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#  Love Through Cobra's Eye

## Love Poison Series

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###  Kimaya Mathew 
Copyright Kimaya Mathew 2013

Published at Smashwords

Smashwords License Statement

This ebook is licensed for your enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you're reading this book and did not buy it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and obtain your copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.Thank you for taking out the time to read this book. Please do rate and review the work even if you don't like it! Negative ratings will help too! 
"Hello"

"Rashi! Thank God you picked up . Where are you?"

"Me?" I stop near the staircase "I am in the temple right now."

I start descending the stairs.

"I have bad news for you girl" his voice sounds sad.

"Bad news!"

My mind goes into alert mode. I nearly miss a step. Is Mum all right? Has she met with an accident? Or worse is she in the hospital? My mind goes in all the possible directions.

"What is it? Tell me quickly Deepak what happened?"

He hesitates, "The Company where you interviewed" an awkward pause,"So, I guess even this job is off for you"

"Oh!" I exhale heavily,"That's it?"

"What do you mean? Aren't you sad that you didn't get the job?"

"Yes," I complain "But you made it sound like something scary has happened"

"Leave that for a while," he says, "I have to begin a new search for you now I guess. Hey!" his tone changes, "You are coming for tonight's party aren't you?"

"Deepak,what will I do there? You know me right?"

"Ra! No more excuses now you understand? So many people from the industry will be there too. Who knows? you might get someone interested in your resume?"

"The chances of that are rare."

"Don't be such a pessimist" he disconnects the line.

Mussoorie, located about 35 km from the state capital of Dehradun, known as the queen of hills is the place I live in. At an average altitude of 1,880 metres, along with its green flora and fauna, it is a charming resort. The town is said to present a "fairyland" atmosphere. Being a hilly area, the weather here is always cold, may it be winter or summer.

I, Rashi, have been living in this mini paradise from twenty years. You can say that my entire life, i.e. from childhood to adolescence and then to adulthood, has been spent here. According to me, there is some magic which has kept me tied down to this place. I was just thirteen when Dad passed away along with my uncle. My mind wanders off to the memory where I am getting down from the school bus eager to meet him.

Dad, Arnab, had gone to Jaipur for pilgrimage along with Uncle, Vikas. My little heart floated with joy at the sight of his jeep parked outside for I knew he was back from his tour. With dancing steps, I flew inside but, what I saw there was the scene which I had never imagined in my nightmares. Dad and ucle's corpses had a white cover sheet on their face.

How did this happen?

Snakebite!

Both of them were lying with their pale ashen faces. So many years have passed since then but everything still feels fresh. It is dad's death anniversary today. I was praying for his soul to rest in peace.

I have long black hair just like my Mom. People say that my eyes belonged to that of my father. As the climate here is 12 months cold with too much humidity, I prefer keeping myself all wrapped up from head to toe. I am dressed up in a leather jacket, denim trousers, hair loose and black-framed glasses on my eyes.

Glasses, my friends say, spoil my beauty. I always give them a smirk because I never consider myself beautiful.After Dad passed away, financial and family responsibility came on the fragile shoulders of Mom.

Relatives, friends, so-called well-wishers advised her that she should remarry for my sake.

"I have already given my heart to someone. How can I restart with someone else?" she said.

I admire my mom for her courage and bravery. After finishing my graduation, I wanted to continue with my post-graduation too but seeing the economic condition I decided to give up my dream of studying further and started looking for a job.

Currently, I am working as a librarian in the public library of the town. The job is not bad but it is not paying me much. To look for higher pay, I have got myself registered with the local job agency. Deepak, to whom I was talking before, is my agent for the agency. I have appeared in three interviews till now but nobody seems interested in taking up a mere graduate girl.

So, now I am thinking of doing my post-graduation through distance learning. But I still need a job. I cannot just sit at home. Deepak has helped me a lot till now and today there is a small party at his house on the occasion of his wife's birthday. I do not want to go but he will be offended.

He is not wrong. Maybe, somebody might get interested in my resume. I descend down the final steps of the temple when cover-your-ears scream erupts from somewhere nearby. A small crowd has gathered near a tree, situated next to the temple. Scream so loud, that every sense of mine gets focused in that direction. With a quick pace, I reach the place at no time. Making my way from the midst of the crowd, finally, I manage to see the sight which freezes me on the spot. A black giant King Cobra is coiled near a girl's feet.

*********************************************************

His hood extends from around its throat with the familiar eyespot pattern of a typical King Cobra on its back. It had flattened out its neck ribs, spreading the hood wide. Slowly coming into its attack mode, I realise. Cobras are usually shy and intelligent creatures. They tend to get in this mode when they sense that danger is near. The hunter tendency is coming out in him and right now, the girl is the prey.

The crowd has terrified the creature but that's not the reason why the creature is directed at the girl. A small red drop on the fingertip of the girl, which she hasn't noticed yet, is visible to me. Oh God, he is smelling blood. One small drop of that red liquid is all it takes to become the food of this creature. Only a faint smell of it triggers such a strong tendency. Everyone is scared. Nobody has the guts to go ahead and save the poor one. But something has to be done. We can't stand here and see the creature gulp the human. I am on that line when some men with big sticks in their hands, start approaching the creature, raising it slowly so that the snake doesn't know.

They are going to kill him!

Out of nowhere a sudden rebellion comes in my heart as they raise the sticks higher.

"No," I cry out, "Don't do that"

"Are you crazy?" one of them with the big moustache says, as he looks at me. Looks like the creature heard me because as I cry, its hood turns to me and he shifts his position a little. Its forked tongue comes out and it attains to its full height. Black skin with faint pale yellow cross bands down the length of the body and smooth scales.

A creature with hypnotising power!

I too am in that state because I continue gazing in its eye when one bite from it can kill me. Slowly, without lifting my gaze from it, I say, "Try to lift it softly from its tail through stick"

"It will attack" says the girl still sobbing.

"No, it won't" I say, directing her through my hands, "Go, run!"

"What?"

"I said run. He is not looking at you now and don't forget to tie a piece of cloth to that wound of yours. Everyone" I say, "Please,make some space. Don't choke it. It is afraid of us that's it"

As soon as the words are out of my mouth, the mass behind me starts lessening and the spot becomes free at last. Still some curious glares at my back are directed towards the creature.

"Go, now" I say to the creature "No one will hurt you. Go,"

Some minutes of earth-shattering silence are there with breath hitched in my throat. I do not flinch my gaze and keep on staring in its eyes. Finally, giving me and my audience a huge relief, it crawls in another direction.

Until the time I make it to my house, I am exhausted with no strength to attend the evening's event. I say this thing to mum too to which I get this reply

"Don't be like this Ra" she gives that annoyed look to me through the corner of her newspaper, which she is reading at the moment.

"Deepak has helped you so much. You should at least give him that much credit"

"Yes," I start ascending the stairs up to my room to get ready. Both of us live in a small house near a chick chocolate shop. Like every house of hills, ours mainly consisted of one barely called sitting room. One kitchen. Two bedrooms, single staircase and one small bathroom, if you want to call it so. It is a full kind of place built on such a fragile base that only a faint tremor of an earthquake is enough to bring it down to pieces. Thankfully, one never occurs here. Dad's death has not only made us emotionally weak but also made us leave our fabulous house in DehraDun and come here instead.With enough money in my hand, I want to build a safe house too where we don't have to live in any fear. Turning on the shower, I start scrubbing myself but the flashes of the day's incident are still fresh in my mind. The eyes of that reptile... I close my eyes and let the water slide down, soak me entirely. Those eyes, charming and haunting. They held certain magic but a silent warning of coming danger too.

"Rashi"

Kaya, Deepak's wife, hugs me tightly as I enter their house. Deepak's house is much spacey and larger than mine, decorated with pink and white balloons. I have always envied this one fact that he has his residence on the main mall road. The centre of the town, where every luxury and facility is available for both tourists and natives.

"Happy birthday, Kaya" I hug her back and hand over my gift to her. Dressed in my normal attire, I am shivering due to the approaching winter. Kaya is a slender stylish woman content with her life. Though it had been only some days of my meeting this wonderful couple, Deepak loved her enough.

A bulky man with a slight tummy!

But apart from that he is a gentle soul.

"I was waiting for you ," she says and turns to proceed towards the table laden with her birthday cake, gifts and whatnot. Music plays on and all applaud the cake ceremony. As soon as it gets over, turning to me, she offers a plate.

"Thanks," I say and take a spoon from the table.

"Why don't I introduce you to some people?" she smiles, "Deepak told me about your recent job rejection. Don't lose your heart, honey. You will get one soon"

"Thank you," I sigh and lose the appetite for my favourite dessert. Still, not to show her, I bite into it with great enthusiasm.

The party is at its peak point till the time people get over with music and dance. Some laugh, some giggle and the atmosphere fills with warmth. Apart from me, everyone here knows everyone. Finished with my dinner, I am sipping some apple drink, when Deepak comes beside me

"Met someone?"

"Some. But, I am not sure, if they are the people I am searching for,"

"What does that mean?"

"Means, I have no idea if anyone here has got a vacancy in their bookshop, beauty salon or even their grocery shop"

"Look Ra" he sounds desperate now "I have given it my best and am still searching, trying to get you in a comfortable job..."

"D" I say, "I am irritated right now. I am tired, freezing and feeling like a failure not only for me but for my mother too"

He pats my shoulder.

"We will get through don't worry,"

***********************************

A cool breeze blows across my face. I am standing in the lawn, which faces a deep gorge. After a minute or two, I realise I am late and I should go home. The drinking glass still clutched in my hand, I turn to go back unaware that someone is just passing me from behind. I turn and get banged up with the person. The whole liquid goes splashing on his suit.

My mouth hangs open seeing the disaster I have committed. Eyes wide with horror, I blink for a moment and immediately go down on my knees to collect the shattered pieces of the glass from the floor.

"I am sorry" I say, keeping the pieces on a bench. I hastily take a napkin and start wiping the suit, apologising for my carelessness.

"I am sorry," I repeat. I never look at the person's face but I notice two steel rings there on his right hand's index finger and thumb. He has a hairless wrist.

"Leave it" says the cold voice. It catches my attention. I raise my head and remove the tendrils of hair from my face to see him properly.

His height is somewhere near 5'12". Lean, slender and black shades on his eyes make his face half masked. He has straight, wavy hair and sharp spikes near earlobes.

"I said leave it" he says and leaves the place at once.

**************************************************************************

What started as a normal day turned out to be a completely exhausting one. I am bone-tired. Going inside the room,not bothering to remove my shoes, I fall face down on the bed. My eyes shut out of their own accord and I want to sleep.

I drop my shoes on the floor by forcing them out of my foot. Forcing myself, I get up and go to the washroom to change. That done, I come back to my room and cover myself and close my eyes. Somewhere in the middle of the night, an acute irritation in my arm wakes me up.

Feeling cold all of a sudden, shivering from head to toe, I wrap the quilt tightly around me. As I pull the cover tightly again, a low hiss comes from somewhere. Drowsy eyes, I look around. The windows are open, probably that's why ...

But I closed them!

I sit upright on bed and turn my bed lamp on. With a loud hiss-growl, a snake raises its head from the bedsheets.

My heartbeat stops. The drop of perspiration rolls from my forehead to cheek and then goes somewhere south. Eyes going wide, my mouth gapes open. I am about to scream. I keep my hand on my mouth to shut up. It's better to die silently. If I tried to get up from the bed or made any movement, the creature would surely strike me dead in a moment. I am frozen in my sitting position.

_O Lord, if ever I have done a good deed in my life, then please don't let me die right now or if you want to kill me, it should not be like this._

The snake I saved in the morning!

Amazing!

His next victim is going to be the same person who told people not to kill him.

If only I did not save it..

If only I would have let others finish him that morning...

Its yellow bands sparkle in the lamplight. Its eyes are on my face, as if, trying to decipher my thoughts.I shift slowly from bed to get out. It hits the place where my foot was some seconds ago.

Narrow escape! I

It slithers forward and raises itself to its full height so that it is up to my face level.

_I am gone now_ .

I close my eyes so I can't see him.

_Fool! nothing will happen by doing that_ .

I open my eyes again and let out a full blood-curdling scream.

"No use of doing that sssss..."

What? what was that? Where did that come from? I look around the room. It seems the creature has all my attention for the moment.

No, it could not be. Snakes don't talk.

I shake my head and blink once.

Twice.

"Who-Who is it?"

"Sssss me sssss...." That whispery voice came again. This time from the side of the Cobra. I am shocked.

_My mind is playing the game of hallucination with me and in a second, when I will open my eyes, I will be standing at the door of heaven because the snake would have already killed me..._

I look at it again.

"Rashi sssss...I sssss like sssss you sssss..."

"W-W-W... "I stammer like a fool.

"Yes, sssss, saved me today sssss. I...not...hurt...you sssss. Thanks, sssss"

"Snakes don't talk"

Words slip out of my mouth by their own.

"I am dreaming. You are not for real. Go away, go away"

"I sssss like you sssss" it repeats all the same.

"Go away please," I close my ears. I do not want to hear that whisper again. This is a nightmare. I want it to end as quickly as possible. It inclines itself more towards me and slightly tilting itself, caresses its mouth against my cheek. White stars danced before my vision and I fainted.

Next morning, as sun rays filter into the room and make me wide awake, I sit upright and look at myself. My whole body throbs with an unnamed ache. A nerve is beating somewhere in my head.

"Good Morning"

Mom's arrival of bed tea gives me some rest. I raise my head and her face lightens up with a heartwarming smile. Maya is a doctor in the local hospital, so, from childhood onwards, I didn't have any problem with any disease or fever. I am skinny but not unhealthy so she does not have to use her expertise on me.

I would need her advice today as a peculiar ache spreads in my body and my head feels too heavy to be on my shoulder.

"Good morning," I said and notice my hands shaking as I take the cup from her outstretched hands. Her eyes roaming on my face go wide as she notices too.

"Are you ok?" she sits herself next to me.

_No, I am not. A snake entered my room yesternight and was talking. No hissing or growling, but talking to me. I got scared and then he did this weird action by touching my cheek with its mouth as if...as if...kissing me, or something. I am scared still, and I am aching all over my body, my head throbs wildly. It's weird...._

"Nothing"

I lie and look at her .

"I just need to get up. The search for the job has made me like this."

Not convinced at my answer, she checks my forehead and takes in my pulse rate. I never get this pulse rating calculation of hers. I am noticing her facial expressions which are going from a frown to a serious worrying one. Startled, she looks at me,

"Seems like you are running a temperature. How did this happen?"

"I don't know. Maybe yesterday's exhaustion took me over. It's nothing mum, don't worry"

I try to relax her "It is nothing. A hearty breakfast and I will be ok""

"Don't worry?" she says, "I have to check. Don't move,"

She exitS the room. Oh God, why this now? Am I not already loaded with too many other tensions?

My mind suddenly goes to last night. I try to make some sense out of it. It wasn't a nightmare. I was fully awake when it happened. The snake was talking but how? I never saw his mouth forming the words, but yes, the words were coming from his side. How can this be?

Still lost in my thoughts, I absently raise the cup to my lips when my cell phone vibrates. Coming out of my thoughts, I keep the cup aside and press the green button.

"Hello?"

"Is this Ms Rashi Sharma?"

"Yes?" I say, "This is me. Who is this?"

"Hello, Rashi," says the person again, "I am Vritra Chauhan, owner of Chauhan industries of arms. I guess you must have heard about us."

After a long period, I answer, "I am sorry sir, but, I haven't"

"It's alright" he says, "I am calling you for a job offer. You are registered with Deepak Kathra's job agency, aren't you?"

Puzzle pieces in my mind start falling in their places.

_I love you for this Deepak. I owe you big time now_ .

"Yes," I insert enough warmth in my voice.

"Not a big deal! Your resume was forwarded to our office and after going through it, you passed the criteria of the personal secretary. You are more than adequate for this job. I would like to take your interview through this call if you don't mind"

"Of course sir," I smile.

"I am ready if you are..."

Keeping the phone down, my face gets heated. I scream with joy.

Oh my God, Oh my God, I got a job!

Yes, yes and yes I did it!

The interview went well. According to Mr Chauhan it was a formality. I am given the post of personal secretary for his younger brother, Shesh Chauhan. Salary is quite high, that is the main attractive feature. The younger Chauhan secretary won't have much work to do so side by side I can even look after the office library too. I have the experience in the field after all.

All thanks to Deepak. If it hadn't been for him, I would have never landed this job. Floating in the bubble of happiness, I see mum entering the room along with her doctor bag. She takes out a thermometer and puts it in my mouth to measure the temperature. Her eyes go wide in amazement to find out that there is nothing.

"Told you didn't I?"

I reveal the greatest news to her.Till the time I finish, her eyes beam with joy and her features lit up with cheerfulness. She hugs me, places a kiss on my forehead and says,

"You deserve another cup of strong tea"

"Yes, I do"

For the time being, the snake incident is buried under the layer of happiness.

****

Glued to the receiver, I inform Deepak about the latest news. But it is my turn to get some surprising news from him,

"Ra" he hesitates some "I never forwarded your resume to any Chauhan industries. I did send a photocopy of it to some of them but Chauhan?" a pause, "How can I send it to some anonymous person when I don't even know him?" he sounds more confused than I already am.

Silent for some minutes, I take the information in.

"You didn't? But Vritra Chauhan told me that he got the information from the agency." I pause, "Are you sure D? that you never gave my resume to them?"

"Quite sure. If you want, I can take out some information about this so-called Chauhan industries,"

"No," I repeat, "Thanks for taking so much pain for me D but I will ask them when I will go tomorrow for my first working day"

"Be careful," he says, "I have no idea who the hell they are but how can they take the agency's name like that when even the owner of the agency does not know them? I would like to speak with them if you could tell me their contact no?"

"I don't have it but I would like to question them myself on this aspect. They better have some strong answer to give."

"All the best Ra," he says, "If they turn out to be reliable, I would like to congratulate you in advance and if not...well, let me just say, my office is always open for you."

****

Taking up my toiletries kit to the washroom, I open the tap in the washbasin and go still. There is a lip mark on my cheek . Not any ordinary, but a faint green one. Horrified, I recall the previous night. The small caress of that reptile!

I fill my palm with water and splash it over and over my face to make sure that the mark has been washed off. How come mum never noticed it? It is so faint. She must not have paid that close attention.Last night was weird. First the morning incident of rescuing the snake, then in Deepak's party, that short conversation with the guy, who had a hairless wrist and then to top all of it, a talking Cobra in my bed, that too, in the midnight?

Stripping myself, I stand under the hot shower. Now my agent is clueless about the company which has recruited me for a phone interview!

What is going on? Why did that Vritra boy tell me such a big lie? The most significant question - if Deepak has not forwarded my resume to the company's owner, how did the person come to know my name, qualification and every other personal detail?

I shudder, even as I wipe myself dry with the towel. I have a high intuition that something is off here, totally off.

But what exactly?

Dressing in a full sleeves t-shirt with jeans, I walk down the stairs to the dining table. I have not discussed anything with mum or she would get worried about nothing. I hope, really hope that the company turns out to be reliable or I would have to give some severe explanation to her. She was so happy when I told her the news. I do not want to make her disappointed now.

"Mom" I gulp down the glass of milk "I am leaving. You better drive safely and take care" giving a small peck on her cheeks, I make my exit.

Near to Sir George's Everest house. the person told me when I asked him the address of the company's office. He said the main factory and the headquarters were somewhere in Jaipur. This small room in Mussoorie is a chain link to it. In hills, according to him, people have primary use of guns and pistols. Sometime for hunting, banned now but, mostly for their safety from wild animals which roam at night in the thick, dense forests of the hills.

Sir George's Everest house is in Park estate which is at a distance of 6 km from Gandhi Chowk/Library Bazaar. The place from where I have taken the taxi. So many unanswered questions roam in my head right now with me searching for some way to answer all of them.I am coming up with more questions.

_Mr Vritra Chauhan, whoever you are. I hope that I am not getting duped by you_ .

He sounded trustworthy enough on the receiver. My mind is playing the phone conversation again and again.

_O God, please help me. Let this be a dangerous job and not some deadly, ugly prank_ .

The road beyond _Hathi paon_ point is rough but the scenery before me is truly breathtaking. The clouds have shifted to lower altitude making the atmosphere chilly and humid. Though I could have reached the assigned address by a mere walk too, it is so cold that I do not even want to walk.The house is a tourist spot and provides a magnificent view of Doon valley on one side and a panoramic view of Aglar river valley.Snow peaks of the Himalayan range can be seen from another side. Still lost in the scenery, my reverie gets shattered when the driver says,

"Everest House madam"

Paying him, I get out of the vehicle and stare at the building standing before me. Everest house is there but the other one is not.I walk a little near the side of the road almost disbelievingly that seriously the call turned out to be that, which I feared the most, a sad, ugly prank! After some minutes of standing there, I turn to go back the way I have come when a small shiny new land rover halts beside me. The front window glass gets rolled down. I do not pay any attention to it. A cold voice calls me,

"Ms Rashi Sharma?"

A sudden shiver runs down my spine. I turn my glasses covered eyes towards the caller.A distinct figure sits in the driver's seat. A mere silhouette that's it.

"Yes," I turn to him now.

"I am from Chauhan Company's office. Mr Vritra Chauhan sent me so that I can safely take you there. He guessed that it would be difficult for you to find it all on your own"

"Is this some joke?" my anger level goes up.

"Joke? No, I assure you it's not and if you,please sit inside I can make sure we proceed back"

"I want to talk to your boss right now" I say haughtily, "I don't care if he gets offended or not."

"As you wish"

Taking out his cell phone, dialling a number, I never hear him talking but see him raising the phone to my direction.

"Please," he says, "Go ahead"

Literally snatching the phone, I hold it to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Ms Sharma? You wanted to talk to me? Is everything alright?"

I go soft all of a sudden and say "Sir, it has reached. I wanted to make sure that this is not some prank played on me."

"Why don't you reach our office? You have some questions which I hope I will be able to answer. So please. Don't trouble the driver and come as soon as you can"

"Alright Sir, I am sorry" saying that like an utter moron I sit inside the vehicle.

*********

We drove on for some more distance ahead of Everest house. I never know that even the area ahead of it is developing too. We have dense forests on both sides of the road. After travelling a distance, the building comes into view.It is so big. A big gate opens to a gravel path, which itself leads to the main entrance and to an underground garage, where the car is heading right now.

"You get down here" says the person "I'll be going down to the garage."

"Oh, alright" I open the door and get down but immediately turn to him and say,

"By the way, I am sorry for the inconvenience I caused you. Foolish of me to act like that, but-"

"Trust me, when I say this" he cuts me in between before I could say anything else "I am not interested in a sad tale of an intolerable girl. As for your apology, you should be,"

saying that he starts the car and makes it to the entrance of the garage. I am out of words.That was rude. Whatever, I will make sure never to cross this person's way again.

***********

The first thing I notice as I enter the entrance is the floor is made of wood. Building's façade looks large but its interior is hot and cosy. A lounger is kept and the logs burn in the fireplace. Ahead of the lounger, placed near the door, is a receptionist counter, where a brunette's head is bent on something. Her head goes up as I approach.

"Yes?" she smiles, "How may I help you?"

"Um, Mr Vritra Chauhan called me for the introduction. I am Rashi Sharma"

"Yes, of course," she scans me from top to toe. She picks up the receiver and talks to him and directs me to his office.

"Go on the first floor. Take a left. You'll see the door bearing his nameplate"

"Thank you"

Climbing the stairs, I reach the first floor. It is a wide corridor which runs to both left and right. Seems like somebody's home and not a company's office. Following the girl's instruction, I take a left and start walking. My eyes search the nameplate carrying the name of Mr Vritra Chauhan.

Finally, the front and the last door turns out to be the one I am searching for. Praying to lord almighty, I knock on the door. The voice calls me, "Come in"

Turning the knob, I peek inside.

"Hello Sir"

His head is bent. Raising it up, with a little smile stretched on his face, he greets me.

"Oh! Ms Sharma, Come in come in"

****

Black curly hair comes till his forehead. He has beautiful features with an aura of a leader around him. Vritra Chauhan is the authority. But the thing catching my attention is not any of the luxuries surrounding him but it is his eyes.

