Chapter 65
Where Do I Go?
Back when they were getting to know each other more, she had asked him a question.
Favorite piece for piano?
Schubert’s Ständchen.
Abhay spent the fine evening in the sound of music, with his beloved musician. Piya sat in the armchair beside the piano, laying her head upon crossed arms on the armrest. She brought her violin with, but it remained untouched for the time being.
One request was made of him, to play the piece he said he enjoyed the most. And that, he played it beautifully. A serenade to touch her heart.
Piya’s thoughts wandered. She wondered if anyone else was listening to them, or if the music was enough to drown them out. She thought of Misha, then Sameer. The words he said to her. Stay away, never speak to Misha again. Even if neither wanted the truth to come to light, stopping Misha from seeing her or talking to her wouldn’t be the solution. Yet, he only wanted Piya to do something about it.
I won’t be able to do it...never...
But what would Sameer do if she didn’t listen?
The study in the Raichand mansion turned into a small concert hall, with Mandu and Siddharth also there to hear Abhay play.
“You should do this more often, little brother. The piano must miss you as well.”
Abhay smirked and continued on. He hoped Piya was enjoying it as much as they were. She was very quiet, and the bright smile was yet to return to her face.
At least...I belong somewhere..., Piya thought.
She liked being here. Sometimes the villa got too quiet. Too empty. Here, there was always someone to see and talk to. Day or night, but especially night.
Dreams of the hospital, her mother’s last breaths, or dreams of when Arnab left then behind, they kept her awake since, or woke her up with tears. She still hadn’t told Abhay the entirety of the situation, and she wasn’t sure if Siddharth and Mandu knew anything at all. She didn’t mind Abhay sharing the details of her parentage, in fact, she expected them to already be aware, months ago. It was only fair, she thought, since she knew and saw most of their past.
Abhay touched the last key, and the small burst of applause rose Piya out of thought. She managed to crack the smallest smile, and clapped as well. He played beautifully, nothing less from what she expected of him. But with the conclusion of this melodic distraction, Sameer’s words found their volume inside her head, and began to torment her. The tears came out again.
Not again...
“Piya....what happened?”
Mandu kneeled in front of her and wiped her tears with her fingers. It seemed like the tears had been there longer than a few seconds.
“Only a wonderful performance could drive me to tears...,” she said, twiddling her thumbs.
The joke fell flat, mostly because they all knew that something else was bothering her. White lies like this could fly back when they first met, but not anymore.
“If you want to get anything off your mind, we’re here to listen.” She said, taking her hands. Piya looked at all them and sunk into the chair. Abhay met eyes with her, and he blinked once to assure her.
Why can’t I stop thinking about it? What about the happiness I received after it?
The good news, was that she and Abhay were free to continue their relationship, without consequence. No effort was needed to hide anything between them to anyone else. But while one problem was solved, another reared its head. She couldn’t catch a break.
“I see....perhaps a couple’s secret? Siddharth and I have many too.”
Mandu winked at Piya and caressed her hair.
“Many is an understatement.” Siddharth corrected. Mandu shook her head.
“And I still don’t know any of them.” Abhay continued, sitting on the armrest on Piya’s seat.
“That’s why they’re secrets, silly. We’ll leave you both alone for a little bit. Let’s go, Siddharth.”
Mandu pulled Siddharth out with her by the hand and shut the door. Abhay cupped Piya’s cheeks, wiping more tears with his thumbs.
“Do they know....about my father?”
He shook his head.
“They don’t. I never told them.”
He whisked Piya off the chair and sat down in it with her in his lap, holding her tight in a comforting embrace. She hid her face in the crook of his neck and grabbed fistfuls of his shirt.
“Tell me, jaan. You’ll feel better.” He whispered, tracing patterns on her thigh.
She remembered using that line on him once before. With a heavy sigh, she began.
“Sameer....asked me to meet him that day.”
