19. Leela #2
Leela was over this. She thought of everything Hema had taught her over the past few weeks. She clenched her katar and, using all the strength and might she could muster, she stepped back and threw it at his leg.
Vedant’s eyes widened, caught off guard as the katar struck its target.
An overwhelming sense of heat flowed through her, and she knew she had to attack now. She lunged at him, and they both fell to the ground.
Leela reached back, tensing her shoulders to drive her fist into his arrogant face.
Fear circled his hazelnut eyes, shocking her for a second.
Vedant took advantage of her hesitation and punched her gut.
Leela groaned in pain, and before she knew it, he was on top of her, his hips pressing her into the ground as he began to punch her.
Leela wriggled, trying to loosen his grip.
Each hit shuddered through her body, bone shattering bone, muscle bruising muscle.
Leela finally found a surge of adrenaline and felt it snake up her spine. Warmth flooded through her veins, igniting everything in a flow of fiery heat. Anger pushed the Viperess forward before Leela had the chance to stop her.
Leela was flung back into her mind. She stepped forward, expecting to snap back into her body, but she hit an invisible glass wall and fell back on her ass. She jumped to her feet and smashed against it. Let me back in! Let me back in!
All she could do was stand helplessly and stare as the scene before her unfolded.
Viperess!
Patience. You wanted this. Let me take him.
Everything inside Leela screamed at her to run. But she couldn’t. The Viperess was in total control, and all Leela could do was watch. Through the yellow haze of the Viperess’s eyes.
Vedant cursed and quickly scampered off.
But the Viperess gripped him by the wrist and punched him in the nose.
An audible crack resonated in the room. The Viperess then twisted Vedant around, pinning his hand behind his back, and shoved him to his knees on the ground.
Vedant let out a nauseating cry, blood from his nose dripping to the floor, and tried to pull away as Leela stood over him.
“That’s not fucking fair! No Flames allowed. Only weapons!” he cried out, cowering.
“You wanted to see the Viperess. Well, here she is,” Leela said, except it wasn’t her. Her voice was wispy, darker…
She used her thighs to clench around him and twisted his arm further back, far enough that Leela felt his tendons stretching. Now, she had the upper hand.
Stop this!
The Viperess hissed. You wanted this. You wanted me to help! You can’t want it and not let me in, mortal.
Shit. Leela screamed, trying to regain control of her fingers. She wanted to let go of Vedant. Sure, she wanted to hurt Vedant—to even injure him. But if the Viperess pulled his arm any farther, she could dislocate it. Or worse.
Panicking, Leela did the only thing she could do.
People are watching. Don’t give them another reason to fear you.
The Viperess snapped, gaze flashing over the crowd in a swell of yellow haze. They were all quiet, mouths wide, some were even shuddering. She twisted her neck and locked gazes with Rajesh, who now had his hand on the hilt of his sword, gold forming in his pupils.
You don’t want to kill Vedant. You want the Scorpion. You said it yourself! Strike at the right moment. Or let everyone see the villain you are.
I am not the villain.
Aren’t you? Look at what you’re doing!
The Viperess hesitated, the grip she held over Leela faltering like a flutter of wings against her cheek. It was enough for Leela to take back control, and it was like working through a pool of honey, and she had to get out before it solidified.
Let me back in. Don’t let them see you like this.
This is who I am.
No. It’s not. You have shown kindness and strength. You said it yourself; you are not the tales they spin.
The Viperess licked her lips but let herself be sucked back into Leela’s mind like a vortex of wind. Leela was shoved forward too suddenly, and she fell back, her head knocking back against the marble flooring.
Vedant cried out as he held his twisted hand.
Leela lay gasping, staring up at the stars twinkling against the navy backdrop of inky blackness.
She watched the crescent moons peer back at her like two spheres watching over the earth.
For several moments, her breath came out ragged and uneven, her hands shaking at her sides and tears sliding down her face.
Watching the moons eventually steadied her heart that was bashing against her ribcage.
What had she done…?
The Viperess had overpowered her. It was the worst feeling in the world—to be trapped within her mind with no means of escape. While she’d had thoughts control her before, it was nothing like having someone else take over.
“You bitch!”
Vedant stood over her with a godsblade in hand. He swung his sword down at Leela, but another weapon blocked the blade, and suddenly, Rajesh was standing over her.
“Weapon down. That’s an order,” Rajesh snapped.
“She fucking cheated! She brought the Viperess out.”
“She might not have control over that,” Rajesh said. “Leave. I’ll deal with you later.”
Vedant glared at Rajesh, emitting a low growl.
Leela continued to lie on the ground, watching the scene unfold from between his legs.
Eventually, Vedant spun on his heel and left, slamming the door close in his wake.
“Everyone out!” Rajesh yelled.
His crew scrambled for the exit, and before Leela knew it, it was only her and him and the silent night.
Rajesh sighed and ran a hand through his curls. He finally faced her with a look of indifference. “What were you thinking?”
“I wasn’t,” Leela said, bored. She didn’t need to explain herself to Rajesh.
She was too confused about how the situation had occurred, anyway.
Yes, she had asked the Viperess to help because she was injured.
Yes, she had been the one to ask the Viperess to step forward.
Now, she was too scared to do anything but lie there and stare at the stars.
“Leela.” Rajesh stood over her. “Did you have any control over her?”
Leela bit her lip. She wasn’t sure herself. The warmth trailed her spine, and that was all the warning she got before the Viperess took over. If it hadn’t been for the Viperess fearing the opinion of others, Leela would still be stuck in her mind.
And she very well could be, forever. If she couldn’t control the Flame first.
Leela sat up and sighed. “No.”
“We need to train you quicker than I thought,” Rajesh said. “Because if she can control you, she can come out and maybe refuse to go back in.”
“That’s what I’m scared about,” Leela said. She snapped her gaze to his. “Why haven’t you trained me yet?”
A vein throbbed in his neck. “I have a crew to control and monsters to fight as well, Leela.”
“Am I not a priority to you? Do you want the Viperess to control me?”
Rajesh shook his head. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Blame me. I have a job, Leela.”
Leela jumped to her feet. “And Nalini told you to help me control her.”
“If you haven’t noticed, we’ve been a little busy.”
Leela shook her head. “Then help me. Now we’re trying to find this wish-fulfilling tree. Help. Me!”
A tear ran down her cheek, and Leela swiped it away. She didn’t need him to see her cry. Because it meant she was scared, and she couldn’t show weakness. Couldn’t let him in again.
Rajesh’s expression softened. “I’m sorry, Leela. I will train you, I just… I put it off because I know how hard it is. It will be harder than anything you’ve had to do before. Are you ready for that?”
Leela nodded, a slice of fear cutting through. “Yes. I am.”
There was a look in his eyes that made Leela falter. A look that told Leela she might regret her choice.
The Viperess hissed in the back of her mind.
“See me first thing in the morning. We begin then.”