Читать книгу Kalindra - Sondrae Bennett - Страница 5

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.

Still, 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.”

He was torn between the desire to close his eyes and groan at the sound of her laughter, and the need to gaze upon her and soak up as much of her beauty in as he could. “How else would you consider it?”

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.

A shadow of a grin bowed her lips. “Who exactly do you think we’re talking about?”

He stared. Confusion filled his mind. Just how many other monsters lived here? So many that Kali didn’t know the harpy?

“The harpy. The one who protects the gate. Who are you talking about?”

* * * *

A hint of a chuckle slipped past Kalindra’s lips. Did the man seriously not recognize her? She knew she looked different when harpy, but not that different.

As least, she’d always been able to recognize her sisters no matter what shape they were in. Then again, her other senses helped with that, she supposed. Not to mention, she rarely saw any of them in their human form. They stayed harpy unless visiting Earth. And the last time she could remember that happening was in the early 1800’s.

Moot point. There was no denying the truth in front of her. This man didn’t recognize her as the gatekeeper. Thought she was servant to…herself.

“Right,” she said. “The harpy. You think her a monster, then?”

Teasing him was cruel. She really should reveal who she was. But she hadn’t been this entertained in ages. People never told her what they really thought of her, too afraid of what she could do. Here was her chance to learn the truth. She glanced over her shoulder, and saw a teasing come on look on his face.

“You don’t?” he asked when she met his gaze.

“Why do you see her as one?” she asked.

She wouldn’t even know where to begin to answer that question, were it asked of her. Did she see herself as a monster? Sometimes. But she lived with the belief that she worked for the greater good. Her cause was worthy. Only suited to one such as her. Maybe one had to be a bit of a monster to guard the gate. To do what needed to be done.

“She brutally killed two people–”

“Vampires,” Kalindra cut in. A small distinction maybe, but an important one. At least to her. To her it was everything.

“Fine, vampires. Wait, how did you know that?” He shook his head. “Never mind. The point is, she did it without a hint of remorse.”

“You think they deserved remorse after what they did to those humans? What they did to you?”

“I’m not denying they were monsters. But that doesn’t make her any less of one.”

It took a moment to gather her thoughts. There was logic in his words. Yet, even though she considered herself a monster, she still didn’t understand why Cameron did. More than that, it bothered her that he thought so badly of her.

“But what makes her a monster?” she asked eventually.

“She’s a harpy.”

He said nothing else. As if her mere existence made her a monster. But that wasn’t right. Being a harpy didn’t define her. Her actions did. They made her a monster. Not her actions today, but in centuries of days like today. All the things he knew nothing about.

She turned to him then, leaning back on the counter and staring straight at him. Appraisal, paired with obvious attraction, shone clearly from his eyes.

“Do you think all beings from Outremer monsters, then?” She raised one eyebrow in challenge.

He wanted her. That much was obvious. He didn’t know she and the harpy were one and the same. Also obvious. She doubted he would call her a monster in this form, wanting her as he did. Not until he learned the truth.

With a small smile, she wondered how much deeper he would shove that foot into his mouth before he figured out who she was. Or until she revealed herself. Understanding filled his eyes, followed by caution.

“I can’t imagine anyone seeing you as anything but the beauty you are.”

The charming smile he threw her rattled her brains. For a moment, she forgot the game and basked in the feminine glow building inside her. It had been so long since anyone had looked at her as a woman. Usually, others just looked at her as something to be feared.

Kalindra shook off her mental haze. Cameron had one hell of a smile. That thing was lethal. All cleaned up, there was no denying his attractiveness. His hair had the slightest curl to it, which made her hands itch to run through it. And it was filled with a mesmerizing array of highlights and lowlights. Brown was too simple a description. His jaw should have been too pronounced. Too harsh. But instead it gave him a tough countenance that appealed to the warrior inside her. As did his wide shoulders. Shoulders built to carry a heavy load.

But his eyes captured her attention. A piercing shade of emerald green. She could get lost in his eyes.

