The Guardian's Keeper (The Guardian Trilogy, Book 1)

by Raven, T. R.

  They ate together outside on the front stone steps as the light faded across the fields. Nikoli brought her back inside and began lighting candles to help them find their way through the cottage as the evening crept in. Claire closed up the curtains one by one. She didn’t want to see the inky blackness creeping over the valley- she knew what monsters lay in the shadows of the night.

  Nikoli lay on his stomach on the bearskin rug in front of the hearth, soaking up the warmth of the fire. Claire lay down beside him on her back. He pushed up onto his elbows so he could lean over her, his eyes flickering in the firelight. Claire felt a familiar fire starting inside her as she leaned up to meet his kiss.

  They undressed each other slowly in between passionate kisses. By flickering firelight they made love on the bearskin rug, reveling in each other’s form. Afterwards they lay naked and spent in front of the fire, tangled up in each other.

  After a spell Nikoli asked “Claire? You awake?”

  “Um-hhmm.” Claire straddled the line between sleep and wakefulness.

  “Tomorrow is a big day for both of us. I just wanted you to know, no matter what happens, I really do love you with all my heart. I never knew I could feel this way about someone else.” Nikoli stroked her back as he talked. “Once I was turned I thought I could never love and would always be alone.”

  “Nikoli, I love you too. You don’t have to be alone ever again, as long as I’m around,” Claire muttered before falling asleep completely.

  Nikoli smiled as he kissed Claire’s bare shoulder and drifted off to sleep himself.

  Chapter 18

  Claire awoke at first light to find Nikoli gone. She panicked for a second until she realized the front door had been unbarred. She rose and dressed quickly. Poking her head out the front door she spied Nikoli leading two saddled horses up from the barn. She ran out of help him.

  “Do you ever sleep?” she chastised him as she grabbed a set of reins.

  Nikoli grinned and tousled her hair. “Not much when you’re around.”

  They tied the horses to the post in front of the cottage and gathered up their things. Nikoli packed a sack of food from the pantry and scribbled a quick note of thanks to Akos and Firenze. Once outside he gave Claire a boost onto her roan mare before mounting his steed. He paused to watch Claire up on her mount. She was petting its neck, speaking in quiet tones to the mare. The light mountain breeze blew back her black curls and her expression was relaxed and happy. Nikoli took it all in, striving to memorize this moment of beauty.

  “What?” Claire asked when she caught him staring at her.

  “My Keeper,” Nikoli breathed. “You are the most enchanting woman I’ve ever seen.”

  Claire flushed with pleasure at the compliment. “You’re not so bad yourself, my Guardian,” she chuckled. “Hey, how do you know where we’re going, anyways?”

  Nikoli pulled out an old weathered hand written map from his saddlebag. “Joyce gave this to me, with instructions. It came from John’s library. Renka was notified by messenger of our impending arrival before we even left the States, she’ll be waiting for us,” Nikoli explained. “I’ll lead the way. If we make decent time we should arrive by late afternoon.” With that Nikoli kicked his horse into a canter and headed off across the field. Claire followed suit on her mare.

  They cantered across the field side by side in the morning light until they reached the far side of the fields. There Nikoli pulled in front of Claire and slowed his horse to a walk. He began down a narrow dark path that cut into the forest. Claire followed as her pulse quickened.

  “Relax, lovely,” Nikoli called over his shoulder. “It’s daytime, you’re safe. It may be dark in here but it’s not dark enough for vampires.”

  Claire gripped her reins tightly and followed Nikoli on. She trusted this man completely- if he said she was safe, she was safe. She would follow him anywhere.

  A few hours later the forest lightened up and Claire heard running water.

  “There’s a river up ahead,” Nikoli announced. “We’ll stop and give the horses a quick break.” Claire nodded to show she had heard him.

  A few minutes later they came to a wide river. Nikoli stopped and dismounted and Claire followed his lead. They led the horses down the shallow banks to the river’s edge for a drink. Nikoli’s horse led him downstream a bit as it followed the tender grass shoots growing on the river’s edge. He walked with his horse, his back to Claire. Claire smiled to herself as she remembered their last words of the evening together. She had finally told Nikoli she loved him too.

