Flesh & Blood by Adara Wolf

Author:Adara Wolf [Wolf, Adara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: dark, enemies to lovers, Fantasy, kink, M/M, romance
Published: 2021-04-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

After that awkward dinner, Madhava would gladly have stayed secluded the next day, but Suraj insisted they go out and enjoy the nice weather.

“You’ll love the fountains in the gardens,” Suraj said, pulling Madhava along.

It was hard not to get caught up in Suraj’s excitement, especially once he saw the gardens for himself. The pathways took them past flowers and shrubs, down to long pools of water with bubbling fountains interspersed among them. Lotuses bloomed along the edges of the pool, drawing butterflies.

“It’s stunning,” Madhava said earnestly. He’d never seen anything like it before. There was artistry in how the gardens had been put together, the colors of the plants complementing each other. A lot of reds, of course, because that was Ravindra’s favored color, but other colors accented the design.

“I told you so.” Suraj placed an arm around Madhava’s shoulders as he led him around. “Tamish and I used to come out here after our lessons. And sometimes Father would invite us to eat out here with him. He’s really knowledgeable about flowers! He can tell you something about most of them.”

Of course it all came back to Ravindra. Madhava bit back a sharp retort and allowed Suraj to lead the way. They ended up at a small bench near one of the fountain pools. A canopy provided shade so they could sit and admire the beauty without the sun’s rays beating down on them.

“This is a lot of water,” Madhava said quietly. “It’s so beautiful, but…”

“But?” Suraj rubbed the back of Madhava’s neck gently.

Better not to cause a scene. Madhava had seen places where this amount of water would be unheard of. It was a waste, an opulent display to reinforce just how much wealth Ravindra had. Saying so wouldn’t change anything, though. Suraj couldn’t bring all this water to the people who needed it more.

“Never mind. I’m getting a bit hungry. Maybe we should head back?” Madhava started to stand, Suraj pulled him back down.

“I have a better idea. Wait here. I’ll talk to a servant and have them bring lunch out for us.” Suraj was already jogging off before Madhava could react.

Sitting outdoors wasn’t too bad, at least. He had the scenery to admire, and even in the shade, the air warmed Madhava pleasantly. It would be nice to take a nap out here. Maybe he could suggest it after he and Suraj had lunch.

That feeling of relaxation evaporated when he heard somebody coming down the path. Madhava sat up and turned to face them, hoping it was only one of the servants tending to the garden, but he wasn’t so lucky.

“Madhava! What a pleasant surprise,” Kalyan greeted. “I’d been hoping to speak to you.”

Today his hair was loose, draping down his back, while his clothes were a tight coat and pants that covered almost every inch of his skin. The only jewels on him were earrings and a single, understated necklace. He looked less like a pet or concubine now, and more an actual person of standing in the court.

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