Kalindra. Sondrae Bennett
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