Bound by Revenge (The Singham Bloodlines) Page 5

  Anika turned to look behind her and gasped. Her cousin, Sabitha, stood behind her wearing an ornate gold embroidered sari with minimal jewels. It wasn’t her attire that had made Anika gasp—it was her cousin’s face.

  Sabitha had an obvious purple bruise around the corner of her right eye. She also had a cut next to her lip that was barely healed. She was holding a large golden tray where several guests were placing their monetary gifts. Anika also noticed the dark purple bruises around her wrists.

  “You are pathetic if you think you can ever win over me,” Sabitha said in a menacing tone. “And next time it won’t be your leg, it will be your throat.”

  It took Anika a couple of seconds to realize that Sabitha was speaking with Dev Singham, and he looked quite ruffled. “Why you—”

  “Dev. Go check if our ride is ready.” The stern order from Abhay Singham stiffened Dev’s back. He nodded and walked away from there. Anika watched as he walked with a noticeable limp.

  Just after the last of the guests finished blessing them, Neelambari came up to her.

  “I will take my niece to the gods and seek their blessings to provide a Singham heir soon,” she declared with a smile.

  Everyone gave way to her. Not having a choice, Anika followed.

  Neelambari stopped in a relatively secluded nook that had a twenty-foot high sculpture of a god. Seeing Neelambari, a few people who stood there to pray, came towards her, touched her feet, and left.

  Anika was shocked by the reverence her aunt had received.

  “Don’t be so shocked, my dear. My people not only love me, they also treat me like a goddess.” She smiled indulgently. “If you play your part right, you will soon receive similar kind of treatment from the Singhams and Prajapatis alike.”

  Anika decided to remain silent. She knew Neelambari had brought her away from the crowd to say something specific.

  “And do you know what that part is?” Neelambari asked with eagerness. “The part is to give an heir to the Singhams, continuing the bloodlines.”

  Anika ignored her. She was already sick of hearing the same thing over and over again.

  Meantime, Neelambari removed a delicate necklace from a velvet box. “This was my favorite. It was custom ordered for my wedding by my fiancé. He said that my eyes shone like the jewels in this necklace.” Her aunt’s voice was soft and whimsical as though she was lost in the memories. “When you enter the Singham household as a bride, I want you to be wearing this.”

  Anika just stood like an inanimate object letting her aunt fasten the diamond necklace around her neck. “You look radiant, my dear.” There was a tinkling laugh. “Your husband will look beyond his hatred for the Prajapatis and take you tonight. Don’t fight him. And even if it hurts because you are a virgin, and are not used to a man’s touch, remember, it is your duty to submit to him and present him with an heir.”

  Anika’s heart thudded as she heard the words. “How do you know?” she asked.

  “Know what?”

  “Whether or not I am a virgin.”

  There was a pause and a delicate shrug. “I know because I made sure of it,” Neelambari replied. “I made sure you remained pure by not allowing any of those boys to touch what is rightfully Abhay Singham’s.”

  Anika could not believe what she was hearing. “What are you talking about?”

  Neelambari watched her with an affectionate smile. “Have you ever wondered why you stayed a virgin despite possessing beauty similar to mine?” she asked. “You were destined to be a Singham bride. I took it up as my duty to ensure that no other boy dared to come in between your destined union.”

  Anika’s head started to spin, and she pressed her fingers into her temple unable to believe her ears. Every date and the hurried break-ups that followed flashed in front of her. The answer to why things had gone south with all her past relationships became clear at that moment.

  “You are a sick woman,” Anika whispered in shock.

  “I did it for your own good. High born, powerful men value virginity. And besides, I wasn’t going to take any chances for some random mongrel to plant his bastard in your belly. Your womb should only carry the Singham bloodlines.” She laughed at Anika's shocked look. “It’s getting late. Let’s get back. Your husband must be eager to get started on the first heir.”

  Anika felt nausea well up within her.

  “Cheer up, my love. The next time I meet you, I hope the circumstances are different, and you don’t look horrified at the thought of your husband. Oh and by the way… your parents and sister are doing good…for now.”

  Anika heard the underlying threat, and also the unspoken words, of risking harm to her family, if she didn’t toe the line set by Neelambari.

  CHAPTER 12

  The drive to the Singham Estate was a blur. The roads were bumpy, and each time a pothole caused her to bump into the man sitting next to her, she began trembling and cringing away from him..

  The roads got better along the way, and they drove past tall gates which had a large golden carving of a roaring lion’s face. Several people watched as she was escorted into what people referred to as a mansion. She kept her head down most of the time, not wanting to see any of their faces. She had received enough hostile stares and threats for the day.

  She was given a lavish meal inside a heavily-decorated room, after which she was left alone. After a couple of hours had passed, she became restless. She was sick of waiting and feeling like a lamb before the slaughter. So braving it a little, she decided to go out of the room.

  She stepped into a corridor and saw no one, but she could hear faint conversations from a room that was at the end of the circular corridor.

  She slowly tiptoed towards the voices, and waited outside, listening in.

