Kalindra (GateKeepers)

by Bennett, Sondrae

  Her gaze dropped to his lips, and he felt a tremor skate through her body. Resisting the urge to kiss her again was beyond his control. She sighed as he closed the space between their lips, and Cameron knew she was lost. Good. Because he was lost as well. So deep in love with this woman he knew he’d never be the same. She’d crawled into his heart and set up shop.

  “You both do know that I’m still here, right?” her friend asked.

  Cameron couldn’t care less about the woman. She could go wreak havoc on all of Earth for all he cared. Plus, knowing she and Kali were friends, he knew she probably wouldn’t do any such thing.

  But apparently Kali had a different view. She wiggled in his grip until he stood her upright. There went for his plans for the next couple hours.

  “I wish you’d called, Ana,” Kali said.

  Cameron looked at her closely. Was that a blush staining her cheeks? He crossed behind her and plastered himself against her back. No way would he let her be embarrassed about what just happened.

  “I can see that. Well, since you’re clearly…busy, I’ll just head on home. But you are going to tell me all about–” She waved her hands in front of her. “This. Soon. And I want all the scandalous details.”

  Ana turned for the gate.

  “Wait, Ana. You don’t have to go,” Kali called out, stopping her friend.

  Cameron growled. He had plans for the afternoon. Ones that didn’t include another woman.

  Ana’s lips curled into a mischievous smile. “Oh, I really do.” And then she stepped through the portal and vanished.

  Kali stared at the portal until he turned her to face him. They had things to discuss. He cupped her face in his hands and stared into her eyes. Everything he felt for her crowded his chest. Here was the woman for him.

  “Kali, I want to stay with you.”

  “I’m getting that,” she said, cupping his cheek.

  “No. I mean I want to stay…forever.”

  “Forever?” Kali looked off to the side for so long, he wasn’t sure she would respond. “I can’t let you do that.”

  “You don’t want me here?” he asked, backing up. How could he not have seen it before? He’d been falling in love, but she considered him a plaything. How could he have been so stupid?

  “Of course I want you here.” She grabbed him and pulled him closer. Relief crashed over him. “But I can’t let you ruin your life like that.” Ruin his life? What was she talking about? Whatever it was didn’t matter.

  “I thought we already discussed this letting me confusion you seem to have,” he teased.

  He was a grown man, which meant making his own decisions. This was one of the easiest he would ever make.

  Knowing she wanted him, he didn’t see any obstacles in their path. Maybe in a decade or two, when his age started to show and Kali was as youthful and vibrant as ever, they’d have problems. But Cameron had never worried much about the future. And now that he’d found Kali, he wasn’t letting her go.

  “You once told me you wanted to explore the world. You crossed into territory you knew was dangerous, because you wanted an adventure. But if you stay, you’ll be here forever. No travel. No exploring.” She opened her arms wide to encompass all that was around them. “This will be your entire world. I can’t let you do that. I can’t let you give up your dream.”

  No matter how much he tried to show her how he cared, she still didn’t get it.

  “Kali.” He stepped into her and rested his forehead against hers, staring into her eyes. “You are my world. You are my adventure. None of the rest matters. As long as I’m with you, I have everything I have ever wanted or needed. I love you, and nothing is going to tear us apart.”

  Joy radiated from her in waves at his words.

  “I love you, too,” she whispered.

  “I know,” he replied with a smile.

  Together, they’d protect the gate. Because as long as they were together, they could do anything.

  Chapter 13

  Her body hummed in pleasure as she dodged the staff swinging toward her head. Another centaur reared up, almost grabbing her out of the air. Damn, there were a lot of them. Enough to give her a fight worthy of her skills. Her body rejoiced in the challenge.

  Cameron fought three other beasts a few feet away. She spared a quick glance and saw he more than held his own. Pride welled up inside her. She’d chosen well. Not only was he quick on his feet, strong, and smart, but he constantly tried to improve himself. A man she proudly stood beside.

