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.