Marked by Sin: an Urban Fantasy Novel (The Gatekeeper Chronicles Book 1)

by Jasmine Walt

  “Malina, every kill order he sent you was a lie,” Carmella said. “He could have just made up the details.”

  “Yeah, but why? Why say the guy was a naga if he wasn’t?”

  Eamon sighed. “I don’t know, Malina. I don’t know who this Vinod was, but what happened to you tonight with that entity proves you are indeed immortal, just like your mother.”

  “You said there were things that could destroy me. Do you know what they are? Aside from Garuda, who was created to kill my kind, of course.”

  He shook his head.“Your mother didn’t speak too much about her people. I got the impression it was forbidden. I didn’t press. I was simply grateful she chose me.” He squeezed my hand. “But that doesn’t matter now. With your marks down by four, there is no way Narada can corrupt your soul by adding that final sin mark. With your immortality confirmed, Narada can’t hurt you.”

  I sat up, wincing as pain lanced across my torso. “Not sure about the hurting part.”

  Eamon helped me sit up. “Yes, quite, but you’re healing. And the process will happen faster once we get some food in you. The point is that he can’t kill you.”

  “You think that thing was sent by Narada?”

  “I don’t know of anyone else who would have access to such a creature.”

  “I’ve never seen or heard of anything like it,” Carmella said.

  “From what you described, neither have I,” Eamon replied.

  “But how could Narada know you were down four marks? I mean, he must have known if he sent that thing to kill you.”

  What did you do? “It examined my arm. I think it saw the marks and then decided to kill me.”

  “A minion authorized to make executive decisions?” Carmella said.

  But there was something else. Dammit. I hated that my head was so fuzzy. Luckily for me, I had Carmella to do my thinking for me.

  “What I don’t understand is how he found you,” she said. “I thought your necklace was supposed to hide you from him?”

  The pendant, of course! But there was something else too. Something important I couldn’t put my finger on.

  Eamon gently lifted the pendant from my breastbone and examined it. “It’s cracked.” He pressed his lips together. “Which means it’s useless.”

  I closed my eyes. “Probably happened when they apprehended me in the Richmond Park facility.” I unclasped it and handed it to him. “Can you fix it?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll ask Drake, but I doubt you’ll need it now that Narada knows you’re immortal. You’re safe.”

  Safe.

  The ball of tension I hadn’t even realized was hidden in my stomach melted. I lay back against the cushions.

  “Are Loki and Garuda okay?”

  “Yes.”

  “Loki was . . . amazing,” Carmella said. “He busted down the door and attacked that thing. I didn’t realize how powerful he actually was. It was thrilling to watch.”

  “Yeah, real thrilling, Carmella,” I said dryly.

  Her eyes widened. “God, no. I didn’t mean—”

  I attempted a chuckle, but it hurt too much, so I settled for waving her into silence. “It’s okay, I get it. Loki is a badass.”

  “But so was Garuda. The way he grabbed that tentacle and twisted it into a knot, and then you ran out, and it made a break for it through the vents. Loki thinks the sickness was a spell. They wanted me to feel ill so you’d take me into the toilets where they could attack us.”

  “Yeah, and it worked like a charm.”

  We fell into silence, and my stomach grumbled.

  Eamon stood up. “I’m going to tell Aria you’re ready for some food.”

  Carmella leaned in and brushed a kiss across my forehead. “I’d better let Aaron know you’re okay.”

  “He’s here?”

  “Yes,” Eamon said. “It seems like the whole club is here.”

  “What?”

  He shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. “Well, not the whole club, just your friends.” His expression, which up until now had been tight and concerned, softened. “I’ve been doing this job alone all my life, and it wasn’t until Drake joined me that I realized how important it is to have a friend. You’re a lucky girl. With friends like Carmella and Aaron, and allies like Garuda, Loki, and Drake, you’ll never be alone.”

  “And Ajitah,” I added.

  He inclined his head. “Of course.”

