Venkat grinned again, and his tone took on a storyteller’s resonance. “They say that Chandra’s father-in-law, Daksha, repeatedly warned him to treat all his wives the same, and when Chandra didn’t, Daksha cursed him to fade away. But Lord Shiva, knowing the world would suffer without a moon to illuminate the darkness, intervened. Daksha was right, he said, and there did need to be some consequences for Chandra’s favoritism, but what if they could strike a compromise? For fifteen days each month, Chandra would fade to nothing, and for the other fifteen, he would grow into fullness. Daksha agreed to the terms, and that’s how we got the lunar cycle of waxing and waning.”

“That’s really sad,” Tanvi said.

“I don’t know; at least we have a moon.”

She pointed to the woman in the boulders. “No, her. She wanted him, but she never got him. I saw it while you were reading.”

Venkat didn’t say anything, but she could see she’d captivated him.

Each time the nagini had tried to step onto the moonstones, Lord Chandra had disappeared behind the clouds, and the path vanished.

Though she’d waited, kneeling in supplication, until daybreak, he’d never returned.

Tanvi kind of hated the moon for that.

“Hey,” Venkat said softly. He nodded at her, his eyes even warmer than usual, a complete contrast to the coolness of the moon in her vision. “Are you okay? We can go back if this is too much.”

“Why did you . . . ?” she began.

He wandered closer and took his hands in hers. “Why did I what?”

Her mouth dried up again. His grip was strong, solid. She couldn’t help noticing how nice his deep purple kurta looked against his brown skin. The way he was gazing down at her made her belly turn a flip. “Why did you bring me here?”

“I promised Asha and Jai I’d look out for the rest of you, and I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

Tanvi stared at him. But what did that have to do with this place?

“You’re so brave, Tanvi. Braver than me. I wanted to give you a good story, something special.” Venkat sighed, releasing her. “But that doesn’t fix the problem, does it? Asha’s still going to have her picnic here and get married to that dud of a prince, and you’re still dreaming.”

Tanvi couldn’t stop thinking of the night bride Lord Chandra hadn’t wanted. She was just as clueless. Nitya was right; she was totally stunted. She’d grown up without a heart, and she had no instincts to trust.

“But I’m going to help you,” Venkat finished. “I promise.”

The tension in her arms went slack. Help was exactly what she needed.

When Tanvi turned to him again, Venkat was surveying the water. “I want you to know you can trust me,” he said.