Leelavati was drowning.


    The world around her was a haze of blood and dust, the air thick with the iron scent of death.


    Kunwar lay before her, small and trembling, his hands pressed desperately against the deep wound in his stomach. His fingers, slick with crimson, clutched at her, reaching for her, pleading.


    “Aapaa…” His voice was weak, choked with pain.


    She tried to move toward him, but something held her back. Her feet refused to listen and her body felt like stone. No matter how much she fought, she couldn’t reach him.


    He sobbed, his small frame shuddering. “Aapaa, it hurts…”


    Tears blurred her vision. She struggled, clawing at the unseen force restraining her. He was right there, so close—if she could just—


    A sword flashed.


    Kunwar’s eyes widened. His lips parted in a silent scream as the blade drove through him.


    “No!”


    Leelavati woke with a jolt, her entire body shaking. Her breath came in harsh, panicked gasps, her face damp with sweat and tears. She opened her mouth, a scream rising in her throat—


    But the cloth gagging her turned it into a muffled whimper.


    Darkness. The carriage was still. The faint sounds of men talking, horses shuffling, and the crackling of a distant fire told her they had stopped to rest.


    She swallowed hard, forcing herself to steady her breath. Her chest still heaved from the nightmare, but the momentary haze of grief cleared, replaced by something sharper.


    This was her chance.


    Slowly, she shifted forward, her bound hands making each movement difficult. Her limbs felt heavy, her lehenga stiff with dried blood. She barely winced as she slipped down from the carriage, her bare feet pressing into the cold earth.


    One step. Then another.


    The night swallowed her as she moved, her breath shallow, each rustle of fabric sounding deafening in the silence. She inched away from the resting soldiers, forcing herself to stay calm.


    Then she ran.


    Pain flared through her body with every step, but she didn’t care. She only looked back once, just to make sure no one had seen her—


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    And slammed into something solid.


    She stumbled, barely managing to keep her balance. Instinctively, she bowed her head, her body reacting before her mind caught up.


    A mistake.


    Fingers clamped around her wounded wrist. A searing jolt of pain shot through her arm, forcing a sharp gasp from her lips.


    A voice, low and laced with amusement. “Where do you think you’re going?”


    She stiffened.


    Slowly, her gaze lifted, dread curling in her stomach.


    It was him.


    The man who had killed Kunwar.


    Hatred surged through her veins like fire. She wrenched at his grip, but her bound hands made escape impossible. He didn’t even flinch at her struggle, his grasp tightening just enough to send another wave of pain through her arm.


    Leelavati refused to look away. She glared at him, her breath ragged, her entire body trembling with fury.


    He studied her for a moment, then reached forward, fingers brushing against her cheek as he pulled the cloth from her mouth.


    The motion burned against her chapped skin, but she barely noticed.


    “What is your name?” he asked.


    She didn’t answer.


    Instead, she lunged—


    Her teeth sank into his hand.


    He inhaled sharply but did not let go. His fingers only tightened around her wrist, his strength overpowering hers effortlessly.


    Her chest rose and fell with labored breaths. Her arms ached from struggling.


    She was too weak. Too restrained.


    But the hatred in her eyes burned fiercely.


    And she would make sure he saw it.


    With her arm still in his grip, his fingers pressing into the raw wound he had carved into her skin, he pulled her toward a tree where a magnificent black stallion stood tied. The beast was pawing at the ground, its dark eyes wild and tamed.


    “This is Aftab,” he said, his voice calm, almost amused. “He was as wild as you once.”


    Leelavati barely heard him over the throbbing pain in her arm, but when she did, she turned to him with nothing but hatred in her eyes.


    The emperor stepped closer, lowering his voice. “But wild things make me want to conquer them.” His grip tightened just slightly. “Don’t make me try that on you.”