  They left me to my thoughts in the cozy lamp-lit room. A few seconds later, the door opened a fraction, and the pad of tiny paws alerted me to Toto’s arrival. I steeled myself, waiting for him to jump onto the bed and plop his head on my abdomen. But he leapt onto the end of the bed and then padded carefully up the left side before lying down by my hip.

  “It’s like you know I’m hurt. I honestly think you’re the most intelligent dog in the world.”

  My stomach grumbled again just as the door opened. I sat up, expecting food, but it was a different kind of feast that crossed the threshold.

  Ajitah closed the door behind him.

  “Hi.”

  He sat down by my right hip, his face drawn and pinched.

  “Are the boys asleep?”

  He nodded, his throat bobbing. “They crashed after their bath, looking forward to playing with you tomorrow.” His gaze traveled over my body. “Eamon says you probably have a few fractures.”

  “Yeah, I figured. It bloody hurts.”

  His lips tightened. “You could have been killed.”

  I raised my hand, sticking up an index finger. “Actually, I couldn’t, because I’m immortal.”

  His brows shot up.

  “Yep, the dying-but-not-dying thing that happened today kinda confirms it. I get it from my mum’s side of the family.”

  “Good. I’m glad. Really glad.”

  “So am I. Dying would have sucked.”

  He closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose. “Because I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you.”

  No, no, no. He wasn’t supposed to say stuff like that. He wasn’t supposed to admit he cared for me in that way, and he certainly shouldn’t be looking at me as if he wanted to snog my face off.

  Eamon’s words rang in my ears. Starting something with Ajitah was a bad idea, especially when I wasn’t sure what I’d be starting. He was an awesome guy, and the boys were amazing. It was impossible not to care about them, but there was something else . . . Garuda’s face. His scent filled my head. It wouldn’t be fair to Ajitah to start something until my heart was completely in it. He deserved better, so for now he’d have to settle for my friendship.

  His hand slipped over mine, his thumb doing that back and forth thing. “My kids are my world. Up until today, they’re the only reason I’ve ever been scared or rattled, but now I know I have another weakness. You.”

  He was looking at me with those beautiful silver eyes. Strands of his dark hair had come loose from their tie and fell around his chiseled face. The urge to reach up and brush them back was almost unbearable, and I nearly lost my resolve.

  Toto shifted, lifting his head and plonking it onto my ribs.

  Sharp, breath-stealing agony shot through my torso, killing the moment.

  “Shit, Toto.” I gently pushed his head off me, breathing shallowly through the pain.

  Ajitah stood. “I’ll take him out for a walk and let you rest.”

  It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him to stay, to hold my hand and all that sappy stuff, but that was inviting something I wasn’t ready for. One-night stands weren’t alien to me, but Ajitah deserved so much more than that, and I wanted to be ready to deliver. This time, I had to let him go.

  “Thank you.”

  He ushered Toto off the bed and left the room, closing the door softly behind him.

  My stomach bubbled and grumbled in earnest, and my ribs ached.

  Gah, where was the food? I was so done with the pain. Now that Narada was no longer a threat, my focus could shift to g
etting to know Eamon. Memories of our life together might be gone, but it would be nice to build new ones, to actually have a father I called Dad.

  “Dad.” The word sounded awkward on my lips.

  The door opened, and Eamon entered carrying a tray laden with food. Had he heard me? No, his expression was neutral.

  He took a seat on the edge of my bed with the tray. “Okay, let’s get you fed.”

  Yeah, this was one man I could easily give my heart to. After all the doubt fate had introduced into my life of late, she owed me at least this one.

  27

  Carmella and Aaron stayed for the weekend, and the house expanded to accommodate them. On that Saturday night, we watched movies and ate pizza, popcorn, and way too much chocolate. For the first time in my life, I felt almost normal—if the whole hellhound-sitting-on-top-of-the-gates-of-hell thing was discounted. Barrett came to mind on more than one occasion; the urge to ask about him reared up, but I bit it back. His hesitation when I’d asked him if he’d ever loved me was all the answer I needed. He was no longer a part of my life, and I’d never really been a part of his. Old habits die hard, though. He’d been the only father I’d known for seventeen years. Maybe he’d never loved me, but I had loved him. The truth would take some getting used to, and the wound would take time to heal.

