CHAPTER 3
^^Impetuous Actions^^
"Fine… But it's just a substitute. I don't owe you anything. Ok?" Kripa asked cautiously and picked up the necklace.
"Of course!" Angad smiled in victory and took the necklace from her hands, "Let me."
Kripa turned and presented her bare neck to him feeling extremely venerable. The gesture of presenting one's neck is equivalence to submission in her wolf world, coz that the weakest part of the body. She hadn't allowed anyone except Sujal and Kashish to touch her there.. And now she was offering it so easily to him…
No, that isn't true.. Kripa thought, as shiver ran through her, as soon as Angad stepped close to her… there was Aarde'… She had trusted Him 20 yr back.
As the memories of her past flashed in her mind, Kripa's blood froze with hate and hurt, yet an electric tingle broke out here and there as she felt Angad's presence and inhaled his scent…. If Angad's eyes were like washed grass after a rain to Kripa, then his scent was like the air of clear skies after a tempest storm.. Calm and refreshing... Harboring a new hope and promises. Washing away her painful memories.
The chilled blood of veins burned when he touched her neck to brush aside her hair. Fire and ice fought inside her. Fire from Angad, Ice from memories of Aarde'… Aarde' who had used her; a young pass out, lined to be royal guard. Lulled her with honeyed words into betraying her duty and pack. Left her to die when his mission had been accomplished and she had been forsaken by everyone.
A brush of lips on her nape wrenched Kripa away from all the painful memories to the present He.. he… he…
A few moments later she heard his soft voice coming from near her neck, "I am sorry.. i.. I .dont know what came over me…"
Her super sensitive ears which could hear an ant walking, couldn't register what he was saying…he..he.. k..ki.ki..
"Kripa?" Angad tried again in a while. He felt so stupid for being so impetuous. What is wrong with me? I never act like this!! Gods I have had decades in practice, my sisters experience to teach me better! On top of that I hardly know her and she isn't even human!!
"Kripa… Please talk to me?" Angad said with growing panic when Kripa didn't respond, forgetting his doubts for a minute, she had tensed up when he had stepped closer. But now she was stiff as a statue.
He.. declared his Fealty to me!!! He.. Doesn't even know and he…
"Kripa? Say something! Please…" Angad turned her around so he could speak directly, but her face robbed him of all expression and speech.
Her face shined in a red glow of anger along the moisture of her tears. I made her… cry.. The look in her shuttered eyes made his heart skip a few beats. The painful tears only hinted of her past tribulation, the fear & confusion in them showed how vulnerable she really was. and I made her cry!! Angad cupped her cheek and stared silently at her face.. I hurt her.. I made her cry. Never again!! I swear my sword to protect her!
What have you done? Why did you do it? Do you even know what this means? Why am I not upset at this? I don't even know u. I can't even trust you. who r you? What r you doing to me? Kripa thought as she stared back at Angad. She knew she had to get a grip; she can't get this deeply affected by a stranger!!
Besides, this emotional instability wasn't good for a shifter. When Aarde' had betrayed her, she had been so lost and shattered, that she had broken away from her humanity and turned into a complete wolf. She had been unable to even think humanly for a year after that. No.. I have to control myself!! I can't turn now… I don't think I'll ever be human again if I surrender to my wolf once more!!
Kripa managed to break the hold of Angad's eyes as this new panic arose in her and closed her eyes. Slowly, methodically she pulled back her aura, one by one locked into her hyperactive senses and slowed them down to human level. When she got to her center, - The shift, her wolf side revolted. With growing panic Kripa tried harder, to stop it from emerging and overpowering her. As student she used to have excellent control over it.. But now..
Danger!! Stop!! Run!! Danger!!
Her beast shouted at her and Kripa realized her beast was struggling hard- to protect her…isntatly Kripa stopped the struggle, she trusted her wolf's instinct more than anything, her wolf had never liked Aarde' either. So Kripa decided to take the risk and submit to her wolf for enhanced senses. Doing that, Kripa raised her arms and face to feel the air and smell.
Evil!! Danger!! Stop!! Run!! Evil!!
Something clicked inside Kripa as her wolf shouted and she too screamed in harmony, "NOOOO!!!" and then dived for Angad, "Everyone! Get down!!! Under the tables!! DOWN!!!!"
Working on pure wolf instinct now, Kripa kept shouting as she dragged a stunned Angad under a table and covered his vital organs with her body. Before people could react, deep rumbling sound rippled from under the ground and the windows began to rattle and shake.
"UNDER THE TABLES!!!" Kripa kept shouting and clutched Angad closer to her, like lioness protecting her cub. Seconds later the window glasses shattered and the earth beneath them shifted. Kripa clamped her mouth shut to prevent herself from howling out loud. Max!!! David…Havers!!! Every1 please be safe.. be safe.. be safe… gods please keep them safe.. Kripa prayed and whimpered as the sudden earthquake continued for a whole minute.