  Lost in thought Claire didn’t hear someone sneak up behind her. A strong arm grabbed her around the waist while a cold blade pushed against her neck. The stranger spoke to her in a language she didn’t understand.

  “English,” she wheezed against the knife blade on her throat.

  “Stay still and you’ll get to live,” a rough voice growled in her ear. As the stranger held her his comrade came into view. He stood in front of Claire with an ugly smile on his face as he reached out and stroked her curls. With a sneer he snaked his hand down to her chest and squeezed her breast.

  “Ah, an American. Quite a treat,” he snarled.

  Claire silently willed Nikoli to turn around. He was farther downstream now as he allowed his horse to graze, unaware of Claire’s situation.

  “Let’s see what the Mister’s got on him before we have our fun with this one,” the man behind her suggested to his cohort. He kept his grasp on Claire as his partner turned around and crept towards Nikoli.

  Claire watched in horror as the man withdrew his blade only feet away from Nikoli. He raised up his arm, getting ready to strike.

  Claire tensed and her captor growled “Stay quiet now, Missus, don’t matter to us if you’re dead or alive but alive would be more fun for us.”

  Claire nodded her head ever so slightly to show she understood the threat.

  Just as the second man was about to spring upon Nikoli he moved. One minute Nikoli was standing with his back to them, the next his would-be assailant lay dead on the ground. The holt of his blade stuck out of his ear as blood sputtered out of the fatal wound. Before Claire’s assailant could fully register what had just happened Nikoli stood before them, his hands out, palms up.

  “Come now,” he spoke to the bandit. “Let her go and you can leave here alive.”

  The bandit tightened his grip on Claire as he pressed the knife blade further against her throat. Claire felt heat on her neck as a thin line of blood formed where the blade had broken her skin.

  “Stay back!” the bandit yelled to Nikoli. “Keep your distance or I’ll slit her throat right now!” he threatened.

  Claire could hear the panic in his voice.The tables had turned on him and he knew it.

  Nikoli grinned as his eyes flashed red and his fangs grew out.

  “What the hell?” the bandit managed before Nikoli snapped his neck in one swift move too fast for Claire to see.

  She fell to the ground, cupping the slit on her neck. Nikoli dropped beside her and pulled her hand away to look at her wound. His fangs had receded, his eyes their deep brown again. Once he saw it was only a small slit he cradled Claire in his arms and covered her with kisses.

  “Claire, oh Claire, if I lost you…..” his voice broke off in a stifled sob. Claire held him tight as the adrenaline surging through her lessened.

  “I’m okay, I’m okay,” she repeated over and over as she tried to soothe Nikoli.

  “I should have sensed them!” Nikoli berated himself. “I should have heard them, or smelled them or….”

  Claire interrupted him. “You did, you did before that man had a chance to stab you. It’s okay, we’re both okay,” she soothed.

  “It’s not okay!” Nikoli pounded his fist into his palm in frustration. “I should have known they were there before they ever got their hands on you! With the noise and wind off the river I didn’t have a clue until they had you!” He rose suddenly.

  Nik
oli began unpacking Claire’s saddlebags, transferring the contents to his saddle. He took her horse’s bridle off and tucked it into a now saddle empty bag. With a yell he smacked the horse on its rump, sending it careening back down the path they had come from.

  “What are you doing?” Claire yelled. Her horse was gone.

  Nikoli turned to her, his eyes blazing. “We ride together now. We’re not taking any more chances. The Fang is too important.” His eyes softened. “You are too important.” He held out his hand and Claire took it. “Come on, from here on out you ride with me.”

  Chapter 19

  Claire sat in front of Nikoli on his mount. They traveled onward, stopping once more to rest the horse again and numerous times to check the map.

  “We should arrive at Renka’s Camp soon,” Nikoli commented as he checked the map at a fork in the path. Claire was glad to hear it. They had been riding all day and she was getting stiff from her time in the saddle.