  The next day, Carmella, Aaron, Ajitah, and Drake all swam in the pool, taking turns ferrying the boys on their backs. I was beginning to think they had no real intentions to learn to swim. My ribs were still healing, so Eamon and I opted to chill on loungers sipping delicious masala chai instead.

  Toto trailed me wherever I went for the whole weekend, sitting at my feet or curling up beside me. It was the most attention he’d paid me for days, but it was kinda nice. The mansion was filled with fun and laughter, and it was with a heavy heart I said goodbye to my friends on Monday morning.

  “You call us if you need any help with anything.” Carmella gave me a careful hug at the door.

  She pulled back, extricating herself from my hair, still damp from the shower.

  “If you need a hand on a case or something, give us a call,” Aaron added.

  Yeah, I still had forty-five marks to get rid of. Help would probably be required at some point.

  Drake was standing outside with the keys to Eamon’s car dangling off his finger. He’d offered to give them a lift to the aerial tramway on his way to the garden center.

  They clambered into the car, waving as it peeled away from the curb. Closing the door, I retreated into the mansion. Now what to do to brush off this feeling of deflation? Ajitah was out in the garden with the boys working on the tree house we’d promised them. I could go help. My ribs were healed, and exercise would be good, but after the amount of time we’d spent together over the weekend, some space would be even better.

  The weekend had been . . . wonderful. But being with Ajitah and the boys was beginning to feel too much like its own unit, our own little family. I wasn’t ready for that. Not yet.

  A case, on the other hand, would be the perfect distraction. I could get out there, make a difference, lose a few more marks. Yep, it was exactly what I needed—a case. Shame the bell above the door refused to tinkle.

  “Staring at it won’t make it ring,” Eamon said.

  He stood framed in the library doorway.

  “A girl can hope.”

  He smiled with his eyes. “Come. I have something to show you.”

  Eamon led me into his study and indicated I should take a seat. The room smelled pleasantly of leather and aniseed. The leather aroma came from the wingback chairs on either side of his huge wooden desk, but the aniseed was a mystery. It was a larger space than I’d anticipated; the room curled around the back of the library and opened into a sitting area with an open fire, cushy chairs, and one of those old-fashioned trolleys with decanters and glasses set on top. No windows, though, just wall lights shaped like lamps that emitted a warm glow. Eamon retrieved a box and a slip of paper from one of the desk drawers. He handed them to me and then perched on the edge of his desk.

  No, it wasn’t paper; it was a Polaroid photo of a woman with skin a shade darker than mine. Her slanted brown eyes were crinkled by the hugest, happiest smile I’d ever seen on another person. I pulled my gaze from her face down to her abdomen, swollen and straining against her tunic. One small hand lay protectively over her bump, and the other braced the small of her back.

  A lump formed in my throat. “Is this my mother?”

  “Yes. I took that photo the day before you were born. It was the hottest day of the year, and I knew how uncomfortable she was. She was so big, and the heat wasn’t helping. I’d just finished setting up the inflatable pool in the back garden, and I’d brought her outside to see it.” His eyes glazed over as he lost himself in the memory. “She was so excited. Your mother loved the water, loved being submerged. We had huge bowls of ice cream for dinner that night, and then at around nine o’clock she went into labor. You were born six hours later, at three in the morning.”

  “You didn’t live here?”

  He shook his head. “No, I worked from here, came and went, but we agreed to raise you away from this, to give you a normal life for as long as possible. Her plan was to introduce you to who you were, and what you would be expected to do, once you had come into your abilities.” He dropped his gaze. “We never got that chance.”

  I studied the woman, this woman who was my mother, and swallowed as my throat tightened again.

  “I can’t remember her, not up here.” I tapped my head. “But I think I remember her here.” I placed the flat of my palm on my chest.

