Page 26 of Twisted Sins

She didn’t understand what he said, but she recognized the words since he had repeated them the previous night as well.

“I don’t know what you are saying, but if you touch me, I’ll—” Before she could complete the sentence, he moved.

She screamed as he gripped the wrist of her hand that held the knife and dragged it down. She crashed against his hard chest when he twisted her hand and held it against her back.

The pressure on her wrist caused her to drop the knife. She let out a sob when his hand gripped the back of her cropped top and yanked until it ripped in half.

“Let me go, you demon!”

She struggled against him while he tore through the rest of her clothes, leaving her nearly naked. Then, wrapping his massive arms around her, he carried her kicking and screaming and dropped her on the bedding before joining her.

“I won’t let you—” Her breath was cut off when his arm around her midriff tightened.

She froze, thinking he would once again choke her. But this time, he didn’t squeeze the side of her neck and make her unconscious. Instead, he pulled her against his stone-hard chest.

“Tam hums manlam mam ornayi thikri dhani…gvanni,” he commanded against her ear.

She trembled in anger and fear while she lay still.

He didn’t say anything else. She could hear and feel his breathing deepen while he fell asleep. But she couldn’t move as the heavy weight of his arm kept her pinned to him.

She could feel the warmth of his large, calloused palm as it lay right under her breast. And she could also feel the heat from the entire length of his hard, muscled body against her back.

Her eyes stung with angry, unshed tears at their intimate position. Even though her mind begged her to sleep, she remained awake until much later, vowing to take revenge on the demon in the cruelest of ways.

I’m going to kill him very soon.

CHAPTER 9

The next morning, the demon left the tent before sunrise.

Nandini had woken up with him as it was cold inside the tent. Even though she was covered with a thick blanket, her skin broke into goosebumps when the heat from the demon’s body left the bedding.

She had kept her eyes closed and her breathing normal while the demon moved around the tent to grab his clothes and things from the trunks. He left the tent soon after.

She waited to see if he would return after a bath in the pond. But he didn’t, and after a while, she heard the sounds of horses and birds leaving the encampment.

She stayed still for some more time to ensure he wouldn’t be returning.

Sucking in a deep breath and not wasting more time, she sat up and began to move around the tent. She shivered as she pulled out the folded Kabali clothes she had kept under a rug the previous night. She had worn her crop top and linen pants as she had anticipated the savage to once again tear her clothes to keep her confined to the tent.

Letting out a shuddering breath, she put on the clothes. And then, she waited inside, right next to the tent entrance.

After what felt like a long time, she heard the soft sounds of anklets and bangles outside the tent. A moment later, the rug at the tent entrance was pushed aside, and Rumi came in to assist her with a bath.

The Kabali woman had barely taken a couple of steps inside when Nandini ambushed her from the back.

As soon as Rumi fell on the floor rug, Nandini stuffed a piece of cloth into Rumi’s mouth before sitting on Rumi’s back. She took out several bracelets and bangles before tying Rumi’s hands with the silver-lined veil.

Nandini got up and took Rumi’s black-colored veil and wore it on her hair and wrapped it around her lower face.

“I’m sorry,” Nandini said softly while wearing Rumi’s several bangles. “Forgive me. I have to get away.”

The Kabali woman glared and struggled while making noises, but thankfully, they weren’t loud enough to be heard outside the tent.

Not wasting any time, Nandini quickly went to the low table and collected the leftover dates and nuts from the previous day’s dinner. She tied them into a small pouch at the end of the black veil. She also took the leather water container and held it close to her chest under the veil.

She stepped out of the tent. Keeping her head down, she walked towards the area in the encampment where horses were kept.

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