The next morning, Anika stepped out of the main door where a convoy of six cars was waiting. One of the men held the door open for Anika as she slid into the passenger seat next to Abhay.

They drove for almost an hour before finally arriving at the gates of what appeared to be a huge orchard.

“We will be here all day. Have a perimeter drawn,” Abhay instructed to his men before leading her towards the clearing within the trees.

As they walked through the clearing, Anika could hear the gentle flow of running water.

“Is there a river?” she asked with visible excitement.

Abhay smiled. “A lake,” he said.

Ten minutes later, she gasped at the sight in front of her. A huge lake was hidden past the trees, and it was surrounded by wildflowers of vivid colors. A small cabin invitingly stood to one side. “It's breathtaking!”

He led them closer to the cabin and pushed the door open standing to one side to let her in. She gasped once again, taking in the sight that was simple yet beautiful. One side of the cabin was made completely of glass with a view to the lake.

She turned to look at him. “It’s so beautiful. Thank you for bringing me here,” she said softly.

He dropped the picnic basket on the small intimate dining table before he pulled her closer and kissed her. She moaned, feeling lost in the moment—completely overwhelmed by the man in front of her, and by the beauty surrounding them.

Minutes later, they pulled away to gasp for some much needed air. She placed a hand on his chest stopping him from picking her up. She laughed, “Wait! I have a special treat for you. Let's have breakfast before you sweep me off my feet,” she teased.

He didn't let go of her waist, but he didn't sweep her into his arms either. Laughing again, she moved towards the picnic basket and brought out the neatly packed silver dishes.

Everything at the Singham Mansion was larger than life. Lakshmi was horrified when Anika asked her for some plastic containers and bottles to carry the food for the picnic. She insisted everything be packed in crystal and silver containers.

Abhay pulled a chair out for her while she set some of the containers and bottles on the table top along with two plates. She served a generous portion onto his plate and put the remaining onto hers. By the time she finished serving, he sat opposite to her.

“Your feast awaits, my Lord,” she said, smiling at him.

“My Lord?” he asked in amusement.

“Yes. I'm pretty sure this is the first time I'm ever using expensive china plates, crystal goblets, and silver dishes for a picnic!”

He laughed softly, while picking up a shiny silver fork and knife. As soon as he took a bite of the breakfast wrap and chewed, he froze.

“How is it? I made it this morning. Do you like it?” she asked with an anxious look on her face. She had woken up early to help in the kitchen for preparing the dishes she wanted to take for their day out.

His face held a somber look, but he nodded. “I love it,” he said.

Anika bit into the wrap that contained spicy shrimp, eggs, and walnuts. It tasted awesome, but the heat in the dish made her reach out for the chocolate milk she had poured into the crystal glasses.

Abhay took a sip from his glass as well and froze again.

He placed the fork and knife on his plate to watch her with an expressionless look. “How did you find out?” he asked quietly.

Anika didn't pretend not to know what he was talking about. She had thought to surprise him and maybe even make him happy when she decided to put together this special meal, but the look on his face made her doubt her decision.

“How, Anika?” he asked again. “My mother was the only one who knew I liked the combination of shrimp and walnuts. Even if that turned out to be a guess from your side, the fact that I also like the unusual combination of chocolate milk with salt crystals is something you could not have possibly guessed.”

Anika bit her lip. “I found a book of her recipes in the library,” she said. “Some of them had your name written on top.”

He was quiet. “I see.”

“Are you… angry?” she asked tentatively.

“No,” he answered. “I was just reminded of her.”

Anika let out a sigh of relief inside.

“Thank you for putting this together,” he said, watching her with a look that both melted her heart and also made her want to do dirty things to him right then.

She took a deep breath to control herself. She realized that even though they had become physically close over the last couple of weeks, beyond talking about their day in general, they had never spoken about any personal stuff.

She watched him as he ate and felt her face heat up.

“What are you thinking?” he asked, continuing to watch her with heated gaze.

“I just realized that we know each other so intimately… well, at least in the physical sense… I mean, not completely physical… but… ” She let out a short laugh. “You know what I mean,” she finished.

