BOOK 1 OF THE UNEXPECTED SERIES
In a world where tradition clashes with modernity, Vaidehi is a modern-day princess bound by society's rigid expectations.
Saransh, a brooding prince with a shadowed past, one he's not keen to reveal. Despite his nobl...
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"Nahiiiii", I screamed, my breath came in ragged gasps, and my throat burned as if the screams from my dream had clawed their way into reality. My hands clutched at the sheets, damp with sweat and the echo of my voice— still reverberated in my ears.
(Nooooo)
My heart hammered against my ribs, an unrelenting thrum of terror that refused to fade. I pressed my palms to my face, trying to block out the fragments of the dream still flashing in my mind.
A shadowy figure coming towards me. My feet rooted on the ground. My voice cracking as I screamed begging them to stop. To stop hitting me. To stop this torture. But they never did.
Anger bubbled in my chest. Why does this keep happening? Why do the memories of my shadowed past keep coming to me dressed as nightmares?
I put on a hoodie and stepped into the balcony, the cool night air brushing against my skin. The soft click of the lighter felt too loud in the stillness of the night. I lit my cigarette, inhaling it deeply before the sharp scent of tobacco filled the air
I exhaled the smoke curling around me before dissolving into the night. The irony wasn't lost on me. Cigarettes and fresh air— they don't belong together, much like me and sleep. Even if I somehow managed to sleep, these nightmares won't let me.
I wish I wasn't insomniac. The thought came unbidden, accompanied by a bitterness that settled deeper than the taste of nicotine on my tongue. Nights like this stretched endlessly, the hours bleeding into another, leaving me trapped in the company of my restless mind.
The cigarette burned low, until it signed my fingertips. I stubbed it out against the edge of the railing, watching the ash fall to the ground below.
The night offered no answers, no solace. I stayed there anyway breathing in the cold air as through it I could feel the spaces inside me that felt so hollow.
The sudden shrill sound of my phone broke the silence, cutting through my thoughts like a blade. I walked inside, picking up my phone from the bedside table.
"Jaivardhan" I said after receiving the call. Already bracing myself for whatever news he had.
"We found another one, sir" his deep voice said on the other end, steady and professional. "But he also won't open his mouth."
For a moment, I didn't respond. My grip tightened around the throat as fury settled in my gut. "Keep him alive" I said. My voice calm but cold. "I'll be there soon." Without waiting for the reply I ended the call.
Dropping the phone into my pocket, I grabbed the leather jacket from the chair and stepped into my boots. My keys jingled as I picked them up from the counter and strode outside to the parking lot. Rows of sleek cars gleamed under the dim glow of the garage but my eyes went straight to the matte black beast waiting for me— my bike, Harley Davidson.