  She winced as one of the beasts he fought swung out, but Cameron easily blocked the blow and kicked at his attacker’s exposed body, forcing him back.

  The wind of a barely missed blow whistled past her ear. Focus. That was their first rule of fighting together: Worry about yourself first, each other second. Not like she could complain. She’d made up the rule. Besides, it was a good rule. It kept them both alive.

  Spinning in air, she slashed her claws across one beast’s throat, and he went down hard, his life force staining the ground beneath them. Satisfaction zipped through her, but there was no time to revel in her victory. One down, three to go. And then she’d pick off whatever Cameron had left.

  If he left any for her, she thought with a smile. Every day he got stronger. Better able to take on the denizens of Outremer. Hell, when they trained, Kali fought as harpy more often than not. She still had to hold back, but she also had to pay close attention to the fight. He hadn’t slipped past her guard more than that one time, but he’d come close.

  Air whooshed out of her lungs as the staff connected with her side. The force of the blow propelled her into a tree. She collapsed into a puddle on the floor. Damn, that had hurt. And would probably feel worse later. She rolled away as a mace came swinging toward her head. The centaurs were like her, scavengers who collected weapons from their enemies. But they wouldn’t be getting any from her or Cameron. Instead, she’d get six new ones for her collection.

  “Kali?” Worry tinged Cameron’s voice. Not good. Worrying about her would get him in trouble.

  “I’m fine. Take care of yourself.” He always focused too much on her. Almost as if he didn’t trust her to hold her own, which she knew wasn’t true. He worried about her because he cared. But Kali had been defending the gate since before he was born. They’d have to have a talk about his focus later.

  One beefy arm knocked her back to the ground before she could lift into the air. Maybe they’d have to talk about her focus later, too. Shaking her head to clear the fuzziness, Kali screeched, causing her assailants to back up and clutch their ears.

  Centaurs. Half beast, half human. With the sensitive hearing most animals had. Part of her thought exploiting that weakness was cheating, but she supposed there wasn’t such a thing when fighting for one’s life. Plus, they’d attacked her. They had it coming.

  Pressing her advantage, Kali slashed across another beast’s throat, and watched him fall in a heap. And then there was one.

  She couldn’t stop herself from glancing over to see how Cameron fared. The centaurs were having no more luck with him. Two remained, but she could see the one with the short sword already tiring. Yet Cameron looked fierce and powerful. Yeah, that was her man.

  She swung out, but missed the centaur by inches. He turned and bucked at her, but she was ready for the move, soaring above his legs with a sweep of her winged arms. Both she and Cameron would be tired after this fight.

  A beast roared to her left, but she couldn’t take her focus off the one in front of her. Desperation built. She could sense it in every move her attacker made. The blows becoming frenzied. Kali bided her time, knowing sooner or later he’d slip up and give her the opening she needed to take him down.

  There it was! He raised his arms above his head, and Kali dashed into the opening she saw, slashing her claws down his chest. The centaur’s eyes widened in shock until all emotion drained out of him. Without so much as a grunt, he fell over. Dead.

  She
turned toward Cameron just as he yanked his sword out of the chest of the last centaur. Six against two, and still they emerged the victors without so much as a scratch. Oh yeah, who rocked? They did.

  Excitement zipped through the air as their gazes collided. His smile matched hers. Nothing like a good fight to get the blood moving and the muscles humming.

  A flash of silver behind him glinted in the moonlight. Kalindra stared in horror as a sword pierced Cameron from behind. Not dead. One of the centaurs hadn’t been dead.

  The smile fell from his face, and his knees gave out from under him. Kali raced across the clearing, stopping only long enough to rip the throat out of the centaur who still breathed. Satisfaction gleamed from his eyes even as the life drained away from him.

  Cameron’s breathing was harsh, but he still breathed. Kali rushed toward him. He couldn’t die. He just couldn’t. They’d only just found each other.

  But Kali knew. As soon as she saw the wound, she knew. The sword had gone straight through his belly. So much blood poured from the wound. Too much blood. There could be no coming back from that.