There was amusement in his eyes. “Hmm. I guess what you are trying to say is that each night you let me kiss every inch of your delectable body, but the fact that you don't know much about me apart from how I taste and feelis bothering you. Am I right?” he asked.

“Yes,” she squeaked out, taking a long sip of ice-cold chocolate milk to cool her down.

He smiled. “Ask me what you want,” he offered.

Ever since she was brought into the Singham land as his bride, there was just one burning question in her mind. “Why did you marry me, Abhay?”

At her question, he paused for a few seconds before looking at her with an impassive look. “Because I made a promise to my grandmother.”

She was stunned. For some reason she did not think of him as someone who listened to his grandmother when it came to picking his bride. “What promise?” she asked.

“To marry a Prajapati.”

Anika's heart began to thud. “But I heard from my aunt that it was to break the curse. I thought you married me because the people of the lands wanted it. What has it got to do with a promise to your grandmother?”

“I don't believe in curses, Anika,” he replied, further shocking her. “Yes, I do care for my people, and I respect the traditions of my ancestors within reason. And according to the tradition, I was supposed to marry a Senani woman, but my grandmother wanted me to marry a Prajapati instead.”

“Why?”

“Because when it was my father's turn to marry a Prajapati, he decided to break the long-held tradition and marry for love.”

Anika frowned. “What's wrong with marrying for love?” she asked.

“Nothing, except for the fact that when you are born in families like ours, and a land like ours, a part of your life belongs to the people and the long-held traditions.”

Abhay said ours as though he considered her to be a part of the land. “But I don't really belong to your land. I grew up living in a different continent altogether.”

“I know,” he said quietly. “But your aunt sent a proposal saying you were enamored by what you had heard about the Singhams. That you had a long-held fantasy of marrying someone rich and powerful from your father's land.”

She frowned. “I never said those things.”

“Yes. I guessed that a few weeks ago,” he said dryly.

“So you thought I wanted to marry you willingly, then changed my mind?”

“Yes.”

“But you saw I was terrified of you in the beginning.”

A flash of regret passed on his face. “I believed your aunt. It didn't strike me that she might have fooled you in any way. Believe me, that wasn't the first time I had received wedding proposals from women living in the Western world. They thought it was romantic and exciting to live as a rich and powerful wife in a dangerous part of world.”  

Anika believed him. She knew there were women who fantasized about marrying sheikhs or mobsters or dangerous powerful men. “I don't find marrying a stranger the least bit romantic.”

“I know that now. But during the wedding, I had thought you developed cold feet after seeing the violence in reality, in front of the temple, where we were supposed to meet for the first time. By then, there was too much at stake to back out of the wedding.”

Yet another reason to hate her aunt. She had lied to Abhay about her being a willing bride.

“What kind of stake?” she asked instead wanting to know desperately.

He was quiet.

“Please,” she insisted. “I need to know why I was brought here under false pretenses. I want to know why no one is allowed to speak about the Singham, Prajapati, or Senani families.”

“For your protection,” he answered. “Before our wedding, I warned everyone not to speak about our families because Singhams hate the Prajapatis. They have been killing each other for as long as thirty years. Whenever someone spoke about the feud, it always enraged people and ended in some violence. That's why I passed a strict rule that no one should ever speak about the families and the past.”

“I still don't get it.” She frowned. “If Singhams and Prajapatis were enemies because your father didn't marry according to the tradition, why would Senanis be enraged and destroy our lands and try to hurt our people?”

He smiled.

“What?” she asked wondering why he was smiling at a serious question like that.

“You said our lands and our people.” He observed.

Anika was stunned. He was right. She didn't know when, but slowly she was becoming used to the place and its people.

She shook her head. “So tell me, why the Senanis enraged?” she asked once again, then immediately she frowned. “Because you broke the tradition of marrying a Senani. They feel insulted.”

He nodded when she guessed correctly.

“But why did your grandmother risk offending the Senanis for the sake of making amends with Prajapatis?” she asked.

He sighed. “It's a long story, Anika. I know you want to get all the answers ,but all I can stay is that my grandmother took a risk by assuming that Senanis would understand her decision, and she would be able to compensate for the hurt ego and disrespect shown to your aunt.”