Thin and vertically slit pupils, the iris significantly are an unnatural hue of black. I stare at him. He clears his throat and I become conscious of my staring. Flushed, I reply,

"Good morning Sir"

"Please call me Vritra,"

He says and raises his hand to shake mine. If I would not have been standing opposite to him and too close, I would not have noticed the strange tattoo of a snake, eating his tail or his hairless wrist.

Hairless!

Where else did I notice this feature?

Even his ears are pierced, with platinum rings in each one of them. Height must be somewhere around 5'13". From head to toe, everything about Vritra Chauhan speaks volume of power, which he has. I feel like a little mouse before him. Shrinking unto myself, I take his hands and shake them.

"Rashi Sharma"

"Welcome," he nods, "Please have a seat. You didn't have any problem back there on the road, did you?" he asks sincerely.

"No, thanks to you" I take my seat "Sir, I have some questions to ask"

"Please, go ahead" he smiles in that beautiful way again.

Biting my lip, I say, "How did you come to know about me? I mean, when I told my agent about this job, he didn't sound too happy because he said that he didn't know anything about you or your firm. He also felt some offence that, without his knowledge, you used his agency's name?"

I thought that he would be somewhat uncomfortable with this question of mine. But he smiles in his unique way and I see his eyes shining.

"After I called you, it was unfair on my part to not to say thanks to the agency, who provided me with such great help. So, before you turned up, I talked with Mr Deepak. I am going to give you the same reason which I gave to him. Your resume passed on to our sister company, Thakur industries. It belongs to our family friend, The Thakur's. Unfortunately for them and fortunately for us, the file mistakenly came on to my desk, along with others. After going through it, I immediately made up my mind, to recruit you, as my younger brother's secretary. So, does this answer satisfy you or you want some more of it?"

Of course, Thakur arms and weaponry are popular in the whole country. I make a mental note to call Deepak as soon as I reach home. My questions do not stop here.

"But, how come no one knows you here? I mean, people may know you in other states but, here..."

"Chauhan industries are not that well known because our business is like that. How many other weaponry industries do you know of?"

"I am new to this business"

"You get my point. We shifted to Mussoorie five months ago "

"I see.You don't look like the natives of the hills either,"

"We aren't" he smiles again and goes serious "So, Rashi. I would like to repeat my offer to you once again in case you have forgotten all about it. I am offering you this post, along with the salary I had mentioned on the phone. Are you interested or not?"

"Only a fool would say no to such a wonderful offer, Sir" I smile. "Yes, I am ready to take it"

"In that case" he smiles, "Congratulations and this is your job description file. It contains every important document you will need for your daily routine work. Meet up with Shesh; I am sure he will like his new personal secretary. All the best"

"Thank you" I silently made my exit from his room.

*****

"Shesh Chauhan"

I read the name on the nameplate and raise my hand to knock on the door but before that something stops me in the middle. Though silence prevails, I have a peculiar feeling that I am being watched by some powerful force. Scared, I look left and right. Convinced that it is my nervousness, I knock on the door.

"Come in"

Turning the knob, I push the door open and enter.

"Good morning Sir," I say, correcting my glasses on my nose. Shesh is the image of a Casanova!

But here too his eyes are as same as Vritra, only with irises significantly unnatural hue of blue, standing apart from every other feature. What is with these brothers? Why do they have such eyes? Is it a common trait in their family? I do not prolong on that for much longer because the person standing before me has a charming smile on his face. He has black hair till his forehead, precisely spikes. He is dressed in grey entrepreneur suit.

"Good morning Sir" I smile nervously.

"Rashi-Rashi Sharma, Vritra Sir must have told you-"

"Oh, Yes," he cuts me in the middle,"Please have a seat Rashi. Beautiful girls always are the perks to work with..." he tilts his head in another direction in a playful way. Shocked and didn't know how to answer him back, sticking to the business matters, I smiled again.

"Vritra Sir-"

"You don't have to repeat yourself girl. I trust my brother. He makes the right decisions where the business is concerned. I guess, he must have given you your daily work schedule, isn't it?"

"Yes, Sir"

"Good. Understand this; I expect full dedication from my employees, Ms Sharma. Laziness and excuses won't work with me.I sound a little hard right now but, trust me when I say this, that it is going to help you a lot in your future work endeavours. I guess both of us will understand each other and will have a happy working relationship. Am I making myself clear?" he does not sound hard but I understand what he wants to say. I have got a flirty but an intelligent employer to work with.

"Of course sir, I get you. I promise I will never give you any reason for complaint against me"

"Well. All the best," he raises his hand smiling.

Hairless wrist!

Shaking myself internally, I stand up at the same time he gets up from him. Height must be somewhere around 5'10".

Wow!

Picking up the receiver he says, "Koyal, please come into my office. I have urgent work for you. Tell _Khinna_ it is critical that he should send you to my room quickly. I want you to show my new employee the important places in the building. Yes, make it quick"

He keeps the receiver down and looks at me.

"Koyal, she is the personal secretary of my sister-in-law, Nuwa. She will show you around the place, so that you are familiar with the building"

"Um, Nuwa?"

"Vritra's wife" he smiles. The elder Chauhan is married! I relax a bit.

********

Koyal is a lively chatty girl. She has a whitish colour complexion, smiling face and some spots on her cheek. No sooner Shesh leaves me with her, she immediately lifts her hand to shake mine,"Koyal Mathur and you are?"

"Rashi Sharma" I smile. Both of us stand outside the office in that large corridor. She starts walking and tells me to follow her.

"So, you are Shesh Sir's secretary? I am envy of you I must say"

"Why?"

"Because apart from a good looking man, he also has less workload " She smiles.

Giggling, I add "And why is that?"

"Shesh Sir, being the youngest in the family looks particularly in the tour and travel department. He has the duty of representing Chauhan industries in the national and international meetings. So, you have to look into his travelling schedule and, if necessary, will have to travel with him. That's it. He has the most interesting duty with him"

"But travelling is not easy"

"I know. Still lucky you"

I chuckle and keep walking. We proceed to the uppermost floor with the help of the lift.

"It has been only one month since I have joined them but Chauhan's are very particular and strict when it comes to work. You have already met Vritra Sir and of course Shesh Sir," she pause "But not Nuwa Mam and" an awkward pause,

"Ahi Sir," she whispers.

"Who is this third one?"

"I'll tell you about everyone,once I have made sure that you know every corner of this place, alright?'' She gives me a conspiratorial smile. I silently nod and look ahead.

As we get out of the machine, she leads me all the way to the end of yet another long corridor. Opening it, she directs me, "This is the library, another part of your duty"

I nod and look around. It is so cold here. I resist the chattering of my teeth.

"It's so cold," I fold my arms around myself. I go inside and glance around. Racks of books, a small reading corner and a perfect librarian table, equipped with a computer, three phone sets and a small broadband box. I go to it and glance down the names, which are written on each of them.

Two of them, I recognise but the third one...?

"Ahi Chauhan," I look at Koyal, "Who is this person?"

"Why don't I order something?" She sits herself across the table. Picking up the phone, she dials a no, orders two cups of tea and some cookies along with it.

"This is your room for working" she makes herself comfortable "They don't have any room for Shesh Sir's secretary next to his so this is where you will work. In this way, you will be able to work and act as the librarian too"

I sit and look at her.

"You were going to tell me about Chauhan's"

"What's the rush? We have all the time to ourselves today. Thank God the dragon is not here" she whispers.

"Who?"

"Ahi Sir, who else" she seems irritated.

"I don't get you. What is it about this one man? Why are you so scared of him?"

At that moment, somebody knocks on the grand door and Koyal calls the service boy inside. He places the tray on the table and goes away. As he leaves, she says,

"Please latch the door till the time I pour the drink"

Nodding, I make it to the door and latch it. Returning to my seat, I ask,

"OK, now will you tell me, what was all that about?"

"Fine" she looks at me. "Chauhan's are three in number Rashi. The elder one is Vritra, middle one Ahi and youngest one, Shesh"

"Hold on," I said "Aren't they two?"

"No, they are three. Vritra is married to the most beautiful women in the world, Nuwa. Three brothers established this office in the hills some six months"

"I know this much"

"I am Vritra Sir's and Nuwa mdam's secretary not personal" she winks. I chuckle.

"Hari is the assistant of Ahi Sir"

"I didn't see him"

"It's good that you haven't and pray that you may never"

"Why? Does he bite?" I smile but her expressions remain the same.

"No, he doesn't but he despises women. In his department, which is of financial analysis, no lady is ever seen nor is allowed to go. It's a pure testosterone department. Apart from Nuwa, no other woman is allowed to go there. It's known to everybody that Ahi listens to Nuwa more than he listens to Vritra."

Strange!

For the person who hates women to listen to the only women in his family. He must love her very much.

"So, how do the women make contact with him if they have some important urgent work?"

"They contact his assistant, Hari, who contacts him. I remember the day, when being here, I had no idea about all the rules and regulations of the place. Mistakenly, I went to his room to inform him about something. God," she shivers,"I still remember the way he scolded me. Ruthlessly, hard and so very rude, that I still have goosebumps on my arms whenever I recall that day"

I am taken aback by the fear tone. If this is the way she is reacting, a person who is one month old, it would be better for me to never ever cross Ahi Chauhan's way.

"Three brothers have a cousin named Shliya" she smiled as she said that "And there is Khanak Thakur, Ahi Sir's childhood friend. She is the owner of the Thakur industries, a sister company of Chauhan's. That around sums it up about the family" she says and stands up. I stand up along with her and proceed to the other parts of the building.

"Doesn't he hate these other two females too?" I ask as we start walking back in the corridor.

"That's the question isn't it? But, as they say, blood is thicker than water. Shliya and Khanak, are closely related to the family so, of course, no, he doesn't hate them. In fact after Nuwa, these two females have got a special place in his life. They say Khanak and he may get married someday."

"Poor girl" I say, "God, save her"

"Exactly my words" she laughs some more until she recalls something.

"What is it?" I ask, "We have nicknamed Ahi as _The Dragon_ " she laughs "He spits fire every time he talks to women"

I laugh at that and take another step when she catches my hand and stops me.

"Where are you going?"

"To the front room? Isn't that we are going next?" I point at the door, situated on the other end of the corridor.

"No, no, no," she says horrified, "That's the ladies prohibited Dragon's Den. That's why I told you to pray that you never see him. Though, he never uses the general elevator and has a personal one, which has access to every floor but keep your finger crossed. Sometimes, you just never know"

"You mean to say I am sharing the same floor with him?" I stare at her, terrorised at the mere thought of seeing an unknown person in front of me every day. And that too, the one feared by everyone.

"Unfortunately yes," she gives me a pitiful look but says, "It's alright. He has no right to say anything to you because you are not working under him. Your main employer is Shesh Sir and he is the sweetest person in the whole office." I smile at that and we make it to the elevator.

*********

The day is not that bad. After showing me every corner of the building, Koyal takes her leave. I make it to my library again and sit on the first chair. Chauhan's are quite impressive, I must say.I drink some water from the glass and start with my explorations of the library.

It is precisely at that moment, when the big portrait of the whole family on the wall, beside the book rack, is seen by me. There is Vritra, Shesh and one more man in it, along with three females. All unnaturally long in their height. Each has their names written at the bottom of the photo. Seems like a recent picture, but still, a thick layer of dust has settled on it. It looks like nobody has cleaned it for a long time. Spotting a spare piece of cloth, I clean the surface of the portrait.

I read the description.

"Middle- Vritra and Nuwa" Nuwa is exactly as Koyal said. The most beautiful and sensuous women!Vritra has a possessive arm around her waist. True love. It is their wedding portrait. "Left- Ahi and Shliya". I see him for the first time. Wavy hair till ears, spikes near earlobes and two steel rings in his fingers, eyes the same as his brother but still different. Thin, vertically slitted pupils, irises an unnatural hue of green. Like a slight crack in my mind, I recall Kaya's birthday party. The person with whom I clashed, whose suit got spoiled because of me and that hard voice telling me _Leave it...I said leave it_ or _Trust me when I say this...I am not interested in a sad story of an intolerable girl, and as for your apology, you must be_

I cannot believe it. It was him!

I shake my head. I remove my eyes from his face and look at Shliya. Clad in a shimmery dress, small curly hair till neck, clinging to Ahi as if he is her boyfriend, she looks charming. I look at another side of the newlywed elder Chauhan.

"Right Shesh-Khanak"

Shesh has a familiar mischievous smile on his face. Khanak looks like a mystery, dressed in a black sari, which has glitters. Khanak makes me uncomfortable for some weird reason. Giving the picture a last glance, I go back to my seat. One thing, which didn't go unnoticed from my observation is that every one of them is hairless and their eye structure, more or less, is the same. But the eyes, which caught me the most, were Ahi`s.

********

I am in the kitchen, telling mum about my first day in the office. God, I want to tell her everything about my employer and his beautiful, strange family but something stops me internally. I tell her about every detail of my office and library. Mum is happy that I did not have to go far off to search for a perfect job.

"So," at last Mum says, "You are happy there?"

"Yes, Mom,"

"Tell me about this boss of yours," she asks, "Is he handsome? smart?"

"Both," I turn to her and pass the hand knead dough bowl to her "Mum, he is my employer and I am his employee. The end. Don't try to match make both of us"

"I was just asking" she tries to feign innocence. Slowly getting grey day by day, she wants me to get married to some good looking guy as soon as possible. She talked to me about that aspect in the past but I quietly said no.

I lay in my bed reminiscing about the whole day's incident. I like Koyal. She has become a kind acquaintance in such a short time. She even called me twice in the entire day asking if there's a problem or if I need anything. I said neither but thanks for asking. Good to know that there is at least one person in the office, apart from Shesh Sir, who knows me.

"Rashi sssss" that faint hissing comes again. Every beautiful memory evaporates from my mind. Fear grips me from head to toe. Startle, I sit up on my bed, switch on the bedside lamp and search.

"Who-who ?"

Funny! How mum never complains about my shouting at night? Maybe, she never hears it.

"Rashi sssss" it comes again. So close, I am sure the creature is beside me. On cue, I turn my head to the right side. Coiled next to my arm, with its hood stretched and its face precisely to my level.

Screaming, I run from my room. I never turn back. I reach Mom's room. Standing before her door, I bang like a maniac, shouting again and again.

"Mom, mum, mum...please, please, please open the door. Mum..."

Mum opens the door and I throw myself into her arms, hugging her tightly.

"Kid, kid Sshh...Sshh! What happened huh? Tell me...Sshh"

She makes me sit down and wipe the tears of fear from my cheeks.

"Snake...room...talking...close..."

My speech comes in such broken sobs and gasps she is unable to make any sense.

"Take breath honey, take a breath, here" she hands me a glass of water.

"Drink, cool down" I gulp down the liquid in one go and cradle my face in her neck.

"What happened?"

"There-there is an s-snake ii-in m-my r-r-room. Talking-h-hissing-c-calling mm-my n-n-name"

"Ra, sweetheart, sleep now. Sleep next to me, all right. Mum is here Yes, I am here. No fear now, right?" She kisses my forehead and lays me on the bed.

"Sshh" she patts my forehead till I drowned and lulled to sleep.

************

Next morning, woken up by a small jerk on my shoulder, I woke up and took the morning tea from mum's outstretched hand.

"How was the sleep?""Good," I smile.

She smiles in reply and goes serious again.

"So, what was that last night?"

I bite my lip and look at her again.

"A nightmare. I mean," I hesitate now "Too scary for me, I could not control myself""

"Really?" she stares at me, giving me the look which says she cannot not be fooled by anyone least of all me.

"Rashi, you are hopeless in lying so don't even try to speak it"

"I am not, mom," I say looking at her sideways. "No one is in my room right now, if you will go and check. Being my first day yesterday, I was so excited about everything," I play with my hand "That's what really happened ``''I checked into your room" she says while sipping, "Yes, no one's there but the creature won't be in there now. It must have slipped till the time you came into my room"

"I was dreaming" I repeat.

**********************************************************************

What is wrong with me? I sit in my library chair with eyes closed. Whatever, the talking snake is no dream but a living nightmare. Terror, which had been visiting me for the past two nights and that too, at the freaking hour of midnight. No, I am not dreaming but it was kind of necessary for me to lie, especially, when I had been so careless to run to her at the dark hour of the night. Of course, she must have been terrified herself. After all, she is weak where such things are concerned.

Especially the mention of the word snake is enough to emit a reaction from her because of that creature being the reason behind dad`s death. This creature has broken and shattered my family. It has not killed two of my family members but has made us emotionally weak too. Mum always considers me responsible and strong. Why did I run to her last night? When did I lose my common sense like that? I was scared of my core last night. Especially, when the creature was coiled so low near my arm. The picture of it comes again in my mind and I shudder. I pick up the phone to order a strong cup of coffee, when the phone rings on its own accord.

"Hello"

"Rashi?"

"Good morning Sir" I steady myself,

"Good morning. Did you by any chance have the book named "Business through ages", in shelf no 13?"

"I will look for it Sir. I am making a list right now of all the books that are needed. How about I call you after some time? Or if you want, I can search for it and bring it to your room"

"That would be better" a slight change in his tone "And..."

"Yes, Sir,"

"Sent the "Trade Analysis 11" to Ahi _Khinna's_ room, he called for it"

"Fine Sir,"

"Give it to Hari, all right. Don't..."

"Go to his room? I know, sir," I smile, "Koyal told me that much"

"That's all well,"

**********

Giving the "Business through ages" to Shesh's room I proceed to my floor again and head towards Ahi Sir's set of rooms. The black door at the end of the corridor. I turn the knob and enter inside. As the atmosphere in hills is always cold, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling are lighted in the day too. After the door, the corridor stretches some more. Left and right held the one-one room and the farthest end of it has one grand door.

" _The Dragon's Den_ " I recall Koyal's words. That must be his office. Shuddering inside, even though I have not seen him in person till now, I check the right-hand side signboard which says, "Personal secretary room".

Hari!

I proceed to his room. Knock once, twice but nobody answers.

"Hari Sir? are you there?"

Silence!

Nobody answers.I push open the door and glance around. The room is empty. Shrugging, I close the door and turn just to see the opposite private elevator through which Ahi Chauhan must be travelling in the building premises. Two large crystal vases adorn the side of the grand door. It is so quiet all around me. I am even scared to breathe. Now what should I do? There is no one in the personal secretary room and I have no intention to go inside the den myself. If the book is not supplied at the proper time then he will say to Shesh Sir that his secretary is useless. Whatever, the biggest question is that I have to deliver the book to him at any cost. That is my job, isn't it? Should I leave the book on the doorstep with a slight knock?

No

Books are not meant to be kept on the floor.I can always try. Sending a small prayer to Lord Almighty again, I knock on the door so lightly as if I caressed it.

_You can do it Rashi_

I knock again. No answer. I repeat my knock. I am given a copy of every room's key in the building if ever an emergency arrived. Should I use that?

Some minutes pass before I give up and turn the knob of the door. Bingo, it is already open. Pushing the door slightly inward, I enter the room with the decision made in my mind to leave the book on his table. It will appear that his secretary had left it there. If he says anything then I will say,

"No one was there in the room and even your secretary was not on his seat. What could I have done in such a situation?"

******************

Ahi's room is nothing as I had expected it to be. It is a simple piece of classy antique's with a big glass window at his chairs backside. You can see the whole priceless beauty of hills from there. It is so large and spacey with a comfortable lounger on one side, surrounded by a table, a vending machine and a soft rug beneath it. In the middle of the room, there is his big working table with pen stands and high technology gadgets. A big beautiful photo of his, constructed in a frame, adorns the wall, beneath which stands some pair of chest drawers.

Beautiful!

I mouth the words before I control myself. He has a mini house here. A photo frame stands on his table which has its back to me. As I proceed to the table to keep the book, I make sure that nothing is disturbed there. Whose photo is that? My curiosity always lands me in trouble.I try hard to resist it. It must be Khanak`s, his childhood sweetheart.

I reasoned with myself. It won't be any harm to anyone if I just look whose photo is adorning that frame. I raise my hand when a lead hard cold voice says from my back.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Oh my God!

My heart flutters like a wild bird in my rib cage. I slowly make myself turn to face the dragon himself.

_Please God save me._

I never raise my eyes to watch his expressions. If I keep my eyes down, he won't shriek at me. His hands ball themselves into a tight fist, as if, trying to control.He is standing at a distance till now but I see his feet walking up to me. I close my eyes and open them again.

"I am ss-sorry Sir. I ...just...came to give your book which you had called for..."

"Are you new?" just one question holding an ounce of anger.

"Yes, but I was informed about your certain rule. I could not find Hari Sir in his office and even yours too had no one so..."

"So you walked into my room?"

"No," I raise my eyes and then immediately lower them.

"I thought to keep the books on your table,"

That's our first official introduction. The portrait was different but seeing him in person is altogether a different experience. It is not as if I have never seen such handsome, smart, eye-candy before. The local Mussoorie people are like that but Ahi Chauhan!

He is something which cannot be defined in mere words. The last time we met, I did not see his face properly. Even now, I cannot see him fully but a glimpse of his cold personality I have surely grabbed.

All of a sudden, I am scared. My heartbeat goes one notch higher.

_If only he can shift from in front of the exit, I can leave the room._

The hands bearing steel rings go white slowly as any blood traces leave it.

"I am sorry again" I hesitate,

"Please...I should go"

I raise my eyes to see if anything warm is there on his face. I swear to God! In my entire life, I have never seen such a charismatic face. There is something attractive about that face but what exactly? I cannot put my finger on it. He is 5'11" like his brothers. His eyes are different from the other two and are the most beautiful feature on his face. He has D.A.N.G.E.R written on all over his face. His jaw is set; as if, it is taking all his strength to not to explode with anger.

His lips are of partial blue colour but apart from that every other feature is like his brothers elegant, sharp and fine.As I watch silently he steps aside from the entrance. Swiftly, without looking left and right, I make it to the door and open it when he calls me.

"Are you Shesh's _Khinna's_ new personal secretary?"

I turn quickly and with a slight smile reply, "Yes Sir,"

"Ok," a pause "Name?"

"Rashi Sharma"

I keep my expression the same . A flicker of something stared out of his eyes but it is momentary. I want to leave this room as soon as possible now.

He nods, "Ms Sharma, if you had been told about every rule of this office then one of them says that no women, apart from Nuwa, is allowed in Ahi Chauhan's part of the building, correct?"

"Yes sir," I hesitate now,"As this is your first time, I will leave you with a warning that this should be the first and the last time you are stepping in my area. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir," I nod again.

"Fine, you may leave."

************************************************************************

"So," Koyal asks in recess time "How is it going?"

I am still shaken after that brief encounter with Ahi and concentrating on my sandwich.

God! what is it about the person that emits such powerful vibes of danger all around him. I remember his face.Those two great eyes and slight lisp in his voice..

Does he hate women so much that even a mere sight of them makes him go all cold and rude? Well, he wasn't behaving like that to me today. He was cold but not rude. Whatever, the warning is given to me and I shall stick to it.

Suddenly, I recall something.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure" she sips her tea.

"Do you know something about talking snakes?"

She looks at me as if I have lost my sense. She keeps on waiting and hoping that I would laugh but when nothing comes out of my mouth she says.

"No, I haven't. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing, I was just curious"

"Are you alright Rashi? Have you completely lost your freaking mind? Snakes don't talk honey. What a stupid question!"

She snaps. Presumably, she thinks that I was making fun of her.

"I am alright. It's just that I saw this documentary on Discovery the other night on snakes and all of a sudden I thought what if snakes talked? "

"Stop watching those stupid documentaries. I don't like snakes. They scare me. Hell, they scare everyone." She pauses, "Only those mentioned in myths had the power to talk."

"Myths are just myths" I shake my head. Not only replying to her but telling myself internally that it was just a nightmare. I should sleep with some weapon next to me.

*****

I lay awake in my bed. I have put the alarm of twelve in my alarm clock because I remember in previous nights the creature visited me around this time. If the same thing happened today again then I will make it sure it never happens in the future.If nothing happens, I will be assured that I was precisely dreaming from the past two nights.Regularly, I close the windows and when I hear the faint hissing whisper, I notice the windows opened.

Not today!

I won't get scared.

I am restless right now. I walk up to the windows and open them. Cool, chilling night breeze lifts the tendrils of hair from my shoulder.

_Let it be a dream_ .

If it turns out to be an unfortunate ugly truth then...?

