Rudraksh

41 - Like She Found Her God ( Edited POV )

"Shivanya ! Oh God... Lord Mahakal have mercy...." Came his shaky voice again. A moment later, the snake was no longer around me and I fell.

Strong arms got ahold of me. "Shivanya ! Open your eyes ! Please... Please open your eyes, my heart... Look at me... Darling look... Look I'm here... Please look at me..." Rudraksh pulled me against his chest as he pleaded but I didn't open my eyes. I couldn't. It was harder than I thought so I decided to give up. It was a dream after all.

A beautiful dream.

"No ! No no no no... Breathe... Breathe Shivanya.... Please don't slip away from me... Please don't... Don't leave me... Please don't leave me..." The pain in my heart was stronger and had more power to it than the pain of life leaving my body. The agony in his voice was even greater. The black magic, the blood loss, I couldn't focus.

His tears fell on my hand and my eyes fluttered open. It wasn't a dream. He was there, holding me in his arms like a dying soul holds onto to a lifeline. He was crying, his eyes bloodshot. I didn't even have enough strength to wipe his tears or tell him I was alright. I was safe.

When I looked into his eyes,

I felt like I found my God.

He looked like he found his.

"Mist-mister Rana.. I... I lo..." I didn't know if he heard me. I didn't know where I was. All I knew was that I was safe in his arms and he was safe with me. It was all that mattered to me.

"Yes... Yes, love... It's me... You are safe now. Please keep talking. Can you do that for me ?"

I nodded.

"Mister... Ran..ah..."

"It's okay... It's okay you don't have to say anything. Just keep looking at me okay ? Please keep breathing... Just look at me please..."

"Alpha Rana ! Hurry !" A voice echoed in the cave. It sounded like Krishna and he was panicking. There were some movements and I found myself getting carried out through the tunnels. He kept his eyes on me all the way saying, "Just keep looking at me love. Please keep breathing."

After a few minutes, cold, fresh hair hit my body. We were out. I didn't know how but I was and I could hear chaos. They were deafening. Krishna was yelling something. Rudraksh was yelling something. What they were yelling about ? I didn't know for darkness had swallowed me yet again.

___

When I woke up, I found myself in a familiar room. It's terracotta walls and pastel furniture was way too familiar for me. It was Damini Pandit's special bunker for the injured Royals.

"Shivanya... My child... You are finally awake !" Damini hurried in, dressed in her usual black saree. There were tears in her eyes and lips curled up to a smile.

"Dami Ma.. what happened ? What is happening ? What time is it ?" I blinked. My body ached but I no longer felt weak. I was rapidly healing. The cut on my wrist where the silver shard was stuck was nothing but a scar now.

"Rudraksh had brought you in an hour ago. You were severely drained of blood and almost dead." Rudraksh.... I should go help him fight... I should be on the battlefield beside him and not wrapped in the warmth of fur blankets... Kashi.... I couldn't feel Kashi.

I panicked and tried to get up but my body seemed to have other plans for I couldn't even make it out of bed. What was happening ? "Easy my child. Rudraksh will have my head if something happened to you. He entrusted me with your safety and ordered not to let you out of this room at any cost."

I remembered how Rudraksh held me tight against him, how he was crying... pleading for me to keep my eyes open, how he carried my out through the tunnels. I remembered how his heart was thumping against my arm.