Page 212 of Rudra Nandani: The Saga of Control And Seduction

“We’ll see you there,” he called out to them as the horse picked up speed.

Once we had put some distance between us and the others, he slowed the horse and stopped near a running stream.

He climbed down first, then helped me down gently.“What happened?” I asked, confused by the tension in his eyes.

The night was cool, the winds strong, and a heavy silence enveloped us.

He took my hand and led me to the edge of the stream. Under the vast, dark sky, he held my fingers and kissed them tenderly, closing his eyes.

I swallowed hard, feeling him tremble slightly. He pulled me into a tight embrace, lifting me off my feet.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and nestled my face into the crook of his neck.

“Not finding you in the chamber... made me feel fear for the first time in my life,” he whispered.“For the first time, I knew what it meant to feel that terrifying shiver down the spine, that choking lump in the throat, that blind panic, the thunder crashing inside your mind. For a moment... I thought I had died,”

His words shook me to my core. He tightened his grip, kissing my neck with trembling lips.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, tears slipping down my face.

He breathed in deeply against my skin, trying to ground himself.“I don’t know how to put it into words... but I love you, Nandani. I didn’t love you like this before. Now, it feels like I can’t exist without you. I can’t stay away from you. I can’t breathe without you. When I saw you missing... it felt like my entire life had ended. The mere thought of something happening to you shook me beyond anything I’ve ever known. I’ve never felt this way for anyone. Never,”

His voice broke, turning hoarse with emotion.“Please, I beg you—never leave me. Even if you ever hate me so much that you want to kill me—kill me—but don’t leave me. I cannot exist without you. Rudra cannot exist without his Nandani, his queen,”

Tears streamed down my face as I clutched the back of his head, holding him as close as I could.

“I never will,” I managed to whisper against his ear.

“Promise me, Nandani. I was never able to understand this feeling before... but now I do. And I never want to feel it again. Please, promise me,” he mumbled, his voice trembling, his arms tightening around me.

I nodded quickly, feeling my own tears threaten to fall.“Yes, I promise. I promise, Rudra,”

I said, holding him tighter.

He stayed like that for a few moments, clinging to me, and I couldn’t stop myself from pressing a soft kiss against his neck.

“We should head back to the palace,” I said gently.

He inhaled deeply and carefully set me down. When I looked up, I saw his red, tearful eyes. He leaned down and kissed my forehead, and I gave him a small, shaky smile.

“Yes, Abhi will get suspicious if we’re late,” he said with a soft chuckle.

I laughed lightly.“Yes... I think he will,”

We walked back to the horse together, the night breeze swirling around us. As he helped me up onto the saddle, he said,“I think I have to tell you something about Abhi,”

I frowned slightly, confused.“What? I thought everything between you two was sorted now,” I said.

He nodded, though he was a little hesitant.“Yes, kind of. Butthis is something else,” he said, climbing up behind me.

As the horse began to move toward the palace, I asked,“What is it?”

He leaned closer and said near my ear,“The man seems to be in love,”

“WHAT???” I twisted around to look at him over my shoulder, my eyes wide.

I was amazed, surprised, and mostlyutterly shocked.

?? ? ? ?

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