“Why would the Senanis understand your grandmother's decision?” she asked.

“Because my grandmother was a Senani.”

Anika had a wiggling doubt deep inside. “What was your grandmother's name?”

“Devasena Singham.”

Holy Mother of God! Anika had been reading Abhay's grandmother's journals.

She bit her lip deciding whether or not to reveal that she had been snooping around his library. Taking a chance, she told him. “I found your grandmother's journals. I've been reading some of them in the library.”

There was surprise in his eyes, but he didn't get angry. “Yes, my grandmother was an avid reader and wrote for pleasure. I have some of her journals within our suite as well.”

“Yes, that's how I found out about them in the first place. Your grandmother was a fiery woman with a kind heart.”

“Yes, she was.” There was a fond look on Abhay's face.

“What happened to Abhimanyu Singham?” she asked.

“Anika…”

“Please. I need to know,” she pleaded.

Abhay sighed. “He was killed by your father's brother.”

Anika was stunned and sad. “What? Why?”

“Because the Prajapatis were enraged about the fact that my grandfather didn't do anything to stop my father from marrying my mother. So they pretended to be guests who had come to congratulate the newly married couple and attacked my grandfather instead.”

Anika sucked in a breath. “They killed your grandfather at your parents' wedding?”

“Yes.”

“Then what did the Singhams do?”

“My immediate family didn't do anything, but some of our relatives attacked your grandfather and killed his wife by accident. She apparently took the shot meant for him. They also tried to kill your grandfather after, but he survived, only to be completely paralyzed.”

“Oh my God,” she whispered.

“Let's not talk about that, Anika.” He pushed his chair back and got up.

He came towards her and pulled her up from her chair before carrying her to the bedroom.

He placed her gently on a soft mattress and began kissing her. He slowly pulled up her top and threw it aside, kissing her neck and moving downward.

She moaned softly as shivers ran through her. But though she was aroused, her mind kept revolving around what they had spoken about a while ago. Abhay must have sensed her distraction, because his mouth paused, and he slowly sat up.

“I'm sorry,” she whispered. “It's just that I have been here for nearly three months now, and I became used to you and our people. But I won't be able to be at peace without finding out more about what led to our marriage.”

He sat back, leaning on the bed and sighed. “What do you want to know?”

“How could Devasena, I mean your grandmother, be okay for you to marry someone who belongs to the family who killed her husband?” she asked.

“Like I said before, when you grow up like her, part of your life belongs to the people. She wanted to end the bloodshed. She was so strong and relentless that she wanted to do right by the Prajapatis even though…”

It was unlike him to hesitate at saying anything. “Even though?”

“Even though the Prajapatis ended up killing both my grandmother's sons and also my mother and youngest brother.”

Anika was stunned. “How?”

“After ten years of my parents’ marriage, your father and his brother invited my family to the temple on the pretext of discussing a wedding proposal between your aunt and my uncle. But instead, your uncle attacked and killed my mother leading to mass bloodshed that eventually killed your father and uncle, too.”

Her heart thudded. “I was told my father died in a fire accident. My mother believes the same, too.”

Tears filled up her eyes, as she thought about how she lost her father to a senseless violence. “I can't believe this.” She looked at him through blurred eyes and felt her heart clench. “How can you even bear to be with someone whose family is directly responsible for the death of your parents and brother?” she asked.

“It happened a long time ago, Anika.”

“No wonder the people hated me and mistrusted me when I came here.”

He ran a gentle hand on her back. “They treat you like their goddess now. You have helped them so much, and they can see that you genuinely care.”

She wiped her tears away to look at him clearly. “What about you?” she asked. “You must have hated me at some point.”

He was quiet. “Yes,” he answered. “I resented the fact I was forced to marry the daughter of a man who was my father's best friend and who betrayed him in the worst way possible.” He looked at her, and she flinched at what she saw. “There were times when I wanted to make you suffer for your father's sins.”