I do not want to answer that question right now. I will see what I can do. If a talking snake is visiting me for two nights, I will tell it in plain words that I am not interested in talking to it. If still it does not go,I will do one thing which I have never done in my entire life, I will kill it. I have kept a big sturdy bamboo stick next to my bed so I can use it in any emergency. I don't care what will happen to me. It may attack back. I am ready. I need a cup of strong coffee to keep me awake till twelve. I proceed back to the kitchen.

******

I am sitting on my computer chair which faces the window. The window is open. Time drifts slowly right now. Clock hands sluggishly move from nine to ten, ten to eleven and eleven to twelve. As soon as twelve struck, the alarm on the clock went on. I am woken up from a drowsy state. Slowly, without making any noise, I get up from the chair and face the window without forgetting to take the bamboo stick in my hand.

Any minute now...

Any second...

I will hear that whisper again. The hiss which calls my name as if caressing it. I shiver to my core. Taking quick breaths, I move towards the window as if I was expecting a fairy and not a crawling reptile.I wait for a long time.

Only my eyes are too heavy now. I want to go to bed.

_You were just dreaming_ .

Leaving the stick on the floor, I close the windows and pull off the curtains. I am so silly. I laugh at myself and cover myself. The phone kept on the bedside goes buzzing.Who is calling at such a late hour? I pick up the phone and see the screen. There is no name.

"Hello,"

"Rashi sssss,"

Oh my God!

The numbness flows through my system. I am frozen on the bed. It feels as if the whisper is coming from some corner of my room. I get up, switch on the light, crazily go through every nook and corner before I am convinced that the voice is coming from the phone and not from the room itself.

I sit on the bed.

"Who-who is this?"

"Me, your friend sssss"

I close my eyes and open them again.

"No, you are not my friend. You are some freaky creature who is after me. Why? What do you want?"

"I like you sssss"

"But I don't like you monster," I shout.

"I made you scared last night and I didn't want to repeat the incident so I called you" it whispers again, this time without lisping.

"Then stop calling me.You get me? I don't like you. I am not interested in talking to you. You are nasty, a killer. I hate you"

"No matter, I still like you and I will continue liking you angel, nothing can stop that"

"Who are you?"

"Your friend,"

"Tell me properly. Who are you?"

"I told you sssss. Your friend,"

"Stop calling please. You are scaring me. Night after night, day after day. I am scared to go to bed and that's all because of you. Stop it!"

"Sorry" I hear some faint unnamed emotion in that whisper "If that is the case angel, I won't call again, I promise but" it pauses, "I still like you. You can't take that right away from me"

"Fine but please stop these calls and visits"

***********

I am too tired even to get up. I was brave last night. From now onwards, there will be no more scary calls and visits. Only I and my peaceful sleep again.I am still thinking about that thing and am smiling unto myself when I hear the library's door getting opened. Immediately I look in that direction. In comes a figure clad in a black leather coat. Soft fur on the neck, black hair hangs to the waist and soon the lady's face is turned to my direction.

I get up from my seat and stare at her.

Nuwa Chauhan!

A small face adorned with long, dense black hair and a sensuous smile on those rose- petal lips. Big red eyes with thin vertically slitted pupils and iris unnaturally red and height 5'8". Slowly with dancing steps she comes to my direction.

I can see why Vritra fell for this damsel. If I would have been in his place then surely I too would have chosen her. She has a peaceful air around her.

"Hello, Ms. Sharma" she stands on the opposite side of the table and her hands rise in my direction.

"Hello, Madam"

I take her hands in mine. I notice that even she has a weird sign of a snake eating its tail. The kind of which I had seen on Vritra's hand on the day I was introduced to him.

" _Ouroboros,_ " she says as she catches me staring at the tattoo "It's a tradition in our family. The elder son and daughter-in-law have to wear this sign"

"It's cool" I smile nervously.

"Please, have a seat"

"Thank you. What would you like to have?" I pick up the receiver.

"Coffee, Tea?"

"Tea please," she smiles again.

Flushed till hair root, I order it and keeping the receiver down I stare at her again.

"It's so good to see you in person. I mean you look entirely different in that wedding portrait and totally amazing right now"

"I am not looking for compliments but thank you all the same" even she has a small amount of lisp in her voice.

Chauhan's are weird in some ways.

"So, you are enjoying your job?"

"Totally" I smile again.

"Well, it's good to know. Shesh speaks very highly of you. He says that you are excellent at your work. It's tough to make him praise somebody but when he does he does it open-heartedly"

"That's very gracious of him,"

"I wanted to meet the new secretary and also to know if you are not suffering from any problem?"

"None till now, thanks for your concern Madam"

"You are welcome but this is not the only reason why I have come to meet you," she becomes all serious "Our sister company's owner, Khanak Thakur has an upcoming birthday party which is being organised at Hotel cloud end. You must be knowing about it, I believe?"

I am speechless. Cloud End is the oldest and the most expensive hotel in Mussoorie. It was built in 1838 by a British major as one of the first four buildings of Mussoorie and has been converted into a hotel.

"Cloud End? Yes madam. I know about it"

"We have a confusion. We are so new to these hills so we decided to take one employee along with us who can show us the way to the destination. I was thinking of all the names when Shesh suggested that we should take you along with us as you are the native of this place?"

"Me?" I am surprised and smile nervously "I would be glad to go with you Madam but won't it be wise if I could just tell you the directions? You can easily find your way"

"No," she gets up, "I have decided that you are going with us. Come on now, be professional and take this as a business meeting."

"If you insist" I said, "Fine,"

************

"So you are going to a party?"

Mum asks as she sees me getting ready for the gathering.

"Yes mum," I turn to her, "Don't wait for me and go to sleep all right. Close the door tightly, don't let anyone in. Don't forget to take your medicine as soon as you finish your dinner, ok?"

"Yes Mum," she imitates my voice.

"Who is coming to pick you up?" She asks me to keep my discarded shirt back in the cupboard.

"Must be Shesh Sir," I pick up my bag and go down the stairs. Wrapping the muffler around my neck, I look at her, "Remember my instructions Mum, alright, Bye."

**************

It is freezing right now. I wrap the muffler tightly around me. The bus stand which is customarily filled up in the daytime, is empty right now. Apart from an old man and me, currently, there is no one there.

A dog sleeps near the feet of the bench on which I am seating. I glance at my clock which has struck seven-thirty right now. The party must have started by now. Where is Shesh?

On cue, a black swift slightly halts before me with its black glasses slightly rolled down. Before I can make out who is in it, a high squeaky excited voice calls out to me from inside.

"Hi Rashi"

Moonlight is falling on her face in slanted rays but even in this much light I can make out Shliya Chauhan's features. I am shocked that she recognised me when I had not even met her.

Her family must have told her but this much frankness in one go?

I smile nervously.

"Good evening, Madam"

"Let her come in Shliya," says a cold voice coming from her side.

_O God, "Dragon" is driving the car, where is Shesh?_

"I'll open it",

The door open.I sit inside the vehicle. It's not until I had seated myself inside that I see Shesh sitting next to me.

"G-Good evening Sir,"

"Cut the formalities girl. This evening, I am just Shesh, alright?"

"Alright Sir,"

" _Khinna_ " says Shliya from her seat "At least introduce her to me too"

Till the time I am introduced to her, we are already standing before the grand building. All four of us step out of the vehicle as soon as it is safely parked. Shesh and Shliya are talking among themselves. The only person who has not even said a word during the whole way and is still silent is Ahi.

I never understand why brothers call each other _"Khinna_ ".

What is the meaning of this word? Is this some secret code word between them? Chauhan's are growing on me now. It has been just five days since I have joined them but in such a short time they have developed so much trust in me that sometimes that generosity of theirs scares me.

I am overthinking maybe. As soon as we step inside the premises of the hotel, the atmosphere is nothing as I have imagined it to be. There are no decorations, no flowers adorning the walls, no cake on the table and as far as I can tell, the number of people too is very less. There is a big round table in the centre of the hall which is laid up with certain varieties of mouth-watering delicacies.

A soothing guitar played by some person, sitting in the corner is the only music which is there.The only people, whom I see at the entrance are Vritra and Nuwa, along with Khanak's parents and two girls. Vritra's face turned towards us with a smile on it. He shifts slightly and whispers something in Nuwa's ear which elicits a blush on her cheeks. What are they talking about?.

"Ahi," shouting out with delight a girl comes running to Ahi, hugging him around the neck and kissing him swiftly on his cheek.

"I am so delighted you are here," she says as she leaves him.

"Happy Birthday, Doll" As soon as she turns to the three of us, I know who she is. Does Khanak Thakur need an introduction here?

Golden black curls hang around her neck. Eyes like Nuwa, glint in all their glory and a die for figure, which can make every girl go burning with envy. The golden net gown falls to her feet and high heels compliment her.

Oh Yes!

Khanak is made for a person like Ahi. I smile at that.

"Hello, Shliya," she hugs the fairy-like girl standing next to me in a big embrace.

"See," Shliya says, "I told you I won't miss this time event."

"I am glad you didn't," Khanak laughs in her girly way and then turns to Shesh. I have intentionally hidden behind my employer so that she doesn't notice me.

"Shesh _Khinna_ " she embraces him in a warm hug.

Exactly at that moment, she spots me, standing on his backside.

"Happy birthday, Khanak," he says.

Unlike Ahi, he didn't kiss her back. Well, that was something.

"And who is she?" taking my hand she gets me in front "Trying to hide from everyone's eyes?"

"She is Rashi," Shesh looks at me and then back at Khanak

"My new personal secretary" he smiles and looks at me again.

"Good evening madam," I smile and raised my hand to wish her, "Happy Birthday"

She keeps looking at me for some stalling moments before taking my hands.

"Thank you so much Rashi. Why were you trying to hide from everyone?"

"She is nervous K" Shliya giggles and turns the conversation to some other topic.

"So, where are the others?"

****************

Until the time I am introduced to Khanak's parents, I am confused. I cannot remember any of their names. Every person present there has an absolute beauty to their face. Whether it is Vritra or Khanak's mum. One thing is sure, I am not afraid by any one of them as I am of Ahi.

The previous introduction given by Koyal of his has made me negative towards him maybe. It could be that psychologically, I am tuned in that kind of way too. I am thankful I didn't have any contact with him. Not even a small encounter!

I am sitting in a chair, silently listening to the guitar when Vritra calls everyone to his attention.

"Please come for the ceremonial raising of the toast for the birthday girl everyone."

The red wine is served. When it comes to me, I shake my hand.

"Take it," Shesh says "It's one of our traditions."

"I don't drink Sir," I whisper.

"Not even on occasions?" he raises his eyebrows.

"Never," I take up an orange drink. He smiles and does not say anything. As soon as Nuwa finishes with her speech, everybody applauds and sings the birthday song for Khanak. I am surprised. There is no cake. Maybe, she must not like it. Many people consider cutting the cake as sheer nonsense. Soon the dance starts. It is a classic kind of party with only family friends as the guest. Thakur's and Chauhan's which is to say.

Being a neglect, I walk up to the big opened doors which lead to the garden. Moon is so clear. Still lost in distant thoughts, the faint ringtone of my phone brings me back to the present. Must be mum. She tends to get worried if I get late.

"Hello," I hold the device to my ear, "Black suits sssss you angel."

***************

As if hit by a thunder light, my grasp on my glass almost becomes a death grip. Mouth goes dry and my tongue feels too thick to say anything.

It is that creature.

"Why are you calling me now? Didn't I tell you not to call me?"

"I tried," the whisper comes, " I tried with all my might but I can't stay away from you. Why do you hate me so much? Am I that bad, Ra?"

"Don't you dare to call me that. I am not your friend or anything. Yes," I fill enough rage in my voice "You are not bad. You are worse than that, nasty creature, stay away from me"

"I am sorry but I can't," the voice says again, "Black suits you. Don't wear those silver rings with it. You should be adorned with diamonds and not some cheap metal"

"How do you know?" I search around me in anticipation of seeing him again near some bush or some chair corner.Apart from the normal crowd there is no one.

"How do you know I am wearing black?"

"I have my eyes on you 24-hour angel" a sigh of contentment there, "Whether you are asleep or awake. Are your employers treating you well baby?"

"Listen whoever you are" I say, "I don't want you to spy on me all the time, you get me? If you don't stop calling me then I will report this number to the cops,"

There is a loud guffaw on the other side but it does not appear nasty on the contrary it is quite soothing to me.

"You don't hate me, angel. No, you don't," a pause and continue again.

"You are scared but that's alright. If you hadn't then I would have to question your sanity surely," there is an intake of breath "With the creature like me, humans tends to get scared"

"Shut up" I cut the line.

**********

I am down to core scared now and turn to go back to inside's warmth. Dinner has started and I am about to make it to the table when Khanak walks up to my side, with a small anxious expression on that beautiful face.

"I am sorry," she smiles again, "But in all the celebrations, I could not take time out to meet the special guest of the evening" her eyes twinkle.

Presumably, making fun of me.

Well, that is nothing new because she has got the power to do that for the time being. I smile and say, "It's all right madam. After all, such special occasions are meant to be celebrated with the family and near ones"

"Intelligent," she says, "and brilliant, those two words define you pretty well"

"Thank you for that description" I smiled and instantly looked at my watch which says it is high time that I should return home. Mum has not called yet but she must be getting worried. I tell this thing to her to which she replies

"What's the rush? After all the party has just started"

Why do her words sound hollow to me right now? As if she is just doing a formality?

"Thanks for your consideration, madam" I say, "But seriously I would like to go back now. Happy birthday once again"

I go to Shliya and inform her about my leaving.

"So early? ok, Let me tell Ahi _Khinna_ to drop you"

That word again and the mention of Ahi.

"No," I say, "Shesh Sir would leave me"

I smile to hide my hesitation. Shesh drops me till my doorstep with the words of "Take care."

**************

I keep changing sides with the haunting memory of that phone call roaming in my brain. I smell something very unnatural, very scary in that. Of course, what could be stranger than the fact that a snake is talking and that too without opening its mouth?

There is some strange creature behind me who has developed a fascination for me only because I had committed an error of saving it from the local people. It looks like a snake but it is something more than that. Something horrifying and out of this world.

What should I do?

Isn't this the truth?

I do not hate it but am scared of it.

Is it speaking the truth? Does it have its eyes on me every passing hour? How did it know that I was wearing what colour with what accessories?

God! I sit upright on the mattress and drink some water. This creature is driving me crazy. My most significant dilemma, I cannot not even talk about this weird thing with anybody for the reason that people will call me insane.

Koyal's reaction is still fresh in my mind. But what is the harm in talking to it?

On the contrary, it just wants me as his friend.Whatever, I shake my head, I need to sleep.

********

Next day, as I scribble in the file a list of the books currently present in the library, now and then, my mind keeps playing the scene of Khanak's nearness to Ahi. I too want someone like that. Someone, who knows me better than everyone else, someone, who calls me lovely, even on my bad hair day and someone who only adores me for the way I am.

Suddenly, the image of that snake surfaces in my mind again. Will I be so sorry if I become its friend? Didn't it say that it likes me in spite of my telling that I hate him? Didn't it love me for the way I am? But the creature is not natural, says my practical side.

So what, says my heart, it still likes you, didn't it say so? Don't be such a heartless person. If it calls you again, then tell it that you both can be friends but it should never come in front of you. In that way, you will be kind to him and you won't even get scared.

My thoughts just vanish in the puff of smoke when the person who opens the door comes inside.

Oh Holy!

Ahi Sir!

Immediately, I duck my head deep into the file so that I appear to be genuinely engulf in my work. Through the corner of my eyes, I see him walking between the racks, caressing the spine of the books, as if he is their secret lover. Heated, I lower my eyelashes and start to concentrate on my work again.

All of a sudden there is a rustling sound and before I could look at it, the whole load of books scatters on the floor. Ahi is sitting on his toes, collecting one by one and piling them up. In a second, I am there and helping him with the collections. None of us say a word to another. We are collecting the books and piling them up on top of one another.

Later on, I kept them in the racks in their assigned places.

"Sorry," he says as he gives me one cold look "Expanded your work, didn't I?"

"It's alright sir," I smile as I look at him "I must guide people, if they have some work with a book or if they need a particular book. Did you find what you were looking for?"

I ask as part of my job. Why is he giving me such a furious stare as if I have said something I shouldn't have?

"No," he gets up and dust himself. I get up and ask "If you need a certain book then you can tell me all about it, I can search for it. I will supply it to Hari Sir without entering your territory"

"I wonder if you will be able to find it" he makes his exit leaving me in a confused state.

What did I do?

**********

I am sitting in the cafeteria with a cup of coffee in my hand, steering it absent-mindedly without noticing that the foam has disappeared entirely. My life seems like a pretty movie drama to me. A weird talking snake can talk without opening its mouth but even can make calls, had developed a certain kind of likeness for me. My boss and his entire family are very different from ordinary human beings. They have strange features and more than their elements, each of their eyes are intriguing.

My job, my employers, none of them scare me apart from one person and one supernatural creature, which is haunting me these days. I feel like laughing because of my condition. It is so dramatical. A small smile forms near my mouth. Shouldn't I ask the creature what exactly it is? Only if it calls next time.

What if it doesn't?

That will be great. Yes, that will be great.

My mind is happy. My nerves are thrilled but then why is there a small disappointment in the corner of my heart?

If it calls or...

"Hello" somebody keeps a tray of eatables before me and pulls the opposite chair.

Shesh is looking at me with a concerned face

"Something's bothering you?"

"No," I shake my head.

"You didn't notice when I pulled the chair so I thought maybe you are lost somewhere"

"I am not able to sleep these days so well,"

"Want to share it?" he crooks his brows.

"No, there is nothing to share"

"Your wish," he sips his drink. Should I ask him? Maybe he can help me.

No, said my better side, leave it.

"Yesterday's party was great" I smile, "Thank you sir for giving me this opportunity to attend it"

"It's nothing" he shakes his head, "What exactly happened to you yester evening? One minute you were perfectly enjoying the event and another minute you were eager to go back"

"Nothing. I thought mom must be getting worried. It was getting late," I lie knowing that in no way, I could tell him about the phone call of a supernatural creature.

I come back home, kept my bag on the table and threw myself on the comfortable sofa. I am bone tired. Sleepless nights are taking their toll on me.

Whatever, I plan to sleep peacefully tonight with no scary calls or hissing sounds waking me up.

"How was the day?" mum hands me the cup of hot steaming tea and sits beside me.

"As usual, tiring" I sip my hot beverage.I look at her and wonder how she has the strength to keep working like a robot. She looks after the clinic on one hand and the home on another. I wish I could have that kind of stamina in me too. Mum is strong. Even after Dad's death, she managed to pull herself together for my sake. If it hadn't been for her, where I would have landed in my future?

"What happened?" she looks at me, as an advertisement flashes on the screen of the television

"Nothing, I am lucky to have you in my life."

She smiles and patts my hand with these words.

"I am lucky to have you too. Now, before I get too emotional and starve both of us to death. I should prepare some dinner,"

I nod as she goes to the kitchen. Mum never preferred getting all emotional and sentimental over the past. What's done cannot be undone, she says that one should never cry over the past loss but should always keep on moving in life. She says these things only to make me secure. She can't hide the tears when she is in her room. She misses Dad . When I was studying in school, I mostly spent my childhood in the hostel. Mum deliberately took that step, so that I should not get affected by the house environment. Right after I finished my twelfth standard, I decided to take care of her and support her in every step of life.

I make it to my room after dinner. I take a hot shower, wipe myself dry, change into my night pyjamas and come to my room. I close my eyes and pray that tonight let it be a peaceful night. I don't have any strength to face any scary crawly creature.

As I wake up the next morning and stretch myself thoroughly, it is sunny today.I am surprised to notice that I have woken before mum. Typically, it is her duty to wake me up. Not a problem. Let me make a cup of hot tea for both of us. I go to the washroom, brush my teeth, splash a handful of cold water on my face and gaze at myself.

"Good morning" I say to my reflection, smiling stupidly. I didn't have any calls from the creature last night. Wow, I turn to leave the washroom.

I don't feel happy as I should have been. Is it because I spoke so rudely to the creature last time? I am guilty of acting that way towards it. I make it to the kitchen when mum emerges out of it with two big cups in her hand. As she looks at me her expression turns into an amazed one.

"Good morning sunshine" she smiles and hands me the cup "Early today? Any special work?"

"No" I giggle. Funny, I am happy for no reason today. Finishing my cup, I go to the washroom to get ready.

I am 50% convinced that the thing won't bother me again, though the other 50% is still under a small hint of doubt. Maybe, this was just a one-night rest. It could trouble me again soon. But, slowly as night after night passes by, I relax that seriously the thing has given up on me. It won't scare me again.Singing to myself, I am working in the library looking for various tags which I should attach to the shelves when, out of somewhere, a beautiful guitar plays a melodious tune. The tune has all the notes of heartbreak. The pain in tune is so acute that I halt in my work and stand motionless. Who is this? Who has such pain in his/her heart that it's visible so acutely, even in the music?

Must be Shesh because didn't Nuwa tell me that Shesh plays a musical instrument? But so good? I am amazed. The guitar strings pull my heart. I leave my work where it is. The sound comes somewhere from the back garden, which is never used by anyone. I follow my hearing to take me to the place where the tune is being played. There's a small balcony at the backside of each floor from where one could look at the garden. I go to it and peer down so that the musician could be spotted. The music is coming from behind a thick bush. I can't detect him or her from such a distance no matter how hard I try.

It would be a waste to go down. He will stop. I wait for the person to come out and show himself. The music goes on and on for some more time and then ultimately comes to a stop. _Come on, show yourself_. I wait but nothing comes out. I go back to my library room hoping to catch the person some other time.

Another day comes to an end and I am packing up my belongings. Winters have started, resulting in short days and long nights. I am locking up the room when I see something lying on the floor. A polybag precisely.

What's this?

I pick it up. Usually, nobody comes on this level. Only when they have work does the "Royal people" come on the floor of the library. As Ahi Sir has his private elevator, his side of the big door remains closed. Only when he has some work with the library did he open them.As soon as I open the polybag, I am surprised to find a velvet box inside.

A big "C" is embedded on the top of it. It must be Chauhan's. Someone must have mistakenly dropped it here. I am about to keep the box inside the bag when my curiosity gets the better of me and I look at the contents of the small table. It appeared to be a ring box.In the faint corridor light, I open the box and get dazzled.

I stare at the jewel as if I have seen some divine light. It doesn't matter that I am under the trance state after sighting the beautiful ring lying in all its glory against the soft violet fur bed.

The glittering light shining out of the beautiful ring, the simplicity of it, steals my breath out of my lungs. The diamond enclosed in the middle of the metal band is shaped in the size of...of something.

Something, which I cannot recall right now...

Like a holy prediction, the word comes into my mind.

Like a Cobra's Eye!

Yes, like a Cobra's Eye.

The kind of eyes, which I had seen of that creature, the hissing growling Cobra, Gosh, I need to get a break.I am recalling the creature too often these days. The jewel is beautiful. Searingly beautiful but beautiful all the same. I take the ring out of its enclosed state and hold it in my palms. I shouldn't have done that. I should have left the ring where it was and closed the lid as soon as I had opened it. I should have listened to my common sense, which was shrieking to me that I should not touch it.

But ignoring all of them I keep it in the centre of my palm and go on staring at it with awe. I forget that it's time and I should go home. If possible, I would like to keep on staring at it for my entire life. Suddenly, my focus breaks by a sound coming from the wall clock. Out of my dreamy state, I glance at the clock and reality hits me. Before everyone vacates the building, I should find someone to give this thing back.

Of course, the staff must have left till now. The very rare possibility is to find someone from the directors. This looks like their house jewel. Hastily, I rush to the elevator and make it to the ground floor. As soon as I reach the ground floor, the shiny land rover of "Dragon" standing in the parking lot makes me heave a big sigh of relief.

I rush to it, hoping to find him inside. If he is there then, I will return the bag to him. I reach the side of the vehicle when he approaches the car from the other side. Does he stay in that territory for 24 hours?

Doesn't he visit any part of the building during the interval hours?

I have seen the other three roaming on the premises but I had never spotted him. Maybe, he does. Whatever, I am here to return the bag, that's it. No sooner did he see me; I sense his whole frame tensing.

What happens to him whenever I am around?

"Good evening Sir,"

"Anything off Ms Sharma? You seem to be out of breath"

I stare at him for some seconds before speaking, "Yes Sir, actually" I hand him the poly bag, "I found this bag in front of the library's door as I was locking it. It seems someone from your family must have dropped it there or it could be Nuwa ma'am."

