"Arian Ice."

He smirked the moment his gaze landed on me. She mentally slapped herself when she realised that she had attracted his attention by screaming. And now, he has a new prey. A new box to wrap. A new head to toss around.

All because I screamed, she thought.

Fuck my life.

She backed away slowly, trying not to alert him but the moment he realised that she was planning to make a run for it, he laughed. "You have two minutes, darling. Run and save your life. If I catch you, you die," he said. She stared at him in disbelief. Why was he letting her run? Did he enjoy a chase?

"Run," he mouthed.

Perhaps he wants his prey with adrenaline coursing through the arteries. Great, I hate running... she grumbled. She knew better than to test his patience. He was a serial killer, for heaven's sake. She tossed her shoes away and ran for her life.

She regretted not wearing shoes. The stones pierced her feet and it felt like she was running through hell. Well, she was most certainly running from the devil so soon enough, she'd be in hell. Her heart filled with melancholy as she thought of all her unfulfilled dreams.

I want to become my town's Mayor...

I want to have a family...

I want to meet my prince charming...

"I'm coming!" Arian called out after a few minutes. Her body was ice cold. She felt that by running, she would fall into one of his traps so instead, she chose to hide. She looked around but cursed when she realised that there was no space that could protect her from the butcher.

"Oh, what the hell," she murmured while placing her leg on the branch of the tree and her hand on another one as she pulled herself up. She had managed to climb up to a height of nearly two storeys in fear of him chopping her head off. If she fell, she'd die. Her red dress wasn't exactly camouflaging her either.

"I will always find you, Alaska. Always," he shouted. She could practically hear him smiling. Wait how does he know my name? Oh my gosh, even if I manage to escape, he is going to kill me anyhow... she thought. Her heart beat increased as she heard his voice again. It was sexy but sickening at the same time.

He was the harbinger of death.

Please Moon Goddess! Pleeease just magically save my life. She silently prayed while looking at the moon. It is believed that if you look at the moon and pray, the Goddess always fulfils your wishes. She thought that they were the only humans who worship the Moon Goddess.

"I'm going to find you and I'm going to kill you. Isn't that lovely?" He called out with a slight laugh at the end. She clenched her jaw in anger. What a sadistic psychopath! His family would be so disappointed in him.

To everyone, he was the perfect gentleman. Always well dressed, kind to everyone and ready to help the needy. To her, he was just a nutcase roaming around the forest with an axe in his hand. What surprises her the most is that she was scared but yet there is a part of her that found this whole drama thrilling.

She put a hand over her mouth when she saw him just below the tree that she was on; dragging the axe along with him and whistling merrily as if he was strolling in a garden. It wouldn't be a surprise if his ideal picnic spot is a graveyard. His raven black hair was messy, yet he looked tirelessly handsome. His heavy breathing indicates that he didn't run after her. So how did he get there so fast?

Maybe he's fit.

Unlike me... she thought.

Oh my god, you got to be kidding me! Out of all the possible ways of her getting caught, her own body decided to betray her as she let out a muffled sneeze.

Please don't look up!

He continued whistling as he fortunately began walking in the other direction. Eventually, the sound of his whistling disappeared into thin air. She smiled to herself. I can go home now; lock my windows and curl up in bed with a cup of hot chocolate.

After waiting for a while, she sighed and slowly got down from the tree. Her legs burned as they came in contact with the bark, deepening the cuts and bruises. Of course things didn't go as she planned for them to.

She fell with a thud.

"Well well well, we meet again."

You got to be kidding me.

"Ice," Alaska laughed nervously. She got up and dusted her dress, refusing to be murdered while on the floor. Might as well die with dignity. "I-I have a request," She stated confidently, looking into his eyes. He smirked and raised the axe making her shriek "P-Please don't kill me with the axe! It's okay if you just snap my neck. Wait, no! It's not okay to snap my neck but...you know," I mumbled.

Screw dignity.

He smirked and put his hand up and she shut her eyes. Goodbye, world. The moment his hand touched her neck she felt like a large amount of current had passed through her

She opened her eyes and stared at him vigilantly, wondering if he had tried to electrocute her. He took a sharp intake of breath. "I won't kill you," he whispered into her ear. His cold breath fanned against her ear making the poor girl shiver.

He at all the traits for a serial killer.

Yet, a part of me feels like there's more to his story.

"Thank you, I guess," She said awkwardly. What was she supposed to say, anyway? You're such a good soul for not killing me? Let him rot in hell, I don't care! "Do you promise to not tell anyone what you just saw?" He asked in a challenging tone. His voice seemed so gentle yet his actions were otherwise.

No; you dickfuck! I'm going to drag your sorry ass to jail!

"I promise," She smiled.

Clarence Ivanov's daughter fights for what is right. Always. This man standing gloriously in front of her has made married women widows, children- orphans. If there's evil. There's good. Arian Ice is the evil that she planned to destroy completely. By hook or by crook.

