Kalindra (GateKeepers)
Page 2
“Who is he?” Kalindra asked.
Whether or not they’d brought the humans here, she had no doubt they were behind the slaughter at her doorstep. But why kill the others, and take this one? What was so special about him? And how the hell had the humans gotten through her gate in the first place?
“A criminal.” The male vampire this time. Short. Brusque. Apparently he didn’t know the trouble he courted.
“What’s his crime?” She crossed her arms over her chest, her sharp nails tapping lightly against her arm. She wanted information. These two had better convince her they had some.
“Theft.”
Again with the one word answer. One would think they didn’t want to talk with her. She was hurt. No, really.
Fine. Kalindra was done playing with them anyway. She had better things to do, and she clearly wasn’t getting anywhere.
“See, I’d like to believe you. Really, I would. But that man there is a human. I can smell it all over him.” And damn if that man didn’t stand up straighter as if offended. Her voice rose. “Add in the fairly modern clothing, and the human corpses outside my gateway, and I’m led to believe you’re lying. And if there’s one thing I hate, it’s liars.” Her claws visibly grew a few inches. Three sets of eyes dropped to her hands, and she stretched them for effect.
Now the vampire male looked nervous. He reached for his sword, but Kalindra struck before his hand could grab the hilt, swiping her claws from shoulder to waist. The man fell to the ground. Not dead–yet–but no longer a threat.
“Now, are you going to answer my questions?” she asked the woman, blood dripping from one claw.
That was all it took. The woman dropped the prisoner’s arm and started to run. Guess she didn’t want to answer any questions.
“Stay,” she said, gazing straight into the prisoner’s eyes. He nodded cautiously.
With a sweep of her arms, Kalindra soared into the air. Foolish vampire. Everyone knew harpies could outfly anything on two legs. A couple four legged creatures could outrun a harpy, even some six legged ones. But her measly two legs were no match for Kalindra’s speed.
When she caught up to the woman, Kalindra grabbed her shoulders in her foot talons. In this position, the woman was helpless. Kalindra rose into the air, taking the woman with her, until she reached optimal height.
“Let this be a lesson to those who think to trick me. Those who think they can take from Inverness without consequence.” There was no one to hear, but others would know. When they found the remains, they would know, and the message would spread.
With that, she released the woman, and listened to her scream as she plummeted to the ground. The sickening crunch of impact filled the clearing. She stared at the remains from her position above.
Should she feel bad for taking the woman’s life so easily? Guilty, maybe? Or victorious? Surely she should feel something. Anything. But she didn’t.
She tried to tell herself the woman deserved it for what she’d done to the humans. That the woman had it coming for lying to her. But truthfully, Kalindra felt…numb.
Not a good sign. Losing her connection to the world was the first sign of madness. Madness and defeat went hand in hand. For a warrior like her, defeat equaled death.
She’d been keeper for too long. The restless feeling had grown stronger in the past year. No one could handle the life of gatekeeper forever. After awhile, the loneliness and constant struggle to hold the barrier drove keepers insane, if they didn’t die on the swords of the invaders first. And she’d been keeper for a long time. But for now, the duty was still hers.
Looking over her shoulder, she saw the prisoner still standing exactly where she’d left him, his head turned away. At least someone followed her orders.
In less than a minute, she stood over the fallen male vampire. His wound already showed signs of healing, but still bled. She’d cut him deeper than intended. Maybe now he’d be willing to answer some questions. He’d live. Until she decided he shouldn’t.
“What were you doing here?”
Blood stood out starkly from his teeth when he smiled up at her. “You can’t win. Others will come. They know what he is, and what he has, now. Every race in this world will kill, and die, to possess it for themselves. You and your fellow gatekeepers will all fall.” His bitter laugh ended on a wracking cough. Eventually, his eyes drifted to the prisoner. “You should never have come into this world. Now nothing can save you. Not even her.” His laughter turned maniacal, not stopping until Kalindra picked up his own sword and removed his head from his body.
She stared at the corpse for a long moment. Such senseless death. If he had never come here, he would still be alive, his companion would still be alive, and those poor humans would still be alive. Foolish.
Her gaze shifted to the human before her. He stood his ground, even lifted his chin, as she crossed to him. Somehow his bravery didn’t bother her like the vampire’s had. On the human, it was a novelty that appealed to the warrior spirit inside her. She removed the rag from his mouth and pushed it so it hung around his neck.
“Key?” she asked, pointing to the cuffs.
“Front left pocket,” he said on a cough, nodding his head toward the vampire on the ground. At least it hadn’t been on the woman. That would’ve been messy.
Once she’d located the key, she released the man, and watched as he rubbed circulation back into his hands.
Anger flared. The vampires had cuffed him too tight. But why did she care? In surprise, she realized she felt sympathy toward him.
“Why you?” she murmured.
“Sorry?” he asked.
“Why did they take you when they killed the others?”
The man shrugged, but his gaze drifted away. She recognized diversion when she saw it.
“Dunno. Maybe for food?”
Lies. This man knew why he’d been taken. What was he hiding?
