She had waited up for him to come but must have fallen asleep. He must have come a while ago because he had removed his tunic and accessories.
“Rudra, we need to talk—”
“Sleep,” he said. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“No, we have to talk now,” she insisted. “It’s about the man named Tantra who lives outside Singoor.”
The demon stilled.
“Tantra is the one who had me kidnapped,” she said. “I believe he was the one who ordered the fire attacks on the encampment. The man who kidnapped me said that Tantra… wants you killed.”
The demon was silent before he replied. “I know.”
She was shocked. “What?”
“I know about Tantra,” he said. “And that he was responsible for the attacks.”
“Who is he? And what exactly does he want?”
“We’ll talk tomorrow. Sleep.”
He lay on the other side of the bed and turned off the lamp next to him. Slowly, she lay back as well. Her heart thudded as she waited for him to pull her close like he always did in the tent they had shared in the encampments.
But he didn’t touch her right then. He was sleeping with his back facing her, and there was a distance of at least four feet between them on the large bed.
Unlike in desert tents, where they had to share body heat on narrow bedding, there was no such need in the Kabali mansion, as the room was warm and the bed spacious.
Disappointment filled her as she heard his breathing deepen while he fell asleep.
He must be tired.
The thought lasted only for a moment. But the next moment, she doubted the demon would ever get tired. He was like a beast with unbridled energy. And even if he was tired, he could still hold her in his arms and sleep.
She slowly realized what it was.
The demon doesn’t want me anymore.
She had given herself to him the previous night. And he had taken what was offered. But now, he was no longer interested.
She had heard and seen many girls at her university being pursued by boys, only for those boys to lose interest and break up once they got what they wanted from those girls.
The demon wasn’t an immature boy, and yet he wasn’t interested anymore in her. He probably found her inexperience boring.
Her heart thudded in hurt and anger.
To the hell with him!
I am Nandini Thakvar. And I won’t beg any man for affection.
But even as she thought those words, her heart throbbed painfully in hurt.
CHAPTER 40
The following morning, Nandini woke up to an empty bed.
The demon had left.
Pushing away her anger and lingering hurt from the previous night, she got up and looked outside the window at the stunning waterfall.