She remembered the accusations, and teared up again. Abhay nodded as he listened, holding her hand against his heart.
“I could tell, from that paper you were holding. His scent was all over it. What did he say?”
She sat up and opened her other palm to reveal the very same balled-up letter, which he took and read. Addressed to Arnab, it was evidence of his infidelity, despite its innocent array of words. He folded it neatly, and handed it back to her.
“What did he want?”
“He....told me to stay away from his family. Misha included. He blamed me and mumma for this situation, for being home-wreckers.”
Abhay became silent, but his muscles were tensed with rage. Somewhere, Sameer was likely to be feeling some adverse manifestation of his rage. What, she couldn’t really guess. She shook her head when he looked into her eyes, not wanting more trouble to stir. He assured her and calmed down.
“Neither you nor your mother are at fault. The fault lies with Mr. Dobriyal. How could Sameer blame you?”
“He feels like the rest of the family will find out who I am and that truth will ruin everything. I don’t want that to happen, at any cost.”
There you go again, jaan. Thinking of others before yourself.
“I don’t want to break Misha’s heart. She loves her dad so much.”
“And you love her a lot as well. Why should you stay away from her?”
Piya sobbed quietly. He sighed, and gave her his handkerchief. If she could hide for a while, she’d want to do it here, in his arms.
“I’ve accepted that I don’t have a place there a long time ago. But he....”
Her throat closed up, even breathing normally was painful. No more words could describe her feelings.
Abhay pulled her closer.
“Shhh...don’t cry....,” he whispered into her ear.
It was a matter to empathize with. All of them could understand the fear of losing someone close and dear.
I’ll see to you later, Sameer, Abhay thought.
Piya was trying to stop her tears, but they just kept flowing. He cupped her cheeks.
“Relax, jaan...”
A calming sensation flowed through her body, giving her the strength to push the taunts out of her head. She never felt unwelcome here. Thanks to Abhay, she did have a place to call home.
“And never think otherwise. You’ll always have a place here, along with within my heart,” he whispered.
She tried to return the handkerchief back, but he shook his head.
“Keep it. You can return it later. Okay?”
She held it close to her chest and nodded.
“I love you.” He said, kissing her forehead.
“I love you too....”
He wanted to stay like this some more, before matters of his world called him away.
Abhay, it’s almost time.
He turned his head towards the door, hearing the sounds of the basement door opening, followed by countless footsteps. Piya couldn’t hear it as well as him, and looked confusedly in the direction he was.
“Looks like everyone is arriving.” Abhay looked at Piya. “You can stay here, jaan. I’ll come back after the clan meeting is over.”
She nodded, and curled atop the chair again. He sped off, and she looked at her violin.
But I want to play with him....
To fill the gap of time, curiosity gave her ideas, and she sat on the floor next to the door, peering through the crack as much as she could, downstairs.
There were many vampires, closely packed on the already large floor. She wondered if she saw any of them out in the city, when she didn’t know of any supernatural existence. Abhay stood on the staircase, overlooking the rest. She even spotted Danish towards the front.
There’s more than I thought.
She listened to him speak, fascinated by his leader persona. His demeanor changed in the snap of the fingers, commanding and stern.
After the acceptance of their relationship by those who governed them, Abhay made the formal announcement to his clan, that he and Piya were soulmates, together. And that any dissent in the form of harm to Piya would not be taken lightly.
The vampires who disapproved of them still, faced with the unrestrained wrath of the most powerful vampire in the room, quietly subdued themselves to just complaints and backhand remarks. Abhay found those easy to ignore, and was thankful for it.
He also made one matter especially clear, that no one was to make Piya their prey, unless for some odd reason she gave permission, though he didn’t foresee this happening. Even if they were forbidden from killing humans, he loathed the idea of anyone else drinking from her. Of course, he was the natural exception, but he kept this to himself. His restraint would be the greatest anyways, and this decision would also please the possessive tendencies of the beast.