Giving me a look, he opens the bag and takes out the velvet box from it. Instantly, his expression changes from that of cold to shocked one.

His jaw is set and it appears as if his teeth will soon snap in two.

"Sir," I ask, "Are you alright?"

"Yes," he nods and raises his head to answer me back, I am amazed at the amount of anger.

"Did you see what it is?"

"It appeared as a sort of ring box, so I guess there must be a ring in it" I lie.

Grimly nodding he says, "Thank you for your help umm" he gulps the water of his mouth down "Ms Sharma"

"You're welcome Sir,"

"How are you going?"

"By bus, Sir"

He remains serious.

"Sit inside. I'll drop you"

"It's ok Sir," I say, "I can-"

"I said sit inside" he gives that look again and I submit to him this time.

******

"Where do you live?"

"Near Chick chocolate on Mall road" He nods and keeps on driving silently. It has been five minutes since we are on the road.

Finally, I start a conversation.

"Your girlfriend is very beautiful."

He is taken aback by that kind of talk. He looks at me sideways, "Who said I have a girlfriend?"

"Khanak ma'am"

"Oh, alright" he gives a curt reply. Does the boy never smile? I am giving him my stupid kind of smile but he never reciprocates any of that.

"Where do you live?" I asks him

"Near Mossy Falls area"

My mouth hangs open. Amazed, I look at him. The fall is surrounded by dense forest and is 7 km from Mussoorie. Bus from Bala Hisar or Barlowganj town leads up to it. Chauhan's live so far. They had to get up real early in the morning if they needed to reach Sir George's Everest area. My mind goes in for different questions. If they were from such a far area, then why did they have to put up an office here in the main city? They could have put it somewhere in Barlowganj or Bala Hisar, why Mussoorie? Must be liking the place...

"What's the time, Ms Sharma?" The sudden question pulls me down from my train of thought.

"It's eight, Sir," I say hesitantly this time.

"Are you hungry?" he asks in that same strict tone as if he is my warden and me an un-obedient child

"Don't worry sir, mom must be awake till now. She keeps the dinner ready"

There's a red signal on the Gandhi Chowk for the time being, so he looks at me.

"You live with your Mother. Where's your Dad?"

"My Dad is dead" I reply in the same way. His voice turns warm, "I am sorry. I shouldn't have asked"

"It's alright, I was just ten years old when he died, so I don't remember him that clearly"

"How did he..."

"Snakebite. Till the time an antidote could be searched for, he was already blue. Nobody could do anything"

His knuckles turn white as they grasp the steering wheel more tightly. As soon as he leaves me on my doorstep, immediately he turns in the opposite direction without even waiting for me to say thank you to him.

Weird Guy!

That night, as I lay in my bed, I think about the small conversation I had with Ahi. Suddenly, the phone buzz's and I pick it up.

"Hello"

"Hi Ra"

"Who is this?"

"Kaya,"

My mood turns jovial. God, it had been days since I last had a conversation with her.

"Kaya, hi, how are you? What's going on these days?"

''I should ask you that instead, little Ms librarian has forgotten us as soon as she joined Chauhan industries, ha? Not fair, Ms Sharma"

"I am sorry, the work was too much; I lost count of the day's"

"It's alright, Deepak asked me to call you and ask if you are happy at that job of yours"

"Thanks for asking honey, yes, I am happy"

"Well, it's great."

We talk for a little while more before she keeps the receiver down.

As soon as I keep the phone back on the table, it rings again.

Now, who is it?

"Hello"

"Rashi sssss."

*******

I can recognise this voice anywhere. This time, though I am still scared, I didn't shriek nor am I shaking.

There is some weird sense of relief in me. I am amazed at it. Sitting on the bed upright, I answer calmly.

"You"

"Yes sssss, it's me. You told me to stay away from you but..."

"Don't" I say "Don't say that. I am sorry for being so rude to you in the first instance. I was very scared when you first called me. I am still" I say to remove the shakiness from my voice "But, the intensity of the fear has reduced. I was missing your voice from so many days."

I take a breath "It's the truth"

Blimey!

It's the truth.

"You are not scared of me anymore?"

"I didn't say that but yes, I am not scared of your voice. Though, if you present yourself in front of me then I might go shrieking in another direction once again."A whispery chuckle on the other end and then it says, "Thank you, angel. Thank you for that small amount of trust"

"Why do you call me an angel?"

"Because for me that's the place you hold in my life. If it hadn't been for you, I might have been killed by those men that day. I'm thankful to you for that."

"'It's alright" I said "It's not such a big deal. If anyone else would have been there, then they must have done the same thing, who are you actually?" the question just comes out of my mouth, before I could say anything else. I maintain my silence and wait," I was beginning to wonder, if ever you will ask this question to me"

"I am a were snake, Rashi" I don't speak anything, for a minute. I am surprised at the amount of shock when I shouldn't have. Didn't I already have my suspicion on the supernaturalness of such a talking creature? Why then, all of a sudden, I am less of words?

"Alright," I say as if I used to hear this kind of thing every day when, in reality, I am too shocked to say anything. "I see" "Do you?" it lisp again "Do you know what a were a snake is, angel? I am a shapeshifter, a lycanthrope, a creature who can turn into a human and a Cobra, whenever I want to do so."

"I know what a lycanthrope is thanks anyway for telling me" I grasp the bedsheet tightly so that my voice is not shaking. Another earth-shattering silence and then he asked me

"Scared?"

"Somewhat, I won't lie to you"

"Thanks again for that,"

"Do you have a name?"

"Why do you ask my name? Just call me a friend.I have already told you my biggest reality"

"You have called me your friend? Don't friends know everything about each other?"

"Call me Vasu, my near and dear ones call me that"

"Vasu," I say the name and feel thrilled saying it. "Tell me something more about you? Where do you live? Who is there in your family? Do you work somewhere? What do you eat? You must be in college right?" My question list is endless. I have so many of them and then more.

"Slowly Ra" it whispers "I can't answer all of them in one go. I will answer them slowly and in time"

"What does that mean?"

"That means, I will answer every question but one question one day"

"That's long,"

"You have to learn to be patient honey now can I ask you a question?"

"Go on,"

"Are you now my friend or not?"

Should I be? But the answer was always inside me. I just had to mouth the words now.

"I am your friend. Never doubt that"

"So, that means, I can come to your room to meet you again?"

"No, please don't or I will die of a heart attack. It will take some time for me to get adjusted to this reality of yours. Until that time have mercy on my condition and don't come in front of me, especially not in your reptile form."

"Fair enough. I won't come in front of you, till the time you call me."

"Vasu can I ask you something?"

"Sure,"

"You said that you can take human form too. Can you meet me in that form someday? Not in my bedroom of course" Again a silence but there is an answer.

"I will come in my human form but only when I feel that it's safe"

"Cool,"

"Sleep now, angel. You need it. Good night"

"Good night, Vasu," I switch off my bed lamp and go to sleep. That night, the first time, I sleep deeply and content. My life has indeed taken an exciting turn after making a were snake, my friend.

Next day, I whistled unto myself, as I descended the stairs and made it to the dining. Vasu, what a charming name? I was too rude to him at first but now when everything has been sorted out between us, I have made the right decision. The friendship is still a little fragile right now but I feel an absolute peace in myself for the time being. Why didn't he tell who he is?

He is thankful that's why he talked and revealed his reality. I am relieved that this had finally settled itself. "Bye mum," I step out of the house. God, it's freezing these days. Fog, humidity, mist whatever you want to call it. Hills are like this whole year. I walk to the bus stand and wait for my bus.

I am working in the library and going through the daily newspaper when the telephone set named "Vritra" gives a red light.

"Yes Sir,"

"Ms Sharma, come down to the meeting room, we are going to start with our monthly annual meeting. Make it quick"

"Yes sir," I make it to the elevator. As the elevator lands on the first floor with quick steps, I finally make it to the meeting room. As soon as I enter, there is a grave silence all over and every eye turns towards me. "The triumvirate" sits in the front with Hari and Koyal by their side. Next to Koyal, it is my name and so without making any fuss, I quickly sit there.

Shesh smiles at me and I return it. Vritra and Nuwa are sitting together with Nuwa whispering something in his ears. His head silently shakes in acceptance. Ahi, on the other hand, is utterly tranquil neither looking left nor looking right. The meeting started with Ahi, speaking on certain guns, which are considered to be a deal of benefit for the company. As soon as I open my file, to take notice of some critical notes, my attention is immediately held by a particular black mark, which is there in the centre of my palm. What is this? I rub my hands together to get rid of it. It doesn't go. I will look into it after the meeting gets over.

Soon the meeting gets over with Vritra thank you speech. As the applause dies down, everyone is invited for a small refreshment, which has been arranged in the corner of the hall. As I proceed to the counter to take the tea and cookies, Nuwa comes to me. Lady has a style, walking with such grace.

No wonder every male gaze, apart from Ahi and Shesh, is looking at her with such admiration and lust. It might not be breaking news for her that if she had not been married then right now every man present around me must be thinking, what would she be like in bed?

"So, how was the meeting, Ms Sharma?"

"Great ma'am, considering that it was my first one" I smile and take a sip of my drink.

"Well, I am glad. Is everything going well these days? I mean, with your job, your life?"

A certain amount of unexpected curiosity is there in that voice of hers.

"Fine ma'am,"

"Good, all the best" she proceeds to Koyal's side. I go back home and while washing myself, I see that black mark on my palm again. I scrub it hard, rub my palms again and again but it appears to be attached to my skin, engraved on it.

What is this? Why isn't it going away? My hands are stinging red now due to continuous scrubbing and rubbing. I don't pay much attention to it and quietly leave it. After some days, I forget about it, considering the fact it wasn't causing any pain to me or that it was only visible to me.

Five working months have passed me by. During these months, I have developed a great working environment around myself and a certain amount of confidence in my work too. Apart from Ahi, everyone in my office is pretty happy with my performance. Shesh has even given me a month's salary in advance, telling me that he is pleased with my punctuality, my dedication and all above my hard work. This was indeed a significant achievement for me.

At night, I am progressing in my friendship with Vasu. We talk for a long while as he answers my questions one by one.I still remember the talk which had responded to some of my much-awaited questions.

"Vasu, tell me, what exactly do you eat?"

"We are omnivores. We can thrive on both human food as well as living humans too,"

"You mean you eat humans?" I get scared.

"Have you killed or eaten any in Mussoorie?"

"No, my family lives on human food. We do get excited by the sight of blood like every carnivore but we know how to resist. Others like us normally can't"

"How many of you are here?"

"Me and three more snakes that's it,"

"All like you?"

"All like me. We are here to search for our pious _Nag Mani_ , Rashi. The magical stones emitted by my parents, the king and the queen. We call them _Kashyapa and Kadra_ "

"What are these?"

"The ranks given to the present king and queen and the future royalty to be"

"Alright" I roll onto the other side and hold the phone close to my ears. "I have so many questions, where I should begin?"

"But you have asked every little detail from me. From my eating habits to my living conditions,"

"No, I haven't. Tell me how you came to know about my name, my job and every other thing about me?"

There's a pause. I sense he doesn't want to answer the question.

"Hello,Vasu, are you there?"

"I am. Your questions will have to wait. I promise the day I will come to meet you in my human form I will answer every lingering question in your mind. OK?"

"I don't have any problem. But why can't you answer right now?"

"Because there are some questions which should be answered with the direct conversation. As for knowing your name, I am a supernatural creature, having certain kinds of powers to myself. I can hypnotise people and therefore, I knew everything about you through that. Do you remember when I turned my hood in your direction? The way I stare into your eyes,"

"Yes,how can I forget that?"

"Your eyes told me all the information I needed" he chuckles again. I blush and thank God that he can't see me right now.

"So, you came to know about my phone number too in that way?"

"No, your mind told me that thing.I have certain telepathic abilities"

A supernatural creature with hypnotising and telepathic abilities who is attracted to me!

Isn't that something to be counted on?

"So you can communicate with your brain to others?"

"Only when I feel like normally I don't"

"Well, I am glad " I try to stifle a yawn.

"You are tired. Go to sleep"

"I am not sleepy"

"You are and I don't want you to spoil your health. Sleep now. Good night"

"Good night, hey, wait,"

"Yes sssss"

"When will we meet Vasu?"

"When the time is right. Good night now" saying that the line went dead.

Life has suddenly started appearing like a roller coaster to me. My job is going just fine or I should say more than fine. I have a wonderful feeling where my employer is concerned. We are on good terms with each other but it seems he is acting pretty strange around me.

Shesh Sir is the sweetest person in the whole office and also very refined towards me. These days, he has started working nervous around me. Well, in the past too, we used to have so many conversations in the lunchtime as the office has such less number of employees but these days apart from a standard Hello or Good morning, afternoon, evening, he barely speaks to me.

Even the tension between Ahi Sir and him, which got pretty evident to me in the past five months, has started getting denser by every passing day. What is wrong with him? In meetings, I have caught several times glancing at me from the corner of his eyes.

He thinks that I never notice the kind of coveted glares he gives me. The most prominent surprise is that in the past, I was just scared of Ahi Sir but these days I have started fearing Shesh too. I feel like asking his problem but halt in the process. What if he tells me that it is none of my business?

Sometimes you can't tell about these blue-blood people. They can be sweet at one moment and sour the next. I leave the matter.

I am working on some problem, his advice, now and then, resonates in my ears. He's giving me some directions regarding it. Suddenly, before I could watch my actions, my palm gets cut as it gets rubbed against the sharp edge of the glass.

"Ow"

I wince at the tip covered with a drop of blood. Shesh face turns to me, gaping at me in horror. He's by my side. Before, I could make any sense of his action; he takes the finger into his mouth and tries to suck it dry. In that one instant, his blue gaze gets locked with mine and I read what I have never seen in that gaze of his. The raw need, nameless feelings, attraction, which he has finally laid open in front of me. His action of sucking my finger tells me everything.

Oh my God!

I eventually acknowledge his problem in my mind. I feel as if I had been blind till now and this sudden accident has raised the curtain from my eyes.

How did this happen?

Shesh have those feelings for me?

Horrified at my imagination, I snatch my hand away from him, my file from the table and hastily make my way out from his room. I never even dare to turn back. As soon as I come out of the place, I break into a run and do not stop until I have made it into the elevator, leading up to my floor.

As soon as I enter the library, I shut the door tightly, so that nobody can disturb me for a moment. Reaching to my table, I gulp down the entire water and breathe heavily. No, this can't be. I must have imagined it. He's my employer for god sake and my rulebook implies that I should never get into those feelings with my boss and leave getting on with anyone. I shake my head and decided not to think of this aspect anymore. Maybe, there's nothing like that and I merely imagined it too much. Shesh can't feel those things for his secretary.

Until the time I reach home, take my dinner half-heartedly, wash and finally lie on the bed, my mind is still reeling in that direction where it had been all tiring day.

Finally, when my phone bell rings I have some relief.

Vasu!

It must be him. Grinning and sighing with ease, I pick up the phone .

"Hello"

"Hi, angel. How was the day?"

"Tiring, as usual. How was yours?"

"Tiring as usual" he gives me my answer back. I keep my silence. I am confused. Should I tell him?

How to tell him everything...?

"Rashi sssss, what happened? You are very quiet"

"Nothing," I said "What happened in your college? Anything new you studied?"

He has told me once that he is studying at a college, doing his bachelor's in Arts

"Vasu," I hesitate, "I need to ask you something"

"Yes sssss,"

"Do you like me?"

"Of course, I do angel"it said "I always say that, don't I? I have told my family about you and they are pretty excited to meet you."

I close my eyes. It is in situations like these that he looks more human. In fact, six-month are about to end, since we have become friends. In these months, I have told him everything about myself. My family, job, employers, office, everything. He gets excited as I tell him my daily routine. It relieves me and makes me happy in an unusual kind of way that cannot be described.

"What's the name of the person you are scared of in your office? I have forgotten his name."

"Ahi Chauhan,"

Even his name is enough to elicit a shiver in my spine.

"You told me once that he has a girlfriend right? How does she look? Do I have a chance with her?"

A pang of envy, so sharp, pierces my heart. He dares to think of anyone besides me, it's enough to flame me internally.

Pouting, I say, "Mr Vasu, if you are so interested in Khanak Thakur then why don't you talk to her instead of talking to me? You seem to be pretty interested in her, "

"Jealous?"

"of course, I am stupid. How will you feel if I tell you that I am dating someone else?"

"You aren't" he chuckles but there's a small edge underneath.

"You mean to say, you won't be affected, if I tell you that somebody has approached me?"

I ask disbelievingly.

"Nobody will dare to do that. You are my girlfriend, Angel"

Immediately as the words left his mouth, a thrill enters my chest. But, it seems to have an opposite effect on him. He becomes silent.

"I am sorry if I offended you"

"Vasu, answer me honestly" I hold my breath, "Do you like me in a normal way or..."

I leave the sentence as it is hoping for him to guess the direction of my question.

"Or?" His voice sounds silken.

"Or..."

"Ask me correctly. Then I can answer"

"Vasuuu" irritated. I get up from my bed and proceed to the window side.

"Don't play games now. Tell me, do you like me in a friendly way or in a way a boy likes a girl?"

"Umm," he gives a dramatic sigh as if he has no other option. "I like you,"

That will do for now it seems. I have to wait for some more time.

"OK," I say, "Fine enough. Then I should go to sleep."

"So early?" he sounds amazed. "It's just ten-thirty"

"I am sleepy" I say, sounding off even to myself. He smiles on the phone as he speaks again.

"You are adorable when you get offended like that. I enjoy you,"

"I am sure you do. Good night" I am about to disconnect-

"Rashi"

"Yes sssss"

He chuckles at that tone of mine. "I...Good night"

It is so sudden that I could not make head or tail of his actions.

*****

It dawns on me much later that night. I have realised a bittersweet fact. I love Vasu. When or how did this happen?

People will call it insanity. I have fallen in love with a person by merely talking to him through the phone that too in eight months.

Yes, two more months have passed.

Half the year has passed since I joined Chauhan's in addition to my friendship with a were snake. The mere thought of falling in love with a weresnake, eight months ago, would have made me scared to my core but now? Oh God now? it seems as natural as breathing.

We have just known each other. During these eight months, I have asked him only once to meet me. He has told me that when it will be safe, he will show himself. After that, I never pressured him. I am treading on dangerous waters. Falling in love with a mythological creature have its disadvantages too. I don't care about that aspect now. I merely want to live in this secure cocoon, which somehow, has formed inside me. Both of us keep dropping hints to each other but nobody speaks the words aloud. Who will say them first?

******

The month of Diwali approaches with lots of buzz and excitement in the air. Diwali has always been my favourite time of year after Christmas. These two festivals make me confident in life.

This Diwali is very special to me. I want to tell the whole Mussoorie I am in love. Oh the delights of first love!

Internally I smile to myself. Today it's my last day in the office because it is getting closed for Diwali holidays. The most considerable relief, my suspicion regarding Shesh Sir falling for me, has turned out to be just a mere suspicion.

After that incident, he has barely talked. It seems that for a moment, even he lost specific control of himself but everything is alright now. I am about to leave for home and am locking the door of the library, when I get Shesh's call saying that he will drop me tonight. Humming unto myself, I take the elevator, which leaves me on the first floor.

Out of the lift, I start walking to Shesh's room when certain voices are heard from the nearby balcony. Vritra and Nuwa must have left by now.

Who is talking so loud?

I stand behind the wall because the words were so loud that I can't resist from listening to the speaker.

"But you promised me, Ahi"

It's a female.

"You are backing on it now,"

Khanak Thakur, I rolled my eyes. I still remember her sarcastic remark, when I had gone to her birthday party. I shook my head,"No, I didn't" Ahi spoke again. The anger clear in his voice "You made a promise to yourself that you want to go to the restaurant. I told you, I am too busy these days and also that I have no time to idle around. Please Khanak,"

There's a warning.

"Stop throwing yourself at me unnecessarily. I have already told you, I consider you only my friend, that's it, nothing more than that and if you can't get that simple thing in your mind then I am sorry. You are in for a big disappointment"

"That's a lie. You do love me. You are just afraid to say it"

"Suit yourself if you want to live in that happy bubble." Avoiding both of their eyes, I walk towards Shesh's office.

Shesh is a cool driver. He handles his car as if it's a feather. So smooth and light. It's almost as if one is floating on clouds. I am still thinking about Vasu, about what I should say to him when I receive his call.

Should I just say everything?

Or should I wait for him to say it first?

My confusion level keeps increasing from day to day. I am lost in my fantasies and never notice Shesh halting the car all of a sudden. He calls my name and I come out of my thoughts.

"Yes Sir," I see him holding the car door open.

"Come, let's have some dinner"

"Sir!" I look at him and shake my head "I am fine sir, seriously. I-"

"Rashi," he sounds irritated, "I am hungry and if you aren't then just for my sake accompany me. Please,"

His expressions fall and he looks sad.

"It's my birthday today."

I feel like kicking myself. Turning to him, I raise my hand.

"Happy B'day Sir, I am sorry,"

"It's alright"

He shakes my hand with a small smile playing near his mouth.

"By the way, do you like Vegetarian or Non-vegetarian?"

I smiled at that "of course, Vegetarian, Sir."

*************************************************************************

Seating ourselves at the table, which is placed on the outsides, the service boy comes to our table.

"Good evening Sir, Good evening Ma'am,"

He nods and I smile at his direction.

"Bring us two glass of water, please," he says.

I have busied myself with looking around. Reading the menu, he gives the order and then looks at me.

"What would you like to have?"

I tell him my choice.

"You must be thinking that why haven't I thrown any party or something right?"

"No, how can I when I never even knew that it was your birthday today?"

He smiles at that.

"Right,"

"Did nobody wish you the whole day?" I am curious about the sudden piece of news which I got from him.

"Vritra and Nuwa did" he smiles as he recalls something, "they even presented me with an amazing pair of punch bags."

Boys, what pleasure did they get from getting a punching bag as a birthday gift? I smile.

"And Ahi Sir?"

Instantly, his face turns into the colour of a red tomato. What is this thing between these two brothers? This is not the first time, Shesh has acted like this to Ahi's name. In meetings too, I have noticed the way he acts around Ahi as if he is some untouchable, whose mere touch has the power to pollute him.

Doesn't Shesh like Ahi?

For a long time, there is no answer.

"I am sorry Sir. If you don't want to talk about this matter, it's perfectly alright. I won't force you"

"I don't accept wishes from strangers, Rashi," he says before I finish.

"Stranger - Who is the stranger? He is your brother"

"My illegitimate brother" he shrugs casually as if that doesn't matter much.

"His mother was the real love of my father so when she died, Dad had to take the bastard inside the family"

"I am so sorry, Sir"

I stop eating and gaze at Shesh in a dumbstruck manner.

"I have no right to say this but you should not say something like this for him. After all he is your brother whether you consider him or not. It's bad enough that he has that title over him without you making it much worse than it already is,"

"I don't care" he sips his drink. I nod and look sideways. Is that the reason Ahi is so far from everyone else? It could be...

"Rashi - I am sorry, I shouldn't have started this topic."

I looked at him.

"It's alright, I guess, I really should have kept my mouth closed,"

"Hey" he grasps my hand across the table, "Are you upset now? I said I am sorry"

"It's alright," I try to take my hand back out of his grasp. Why this sudden revelation of his family matter before me?

My mind comes up with that question. I never asked him who his family is or how they came here. He just started the topic all by himself. Yes, I am curious to know more about his family life, past life and the present one but somehow this sudden revelation and his hands-on mine has made it difficult for me to concentrate on what I was going to say next.

Hastily and nervously, I take my hands from his. The contact is so alien.

"I would like to go home. It's already too late,"

"Rashi" a sudden huskiness is there in that voice of his as he says, "you must be considering all these things strange but" he struggles with words, "you should know everything about my family, about myself .After all, if you are going to be my girlfriend, then..."

"Just wait a second there," I said, "What-what did you say about that girlfriend's stuff? come again?"

He looks confused and almost slowed down, "I said if you are going to be my girlfriend, then..."

"Who said anything about being your girlfriend?" I almost make my chair stumble.

The man has the guts to call me his girlfriend without even asking my opinion on that matter. I am astonished by that.

"I..." he looks more puzzled over my reaction, "I thought you liked me, Rashi. That day in the office, the way you looked at me-"

"Your mind range is way much ahead of time, Mr Chauhan," I say slowly, filling enough offence in my tone, "Did you even ask me once about my feelings? Did you ever give them consideration before calling me your girlfriend?"

