He could sense her immediate embarrassment and shame, and her cheeks darkened as he continued to gape at her.
But he never had the chance to ask her why she’d reacted that way because Nemain suddenly screamed, “It’s coming at us!”
Cameron turned his attention back toward the huge serpent-lion that lunged toward them, its multiple mouths yawning and exposing those long, fearsome fangs. His Spear appeared in his hand, its blue flames leaping and dancing from the tip as he prepared to throw it at the monster running at them.
“Snakes aren’t supposed to have legs!” Cameron yelled as he threw his Spear at it.
“Or wings!” London yelled back. Cameron hadn’t noticed her returning to the group. Her presence here must have meant that she was unable to hurt Ušumgallu with her spear.
He watched as his own Spear touched the side of the beast then bounced off. Cameron pointed toward Ušumgallu and shouted, “It bounced! I’m not ok with this!”
“Nobody’s ok with this!” London insisted. She raised her spear and thrust it at one of the long necks of the serpents that extended toward her. Like Cameron’s Spear, it recoiled and forced London to step back so she could regain her balance.
Nemain grabbed Cameron’s arm and pointed to the cypress trees in the swamp. “Enlil,” she murmured. “Kill him, we kill the snake-lion.”
“How do we get away from his mutant attack dog?” Cameron asked.
“That is not a dog,” Selena said as the serpent-lion hybrid emitted a strange hissing shriek.
“Let it follow us,” Badb suggested. “Once Enlil is dead, we can probably kill this thing, too.”
“Probably?” Cameron shouted. “If you’re wrong, I’m sacrificing you to this demon first.”
“Just go, Cameron!” Badb yelled as another serpent head lunged toward her.
Cameron transported all of them into the middle of the swamp where the shallow, dank water lapped at his knees.
“Not again,” Selena groaned.
Cameron smiled at her and said, “If it makes you feel better, I still thought you were totally hot, even covered in swamp water and smelling like a teenaged boy’s P.E. shoes.”
“That… is the weirdest compliment I’ve ever gotten,” Selena muttered.
Cameron nodded. “We all know I’m the master of weird.”
“Finally, something I agree with,” London said as she trudged through the cold water.
Cameron glared at her back then said, “I’m smiting her.”
“Smite Enlil first,” Nemain told him. “Because that snake thing is coming after us.”
Tree branches snapped as Ušumgallu crashed into the swamp to pursue the gods. Cameron glanced over his shoulder and lit another fire that hovered above the surface of the swamp, hoping to slow down the grotesque creature, but it hadn’t worked the first time so he doubted it would have much effect now. And they were all standing in three-feet-deep stagnant water and mud.
“I’m so going to enjoy killing this bastard,” he muttered to himself.
Nemain snickered and sloshed beside him. “Get in line, Sun God.”
“Hey,” Cameron argued, “he’s only here because of me. It’s only fair that I get to kill him.”
“I can not believe you two are arguing about who gets to kill someone!” Selena scolded.
“I can’t believe you’re surprised by this,” Cameron responded.
Selena shook her head at him then yelped and lifted her leg.
“Deal breaker,” Cameron reminded her. “I’m not fighting the lion-snake and water moccasins.”
Nemain stopped abruptly and looked around the swamp. “Are there really poisonous snakes out here?”
“Venomous,” Cameron corrected. “And yes. But, sure, worry about them and not the huge ass lion-snake chasing us.”
London looked over her shoulder then tapped Cameron’s arm. “I think you need more fire.”
“This is ridiculous,” he sighed. “Gatekeeper, your tracker is broken.”
Nemain refused to look at him. She eyed the roots of the cypress trees suspiciously as if a venomous snake would leap out from one and attack her. Cameron couldn’t blame her. He wasn’t sure what freaked him out more: the multi-headed snake lion monster temporarily trapped behind his wall of fire or the at-least-these-snakes-belong-on-Earth monsters lurking in the water.
“Someone is hiding him,” she finally said. “But I can sense the signatures he’s left behind. It’s like a path that will lead us straight to him no matter how powerful his protector is.”