"Wonderful," he smirked. He walked towards her and she unintentionally took a step back nervously. He raised an eyebrow and gave her an annoyed look. She glared at him and let him walk closer. He leaned forward and scooped her into his arms in bridal style.

"Put me down!" She panicked.

She didn't want to go anywhere with him. He's a killer. But if he won't kill her, what will he do? She asked quite a few times but each time she asked, he look at her and then continue walking through the forest.

The previously roaring forest was currently calm. Like the calm before a storm. All she could hear was Arian's steady footsteps. She gave up asking him and rested my head on his chest. His silk shirt was so soft. It felt like heaven. She took her time to shamelessly observe the man carrying her rather than criticising him.

He had icy blue eyes, doing justice to his name. The kind of eyes that were made for war and sinful lips that he bit every now and then. He had slightly tan skin and a perfect jawline. Smooth skin, I'm sure, and a small stubble making him look a few years older. He's 24. She was 20. She hoped that his back didn't hurt from carrying her

Gone are the days where girlfriends wore their boy's shirt.

Now those idiots are skinnier than girls.

Not that I want Arian to me mine!

What was she even thinking. Stupid Alaska. If only you thought about your life so much, you wouldn't be in this situation. He smiled slightly, his eyes twinkling under the moonlight. What was so funny? "What have you heard about the Blackwater Butcher, darling?" He asked amusedly.

She frowned. Didn't he know already? Eh, She was not in the position to be asking questions. There is no harm in telling him the truth. "You take people away in the night. Cut off their heads, put their body in a black box and wrap a red satin ribbon around. Then you send the box to the respective person's house with a white rose," she said with pride.

She knew the details better than she knew her history textbooks.

"Since I like you, let me tell you a secret. Do you want to know what happens to the heads?" he smiled softly. She felt herself smiling back. He's being too nice to me. He just killed someone in front on me and yet I can't resist his charms! Sometimes, I hate myself.

"Yes," Alaska said.

He smirked and a dark look took over his handsome face. Black twirls encircled his blue orbs making me take in a deep breath. Her heart started beating at an inhuman pace. He is going to kill me.

He lied.

They came to a stop. She saw the same tree that she was hiding behind. She adjusted myself, still in his arms, so that she could see a little more. She saw Mr. Arthur's lifeless body and head on the grass-covered forest floor. She warily looked back at Arian who started walking towards the body. She clutched his shirt in fear and looked at him.

She resembled a scared chicken being taken to a slaughter house.

He walked up to the head of Mr. Arthur, whose eyes were still wide open, and kicked it into the lake. She furrowed her eyebrows. "Why did y- Oh my god," she whispered.

All those heads were below...

Those teenagers that came for a swim every summer had no idea about the personalised graveyard that their noble king had made for all his victims. He's truly a monster. I have to tell father. Arian Ice deserves to rot in hell for all the lives that he has tainted.

"This is what will happen to you if you open your pretty little mouth," he whispered menacingly in her ear. Fear coursed through her veins as she began to thrash in his arms."No!" Alaska screamed.

He threw her into the lake.

But I don't know how to swim...

The water was freezing cold. The type that made you feel numb inside out. Memories of her past came rushing as she tried to get back to the surface. She moved her arms in an attempt to push herself upwards but the drowning girl just kept getting dragged to the bottom of the lake.

She could barely think of how to save herself. I can't hold my breath for so long. I'm prone to get a laryngnospasm very soon. But I can't breath either. The best she could do was open her eyes.

She panicked further when she realised that she was nearing the bottom of the lake. The water around her was getting colder as she sunk further and further, nearing the heads. Their eyes were open. Wide open, looking at her.

From what her eyes allowed her to see, there were nearly a hundred heads. Possibly more if she swam across the entire lake. Unintentionally, she left her breath and took in some water. She felt it entering her lungs. She started breathing heavily.

More and more water entering her lungs.

Closer and closer to the end of her life.

Nearer and nearer the heads.

Hands wrapped around her and she felt herself being dragged against the force of gravity, away from the clutches of death and towards the surface once again. Arian carried her to the surface of the lake and set her down. She began coughing up water as he applied pressure to her stomach and chest.

Her vision was getting blurrier as time rushed by and Arian kept glancing at her from time to time. If there was any amount of energy left in her, she focused it all on thinking about how much she hated him. "I won't let anything happen to you," he whispered as he picked her up in his arms.

She passed out.

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

: The book was initially called Ice and Ivanov.

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

So typically a dead body floats in water as the water enters the lungs and the lungs then get full. So just like a balloon, the body too will float on water.

A head, on the other hand, contains a lot of bones in it which weighs the head down and prevents it from floating. Nothing has been confirmed yet.

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Have any questions? Let me know!

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