  Kali’s eyes burned, and her heart jumped into her throat. No. This couldn’t be happening. It was too soon. They were supposed to have years. A lifetime together. He’d promised her decades. Damn it, he’d promised her he wouldn’t leave.

  He tried to talk, to say her name, but coughed up blood with the attempt.

  “Don’t talk,” she choked out, her own words tripping over the knot in her throat. This couldn’t be happening. What kind of gods would give her such a gift, only to take it away? It wasn’t fair.

  “I…love…you,” he managed between coughs.

  “I know,” she whispered, everything inside her withering. Her heart dying right alongside the man who held it. The man who’d given her a reason to go on fighting. “I love you, too.”

  His hand brushed away the falling tears, and Kali grabbed onto it, holding it against her cheek. He was weakening, the strength ebbing slowly out of his body.

  “Don’t leave me,” she whispered. But she knew he didn’t have a choice. “I’ll follow you.” Because after having him, she couldn’t imagine living without him. Life had no meaning if he wasn’t in it.

  “No.” Blood colored his teeth and lips. “Must…live.”

  His eyes closed. His arm going limp in her grasp. No, she wasn’t ready. She needed more time. Another minute. A second. Anything.

  A cry ripped from her throat. Devastation crushed her. Not fair. She’d given everything to protect the gate. And it had taken the one thing that had ever meant anything to her. The loss worse than any physical blow.

  She screamed into the air. Rage unlike any she’d ever felt tearing her cries from her chest. He’d told her he wouldn’t leave. Convinced her everything would be fine. They should have had more time. But she and the gateway had killed him. Had taken someone so full of life, and destroyed him.

  “Are you happy now?” She yelled at the greedy portal. Her pain was a living, breathing ache inside her chest. “You’ve taken everything from me. My freedom, my love. I have nothing left. What more can I give?” But she knew the gate wasn’t to blame. It hadn’t kept Cameron here. It hadn’t let him fight beside her.

  She had killed him as surely as if she’d cut him down herself.

  “I have nothing,” she whispered.

  Kali sat beside his cooling body, staring at his face, trying to commit his features to memory. Minutes before, she’d envisioned leading Cameron back to their home. Of sharing a shower with him. Fighting off his wandering hands as he teased her. Of spending the morning laughing with him. What was she supposed to do now? Nothing waited for her back at the castle. Empty. Everything was empty without Cameron. Her home, her life. Everything.

  Despair crashed over her again and again. A never-ending ocean of grief. He’d loved her. And now he’d left her. Left her alone.

  Always alone.

  She gazed at the carnage around her, not really seeing any of it. Eventually, she’d have to clean up, but she couldn’t summon the will to move away from Cameron. As long as she sat here beside him, she could pretend he wasn’t really gone. Just sleeping.

  The lump in her throat was so tight, she wondered if it would choke her. Could one suffocate from grief?

  Giving up would be so easy. She had no desire to move. No more will to fight. He’d asked her to live, but she had lived. For centuries. None of it had any meaning without him. The gate would choose another keeper. She was replaceable. To everyone but him. And now that he was gone, nothing tied her to this world.

  So she’d sit here, until the next attack came. Then she’d join him in rest. She brushed the blood from his lips, then leaned down and kissed him.

  “We’ll be together again soon,” she whispered against his flesh. Her tears fell from her face onto his cheeks.

  She didn’t know how long she sat there. Time ceased to have meaning to her. The forest around her grew quiet, as if sensing her sorrow. So this was how it ended. Not in battle, or from old age, but from a grief so vast it was all-consuming.

  Why hadn’t she been the one who died? It should have been her. Cameron would have been strong enough to move on. She wasn’t.

  The gateway flared. Bright white light spilled into the clearing, so bright Kali had to look away and shield her eyes. What was happening? In all her years, she’d never seen the gateway do anything like this.

  Kali gripped Cameron’s hand tighter, wishing he were here with her. But he wasn’t here. Would never be here again. So alone.