“It’s not like we don’t know it’s Huitzilopochtli,” London added. “Although I guess I’m the only goddess here who hasn’t had a run-in with him yet.”
“That almost sounds like you’re volunteering if we need a sacrifice to the pervy heart-stealer,” Cameron told her.
London rolled her eyes and mumbled, “You’re not nearly as funny as you think you are.”
Cameron sensed Selena’s anger rising again so he reached out and grabbed her hand before she could yell at the young goddess. Selena’s pale blue eyes looked up at him, and she bit her lip but didn’t speak. Cameron noticed Badb watching her with a curious expression, but the war goddess chose not to say anything either.
“There,” Nemain breathed, pointing to the edge of the swamp. “His trail picks up again and heads back into the woods.”
“Thank God,” London exhaled heavily. “I am so over…”
“Wait,” Cameron interrupted. “Which god?”
“Would you stop doing that?” she asked.
“Not a chance,” Cameron answered. “I know a lot of gods. This gets really confusing if you refuse to call them by name.”
“Tell you what,” she said with a sly smile, “every time I want to take a god’s name in vain, I’ll be sure to use yours.”
“Finally!” Cameron exclaimed happily.
London narrowed her eyes at him and asked, “What is wrong with you?”
“Don’t bother asking,” Badb answered. “We’ve never known and likely never will.”
Selena’s anger threatened to boil over again, but for the third time, only Cameron and Badb noticed. He squeezed her hand and silently promised her, I’ll stop. I mean, I’ll try. I promise. I’m egging them on – it’s my fault, really.
Selena shook her head even though they were conversing silently. But Badb was still the only other goddess to notice. You’ve saved Badb’s and Nemain’s lives, and I’m willing to bet it won’t be long before you save London’s too. They should show you more respect.
Um… I don’t think I’d be comfortable with that. And we’re friends. They don’t mean it.
Not the new girl. Selena shot her a fierce stare, but London was busily picking algae and dead leaves from the bottom of her pants.
Ok, so maybe she doesn’t like me, but come on. I brought that on myself. And I’m not you. Not everyone is going to like me.
After that prank she pulled in the desert, I’m not sure why we’re even allowing her to stay with us. We should force her to go back to Houston and tell Jasper what she did.
Selena, she’s Hermes’s heir. It’s just in her nature to be a little mischievous, but I’m pretty sure she’s harmless. At least to her allies. And she may come in handy.
Selena shook her head again, but Badb spoke to her and ended their private conversation.
“Selena,” Badb said softly. “I think we’re getting close to Enlil. Stay behind us.”
“Where else would I go?” Selena snapped.
Nemain and Badb exchanged another strange look, but Cameron had no idea what it meant. He pulled Selena a little closer as they followed the Gatekeeper deeper into the forest and murmured, “No more arguing. After we find Enlil, I’m taking you to Findias. You’ll listen to your Aunt Tara and mother.”
Badb stepped closer to his other side and added, “You should take her. I’ll go back with you since I’m supposed to be there anyway.”
“What…” Cameron started, but a
ll of the gods froze because they’d sensed Enlil nearby.
Cameron’s fire still burned around the swamp, and the angry shrieking hiss of the serpent-headed lion sounded again as it jumped through the blaze. But now that he could sense Enlil, he could summon him and the Sumerian god appeared in their midst, a sword in one hand and a mace in the other.
He glanced behind the group of gods at Ušumgallu, and Cameron lifted his arm to throw his Spear. A sharp pain in his shoulder made him drop it before he could throw it.
“Cameron!” Selena screamed.
He had no idea what had caused the sudden pain, but it spread throughout his body like one of his own fires and he fell to his knees. Selena threw her arms around him, and the pain immediately lessened but she screamed again and let go of him before whatever injury he’d suffered could be completely healed.
Badb yelled his name, too, and he looked up just as she swung her sword at the long, barbed tongue of one of the serpent heads. London knelt beside him and pulled on his left arm, encouraging him to stand, but Selena lay beside him, the back of her shirt torn and bloody, moaning from the agony the serpent’s tongue had caused.