“You saw what happens to those who lie to me,” she warned.
As she expected, the man shivered in disgust, or maybe it was apprehension. Most likely a mix of the two.
“How’d you get through the gateway?”
She heard the man swallow. Now, wasn’t that interesting? He hadn’t been frightened of her before. Cautious, yes. Frightened, no. But something scared him now.
“These two took us through.”
The quaver in his voice was barely detectable. But it was there. More lies? But what was the point?
“I think you’re lying.”
The man’s gaze met hers, and she knew she’d been right in her assessment. She didn’t know why, yet, but she knew the man hadn’t told the truth. “Until I get some answers, you’re coming with me.”
“Wha…” he started as she took off into the air, only to stop when she grabbed his shoulders in her talons. “No, wait.”
“Relax.” She sighed. “I won’t kill you until I get answers.”
“Somehow that doesn’t reassure me.”
The man’s hands swept over her legs. Searching for a grip, no doubt. But she had no intention of letting go. And not just because she sought answers, although she would get those.
Something about this man intrigued her. For the first time in longer than she could remember, she wanted. Until she found out the answers she sought, he could keep her company.
Chapter 2
The creak of the door as Cameron eased it open ricocheted down the empty stone hallway. He grimaced at the sound. Subtle. Why didn’t he start whistling, too? Just to make sure the harpy knew he was coming.
Since he’d washed off the dirt and blood from his capture, reality had set in. He couldn’t figure out what was worse, prisoner to the vampires, or prisoner to the harpy.
That was a lie. The harpy had no need for what he guarded. Wouldn’t use it for her own gain. The vampires had no such qualms. Once they’d figured out what took him through the gate without detection, they’d have killed him and used it to slaughter hundreds.
Sti
ll, he had no guarantee the harpy wouldn’t kill him. His mind flashed back to the female vampire, splattered on the ground like road kill. A shudder surged through his system until his whole body shook in revulsion. His resolve to leave the room almost crumbled.
Pissing off the gatekeeper…not a great idea. But his curiosity–always getting him into trouble–got the better of him. Slowly, he started forward once again.
So far, the harpy had treated him more like a guest than a prisoner. Had led him to a room with a huge four poster bed piled high with pillows and blankets–he hadn’t known a bed could fit that many pillows. She’d even allowed him to shower with soap and actual shampoo. He was definitely not going to ask where the woman found Herbal Essences this far away from civilization.
When she’d shown him the room, she hadn’t mentioned anything about staying there. Clearly that meant she wanted him to explore. Or, at least, certainly wouldn’t mind. And if she did mind, she should have said something. Not like he was psychic.
Pushing his luck. Always pushing. One day he’d push too far and wind up dead. Today had almost been that day. Might still be that day. He had no idea what the harpy would do to him once she discovered his secret.
But that didn’t mean he had any intention of stopping. A grin split his face as he stepped out into another hallway, his heart pounding in his chest in a familiar heavy rhythm. This was the kind of danger he lived for.
Well, maybe not anymore. After seeing some of the creatures from the other world–and realizing they all feared her, the harpy gatekeeper–he probably should behave like a proper prisoner. At least until he could escape. And he would escape.
Whoever said “ignorance is bliss” hit the nail on the frickin’ head. He’d give anything to go back to being a man who craved adventure, feeling secure in his strength, in his intelligence, and in his place in the world. The man he’d been a mere nine months ago.
Nine months. Hard to imagine so much had changed in so short a time. But it had. He no longer believed humans were at the top of the proverbial food chain. Creatures like the harpy, the vampires, and all the others he’d recently learned were real…they were the hunters. Humans were merely prey. Only a handful of men and this harpy woman, one guard for each of the four gateways between the two worlds, stopped the entire extinction—or worse, enslavement—of the human race.
And to think, men like those he’d taken through the gate tonight actually thought they could take the good of the other world and leave the bad. That they could strip Outremer for everything useful and live to tell the tale. Cameron had made a tidy profit catering to men just like that. All he’d had to do was show them a gem or two–the same gems that littered the mountains in Outremer–tell a couple tall tales about the beautiful women and exotic plants and animals, and men had tripped over themselves to give Cameron money to take them to the world of dreams. Even the warnings he’d given after hadn’t diminished their obsession with crossing the gateways. But in the end, they’d learned their lesson the hard way. As had he.
He closed his eyes against the guilt tightening his chest. It wasn’t his fault. At least not entirely. But he had shown people the world on the other side of the gateways, shown them the good and left off the bad more often than not. He should have known he could only profit off his knowledge for so long before he was found out.
The secrets of Outremer had been his responsibility, and he’d failed.
Thank God, the harpy had succeeded in her duty of protecting the gate. No matter how much he hated her, hated all the monsters like her, he could at least appreciate her dedication to duty. Respect the good she’d done guarding one of the four gateways between worlds. Better than he’d done as the keeper of the shard.
But it was a new day, figuratively at least, and he was a new person. No more tours of hell for him. In fact, if he never saw the other side of the gate again, it would be too soon. From now on, he’d be the perfect keeper until he found someone worthy of guarding the shard. Someone more worthy than him.
