RAJESH
“How are you feeling?” Tanmay asked.
He lowered the whiskey and frowned at the bloody smear across the glass.
When had his life come to this? Feeling sorry for himself over some woman?
He clenched the glass. No. Leela wasn’t just some woman. She was the woman. The one he reached for in the middle of the night and the one he ran to when he had done something wrong and needed the right answers when he was a child. The one who eased his mind and emotions enough to steady himself.
That was what hurt the most. She was a friend, above all of it.
And he had ruined it.
A knock drew Rajesh away from his swirling thoughts. He glanced at Tanmay, wondering who it could be at this hour.
Navya pushed the door open and peeked inside. She cleared her throat. “Oh, sorry, you’ve got company.”
“I was just leaving,” Tanmay said, quickly getting to his feet.
Rajesh scowled at his second mate, but Tanmay shrugged, slapped him on the shoulder, and left. Navya took Tanmay’s place in the chair beside Rajesh, curling pieces of hair between her fingers.
Navya wore a simple blue dress that curved over her breasts, her hair purposefully pulled to the side to expose them. Her chest rose with each deep breath, her emerald eyes twinkling under the glow of the fire.
Rajesh wondered what she was doing here at this hour, wearing what she was wearing. She’d only ever worn something like that if she was after something. And Rajesh wasn’t in the mood to give her anything.
He leaned back in his chair and held the glass to his face, waiting for her to begin.
“What happened to your face?” she asked.
“Next question.”
She arched a delicately carved brow. “What happened to your face?”
Rajesh sighed. “I got into a fight. Some thugs at the tavern.”
Navya tsked. “You don’t quit, do you?”
“Who said anything about quitting? I just wanted a drink.”
“You’ve wanted a lot of things lately.” Navya continued to coil her hair, tone low.
Rajesh scowled. “What does that mean?”
“It means you seem to be making a few reckless decisions lately, Captain.” Navya stood with her back to the fire.
Rajesh knew what she was doing. The slight slant in her hips, the way she pulled her shoulders back and swayed. Her entrancing emerald eyes latched onto his.
“As captain, I forbid you to continue.”
“As ‘captain,’ you’ve forbidden a lot of things.” Navya limbered forward.
Rajesh’s stomach hardened, his teeth clenching. A slice of pain ran up his jaw, and he winced.
Navya’s eyes burned with passion, and Rajesh realized his position.
He had nowhere to go as he sat with his door shut. He could call out, but a small part of him, the intoxicated part, was tempted to give in. Why not have someone else if Leela could never be his?
“You don’t want this,” Rajesh said firmly, possibly more to himself than Navya. Giving in to Navya only broke down the walls he had built. It didn’t matter how intoxicated he was, he was not going to sleep with another woman.
Navya smirked. “Are you sure? Broken and damaged men seem to be my thing.”
“Who said I was broken and damaged?”
“Your face and the empty glass say it all.” Navya closed the distance between them and stretched her arms to either side of the chair, her chest purposefully thrust forward.
Her dark hair filled his senses, and he forced himself to keep track of her eyes and not let them wander any lower.
“You have been taking us all on a wild ride, Rajesh, and for what? For Leela to be harnessed by the Viperess and the tales as old as time come true?”
Rajesh’s teeth smashed against one another. He ignored the pain.
“Leela can’t have you.” Navya grabbed him by the chin and tilted it higher. “But I can.”
Rajesh tore his chin out of her hold. “Navya, I could never.”
“Never again? You have before,” she cooed. “What’s changed?”
His gaze darkened. “A lot. Now, leave.”
Navya crouched. “You look sad, Captain. Can I not please you in any manner? My lips have been hungry.”
Rajesh stood, brushing her aside. He stared at her, teeth bared. “Get. Out.”
Navya didn’t move. She inched closer and placed a hand on his chest, her body molding to his as she twirled a loose thread on his collar around her finger. The suffocating smell of lavender wafted off her, playing with his senses.
“I have craved you, Rajesh,” Navya whispered as her lips brushed his ear.
Her breath ran a trail of icy fingers down his spine. He wanted nothing more than for her to leave.
Why have her leave if she is here? Eager to please. So, so eager.
Because I’m not someone to be played with when she feels like it.
The Scorpion chuckled. Smart mortal.
She leaned in closer, breath hot against his cheek. “Do you still think of us, Rajesh? Of our moments alone? My hand around your cock? Or were my lips better?”
Rajesh stepped back, but the chair limited his movements.
Navya leaned back, a smirk twitching the corner of her lips. She looked at him like he were prey, and Rajesh wasn’t about to be eaten.
