Page 90 of The Divine Lies We Weave

Leela jumped to her feet. “And Nalini told you to help me control her.”

“If you haven’t noticed, we’ve been a little busy.”

Leela shook her head. “Then help me. Now we’re trying to find this wish-fulfilling tree. Help. Me!”

A tear ran down her cheek, and Leela swiped it away. She didn’t need him to see her cry. Because it meant she was scared, and she couldn’t show weakness. Couldn’t let him in again.

Rajesh’s expression softened. “I’m sorry, Leela. I will train you, I just… I put it off because I know how hard it is. It will be harder than anything you’ve had to do before. Are you ready for that?”

Leela nodded, a slice of fear cutting through. “Yes. I am.”

There was a look in his eyes that made Leela falter. A look that told Leela she might regret her choice.

The Viperess hissed in the back of her mind.

“See me first thing in the morning. We begin then.”

20

RAJESH

“Again,” he ordered.

Leela slumped against the training floor, hands planted and back arched. Sweat dripped down her spine and darkened her white, billowed shirt.

Rajesh was also exhausted, but it was for her own good. Leela needed to harness the Viperess, or the Flame would control her, and Rajesh wasn’t dying by the hands of the woman he loved.

A depth of pity swelled within his mind. Found a way yet?

Sort of hard to do when I’m stuck inside you.

Rajesh wiped the sweat from his brow. He was getting impatient and needed the Scorpion to pinpoint the exact location of this tree. For now, he had to train Leela. Make her stronger. “Again.”

Leela snapped her daggered gaze to his, and he couldn’t help his lips from twitching. He had missed that look. The look that told him to fuck off and normally led to some quite interesting circumstances. With his legs wrapped around her⁠—

“Stop that.” Leela stood, swaying.

Rajesh simply struck his godsblades into the ground and leaned on it with an arched brow. “Stop what?”

“Stop looking at me like you’re undressing me.”

Rajesh smirked. “I don’t need to undress you. I have seen you naked, damiji. Or have you forgotten?”

Despite the deep tone of her skin, there was a soft flush to her cheeks.

“I do! Of course, I do. But stop it. Stop looking at me!”

“Where else am I meant to look?” He gazed exaggeratedly at the weapons and around the training room. “Nothing else is as grand as that look on your face that tells me you want to punch me. And you know what that look does to me.”

“Punching you is a turn-on?”

“A lot of things are,” Rajesh joked.

Leela shook her head, her lips drawing into a fine line. “You’re meant to be helping train my brain, not fuck me.”

He shrugged. “What do you think I’m doing? I was able to pull you back from the brink of her taking over by highlighting our shared memories. I’m just trying to keep her away.” Rajesh held his hands up as if he were innocent.

Leela rolled her eyes. “Yes. I’m sure you are. You keep telling yourself that and you might believe your own lies.”