Wicked fate, p.1
Wicked fate, page 1
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Copyright © 2021 by V. Simran.
Wicked Fate
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations em- bodied in critical articles or reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organiza- tions, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All songs, song titles and lyrics contained in this book are the property of the respective songwriters and copyright holders.
Cover design : Booksnmoods
Editor : Pinpoint Editing
ASIN: B09NPJYVNW
First Edition: March 2022
DEDICATION
To Nupur,
For being my biggest cheerleader and loving me unconditionally.
I love you, my sweet little sister.
Trigger Warning
Before you begin, I would like to warn that this book is not conventionally dark but it does possess themes that may make some readers uncomfortable. There are scenes which fall under dub-con, rough sex and a hero who pushes your limits. If that scares you, please think before you read.
And for those who all are intrigued, I promise your panties will be soaked by the time you finish. Enjoy ;)
PLAYLIST
War of hearts – Ruelle
Formula – Labrinth
Fire breather – LAUREL
Arcade – Duncan Laurence
Infinity – Jaymes Young
Heartburn – Felix Cartel Remix
Hypnotic – Zella Day
Too close – Alex Clare
Twisted games – Night Panda, Krigare
Bleeding out – Imagine Dragons
Unsteady – X Ambassadors
LAY LAY (Remix) – Nikolin Patrev, Gabidulin, Primodrum
Falling Apart – Michael Schulte
Belladona – Ava Max
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
‘CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
EPILOGUE
PROLOGUE
ARAV (A Year Ago)
It’s warm, yet all I feel is bone-deep coldness.
Numbness and deadness inside.
The night I found my son dead, my life became a hellish nightmare.
My eyes burn with tears as I lower my six-month-old son get into the ground, soon to be burnt into ashes and bones. My precious boy whom I’d vowed to protect the day he was born.
I failed.
He’s gone from the world before he could even begin his life.
Every time I close my eyes, all I can see is his lifeless and pale body, haunting me and slowly eating away at my soul. If only I could have reached him in time. If only I had listened to the feeling in my gut. It’s my fault my son has been taken away from me.
The flames burn higher and higher, and so does the intensifying pain in my chest. And by the time they slowly simmer down, the iciness has already weaved its way inside my heart again. The helplessness turned to anger, the kind that consumes and breathes just below the surface.
Walking to where the ashes lay beneath my feet, still fiery hot, I kneel down and ask my son for his forgiveness and say goodbye to him one last time. He will never be forgotten.
I make a vow right here.
I may have failed in protecting him, but I will avenge his death.
I will hunt his killer down, and then…
They will pay.
CHAPTER 1
MAIRA
(Present)
The hills and valleys of Manali are a beauty of nature. Mesmerizing and breathtaking. Even the air feels fresh and pure, caressing your skin like a warm hug on a cold winter’s night. I have never seen such beauty this close that touches your soul with a single glance. As I sit in the back of the cab on my way to the rustic yet pretty looking cabin I’d booked, I watch the scenery pass me by. I was planning to travel by bus, but it would have required making conversation with strangers, and that’s the last thing I want to do.
“Are you here for the first time, Miss?” asks the cab driver, watching me from the front. Well, I guess my plan of having a quiet ride failed. I’ll never understand why people feel the need to fill the silence with mindless talk—especially strangers. I’m the kind of person who prefers music instead while enjoying the ride, especially with gorgeous surroundings.
“Yes, it might as well be, because I was quite young when I first visited this place with my parents. I don’t remember much, only fuzzy memories,” I answer quietly, hoping his curiosity is satisfied.
“Well, enjoy your stay here. I see lots of young kids like you travelling solo. Must be thrilling, being on your own.” He sounds fascinated and smiles warmly. If only he knew the truth. Sight-seeing is the last thing on my mind. As soon as I reach the cabin, I’m going to stay cozied in and work on making myself better. I’m going to connect with a part of me that I lost in the chaos of last year. Finding the courage to actually come here was a big step for me. Eventually, when I feel better, I’ll visit all the picturesque sights this place has to offer.
“Sometimes, you just want to run away from the chaos of the city,” I explain to him, and he goes quiet for a minute, silently watching me from the rearview mirror. His stare suddenly begins to feel cautious, as though my words triggered some kind of memory and he’s deciding whether or not to reveal it. A nervous tic starts in my belly and dips low when he speaks.
“The mountains have their own tales to tell, and they aren’t all that pretty,” he says creepily.
“What do you mean?” I ask as I sit up straight in the backseat.