She closed her eyes unable to look at him. “How old were you when…”

“I was nine, and Dev was seven, and my little brother was only five. Dev and I stayed home with our grandmother, and my parents took my other brother along.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Dev and I were told it was an accident when it happened, and our grandmother kept us away from this for the longest time. She put us both in a boarding school in London. Until I got a call with the news that my grandmother had suffered from a long terminal illness, I had no idea about the feud or what had happened to my parents. Even my grandmother didn't tell much at that time. She only made me promise that I would marry a Prajapati woman.”

Anika could imagine Devasena being so selfless. Even when she knew she was dying, she was trying to protect her grandsons. “Why did you not go back after your grandmother died?”

“I could not. People were dying, and the ones living were about to die because of the draught, and they were convinced it was a curse. The curse of a woman who was betrayed. All I was interested in was to build peace and make our lands prosper once again at any cost.”

Tears filled up her eyes once again. “I am so proud of you. I don't think anyone would have chosen the life you did given the options you had.” She recalled seeing alumni magazines of Oxford University where he must have graduated.

He wiped away her tears. “I never for a minute regret any of the choices I made,” he said.

She held his face. “I don't want to either,” she said. And then she kissed him softly on his lips. “Make me a Singham bride for real. I want to be yours in every way.”

Abhay's eyes flared at her declaration. He kissed her while she desperately pulled away at his clothes.

“I want you,” she whispered when he pulled away to trail his lips down her neck licking and nipping on the skin.

“Take me now, Abhay,” she pleaded.

As if those were the magic words he needed to hear, he growled, pulling away from her to remove his clothes. He pulled away the remaining clothes from her body, and threw them on the floor next to his. He went back to her, his body hot and aroused just the way she wanted him.

His fingers touched her breasts, then slowly slid down her stomach and finally went between her quivering thighs. He spread them and cupped her core. Slowly, a long finger entered deep into her while his thumb rubbed her clit.

She gasped in pleasurable pain. Over the weeks, he had gotten her used to his body and had given her immense pleasure, but never had he entered this deep within her core. His finger went in and out of her, creating a friction and making her needier.

She clenched against his finger each time he rubbed a spot that made her thrum with desire for him. Her body felt electrified as she felt an intense buildup starting within.

“No!” She shook her head vigorously, trying to push his hand away from her.

She opened her eyes to see his tense face. “I want you inside me when I come. I want to come with you,” she demanded.

He watched her face for a second before kissing her hard. He then looked down towards the place where their bodies would soon join together.

Holding himself with one hand, he began guiding himself to her entrance. They both watched and groaned as he rubbed the tip up and down her slit before slowly sliding in.

As soon as he entered her, she gasped and closed her eyes. It was painful.

He stilled completely on top of her. When she opened her eyes, she saw him watching her closely.

“Breathe,” he told her as he held her in the most intimate embrace. “The pain will fade soon, and all you'll feel is pleasure,” he promised.

He began to slowly thrust in and out causing her to dig in her nails into his back as pleasure and pain warred inside her.

He leaned his face much closer to her and licked away the tear that had slid down her cheek. At the tender gesture coming from a ruthless man who led a hard life, her heart filled completely. She knew he was meant for her. He was the missing piece that had caused her to ache with emptiness before, the void that compelled her to know more about her roots.

He filled her mind and body moving faster, stronger, and deeper within. She met his moves with her own learning the rhythm that joined them together.

It still hurt, but it hurt in the most pleasurable way possible. She closed her eyes becoming lost in the intense feeling. She felt his tongue as it slid between her lips moving in and out with the same sensual dance.

Faintly, she heard a distant rumble from somewhere. She ignored everything but the man who possessed her. She twisted and writhed underneath him as she began to feel the familiar sensation of losing control. She began to clench around him as she thrashed and bucked harder underneath him. He held her down firmly letting her orgasm crash through her in waves.

“You are beautiful when you come,” he rasped.

She continued to come harder, screaming his name, and feeling consumed by him.

He began to move inside her once again, pumping harder, losing control himself. She watched him through her haze as he let go thrusting into her deeper. She felt him grow larger inside her before he let out a roar and called out her name.

Their breaths came out in loud pants as he slumped and rested his forehead on hers.

A few moments later, he rolled away and pulled her into his arms.

When she finally calmed down, her nose prickled with a distinctive smell, and she saw the drops cover the large windowpanes of the bedroom.

It was raining.