I am surprised by the audacity of the man.

"Don't say that," the hurt is evident in his voice, "I thought...that you are too shy to confess them before me so I decided to make it easier for you"

"There was no need," I bite my lip, "When did I ever appear coy in front of you, Sir? If I ever had those feelings for you then, trust me, I would have come to meet you myself and would have told you about them. You amaze me,"

"So," the pain in his eyes,"You mean to say that...that-"

"I am sorry, Sir" I caution him with my eye, trying to make him understand.

"But, I don't share those kinds of feelings for you. On the contrary," I look down now knowing the next sentence I utter will make him sadder, "I love someone else, how can I love you ?"

****************

We keep our silence without either of us making an effort to break it. It was rude on my part to tell him in that way but all those talks about girlfriend stuff coming from his mouth threw me off balance for a minute there. How can he consider everything like that, when I never said those things?

I have committed a crime by breaking someone's lovely heart and not just anyone but my boss. But I was right that's what mattered more. I just cannot say yes to him while knowing that in my heart there was someone else that too a weresnake!

After dropping me on the doorstep of my house, he turns back after dropping me.

"Thank you for the dinner and Happy birthday again sir"

"Good night, Rashi"

"Sir," I fill my voice with enough warmth "I am so sorry. It wasn't my intention to break your heart. You had good intentions -"

I look sideways and then back at him.

"I haven't even told my mother about this. How could I have told you. I hope,"

I splay my hand helplessly.

"I hope you understand my situation and will forgive me. It is hard to forget the first girl or boy you had your attraction to but please -"

"It's alright, Rashi. My admiration for you had grown higher because of your intrinsic nature. You could have lied by saying yes to me even though you love someone else. It's not every day I propose a girl "

He winks and I smile, happy to see him getting normal.

"But still," he goes serious again, "It will take me some time to get over. Whoever the boy is, I must say, he is one lucky man to get such a loyal girlfriend," he smiles though there is some piece of sadness still lurking in his eyes.

"May I know his name?"

"You mind if I keep it secret?"

"No, I don't," he shakes his head and sighs heavily.

"So," I hesitate, "Shall I consider both of us to be just friends for now or not?"

"Yes, of course" he says turning to me, "I will try but-" a pause, "It will take time,"

"If you want, I can resign from the job..."

Even though it will make me sad.

"Impossible! I don't want to lose a good employee and a friend,"

He smiles and clears his throat.

"Well, forget it. Let's call it a night and proceed to our sleeping nests, shall we? I am damn sleepy."

"Alright, I would like to say goodbye and good night. Drive carefully and message me when you reach home."

"Alright, bye"

He drives away before I answer back. One thing has become clear. It's going to be difficult to work as Shesh's secretary now. One can always hope and try.

******************

Diwali holidays starts and with it starts the restlessness inside me. Shesh's face, twenty-four-seven, roams before my eyes along with his voice. I want to forget that talk now but it is embedded in my system somehow.

Why did everything turn in this way? I need some relaxation now. Though Shesh never asked me, I read the question in his eyes.

Does the boy love me too?

And how was I planning to answer him.

I never asked him?

I should make my feelings clear to Vasu regardless of his answer. Indirectly, I already know his answer but a confirmation through words is necessary for me at this time. A day before the first festival, at night, I wait like crazy for Vasu's call. In my bed, my gaze keeps on flickering to the bedside watching, hoping, that now the bell would ring. I must have fallen asleep because when the bell rings, rubbing my eyes, I pick up the phone.

"Angel sssss"

"Vasu" I heave a sigh, "Hi, how are you? Why did it take you so long? I thought something happened to you?"

"Ra" he lisps, "cool down, I am fine. Busy that's it. What happened?"

"Vasu" I close my eyes, "I want to meet you."

***************

Complete silence follows my statement. Is he shocked?

"Vasu, are you there? Are you listening? Say something,"

"Ra, are you alright? How can I meet you? Do you want me to come over in your room?" happiness lurks in that voice.

"No, I want to meet you in person. I want to meet you as a human."

My voice shakes and wobbles.

"Rashi, angel are you crying? Something has happened isn't it? Tell me"

"Nothing has happened" tears roll down now. My internal fear, suspicion and doubt have risen now.

Fear that my love will go unanswered.

Fear that Vasu may be considering me as his friend when I so want him to take the place of a lover.

Wiping my cheek, I plead this time.

"Please Vasu meet me once. I want to see you. Please, once. It has been eight months. eight months! "

I pause and wipe my cheeks again. "Enough for anyone to fall in love, isn't it?"

His voice full of wonder resonates on the line.

"You love me Angel sssss? You love a were snake?"

"Of course stupid, how can you ever doubt that" I gulp down a sob. Does love make you cry?

"Think one more time, Rashi. Are you saying it from your heart? Because I fell in love with you from day one."

"Really?"

"In our _Naga trib_ e, a male chooses a female by bedding her. This is how two people fall in love but a rare case happens if a _Naga_ falls in love with a human, girl or boy.In thousand years this thing has happened that a _Naga_ of our tribe has fallen for a human. For that to happen, a Naga feels connected to the human as the human is his soul mate, not girlfriend or wife but like another half. When that happens, only that person matters. The world can go to dogs for all it matters"

I feel like floating, flying high beyond my expectation.

"And what happens to a human?"

I asked lightly, smiling this time.

"The same thing. Apart from the _Nagah_ , the human will never be connected to anyone, whether human or any other lycanthrope. This is common in all the other lycanthropes that are a werewolf, were-cheetah, werebear and all. I wanted to say these words to you long back but thought that you would get scared. You were already scared by my real form, weren't you?"

"Yes," I smile, "But no more of that. Tell me, when are you going to meet me?"

"Soon, say, after Diwali?"

"So long"

"What about tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow" he is doubtful "I am not sure if I will be able to-"

"You can try,"

"Sorry love, I won't be able to and I don't want to disappoint you. I promise after Diwali in your assigned place, I promise"

"Thank you. Now, I can sleep peacefully"

"Ra, has something happened today?"

"My boss proposed me.I said no,"

"What did he say?"

The idea of Vasu getting jealous with Shesh thrills me.

"He said the boy is fortunate,"

"Indeed, I am" he chuckles, "He gave up on you?"

"I think so -"

"Make no mistakes, angel" he lisps again "You are mine and nobody can take you away from me. Sleep now love, Goodnight"

"Good night."

**********************

Diwali, the celebration of love and happiness is one of my favourite festivals. I love it. Though, right after Dad's death, mum and I were too sad to celebrate it for years so when I turned fifteen, we started celebrating it.

Like every year, I am busy decorating the entire house with _diyas_ with mum preparing the dinner. The delicious aroma from the kitchen enters my nostrils. I am currently on the roof making sure that every small corner is covered with the Diyas.

My phone rings. This is going on from the morning onwards. Wishes, laughter and talks are one of the standard happiness factors in the celebration of the festival. I am tired of attending the phone calls. Pushing the green button, I hold the phone to my ear without paying much attention to the caller.

"Hello"

"Happy Diwali, R-Ms Sharma"

That cold, I-rule-the-world voice is enough to make me guess the name of the person on the other end of the phone. I want to make sure that it is Ahi Chauhan and not anyone else.

"Happy Diwali, Ahi Sir,"

There's a small chuckle.

"How did you recognise me? I thought nobody can ever recognise my voice"

"I just knew. Was there any work, sir?" I ask because Ahi calls me only when there is some work from the library or when he needs to order some new books.

"No, I called to wish you happy Diwali from the side of the entire Chauhan family. As for work, Yes, I have some work from you"

"Please go ahead, sir"

"Ms Sharma, for two weeks I won't be coming to the office, even after Diwali break gets over"

Yes!

I won't have to see him for that many days. I feel like doing rock n roll.

"Oh," I fill my voice with enough sadness as if that is news of great grief.

"That's too bad, Sir. We will miss your presence in the meetings"

_You could not have given me much better news_ ...

"Thanks for your concern, Ms Sharma. That's why I decided to tell you. I've taken some books from the library so that I could read them during the holidays. I have finished reading. I will send them to the office through the hands Of Vritra _Khinna_ or Nuwa _Kadra_ alright. You can collect them from my office by using your keys"

"But Sir," Ihesitate this time, "You have forbidden anyone to go in your area, what about that?"

"That's what I am telling you. I have told Hari to permit you inside my room. The books will be kept on the table so you may collect them from there and if by chance, Hari is not there then don't worry. Enter the room with the help of your emergency keys, alright?"

"Very well, good night, sir. Happy Diwali once again"

"Good night"

******

.

I am desperately waiting for this Diwali week to get over. Not just because I'm bored with domestic life and want to return badly to my professional life but also because after Diwali Vasu has promised to meet me.

The place is not decided yet but that's no hassle. I have agreed to meet him in the _Nag Devta_ Temple.As I counted the days, soon the break comes to an end. I return to my office life. Days beam with happiness. Everyone is relaxed and refreshed after such a long break. The first day, when I enter my library, I glance at every single thing. From the table to the book rack seemed, as if, they missed me too. Shesh Sir is also very delighted to meet everyone.

I didn't see a flicker of any other emotion in his eyes apart from happiness and excitement. I am happy that he is trying so hard to overcome my rejection.

"Good morning sir," I enter his room with his daily schedule,

"Good morning, Rashi" he lights up as he sees me and gets up from his seat.

After supplying him with all the information, I am about to take my leave when I recall Ahi's work. Books, I need to take them. I ask him the same. He has no idea and that I should ask to Vritra _Khinna_ or Nuwa _Kadra_.

What is the meaning of these two alien words " _Khinna" "Kadra_ "?

I want to ask them these questions but am afraid to ask. If I offended them?

"Rashi" he says as I am about to exit.

"Yes sir,"

"About that night...please, I pray you, don't tell anyone about the things I told you about my family...about Ahi..." he doesn't finish but there's no need to.

"Don't worry sir. It's a secret, which will be in my heart until the day I die"

He smiles, "Thank you, friend. Stop calling me sir, call me Shesh."

"I can't, sir. You are my boss and following the office etiquettes, I should stick with your official title only, so" I pause again "Sorry to disappoint you once again. As for now, I should go to Ahi sir's room and take the books back. Good day"

*******

Certain nervousness arises in the pit of my stomach as I insert the key in the lock. Hari is absent today it seems so, I take the only option which is left to me. I use my emergency keys and soon hear the click from the other side.

Pushing the door, I step into a small corridor which has Ahi's private elevator in it and Hari's room too. Total silence prevails here along with the lighted chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Gulping down enough saliva to calm myself, I enter the smallest looking key in the main _"Dragon's Den_ ".

A click sound and I push the door open, careful enough not to make any noise. The _Dragon_ has permitted me to enter his den.

I'm not committing any crime. Why do I have this guilt? Everything is covered in darkness. Searching for the switchboard in the rear wall, I switch on the light. The curtain has been moved in front of the back glass window due to which there was such darkness. Moving to the window side, I remove the curtains so that the light may enter the room.

Smiling to myself, I turn and move to the table to collect the books from it when something catches my attention. That photo frame at which I could not look that day!

My curiosity gets the better of me again. Whose photo adorns Ahi Chauhan's table? Carefully, I go around the table and stand before it. Still, I can't see the person in it properly as the outside light is creating a reflection on it. Picking it up, I hold it before me. I have gone numb. My face is heated entirely up to my hair root. My tongue is thick and my mouth dry. The occupant of the frame is... me!

********

I can't believe my eyes as I keep staring at the frame for a while before I can make out the head or a tail of that photo.

Me!

Why does Ahi have my picture on his table? I blink several times before I am convinced that I am not dreaming or hallucinating. What is my picture doing here? What does this all mean?

I am still staring at the photo frame with a puzzled expression when absent-mindedly, I caress the sides of the frame. As if I have given the magical command, suddenly the drawer beneath the table stands open. I gasp in amazement.

What's going on?

I can't stop myself from gazing at that drawer and its content. Slowly, as if something inside me is commanding me to do that, I sit down and see the thing lying in it. It's a black diary.

_"Ahi Diary_ "

The miracle is even on its cover, I see my name written along with Ahi's. It's written in this way _"Rahi"_. Combining my and Ahi's name!

My hand goes to it out of its own accord. It's wrong on my part to read it. I should leave the matter where they are but I can't. Not after seeing my face in that photo frame. My hands are shaking and I am shivering from head to toe until I take the book in my hands.

No Rashi, don't! don't read it.

I don't care!

With shaking hands, I flip open the diary.

*******

_I am unable to find it. When, when will I get that mani? Why is God so unfair to me? Isn't it enough that I have already lost them? It will take some time but where is it? Didn't Nuwa tell me that it had to be somewhere in Mussoorie?_

_I am so confused...I still can't forget their faces. The horror of it as I saw those two assassins burning their bodies. Raja Saab and Rani Sahiba... just like it had happened yesterday. I never told Vritra and Nuwa about it._

_But now...?_

_The night, when Raja Sahib and Rani Sahiba emitted the three magical stones from inside, I was ordered to call Vritra Khinna. But, I didn't. How could I?_

_It was his and Nuwa's wedding night. It was one magical night. Khinna and I are the same in our appearances when we are in snake form. So, without informing him, I took the way and went into the jungle. Jaipur jungles have always fascinated me from the day I entered this family. Being an illegitimate one, I believe, has some advantages._

_Full moonlight and greenery all around me. It was the time when the magical process took place. Raja Sahib emitted a green one ,which Mom told him, belonged to me as I am his love child from his one true love._

_She said that actual love mattered more than anyone else. Mom gave out two red ones which she_ _said is the responsibility of Vritra and Shesh Khinna._

_I love my Mum and elder Khinna for the love they have shown to a bastard child. Then as soon as the process ended, two shadows emerged from the tree side, of those two cruel people. Big bulky looking one attacked Raja Sahib, thereby, slashing his mouth from the head. This was too much for me and Mom took the wrath next._

_Another one was merely standing by the side, watching the crime. He never moved from his side but just took the three stones handed to him by the massive one. It was so dark that I could not make out their features. Mum was killed next in the process of saving me. I had to hide so that I may return safely to the castle and tell everyone about the murders._

_Uncle and Aunt, as soon as they heard about the killing, told the four of us only to move out from Jaipur as without Mani we were helpless and without any power. If the three stones would have been with us then, Vritra Khinna could have been the next "Kashyapa" in line. The King of the were snakes, with Nuwa as "Kadra", Cobra queen._

_The quiver, i.e. our group, needed that but it was just because of those two men that we are orphaned now. Mussoorie is our home now because Jaipur will always remain the eternal one. It was bad enough that I lost not one but two mothers. My real one and the step, who became more real to me, than anyone. Mom named me Vasu, once._

_I remembered when she told us about the great Kashyapa, the great Vasuki, greatest of the King Cobra in Naga tribe history. She sometimes glanced him in me._

_I will always be the "Parijana", the attendant; helper of the quiver. I would have been given the sacred responsibility of carrying out and enforcing decisions made by Kashyapa and Kadra, to fulfil all orders of punishment._

_Raja Sahib always thought that Parijana held equal authoritative power as the Kadra, two often see eye-to-eye. I can never see eye-to-eye to Nuwa. She is the only elder sister I have got after she got married to Vritra.I wish we find it in Mussoorie. Legends state, this is where the Great Vasuki discovered his one right soul mate, the great Kadra, Mayuri, first Cobra Queen._

_I often wonder how a Cobra can fell for a human?_

_Mayuri Kadra was a human so I heard from Nuwa once..._

_Will I ever find anyone?_

I turn the pages...

_I don't remember the last time I saw an angel but I am sure I saw one today. She was there like a bright star at night. She told people not to hurt me. Such grey eyes like the cloudy mists before the rain. Mouth, the delicate rose petals waiting to be plucked. I think I want to get lost in those eyes for my whole life._

_She is brave, courageous and just like me...alone, waiting for real love._

_At that moment, I just wanted to change back in my human form, embrace her and tell her that I am ready to give her every single drop of love that is stored in my heart from that moment for her._

_She is frustrated with a job; her mind told me that much. She has got a name more beautiful than the sweetest berries I have ever tasted, Rashi. Her physical self is an irresistible temptation for me, a temptation which I won't resist._

_I love her like crazy. Isn't that what Nuwa told me once that when my girl will appear before me, I will care less for others and more for her..._

Turn some more pages _..._

_She is here in the office!_

_Thank god my scheme of recruiting her worked. Though Khinna said that she was amazed at that stupid Deepak Kathra's, whose wife's birthday party I attended and who forgot, confused her by saying that he never forwarded her resume to Chauhan's office._

_We never got her resume but it was necessary to answer her that her resume was forwarded to Thakur's office from where it mistakenly came to us._

_Stupid Kathra!._

_He could have ruined my plan. No woman is allowed to enter my office. I hope someday when I will explain the density of my feelings, I will be able to show her not only my office but my home and especially my bedroom..._

_Shesh will always hate me but I deliberately told Khinna to make her Shesh's secretary so that she will be under my vision._

_O Ra!_

_If only the circumstances were simple.._

_If only I could have been the extrovert kind of boy, it would not have been hard for me to show you how much I care for you..._

_Vritra and Nuwa are happy for me especially Nuwa who always considered me off in the world. She says Rashi has changed me. Well, who could take out faults with the delights of love?....._

_The girl is scared by my appearance. I don't blame her. She has a sweet, innocent soul. If I had been in her place then I would have run to another direction just like she did. I plan to see her sleeping simply but as soon as I saw her sleeping form, I could not resist myself from entering her room and call her name in my snake tongue._

_It was wrong on my part to do that but Rashi brings out those wild tendencies in me......._

_She missed me. It will be some time before she accepts me. She made me her friend. It's alright. I am not in a rush to proceed with my relationship with her......._

_She loves me._

_O Yes!!...though she has taken such a long time to confess it. The little tease the girl is but I love her talks, her laughter. Hell, I love everything about her. What will she say to the fact when she will become aware that the person she is afraid of most in the office is the person she is in love with? will she be happy or sad? I just hope that she doesn't get too offended.The one fact that Ahi is Ahi Vasu Chauhan! Her Vasu!_

*****

I keep sitting on the leather chair. It doesn't matter that I am getting frozen sitting on that cold seat or that it's nearly one in the noon and I have been sitting in that office for the whole day. All that matters is that I can't move from my place.

Empty, inside out.

Cold ice is seeping in my bones.

As if, somebody has slapped me hard or I have come to the party already took place yesterday. Cheated, betrayed. All the talks I've shared with so-called Ahi Vasu Chauhan in the past few months starts flashing in my mind's eye. I can hear him laughing at me. Laughing at my foolishness, on my empty brain that I could not recognise him in the first place.

My situation is a muddled one, where I have no idea whether to laugh or cry.

Laugh on my foolish brain which could not add two and two thereby creating the answer four. Cry on my empty dreams baseless hopes and worse than, one feeling which once took me to the sky and has dumped me so ruthlessly on earth.

Love.

I need some air to think about things with a fresh mind. Eight months, I think, it took eight months for me to finally...

I can't complete my train of thoughts and right now, my eyes are staring at a golden locket which is lying on the wooden base of the diary drawer. Keeping the diary in its right place so that nobody has a suspicion of it being read, I take the locket in my palm. It's an almond-shaped golden locket hanging by an elite light golden chain. I keep on looking at it with blank eyes. My emotions are completely dishevelled right now. Should I be happy or straight away run from that office and not look back?

Right now, the locket is opened from the middle with its back to me. Turning it on the other side, I look inside and this time a tear slips on my cheek as I see the content of the locket. On one side of the Locket one big 'A' and the other has 'R'!

**************************************************************************

As the machine works on its triple speed, I sip the hot tea, which has been supplied to the library along with some chocolate cookies. I am apprehensive right now as I see the diary's pages getting photocopied on the sheets of white paper. I don't want to say anything right now, apart from the feeling, which tells me that I should better read till the latest date of the new entry in it.

When I have already broken so many rules, which are:

1. Reading my employers diary

2. Indirectly, falling in love with my employer, when it's clearly in my professional rule book that I should never fall in love with my boss, leave falling for Boss's brother then xeroxing the diary is no crime.

I know I won't be able to read it all in one day nor is it possible to read it in instalments because after today I won't be visiting Ahi's room.

Hell, I am even planning to stop visiting this whole building after some days if the circumstances demand so.

Who knows, I might resign!

I have completely shut my brain to any internal conversations. I need to read the whole diary in detail before making any decision. The machine beeps the signal 'done' and I leave my seat to get the papers from it.

Collecting the papers from the machine, I staple and keep them on the table. Taking the diary, I retrace my steps back to Ahi's room and keep it in the drawer. Giving the photo frame a last fleeting glance, I quickly come out of the room, lock it, come out of the big main door, lock it too and go back to my office.

******

I come home with the day's tiredness taking me over. What I need right now is a hot, warm bath to remove this coldness inside me. Slowly, without even noticing that it's seven in the evening and Mom has not made it to the house, I go to my room. I heard an opening of the door from downstairs, as I went my way to the washroom."I am home" came the voice. I went to the restroom. I brushed my teeth frantically and then stripping myself, I stood under the hot shower. No sooner the hot water sprinkles on my face then I gasped, coming back to life.

Finally, I let down the guard around me and the controlled tears find their way out of my eyes. Closing my eyes against the water, I let the tears slip.

I need to stop deluding myself from reality. It is high time that I should realise what a great shock I have received today. Ahi is Vasu or Vasu is Ahi, it's the same thing. Both are the same persons. All this time, when I had been talking to Vasu, it was Ahi on the other side. I had been recruited, only because he took some likeness towards me.

All the things that I have read in his diary are like a stab to my wounds, which look like they won't be able to fill with time.I cry for all those silly notions on which I have built my love dreams.

Ahi loves me and I love his other side Vasu.

His snake side was ok with me but, as a human, he is still a mystery to me. I don't doubt his words written in his diary but my most significant dilemma is that after knowing everything about him somewhere, Ahi would never be able to trust me fully.

I admit he outsmarted me. I don't care that it has happened to me but, the fact, that Ahi and his family will never accept me, especially after this...

Vritra, Nuwa and what about Shesh?

My eyes open.

Oh my God!

My eyes widen. How come I never considered that truth? Shesh's hatred for Ahi has been evident to me but what will happen when he comes to know that Ahi is my secret boyfriend?

Will I ever be able to explain my confusion? Will he not consider me a foul soul? A girl, who rejected one brother because indirectly, she fell for the reserved brother?

Vasu told me he loved me. Ahi has written that he loves me but whom should I love now?

Ahi or Vasu?

The weresnake or the human?

For eight months that person kept on playing with my emotions and sentiments. Never dropping a small hint that it was him. All this while, having fun at my expense. When I told him to meet me he gave me the excuse that he will appear only when he will consider it safe.

Of course, how could he meet me? Wouldn't he have exposed himself in that way?

I'm getting confused minute by minute. I can't make up my mind as to what I should do. Of course, now things have changed. Khanak, what about her?

The childhood sweetheart who is herself a weresnake, isn't Ahi connected to her? How will she feel that her so-called lover has been dreaming about a human like me?I hold fast to the wall so that my thoughts could not make me faint. So many people are connected in this one single relationship of mine. He told me once that his family was eager to meet me. That means, Vritra and Nuwa already knew.

Shesh...

Somewhere, my love story has ended before it even began.

*********

I have my dinner and take the dishes to the kitchen sink, Mom's curious gaze at my back is sensed by me. I'm acting strange but I can't help it. This way or that, I am trying but now and then, my mind wanders back to those diary's papers, which are kept in my room right now and which I have not read after coming from office...

"Ra," I hear her behind me "How is office going?"

"Pretty well, Mom"

I reply with my hands scrubbing the plates to remove the grease.

"Anything irking you?"

"Nothing," I shrug, "Just normal tiredness, that's it"

"Just asking" she moves from the kitchen. Turning around, I see Mom disappearing into her room with a slumped shoulder. I hate myself. I shake my head at that thought.

