Page 52 of Twisted Sins

She had heard the sounds of horses and birds quite a while ago, indicating that the demon was back.

Will the seer tell him about going to the holy land for acceptance of the marriage?

Will the old woman also tell him that she had insisted on it?

The demon would be pissed if he thought she was manipulating the seer and his people to get what she wanted.

And what she wanted was for him to desire her enough to give in to her wish of going to the holy land.

Does the demon desire me?

Her cheeks burned with the memories of their morning kiss when he nearly consummated their marriage against a cave wall.

But she also recalled that he was the one to stop, and he left her alone in the cave with shaky legs without even looking back at her.

The demon was driving her crazy with his unpredictability and impassiveness. She couldn’t read him or know what was going on in his savage head.

How am I to melt his so-called darkness without knowing him?

As though the thoughts of the demon summoned him, he appeared at the tent entrance. Her heart nearly stopped as he stepped into the tent and his grey eyes fell on her.

She held her breath, waiting to see if there was anger or desire in his eyes. But his face remained impassive as ever.

She watched with her heart thudding when he looked away and began preparing for the night. He removed his black tunic, dropped it on the low table, and reached for the brown beads.

Anger and worry gripped her as he ignored her presence.

Sucking in a deep breath, she went towards him.

Her lips tingled strangely looking at his tattoos. And she felt a strong urge to trace the large eagle on his back and the rest of the tattoos on his chest and upper arms with her lips and tongue.

She gave in to the urge.

He froze when her mouth met with the center of his back on the eagle tattoo. She could feel his chest rise and fall while her lips traveled along the wings of the eagle on his back. His skin was warm but not smooth. Even in the dim lighting, she saw that his broad back was filled with scars from past injuries. She even saw a fresh cut on his shoulder that was still healing.

Just as she reached midway through the wing, the demon turned, and his fingers wrapped around her hair at the back. She gasped at the pressure while his grey eyes blazed into hers.

“Rudra…” she called his name softly.

The pressure on her hair eased slightly.

She let out what she hoped was an alluring smile. “Let me help you undress,” she whispered.

She knew he didn’t understand her, so with trembling hands, she showed him. She reached for the brown bead bracelet on his upper arm. But she didn’t know how to remove it. It took her a moment, especially with slightly trembling fingers, to figure out the tiny metal latch that held the bracelet together.

She removed it and slipped it on her wrist. The grip on her hair remained while she removed the other arm bracelet as well. She then reached for the ones around his neck.

“Bend,” she whispered.

He watched her but didn’t bend his head to assist her, and neither did he release her hair.

With her stomach quivering, she put her palm behind his neck and tugged like she did in the morning. He bent his head slightly, and she stood on her tiptoes and removed the beads from around his neck.

The only accessories he had were the beads around his wrists and the loose black cotton pants. She reached down for his hand.

She fought a shiver as her hands enclosed his large palm, which was rough and calloused from horse riding and wielding his weapon. She recalled the times he wrapped his palm around her neck and squeezed until she was unconscious. The same palm lay against her stomach each night when he held her pinned against him.

She raised his palm and removed the bead bracelet. She dropped the bead accessories on the low table.

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