| Dark Devotion |

31

I R A

"Abhiman..." I swallowed hard as I looked at him, feeling my heart rate going up once again. "I...uh..." My mind went completely blank when I tried to come up with some kind of excuse. But who was I kidding? I was in deep shit no matter what.

"Chup. Ek dum chup" He growled out, and I clamped my mouth shut.

Abhiman looked at me with his darkened eyes. I had seen that look on his face before, moments before he was about to end someone in the most brutal way.

And now it was aimed at me.

He slowly walked up to me, his eyes scanning my body, before he met my eyes. I had to tilt my head up to be able to see his face when he stopped in front of me.

My breath hitched in my throat at how close we were. He still had that effect on my body, making it flutter and tingle without even touching me, and his face was so close to mine that it almost felt unreal.

It also took everything in me not to turn around and make a run for it, not ready for what I was about to face.

I didn't notice when he reached for the gun I was hiding behind my back before he ripped it out of my hands. Abhiman looked at the gun, turning it over as he examined it.

"How did you get this?" His voice was laced with so much anger, making me gulp a little.

"I, uh, bought it?"

He placed the tip of the gun under my chin to tilt my head up higher.

"Don't lie to me. This belongs to me, so tell me who the hell gave it to you?" He sneered. I stayed quiet.

"Fine. I will find out in a second. Go sit your ass down and take that shit off." His eyes were cold as he looked at me. I swallowed hard.

Abhiman's eyes followed me as I sat down on the couch.

At the same time, the door opened and Aditya, Gautam, Lakshya, and Rishabh walked in with Alka and Priya, who were still half-asleep and had to be carried by Lakshya and Rishabh. They all gave me disapproving looks, and I looked away, taking off my wig and contacts to hide my nervousness.

"What happened to them?" Abhiman asked, looking at Alka's and Priya's drowsy state.

"We found them asleep." Aditya reported.

"Didn't I say to keep an eye on her at all times, and you fell asleep?" Abhiman snapped at them. Priya looked at him and blinked a couple of times as she tried to focus.

"It just happened. We suddenly got tired after she left. It must have been the wine." She mumbled and leaned into Lakshya.

"Did you drug us?" Alka asked, making all of them look at me.

"You drugged my girlfriend?" Lakshya hissed at me. My eyes widened at his words. Priya was his girlfriend?

That meant she was Abhiman's cousin.

Fuck. Me.

"I wouldn't call it drugged, per se... I just crushed some sleeping pills and put them in the wine..." I awkwardly trailed off and squirmed in my seat. If Lakshya wasn't pissed at me before for staying in the safe house, he definitely was now for, well, drugging his girlfriend with sleeping pills.

"Badass." Alka half chuckled and rubbed her eyes.

"Take them away." Abhiman ordered, and Lakshya and Rishabh carried them out. Even Rishabh, who was usually playful, was quiet and looked at me with a pissed-off expression.