  When the light dissipated, she glanced toward the portal between worlds. A valkyrie dressed in full combat gear, chainmail and all, sword strapped to her waist, stood in front of the gate. Her black wings curled into her side.

  At least she would die by the hands of a warrior.

  “You’re still here?” the woman asked.

  Where else would she be?

  The valkyrie looked as confused as she felt. “Why have you brought me here?” she demanded.

  The woman was crazy. Only one way to get here, through the portal. Nobody had brought her here.

  “Well?”

  The woman’s impatience grated on Kalindra’s already frayed nerves. Why didn’t the woman strike her down already? An end to her grief, and she wanted to ask nonsense questions and demand answers that didn’t exist.

  “I order you to tell me why.” Order her? Who the hell did this woman think she was?

  “You crossed through the gate,” Kali finally said. Duh.

  “I did no such thing.” Damned if she didn’t look insulted. Had Kali gone crazy? One of them certainly was, either the valkyrie or her. “To do so would be without honor.” And the valkyries were all about honor.

  “Then what are you doing here?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying!” The woman crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot, clearly annoyed. Well, Kali was pretty damn annoyed herself. “Why did you summon me?”

  “I didn’t.” She wouldn’t. What would be the point? The valkyrie couldn’t help her. No one could. Nothing had the power to bring back the dead. Sorcerers could reanimate the flesh, but not bring her Cameron back.

  Except…

  Valkyrie meant chooser of the slain in Old Norse. A long time ago, valkyries had hunted for heroes amongst fallen warriors. They had hunted battlegrounds for those souls worth saving, turning them into the immortal Einherjar, a race of warriors who lived at Valhalla and fought for the valkyries’ cause.

  Cameron had a warrior spirit greater than any other human. The valkyrie could save him. Transform him into an Einherjar. They could have more than just one human lifetime. They could have forever together.

  “Well, somebody brought me here.” The woman pursed her lips, then muttered, “I assumed it was the gateway, but as you’re still here, I guess I haven’t been chosen.”

  The gateway. It must have summoned the valkyrie here. No other force had the power. But
why? Kali was still the Keeper. Her connection to the portal was as strong as ever, a presence breathing inside her. Filling her.

  But if she were alive, and still Keeper, why the valkyrie? She looked down at Cameron’s body and understanding filled her. Gratitude welled up, breaking past her lips in a sob. The gateway had brought the valkyrie here as a solution. Somehow, it understood her pain, and had brought her someone who could bring him back.

  She’d given up everything for duty, and now, the gateway was giving back to her.

  “This man…” Kali choked on the words, and cleared her throat. “This man fought beside me. He is a true warrior. You were brought here to bring him back.”

  “That magic hasn’t been used in a long time.”

  But it existed. And it could bring her love back to her. Nothing else mattered.

  “But you know how,” Kali stated.

  “How do you know that?” She appeared upset. But it was obvious. She must know the secrets to turn a human into an Einherjar. Otherwise the gate wouldn’t have brought her.

  But Kali said nothing, letting the other woman come to her own conclusions.

  Finally, the valkyrie crossed toward them and bent to examine Cameron. Her hand touched his cheek, and Kali held her breath. Any minute now, Cameron would breathe again. His heart would start beating. His body would heat, and his color would return. Any minute. Then she could pretend this whole thing had never happened. She’d never forget the pain, but if Cameron was alive, then that was all that mattered. She squeezed his hand and bit her lip to hold back her sobs. Any minute, and Cameron would be back.

  After a moment, the valkyrie shook her head and backed up.

  “He is too far gone.”

  “No!” Kali cried. How cruel. To give her hope only to take it away. The gods wouldn’t be that cruel. It wasn’t possible. “Try again.”

  “There is no point in trying at all. His body is cold.”

  Slowly, Kali rose to her feet, grabbing Cameron’s sword and using it as leverage to push herself up. Then she pointed the weapon at the woman. She’d fight her if she had to. She’d kill.