by T. G. Ayer
Maya nodded."
"I see."
"I'm sorry. I know it’s a lot to process. And . . . well you just met Sabala. I really had no choice after that, did I?"
"Nope. No choice at all." Joss glared at the giant dog, who stared back with all four of his eyes. "It’s actually pretty cool, you know that?"
"And you're actually pretty crazy, you know that?" Maya responded, wondering when Joss would ever do anything Maya expected.
"Come on Maya, you cannot tell me there isn’t at least one fiber of your being that thinks it's frigging cool to throw balls of fire and have a giant guard dog to guard your precious booty?"
Maya merely grunted, shimmying further up against the headboard. "There's a couple more things you should know."
"You're kidding me right? After everything you’ve told me? There’s more? Because I don't think I can handle more-"
"Shut up and listen will you." Maya admonished her but couldn't help laughing. Instinctively Maya grabbed her ribs, expecting pain to rip through her abdomen. Nothing happened.
"Yes ma’am," Joss answered meekly.
"This power I have, the power to create fire? It’s mine for a reason." Maya found it really difficult to say the words. Almost as if she hadn't yet earned the right. "A long time ago there was a priestess who trained the Children of Kali in their arts. But she’d been so bound to her work she hadn’t fulfilled her one true desire. To serve Kali herself. To be on the front lines. So she prayed for that privilege. And Kali allowed her one more incarnation to serve. And her reincarnation is me."
"Huh?" Joss looked cross-eyed. "So you’re really an old priestess?’
"Joss! I am the reincarnation of the Holy Mother Radha." Maya tried to be serious but Joss grinned and Maya ended up just grinning back.
"You know that sounds so strange coming from your lips." Joss said as she slowly slid off the opposite side of the bed from where Sabala sat at attention.
"What do you mean?" Maya watched, amused as Joss tiptoed toward the dresser, picked up her bag and glided to the door.
"Well, weren’t you the girl who told me, not two months ago, that she couldn't understand why her parents expected her to believe in gods who don’t exist?" Joss reached the door, her face at last regaining some color. She wiggled her pink and blue fingernails at Maya and smiled. "I have to go, now. I'll speak to you later."
Joss’s words left Maya stunned as the door clicked shut. How had she forgotten her words and thoughts so easily? How could she have forgotten how much she'd despised the traditions, how she'd avoided anything to do with India and being Indian. And she'd been ashamed of her parents, too.
Now more than ever before, she was certain she didn’t deserve any of this.
Joss left Maya to contend with her own inner turmoil. She seemed to have taken the whole reincarnation business well enough, although Maya couldn't be entirely sure until she saw Joss again.
If she saw her again.
What if she thought Maya was totally cuckoo and was merely playing along? What if she dumped Maya because she couldn't deal with the revelation? What if she convinced herself Sabala was just a figment of her imagination?
A buzzing sound emanated from under Maya's pillow and she twisted around, digging under the bedclothes for her phone. A message from Joss. Maya's heart pounded. Joss was probably texting to say Maya was crazy and she needed serious help. Maya's hand shook as she pondered if she should read the text or ignore it altogether. Do I really need to lose another friend? I’ve already lost Ria.
Maya swallowed hard, and checked the message. And heaved a sigh of relief as she read the words through a film of tears.
"Get some rest. I’ll be by later to talk more. And keep an eye on that dog - I don’t trust him."
Maya laughed out loud at that. Funny. Joss had countered all Maya's doubts with one text. Maya sighed and lay back on the pillows. Her eyes filled with tears again as her thoughts drifted to Ria. She really needed to learn more about the effect a Rakshasa had on the humans they possessed. Maya wanted her friend back
A knock sounded on the door and it swung open. Leela stood there, a slight smile on her face as she let Nik into the room. Maya glared at her. Nik in her bedroom? Really? Maya couldn't even remember if she still had her PJ’s on. How embarrassing. Mom is going to get an earful when Nik leaves, that’s for sure.
But all thoughts of whining at her mom went flying out the window as soon as she looked at Sabala.