*****************

_Sometimes I think, if what is written in legends is true because it appears as if it is..._

_Cobra's Eye ring marked her._

_No, she didn't tell me. I just saw the insides of her palm while she handed me the polybag which had the ring. Last time the ring marked someone, it was The Great Kadra, Mayuri. Nuwa said that after that many weresnake females tried to get that perfect mark, but the mark is only given to the real soul mate of a Naga._

_It states that, once it marks a human or a Nagin, they are kind of stamped for a particular Naga. Of course, how can she tell me?_

_When will I be able to reveal so many secrets to her?_

_Someday, I have to._

_I am not ready to tell her all this right now. The day when she entered my cabin, I narrowly avoided her seeing that photo frame which had her photo in it. That was a close call. I tell myself, now is the right time to tell her but...then she comes before me and I become speechless._

_I am curious. How will she react? Will she be shocked? That's alright. It's normal for humans to get shocked._

_But...one thought keeps on haunting me..._

_What if she said No? What if she rejects me? How will I ever be able to live then? My life seems wasteful to me right now when she is ignorant of all_ _the facts!_

_How will it appear when she says no?_

_I don't want to think about it..._

_Please God, let her say yes. She loves Vasu but will she say yes to Ahi too? Will Ahi the human be as lucky as Vasu, the snake? I shiver at the answer to it. The girl who fell in love with the snake in eight months, can't she fall in love with the human? I guess time will tell..._

_When Mom died and I entered Chauhan's kingdom, I had to take care of myself all by my own but then Kartika 'Kadra', my stepmom, along with Raja Sahib, gave me a hearty welcome. I never forgave him for what he did to my mum, Parvati, the so-called 'consort' to him._

_Kartika showed me what real mum love means. She never took me as a step-son as Shesh often does, the illegitimate brother. I never get any warmth from him. In the beginning, I took it as an offence but then as time passed, I realised that I have taken his place in the family, being the middle brother._

_It must have looked as if everyone is concentrating on me alone, never giving him slight attention. I try to make it for him by showing my care, my love for him. I thought once that he is just showing his rudeness to me on the face, he is pure at heart. Even Mom had told me that, but then, I realised, that it was real. The truth dawned on me when once, the three of us, were playing on the ground and suddenly, I got wounded. Vritra Khinna came to my aid and Shesh, on the other hand, kept on looking at me with envious eyes._

_I knew then that I was only in public, in the presence of the elders was his "elder brother". I didn't have any place in his heart nor will I ever.I let it pass since then. When it was time for the three of us to go to school, we met Nuwa, Khanak and our first cousin sister, Shliya. Shliya was like me, loved by her family but lonely at heart for the reason that she was a girl._

_Her parents, the youngest brother and the then "Parijana", present "Kashyapa", Vikram Chauhan and his wife Shavya Chauhan, present "Kadra", wanted a boy. Shliya wasn't a particular disappointment to them, but they weren't happy either. In school too, when I searched for some private place in recess time, she and I used to spend some time together._

_Khanak, on the other hand, kept company with Shesh. They were the main attraction of the whole class. Shliya and I were the most introverts_ .

_Nuwa, she was in the other section of the class and often, I saw Vritra Khinna giving her coveted glares. Until the time we reached the college level, Shliya and I became the best of friends. I named her Jaanu and she called me by the name, which Mom had given to me, Vasu._

_Khanak suddenly started showing her interest in me. I never saw her with that intention of which she has started seeing me. I thought that maybe, it was the hormonal balance in her system. Of course, it's a different thing now that I have started seeing Rashi with that kind of glare..._

_No, it's not hormonal to me. It's real. Why is she spreading that kind of news that she and I are betrothed when such a thing never happened? I think I will have to talk to her soon. There is only one person to whom I want to get betrothed but will she have me?_

_When the assassination happened with Mum and Raja Sahib, with a broken heart, four of us had to move to an area where the water resources are more and the climate is cold. Even in my dreams, I see the dead burning corpses of both of them. Why do the worse things happen with me all the time?_

_Now, the other night, Rashi told me that Shesh proposed her and she said no. Her heart belongs to me. I can't even explain the glee I felt in the depth of my heart when I heard her speaking that. At that time, I wanted to reveal her my true self but, then again, fear gripped me and my tongue went numb. The dilemma is, I can't even speak to her about that lest she will guess the truth._

_No, Rashi is mine, only mine._

_Shesh, or anyone has no claim on her for she is not the only mine by my own choice but even nature has marked her for me. When Shesh left any respect for me, the respect and love which I had for him deep in my heart, also vanished. Vritra Khinna always taught me one thing, love the person who loves you. That's what I have started doing since then._

_Though of course in public, we both appear to be the loveliest brothers but the truth is, Shesh is and will always be my worst enemy. I never used to think like this but, time and again, his own behaviour turned my thinking into this direction. The person affected most by this will be Nuwa, for after the death of Raja Sahib and Rani Sahiba, she and Vritra Khinna took over the role of our parents._

_Nuwa taught both of us to live in unity. I hate to disappoint her but I can't help it......_

_O God, I forgot that Diwali is coming and now, Angel says, she wants to meet me. She was crying on the phone. What could be the reason? Did anybody say anything to her? She didn't tell me anything, a gentle soul she is, but still..._

_I told her after Diwali, we will meet for sure but it seems as if I am trapped in my own net of lies. How can I meet her? The cherry on the cake, she has forbidden me to come into her bedroom in snake form? What about her coming birthday? What shall I do about that? I want to give her the most luxurious things but she won't accept them._

_I am forgetting one vital part. In order to celebrate and give her a gift; I have to appear before her. Should I tell her about my secret identity?_

_I think...I have no other option left with me. I am afraid of the result of the meeting. I have a feeling that something worse is going to happen. I think until the time she wasn't marked by the ring, I could instantly know everything about her daily routine, almost every day._

_But now...I don't know, I can see some blurred images, apart from that well nothing. O God, let my fear be just a fear..._

I close my eyes and let myself get relaxed after what I have read. We will work it out somehow I think. I can hide from it, run from it but I can't escape these feelings which have taken their place in my heart after reading his diary.

I love him. This is the conclusion I have come to after going through these pages. My love for him won't get less by all these complexities but why leave him so easily? He will be punished starting from tonight's call. Let me see how true is Mr Chauhan's love for me? Does he really love me or he is faking it out in these pages? He can fake it too. Time for me to test him, I made up my mind.

************

At ten in the night, I am lying in the bed thinking about my first plan to test him. I have planned to call him to the assigned place for our first meeting. My criteria is let him be ignorant of the fact. Let him think that I am still under a false impression. If he comes to meet me, but not in his original form then he is just doing time pass. If he comes to meet me in his human way, that is to say, a real rational way with his real face then he sincerely loves me. If he takes some duplicate face then I will kindly tell him to look for somebody else to play these kinds of girlfriend-boyfriend games.

Same will happen if he doesn't turn up or make some excuses.

That done...My thought process is broken by the crazy ringtone which I have on my phone. Must be him.

"Hello,"

"Hi angel, happy birthday."

Fantastic! I frantically look at my watch which has struck twelve now. Time seems to have flown by me somehow.

Twelve?

So early?

"Thanks, A-Vasu"

I control my slip of the tongue.

"So, what is your plan?"

"Vasu, meet me today love. Say, St. Mary's church at five in the evening?"

"Five in the evening? but why five? Why St Mary's Church? What's the rush today? We can meet some other day too can't we?"

Excuses!

What should I make out of this now? Is he afraid to come or nervous? If he loves me then shouldn't he put some trust in me?

"No,"

I sound selfish and spoiled even to my ears, "I want to meet you today, "

"Angel sssss, you are impossible" he chuckles, "Will I get my party too?"

"You just come.We'll see it later."

*********

Ten in the morning, I'm sitting in my library, absently staring at my bookshelves. So many undefined emotions are going through my mind. Half part of my mind says he will come in his real form, half says he won't. I want my first half to win.I am so lost in my gloomy thoughts that don't notice Shliya's entrance in the room.

It's only when she shakes me that I became aware of her.

"Good morning Ma'am," I stutter.

As always, her charming face lit up with a dazzling smile. I smile back.

"Cut the formalities, Rashi. Call me Shliya, alright. I am not your employer"

"But you are my employer's sister"

She guffaws and takes my hand.

"Brilliant girl you are I must say but," she takes something out of her bag and hands me a box, wrapped in a shiny cover "Happy twentieth Birthday"

"How do you- What is this?"my mouth hangs in amazement.

"Shesh told me" she laughs, "It's totally another thing that he hasn't wished you yet."

"Thank you but I am sorry ma'am. I don't take gifts especially not from my employers or their sister's for that,"

"I am just your friend for now," she said "Not your employer so no formalities with me alright?"

"Alright Shliya" I repeat with a smile.

***********

Evening falls and I see the clock. It's 4:30, half an hour more to go. Let me check if Ahi is still in his office. I pick up the phone labelling his name and press his office number. After the bell goes for a while, I immediately hear a voice on the line as the phone is picked.

"Yes, Ms Sharma?"

He is still there. Disappointment floods my heart.

"Sir do you have the books you asked for? I thought I should ask you,"

"Yes, of course, Ms Sharma, I did. Thank you once again"

"You're welcome Sir,"

I keep the receiver down.

I get down from the elevator after taking special permission from Shesh to go home early today. I have not even told Mom about this special meeting today of course I have no plans to scare her.

Correct five, I am sitting inside the Church eagerly waiting for him. St Mary's, being the oldest church in Mussoorie, is situated just above the Mall Road. It's one of my favourite spots in the whole place and gives me peace of mind. To save myself from shivering, I have worn a thick leather jacket. Glancing up at the clock, it's correct five now with my eyes stuck at the entrance of the church. Any minute now,I will see him walking inside.

O Christ,let today be the day when I will finally see my lover's face. It's kind of silly on my part when I already know who will turn up but still the thrill, the excitement, running through my veins is indescribable. I keep watching the clock hands as they move from five to six and to six-thirty. There is still no sign of him anywhere. I wait for some more time. Before I know, my eyelids get heavy and I slowly go to sleep mode.

*************************************************************************

Somebody jerks me and I open my eyes. My mind is confused and something tries to penetrate into my sleeping brain, some thought, which wants to wake me to reality.

Oh!

I gasp. The reality comes to me with all its force. Standing before me is an old woman, with a kind smile on her face but worried lines near her eyes. She has her head covered with white cloth but of course Sister Agatha needs no introduction.

"Good evening sister" I get up hastily and wipe my face. There is something, some thought, which is still eluding my mind. I can't put my finger to it right now

"Rashi Sharma? Maya's daughter?"

"Yes sister,"

"Go home child, why are you still here? Aren't you finished with your prayer?"

"I am done sister. I was so deeply praying that I slept. I am sorry,"

I stutter in my nervousness.

"No, you weren't drowsing. You were sleeping. Go home. It's late. We are going to close now."

"Close?"

Everything comes rushing to me.

Ahi...Vasu...meeting...birthday...

I gasp softly and turn to look at the watch.

Oh my God! It's nine in the evening! I've been in the church for the last four hours! My head spun. My heart crashes in my ribs as I finally take over the meaning of Ahi's absence. It is clear. I have made a great fool of myself.

"I am sorry, sister,of course, I must go. It's late,"

"Hold on child,"

I see her struggling with something in her hand. It turns out to be a shiny silver wrapped gift package. Handing it in my direction she says.

"When you were sleeping, someone came and left this package with me saying it is your birthday today and if I can just wish you Happy birthday from his side."

Shivering and trembling slightly, I take the gift in my hand and ask her.

"Who was it sister? Did you see his face? What did he look like?"

"I never saw his face. He had those big dark glasses over his eyes so I could not see him. It's alright child. He said that his name was Vasu and that you will recognise him by just his name,"

Of course,Vasu!

It's the name that I fell in love with; it's the name which fooled me so many times but I know who the person is. He could have woken me. He could have slightly jerked me so that I could be alerted. What should I make out of this action? He had been here when he had been not here, i.e. when I was sleeping. Taking the gift from her hands, I make it out of the church in no time.

Time for me to look for a new job. It's still one week before Ahi comes back. The chances are high that Shesh would say yes to it before Ahi comes back. Once Ahi is back in the building, it is possible that my resignation will become the topic of discussion among the directors thereby appearing to him that I have discovered his secret.

I don't want that to happen. Making a phone call to Deepak, I tell him my decision to which he says nothing but I can sense his disapproval online. The second call is made to the public library, where thankfully, the chair of the librarian is still empty. I am joining the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow, I am going to Chauhan's office to give my resignation.

*************

I am lying on my bed, eyes closed, but my mind is still awake to all the thoughts.. It's hard for me to make that decision but I had to make it somehow. Leaving Chauhan's office and the job is one decision where I had to think from so many practical points of views.

I will have to face Ahi every day and the game to which I had planned to put a stop now, will be hard to stop. The person who doesn't have any courage to face me before the whole world, what guarantee do I have that he will truly love me in future too?

Moreover, when Shesh comes to know that Ahi is my secret boyfriend won't the differences between them increase? I don't doubt that Vritra, Nuwa, Shliya or even Mum will have any problem with our relationship but Shesh won't take it.

Why forget Khanak? who had shown such displeasure to me in her party!

Who knows what she may have in that head of hers?

No, I have no problem with their supernaturalness or the fact these people were some mythical creatures walking amongst us. The only doubt I have is of Ahi's love and his feelings. If he loves me, then he should have no problem expressing it before everyone. But he did no such thing. I can't base my entire life on a phone can I?

To stop getting the phone calls from him, I even purchased a new sim card and took out the old one from my cell so that I won't get a phone call from him. Sighing deeply, moisture rolls down the side of my eyes.

"Stop crying fool. It's your fault to trust some person like that and then cry like a ninny over your heartbreak."

Getting up, I gulp down some water, wipe my eyes again and sighing, laid down on the bed

Next day, I reach the office,I head towards Shesh's office.

"May I come in, Sir?"

"Yes,"

I close the door softly behind me and turn to face him. Shesh is sitting in his usual pose with his head bent on his file.

"Good morning Sir,"

"Good morning, Rashi"

He says and looks up, "Come, sit"

"No Sir, I just want to give this to you" I lay the envelope on his table.

"What's this?"

"My resignation, Sir"

***************

As if I have spoken Greek, I see Shesh's expression going blank. Instantly, as if on fire, he stands up and stares at me with confused expressions.

"Resignation?"

"Yes, Sir" I smile, "I am sorry for coming with this at such a time but it's compulsory for me to resign from this job"

"Did anybody say anything?"

"No Sir. Mom is not keeping well these days and she needs someone to take care of her. If I keep on with the job then nobody will be there at home when she comes from the office to make her some food. Moreover, I am thinking to start with my distance learning post-graduation so that I am better qualified to take higher jobs."

"Is the salary not up to your mark?"

"It's not that, Sir" I shake my head, "But I want to make myself able of the post you have given me. If you want, I can join you after two years..."

_When I will see you with your wife or Ahi will get married to Khanak..._

Such acute pain goes through my heart that I clutch my fist to control myself. The mere thought of seeing him with someone else inflames me internally. But, this is necessary. It's compulsory for me to distance myself from the entire family.

Of course, their secret will remain safe in my heart but still first love is always that first love.I will survive. I will get over Ahi with time. I am taking the right step then why do I have this sudden pain in my heart as if it's being ripped in two pieces?

I am doing this for his and my well-being.

"Oh," the disappointment in his voice is real

"Well," he sighs, "If that is the case then I am no one to stop you. All the best Ra. My office is always open to you,"

"Thank you Sir," saying that, I exit from the life of the Chauhan's.

*************************************************************************

The library is the same as before with no difference. Person appointed here within these eight months was not up to the mark according to Deepak. Everyone is amazed at my decision of leaving Chauhan's but nobody, thankfully, questions me. When Mom asked, I told her that I have applied for post-graduation and I want to have a complete education. I tell her the lie I have said to Shesh.

It has been just one week since I have rejoined the library but what affects me the most is I can't connect myself to this place. The place which was dearest to me once has no importance for me now. Sighing deeply, I start arranging certain books in their places when I hear the desk phone ringing.

Leaving the books where they are, I quickly move to the desk.

"Hello"

"Rashi" It's mum "Are you free right now dear? If you are please make it to the hospital right now. I have forgotten my doctor card at home. Please pick it up from there and give it to me will you?"

"Yeah sure mom," but I halt, "What happened Mom? You seem to be out of breath. Is everything alright?"

"Yes honey, apart from the cases I am dealing with these days."

"Cases? what kind of cases?"

"I didn't tell you about them, did I? How about you come here? I'll tell you everything over lunch"

"Yes, of course"

********************

St Mary's Hospital has supported Mom since the day we moved to Mussoorie. I'm walking in the corridor which has many ICU's in it. Mum's a physician in this section only. She mostly treats children and women. There's too much of that clean hospital smell in the air. Controlling my breath, I make it to the room of Mum.

"Hi,"

I enter her room. She looks at me and her face changes.

"Hi," she smiles instantly.

Mom's face was of total upheaval right now. She looks tense and worried. For a minute, I'm taken aback. True, she loves her patients. She must've been resting till now with her head on the table but I believe; even that rest hasn't helped her. Her coffee cup, which was filled with coffee recently, seemed to be empty right now.

Passing her doctor Id to her, I say, "What happened Mom? You look worried"

"Not here," she stands up and take the card from my hand, "Let's go somewhere and have our lunch"

Reaching to a small eating point, which is placed right outside the premises of the building, we take our seats and place the order. As soon as the service boy leave us, I ask:

"What was that back there?"

She looks at me, bites her lip and whispers,

"Ra," She hesitates, "These days, lots of snakebite cases are coming to the hospital"

Every sense in my system goes on alert.

"Snakebite?"

She nods her head in acceptance and continues, "Two days back, there was this woman, who was bitten but thankfully the antidote was available so we were able to save her. Then, we had a child who was bitten by the creature."

"How is he?" I am horrified now.

"Fine, we discharged him yesterday only. Today, there was another patient who was admitted, bearing the same mark. The point is," she stops at that "It's none other than, Kaya"

"What?" I cried out so loudly. I am sure the whole Mussoorie must have heard it. People around us turn to stare at me.

"I am sorry" I say and they all turn back to their conversations.

"How is she? Is she fine? Did Deepak come to meet her?"

"Yes," she nods and then stops because, until that time, our order is being placed on the table

As soon as the bearer leaves, she starts serving both of us.

"It's horrible. Seems like creatures are in some war against us."

I am disgusted to my core as I hear her but inside my entire being shies away from the possibility that...that, it could be...Chauhan's.

No!

It cannot be them. They were not purely humans but they cannot commit a crime like this.

"What do you think?" she asks me "Why are these attacks happening?"

"No idea" I hesitate, shrugging carelessly as if, that doesn't matter much to me when it does, Oh Lord, it does.

*******************

At night, I lie in my bed thinking about everything that Mom told me today. If for one second I think about it then...

No, it is not Chauhan's! Humble creatures like them can give shelter to a poor but they can never commit a crime like this. The crimes which could make anyone sick for one moment. Leave biting a child or a woman; they never hunt humans. But what if they did...what if their hunger was too much for them to control.

Ahi, for instance, remains a Cobra at night doesn't he...? What if, in frustration, he bit someone?

No!

The answer is already there before I could even wander further in that direction. Ahi is a reserved person but he can never bite a human. He told me when we used to have those phone conversations... _the conversations, which were filled with laughter, teasing, love, endearment_ ...

Stop it!

I take my head in my palms. _For God sake! Stop it! Forget him, Rashi. Please, for your sake_.

_"Rashi sssss"_

"Vasu"

I cry out loud and frantically walk to the window side and open it. The cool breeze goes through my hair and over my face. I imagined his voice; the reality dawns on me. Tired, I sit back on the cold floor and cry like a child, bawling my eyes out, shaking from head to toe.

"I love you...Ahi"

words left my mouth. That's the main problem with me. I have fallen so hard that it's too late now. I can't help noticing the faint heat which passes through my Cobra's mark.

***********

Next day, as per my routine, I am walking back to my home all the way from the library. It turns out that I am late today. Glancing at my wristwatch, it's nine in the evening. Mum hasn't called yet but she must be getting worried about me. It has been days or let me say, one whole month since I have last seen anyone from the Chauhan family.

My job in their office looks like a dream from which I have woken up recently realising what it was. See, I was so right. Ahi doesn't love me. He thought at that moment that he did. If he genuinely did then wouldn't he have called me or only tried to in all these gone days? Coming to the snake attacks it seems some creatures have gone crazy these days.

After those attacks there hasn't been a new case. My phone goes buzzing.

"Hello"

"Ra, it's me,"

"I am coming home Mom, wait for another five minutes."

"No, kid, I have called to tell you that I am going to stay for some days at Kaya's home. She needs rest and someone to take care of her. I have made food and it is kept in the fridge alright. So, don't starve yourself and if necessary, cook something, whatever you want to"

My mood, which was already sad, becomes gloomy at that.

"Alright, Mom. Take care. Good night"

I take some more steps when a sight on the corner of the road halts me. Mussoorie sleeps early and so many of the shops had shut themselves by now. The silence seems scary at this moment but I can't take my gaze away from the scene which is going before me. One Mercedes stands on the roadside. I recognise the vehicles immediately. Chauhan's, the thought puzzles me, what are they doing here? That too at such a late hour and to the road which leads to the forest?

It could be someone else. Whatever, curiosity leads me to the vehicle and there I see no one.The matter does not concern me now does it? I have already left the organisation. As soon as that thought comes to my mind and I turn to leave the spot a loud noise comes from the nearby forest. I am frozen. What was that? I turn to that direction and start walking towards it.

_No, Rashi...stop; don't go there...this seems too dangerous. Rashi...Rashi...Rashi_ ...

I have already proceeded to the direction of that slash/thud sound. I am deaf to my inner voice right now. Any sane human in his or her rational mind would never even dare to go in such a dark area especially when it is night time and the forest is highly dangerous in itself. But something is calling me to that place, some unknown hypnotising power, which has the capacity to attract me to a site like that. I want to run to that area if possible but I manage to walk with all those stones and tall rocks in my way. Hilly forests are the most perilous places in the world. Going some distance, I am convinced that my imagination was playing games with me once again. I don't hear any sound. God, I am turning crazy it seems. Breathing heavily, I turn to go back when I listen to the loud screaming coming from that same direction.

"Aaaargh...help meee"

Somebody is in trouble. My eyes go wide. Hot white pain passes on to my right palm which bears the mark. I shot forward like a torpedo and run with all my might.I reach the place from where the voice resonated. What I see makes my eyes pop out their socket.

My breath gets caught in my throat for a second as I steady myself against the thick trunk of the tree. The thing standing before me has its back to me. I have a good chance to hide behind the tree.

From where I could see, Black scale covers the creature's body. Its torso stretches longer and thinner; the beast stands eight feet tall. A three-foot tail is there from the creature's lower back. Its hair has disappeared under the newly formed scale on its head. There's a hood in its neck formed from the vertebrae.

It was a weresnake, a king cobra!

I keep my palms on top of my mouth and hide again. I can't stop myself from peeking at the scene from my hiding place. Someone is lying on the floor before that weird-looking creature. Whoever the person is, he appears to be lying still.

The hands, legs, face everything seems to be still. In my efforts of not making noise, I don't notice a thin stream of blood flowing from the mid of the Cobra Mark.Ignorant of it, I try to see the face of the victim, who is lying lifeless on the ground.

It's obvious the person has died. I see the pool of blood ameliorated near the head.

Hold on! I see the creature bending to the head and picking it up in its scales covered hand. It isn't a man but a girl! A girl killed by that weird creature or weresnake!

I recall the description in my mind, from what Ahi told me during the phone conversations. The beast is drinking the blood. I feel nauseated viewing the scene which appears to be right out of a zombie movie. As if, my worst nightmare has turned into a reality. It's a miracle that I can see it in all its brutality.

Like every other mythical creature even these shy, intelligent animals have an addiction to the human blood.My entire being freeze into a state of comatose when I see the face of the human girl. She has scratches on her face, eyes, which are gazing at me, lips which were once cheerful have turned to that of cold stillness. She is none other than the girl who showed the entire Chauhan office to me once when I was just new there.

"Koyal!"

As if the creature heard me, I see its head-turning and his eyes finding the exact place where I am hiding. Instantly, it straightens up and open its mouth to show me its double-length forked tongue which touches its upper lip. It has half-inch long blood dripping fangs which I can see in moonlight right now.

_Run...Run...Run...The snakebite cases_ ... _it was because of this one creature_.

The heinous crime of murdering an innocent girl just to quench its thirst!