“You need to leave,” Rajesh commanded, stronger this time. “Or I will make you.”
Navya chuckled. “Authority. Kind of a turn on, Raj.”
“This isn’t funny,” Rajesh snapped.
Navya’s lips dipped. Her jaw ticked as she held his gaze. Eventually, the desire in her emerald eyes dissipated.
She stepped away.
“Oh…” Navya lowered her gaze and wrapped an arm around herself. “You really don’t want to, do you?”
“No.” The answer was a slap, and Rajesh could almost see the invisible print on her face as she flinched.
He should care more about hurting her feelings. But he was also too drunk, and his mouth was still throbbing like a strung harp. The last thing on his mind, among all the other chaos and aches and pains in his life, was fucking someone. Especially Navya.
Navya bit her lip.
Guilt racked his brain and Rajesh sighed, his conscience winning. “You are a beautiful woman, Navya. But not now. Not ever.”
Navya tore her eyes from the ground and met his. “Leela is lucky to have you.”
Rajesh’s mouth grew dry. “This isn’t—”
“You don’t have to tell me.” A light haze covered her emerald eyes. “Just know I envy it. You have found someone in this life who would fight this world for you, and you, her.”
Rajesh now felt like the biggest asshat. He knew he really shouldn’t, but Navya was his crew and a part of his family. Hurting her in any capacity hurt him too, deep down.
Before Rajesh could say anything, Navya wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in.
Rajesh stiffened, unsure what was happening.
When Navya pulled back, she rubbed the nape of his neck and played with a loose curl. Her gaze held his, and unspoken words swirled within. “You really are a great captain, Rajesh. Don’t ever let that change you.”
Rajesh’s gaze drifted down to her lips for the briefest of moments before he snapped them back to hers. “You are a beautiful woman, but—”
“BITCH!”
A scream made them jolt apart. Rajesh fell back into the chair, legs flying in the air, as something silver flickered by. It took a moment for him to blink past the specks of white and realize who had interrupted them.
Leela stood at the door, hand raised as if she had thrown something.
Rajesh traced the direction of her arm and found Navya on the ground, a katar wedged between her eyebrows.
The air grew cold despite the fire.
The overwhelming need to vomit came with the amount of blood spilling onto his carpet and drenching his feet. One moment, Navya had been standing, talking to him as if confessing everything.
Now she was dead.
Rajesh snapped his gaze back to Leela, face pale and fingers shaking. “Wh—what… did… you… do?”
It wasn’t until he turned back that he realized the golden glow of Leela’s eyes, and realization tore at his heart.
The familiar warmth shocked his spine, and he failed to push the pain down. He didn’t need the anger and heartache to show right now. He didn’t need to birth any more monsters. Not when he was staring right at one.
Move!
Rajesh snapped out of his frozen state and ducked, just as a katar flew at him next.
He fell into Navya’s blood. Navya’s head was tilted to the side, the blade in her skull. She was still wide-eyed, lips parted. He quickly shut her eyes and shuffled off around the couch.
Another thunk struck inches from his head.
Want to do something!?
Give me a minute, I have emotions swirling.
Rajesh cursed and bolted from the couch to the bed. He rolled over the mattress as another katar was flung at him, grabbing the godsblade at his bedside table and falling to the ground on the other side. Something cut his leg as he landed, and he hissed.
He glanced at a bloody rip on his knee.
“Fuck!” he snapped.
His heart pounded as he peeked over the mattress.
The Viperess stood in the doorway in all her venomous rage, lips curled and fingers gripping her katars.
Her golden eyes continued to flash, each glint a warning.
At his slightest movement, she arched back and threw another blade.
Rajesh shot down as it skimmed past his head, feeling the air whoosh and his heart jolt against his ribcage.
Leela approached, grabbing another katar from her waist.
Rajesh’s thoughts were a mess. Tonight was a mess. His side still rippled in pain, his lip bloody, and now his leg. Now, he was probably going to die by the hands of the woman he loved.
No. Not Leela. The Viperess.
What does she want?
What does it look like? A fucking party?
But… I thought we had… I thought we—
You thought wrong. Now fucking save me, or we both die.
The familiar warmth pooled at his spine, and Rajesh knew the Scorpion had reared its head.
He didn’t care if he was begging for help.
He couldn’t fight off a scorned woman, let alone an angry Flame harnessing Leela’s body.
And Leela had been training, which meant she was stronger, stealthier, and prepared to hunt.
“Leela!” Rajesh called.
Another katar struck the headboard.