“Don’t be scared,” he says. He must see the nervousness on my face. “I’m only telling you because you’re here alone, and the curiosity you young people possess these days leads to exploring places where it’s best to stay away from.”
“I don’t understand.” I’m so confused by his cryptic statements. Another reason to not talk to strangers. Why can’t people just be straight instead of talking in circles?
“Old souls haunt the town near the cabin where you’re staying, Miss. People have been lost and never found. At least, not how they used to be,” he warns.
“Are you talking about ghosts?” I ask incredulously. Is he kidding me? I thought perhaps he was warning away from a bad crowd or edgy places.
“Bad things have happened. You shouldn’t ignore the stories when someone inevitably tells you, madam. The rest is up to you.”
“Ghosts don’t scare me anymore.” I ease his mind. I’ve learnt to live with them. Looking up, I notice he’s about to ask something else, but I interrupt him. “Could you please play some songs? I need something to distract me from the twists and turns,” I request politely, since he’s only being protective.
“Of course, miss.” He gives a small smile and focuses his attention on the road ahead. I steer my mind away from the earlier conversation. It’s the last thing I need to worry about.
My heart stays in my throat the whole ride as we go up higher and higher over the mountains, but I can’t help but steal glances of the depth and the height. My stomach bottoms out whenever I shake due to slight bumps, or when the car takes a narrow turn and all I can see is darkness and tall pine trees when I gaze downwards. It makes me feel small and inconsequential. If I were to die, no one would even find my body.
At the same time, when I look up at the vibrant blue sky filled with clouds that look so close, that if I were to reach, I’m almost sure I could touch them… it makes me wanna fly with the wind caressing my face and a sense of freedom. It’s frightening and startling that I have never felt so close to death and life at the same time. One twist of fate and you could either be at the bottom of the hill or alive at the peak. This sensation is how I’ll always think of the mountains.
I finally begin to breathe easier when the narrow turns end and we reach a small village with people running up and down the streets, some staring from their terraces, all with a smile and happiness on their faces. I desperately wish to feel this way again, and as we turn onto an empty road with trees and hills on both sides, I’m able to make out a stunning cabin at the end of the road. It’s single story and looks old yet steady with a porch in the front. There’s a window on the above floor, and I really hope it’s a bedroom so that the morning light is the one to wake me up. A little excitement blooms in my chest, knowing I’ll be spending the next few months here.
When the cab finally stops a few feet away, I open my door and step out with my small handbag on my shoulders. The driver helps me pull out the rest of the stuff from the back, and since I booked my ride online with the payment done, I simply thank him and wat ch him drive away. Even though it’s the afternoon, the weather is still cold and shivers race down my spine. Not wanting to stay outside any longer, I roll my suitcases towards the front door and look for the keys that I was told would be found under the mat on the porch.
I bend over to lift the mat and push it aside so I can pick up the keys, but just as I do, the front door bangs open, followed by a rough and annoyed voice from right above me.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
I’m so shocked at the unexpected voice and the fact I’m not alone that a scared yelp passes my dry lips, and I almost fall on my ass with my heart beating out of my chest. My gaze first follows the bare and big feet, to the legs encased in denim jeans, and I can’t help but admire the strong thighs pressing against the worn-out material with the button undone, hanging dangerously low on the V of his hips. If I look closely, I can also make out the bulge there. I gulp when my eyes keep moving upwards to the naked chest, ripped with muscles that I didn’t even knew existed in one’s body, and finally land on the mean looking face of the man currently throwing daggers at me with his oh-my-god dark green eyes, the exact shade of the tall trees I saw on my way. But why does he look so mad at me?
When he raises his left eyebrow mockingly, I realize too late that I’m still sitting on my ass in front of this scary yet handsome man. Pushing up on my elbows, I stand up wobbly and avoid looking anywhere below his face. Damn those chiseled eight-pack abs. My brain finally starts working again, and I wonder if I mistakenly came to the wrong cabin, because no one was supposed to be living here.
“Is there any reason why you’re trespassing on this private property in the middle of the day?” he rumbles at me.
“Is this 34 Wander Inn Cabin?” I ask him instead. He looks pissed at my question but chooses to answer.
“Yes.”
“Well then you’re the one trespassing,” I challenge. “Now leave, before I call the cops.”
He must have found the keys under the mat and chosen to stay, since nobody was here to stop him. But that doesn’t go with the vibe he’s giving and the look of disgust on his face at even the suggestion of such an accusation. It’s the only explanation… or else there has been a huge misunderstanding. When he sucks in a frustrated breath, his abs tighten even more and I feel heat pool between my thighs. I hate the effect this stranger is having on me, and I hate his attitude even more.