  “You beat a woman?” She heard Abhay Singham’s deep voice thundering at someone.

  “She’s not a woman!” The other man’s voice contained anger and outrage. “Sabitha Prajapati is a crazy psychopath who started it all. She attacked me, and things got out of control, and she ultimately stabbed me in my leg!”

  “Why would she attack you?”

  There was a chuckle. “Sabitha Prajapati fancies you, big brother. Last night she sent a message, inviting you to come alone to discuss security and something personal, apparently. I was suspicious and went there in your place. She’d planned to seduce you, probably to convince you to marry her instead. Unfortunately for her, I caught her in the act and…she attacked me.”

  There was a loud noise of smashing banging something against a table. “I’m sick of hearing about you two. And this is not the first time!”

  “But she…”

  “She’s family now whether we like it or not.”

  “You can’t take her side. You are my brother!”

  “I’m on your side, but I also married her cousin. There will be several instances you’ll have to see her and interact with her. So trying to kill each other will not get us closer to what we want to accomplish here.”

  “But I hate her!”

  “Then fucking pretend. No one is asking you to like her, but if you mess up our plans, I’ll kill you myself.”

  There was a sullen silence. “Fine. Whatever.” There was the sound of a chair being dragged. “So tell me, dear brother. What do you think of Anika Prajapati?”

  There was a pause. “What about her?”

  There was a chuckle. “You know, you should have read the file I had an investigator prepare about her.”

  “As I said before, I give a shit. She is just a means to an end.”

  There was amused laughter. “I believe you. I recall you saying you’d marry her even if she were the ugliest woman in the world.”

  “You already know what is at stake when it comes to marrying her.”

  “True, but I just find it incredibly amusing you were prepared for an ugly hag whereas Anika Prajapati turned out to be…” There was a loud whistle.

  “I still give a shit about how she looks
,” an irritable reply came. “As long as she follows my orders, she can do whatever the hell she wants.”

  “Huh. Knowing the track record of Prajapati women, I somehow doubt it.”

  “If she doesn’t listen, then I’ll have to simply get rid of her, and make it look like an accident. Our people will understand, especially if I were to marry the Senani girl next.”

  Listening to that, Anika trembled. She turned and ran away from there. She was almost hyperventilating when she reached her room.

  Abhay Singham was a monster!

  My god! How am I going to survive this place?

  As soon as she went inside, she shut the double doors, and stood with her back to the doors, catching her breath. Until then, she hadn’t realized the possibility of her falling into the fire from a frying pan.

  Her body shivered at the new revelation. She had thought everything she had experienced and witnessed at the Prajapati Estate had been her worst nightmare, but this topped it all. If she didn’t do as her supposed husband ordered, she would be killed, and her death meant the death of everyone she loved.

  Gathering whatever leftover courage she had, and ignoring the heavily decorated king-size bed on a raised dais, she walked to the far end of the room, where a living area was set up with a daybed next to the window. It looked comfortable enough, and also safe enough.

  She slowly lay on her side, giving in to the overpowering need to rest, and be lost in a state of denial. As she delved into sleep, she just hoped she wouldn’t have a repeat of the nightmares.

  *****

  Anika slowly began to gain consciousness. She had been in such a deep sleep, she still felt groggy and confused. It was dark, and she was suspended in the air, and moving towards the large king-sized bed. Her heart began to thud as she realized someone was carrying her.

  She gasped out as her body hit a soft mattress.

  “You will not sleep anywhere else apart from this bed. Do you understand?” the man’s deep voice demanded.

  She didn’t move. She shrunk away from him, and curled up her body tightly, expecting him to hurt her.

  “We are married. If you don’t behave accordingly, it will not end well for you. You will stay here until I order otherwise.”

  She shut her eyes tightly ignoring his words and willing her mind to sink back into darkness.

  “Answer me!” he roared.

  Her body trembled. “Okay,” she whispered.

  She continued to keep her eyes shut as she heard him move around the room and felt the mattress dip as he slipped into the bed next to her. She braced herself expecting a hand to grab her close, to brutally violate her, while claiming to take what was his by legal right.

  But the hand never came.

  After a lot of tensed moments, she heard the man’s breathing deepen. Only then did her terrified mind relax to be able to slip into an uneasy sleep.

  CHAPTER 13

  Anika slowly opened her eyes, but didn’t dare to move. She took in her surroundings with her senses. Everything seemed to be surprisingly calm except for the slow hum of an air conditioner.

  Her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness as the last memory came to her in a flash.

  The man had carried her to his bed, and the fragrant petals she smelled, confirmed she was on the same bed that was decorated for the wedding night.

  She pulled the edge of the blanket over her ears, desperately wondering if there was anyone in the house she could get help from.

  Help for what? To stay alive?

  She took a deep breath refusing to let the fear consume her again. Her mind threw in different ideas of escaping, but she knew the moment she was found missing, her crazy aunt would have no mercy on her family.

  She lay on her side, barely moving a muscle as she re-played the events over the past few days. A slight movement followed by a ruffling sound brought her out of the haze of the night.