Badb’s sword couldn’t cut through this serpent’s tongue like Nemain’s had sliced through Bašmu’s. It quickly recoiled as the other serpent heads lashed out at them again. Cameron ignited one last fire directly in front of Ušumgallu before grabbing his Spear with his left hand and twisting on the forest floor. Ušumgallu shrieked, and he felt the barbs of one of its tongues strike his back but he didn’t drop his Spear this time. He threw it at the Sumerian god whose eyes widened in surprise, but Enlil, who’d wanted revenge for the death of his son, didn’t have long to wonder how the young Sun God had managed to throw his weapon despite the pain from being struck by Ušumgallu. Cameron’s Spear sank into Enlil’s chest, directly into the god’s heart, and he slumped to the forest floor.
Ušumgallu screeched angrily again, and Cameron spun around to watch the goddesses advance on the beast with their swords and spear. Cameron extinguished the fire, and London reached Ušumgallu first, piercing its side with the tip of her spear. The same blue-gray blood as the other serpent hybrids seeped out from the wound.
Cameron grimaced from the hot biting pain in his back and reached for Selena, assuming she’d already healed herself by now. But she slowly crawled toward him, still bleeding, still suffering in her own pain.
“Selena,” he whispered.
The sounds of the monster’s death cries masked her name, but Badb shot him that concerned, curious expression again. Selena grabbed his arm and closed her eyes, determined to heal him even though he tried to stop her. He silently begged her to worry about herself first, but she ignored him.
As the pain drifted from his body, he pried her fingers loose from his arm but Selena collapsed into his embrace.
He stared down at the beautiful goddess, the woman who shared a piece of his soul.
A massive fire erupted around Ušumgallu that hissed and screamed in its own agony, but Cameron was already gone, taking the unconscious Irish Goddess of Healing with him to the Otherworld.
Chapter Fourteen
Cynthia paced the length of her bedroom in Findias, waiting for her daughter to wake up, as Cameron watched Selena carefully, holding her hand and praying to any god who would listen. Tara, Cynthia’s sister, stood beside Badb in the corner, staring anxiously at the unconscious goddess in the bed.
“She will wake up, right?” Tara asked Cameron for the third time.
Cameron stroked her hand as he held it gently but wouldn’t look away from her. He’d lost her twice. He’d come so close to losing her for a third time since meeting her in this life, but now, whatever was threatening to take her away from him wasn’t an evil demigoddess intent on punishing him for not marrying her or an evil god intent on ruling the Otherworld.
He was absolutely clueless and helpless.
He didn’t even bother answering Tara.
What could he tell her?
He wouldn’t tell anyone the truth.
He could no longer sense any of Selena’s thoughts.
Badb finally moved from the corner of the room and sat on the other side of the bed, placing her own hand softly on Selena’s forehead. She murmured something to her in a language Cameron vaguely recognized, but too many centuries had passed since he spoke ancient Gaelic. He didn’t really care what words of comfort Badb attempted to impart anyway.
“Somebody answer me!” Tara cried.
Cynthia stopped pacing and looked between Cameron and Badb, waiting for one of the gods to assure her that her daughter would wake up.
Badb glanced at Cameron before lifting Selena’s other hand. “Yes,” she said. “She’ll wake up. And she’ll be fine.”
“How can you be so sure?” Cameron demanded.
“I know,” Badb told him.
He wasn’t in the mood for her cryptic bullshit. He glared at her and yelled, “I can’t even hear her thoughts anymore! Stop pretending like you’re such a goddamned expert on everything!”
Badb shook her head slowly. “I’m not, Cameron. And I would never give you false hope, not when it comes to her. I know what’s wrong with her because it’s happened to me.”
Cameron took a deep breath and closed his eyes briefly in an effort to calm down. Without Selena, grounding himself and controlling that unnatural anger was far more difficult. He heard Cynthia asking Badb for more information, but he already suspected Badb wouldn’t provide any more details until he asked for them himself.
“All right,” he said weakly. “Tell us.”
Badb sighed and put Selena’s hand back on the bed. “Don’t freak out, Cameron. She’ll never agree to stay here while you’re roaming the Earth looking for gods who want you dead.”
