Page 176 of Twisted Sins

Nakul was puzzled. “What?”

The older monk did not repeat himself. Instead, he started to walk away.

Nakul called out to him. “Can we please see the Goddess?”

The old monk simply shook his head and left.

The moment he left, the other monks dispersed.

Nakul and Rishab had no choice but to watch them from a distance. Although they had several task forces on standby, they didn’t want to resort to violence and forcibly enter a monastery.

“What does he mean by eyes are wrong?” Rishab asked in frustration. “I can’t believe we are so close to Goddess Shakti's statue, only to be told something cryptic.”

Nakul felt equally frustrated.

He called Shivay to tell him what happened. When Shivay listened to what the old monk said, he fell silent.

A few minutes later, Shivay came up with the perfect plan.

CHAPTER 53

It was midnight when Skandamai began chanting inside her home. Oil lamps flickered, lightning flashed, and the wind was loud outside, indicating the onset of a desert storm.

It had been well over twenty-one days, but she continued the prayer, trying her best to sense the evil that was drawing nearer. The evil was now so close that she nearly sensed it at the very doorstep.

Although the entire Kabali clan was happy and celebrated the return of the Thakvar tigress, Skandamai trembled as flashes of past and present collided inside her mind.

She saw death, violence, and grief. Along with seeing the dead faces of Bhairav Kabali and his wife Radha, who had died valiantly yet tragically, she also saw Rudra Kabali grieving while holding his wife Nandini’s body in his arms. The next flash showed the Kabali heir with a knife in his heart as he bled to death in the holy land.

Skandamai’s prayers grew louder as she sought Goddess Shakti’s help to protect Rudra and Nandini.

CHAPTER 54

Nandini was lying on top of her demon husband next to the lotus pond behind the waterfall.

A cool breeze blew over their bare bodies, but she felt warm as the demon’s arms were wrapped around her.

“I can’t believe it rained last night,” she said, running her fingers over the damp soil on the ground.

The sun was just rising, so the previous night's rain hadn’t evaporated with the day’s heat.

“How do you think we get water in the desert?” the demon teased.

Nandini whacked him playfully on his chest. “Smartass,” she scolded. “Just so you know, Geography was one of my favorite subjects in school, and I always topped it. I would demand that my brothers bring either a rock or sand from the places they visited, which were quite a lot. Later, I became interested in different cultures, so they got me locally-made jewelry. I have a closet filled with collections of trinkets from around the world.”

The demon listened quietly as she spoke about her brothers. He knew she loved and missed her family.

“Do you miss your cousins and family too?” she asked.

Rudra spoke to her about his life in London. He had told her that he hadn’t left Singoor in the past five years and didn’t want his cousins or the rest of the family to visit him in Singoor while there was unrest. She knew he was close to his cousins and spoke to them frequently through the command center he set up in the cave behind the waterfall.

“I do,” he replied. “I miss my grandfather the most. He can be quite the terror in the business world, but have him next to dhol music, he will break into a dance.” There was deep affection in the demon’s voice.

Her heart melted, and she looked forward to meeting Rudra’s family too.

But even though she was happy that she was back in her demon husband’s arms, a part of her also felt restless and uncertain. She wanted her loved ones to be safe. And she wanted to meet her loved ones often.

But all of it wasn’t currently possible because Tantra was still out there

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