“You find me beautiful?” In this form, she added in her head. He thought her other half a monster.

“Come on. You must know you’re beautiful.”

One side of his mouth crooked up, distracting her. She couldn’t deny the pleasure such words brought her, even as she realized how shallow such sentiments were. Beauty was in the eye of the beholder. Cameron was only attracted to half of the whole picture.

“So, because I’m beautiful, I get spared the title of monster, but if I looked like, say, the harpy, I would be one? That hardly seems fair.”

His smile slipped, and she felt the loss. She missed that smile. But the point needed to be made.

“I didn’t mean to offend,” he said after a moment.

“You didn’t,” she assured him with a laugh. The whole conversation had been refreshing.

What did that say about her? Not many creatures would take such pleasure out of discussing why they might or might not be a monster. Maybe she really had been spending too much time by herself.

“I’m entertained, not offended,” she elaborated.

Suspicion entered his narrowed eyes. His lips flattened into a thin line. “Who are you?”

“Kali.”

“What are you really doing here, Kali?”

“It’s my duty.”

“Right. To serve the harpy.”

Kalindra bit the inside of her cheek as the smile she tried to hold back shook the corners of her mouth. She glanced at the ceiling to hold back the chuckles.

“I don’t believe I said I serve the harpy,” she said after a moment.

She dared a glance at him when he didn’t reply. His whole body had tightened as his focus honed in on her. Such intensity. She sucked in a breath in appreciation. No denying the man was attractive. More so when he glowered at her.

“Yes. You did.”

“No, I said I serve her. I never mentioned the harpy. That was all you.”

It was mean to tease him. But so much fun!

“Who else is here?” he demanded.

She spread her arms out. “Just us.”

“Then who…” He broke off, his eyes narrowing on her. “What do you mean, just us?”

Kalindra merely smiled at him. Answer enough.

“The harpy?”

She raised her eyebrows in answer.

She had to admit, it clicked sooner than she’d have thought. Most others, humans at least, tended to reason away things they didn’t understand. But she saw comprehension before his eyes tracked over her form in a new evaluation, the heat reflected in their depths born of anger instead of attraction.

“You said your name was Kali,” he accused.

“Even monsters need names. If you must know, Kali is short for Kalindra, the name my mother gave me. And before you ask, yes, monsters have mothers, too.”

Now, he would try and backtrack. Tell her that of course he didn’t think her a monster. Try to explain his earlier words. Try to dislodge that foot shoved up his mouth.

“Who is this she you serve?”

Her smile widened. This human kept surprising her. Never quite what she expected. Smart and quick on the uptake. But even handcuffed and beaten, he’d never begged.

When she thought of humans, words like weak, gullible, and simpering came to mind. But Cameron… None of those words fit him. Her eyes roamed over his form, her lips twitching at what she found. Maybe she had the wrong impression of humans. Or maybe Cameron was an exceptional one. Just the fact that he was going head to head with her made her give him a measure of respect.

“The gateway. The one you and your friends crossed through. Somehow…” Her smile slipped a little bit. That mystery still bugged her. How had they gotten past the defenses? And why had she not been summoned the moment they crossed?

No matter. He would explain it to her, and she’d make sure it never happened again.

“You call the gate a she? You said it was a friend.” More accusations.

Put that way, it sounded sad and pathetic. How could she explain the gate to someone who’d never felt anything like the connection between gatekeeper and portal? They were linked in ways only her three fellow guardians could ever understand.

Yes, the gateway was sentient, in a way. It didn’t speak to her, per se, but she felt its emotions. Felt them deep in the pit of her stomach, and knew they were real.

Friend might have been too strong a word, but in a way it was more truthful than any other description she could think of. For so long, the portal was all she had. All she would ever have. They were connected in a way no human could understand.

“I call it a she, though I suppose it doesn’t really have a gender. But it isn’t just an empty portal, either. If you could feel it like I could, you’d understand. It would be foolish not to think of her as sentient.”

“You’re joking.”

