Page 31 of Twisted Sins

Nandini opened her eyes to the sounds of birds.

She blinked in momentary confusion as she saw soft morning sunlight streaming through the rolled-up rug of the tent wall. A cool breeze blew into the tent, making her shiver and bury further under the thick blanket.

How did I get here?

The last thing she recalled was her failed escape attempt on a horse and then riding through the desert along with the Kabali clan…

Oh God!

She sat up with a choked gasp as she recollected more.

There was some kind of attack, which the Kabali clan fought and won, and then she had seen the demon returning with the severed head of a man on top of his spear weapon.

Bile rose up her throat at the memory, and she inhaled deep breaths.

Oh God, how can he be such a brutal savage!

And how can I get away from him and this place?

She recalled that she had fainted at the sight of the demon holding up the severed head. She had no idea where she was or how she got there.

Slowly, she turned around and saw that she was alone in the tent. The demon was gone, but she knew he must have slept next to her during the night as she could smell the musky sandalwood scent on the bedding.

What did the demon do to me?

Sucking in a deep breath, she raised the blanket and looked underneath, and let out a cry of relief.

The demon hadn’t ripped off her clothes while she was unconscious.

Although she was partly relieved, she also knew it was going to get tougher to stop the savage from brutally possessing her. Even though the demon might not desire her, he felt entitled to her body because he thought of her as his wife.

She shivered, recalling his brutal, savage kiss from the previous day.

I won’t let him touch me again!

But she didn’t know how to stop him. He was a complete savage.

Once again, she tried to think of a way to get away from him. Attacking him was impossible. A knife against her throat hadn’t worked. And she couldn’t render herself unconscious each night. She recalled thinking that the only way to stop the demon was to convince him to let her go.

She had to somehow convey to him that she cannot be his wife and he would have to let her go. In exchange her family would give him the ransom amount.

But how will I communicate this with the demon?

Just as she tried desperately to think of a way, the sounds outside the tent got her attention.

The Kabali women, Uma and Rumi entered the tent with a food tray.

Nandini’s stomach churned at the thought of food.

But she knew she had to eat to regain her strength and plan another escape or face the demon. Sucking in deep breaths, she tried to settle her stomach.

Despite feeling slightly queasy, the delicious smell of food tingled her nose. Hoping there wasn’t a meat dish, and also hoping the women wouldn’t insist on taking her for a bath first, she looked at them from the bedding. Her head felt heavy and she felt too weak to even stand and go towards the food.

Uma dragged a low table closer and placed the food tray on it.

“Thank you,” Nandini said softly.

With slightly trembling hands, she first picked up the leather water container and drank from it. Her queasy stomach settled down. Feeling much better, she kept it away before opening the lids on the food dishes. Her stomach growled, looking at the food, which thankfully didn’t contain any meat. It was mostly thick herbal bread stuffed with vegetables. She began eating right away.

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