Page 30 of Entangled Vows
Her laughter had hit him hard, leaving him reeling and breathless. He tucked the blanket around her carefully, placed the water and anti-hangover pills within easy reach on the side table, and then sat in the corner chair, watching her sleep like some kind of an obsessive psycho. He waited until he was sure she was settled, and then only he stepped out into the night, and into a decision he knew he could never take back.
He called his contact and moved the registrar appointment up by a day. Yes, it was impulsive, but the need to keep her close, the burn of watching her dance with another man, had shoved every logic aside. He told himself it was about her safety, that dancing with strangers was reckless. But deep down he knew it was bullshit. He hadn’t changed the date because it made sense. He’d done it because it gave him a sliver of control in a world that suddenly felt like it was tilting beneath his feet.
He shook himself out of it and waited for her to come down so they could get the day started. He already knew she’d make things difficult for him, and of course, Mahika didn’t disappoint. That fiery confidence wrapped in a stunning, hot body was achingly sexy. She didn’t even spare him a glance when she walked past him and dumped that green smoothieinto a plant. At that moment, all he could think about was how immensely hard it was not to pin her to the wall and remind her exactly who he was. He should’ve been used to her sass by now. And yet, somehow, it still managed to piss him off.
He was waiting it out while Mahika took her sweet time in the shower. And just because he had nothing better to do, he started cleaning the chaotic mess she called home. The place was a disaster…takeout containers, dirty dishes, clothes scattered everywhere. But he handled it like a pro. He was used to doing things by himself, even though he had help back in Mumbai. Learning the basic life skills early on had shaped him into the man he was now. Vikram Khurana committed himself fully to everything he did. And now that he was tied to Mahika and her life, he intended to see it through.
He turned to see an armchair buried under what looked like a week’s worth of laundry. With a resigned sigh, he just grabbed everything, threw it into the washing machine, and switched it on. The machine groaned and sputtered like an old cart about to collapse.
Why the hell hadn’t she replaced it already?he wondered.
Just as he stepped back, he caught a flicker of movement from the corner of his eye.
Before he could react, something heavy landed on his shoulder, claws digging in hard into his skin.
Vikram froze. His muscles tensed as sharp talons tore into his shirt. His pulse kicked into high gear. What the—?
Slowly, cautiously, he turned his head… only to find himself face-to-face with a pair of beady, red, unblinking eyes.
13
“Fuckk!” Vikram cursed, startled by the sharp pain in his arm.
What the hell was a giant, fluffy white rabbit doing here?
He had no idea if rabbits jumped on people, much less latched on so tightly. Was it deranged or possessed?
It was supposed to look cute, but those round, red eyes gleamed with unmistakable smugness, as if Vikram were a burglar caught red-handed. Its long ears twitched, and despite the chubby, innocent-looking face, Vikram knew this little devil was far from innocent. He could swear the damn thing was having fun at his expense.
“Get the hell off me,” Vikram snarled, reaching up to dislodge the damn furball before it could dig its claws or whatever rabbits had deeper into his skin.
The rabbit let out a sharp, indignant hiss, its fluffy white fur standing on edge like a warrior ready for battle. Clearly, it didn’t take kindly to Vikram’s attempt to shake it off. If the little devil could talk, Vikram was convinced it would be hurling curses at him.
“Oh, you little menace,” he muttered under his breath, prying the stubborn creature off his shoulder. Vikram held thefurball at arm’s length and glared at its smug little face. “What the fuck is your problem?”
Before he could even think about tossing the white terror away from him, a door slammed open.
“Get your hands off Bungee!”
The sharp command made Vikram pause.
His head snapped up just as Ishika Mittal, Mahika’s best friend, came charging towards him like an avenging superhero. In one swift move, she snatched the demon rabbit from his grasp and held it close, stroking its fur like it was some delicate treasure rather than a vicious little monster.
“What the fuck are you doing to our bunny?” Ishika demanded, her eyes blazing with the fury of a wronged mother catching a villain mid-crime.
Vikram’s eyes widened, a rare flicker of uncertainty crossing his face.
“I-I,” he stammered, momentarily thrown off balance. His gaze bounced between the rabbit and Ishika, as if the fluffy menace might somehow provide an answer. His expression darkened into a scowl.
“I want nothing to do with your bunny, Ishika,” he bit out, straightening his shoulders as if reclaiming his lost dignity. “It literallyattackedme. Violently,” he snarled, pointing at the bunny.
Ishika gasped, her eyes narrowing. “Are you trying to sayourBungee is violent?”
“Bungee? That’s such a dumb name,” Vikram repeated, incredulous. Then his gaze flicked to the fluffy menace, now settled innocently in her arms, his nose twitching like it hadn’t just launched a full-scale attack on him.
“It’snota dumb name, and he’sourbunny. We can name it whatever we want,” Ishika shot back, scowling.
“Fine. But to answer your question… yes,” he said flatly. “That thing isn’t just violent. Your rabbit is a feral beast in disguise.A fucking vampire bunny.”
