Page 156 of Twisted Sins

When she opened her eyes, she saw that the room was mostly dark, with the faintest of light filtering in through the large window.

She turned and saw the demon standing at the foot of the bed, putting on clothes and getting ready for the day.

Although she was cozy and sleepy, she slowly sat up.

“I met Skandamai yesterday,” she said. “She told me about Girja, and what happened on the night your parents were killed…”

The demon froze.

His grey eyes flashed. “No one is allowed to talk about the past, including you,” he commanded.

Anger shot through her at his arrogant command. “I’m your wife, not your slave!” she stated. “I’m not going to blindly follow your orders. I want to know about the past.”

His eyes flashed as he watched her. “For what?” he asked.

“To find out who is behind the chaos and violence caused in Singoor for the past thirty years,” she said. “To know whether it was driven purely by greed or something else. What if that person or people don’t stop even after the goddess Shakti statue commissioning ceremony? What if they continue to cause chaos and violence?”

The demon looked at her for a long moment.

“And when you find out who is responsible, what will you do?” he asked.

Her heart jerked in shock. “You know who that person is? Is it Bhalla, Girja’s husband? Is he working for Tantra?”

The demon didn’t say anything.

She had a feeling he knew something important but was not telling her, which annoyed and frustrated her.

“You are such a stubborn ass!” she declared. “Why can’t you share some of the things with me? Why do you and my brothers treat me like I’m some helpless, delicate airhead who is expected to simply twiddle thumbs all day and stay safe while you big and strong men handle important things! I’m not going to tolerate it anymore. I will—”

She broke off when he came towards her.

“Don’t you dare!” she said, putting out a hand even though her heart began racing. “I’m not going to allow you to seduce me into silence! I deserve to know—” She broke off when he scooped her out of the bed.

“What are you doing!” she snapped when he carried her away from the bed.

When he opened the door and stepped out, she hurriedly pulled the bedsheet properly around her.

“Where are you taking me?” she demanded.

The arrogant demon, as usual, didn’t bother to answer. He carried her through the dimly lit hallway. He opened the door and stepped into a room with several Kabali heirlooms and antics.

Just as she wondered if he would show her something, he approached one of the walls and pushed on it. It shockingly opened to a passageway, and he carried her inside.

It was dark and cold inside. Shivering, she moved closer to him.

Strangely, she felt safe in her demon husband’s arms. She should be panicking that he might be punishing her for intruding into the past and that he would leave her in the dark. But she knew he wouldn’t.

He kept walking, taking different detours that indicated he was very familiar with the tunnels around the mansion.

It reminded her how he had dragged her into a tunnel when her brother shot him. He had been familiar with the holy land caves and tunnels as well.

After several minutes, morning sun rays fell into the tunnel from above. The sound of rushing water could also be heard at a near distance.

The sound grew louder, and when he took yet another turn, she let out a shocked gasp.

It was the waterfall. But instead of seeing it from the mansion's widow, she was behind the waterfall.

Clutching the blanket close, she watched in awe at the sight of the beautiful waterfall while the early sun rays lit up the mountain cave from inside.

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