Sparingly, if he had the urge to drink from her, for the sake of her health. Piya blushed, thinking of the sounds he elicited from her while he fed from her.
She saw lots of nods from the majority. For those vampires, they didn’t care nor mind. Just one human to keep track of; and Abhay usually carried her scent on him most of the time, making it easy to memorize. Some even noticed her upstairs, peeking through the crack in the door. It was strange to see a human in their midst like this, but was something to get used to.
Danish even waved to her, and she did the same, her hand partially visible. Abhay chuckled to himself when he noticed, and that was more surprising and gossip worthy to his clan than the human soulmate.
Is any happiness on my face really such a big deal?
Remember little brother, this is the first time a majority of our clan is seeing it.
Abhay rolled his eyes, and continued his speech. Business surrounding the palace and blood moon were to be continued as usual, and Abhay made a stronger, more visible effort towards his duties as leader. This is when Piya resigned from watching, unable to fully understand what was being discussed.
“That is all.”
Upon his concluding words, the doors to the basement opened again. The chatter ceased, and almost in unison, every vampire in the room bowed down.
“You’re right, Haseena, I haven’t been completely forgotten by my own kind.”
Piya already recognized the voice, and was surprised to see her again in such a short time span.
Abhay wasn’t expecting Iolanda to make another appearance for a while. If she disappeared, she’d be gone for weeks, months, years even. A few days was out of character. Piya opened the door again to see what was happening, once it was empty.
“Surely I must’ve done something to warrant another visit, so soon,” he said.
She laughed to herself, and at his perplexed expression.
It’s my fault. I surprise my creations with my arrival too often.
“Of course not. I’m just here on official business.”
“Oh?”
“I came to observe things. And Dragomir kindly informed me about Piya’s.....erm....special characteristic.”
He had been meaning to address it with key individuals, worried for Piya’s safety and where he was to keep her when the blood moon rose.
I can’t keep her at home, nor at her villa. He knows both locations. Then where...?
A proper shelter for that night was crucial for her well-being. Somewhere that especially Ayushmaan wasn’t privy to.
Iolanda saw Piya snooping upstairs and smiled.
“You don’t need to hide, my dear. Come, join us.”
Piya stood up, cleaned her face up as best she could, and slowly walked downstairs. Abhay took her hand.
“It’s obvious we can’t sit around, waiting for one of them to attack her. She’s a valuable asset for them.” She said. “Well, any soul with the Mark of Celeste is.”
“She must be hidden that night. But I don’t know where.” Abhay continued.
“The Vitael are not to be underestimated. They will find her if we make it easy enough. I would suggest keeping her in my personal residence, but....”
“But?”
“I won’t be able to be there. All our manpower will be focused in these areas. No matter what, she will be alone, and that’s risky for us.”
“Then....?”
Siddharth tapped his foot on the floor, when an idea came to him.
“Our old home....” He said. Abhay looked at him. He himself forgot about that option.
“Will they find it?” He asked Siddharth.
“Unlikely. But how will she enter?”
The seal around the home was cast with only the Raichand family in mind. Only the four, though Haseena never intruded upon it. Adding another meant it had to be redone, and reveal its existence in the process.
“If she’s blood bound to me, will that allow her to see it and get past it?”
Haseena and Iolanda expressed shock. Mandu cleared her throat. Siddharth just shrugged.
“Blood bound? Both to each other? Or just you to her? There’s a big difference, and the latter is more believable.”
“Correct. It’s partial.”
“Let’s give it a test. If she can’t enter, out of the country might be safer. There will be bloodshed here, from both sides. Can’t have an innocent human be one of the victims.”
——————————————————————
To most, the Rao manor wasn’t even visible. To key individuals, it could be seen but not passed by.
“Can you see it?”
Piya’s eyes settled on the old residence, basked in the moonlight. It looked the same as she left it in the past. In present time, nature extended its grip over the walls, shrouding it with greenery. She looked at Abhay and nodded.
