Page 50 of The Divine Lies We Weave

Rajesh rolled his eyes. “As chivalrous as always, May. Take the compliment.”

Tanmay only nodded and then returned to the wheel. “Where to now, Captain?”

“Home,” Rajesh said. “And get everyone a drink. They deserve it.”

Tanmay nodded. He always did what Rajesh ordered. It was one of the reasons he made Tanmay his second mate—that, and he needed the reassurance. Rajesh could never have asked for a better mate by his side.

As the adrenaline lowered, Rajesh glanced back between the rocky dunes and slipped his hands into his pockets. The wind brushed the loose curls by his face and dried off the sweat from the fight.

The Scorpion leaped from the back of the ship and turned into a puddle of darkness before reattaching himself to Rajesh as his shadow.

What a fight that was.

Indeed. Thank you.

Pleasure. I want these monsters as dead as you do. I want the Viperess gone as well. Have you given my proposal much thought?

Rajesh let out a breath. He steadied his gaze over the dunes as the ship wisped up waves of sand in its wake. Once his heart was no longer wildly thundering in his ears, he could think.

The obvious answer was yes—Rajesh should train Leela. He was the strongest. The most capable. The most knowledgeable about the Viperess and Scorpion. But to have them together? It worried him, knowing the Viperess could very well unleash her fury at any given point.

But he had to try. For Leela’s sake.

For his sake.

Yes. I’ll let you help me train her.

The Scorpion clicked its pinchers in a harmonious tune.

That was one thing they had in common. Being a Flame from the Awakening, the Scorpion wanted the monsters churned from the sandstorms as dead as he did.

Especially when the monsters were of his making.

His lip drew into a straight line.

If it wasn’t for the Scorpion harnessing Rajesh, they wouldn’t have any monsters anyway. If it weren’t for the monsters, Rajesh never would have lost Leela.

He ground his teeth and cursed. He knew he was weak. Leela had made him weak, and seeing her again brought up all the lingering feelings. They pressed on him like a giant hand, suppressing him and gripping his ribcage.

It was too late. He knew what he needed to do.

And neither he nor the Scorpion were going to be thrilled with it.

Deciding he needed to simmer off, Rajesh stormed downstairs. By now, his crew had settled and were heading below deck to recoup. He decided to join them because Flames he needed a drink, and better yet, a fuck.

He somehow found himself standing in front of a door, one where he’d constantly find himself over the years. Navya was an easy outlet, a sad release. She didn’t mind; he was her outlet too.

Rajesh stared at the door, his fingers inching over the doorknob. Part of him wanted to rip the door off, barge inside, scoop Navya into his arms, and forget all the whirling emotions swarming inside him. But another part—the part settling after the adrenaline, knew it was a terrible mistake.

Navya wasn’t going to fix his problems. He couldn’t just forget everything with a mindless fuck.

Biting his lip, he hissed at himself and returned to his room without a drink.

12

LEELA

Leela found Iravan the next morning. She’d barely slept, tossing and turning all night wondering about Rajesh, the Viper, and the Scorpion. She wasn’t sure what time she fell asleep, but she woke with her mind reeling—like she couldn’t escape herself. Her body was even more restless, her pelvis thudding and her head even more so. Her mind was beginning to swim with the doubts and darkness, and she needed something to distract herself with.