out of the water completely. He was icy, and one could catch a cold just by touching him. I pressed a hand to his neck and panic raced up my spine. Without wasting any more time, I dug my knees into the sand, just right next to him.

I flattened both my palms against his chest,before pressing it down a couple of times. After pressing down some more, I pressed my mouth against his, before puffing air into his mouth. A wave of fear settled in my stomach as he laid unmoving. Was he dead already?

No, I wasn't going to give up. I pressed his nose in between my fingers,before repeating the process. For the next couple of minutes, I tried my level best in giving him CPR to my best abilities.

***********

Slowly, I got out of the bathroom. I found my hands fiddling with the bathroom robe I was currently wearing. I was nervous, and it had everything to do with the stranger lying on my bed.

After I'd pulled him out of the water, and given him CPR, it didn't take him too long to regain consciousness. When he'd coughed out all of the water he'd swallowed, a huge smile made its way to my lips. After giving him a moment to rest, we both waddled back to the house to freshen up and get him some clean and warm clothes.

I sucked in a deep breath before waking into the bedroom. Just as I'd left him, he was still sprawled on the bed, his eyes hooded over

“Hi.” I whispered gently, before sitting on an empty space on the bed just next to me. “I'm going to help you with some clean clothes now.”

I had no idea why I'd said that, just the same way I didn't know why butterflies fluttered in the pit of my stomach. With a small nod from a barely conscious man,I proceeded to take off his clothes. As my fingers slowly slid the wet s**t from his body, I couldn't help but catch a good look at him. Even after a near death experience , he still looked as handsome as hell. His brown hair was slicked back, and I caught part of his blue irises slipping out from underneath his eyes.

.

His muscles twitched underneath my touch and a small gasp made its way to my lips at the tattoo that adorned his back. The tattoo that piqued my interest was the one of the grim reaper, etched beautifully into his skin, just at the middle of his back. Like some sort of decoration, a million and one scars lined the rest of his body, almost like a piece of art.

I was barely done admiring the man when the door to my bedroom flung open just to reveal the last person I wanted to see.

“Valentina!” He roared and I flinched. “What the hell is going on here?!”

Shit.