The beast belongs to Chauhan's family. Who is it? The creature is moving towards me. My hands automatically go inside my handbag and search for the red chilli powder which I always keep in a small pouch for occasions like these. I fill my palm with it and wince as my right palm mark is bleeding and I have mistakenly taken the powder on top of it. The pain is acute enough to make me faint. The creature is so close; I can see those big silver eyes. My hand comes out of the bag and I throw the powder directly on its face. The shrill cry of it pierce through the night. I utilise the time by running from that place instantly. I run some distance and then I can't run anymore. My breath is coming in puffs, my eyes are watering. No time for losing control, I tell myself. I can't be weak when a weird gross weresnake is after me.

Run, I tell myself again and run through the forest not knowing whether I am coming out of the forest range or going deep into it. I have to be alive for my sake, for Mum sake. Please God, let me safely out of this situation.I run some more but like a lightning bolt it dawns on me. I am lost!

Halting near a big tree trunk, I sit so to breath. I have to think about something. I have to get out of this trouble anyhow. It's entirely my fault, I thought. Was it so important to go in that direction, when my mind was crying out frantically to me that I should not go? The little sobs, now and then, escape my mouth and I control them real hard lest the creature should get a whiff of me.

I should call someone. Tell them about the trouble that I am in. Wiping my entire face with the napkin, I search for the cell and switch it on.

Bloody hell! There's no signal in it. The forest has no coverage area for the device.

"O God! Please, help me"

I hear the thud from behind the tree through which I am sitting. I am cold till now and go crazy when I hear the whisper,

_"Sahaisss tumuroni citasss_ " (Come out, girl, you can't hide now)

I understand the snake tongue of the creature. Is it because of the mark? It could be. One sound and I am dead.

Please God, help me!

Before I could even make up my minD, immediately, as if the Almighty heard my pleading, before me with a slow thud is the creature similar to the previous one but the only difference is he has black wings!

Two? I am dead for sure. I get up to run against him but I am weak in that area right now. Before I can take another step, circling one of its hands around my wrist, it pulls me against it and another minute both of us are up in the air with my hand around its neck and his back bearing my physical self.

***************

The scale of the creature glitters in the moonlight.I am amazed at the amount of strange relief and security I feel at just being close to him that holds the power to kill me at any moment. A particular kind of belongingness I feel with this one, which I didn't get from the other. On the other hand, the other has the power to kill me at any moment. The night wind feels cold against my heated skin and cheeks.

Such high altitude makes my head spin for a minute. Immediately, the creature tense up and whispers a command,

_"Tantosss Gumattasss Hansss"_ (Close your eyes if you are sick)

How did he know?

At nighttime, I always think that the glittery lights of Mussoorie look beautiful but from such a high altitude, they look like small pieces of shining jewel. It looks marvellous if you ask me.It looks as if we are landing right now because I can clearly see the roofs of the various houses before we actually land on one of them. Until the time we land, I feel some swooning coming on my part.

Like a graceful ballerina, his toes touched the ground of the roof and his wings closed immediately. The black scales are getting covered by the skin. I am in no state to land on the floor all by myself.

" _Samhayasss tantoma sssss"_ (you can leave my neck now, we are safe)

I shake my head helplessly and groan, "I am sick" His hands loosen my grip and turn immediately to handle me and prevent my fall. He turns and takes me in his arms. All the traits of the weresnake have left him and I see myself in those green eyes.

"Vasu" words leave my mouth. I smile even in my groggy state. I recognise him. What more evidence does someone need that my love is true? Mouth shut, he gazes at me dumbly. There are so many mixed up emotions there all of them nameless.

"Thank you" I mutter and pass away in his arms.

********

The morning sun is the reason I feel some warmth on my cheeks as I open my eyes. I am lying on my bed in my bedroom. Somebody made me- but who? Last night things come rushing to my brain.

My witnessing the Koyal murder to the time when I saw Vasu...Sorry, Ahi...

Ahi!

I stall in my tracks as I recall his transformation from weresnake to that of the human. I am coming out of the daze and walk out of my room when I hear some sounds coming from the kitchen. Is mom home? O God, what will I say to her about my absent? Has she seen Ahi then? What will I tell her about my last night? Of course, I can't say all the things but still I have to come up with something. Still rolling in confusion, I preced towards the kitchen when the sight stops me for a second and I keep watching like a dumb doll.

I could have been in that state for the whole day, when the person turns to face me, "Good morning. How are you feeling?"

Ahi's face to my senses is like delicious feasts as if I was starving for so many days. I mean someone like him making coffee for someone like me. Human activity like this clearly surprises me. His eyes, those green clear, magnificent eyes, stare at my face with some doubt as to if he too is confused by the circumstances in which we have met. His conversation comes to my mind when he told me not to enter his territory.

That Ahi and this one seems two different persons to me.

"Cat got your tongue?"

"I am fine"

I lower my gaze and turn to go to the sitting room. He falls behind my steps and follows my trail. As I sit on the lounger, he keeps the tray and hands me the cup.

"Still in shock?" he sits on the same lounger but at a distance.

"I am over it" I reply curtly. We converse like two strangers, who have recently met.

"What were you doing there in the forest at such a dark hour? Don't you know what kind of creatures roam there at night? A weak human like you is nothing before their power."

He is looking at the floor and stirring his drink but the anger is clearly visible in his voice. A small hope takes root in my heart, does he still care for me? Is it possible that there is still a chance for me in his heart?

"I heard a small scream. I thought that someone was in great trouble. I could not retrace my step after I saw that ..."

"Weresnake? It was the time for them to come in their real form."

"Full moon?" I raise my questioning gaze at him. He nods his head and sips his drink.

"Sir..."

"I am not your employer now which reminds me,"

He goes through his jeans pocket as if searching for something and takes out something from his pocket.

"You left something of yours in that personal drawer of mine"

He keeps the small shining artificial earring on the table. My breath gets caught in my throat as I look at that thing.

_O God, that explains why he didn't mind showing himself before me that too in his real form. He knows...._

What does this action mean then? Does he want to show that he doesn't care about anything else but me? I'm not sure about him because I'm still confused. Let me just wait and watch.

"Thank you" I see him gulping the hot liquid in one go. Smacking his lips, he stands and turns to me.

"I am sorry, I used your kitchen without your prior permission but you needed something hot right now so I just..."

He shrugs carelessly. I can't help noticing his bare arms which are hairless!

"It's alright"

"I will go now," he continues to take the tray back to the kitchen.

"Sorry for disturbing you" he stops midway and turns to me, "I won't ever show up again, I promise. It was because I could not see you in danger that I had to come. You can live your life freely now. You will not see my face again"

His voice is emotionless but I see it in his eyes. The hurt, pain and betrayal is clearly evident in his stare. I feel guilty because after that incident didn't I act in that way with him? The way I resigned without even talking to him, without asking him, why didn't he alert me to his presence when we were in church? The way I changed my sim card without even giving him a chance to explain himself.

If only, I would have talked to him, had listened to him then there were chances that I must have understood his reasons for keeping himself ambiguous all the time. I would have understood his reasons for keeping his identity. Maybe he was afraid of scaring me away if he told me.

I am a ruthless person I conceded but before I make up my mind, I see him exiting the sitting room and making it to the kitchen to keep the tray.

"Ahi," I enter the kitchen, "I need to talk to you."

"There is nothing to talk," he washes his hands and wipes them dry on the towel.

"Yes, there is," I silently go it to his side. He turns and faces me. Again those emotions glittered in those green eyes.

"Thank you for last night,"

"As I already said," he shifts me sideways so that he can walk out "It was my duty to protect. It will always be my duty to protect you whether you like it or not."

I see him sliding his slender legs in the shoe. He can't go like this especially when I have so many things to say to him. There are so many questions I have to ask. I need some answers.

"Ahi, I need some answers. Who was it? Was it someone from your family? Someone known to me? I need to know"

"Why? Why do you need to know everything now? Why?"

His face has signs of offence, anger, irritation, taunt and sarcasm. In short, he has every right to get angry with me. I bite my lip and stare down at the floor before looking back at him.

"I will tell no one about this. If the person was someone from your family, then.."

"Ms Rashi Sharma, let me make one thing clear to you. I am not a human with whom you can play these kind of mind games. I am a weresnake, alright. A monster, who you hated all those months ago, do you remember?"

A pause and he grips my shoulders hard.

"You want to know who the creature last night was? It was Shesh. The younger brother of mine, the same creature who has bitten three people till now because unlike me, Vritra, Nuwa and Shliya, he is still practising his control over humans flesh and blood. Nobody in my family, apart from me, knows about this. I am warning you,"

His eyes flash dangerously at me. The emotion is so intense that I shiver from head to toe.

"If you open that stupid mouth of yours before them or anyone else. I will kill you with my bare hands and trust me" he has that conspiratorial murdering look in his eye, "I will devour you till your last morsel and won't even spit out the bones. So," his face comes closer to mine "Stay away from me, Ms fragile human"

"You think you can scare me away with that kind of tone? Then you are wrong. I am not scared of even death itself."

"You didn't say any of that last night" he tilts his head sideways.

"Because I never got the chance to say it" I shake slightly as he leaves me. With a resigned look on his face and a low thud, he sits on the lounger and covers his face with his hands.

He sighs as I go to his side and sits.

"Sorry," he whispers in a defeated tone, "I should not have said that. What do you want to talk about?"

"I think, it's me who should be sorry. I behaved very irrationally with you when I should have given you a chance to speak your heart out. But," I take his hands in mine, "We still have time. It's not too late, is it?"

He remains silent and keeps staring at the floor. Something has strengthened me from inside so that I may say whatever I want to.

"Ahi," saying his name thrills me, "Will you believe me if I tell you that there hasn't been a single moment when I have not thought about you? I missed your whisper. I missed your anger. I was just surviving from the past one month when I left the office; as if a part of me has been snatched away. Can you understand my situation, when I realised that the person I had been talking to from the past eight months was the very person who'd been scaring me from so many months? Can you?"

Silence, no reply.

"I know you are angry. You have every right to be.I'd been in a shocked state when I found out the truth. I felt you laughing on me while I dreamed about my unknown caller. I was more than shocked. I felt betrayed, the same feeling through which you are going right now"

"You never gave me a chance to speak" he speaks finally, "If only you would have let me explain if only, you would have given me a chance to make things clear to you. But instead, you resigned, changed your number, made me lose my sleep and health in this one month. No, Rashi,"

He gets up and stares at me.

"All I wanted from you was unconditional love which I thought you would give to me. The only thing which I never got in my life! On top of that, you read every personal detail of mine from my personal diary. I knew someday I have to tell you but I was scared and look" he splays his hands, "My fear came true. You hate me now, don't you? I don't blame you," he answers before I can open my mouth "When I hate myself for what I am then how can I expect you to love me?" a pause "But I believe, whatever happens, happens for good. Thank God you came to know everything before I even confessed before you. In this way, I came to know your reaction. If you would have said something to me when I revealed my identity to you then, I would have been hurt. No Rashi," he speaks again and starts walking out of the door.

"It's better this way that we go our separate ways,"

"Ahi, wait..." I run to the door "answer this last question. Did you mean all those words you said on the phone?"

"Which one?"

"When you told me that you love me? That I was marked for you?"

I hold my breath for his answer.

"I don't know about your marking but I never met any Rashi Sharma in my entire life or certainly, even if I had met her, then I never fell in love with her"

******************

I am unable to erase Ahi's words from my brain. He never loved me! It's hard for me to take in but whatever happens, it happens for good.

I remember the day when I went shopping for Mom's birthday in the most fashionable mall in the town. This was the only mall where the things were most expensive to their core, I saved from my salary so that this time I am able to buy her some luxurious things.

When the two of us visited it last time, she saw a beautiful piece of sari with such admiring looks. I had recognised that look of her. Secretly, I went to the receptionist and asked her the price of it. When I heard the price, I swear I could have fainted on the spot but smiling I came out and decided to start saving slowly so that I am able to give her that piece this birthday.

Excited to my heart, on that following day, I went back to the receptionist and asked her to show me that sari again.

"Please wait here, ma'am. I'll get that piece"

Till the time I looked around, humming a tune to myself, I saw three Chauhan's walking inside the mall. Nuwa was leading with Vritra and Ahi following her. Amazing, I thought, how after the span of three months his sight still had the power to make me uncomfortable. I turned my gaze to the counter again so that they couldn't see me.

"Your piece, ma'am"

The receptionist immediately kept the sari piece before me.

"Thanks."

I smiled at her and took the dress out of the polybag. The fine fabric melted beneath my touch. The silk was pure no doubt. Going through every corner, the side of its price tag came under my vision. My eyes went wider than usual, as I noticed that prices of the piece had gone up from the last time.

The sudden, dark sadness engulfed my entire being and pouting absently, I cursed the person who'd raised it.

"Has the prices gone up since the last time or my eyes have gone weak?"

"Yes ma'am," she laughed, "the prices have been raised."

"Ok," I smiled and put the piece back into the bag "Can you show me some other piece please?"

******

I wasn't too happy with my purchase. I could not buy the piece which I so wanted to. I didn't have that amount of money with me. After paying for everything, I started to go out of the shop when the lady called me.

"Excuse me ma'am, you left your bag behind"

"My bag?" I turned to her side as she handed me the bag which contained that expensive piece,

"I am sorry ma'am" I smiled again, "This is not mine. You are mistaken"

"But," she smiled as if remembering something, "The gentlemen, who paid for this said that this is your secret gift from his side"

It didn't take me long to add two and two to make four. Ahi Vasu Chauhan once more had tried to interfere in my private life. It wasn't enough for him that he had already created chaos in my life once. He had already toyed with my heart once. Not again, I instead asked her in kind words

"Who paid for this? Mind telling me?"

"That gentleman, in the black leather jacket, black shades, two steel rings on his finger. He is over there..."

She pointed towards the farthest corner. I turned and saw him standing there conversing with Vritra and laughing as if some great joke had been. Of course, I thought internally, didn't he laugh at me once?

"I am sorry," I smiled at her in my most pleasing way, "You are mistaken. He must have paid for the lady who is with him."

"But..." she looked confused.

"Thanks"I made it out of the shop leaving the bag.

******************

I lie on the bed thinking about the drama called life. Since when did my life turn in this way? So uncontrolled? I am a mess right now. What's new in this?

I miss Ahi.

Miss those phone calls especially when there's no one in the house. Mum called me. It will take her some more time at Kaya's house. Kaya is indeed affected by the attack. I heave a big sigh and change my side. Suddenly, I feel an itch on my arm. Getting up, switching on the light, I glance at my arm in amazement.

It has gone all red and swollen red. What's happening? I get up to go to the washroom. Walking up to the washbasin, I wash my arm with a little bit of water and immediately the itch stops. I feel that someone is there in the house. A thief, an intruder! My mouth goes dry. In the dark, I make my way to the kitchen, breathing slowly, alerted to everything present around me. I see it, the shadow of something crawling on the kitchen's sink, something slithering from the kitchen sink. I take a knife in my hand from the kitchen's stand, switch on the light. I am going to attack the creature, when the knife from my hand drops and somebody pins me to the wall.

"It's me"

Shliya's voice and face catches me entirely off-hand.

*******************

"Bloody hell, Shliya'' I cry out and wince a little as she leaves my hand, "You scared the hell out of me? What are you doing here? At such an hour? That too coming like a thief? What does this entire thing mean?"

"I am sorry" she gives me a guilty smile, "Please, can we sit somewhere. This transformation soaked all my energy"

"Sure" We go to the sitting room. I switch on the light while she sits on the lounger.

"I am sorry again trust me I had no intention to scare you. It's just..." she halts, "I forgot that you are just a human, scared by creatures like us"

I sit on the lounger and look at her, puzzled. Shliya Chauhan and I never had a small conversation with each other so all of this is a big surprise to me. Of course, Ahi must have told every member of his family about my knowing their little secret. This is not big news to me. What really takes my interest is that Shliya has decided to meet me at such a late hour that too in her real form.

What's going on?

"Shliya, why are you here?"

"I am sorry," she looks at the floor, "He told me not to wake you up or scare you. All he wanted me to do was to keep an eye on you and keep on reporting to him, whether you are safe or not"

"Hold on" I say, "What do you mean by that? Were you spying on me?"

She smiled in her conspiratorial way as she looks at me "I have been spying on you for the past three months. How do you think Vasu came to know that you wanted that sari piece for your mum?"

********

My senses are spinning. Biting my lip, I feel cold from head to toe.

"How is he?"

"Miserable" she stares at the floor "He doesn't show that's totally another thing"

"Why has he sent you as a spy? I am" I pause and look at her smiling, "Well, fine"

"Really" she looks at me, "Then why are those dark marks beneath your eyes? Why does your face look sad?"

"Leave that" I smile again, "Want to have something? Coffee or tea?"

"Tea will do just fine" I get up as I hear her and feel her eyes on my back. I place the pan on top of the burner when she comes beside me.

"Why are you two being so damn stubborn to each other, when it's clearly visible that you both are suffering?"

Adding sugar to the pan, I say, "Who said anything about being stubborn? It's funny, isn't it?"

I turn to her and see gloominess on that beautiful face, "When he wanted to explain everything to me I didn't listen and now," I chuckle, "It's the exact opposite. I want to explain certain things to him but he doesn't want to listen. The conclusion is we can never be together now. It's the end for both of us"

"If this is 'the end' for both of you then, why did he command me to keep an eye on you? Why, when every time I go back, he asks me like crazy, if you are okay?"

*************

I'm sitting on the lounger now with the teacup tightly clutched in my hand. Shliya sits before me, on the same lounger. I have narrated the whole incident to her from the beginning till the end. From the phone calls to the final revelation and then the heart wrenching last conversation, where he told me in cold words that he didn't love me anymore.

"And" she picks up from there, "The fool you were, you accepted that"

"Did he leave me with any other option?"

"Rashi," she picks up my hand and sees the mark, which throbs instantly as she touches it "This is not just a mark. It's the connection between you and Ahi. The eternal bond, which both of you share with each other. If one cries, then the other feels the pain instantly, when one is happy the other is equally joyful. You don't hate him for his non-human nature. You are offended that he didn't show enough courage to walk before everyone and hold your hand, isn't it? he never told you a single thing in all its reality?"

I nod and sip the hot brewing liquid.

"What offended me the most was in the end, he made everything my fault. It was my mistake that I never gave him enough chance to speak for himself but when I was finally convinced and I admitted my fault, he left me, shrugged me aside as if I was some useless piece, which didn't really matter"

"Because he was hurt. When Shesh attacked you that night, did you know how hard was it for him to control himself from not going forward and killing him? As weresnake, when we are in hybrid form, we scarcely recognise the front person. At that time everything for us is prey. We are the hunters in our most dangerous form. You could have been killed by Shesh, who himself is practising the control of resisting the smell of blood"

"He killed Koyal," I shiver from head to toe.

"He couldn't help it. It was the most unfortunate accident which took place. Please, don't tell it to anyone"

"I won't," I shake my head "How is Shesh?"

"In shock, frozen, that he committed such a heinous crime. I tried to cool him down by telling him that he could not help it but," she shakes her head helplessly and took a sip "all in vain. He is still trying to get out of that situation,"

"Be assured" I grasp her hand at that "my mouth is sealed, where your family's secret is concerned. I will tell it to no one"

"Thanks. That really matters a lot" she keeps her hand on top of mine "So, should I take it that you are giving Ahi a second chance now?"

"He won't talk to me. He is pretty angry with me right now"

"He thinks that you have ended it. Both of you are fools."

She looks away.

"I think you should go to sleep now"

"I am not sleepy"

"Hey" I see her eyes glittering, "Tomorrow there is a painting exhibition in Sir George's Everest house. Will you come?"

"I will try my best" I say and both of us stand up at that.

"I think I should take my leave now," she says.

Before I could say anything, she takes me in a bear hug. She is taller than me.

"Bye," she says as she reaches the door, "And" she turns back at that, "I want you to join the office back if you can. We are unable to find any suitable librarian and I don't think Ahi will allow anyone else in that place after you" she smiles that I-know-it-all smile of hers, "Try to come tomorrow. Good night,"

"Good night" I smile and wave her

***************

Next day,thankfully Mom is back and I am permitted to go to that house.

_If I saw Ahi there? Let him be. Till the time he is ready to face me, I won't make any effort to load my opinion on him_ .

Stepping down from the taxi, I'm surprised to find that such bulky looking men are guarding the gates as if there's a news of some intruder appearing there.Hesitating, I step inside the gate and on the carpet which leads to the grand door.

As soon as I put a foot inside, I see Shliya making her way towards me. She looks super in her black backless dress, which could make any man present there go all hot and bothering in a minute. The big translucent bluish-grey eyes of her complement her attire. I look like a human slave next to such ravishing beauty.

"Hi, thanks for coming" she hugs me. Many beautiful ladies surround the hall. God, what a joke I am?

"Thanks for inviting" I hug her back. I can see many curious glares directed towards me as if, silently asking, what's a lousy mouse like me doing in this gathering of beautiful swans? One thing I noticed is that my mark which was passive till now, suddenly throb with life as if receiving certain signals.

I wince slightly.

"What is it?" she notices my reaction.

"Nothing my mark,"

"Show me" she sees the mark, which has turned from black to red, "I envy you this. I too wanted some divine mark like this which meant that I belong to someone"

"Not when your special someone doesn't want you, you don't" I smile though I know that I didn't fool her for a minute.

"Why don't I show you some paintings? I hope you will like them"

She takes me by my wrists and leads me to the biggest painting which shows a mother with her newborn infant in the crook of her hands.

"It's lovely," I inspect it from every side.

"And then there is this one," she takes me to the other one which portrays a boy sitting near a riverside with his hands under his chin, though the fishing rod is in the water but the boy has a lost trance in his eyes as if the boy has something else going on in his mind, as if he was in his own dreamland. It shows the state of utter sadness in the spectator's eye.

"It's beautifully sad" I whisper without even noticing that Shliya has left my side. I'm standing alone right now.

"Shliya," I turn around to see that no one is with me right now. Shrugging, I proceed to the next and this one stops me . It depicts a girl with long flowing hair and a sad smile on her lips. She has such a questioning stare. This one makes me uneasy. Finally, after going through each and every one of them, I stop as I see the next one. It shows hands coming out of a snake's head raised towards a girl.

The girl portrayed in the previous picture! It raises a question, the hand from the snake's head. It's asking the girl if she is willing to hold it, irrespective of the fact that it belongs to a monster. Whether she could give unconditional love to this one venomous snake?

My breath catches in my throat as I stare at that picture because it flashed in my mind that the paintings are made by none other than Ahi Vasu Chauhan. His signature is in the corner of the painting which I instantly recognised.

"The girl has yet to answer" I whisper, "Stupid snake, can you not read the way she is staring at the hand as if she will grab it any moment."

"The snake is indeed blind to the charms of the Lassie,"

The voice comes right from behind. The voice has a certain amusement in it, as if amazed at something. I feel goosebumps on my arms and then I turn to view the person who said it.He is tall, lean, slender and had slit pupils of black with golden irises. Dressed in a grey suit and calm air surrounding him. I don't know him and the lady who is with him but have suspicion somewhere inside that both of them are someone in relation to the three brothers.

More weresnakes?

Are there too many around me and I have never guessed?

"Hello, do I know you?"

"You certainly don't and neither," a pause, "Do we but," he smiles," we would certainly like to know who you are? We never saw you in any other Chauhan gathering."

"Certainly not, I am just a..."

I reconsider my situation.

"-friend of theirs. They invited me here"

"Indeed," says the lady with a slow smile spreading on the crooked lips of hers "Just a friend but whose friend exactly?"

"Mine," comes the voice from their back and we all turn our eyes to that direction. Shesh with all the elegance of a lurking predator comes to my direction and takes me in a fierce embrace. I am thrown off balance by that and had no option but to embrace him in return or else there would be doubts in the mind of the audience.

Smiling, he turns to both of them.

"She is my personal secretary but more than that she is my very dear friend. Aren't you Rashi?" he looks at me with his eyes telling me to play along for a while. Catching the cue I smile, "You didn't have to do that much, Sir. Of course, you are my friend"

"You see" he turns and smiles at them,"But, don't get any wrong directions _kaka_. She is just a friend."

_...The then 'Parijana', present 'Kashyapa", Vikram Singh Chauhan, my father's younger brother and his wife 'Kadra' Shavya Chauhan, Shliya's parent, ordered us out of the Jaipur and the kingdom because we lost our Mani...._

Ahi's words in his diary echoes in my brain as I finally recognise the royal _'Kashyapa'_ and _'Kadra'_ of the tribe in their human form. That explains why Shesh acts like that around me as if trying to keep me out of harm's way. Three brothers' hatred has resulted in this kind of relationship between their relatives and them.