Slowly, as things quieted down, then the loud cacophony of human screaming irrupted.
Safe. Her wolf told her and Kripa started breathing again. She slowly loosed her fingers which were buried deep in Angad's hair and moved away.
Under the table, hidden from the world by the big table cloth Angad laid flat on his back and Kripa sat straddling him..
"R you ok?" Kripa asked, her voice still shaky from the incident, her finger hovering over his face to reassure her, "Say something! Please r you ok?" Kripa asked again trying not to grow hysterical.
She hardly knew the man.. He had done nothing but annoy her, yet the thought of him getting hurt, worse dying, doubled her heart rate with terror.
"Angad?!" Kripa asked again. She could see he was fine, he was breathing, but he was so quite.. And what was the evil she had sensed earlier? Was it after him?
"What j..just happened?!" Angad finally managed to splutter a min after the earthquake had ceased. "Was that an earthquake? Are you ok? Kripa? Wow!! How did you.. Know?"
"I sens….. I …", Kripa looked away from Angad. Suddenly uncomfortable in the closed, confined space with him. What is wrong with me? What am I doing, protecting him like this? What jus came over me?
"Kripa?" Angad asked again and touched her cheek… and I was swearing my sword to her.. I thought I could protect her?! She just saved my life!… Not only that.. She risked her safety to protect me when she covered me with her body!!.. Isn't that supposed to be my job? When did I become a coward to hide behind a girl? How dare I freeze up when disaster stuck. I am so despicable.. No wonder she doesn't respect me more than her collar..
"I… yah.. I am ok.. I have to….um.. yah.. check if every 1 fine too.", Kripa mumbled hurriedly and slipped out from under the table, before Angad could stop her. Outside, there were no major causalities. A few cuts, bruises, etc. the building had held so every1 was alive. Kripa fished out her cell and called David.
"David!! Are you- "
"Kripa!! Thank god!! We were so worri-"
"Havers and max?!"
"They are fine! Where are you?"
"The caf. What about the house? Did master-"
"Intact. I'll come pick you up. Will call him on the way.", With that Kripa put her phone back inside the purse and saw Angad putting his away too.
"Ahhmm thankyou." Angad said and looked straight at Kripa with his piercing gaze.
"Yah.. Well.. how's your sister?" Kripa asked looking away. His gaze was too penetrating and all seeing and right now, she was too close to the edge.
"She's ok. It wasn't this bad there… only mild vibrations.. Plus animals there.. They…. Created a racket in advance…", Angad said noticing Kripa's uneasiness. He knew she wasn't normal.. But what was she?
"Uh.. Well yah.. They have some extra senses… um.. I have to go. David is-" Kripa said slowly stepping away from Angad. Too much was happing too quickly and he looked as if he suspected something.
"Is he your boyfriend?" Angad asked bluntly closing the distance b/w them in a single steps.
"WHAT?!" Kripa asked shocked out of her turmoil for a minute, "NO!! Why would you even-"
"Coz you called him. He isn't your brother is he?" Angad asked inching towards her.
"No! He is maste- I mean.. Mr. Grewal's driver… That is all." Kripa said taking a step back, but Angad just kept closing in on her, "and I have to go. Now!"
Kripa muttered and quick as lightening turned around to run away. But Angad's hand shot out equally faster and grabbed her arm, "Not so fast. Where do you think you r running off to? What r you trying so hard to hide Kripa?" Angad jerked her around to face him. She had frustrated him initially with her nonchalance. But now he knew better, she cared for him and right now she was running away from the mess they were in. what he didn't expect was her sudden anger though.
"Let go of My HAND!" Kripa growled at Angad. Her wolf didn't like being cornered. Neither did she.
"Ok." Angad released her hand but gripped her waist, before Kripa could even react (yes she is very fast in reaction and action) he pulled her forward and mashed his lips to her. MINE!!
Angad couldn't let her get away from her like this. He inside churned violently at the thought of never seeing her again, of her forgetting him. He had to tell her somehow, what he couldn't understand himself.
There had only been once before in her life that Kripa had been shocked like this. It was when Aarde' had left her bloody and broken, the shock then had numbed her pain and mind and turned her into a wolf. But now.. As soon as Angad's lips had touched hers, her body had gone into altogether a diff kind of shock. Now lightning bolts lit her body, erasing every thought and worry from her, replacing it with sensations she had never felt before. She no longer knew or cared what was happening around her.. inside her.
On its own Kripa's body softened into Angad's arms as tension left it, her arms crept around his strong shoulders so that her fingers could bury in his hair, her lips parted on their own accord… and with passion she didn't know she possessed, she kissed him back.
Both were lost in each other, oblivious to the chaos and humans around them, until a voice shattered it all.
"KRIPA!"
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