Page 50 of Heart of Night and Fire

Despite a nagging thought that she had missed something important, she wasn’t ready for the evening to be over yet. Whatever had upset Yasen could wait until tomorrow. They ordered another round of drinks and spent the rest of the night in a glorious haze of music and kissing.

NINETEEN

With her head pounding, Zarya awoke to find Vikram fast asleep beside her, his cheek pressed to the pillow and his hair falling over his eyes. They were in the same bedroom where she’d spent her first night in Jai Mahal, sunlight streaming through the windows.

She blinked rapidly, wondering what she had done last night, but relaxed when she realized they were both fully clothed. A drunken fumble was not the evening Zarya had planned now or ever again. Next time she had sex, she wanted what she’d read about in books. She wanted fireworks and sweet nothings whispered in her ear. She wanted the stars and the moon and someone who knew what the fuck they were doing.

That kiss last night had suggested Vikram definitely knew what he was doing, and she wanted to remember every moment when it happened.

Vikram’s eyes peeled open as she shifted on the bed. Clasping her hand to her forehead did nothing to ease the pounding she could feel in the backs of her eyeballs.

“Do you feel as terrible as I do?” he asked, squinting as though his retinas were melting.

“Worse,” she replied, mashing her face into the pillow and groaning.

Then she lifted her head and looked at Vikram.

“We didn’t—you know…” She gestured to the space on the bed between them, wanting to be absolutely sure.

He gave her a wry look. “I assure you, that would not be something you’d ever forget.”

Then he rolled over on his back and closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. Zarya picked up a pillow and swatted him in the face. He grabbed it, laughing.

“No, I was a perfect gentleman. And you passed out as soon as you crashed on the bed. Very charming.”

It was her turn to laugh, but it was cut off with a groan as her head gave another sharp throb.

“How about some water?” Vikram asked as he eased himself up and shuffled into the bathroom. He returned with two full glasses and handed one over. Zarya took a large gulp and then wrinkled her nose at the smells of food wafting from the sitting room, sure she couldn’t keep down anything in this nauseated state.

Nevertheless, Vikram coaxed her into the main area where breakfast had been set out. What she needed was the biggest cup of chai she’d ever had in her life. A small glass jar with tiny white pills sat next to the teapot, and she picked them up, examining the bottle.

“What are they?”

“Pain medication,” Vikram said. “Magically enhanced to work quickly and effectively.”

Zarya shook the bottle and popped off the lid. “I guess someone knew we were out last night?”

She tipped two pills into her palm and passed the bottle to Vikram before swallowing them with a big slurp of water. She sighed in relief as they took effect almost immediately, just as he’d promised.

Now that her stomach had settled, the waiting food looked much more appealing. She placed a paratha on her plate and topped it with a generous spoonful of raita, suddenly ravenous.

As they ate in exhausted silence, Zarya caught a movement in the garden outside. She pushed herself up to investigate, swinging open one of the glass doors.

Yasen lay on a bench, his kurta unbuttoned at the neck and his long limbs askew. He was snoring loudly, his mouth gaping wide.

She stifled a giggle as she stepped out onto the stone patio. Clearly, Yasen had detoured after he’d stormed off last night.

A moment later, she choked out a sharp laugh at the sight of Aarav in nothing but his underwear, lying face down in a flower bed. The noise jolted both Yasen and Aarav awake. Yasen lifted his head to blink at her, and Aarav let out a long and agonized groan.

Holding up her skirt, Zarya stepped over the stone garden border and reached down to help Aarav up, dirt and flower petals sticking to his skin. He braced his hands on his knees, panting while he leaned forward as if willing himself not to vomit.

“What happened to you two?” she asked, pressing her mouth together to suppress a smile. The last thing Aarav needed right now was her laughing at him.

“He is absolutely terrible at Rani’s Cradle,” Yasen said in a disgusted voice and flopped an arm in Aarav’s direction. “It takes a special sort of talent to be that horrendous at anything.”

Aarav groaned again as he dropped to his knees and began crawling towards the door, leaving a trail of garden detritus behind him like peri dropping a trail in the forest so they didn’t lose their way.

Vikram now stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame with a grin. Yasen swung his legs off the bench and leaned forward, burying his head in his hands.