“Not at all. She has a mind. Choices. She chose me to serve her. To be her companion in this world. Keep her safe.” Kalindra turned contemplative, as she often did when pondering her role in the world. “For so long, we’ve been together. Us against the world. I will be her companion until the very moment I die. And when I do, she will choose another, and the two of them will share the bond.”

* * * *

Anger drained away as quickly as it had come. How could he stay upset when he saw the desolation on her face? Or heard the bleakness in her voice? He doubted she even knew it was so evident.

Her loneliness infused every word she spoke. It called to him on a primal level. Demanded he help. Even after learning who, and what, she was, he still felt compelled to erase the sadness in her eyes.

Ridiculous. She didn’t need his sympathy. Certainly not his protection. He was her prisoner, for heaven’s sake. He should be feeling bad for himself, not her.

But her words wouldn’t get out of his head. I will be her companion until the very moment I die. And when I do, she will choose another.

No one should feel so replaceable. Especially not someone who dedicated her life to keeping the world safe. Someone who spent her life protecting his worthless behind while he’d been doing what he could to undermine her. Using the gift he’d been given to sneak others into Outremer in a get-rich-quick scheme that had almost cost him his life. One that had cost others theirs.

Shame filled him. He’d called her a monster. To her face. And she’d been…entertained? But who was more monster? Her or him? After all, if not for him, those men he’d brought through the gateway tonight would still be alive. Still be safe in their beds, secure in the certainty that monsters were nothing more than children’s stories.

He was a joke of a keeper. For the first time, he wished his grandfather had chosen someone else. Someone worthy of protecting the shard. But who? His grandfather had raised him after his parents’ death. It had just been the two of them for as long as he could remember. There was no one else.

His appetite deserted him. Cameron put down the knife, and cleared his throat. Piercing gray eyes stared at him as he looked up. The sadness in their depths had been replaced by curiosity. He froze. It seemed as if she could see directly into his soul. He’d heard of creatures that could. Valkyries could supposedly see auras surrounding beings that told of the purity of the soul. Never before had he wondered what his soul looked like, but he suddenly wished he knew. Was his beyond redemption?

“What?” he asked when the silence became too much.

“You feel bad. About what?”

Surprise had Cameron clenching his jaw. Maybe she couldn’t see his soul, but what other powers did she have?

“You can see my emotions?”

Damn her, she laughed. At him. It wasn’t as if he knew anything about her. Okay, so he knew more than most humans. That didn’t make him an expert.

He inhaled, ready to rail at her, especially since she hadn’t stopped laughing. But then he stopped. The smile she threw his way drew him in until he felt included in the laughter. She wasn’t laughing at him. Well, okay, she was. But she was laughing at his ignorance, not his stupidity. And that knowledge alone allowed him to loosen up and smile in the face of her amusement.

“I take it that’s a no then?”

“Oh goodness, you are refreshing. No, I cannot read your emotions, unless you count pure observation. Your eyes were full of guilt.” Her laughter stopped and the smile dropped from her face. “What makes you guilty, Cameron?”

His own smile fell away. Should he tell her about the shard? He could give it to her. Who better to protect it than one of the legendary gatekeepers?

If he told her about it, she’d demand he hand it over. No doubt about it. But his grandfather’s dying words drifted back to him.

You know the joy of this world. You understand why it must be protected from the likes of them. Trust no one of their world. And when you can no longer protect it, find a human worthy of the job.

Could he trust her? Surely a gatekeeper was different than the average creature from Outremer. But what if she died? Could the shard fall into enemy hands then? If she failed her duty, would it matter? Their world would be exposed. How long until the next gatekeeper took her place?

No, he couldn’t hand over the shard. Not yet. Right now, the shard was his to protect. His responsibility. He had an obligation to weigh the decision whether or not to hand it over. To decide if it was in the best interest of the shard. And if it was, he’d do what must be done for the sake of all mankind.

First, he needed answers. Needed to be sure that it would be the right thing. Those answers would take time and careful observation.

Guess that meant for the time being, he wasn’t going anywhere. Whether or not she tried to keep him here, he was sticking around.