Page 63 of Twisted Alliance

A deep command interrupted her. “Come and sit next to me,” Shivay Thakvar ordered.

Her smile froze. She wanted to ignore the order, but knowing enough about her devil husband, she knew he wouldn’t hesitate in dragging her into the chair next to him if she didn’t comply. Sucking in a breath, she forced a smile before placing the dish back on the table and sitting in the chair next to her husband.

There was momentary silence at the table while the maids continued to serve food. The silence was broken by the guest who was seated opposite her.

“So, Ishani,” he said with a grin. “Do you have any sisters or female cousins who perhaps are like you?”

A small laugh escaped her. “No.”

“Darn it!”

She was amused by his words.

“Did you grow up here in the Singoor region?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yes, I did.”

“Oh, that’s great!” He looked at Shivay. “We should definitely take Ishani’s help. She must have heard about the goddess statue.”

Ishani was surprised. “You mean Goddess Shakti’s statue?”

The guest nodded with a smile. “Yes. I am very intrigued about it.”

“Oh.” She wondered why. “I haven’t been lucky enough to see the statue since it was stolen before I was born. But I grew up listening to the stories about it.”

She told the guest about various myths surrounding the goddess statue and the powers it held.

Her father-in-law, Mihir Thakvar, confirmed many of those myths to be true.

“Because the statue had been closely guarded and prayed to in an elaborate way with several flowers and adornments, no one knows what the original goddess statue looks like,” he said.

Ishani knew that fact as well. She had only heard the songs and poems regarding the statue’s beauty and adornments, but she hadn’t seen a picture or even a sculpture with the same likeness.

“Each clan took turns guarding the statue over the centuries,” she said.

The conversation veered to the other clans. Although they didn’t discuss it in depth, she also knew enough to add to it. She spoke mostly about the traditions of her clan and how they were slightly different from the Thakvars’.

Soon, the lavish and enjoyable meal came to an end.

“You are a walking encyclopedia, Ishani,” Rishab teased. “Even though a few facts were already known to me, hearing them from you makes it much more fascinating and interesting.”

Ishani blushed. “Thank you.”

Although she enjoyed talking to the guest about Singoor, she sensed something dark. Feeling confused, she turned to look at her husband. His face was unreadable as usual, but there was a clench to his jaw that she was now familiar with.

He was angry.

She knew he was often angry with her for various reasons, but this anger didn’t seem the usual kind. He almost appeared jealous.

Her heart jerked at that realization.

She turned to her handsome guest with a smile. Although he couldn’t see her face due to the veil, she knew he would sense it. “I have a lot more stories to tell about Singoor. But I’ll let you relax and catch up since you just arrived.”

The guest laughed. “I’m looking forward to hearing more stories, Ishani.”

With a smile to her father-in-law, she took leave, wanting to give the men privacy to catch up and talk. But even as she headed back to her bedroom suite, her heart began racing.

Was it jealousy I witnessed?

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