“Badb,” Cameron warned.
“Cameron, she’s pregnant.”
Cameron blinked at her, but he didn’t get the joke.
Badb blinked back at him.
“Do you really think this is a good time to mess with me?” he asked.
“I’m not,” Badb assured him.
“She can’t be,” Cameron insisted. “We’ve been careful. And besides, that wouldn’t explain why she’s unconscious now.”
Badb’s look of sympathy transformed into a look that he interpreted as, “You’re not really this stupid, are you?”
“She didn’t pass out in the forest because she’s pregnant, Cameron,” Badb explained. “She was hurt. And right now, she can’t heal as quickly as she normally can. Her own power and energy is being divided. Healing all of those gods in Finland and then healing you simply used up too much of her energy, and her body shut down for a while to ensure it could do what it needs to be doing in order to bring a new god into this world.”
Cameron blinked at her again, and Badb blinked back at him again.
“But…” he stammered.
If there were more to that thought, it never came out.
“Pregnant,” Cynthia whispered.
Cameron looked away from Badb long enough to gape at the woman who would one day be his mother-in-law. He shook his head again. “She can’t be,” he insisted stubbornly.
Badb grunted at him and rolled her eyes. “Did your parents never have the birds and the bees talk with you?”
“Did your parents never have the contraceptives talk with you?” Cameron squinted at the goddess and added, “Do you even have parents?”
“Cameron,” a shaky voice said quietly.
Cameron inhaled quickly and brought Selena’s hand to his lips. “You’re awake,” he said stupidly.
Selena smiled at him and lifted her other hand to caress the side of his face. “I heard you and Badb arguing. I’m pretty sure you two could wake the dead.”
Cameron nodded toward her mother. “Pretty sure that’s not so difficult in this place.”
“Cameron,” she sighed, but she was still smiling at him. He heard Tara and Cynthia sigh, too, but their sighs were mor
e likely sounds of relief than amused frustration.
He swallowed and asked her, “Did you, um, hear what we were arguing about?”
“Yes,” she said.
“But she’s wrong… right?”
“Is this just because you want her to be wrong?”
“No!” he insisted then shook his head. “Maybe. It’s just the timing. We’re not ready. We have too many gods to pursue and a missing rock and its heir and Lugh is most likely Uscias’s prisoner…”
“Wait,” Badb interrupted. “What?”
Selena tried to sit up so Cameron immediately tried to stop her. She gave him a look that he interpreted as, “You’re not really this stupid, are you?”
Cameron let his hand fall so she could sit up. He wasn’t really that stupid.
“We’ve been trying to talk to him,” Selena explained. “But Uscias insisted he didn’t want visitors, so we tried to send him a note. Uscias claimed he gave it to him, but even we could tell he was lying. And we’re not psychic.”
“But…” Badb stammered.
Cameron snickered because there seemed to be a lot of unfinished sentences lately.
“You don’t know anything about where he might be, do you?” Selena asked.
Badb shook her head slowly. “I thought he…” She trailed off and lowered her eyes, and Cameron felt guilty for snickering. He forgot the goddess clearly still loved the god whose place he’d taken on the Irish pantheon.
“Selena,” he said, “do you think she’s right? About you?”
“I don’t know. But yeah, I think it’s possible. It would explain a lot. There’s got to be a way we can prove it, but I don’t want you to panic even more.”
“I’m not panicking,” Cameron lied.
She arched an eyebrow at him and smiled again. “What happened to ‘I never lie’?”
“I clarified that with an almost. And this is only a mild level of panic, so really, it’s like I’m not even panicking at all.”
“I don’t even know what to say to that,” Selena admitted.
“Well, I know what to say,” Badb said. “Your Aunt Tara is going to move in here with your mother until it’s safe for her to return to Earth. She’ll be safe in Findias, I promise. The other island cities get invaded, but no one is going to invade Findias because you can’t hurt a spirit, but a pissed off spirit can hurt a living god or demigod.”
The Gatekeeper (The Guardians of Tara Book 1) Page 15
