Page 96 of Heart of Night and Fire

Amrita shook her head. “In the technical sense, yes, but it’s done through magic, not… the way you’re thinking. The seed of new life will be laid inside me, and then one day, I’ll be able to release it when we deem the time is right.”

“Oh. I see,” Zarya said, though she wasn’t sure if she really understood. She made a mental note to do some reading on the subject later.

“I haven’t ever… you know, done that.” Amrita waved her hands, and Zarya leaned in.

“What? Had sex?”

Amrita’s cheeks turned pink. “Yes. Don’t say that out loud!”

“But why not?”

“Because I was never encouraged to talk about such things,” Amrita said, her shoulders rounding in.

“Well, I wasn’t, either, but I’m rarely a fan of doing what I’m told,” Zarya said, and Amrita sat up and grinned. “And, my friend, it seems a crime that you must go into the beyond without having been ravished a little.”

Zarya raised her eyebrows, and Amrita covered her face.

“I don’t know. Would I enjoy it? I hear the men talk about it, and they must enjoy it very much.”

Zarya huffed out a snort. “In my very limited experience, it wasn’t all the stories make it out to be. But I’m strongly beginning to suspect that mine was broken.”

Amrita’s mouth opened into an o, and they dissolved into fits of laughter.

“Come on,” Amrita said, wiping tears from her eyes. “We should go in. Lunch will be ready.”

As they stood, Zarya caught sight of the rigid form of Gopal Ravana. He was beelining for them at a clipped pace, his arms swinging at his sides. Zarya’s lip curled as the nawab stopped a few paces away.

It was disarming how much he resembled Vikram, slightly broader and a few years older, despite several hundred years separating them. His emerald-green eyes glittered with a malice she could never picture on Vikram.

“Amrita,” Gopal said without looking at her, his gaze locked on Zarya. “Go inside.”

Amrita squeezed Zarya’s hand and scurried off without a word.

Zarya schooled her features into irreverent boredom as she faced Vikram’s father. “Can I help you?”

“I see you. I see him looking at you.”

Zarya rolled her eyes. Apparently, this family’s favorite pastime was watching Vikram watch her.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, picking an imaginary piece of dust off her sleeve.

“Do you think I’m a fool?” He took a step closer, eyes blazing. He towered over her, but she refused to back up.

“I don’t know what you are.”

“My son will soon be Steward of Daragaab. I will not let some filthy human bring shame on my family’s legacy.”

She snorted. “Steward. Yes, because that’s clearly what he wants.”

Gopal’s expression darkened. “Watch yourself, little girl. I will not tolerate words against my family. I do not want my son anywhere near you. You will stay away from him.”

He stepped closer, his humid breath warming her face. She resisted the urge to flinch away, understanding he was the kind of man who’d feed off her fear and then happily lick his fingers clean.

“I’m just a little girl,” she said, spitting the words out. “What could I possibly do? Not that it’s any of your business, but there is nothing going on between me and your son. So please, get out of my way.”

Gopal’s eyes gleamed with a feral light. It was a blessing things were over with Vikram because Zarya couldn’t ever imagine being anywhere near this man on a regular basis. Poor Amrita.

“I hope Vikram sees you, too,” she added, deciding he was already pissed and nothing else she said would make much difference. “I hope you get what you deserve because you don’t deserve a son like him. And the people of Daragaab certainly don’t deserve a ruler like you.” She took a step back. “I’m late for lunch.”