As Nik entered, Sabala rose from his post at the foot of Maya's bed, and faced Nik. Her heart clenched assuming Nik was done for, terrified the dog would tear him to pieces. But instead, her mouth fell open as Sabala lowered the front half of his body, and bowed his head. The dog was kneeling before Nik. Beyond hysterical.
Nik gave the hellhound a nod and walked toward the window. At that, Sabala rose and returned to settle on his haunches at his previous post. The dog's eyes remained lowered though, as if he still made some sort of obeisance to Nik. The dude certainly had some power over the beast.
Maya's visitor stared outside in silence. He hadn’t even greeted her yet. What was with him?
This was the first time he’d made her uncomfortable since he’d save her butt at Amber's house. Well not to mention that kiss . . .
"Nik."
"Maya."
They spoke together and Maya felt like a dork. The room seemed claustrophobic, and the thought of Nik in her bedroom still made her feel weird.
"Why don’t we go downstairs. I could really do with some fresh air and orange juice," she said, smiling a little too brightly, too late to check what she wore. Thankfully, she was well prepared in a comfy tracksuit instead of her rabbit PJ's.
"Sure," Nik replied, his eyes stormy, capped by a multitude of frown lines. What was the matter with him? He walked toward Maya, holding out his hand to help her up. And though his offer was kind, his expression remained distant.
Maya waved him away. "I’m fine, I can manage, thanks." When did they become so formal? Her heart clenched as Nik's distance became an almost tangible accusation. Everyone seemed to be leaving her.
Maya blinked. Well not exactly. It was only Ria who’d left and it wasn't her choice, really. And Maya had no time for self-pity. Things were happening around her she had absolutely no control over, but right now she intended to walk downstairs and get herself some juice.
She led the way, her legs feeling strong and definitely not as wobbly as she would've expected given the severity of her injuries. Kali seemed to have done an amazing job with the healing. Maya was impressed.
As she got to the top of the stairs she heard a clack on the wood floor beside her. Sabala trotted with Maya and she would've been grateful if he hadn't reached his snout out and whacked the back of her knee with it. In mid-stride he kicked her leg out from under her. Maya tripped, almost falling to the floor before she caught herself with a gasp.
"What the hell are you doing?" She snapped at the dog. Sabala stared back as if he’d done nothing wrong.
"He’s just doing his job, Maya."
"Yeah, I suppose tripping me at the top of the stairs so I can go tumbling down to my death is Sabala’s way of keeping me safe, right?"
A strange silence hung in the air during which Nik stared at Sabala, almost in contemplation. Maya raised an eyebrow when the dog tilted his head, and stared back at Nik, an innocent look in his eyes.
"He didn’t mean to frighten you or trip you up. He was warning you of the danger," Nik answered after their staring match ended. So weird. And Nik really ought to pay less attention to the mutt. Frankly, the dog was beginning to annoy her.
"Yeah well, he did almost throw me down the stairs so if he wants to help he’d better not try that trick again."
"I don’t think he will."
Maya laughed, "So what, you're now a dog-whisperer?"
Nik shrugged and looked uncomfortable again.
Strange.
Chapter 26
They head
ed downstairs and Maya absorbed the bright sunlight streaming into the kitchen. Her Mom sat at the table. She glanced up as they walked in. "Hey, you two. Want a bite to eat?" she turned the page of a recipe book, eyes flicking across words. Something Moroccan for dinner tonight Maya guessed.
She shook her head, "Just some juice. I’ll get it."
Her mom nodded then looked at Nik as Maya turned to the fridge. Maya frowned. What was going on? They were looking at each other strangely. Maya glanced back in time to see her mom widen her eyes and throw a skewed nod in Maya's direction as if urging Nik to talk to her. She waited until her mom turned back to her.
Leela almost flinched when she saw Maya had been watching their interplay, then covered it so well Maya could easily have thought she’d imagined the whole thing. Except for the pink tinge of guilt on her mom's cheeks.
Leela rose, pushing her chair back. She hesitated, eyes flicking around the table. She grabbed the book, tucked it under her arm and walked stiffly out of the kitchen.
