Page 97 of Heart of Night and Fire

Gopal stood rooted to the spot as Zarya skirted around him. She retreated to the safety of the house, trying to keep herself from breaking into a run to put as much distance as possible between her and this foul rakshasa.

THIRTY-FOUR

After they returned to Dharati, Zarya couldn’t seem to sit still. There was something stirring in her blood, like an itch buried under her skin that she couldn’t scratch. It felt like a breath held, waiting on the edge of something, but she didn’t understand what.

The city itself felt like it was under siege. While they’d been at the Ravana estate, there’d been another breach of the wall. The vetala had struck again, this time knocking down one of the garrison doors and spilling into the city before the Khada could put them down. More people had died, and the queen’s condition hadn’t improved. It was obvious her magic was failing, and there was no telling what would happen if she didn’t make it. How long could the city fight off the demons without her magic to protect them?

Yasen had picked up on Zarya’s restlessness and suggested they go for a drink. They now sat in a bar in the heart of the city, and she suspected he’d needed the distraction as well.

“And then what happened?” Zarya asked, taking a draft of her ale. She clutched her stomach with laughter as Yasen recounted the time he and Vikram had broken into Gopal Ravana’s study to steal a rare bottle of absinthe from his liquor cabinet. The Ravana guards had convinced the two young rakshasas that absinthe imparted powerful properties of virility on whoever drank it, so Yasen and Vikram thought they’d test the theory before a night of partying.

“After drinking about a quarter of the bottle, I went blind.” Yasen gagged, his face turning green at the memory. “And the only thing it gave us was a three-day hangover. I puked so many times it felt like my heart had come out of my throat.”

He shook his head and laughed. “Gods, what a couple of idiots we were.”

A warmth bloomed in Zarya’s chest. Yasen’s unrestrained laughter was like a secret song—it was such a rare and beautiful thing.

“We were both in agony,” he continued, still chuckling. “We were lying on Vikram’s bed, and we couldn’t move at all. The room was spinning, and Gopal came in absolutely furious. I must have been hallucinating because I swear he turned into a fire-breathing dragon. It scared me so much that I fell off the bed and cracked my elbow on a post.

“I’m not sure if he was angrier that we had gotten so drunk or that we’d wasted his precious bottle. Probably the latter, if I know him. He kicked us both out of the house and made us sleep in the garden for a week. It rained the entire fucking time. I think he was somewhat satisfied that we’d learned a lesson when we dragged our sorry wet asses back inside.”

“Not to drink absinthe?” Zarya asked, raising a brow.

“Right, or just to hide it better.”

She snickered. “A good lesson indeed.”

They fell into a companionable silence while Yasen stared at his glass. Then he took a drink and thunked it down on the bar. “Our punishment was light that time. Or mine was, anyway.”

Zarya’s gut twisted at the acid in Yasen’s voice. “What do you mean?”

“It never went over well when Vik tried to assert his independence over his father. One of the worst incidents was when one of Vik’s cousins fell in love with a vanshaj.” Yasen rolled his shoulders and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“When they were caught together, Gopal was sent for. It was considered a scandal. He ordered the woman beaten to death. She was dragged into the back courtyard, and Vik tried to stop it and get his father to see reason. It wasn’t her fault, and it would have accomplished nothing, but Gopal was in a rage. He wouldn’t be swayed. When that didn’t work, Vikram threatened to leave and abandon his role as steward, just like his brother had. I’d never seen him raise his voice to his father like that. I’d certainly never seen him stand up to him before.

“But that was the wrong thing to say because the nawab fucking lost it. He was so angry he was frothing at the mouth. So, he ordered me beaten next.”

A gasp escaped Zarya’s lips. Yasen stared into his glass again, and she waited for him to collect himself. When he spoke again, his voice was rough.

“They beat me within an inch of my life. I was recovering for weeks; they broke nearly every bone in my body. Vik didn’t leave my side the entire time. The woman died, and Vik’s cousin was sent away, never to be seen again.

“But the message was loud and clear. From that day on, Vikram toed his father’s line. Of course, once in a while, he’s slipped up in the eyes of the nawab, and I’m the one who always suffers for it.”

Zarya placed a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry. That is monstrous. Why do you stay here, Yasen?”

He shrugged, but the movement was stiff.

“Vik is the only true family I have. And I can’t leave him alone with Gopal. He’s too soft-hearted. His father would eat him alive.”

“That’s why he’s going through with the joining.”

“Yes. He’d rather die than let me face his father’s wrath ever again.”

“No wonder you were so angry about the two of us.”

He shook his head. “No, I wasn’t concerned for myself. I want him to be happy, and he was happy with you. I was angry he was leading you down a path you couldn’t follow.”

“That is so unfair. How can you be so resigned to this?”