  She froze in cold fear when she realized the man she feared the most was only a few feet away from her. She shut her eyes, and held her breath, pretending to be asleep. She lay still until the early hours of the morning, unable to go back to sleep due to the fear of the unknown.

  An alarm went off while the sun had barely risen. She heard the man getting up, and moving around the room. She heard the sound of typing on a keyboard, and later there was a scrape of a chair. A door opened and then shut.

  After what seemed like only a few minutes, she heard the man return and walk past the bed. There was a sound of a heavy door opening.

  The cool morning breeze blew over her, making her burrow into the bedding even more. A constant and continuous whirring sound of some kind filled up the next thirty minutes. Then a little later, there were masculine grunts as something was being systematically punched.

  The punching stopped, and she heard the footsteps return to the room. She held her breath when the footsteps sounded louder as they approached the bed.

  There was no sound or movement of any kind. The tense silence made her tremble deep inside. She tried to relax by staying still and regulating her breathing.

  “If you are done pretending to be asleep, I need to talk to you.” The man’s deep voice resonated in her ears, making her shudder.

  She wanted to ignore him, but if she had to stay alive, she needed to follow his orders. She slowly opened her eyes and looked into the dark eyes that threatened to make her have a nervous breakdown. “I-I wasn’t pretending. I just wanted to stay out of your way.”

  There was silence.

  Then his nostrils flared. “I know you didn't want to get married to me, but it's too late. You better accept the situation now.”

  “I-I don’t want to be your wife.”

  “Too bad. You are already my wife, and what you saw outside the Singham temple is the way of life here. Accept it,” he growled out.

  “I want to…I…” She lost her voice when he crossed his arms in front of his broad chest waiting for her to complete.

  Something flickered in his eyes, but it was gone before she could decipher it. “You need to follow every order I pass here. You have no choice, and there are no exceptions.”

  She nodded, looking down at the pattern on the blanket.

  “Look at me when I talk to you.” It was a demand, and she obeyed instinctively. “Do not go out. Remain inside until I take you with me. And when I do, you will not utter a word about your family to anyone. Never discuss anything about the families. Do you understand?”

  “Yes.”

  “You will sleep next to me on my bed and not elsewhere like you tried to do last night.” His voice was deep and gruff, making her shiver constantly with fear.

  “Okay.” She felt the burn behind her eyes as she accepted whatever the man was throwing at her like she was a meek mouse. She hated herself at that moment. She hated what the circumstances were turning her into.

  “I also don’t want a repeat of your performance from yesterday morning before the wedding. If you damage anything deliberately, I’ll teach you a lesson that’ll make you regret your tantrums.” His eyes bore into hers.

  “It wasn’t a tantrum. I was being forced and… I don’t even know you.”

  There was another eerie silence. “It’s already done. You are a Singham now.”

  Everything inside her rebelled at those words, but she held her tongue.

  “Even though I trust my people to an extent, I don’t want you to trust anyone except Dev or me.”

  She stared at him blankly, not understanding what he meant. There was no way she could trust anyone, not even her own so-called family in India, let alone her new husband.

  “Do you understand that?” he snapped, making her jump, and nod vigorously.

  “Stop being so jumpy, it’s annoying,” he growled.

  Before she could respond, he turned away and disappeared into the bathroom.

  She lay back on the bed and closed her eyes. She was fighting tears when she heard him return and move around the room. Was this goin
g to be her life if she ended up being stuck here forever? A meek wife to an indifferent, cruel man she was bound to for life?

  No! She refused to give up. She had to find a way out of this mess.

  She heard the door shut behind him, on his way out. She got down slowly from the bed and stood on her shaking legs. The traditional outfit she wore felt like a cactus field. The first thing she wanted to do was to get out of it, burn it, if possible. She went straight into the bathroom and shut the door. She cursed when she realized that there was no lock on the door, not that a lock would make her feel any safer.

  She turned on the faucet to fill the tub in the massive bathroom, and slid into the water. Her skin felt the relief from the warm water, but her muscles remained tensed.

  How long did she have before the man decided to start forcing her on their marital bed to make her conceive?

  Fear gripped her body, making her tremble at the prospect of spending her days being hurt, body and soul.

  Almost an hour of soaking didn’t help relax her muscles. She washed off the soap and reached for a towel wrapping it around her body. She was drying her damp hair with another towel when she heard a sound outside.

  She gasped when the bathroom door flew open, and the man stood still, filling the frame. She froze as her mind went blank. She wanted to scream, but she was too scared to do anything.

  Moments passed, and then the man took a few steps towards her, making her grip her towel as her lifeline.

  He came to a stop, only a foot away from her, and raised his arm, making her flinch and shut her eyes.

  “I told you to stop being so jumpy,” he growled making her look at him again.

  She wanted to shout back at him, asking him to stop being scary, but she could not.

  His hand moved past her, reaching for something behind her on the vanity. It was a sleek phone, and he had forgotten it on the counter.

  He turned around without another word and was gone leaving her shaking and shivering.