“Excuse me.” He takes a step forward and crosses his arms in front of his hard chest.
“You heard me. I booked this cabin for the next few months,” I stand my ground and raise my chin to appear confident and not feel small compared to his tall and broad frame.
“So have I. And I certainly didn’t ask for a roommate, so go find somewhere else to stay.” He rudely dismisses me and turns around, slamming the door in my face. I’m left shocked once again.
Taking the steps leading to the porch, I start banging on the door until it’s hauled open again. He does it with so much force that I lose my balance yet again, but this time he catches me by the elbows and steadies me. So he does have some manners—and great reflexes. Despite his cold behavior, his hands feel warm even through my thin sweater.
“Do you fall on your ass every other minute, woman?” he growls.
“I wouldn’t if you knew how to open a goddamn door. Do you plan on breaking it?”
He curses and lets me go. My jaw drops when I hear him call me a brat under his breath while shaking his head. I want to call him out on it, but somehow I manage to focus on what’s really important.
“Look, there has to be some kind of misunderstanding. I didn’t ask for a roommate either. Let’s just call and get it sorted out. Then you can leave.” I smirk, which only pisses him off further.
“Your ass is the one that’s going to be leaving. Oh wait… you only know how to fall on it.” He grins arrogantly. It takes all my willpower not to punch him in his chiseled face.
“We’ll see.”
“Wait here while I get this sorted out.” He turns to walk inside, but my voice stops him.
“Since it’s not exactly your cabin, I don’t think you can order me to wait outside in the cold.” Before he can utter another word, I take both my suitcases and storm past him inside. He’s in for a rude awakening if he thinks he can boss me around.
While from outside, the cabin looks old and a little worn out, the interior is all modern, shiny wooden floors, warm and inviting. There’s a sleek kitchen a little further on my left, and a living room with an old fashioned fireplace on my right. It’s decorated with a long couch, a low coffee table in the front and a dark red rug covering the flooring. There’s also a short hallway ahead of me, and I guess a small storage place, because the bedrooms are upstairs based on the pictures I saw on the website. I’m really impressed with how well maintained this place is. Now, I just need to get rid of the man so I can have my peace.
I turn around when I hear the door shut behind me, followed by his steps.
“Don’t make yourself home just yet.” He scoffs at me and god! Why can’t he just button his jeans? They look close to falling off if he takes any more steps. Also, who needs eight-pack abs? But again, judging by the size of his ego, he wouldn’t be satisfied with a six-pack. I’m distracted again.
“You’re so fucking rude.” I lose my patience.
“And you’re a pain in the ass,” he throws back, going into the kitchen to grab his phone from the counter and sitting down on one of the stools. I walk and stand opposite him while he calls the owner. Please let me have this cabin. I don’t want to go back.
“Hey. Can I please know under whose name 34 Wander Inn Cabin was booked? Because there’s definitely been some kind of misunderstanding.” He speaks to whomever is on the phone while I wait with bated breath. I can’t even tell by the blank look on his face.
“How the hell can you double book it when I specifically asked for myself alone?” he barks, and I lose all hope. How the hell am I going to find a new cabin? I don’t even have that much in savings. I tune him out and don’t bother standing around. I walk into the living room while I try to come up with ideas to get this man to leave. There’s no way I’m giving this place up.
I look up just in time to see him hang up the phone. He looks even angrier, if that’s possible. Somehow, it only enhances his dark features, and I notice how his full lips form a deep line, and his sharp jawline which is covered in a short and trimmed beard. His dark green eyes shine lightly when he stares ahead. His nose is a little crooked but fits his face perfectly. There’s no doubt he’s attractive in a rough, bad-boy kind of way. But there’s something in his eyes that tells me he’s hiding from the world, fighting a pain with a broken soul just like I am.
The look of pain is suddenly gone from his eyes, and the earlier cold and rude man is back. A part of me feels relieved that I might not be the only damaged one, but while I’m here to heal myself, I don’t know if he is too. He stands up to his full height and I breathe easier when I see he’s managed to button up his jeans at least. It was damn hard not to notice the deep V with a trail of hairs leading to his heavy bulge. I don’t think my body could have handled all his naked glory. Bet it would be a sight to see.
I manage to avert my eyes before he can see where my attention is, but his next words stop me cold in my tracks and panic settles in.