"What the hell was that all about?" Maya grumbled, returning to the fridge for a pitcher of orange juice.
"Your mom is worried about you." Nik’s tone was almost admonishing and Maya stiffened. Was he suddenly judging her for some reason?
Maya dumped the pitcher on the table, letting in make a loud thunk as the glass hit the wood surface. She didn’t care when the liquid sloshed back and forth so hard it spilled onto the gleaming oak. Why should I care? It kinda mirrors my life, right? Here I am, living just fine and then one day, bang, firepower from a goddess who shouldn't exist. Excuse me if I don’t jump for joy.
She grabbed two glasses from the cupboard behind her, this time restraining the urge to slam them onto the table. They’d shatter and she couldn’t be bothered cleaning up broken glass. She slid onto a stool and waited as Nik seated himself opposite her.
Nik leaned forward and grabbed the pitcher, pouring the juice into each of their glasses.
He placed a glass in front of Maya and she took it, not bothering to thank him. She sipped, staring at the puddle of orange mess. Cleaning it up seemed like a mistake. So weird, but in a way, it represented her life. She shoved away from the table, her chair almost tipping over as she reached for the roll of paper towels and viciously wiped up the spilled liquid. Nik watched in silence as she toed the pedal on the bin and threw the sodden towels away.
Only when she sat back down did he ask, "Feel better?"
"No."
"Well you might want to summon a little more of that armor of anger." Maya's head shot up and she stared at his face. What the hell did he mean? "You're going to need it for what I am about to tell you."
Maya sighed. "Come on Nik, you can cut the melodramatics and just spill it." She knew what he meant to say. That he needed to leave, he couldn't continue to spend time with a freak like her. Even if he knew the score, how could anyone stay knowing what a bagful of fun she was to be around? It was only good luck Joss hadn’t died of horror and disbelief.
"This is not easy to say."
She stared at his face, her eyebrows raised, waiting.
Nik sat back, blew out a gust of breath. He rose to his feet, and began pacing the floor. He was making her dizzy so she stared at her juice instead.
"Okay, look. The thing is . . . you don’t know me."
Maya let out a soft laugh. Who was he kidding? She knew very well who he was, but when he met her eyes, her heart twisted with worry. Something was really troubling him, so much his eyes swirled with an amber smoke, sending shivers down her spine. There she went hallucinating again.
She blinked a few times and when she glanced at Nik again the wisps of smoke were gone, replaced by Nik's dark and worried frown. The fridge thunked and clanked, then settled. Maya waited.
"Well?" she asked at last, suddenly gripped by fear. She didn’t like this new, uncertain, fear-filled Nik.
"What I’m going to tell you now is something I had no intention of ever saying. Not to you at any rate." Nik fell into the chair opposite her, running his hands through his hair, making it stick up in a multitude of adorable directions. "But it's been getting a bit too complicated."
Anger and hurt flared within Maya's veins, taking her by surprise until she realized what was happening here. He really was leaving her, wasn’t he? And he’d been keeping secrets. He was going to reveal he has a girlfriend, or that he had to leave and never come back.
"You don’t have to worry about me, Nik," she said, her voice stony and cold as the words left her lips. "I’m fine, with or without you. I’m sure it's hard to tell me whatever it is you want to tell me, but get on with it and get it done." Her fingers gripped the glass so tight her knuckles shone white. Memories of the regret on his face after they kissed flitted across her mind, the hurt still fresh and raw.
But she didn’t care. She focused on his expression, the red tinge of guilt so similar to her mother's she began to wonder what exactly was going on. Whatever he struggled to tell her was something her mom already knew. And Maya was the last to find out?
"I’ve been here too long, and I have to leave." Her gaze snapped to his so fast her neck hurt. She was right. "No, Maya, I am coming back. I won’t leave you, unless you want me to."
"Why would I want you to leave?" Maya frowned, searching his face for a hint of why he was acting so strangely. Sure, she was angry with him. She'd been upset he'd regretted kissing her. She'd seen it so clearly in his eyes. But it didn't mean she wanted him gone. "You saved my life, you've been teaching me so much." She stopped speaking. The more she talked about how much Nik had come to matter in her life, the more difficult it would be for him to leave.
