Chapter 7
SAMRAT
W e drove up to Mirpur Palace in silence, but when we got out of the car, I put a finger out and touched Meher’s elbow as she was about to walk past me.
Her mother had already walked ahead. Meher froze at the touch and turned to look up at me in shock, her eyes wide with surprise, and maybe something else.
It was just a casual touch over the silky fabric of her sleeve, but I could swear I felt sparks flying down my hand, and I moved my finger away immediately.
“Let’s not mention the accident to anyone,” I leaned forward to murmur in her ear, and her lips parted a little.
I noticed her breath becoming slightly choppy, and my own heart started racing in response.
It would be so easy to push her curls away and drop a kiss on the tender skin of her neck. She used to love that in the past.
Meher took a deep breath and took a step away from me, shooting me a look that said she’d bite my lips off if I tried it.
“Don’t worry, Maj. Deora. I won’t tell anyone about your swan fixation,” she said snidely.
Damn her! I clenched my jaw in frustration and grabbed her elbow angrily.
“It is not a fixation,” I growled. “Nilanjana messed with the other cars, and this was all there was left in the garage.”
Meher snorted in disbelief.
“Why would she do that?” she asked.
“Because…” I stopped suddenly, not wanting to air my family’s dirty linen in front of her. She had lost the right to know any of this when she betrayed me. “That doesn’t matter.”
“Of course, it doesn’t,” she said coldly, her eyes looking like icy bits of caramel. “When it comes to Nilanjana, nothing seems to matter.”
“What the hell does that mean?” I asked furiously.
“I’d say it was obvious to even the dumbest brick on earth,” she said sweetly. “And by that, I mean you, Maj. Deora.”
Damn, but she’d gotten mean in the past eight years. It should have put me off, but it only turned me on. I was a Desert Scorpion, after all. Meher’s venomous jibes made me want to fight back. And fight dirty. Until she begged for mercy.
I pulled her closer, and her breath hitched when the tips of her breasts brushed against my chest. I could feel myself going rock hard and wondered what hold this witch had over me, even after all these years and her treachery.
“Don’t play with fire, princess,” I growled softly.
“I’m not just a princess, army boy. I’m a dragon princess. I don’t play with fire. I am fire, and if you so much as look at me again, I will burn the fuck out of you,” she snarled, as she pulled her elbow out of my grasp.
“Samrat,” screeched Nilanjana, from the front door, where she stood with Ranvijay and his wife, Shivina.
I dragged my eyes away from Meher and turned to smile at my hosts. I had already told them not to mention the accident to anyone. I hoped Meher’s mother didn’t talk about it, though.
“Thank you for inviting me to the party, guys,” I said as I walked towards them. I was aware of Meher at my side, and I was aware of Nilanjana’s eyes flitting between us angrily.
“Samrat, what are you doing with her ?” she demanded, before Ranvijay or Shivina could speak, and I wondered if she’d been raised in a barn. The woman had absolutely no class. I wondered what my brother had ever seen in her.
I felt Meher stiffen at my side. Before she could deliver the stinging retort that I was sure sprang to her lips, I took her arm and pressed it, signalling her to be silent.
“Meher and I are attending the party together,” I said, for some perverse reason I couldn’t understand.
Sure, I didn’t like the way Nilanjana had tried to maneuver me out of this matchmaking party. But I was even more pissed by her rudeness to Meher. Whatever had gone down between the two of us eight years ago was our business, not Nilanjana’s. And she had no right to speak like that to Meher.
“Really?” she asked, her mouth twisting with rage.
“Really,” said Meher, pulling her arm out of my grasp.
She curled her hand around my arm and dug her sharp nails into the side of it, out of sight of the others.
I tried my best not to wince in pain as Ranvijay stepped forward with a warm smile.
His wife was watching us closely, and I don’t know what she saw, but after a few seconds, she smiled at me sweetly, and I have to admit, it frightened me like nothing had before.
I had heard that Her Highness Shivina Singh Rathore was a force to be reckoned with, and I had a feeling we were about to see a practical demonstration of that fact.
“I can’t believe you’re still willing to associate with this tramp,” spat Nilanjana.
Three voices rose in outrage, but my voice cut through all of them.
“ Enough ,” I roared, and all four of them froze at my tone.
“If you ever disrespect Meher in front of me, I will cut off your allowance, Nilanjana. Consider this your only warning,” I said softly, and I felt Meher turning to stare at me.
I gave her a quick glance and saw the surprise on her face.
I was just as surprised at myself, to be honest. Nilanjana hadn’t said anything about Meher that I hadn’t thought before.
So why did it make me so upset to hear her say it?
Meher meant nothing to me. So why the fuck did I feel the need to rush to her defence?
I knew that after what happened that night, of all the people in the world, Nilanjana had as much right to be upset at Meher as I did.
So why did I still speak up for the woman who had broken my heart and betrayed me, making me lose my faith in the very fabric of love?