Page 13 of Twisted Alliance

The women waited until the bride stepped in, and when he stepped after, the tent door was closed from outside.

With soft chants, the women disappeared. All Shivay could hear was the sound of the winds outside. The lighting inside was through big lanterns hanging from several nooks across the tent.

He noticed that the interior was surprisingly spacious and well-furnished. The walls were lined with multicolored rugs and had very few openings, most likely to keep the sand from entering.

There was a couch and two heavy chairs with enough space to sit and converseand another nook to dine comfortably.

He frowned when he didn’t see his bride right away.

“Ishani,” he called out, finding it strange he was now responsible for a complete stranger.

A moment passed before he heard the soft clink of metals that he now recognized as the sound of her bangles. He realized there was another area at the back separated by a heavy cloth partition.

Considering they would spend three nights in the tent, there definitely would be a bedroom and bathroom. He walked towards the back and stopped.

There was a large bed with stark white sheets on which red flower petals were sprinkled on top. But what caught his complete attention was his bride.

She sat in the middle of the bed with her knees drawn to her chest. She looked tiny and helpless in her surroundings.

Just when he thought of telling her he wasn’t going to demand his marital rights, his breath caught in his chest as she slowly raised the veil from her face to reveal herself.

The woman was breathtakingly beautiful with small, delicate features and large almond-shaped eyes that were now partially lowered. His eyes yet again fell on her cherry lips that trembled. She looked like a beautiful portrait one saw in the museums.

Her skin glowed in the night light, and he felt a strong need to touch her to see if she was real and if her skin was as dewy soft as it looked. But he held back when she raised her eyes to him. There was fear in them.

There was a visible trembling of her hands. He thought she would burst out crying or faint with the stress of spending the night with a stranger.

Moments passed as he stared at her before he processed his state of mind and body. He was strongly and undoubtedly attracted to a woman he barely knew.

The way she sat on the bed as if she had no choice but to allow him his rights made him feel strangely protective as well as possessive.

She is mine to protect.

Warding away the strange possessive feeling, he focused on the problem at hand.

There was no way she would get any sleep with him being on the same bed, so he planned to sleep on the floor since the couch was too small for him.

And when they returned to the Thakvar mansion after three days, he would ensure there would be a more comfortable arrangement than the floor for him for the time they would stay married.

Bringing his unruly body under control, he looked at his bride.

“Would you like to change?” he asked. The amount of jewelry she had looked heavy on her delicate structure. Even the nose ring she wore looked huge against her small, delicate nose. He had also noticed earlier that his bride was petite, barely coming to his chest height in her bare feet.

“I can help you,” he added, knowing it wouldn’t be easy for her to remove the heavy jewelry and wedding dress.

Her eyes widened before she shook her head.

He had to remind himself again that she came from a conservative background. She wouldn’t be used to a man touching her, even if the man was now her husband.

Fuck.

Knowing he probably terrified his bride even more with his offer to help her undress, he tried to make her comfortable. “You must be hungry. Why don’t we have dinner?” he suggested.

He recalled noticing she hadn’t eaten any of the lavish meal during the wedding festivities.

Her eyes widened again, and he thought she would shake her head once again in fear, but surprisingly, she nodded. Knowing she wouldn’t move if he remained close to the bed, he stepped away.

Slowly, she stepped down from the bed and followed him as he led her into the dining nook.

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