Nik walked toward Maya, placed his hands on her arms. The moment his skin touched hers, heat surged into her body. He stared into her face, his eyes troubled, struggling with whatever inner turmoil he battled. He grabbed her close, held onto her so tightly she could barely breathe. And she didn't want him to ever let go.
He sighed and his chest rose beneath Maya's cheek as she stood entwined within his arms. Then his cheek pressed against hers, the skin fiery hot and almost sparking. Maya struggled to take another breath. She was going to pass out just from a hug. Ridiculous. Amazing. Heat spiked her blood, running through her body like a drug, burning her up from inside.
Nik's breathing sounded harsh, erratic in her ear and he pulled away a little. Maya frowned, wanting so badly to wipe away whatever troubled him so much he couldn’t find the words to tell her. And when he closed the distance between them, his lips claimed hers in a burst of hunger matched spark for spark by her own.
How did she ever think he'd regretted their first kiss? How could anyone regret such a pure emotion?
With a groan Nik ended the kiss, his lips leaving hers reluctantly. He held her face in his hands, lifting her chin so she could see into his eyes. "When you hear what I have to say you may want me to go right this minute."
"Maybe you should talk first, and let me make my own decisions."
"Fine." Nik's lips turned up in a wry smile. "I need to return home for a while. My father has summoned me."
"Summoned you? Sounds like he is some kind of king or something." Maya said, laughing, the tendrils of heat generated by the kiss slowly dissipating. But the seriousness in his eyes killed her humor and silence fell upon the kitchen. The sun still shone brightly, unaware Nik was about to break her heart and Maya could tell he had no idea how to make a clean break.
"He is a king." Nik's words chilled her blood.
"You are kidding right?" Maya shook her head. "Look Nik, you don't have to make up elaborate stories to leave."
"No, you don’t understand. My father really is a king."
"Okay." She nodded, humoring him, still curious where he meant to take this line of revelation. "So, king of what country?"
"Well technically it’s not a country. More like a realm."
"Nik, be serious. What the hell does that mean? A realm?" Maya almost laughed but things were no long
er amusing her. Her heart hurt with the extent Nik was going to in order to leave without making himself feel bad.
"I am serious. Please hear me out." She wanted to yell at him that she’d been the one waiting all this while and he'd been the one waffling with his big revelation. Instead, she met his gaze with a raised eyebrow and silence and he seemed to take it as agreement on her part, because he continued. "My father is the king of Patala, the realm of the Underworld."
Chapter 27
"What?" Now she felt the urge to laugh. The crazy kind of laugh that made her feel like if she started, she'd never stop. Maya stared at the face of the boy to whom she’d secretly given her heart, and shook her head in disbelief. Nik was nuts. "Patala? You are making fun of me aren’t you? Patala is the Underworld. You're seriously telling me Yama is your dad? Come on Nik, stop playing games."
"No, Maya. Just listen to me."
"No, this is crazy Nik. What are you thinking? That I will swallow your lies so you can leave me with a clear conscience?"
"Maya, listen to me." Nik grabbed Maya's shoulders, and gave her a small shake. But she wasn’t listening to him anymore, she couldn’t even look at his face. Tears gathered in her eyes, and she blinked against the burning.
How fitting.
Anger and hurt fought for control of her heart. She couldn’t accept his lies, his betrayal. He had to almost yell to get her attention again. "Maya."
When she felt the warmth in his hands she stilled.
When she glanced up, and met his eyes she froze, ice smothering her veins, fear skating across her breath.
Nik’s eyes glowed a hot amber.
The fiery glow of a Rakshasa’s eyes.
Maya shivered, and yet she felt hot all over. Heat traced fiery fingers inside her skull, and out her ears. It would've been so much better had he been joking. Or lying. Maya would've accepted the lie sooner than this horrible truth.
Nik was a Rakshasa.
A bloody demon, from the underworld.