  He nodded. “Yes. I believe your memories are still inside you. We will find them again. Just give yourself time.”

  My eyes pricked, and I blinked back the threat of tears. “Can I . . . can I keep this?”

  “Of course you can.” His voice sounded strange, more of a gurgle.

  “Eamon?”

  His amber eyes were all pupil, and his hand hovered by his diaphragm.

  My pulse skipped. “Eamon, what’s wrong?”

  He coughed and shook his head. “Just a spot of indigestion. I’m getting old. Probably should lay off the junk food, but who can resist a freshly fried donut?”

  My bullshit detector pinged. Indigestion, my arse.

  He rolled his eyes and grinned.

  “What are you grinning about?”

  “You. Worrying about your old man.” He shrugged. “It feels nice.”

  Maybe I was being paranoid. He seemed fine now. “How old are you?”

  He slipped off the edge of the desk and into his chair. “I’ll be fifty in a few weeks.”

  I snorted. “You look pretty good for fifty, and that’s hardly old.”

  “It is for our kind.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I forget how much you still don’t know and how much I need to teach you about what we are.” He leaned forward, clasping his hands on the desk. “After the gods succeeded in pushing the Shaitan back into the underworld, it took immense power to seal the gates. They realized a lock would be needed, but not just any lock—it had to be a lock that would self-charge. So they opted for a hellhound. They created us. It took immense power, and it weakened the gods, stranding them on the human plane. The gate is a portal, and we are connected to the seal on that aperture. The strain of maintaining the seal wears on our body and soul. The good we do charges our soul, and it is our soul that feeds the seal. It takes an awful amount of energy, and it’s why our metabolic rates are so high. We burn bright, but we do not burn for long. In hellhound years, I am old. Once I pass, you’ll become connected to the seal.”

  So what was he saying? “How long does the average hellhound live?”

  “Sixty-five years to seventy years, which is young for a supernatural creature.”

  Fifteen to twenty years. I had fifteen to twenty years left with my father . . . would that be enough to make up for lost time? Was it ever
enough? Damn my tear ducts. Being around him really got them going.

  I sat up straighter. “So how will that work for me? You said I was immortal.”

  “I don’t know. You’re new ground. Only time will tell.”

  I looked back down at the photo of my mother. “What was her name?”

  “Diya. It means light. And she was the light of my life. Look in the box I gave you.”

  I’d almost forgotten about the tiny box lying in my lap. It was one of those red velvet jewelry boxes. I pried it open and carefully lifted the gold bracelet within. A tiny charm in the shape of the Hindu symbol for Ohm dangled off the chain. I’d deduced I came from an Indian background, but this confirmed it.

  I raised my eyes to meet Eamon’s.

  “Your mother had that made for you when you were born. It was supposed to be a coming-into-your-powers present. Would you like to put it on now?”

  I nodded, unable to speak past that dastardly lump in my throat. Unclasping the bracelet, I attempted to hook it around my wrist.

  “Here, let me.” Eamon knelt by my seat.

  He fastened the clasp, and I held up my wrist. The pendant dangled off the chain, winking and pretty.

  “She would have been so proud of you.”

  “We’re going to find her, right?”

  “You can count on it. The gods are relentless, and once they get their hands on Narada, we’ll have our answers.”

  He cocked his head, his eyes narrowing slightly. This close, I could clearly see the resemblance between us. Not just the color of our eyes, but the curl of our lips and the arch of our brows. I wondered what similarities I would see in my mother’s face. The photo was too faded to see anything too clearly.

  “There was something else I wanted to ask you,” he said. “Carmella mentioned you fended off the entity using a dagger?”

  “Yeah. Vindra. She was a gift from Barrett for my sixteenth birthday. Why’d you ask?”

  “Because you succeeded in maiming the entity with it. Maybe we can get some kind of clue as to what we’re dealing with.”

  “I thought I was out of the woods.”

  “Yes, but if there is such a creature out there, who’s to say it won’t attack someone else? Best to know what we’re dealing with and discover how to take it down, if need be.”