“It....looks better than I expected.”
Iolanda crossed her arms, and stood in the space between Piya and the house.
“But will you be able to get past the seal?”
If even I couldn’t get past, what’s to say a human could? These seals are very strict in themselves, she thought, watching Piya with a careful eye.
Piya didn’t know. She couldn’t even see a seal. If it was there, it was invisible to her. She cautiously took a step forward, then two, and stuck her palm out, feeling for the solid wall of the house.
It burned to touch. And she couldn’t heal herself like the others. The pressure accumulated, and she was thrown back, palm singed and bleeding. Abhay caught her and immediately healed her hand.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded.
“A shame, I thought I had a feeling she might be able to get past.”
“Then?” Abhay asked.
“Perhaps, if you give her your blood instead? But that’s quite the big commitment.”
He hesitated. Piya didn’t understand.
He didn’t tell her.
Mandu leaned towards her ear and whispered.
“Fully forging a blood bond is considered equivalent to marriage in our society. It wouldn’t be as big of an issue if Abhay never took blood from you....”
That’s why he was avoiding that conversation.
Piya looked at him, cheeks pink. He shook his head, and touched the wall. Reforging even the partial bond would take too much time at this point anyways.
“It’s no use. If we get the seal redone, we risk revealing the place to outsiders.”
Mandu stared at the glowing seal. In her eyes, the farther away she was from Maithili and this city, the better.
Maithili will be a bigger problem than Ayushmaan could ever dream of being.
“I personally think it’s too close to the palace still. The farther she’s away from Maithili, the better. We don’t know, if she wakes up, how powerful she will be.”
She turned around, and stared towards the direction of the palace. It was far considering their traveling capabilities back then, but much too close now. It would only take a few seconds to run there. And Maithili, she’s had plenty of years to build grudges. And her grudges were dangerous.
“I agree. I’ll just worry you all more if this is where I need to hide.”
“Very well. In that case, we have no further work here. Let us depart then.”
Piya looked at the old house, frozen in time, and turned to leave. As she took her first step, a furry object touched the side of her leg and sent shivers up her spine.
“What was that?!” She shouted, backing away. Her answer came in the form of a cat’s meow.
“Oh Raven, we almost forgot about you.” Mandu gushed.
Abhay snapped a branch off a nearby tree and lit its tip aflame, holding it over the elusive black cat so Piya could actually see her past the glowing eyes.
A pet cat?
Raven purred and circled Piya a few times, rubbing her head against her leg and purring. Piya knelt and pet her.
“She’s so soft. I didn’t know you had a cat.”
“She’s been living in this place for a while now. Almost as half as old as us.”
A 150 year old cat didn’t sound right.
“She’s not a normal cat either then, is she?”
“As normal as we are. We think she’s an abandoned familiar.”
Iolanda took interest in Raven, but she hissed at her instead. She frowned, and went back to standing off to the side.
Raven found Piya far more interesting, and jumped into her arms. Her tail swayed back and forth, flicking Piya’s nose on occasion.
“I always wanted a cat, but mumma was allergic.”
“She really likes you, it seems. It took so long for her to warm up to any of us.”
Abhay kept the group there for a while longer, seeing that Piya was able to cheer up with just Raven’s company.
Iolanda looked at the house one more time.
“I think my manor will be best, in these circumstances. Who would dare breach the residence of an original vampire?”
“Confident as ever, my dear friend...” Haseena chided.
“Of course. I’ll give Yeona the main responsibility of watching over her. She’s very shy, but very capable.”
“Your 7th Duralis?”
“8th. It’s really been too long, hasn’t it?”
Abhay had changed a lot since she last saw him, and thrice as much since she turned him. They had lots to catch up on.
No wonder he spites Dragomir so much nowadays. Keep it up, keep it up.
She concealed a chuckle, and made a quick phone call in preparation.
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