His eyes widen. “Your father is from Patala?”
I nod. “Yes. That’s all Mother told me.”
“So you have no idea who or…what he is?”
I shake my head.
His eyes narrow, and he chews on his cheeks. “You don’t hold the scent of my kind, and yet there is a distinct aroma to your essence.”
“Gods. I’m sorry.”
“No. Don’t be. It’s…pleasing.” He holds my gaze for a beat before looking away, and my stomach flips.
“So that’s why I wanted to come with you. Curiosity.”
“You hope to find the truth of your heritage?”
“Yes, something like that. What about you?” I pluck the meat off the spit and onto the large leaves we’ve found to use as plates. “You’re royal…Which house?”
He shrugs, shuffling closer to take the plate. His body heat rivals the flames as it brushes against me, and I fight the urge to lean into him. There’ll be enough time to revel in it later when we bed down.
My stomach goes soft at the thought again.
His nostrils flare, and he gives me a sidelong glance.
Fuck, is my face red?
He does me the kindness of looking away and focusing on his meal. “I don’t know which house I belong to,” he says softly.
Oh, yes, I asked him about that, didn’t I? “They didn’t tell you?”
“No. Those of us that remained became a single pack, even though we were taken from several houses. I was told I was royal, but I was claimed by the pack that belonged to the Asura. Our loyalty was to remain to the Authority.”
A bitter taste fills my mouth. “I’m sorry.”
He shakes his head. “It’s no matter. The Authority rule is over. Everything will be different once Leela takes the throne.”
The softness in his tone when he says her name makes me ache in a way I don’t understand.
“Eat up,” he says. “We should get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day.”
I turn my attention to my meal, trying desperately not to think about what going to sleep tonight will entail—his body close to mine. His heat washing over me. It’s enough to make me rush my meal. Instead, I take it slowly, turning my mind to the upcoming journey.
Tomorrow, we reach the Red Mountain and hopefully discover a way to enter Patala. Tomorrow is the start of the road to answers about where I truly come from.
I expected to lay awake,aware of Ravi at my back, his warm body curved around mine. But I slipped into sleep fast and woke refreshed to the first gray trickles of dawn light. I can’t say I’m not a little disappointed. I’d hoped to revel a little more, but I also wonder if Ravi lay awake, distracted by my warm body.
We continue our journey and Ravi is excellent company. His tales of his troop, of his time in the Jangal domain, keep me enraptured. He listens to my stories in turn.
I find myself speaking about things that I’ve kept locked away for too long. About my anger at the system, about my frustration at being penned in by the laws of our world, and about my love of flying. I speak of Raja and how I raised him, and my throat thickens with emotion.
Ravi listens, moving closer so his arm brushes mine, the contact acting like a hug.
I cry a little, and there’s release in that.
One day’s trek feels like mere hours in his presence.
The man is strangely addictive. If Leela were not bound to Araz, if he wasn’t her twin flame, would she turn to Ravi or Pashim? Maybe she would claim both. I can’t blame her, and I cannot blame them for wanting her.
