The ride back to the safe house was a blur of cold and exhaustion. My teeth chattered so hard my jaw ached.
Rudra didn't put me down on the leather seat of the car. He held me on his lap the whole way. His large hands rubbed my arms, trying to bring some heat back into my freezing skin. He had wrapped his dry suit jacket tightly around my shaking shoulders, completely ignoring his own wet clothes.
I kept my eyes closed. I didn't want to look at him. I didn't want to see the face of the man who had just saved my life, the exact same man who had ruined it in the first place.
When the black SUV finally stopped in the underground garage of the penthouse, Rudra kicked the car door open. He carried me out like I weighed nothing. His armed guards stood by, heads bowed, not daring to look at us.
He walked straight to the private elevator. The doors slid open, and we went up to the top floor. The silence between us was heavy. The only sound was my shaky breathing and the steady beat of his heart against my cheek.
As soon as we entered the warm, bright penthouse, he carried me straight into the massive bathroom.
"Put me down," I whispered, my voice breaking. I tried to push his chest, but my arms felt like wet noodles.
"Stop fighting me," Rudra said softly. His voice wasn't angry anymore. It was tight with worry.
He set me down on the soft bath mat, but he kept one strong arm around my waist so I wouldn't fall. My legs were too weak to hold me up. He reached out and started pulling off my wet, ruined sweater.
I shivered as the cold air hit my bare skin. I crossed my arms over my chest, suddenly feeling very exposed and vulnerable.
"Don't," I choked out, fresh tears mixing with the seawater still drying on my face. "Don't touch me, Rudra."
Rudra stopped. His hands hung in the air for a second. His dark eyes searched my face. He saw my pain, my confusion, and my shame.
"You are freezing. You need to get warm," he said quietly, his jaw tight. "I am not going to hurt you. I am just going to put you in the shower."
He turned on the water, making sure it was hot and steamy. Then, he gently pulled my hands away from my chest. He took off the rest of my wet clothes with quick, careful movements. He didn't look at me with hungry eyes. He looked at me like I was a broken glass bird that he needed to fix carefully.
He guided me into the warm shower. The hot water hit my freezing skin, and a loud sob finally broke out of my throat. I couldn't hold it in anymore. The shock of the jump, the freezing ocean, Maya's return—it all crashed down on me at once.
I slid down the tiled wall and sat on the floor of the shower, pulling my knees to my chest, crying uncontrollably.
Rudra didn't leave. He didn't even take off his wet shirt or pants. He stepped right into the shower with me, getting his expensive clothes soaked all over again. He sat down on the wet floor beside me and pulled me into his arms.
He let me cry. He held me tight against his chest while the hot water washed over us. He kissed the top of my wet head over and over again.
"I've got you," he whispered against my hair. "You are safe. I've got you."
It took a long time for my tears to stop. When I finally quieted down, he washed the salt and dirt from my hair with gentle hands. He turned off the water, wrapped me in a huge, fluffy white towel, and carried me to the bedroom.
He laid me down on the soft mattress and quickly dried me off. He found a large, soft t-shirt in the closet and carefully pulled it over my head. Then, he pulled the heavy blankets all the way up to my chin.
Only then did he turn away to peel off his own wet, ruined clothes. He put on a pair of dry sweatpants and came back to the bed. He slid under the covers beside me.
He pulled me back against his warm chest. His arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me so close there was no space between us. His heat felt amazing. I hated myself for loving it.
"Rudra," I whispered into the dark room.
"I am here," he answered instantly.
"Where is she?" I asked. The question had been burning in my chest since we left the docks.
Rudra sighed. It was a heavy, tired sound. His grip on my waist tightened just a little bit.
"She is at a secure medical facility," he said slowly. "My best doctors are checking her. She is safe."
"Are you going to see her?"
There was a long silence. I held my breath, waiting for the answer that would break my heart again.
"Tomorrow," Rudra said softly. "I have to talk to her. I have to find out what Kabir did to her for five years. I need to know his secrets so I can finally destroy him."
"And then what?" I asked, a fresh tear sliding down my nose onto the pillow. "Do you keep both of us? Does she live in a house you bought, while I stay locked in your bedroom?"
Rudra shifted behind me. He leaned over, pressing a soft kiss to the back of my neck.
"Maya is a ghost from a past life," Rudra said, his voice deep and serious. "I owe her my protection. I owe her the revenge I promised. But that is all it is. Duty."
He gently turned me over so I was facing him. The room was dark, but I could see the intense fire in his eyes.
"You are not a duty," he whispered, his thumb wiping the tear off my cheek. "You are the air I breathe. You are the only one who makes me feel alive. I jumped into the ocean tonight because a world without you is a world I don't want to live in."
He pressed his lips to mine. It wasn't a demanding kiss. It was soft, desperate, and full of raw truth.
"Sleep now," he murmured against my lips. "Tomorrow, we start hunting Kabir. But tonight, you just stay right here in my arms."
I closed my eyes. The warmth of his body chased away the last of the cold. I was still a prisoner. The cage was still locked. But as I drifted off to sleep, listening to his steady heartbeat, I knew one thing for sure. The devil didn't just own my body anymore. He owned my heart, too.