  Nikoli ruffled her hair and kissed her neck. “I can’t wait to get there and get you into a tent, lovely,” he joked, nibbling on her earlobe.

  Claire playfully swatted him away. “We’ll never get there if you start that up.”

  Something flew over Claire’s head and thunked into the tree beside them. Nikoli tensed as he examined the arrow that had sailed over their heads by only a few inches. He looked at the fletching on the arrow and broke into a wide grin.

  “Up to your old tricks again, Anya?” he called to the treetops.

  Down the path a ways a woman dropped out of the tree and landed in a graceful crouch.

  “Still too slow, eh, Nikoli?” she called to him in a heavily accented voice. She straightened up and sauntered over to Nikoli and Claire. She wore a ruffled blouse laced up the front with leather and calfskin leggings. Her feet were bare and on her back she wore a quiver of handmade arrows. Her dark brown hair was tied back with a length of suede and her silver hoop earrings flashed in the sunlight filtering through the trees.

  Nikoli slid of the horse to meet her. She embraced him in a tight hug as she watched Claire suspiciously over his shoulder. Her green eyes narrowed.

  “Great,” Claire muttered to herself. “Here we go again.”

  “Claire,” Nikoli called to her. “Come meet Anya.”

  Claire sighed to herself and dismounted.

  “Hello, I’m Claire.” She offered the wild woman her hand and smiled sweetly.

  Anya looked her up and down slowly, then broke into a huge grin and pulled Claire into a tight embrace as she had Nikoli. “Welcome, Claire, to our home. It is good you are here.”

  Claire was taken aback. She looked at Nikoli quizzically.

  “Anya here is the great-granddaughter of Renka. The last time I saw her she was no higher than my knee and already shooting birds out of the sky with her bow.”

  Anya shrugged. “Is no big deal. I practice since I could walk. I better than the men in my Camp, they hate it,” she added with a grin. “You will follow me to Camp. Renka sent me to watch for you, is good you here finally. You come with me.”

  Nikoli and Claire mounted their horse again and followed the barefooted Anya through a maze of off-shooting paths. Anya moved lithely, full of grace and at ease in the forest.

  Claire leaned back to whisper in Nikoli’s ear. “Is she one of you exes?”

  Nikoli chuckled. “No, my Keeper, the last time I saw her she was only 3 or 4.”

  Claire felt foolish. It wasn’t really her business who Nikoli had a romantic relationship with in the past. If she had been paying attention she could have figured out for herself there had been nothing between Nikoli and this woman. She had to learn to tamp down her inner green eyed monster.

  Eventually they came to a large clearing encircled by huge pines. Within the clearing lay the Gypsy Camp. Claire gasped out loud. The Camp was like nothing she’d ever seen.

  Large covered wagons with solid dome tops and little entryway doors dotted the Campground. Interspersed among the wagons were fabric tents which children darted in and out of, laughing and playing. Many small cooking fires smoldered through the Camp as women stirred soups and stews in cast iron pots. Some of the menfolk clustered down at one end of the Camp where they cleaned small animal carcasses. Laundry swayed in the breeze on lines between the wagons and chickens ran free everywhere. A small flock of sheep and goats were held in a crudely made pen in the middle of the chaos. Horses were tied here and there. It felt like Claire had stepped back in time.

  “Follow me,” Anya commanded as she led them down the sandy hill to the Camp site. As they approached she let out a shrill loud cry, almost like a bird call of some sort. A similar call from within the Camp cut through the din of the caravan.

  “Is good, they know you here now,” Anya commented. “You get off horse here, not good to disrespect Renka, ride beast into circle.” Anya stood expectantly as Nikoli and Claire dismounted. Anya continued onward as Nikoli led their horse with one hand and held Claire’s hand tight in the other.

  Anya walked into the encampment a few paces and then stopped. “You tie horse here,” she told Nikoli as she pointed to a pole. Nikoli did as she asked. Anya gestured for them to hurry up. They followed her, continuing deeper into the Camp until they came to a caravan painted a brilliant red with gold trim.

  “Renka is here, you wait and I bring her,” Anya ordered.