Light spilled into the hallway from an open doorway at the end of the corridor, and like a moth to a flame, he moved toward it.
A pounding noise broke the silence of the night, coming from the room he was about to enter. He paused. Maybe he should turn back and wait in his room. Or maybe he should take this opportunity to flee.
But fleeing would be pointless. He’d never make it out the door as long as the harpy wanted him here. His best option was confronting the beast, and figuring out how to give her just enough information to make his escape.
Anything could be waiting on the other side of the doorway. Who knew whether the harpy lived alone. It could be any manner of creature. And that pounding… A lesser man would be quaking in his boots. Hell, who was he kidding? He was quaking in his boots.
Boots the harpy had left for him, along with a closet full of men’s clothes. Which meant others had to live here with her, right? After all, the harpy might be a monster, but she was definitely a she. Intimidating as hell, but a petite woman. The clothes in the closet would have hung off her.
Moment of reckoning. He’d made it this far already. No use turning back now. The woman would come for him eventually. The sooner he confronted her, the sooner he could leave.
With a bracing inhale, Cameron turned the corner and froze at the sight before him. He’d been expecting something frightening, or disgusting. A monster drooling over a pile of bones or something similar. Whatever he’d been expecting, it hadn’t been…her.
Although he could only see her back, the woman fascinated him. Bronze hair cascaded in a wavy waterfall. The dress she wore didn’t hide the roundness of her hips or the swell of the side of her breast. Curvy in all the right ways. One sleeve fell off her shoulder, exposing smooth porcelain skin just begging to be stroked.
Clenching his hand, he barely managed to resist reaching out to touch the vision in front of him. Who was she? And what was she doing here with the beast? Did the harpy take human slaves? Anger swelled at the thought. She was supposed to be protecting humans from others who would enslave them.
“Well, don’t just stand there being useless. Those vegetables need chopping,” the woman said without turning.
How had she known he was there? He looked to the island in front of him, where two green bell peppers sat next to a cutting board and knife.
Moving forward, his focus returned to the woman. She still hadn’t turned or acknowledged his presence in any way other than the orders. He couldn’t help but wonder what she looked like. Were her eyes blue like the ocean, or brown like molten chocolate? Maybe green like the forest around them.
Her voice had been smooth and rich. That kind of voice would sound sexy as hell talking dirty. Just the thought made his cock stand at attention. He shifted a bit in discomfort, suddenly grateful for the counter between them. He didn’t even know this woman.
Picking up the knife, he began chopping the peppers. “I’m Cameron,” he said after a moment, partly to break the silence, and partly because he yearned to know more about her.
“Kali.” Soft. Lyrical. It suited her.
“So, Kali. What are we making?”
“Dinner.”
He laughed. “Well, I kinda figured that. What are we making for dinner?”
She turned her face to the side and he saw pink highlighting her cheek, utterly charming him. This didn’t seem like a woman who blushed easily.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve…entertained anyone here.”
“Are you a prisoner here, too, then?” he asked before he thought better of it.
Silver gray eyes turned toward him, freezing him with knife raised. His breath left him in a rush. The woman was stunning. Wide almond-shaped eyes, high cheekbones, and a pert nose sloping up slightly at the end. She brought gorgeous to a new level.
A slightly sarcastic smile curved her lips, and humor shone from her eyes. “I’ve never really thought of it that way, but I guess, in a way, I am.”
She tilted her head to the side, staring at the ceiling in thought.
Seizing the moment, he let his eyes wander over the curve of her jawline and downward. He only wanted a quick peek. But the sight of her gently sloping breasts, the tops exposed by her low-cut dress, had his gut churning with need. How long had it been since he’d had a woman beneath him? And why was his reaction to this one so strong?
“I suppose–” Her voice cut into his thoughts, and his gaze shot to her face. Relief filled him when he saw her gaze still focused on the ceiling. “A duty. I was chosen to serve her. So that’s what I do.”
“Hell of a job.” Cameron could hear the cynicism in his own voice. If he got the chance, he would take this woman with him when he left. No way could he leave her to serve that monster.
“It’s not as bad as all that. Besides, for a long time all we’ve had was each other. A really long time…”
The way she trailed off when she spoke of time, and the far off look in her eyes, told him this woman wasn’t referring to years, but an amount of time he had no concept of. Which meant she wasn’t human, or at least had lived much longer than average.
To think she’d spent that whole time here, serving the beast. A woman like her should be taken care of, showered with gifts. Instead she was treated like a servant. Stuck here with no one for company but the monster who had killed two people tonight without thought or remorse.
“I guess you could consider us…friends. In a manner of speaking.”
With a shrug, the woman turned and rubbed seasoning into the meat in front of her.
His chest ached at the loss of connection between them. “Friends? Really? I mean there’s a reason they call bitchy women ‘harpies.’ How could you be friends with that monster?”
The woman froze, and Cameron worried he had gone too far. He held his breath until the woman turned, amusement in the eyes that met his.