Page 36 of Heart of Night and Fire

Zarya found Vikram waiting in the living room. She hadn’t heard Aarav return last night and assumed he’d been out drinking. At least he wasn’t trailing her everywhere now. With any luck, he’d gotten so drunk he’d unwittingly stumbled into the chasm outside.

“All ready,” Zarya said, putting Aarav firmly out of her mind and flashing Vikram a grin.

Heat flared in Vikram’s gaze as he took her in from head to toe. “A picture of perfection.”

Aware of her own heart speeding when he came to stand in front of her, she resisted the urge to lean into his scent of fresh grass and the salt of the sea. Vikram held out his hand, and Zarya took it, his fingers folding hers in his delicious warmth.

They arrived at the stables and mounted their horses before Vikram directed them out of the city and into the forests that lay to the north of Dharati.

After riding for a while, they approached a small clearing in the trees. The slim banyans created a leafy canopy that filtered in soft sunlight, while flowers grew in bursts of color, evidence of Daragaab’s flourishing earth magic blossoming in every direction.

She remembered the days when the forests around her home had looked like this before the blight had taken over. Truly, this was so beautiful that Zarya wondered if she’d ever need to go anywhere else.

Of course, she still thought constantly about leaving Dharati—to escape Row and Aarav—but since the latter seemed to have abandoned his quest to drag her back to the seaside cottage, she was content to get to know her new surroundings better. And especially this handsome rakshasa. She watched him dismount, noting the bunch and shift of his muscle under his fitted kurta and the way the light caught his black hair.

Besides, after gathering too many scraps of information that didn’t fit together, she wanted answers from Row. She was tired of trying to solve an invisible puzzle, and she’d take the risk of waiting for him to return so she could demand clarity. She simply couldn’t leave here without understanding why he hadn’t told her that he’d known more about her mother than he’d ever let on.

Vikram spread a blanket on the grass and began to unpack the basket. Zarya dismounted and joined him, kneeling down as he pulled out wrapped containers of golden pakoras with pear chutney, bright pink kaju katli, and slices of mango. And finally, a bottle filled with pale green liquid.

“Enchanted, thanks to Apsara, to keep it cold for hours,” he said, pouring her a glass. She took a sip and sighed with contentment, picking up notes of lime, jasmine, and honey. They ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes as they listened to the insects and birds shaded within the trees.

Vikram stretched out and leaned on an elbow before reaching to run his finger along a scar on Zarya’s forearm. The hairs on her arm shivered at the gentle touch. The scar had faded over the years, but the small ridge of raised skin remained as a reminder of her childhood.

“What happened?” He swept his finger back down her arm, his hand covering hers as heat stirred in her chest.

“A burn,” she said quietly. “When I was seven, I was trying to cook dinner after Row and Aarav had left for a few days.

“Sometimes they would do that. Leave on an errand and be away longer than they expected. I was boiling water to make rice, and it tipped while I was adding the grains to the pot. I wasn’t quite able to reach the top of the stove, and I bumped the handle. The boiling water came down on top of me.

“I started screaming, and it hurt so much I thought I was on fire. Of course, no one heard me. I managed to get it under some cold water, but then I fainted from the pain. I don’t know how long I was unconscious. It was a day or two at least.

“Eventually, Row came home and found me sweating on the ground—infection had set in already. He used magic to treat me, but it never quite healed.”

“Shit,” Vikram swore under his breath.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you that. Row is revered, and a member of this sacred cabal that everyone respects, and I’m here telling everyone what a villain he is. He wasn’t terrible. He tried. He was never cruel, but I just don’t think he really understood how to care for a child.”

Zarya covered her face with her hands, and Vikram sat up to pull them away.

“You are not responsible for the choices Row made. I don’t know why he did this to you or if he thinks he had a good reason, but you are under no obligation to protect his reputation. If he comes back, he will have to answer for what he did. I will make sure of it.”

Zarya let out a soft laugh. “Can you do that?”

He gave her a wry grin that made her chest twist. He handed her a pakora, and she munched on it thoughtfully.

“I didn’t want much,” she eventually said, staring into the distance. Vikram raised a dark eyebrow.

“Just someone to love and care for me. I haven’t experienced very much of that in my life.” She wondered how pathetic she seemed admitting that.

Vikram shifted closer so their thighs were touching. “That doesn’t seem right. From the short time I’ve known you, I can see how beautiful and brave and kind and clever you are and that you deserve untold amounts of love.”

Zarya’s cheeks warmed, looking at the blanket as she chewed on her snack.

“I mean it.” Vikram tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, letting his hand linger against her cheek. When she found the courage to look up, his green eyes were luminous with a soft sort of determination. Her heart was racing, and her breath quickened as his gaze remained on her.

She tipped forward almost involuntarily, willing him to do the same. She wanted to be kissed and held, and Vikram’s arms looked so strong and inviting. She wanted to feel his body pressing against hers. Zarya was so tired of her perpetual loneliness. Of that space behind her heart left so cold and hollow like a crystal vase no one had ever thought to fill with flowers.

Vikram’s hand trailed across her jaw, his thumb sweeping over her bottom lip as a fuse detonated deep inside the chambers of her heart. The past fell away, leaving only this moment.