The Fire In Her Eyes

XIII

Mohana gasped as she jumped away from Vyas. Vyas straightened up as he stared at him over her head, in a look of surprise. Mohana hesitated to turn around, contemplating running away but she knew Rudra would obliterate Vyas in her absence.

She clenched her hands together and gathered in a deep breath as she turned around to face the wrath of devil.

To say Rudra was furious would have been an understatement. He openly glared at Vyas over her shoulder. His jaw was clenched tightly, and his lips were pressed into a thin line. His hands were balled into tight fists at his sides, almost as if trying to stop himself from pummeling him to death. Mohana shivered as the atmosphere was tense almost as if the air itself was charged with his rage.

"What is happening here?", Rudra asked, glowering at Vyas.

"Nothing that concerns you, Prince Rudra", Mohana replied in a chipped voice as she folded her arms on her chest, trying to appear unbothered.

"Nothing that concerns me", Rudra scoffed as he repeated those words. Her attitude towards him was starting to piss him off. He knew all too well what she was trying to do; she was standing in front of that boy to protect him. It was taking every ounce of his self restraint to contain himself from killing that boy.

"Come here, Mohana", Rudra commanded in a calm voice. A shiver travelled down her spine but Mohana refused to chalk it upto excitement knowing that's what it was. She narrowed her eyes at him as his stance suddenly relaxed, his eyes still containing his wild rage.

"The longer you contemplate, the worse it will get", Rudra said, his words containing a vicious promise.

She was growing increasingly annoyed at him for disturbing her plans. She sneered at him,

"You-"

"It is alright, Moha. I need to prepare for my first match", Vyas intervened, sensing the growing tension between them.

"That is Princess Mohana to you", Rudra snapped at him.

Mohana rolled her eyes at the same time Vyas replied,

"Yes, your highness"

He then proceeded to bow his head and took his leave. Rudra's eyes stayed trained on Mohana as Vyas walked past him and inside the tent. The air around them shifted and Mohana released a shaky breath as she stared into his obsidian eyes. They were strangely calm but Mohana was not the one to be deceived; It was merely the calm before the storm.

Her eyes widened as he slowly stalked towards her, like a predator walking upto his prey. Mohana willed her body to move away from him but it seemed like her body had a mind of its own when it came to him as she stayed rooted. Rudra walked into her space like he owned every inch of it and Mohana hated that she was enticed by that idea.

'Mind over body mind over body', Mohana chanted the mantra in her mind over and over again as Rudra towered over her, a mere inches between them. Mohana tried to take a step back as he invaded her personal space but he wrapped a hand around her waist. Her breath hitched as he pulled her flush against his hard chest, feeling every curve and crevice of her soft body.

"Why must you always defy me, Mohana?", Rudra whispered with an edge to his voice.

"I do not know what you are talking about", Mohana said defiantly, standing her ground.

"Meeting up with the boy, I told you to stay far away from, that too unchaperoned. It is almost as if you are asking for trouble. Is that what you wish for; another man's blood on your hands?"

She narrowed her eyes at him as she grit out,

"Your hypocrisy is astounding! How dare you threaten him when you yourself have committed a graver sin. How do you think it would look if I tell everyone you were in my room in the dead of night? How do you think would that look on your part?"