  Nikoli nodded as Anya entered the little caravan. Claire suddenly felt very nervous- they had come all this way to meet this Renka, this woman with the answers. What would those answers be?

  Chapter 20

  The little caravan door opened as a tiny old woman stepped out. She was hunched over and of indiscriminate age. All Claire could tell about her is that she was old, very old. Despite her frail appearance she had an air of authority about her. She walked with a hand carved wooden cane and wore heaps of brilliant jewelry.

  When she reached the bottom of the stairs she spat into the dust and looked at it for a moment before turning to Nikoli and firing off a few rapid sentences in a language Claire did not recognize. Nikoli laughed out loud and bowed low to the woman.

  “She says she sees you have a good heart, she can tell it in her spittle,” Nikoli chuckled to Claire, straightening out. “She also says a good girl like you does not belong with a louse like me that does not show a Queen proper respect.”

  Claire was flabbergasted. Was she supposed to curtsey or something? How was she supposed to act around this strange old witch?

  The old woman straightened her posture as best she could to look directly at Claire. She made rapid motions with her hands around Claire while mumbling in her native tongue. Claire stood perfectly still, intrigued by the whole scene.

  Nikoli chuckled again and shook his head disapprovingly. “Now she’s casting spells to ward off the evil that rides with you.” He paused. “The evil she refers to, of course, is me.”

  Claire huffed, offended. Who did this woman think she was? “Excuse me!” Claire began, gently grabbing the woman’s hand mid-motion. “I don’t need any spells to protect me from Nikoli, thank you very much.”

  The woman looked at Claire’s hand upon hers in disbelief then smiled a toothless grin. Claire released her.

  ‘Claire,” she said in a rusty tone. “You have the spirit that is needed for this task- the spirit of a fighter. So why do you lay down with the dead one?” She cast a scornful look at Nikoli.

  Claire gasped in shock as did Anya. “Who I ‘lay with’ is of no concern of yours,” she snapped angrily.

  The woman’s smile grew and she shook a boney finger at Claire. “Ah yes, you’ll do fine, Renka has seen it.” She patted Claire’s cheek gently. Claire fought with herself to stand her ground even though she wanted to back away from the nasty hag.

  The old croon chuckled. “I am Renka, Queen of the Gypsies. You are welcome here while you prepare yourselves for your journey. Nikoli, we will circle up at nightfall, be sure you’re within the circle if you wish to st
ay. We will speak more after the feast, for now I must go rest.” With that she turned around and hobbled back up her stairs into her caravan.

  Claire stood gaping at the spot where Renka had been. How was this insulting nasty old thing going to help them destroy the Fang? What did she mean by ‘circle up’?

  A young man approached and spoke to Anya in hushed tones. She turned to Nikoli.

  “This is Garridan. You stay with him tonight. Claire stays with me. You go, get your things put away and get cleaned up for feast tonight.”

  Claire tensed. “Can’t we stay together?” she asked Anya imploringly.

  Anya shook her head. “No, you are not…” she searched for the English word “….married and Nikoli is not even human. No good.” She shook her head. “You stay with Camp you follow Camp rules. Women do not stay with men who are not their married ones or family.”

  Nikoli spoke low in Claire’s ear. “It’s fine Claire. You go with Anya now, we’ll catch up with each other later. It’s okay.”

  “Come.” Anya looked at Claire impatiently. “I have clothes you can wear for feast.” She strode off without looking to see if Claire was following her or not. With a shrug and a weak smile at Nikoli Claire hurried after her.

  Anya stopped in front of a caravan painted a brilliant peacock blue. “This is mine, please come in.” She held the little door open for Claire.

  Claire stooped and crossed into the little caravan. Her eyes went wide in surprise. The interior was painted in bright yellows and oranges. Some sort of finely detailed cloth in hues of red, orange and yellow was pinned to the ceiling to fan out and cover it. A single bed had folded out from the wall and built in drawers covered the remaining walls. A weathered oval mirror rested on top of a small crate topped with a fine silk cloth. Heaps of gold and silver jewelry covered the crate. Two small windows allowed some light in.