"Shesh"

Someone calls him from the other corner and he tells me.

"Go ahead and tell me what you liked. I will come soon back to you"

"Thank you for your concern Sir,"

I smile and see him going in that direction.

"You must be really special to Shesh," the lady says.

Puzzled, I look at her and see her smiling in that conspiratorial way, as if she is sharing some private joke with me.

"Aren't friends special to each other?"

"Like a boss, like an employee"

The man raises his hands to shake mine.

"Vikram Singh Chauhan, the paternal uncle to these three boys. Nice to meet you"

Wrong step for me to shake his hand as the moment his hand touches mine, a sharp, hot searing pain goes up my arm. I go blind for a moment. Still not showing it and instantly, pulling my hands-free of his grasp, I smile.

"Rashi...Rashi Sharma,"

I introduce myself. As if my name has triggered alertness in them, I see their eyes changing to their snake one and back to the human ones.

"So, you are the human who knows our secret"

Goodness heavens! So the news has been poured into the ears of the royalty too?

Nervously smiling, I nod my head.

"Shavya Chauhan," she smiles and grasps my hands but immediately this time the reverse action happens. I see her eyes going wider as she shakes my hands. Instantly, she leaves it as if she has taken a hot iron in her hands and looks at me stunned,

"Amazing! You have amazing strength! The universal connection to a Cobra! I must say you are very intriguing. A very unusual human. Aren't you scared working in that office?"

"No," I reply, "Where there is faith and friendship, there is no place for fear. It was a pleasure to meet you two. If you will excuse me,"

I leave the place immediately and go in search of Shliya. I step outside where there's a mini bridge over a small artificial stream thinking she must be here. It's already seven in the evening, and I want to go back home now.

I'll ask her to drop me...

Wrong moment!

I see Ahi standing on the bridge with his hands on the railing and his eyes fixed on the small flowing stream below the bridge.

What is he thinking? Absently I walk a few steps to him when something stops me. I keep myself hidden in the parts of the branches which hung low to my side. What will I say? What is there to say? The things between both of us are so complicated that a small conversation too could lead to a big argument.

Should I leave the things as they are and walk out before he even realises that he is being watched? His hair has grown from the last time I saw him. A certain relief sweeps over me as if a thirsty person has finally found an oasis in the middle of the desert. Should I....?

"Have you decided to hide there for the whole evening?"

The question coming from him catches me offside and I go red. Totally red! Coming out of my hiding place, I walk up to the bridge and stand at some distance while grasping the railing with both hands and staring at the flowing stream.

"What are you doing out on such a cold evening?"

"I can ask the same question to you," he asks.

"I was looking for Shliya. Thought she might drop me home if I ask her to..."

"You want to go home?" there's an undercurrent in his voice. Is it a disappointment?

"Yes," I look around "It's late,"

He remains silent on that and then finally I manage to ask him.

"Ahi," I speak quietly, "You have beautiful art. Your paintings are fabulous" He silently nods.

That's it!

Will I just get a nod and nothing?

"Do you have a special reason for coming here?"

"Not exactly, but I think I need to make some things clear. I need to have a talk with you. It's high time that we should come out in open where both of our feelings are concerned"

"I am cold," he turns to leave me once again when I place myself in his path, "Don't you dare to walk out on me again, you understand? When I say that we need to talk then I mean it. Your running away won't change the truth. We need to confess something to each other, don't we?"

For a minute there's an eerie silence. There is a need for me to stand strong on my point. Too much time has been wasted and there's no profit in running or hiding from the truth. One day or the other, we will have to face each other. Say the things we want to say. Then why wait for tomorrow when it can be done today?

He gave me a careless kind of look but I read it in his eyes, things which are hidden deep inside him and which are forcing themselves to be revealed.

"Vasu! One name changed the direction of my entire life. The first night ,when this anonymous, supernatural creature called me and told me about his attraction to my kind act of saving him, without my knowledge a small root of love took its base in my heart. Slowly as the nights went on more conversations with him, I got to know that this talking snake was a weresnake, a lycanthrope. A mythical creature, part human, part snake! I delved more into the relationship. Before I could stop myself, I was head over heels in love with him. Yes," I pause, ''even knowing who he was. One day I came to know that my employer's reserved brother was the person who was talking to me for the past eight months. I felt cheated, betrayed and backstabbed thinking that he must have been laughing at me, my emotions and sentiments. He must be making fun of me clearly knowing that I'm a mere employee under his younger brother's supervision. The shock was so intense that I resigned from the office, lying to my employer that my mom was not keeping well and someone was needed in the house to take care of her. If my lover really did love as he had stated one day then, why was he afraid to show himself in the church, when I had called him there to meet me? When you already knew that you have to reveal yourself someday to me? why didn't you show yourself in the church that day?"

"You would have hated me," he says in the middle, "You would have hated me as you do now. What's the difference between now and then?"

"There would have been the difference," I speak again, "Yes I loved your other side but, if only you would have had woken me up that day in the church and tried explaining your inner fear to me, your feelings then-" I wipe the rolling moisture from my cheeks and make my voice warm "I would have had understood or at least made an effort to understand the situation. Yes, I would have felt upset as I do now but the feelings would not have been this intense. What really pained me was that you had such low confidence in yourself, I, our love, everything. You never said the words as you used to say on the phone. What more evidence I needed than this that you were just doing a sort of time pass with me? The person who wrote such high things about me in his book, was a coward in reality?"

"But you never gave another chance..,"

"Unlike you, I admitted my mistake. What about you?"

I make my voice calm once again.

"Leave admitting the mistake, you laid the fault entirely on my shoulder. You never said you still love me. On the contrary, your parting words were, it's better this way that we should go our separate ways when you knew that I was marked for you and there will be no girl in your life after me,"

Suddenly I am proud of my love. I speak the truth but the hope that after this any secret will not linger between us makes me even more courageous on my path.

"You're mixing things up,"

"Am I?"I raise a brow, "Answer me then. Why did you send Shliya to spy on me when you have no interest in me? Shesh could have killed me that night, why did you come to save me? Why paint that dramatic scene of a hand coming out of a snake's head asking for the girl's hand? Can't the snake see that she was already willing to say yes but only if the person had enough faith in his love which the snake clearly lacks?"

I see his mouth moving but suddenly I can't hear him. Something pierces my back like a needle. A blur curtain of misty fog came before my eyes.

What's happening?

I see grey and white stars dancing before my eyes. I move my lips but I can't hear even my own voice. I see Ahi's face, white as a sheet as he takes me in his embrace. I see the horror in his gaze, the fear. I say something but what exactly? My mind goes blank and I am pulled down into a hole of darkness.

*******************

I am standing on the roof of my house. The house which we had in Doon! How did I come here? I turn from the railing of the roof and see my father sitting there. Dad always loved the roof, didn't he? I see him sitting in his comfortable armchair, with his face soaking up the sun. Smiling to myself, I walk up to him and see him patting the next chair kept beside him.

"Sit," I sit on it and hear him, "You know you are dreaming, don't you?"

I nod my head.

"How did you know? You are dead"

"I am alive in your heart. Leave that, so did he say he loved you?

""No," I remove the locks of hair from my face "But he will one day I am sure,"

"You could have found someone better than him" he smiles, "But I think only a weresnake will do for you, isn't it?"

I smile and wink at him.

"You know me better"

"Kid" he says, "One day you will reveal a great secret of mine. Please I pray you to forgive me, if you can"

"You can tell me, Dad" I pat his hand "I am very good at keeping secrets. Though, I still can't understand how you know about my boyfriend's secret identity"

"You are unique, angel" he says and I smile, "Ahi calls me angel you know,"

He smiles.

"I trust him enough to keep you safe and don't forget your poor father little one"

"Tell me the secret Dad" I ask him again, "please,"

"Someday you will and then who knows, you might hate me?"

"I will never hate you" I say but immediately something pulls me. I see his image turning into a whiff of smoke.

"Dad" I said "Dad, Dad."

Something crawls within me, throbbing and sucking me up.

"Water," I groan.

"It's eating me, somebody make it stop"

I can't say anymore as I hear voices around me about which I can't make out anything.

"I said, stop it..." I shriek with all my might not caring for anything but that something is tearing me up, making my mouth and throat dry.

"Doctor," I hear the voice calling urgently.

"Stop it, please....." I shriek again,

"Doctor, Doctor" the voices became worrisome, "Patient has got venom in her system."

********************

When I open my eyes, there is brightness all around me. Is it morning already? I want to sleep more. What date was it today? Where is Mom? Mom, yes, Mom...Vritra...Nuwa...why do these names sound familiar to me? What is this place? What has happened to me? I want to get up...

"Stay still," comes a silken voice which sounds nice to my sensitive ear, "You need to rest. Stay still. Don't move."

I move my arms.

"No, angel" the voice says again, "Don't remove it."

Everything burst open in my memory. Every small detail and every major one too. I open my eyes again and see that face. The face, which has been imprinted in my brain, which seems familiar to me yet... strange. He is my Vasu...Ahi

"Ahi,"

I whisper and see a relieved smile stretching on his face. He look so beautiful. Slowly, fearing that my touch would make him a whiff of smoke, I touch his cheek.

"Are you Ahi?"

"Yes,"

I hear the certain lisp in his wobbly voice.

"I am your Ahi for my entire life"

"Why are you crying?" I wipe the tear from his cheek, "I want water"

"Suck these" he gives me some ice cubes to suck. The cool moisture feels good against my warm lips and parched throat.

"I need to get up"

"No, you don't"

He pats my head so that I may remain still.

"What happened?" I am clad in wires and tubes, "Why am I in the hospital? Where is Mum? Where are others?"

"Mum is in the room adjacent to yours. She will come to meet you when you are properly awake. You took two bullets on your back meant for me,"

I see the fire in his eyes.

"Bullets," I am more confused and frowns, "Who fired the shot? Who wants to kill you? Why does anyone want to kill you? I want to kill you nobody else has got the right"

I see a teeth-baring smile cracking on that sensuous mouth of his. He bite his lower lip as he says, "You can do that as soon as you get well. I don't have any problem. As for the shooter, nobody knows. We all are just guessing."

I nod and wince. I see fear in his eyes.

"It hurts everywhere"

"Then lie still. I swear I will catch the bastard and will kill him with my bare hands. He missed the shot and..."

He becomes speechless and keeps patting my hand.

"You didn't get him?"

I am relieved to see some other emotion on his face.

"We will, angel. We will. Maya was pretty horrified when the news was given to her"

"You should not have told mum about it. She will get worked up for no reason"

"Her daughter has taken two bullets on her back and you say that there was no need to inform her? Be thankful that you have got mum to get all worked up for. I don't want more people to have a fate like me and my brothers"

"I am sorry" I whisper, "I didn't mean it that way"

He smiles again.

"Heal now"

"How would you like to die? Tell me, I will prepare the material"

I change the direction of the talk.

"You have guts to talk like this to the head of the Chauhan industries, girl"

His mouth is set but I can see the strange light in those eyes of his. His mischievousness is clearly set in that firm set of his mouth.

"So, what are you going to do about it? You love me as such you are going to treat me with all the respect, kindness and love even after I step out of the hospital premises..."

I stop in the middle of the sentence as a sudden fear takes its root in my consciousness.

"You do love me, don't you Vasu?"

I see his mouth loosening up on that and a sun, which really shines out of his eyes.

"Yes," he whispers against my forehead as he caresses his lips there .

"I love you, Rashi. What about you Ms Sharma, do you love me?"

"I took two bullets for you, mister, isn't that enough for me to prove my love for you?"

"It's more than enough" he caresses his lips against my eyelids "And in future, please don't try to prove your love in this way. It scares me"

"Yes Sir," I try to smile.

God, it hurts for such a simple activity.

"You want to know how you can kill me?" his breath washes over my face which recalls me of warm sunshine.

"Wound or try to hurt yourself, I will die. No need to do anything. Cobra's mark connects my lifeline with you? If you die, I die too"

"Nobody will die. I saw Dad in my dream. He said he liked you"

"Tell him thanks now rest, angel. I don't think your Mum likes me as much as she likes Shesh. But she said thanks to me, when she came to know that I gave blood to you"

"You gave blood to me? I remember the sensation which went through me. I took your venom too"

"I am sorry for that" he becomes all concerned as he says that, "I knew that the pain would be unbearable but you took it that was the wonder of the whole thing"

"So, does this mean that even I am also..."

I let the sentence hang there.

"No, you are still human. You can't be converted into a weresnake. You have to be born a were snake to become one" he pauses, "Well if an ordinary human had taken my blood, he would have died unlike you"

"Your aunt told me that I am an unusual human? Does the Cobra Mark have any role to play in it?"

"It has the entire role to play in it."

He laughs and lightly caressed my cheeks with his finger.

"I am glad you are alive. You have no idea what went on me when I spotted blood on your back. I could scarcely control myself but miraculously I did"

"That's good ha?"

"It's more than that, it's wonderful"

This time his lips just touches the corner of my mouth.

"Sorry," he frowns "I can't......"

"Kiss me right now? I know,"

"For that you will have to heal fast"

"Is that the condition?"

"It certainly is"

"Just wait and watch. Ahi? Did I ever tell you that you are handsome?"

"Tell me afterwards, angel, sleep now"

****************

I am sitting in a wheelchair. The doctor has said that I need a proper bed rest for some time and I should not walk. Seems like my leg has suffered due to the bullet. I'm staring at a bed of roses absently when someone sits next to me. The lawn looks beautiful right now. In past days, even Mom has become strict with my eating, medication, sleeping habits etc. I feel like a two-year-old again. Shesh has told me that I can join him right after I get well. Shliya is ecstatic that Ahi and I have finally confessed to each other. We have warned her that this news should not reach the ears of others. Not till the time, I am healed.She supplies me daily with a box of chocolates, flowers, cards and whatnot. I tell Ahi to make her stop but he gets another box of chocolate for me.

"I will turn into a bus if you people didn't stop this chocolate supply"

Vritra and Nuwa haven't stopped praising me for my brave act.

"It was just an accident" but that doesn't shut them up. Ahi has gone one step further in making things better by allotting a small cottage at my mom's name. I have told him that this will create suspicion but he replied that this was my advance bonus even before I started the job.

Mom has told me that Ahi scared her but Shesh is a good looking one. I have told Mom about both of us. I think that is another reason why she didn't like Ahi. He chuckles but often tells her in kind words.

"Please, Doctor Sharma, don't tell anyone about this relationship, not till Rashi says otherwise"

****************

Staring towards the lawn, I'm thinking about all this when I feel something against my cheeks.

"Thinking about me?"

Ahi pecks me on my cheek.

"I was thinking about taking a vacation for a while and going somewhere. I am bored with all this office work now"

"Thinking of a honeymoon before we even get married, are you?"

I turn my face towards him. I think the word has got something as I quickly see the transformation on his face.

"Rashi" he sits on his knees," It won't be easy, I should tell you that you should go somewhere else and make a separate life for yourself but," he smiles in his breathtaking way again, "But I am selfish where you are concerned so I would just advise you that I would like to prolong this relationship with you for one more year. Let everyone get accustomed to this new thing. Until the time, especially your mom, sets herself in this new setting; we will have to be just like this. Then, after one year, I will go myself and talk to her about our nuptials. How does that sound?"

"Perfect," I say because everything looks wonderful right now.

"So you told everyone in your family, even the royalty, about me?"

I see his knuckles turning white.

"Shliya told them," he said "I never planned to tell them about you especially about you"

"What about _Mani_ , the three magical stones?"

I bite my lip, knowing that this is the most difficult question.

"Search is still on," he takes my hand and absently traces my palm lines, "It is somewhere here. Somewhere, waiting for us to find it"

"If I can be of some help..."

"No," he gives me a strict look "You won't do anything crazy, understand? It's our sole responsibility to search for it. If we want the throne of Jaipur back with Vritra _Khinna_ then, we will have to search the thing all by ourselves."

"What happens if you could never find it?"

I shudder to the possibility but it is always there.

"With time our powers start declining. Lifespan becomes short for all four of us"

"Does your uncle and aunt have theirs with them?"

"Yes," he smiles sarcastically and looks ahead.

"That's the main thing, isn't it? Their _Mani_ has made them powerful enough to rule over the throne. Shliya denounced their rule a long time ago, a century ago,"

"What do you mean by a century ago?"

I looked at him amazed.

"She is two hundred years old," he looks at me and whatever he sees in my eyes, amuses him.

"Wait! You didn't know that?"

"You never mentioned in your diary that you creatures have such long lives. How old are you?"

"What do you think?" he smiles and keeps looking in my eyes.

"You tell me, I can't even guess."

"I am three thousand years old" he smiles and nearly burst into laughter when he sees my mouth hung open.

"You are joking," I am astonished at this revelation.

"No," he shakes his head in disbelief, "I am serious. Vritra _Khinna_ is five thousand years, Nuwa, well she is the same. Shesh _Khinna_ , two thousand"

"Oh my God! Well, I will die after the age of ninety. What then?"

"All I have to do is pierce my heart with a silver knife and I will join you in the other world"

"Sshh" I put a finger on his parted lips "You should have said that you will live for me."

"Why lie? When I don't want to live in this world without you. Hey," all of a sudden he looks concerned,

"What's happening to your eyes?"

I am thinking on the same lines since the days I have got up from the hospital bed. It's my last day there today the irritation burning in my eyes still doesn't seem to stop. It lessens up in the day but becomes worse at night. I barely sleep with that thing going on.I close them and then open them again.

"This thing has been happening to me for quite some time"

I see his silken brows frowning in concern as he comes closer to my face and sees the shock in his eyes.

'No" he whispers, "this could not be, it certainly could not be,"

"What is it? What happened?"

He doesn't answer me and keeps on staring. On cue, I see Shliya coming there with something in her hands.

"Hi Shliya,"

I smile while my eyes watered slightly.

"Keep your eyes closed," she says.

I close them.

"Will you people tell me what's happening?"

"Seems like Vasu's venom has started affecting you," Shliya says, "Your eyes are...are"

"My eyes- what?"

"Your eyes are turning out to be like ours,"

I hear his voice and the fear in it too.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean...your eyes are turning to be like that a weresnake"

I feel myself leaving the wheelchair, being taken into his arms and then somewhere.

"Where are you taking me?"

"You still need to heal. Time for your medication"

"What's happening? Tell me correctly"

"Nothing angel. Your body still needs some rest"

*************

After two weeks....

It feels great to be back home, especially leaving the old fragile one! I protested a lot in the beginning that I didn't want him to shower so many things on me. He said that let him give this cottage to me as a loan, I can keep paying in installments if I want.

My eyes have changed. I mean, I'm still human but my eyes have changed from that of grey to translucent grey. My vision has become sharper, compared to my previous weak human one. I have to join Shesh back as his personal secretary. I am busy drying my hair when I hear mum.

"Rashi, Cops are here again"

"Coming mum,"

I start descending down the stairs. I have some difficulty walking. I take a step when I see Vasu coming to my side. Draping one of mine arms around his neck, he supports me till the lounger and then carefully makes me sit. Done with that, he turns to the head Cop Raj Sandhu, middle-aged man in his early thirties.

Police has been investigating Koyal's murder but this recent murder attempt on Ahi has taken the things on a certain twist. From the day I had been discharged from the hospital, the three brothers (especially Ahi) has forbidden cops to ask any sort of question to me.

But even the cops are stubborn in their work and they have humbly requested me to help them out with anything, I could tell them.

"I am sorry, Ms Sharma but it's my work to ask questions. We should not give you any sort of trouble but we are helpless."

"Too right," Ahi says.

I give him the pleading look to not interfere.

"Of course sir. Please go on"

"Did you by any chance see the face of the shooter when the incident took place?"

"Of course not sir. If I had seen it, I would not have been in this condition"

I laugh a little.

"True," he smiles himself at that answer, "That's all I wanted to ask"

"Any luck in Koyal's case inspector?" Ahi turns to the cop, "Has the murderer been caught?"

"We didn't find anything in that case too.. Whoever the person behind this shootout is you have our guarantee that we will catch him"

"Doctor informed me that certain pieces of silver have been spotted in the bullet. Can you tell me what this means?"

Sandhu looks at me. My senses are on alert. So that's why Ahi sense that the attack was on him and I came in between?

"I have no idea, Sir"

I shake my head. Nodding in silence, he gets up and shakes my hand.

"I am sorry, Ms Sharma that I had to trouble you but..."

"It's alright, Sir. You were just doing your duty"

"Thank you for your cooperation, Ms Sharma. Hope you have an early recovery."

"Thank you sir"

I bid them goodbye and turn to go back to my room when I hear Mom.

"Call me if the pain is back in any part. Love you, kid. Bye"

"Bye, mum"

I kiss her and see her leaving the house.

*********************

Mum always knows when to give some private space to me.

"Time for some bed rest again,"

Ahi's arms goes around me as he carries me in his arms as if I don't weigh much.

"Your arms will start aching after some time"

He takes me back through the stairs and keeps me on the bed.

"Not a wild chance" he lightly kissed me on my cheeks."I am fine now. I can walk on my own. Stop pampering me so much"

I see him lying down on the bed with his head on my thigh.

"Hmm," he sighs, "I always thought that your eyes look beautiful but now," a pause, "They look amazing"

"Thanks,"

"Hey," he gets up, "Close your eyes"

"Why? They don't burn now"

"Not that stupid. I want to give you the kiss of life."

"Such a show-off. Can't you say that you want to kiss me? You have to be dramatic all the time"

"Do it" he says and adds the word "Please".

That melting stare again and I'm lost. I close my eyes. Seconds and minutes pass.

I am thrilled to my core. A little puff of breath on my lips before finally I feel his too.. Goosebumps are on my arms, stretching my nerves to their utmost limit. His lips are so warm and soft.

His palms on my cheek tremble as if scared that I will run to another direction.

Slowly, eyes still closed, he parts mine with his tongue.

He stills and attaches his head to mine.

"We can't go beyond this...tongue... venom"

My heart has stopped till the time we were in this intimate cocoon.

Slowly the reality settles on me. I recognise the danger in his words. Of course, his tongue is venomous. I open my eyes and he slowly detaches himself from me.

"You said the venom won't work on me"

"I don't want to take chances whether it affects you or not. I love you,"

His head turns to mine.

"I love you"

"I think a second kiss won't do any harm"

"I don't think so," he takes my mouth in a sweet willing kiss.

**********************************THE END*******************************

WILL BE CONTINUED IN THE NEXT BOOK......... 

## Other works by the Author:

Love Through Cobra's Eye 1-7 (Love Poison)

Love Is Blind

Princess And The Sheikh 1-4 (Princess Series)

Love Through Golden Eye's 1-4 (Love Poison)

In Leopard's Love 1-2

New Moon 1-4 ( Death's Love)

Ruthless Billionaire's Blackmailed Bride ( Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's Bride ( The Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's Lovely Bride 1- 5 ( The Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's Desire 1-2 ( The Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's Tenacious Bride ( The Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's American Mistress (The Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's Innocent Bride (The Sheikh Bride Series)

The Sheikh's Kidnapped Bride (The Sheikh Bride Series)

The Sheikh's Captive Lover ( The Sheikh's Bride Series)

The Sheikh's Hired Love (The Sheikh's Desire Series)

The Sheikh's Secret Princess (The Sheikh's Desire Series)

The Sheikh's Pregnant Bride ( The Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's Pregnant Prisoner ( The Sheikh's Rules Series)

The Sheikh's Pregnant Prisoner 2 ( The Sheikh's Rule Series)

The Sheikh's Secret Bride ( The Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's American Surprise (The Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's Pregnant Prisoner 3 ( The Sheikh'S Rule Series)

The Sheikh's Secret Baby ( The Sheikh's Rules Series)

The Sheikh's Assistant (The Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's American Daughter (The Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's Twin Baby Surprise ( The Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's Chosen Queen (The Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's Quadruplet Baby Surprise (The Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's Convenient Princess (The Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's Bought Wife (The Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's Pregnant Prisoner 0.2 (The Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's Willing Wife (The Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's Pregnant Fling (The Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's Triplet Baby Surprise (The Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's Shock Child – 1 (The Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's Secret Baby 2 (The Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's Accidental Wife (The Sheikh Series)

The Sheikh's Accidental Wife 2 (The Sheikh Series)

Blood Lust (The Mermaid Trilogy Book 1) 
