Marked by Sin: an Urban Fantasy Novel (The Gatekeeper Chronicles Book 1)
Page 21
“So a god would have been dead. So, saving a godhood equals four marks?”
“It’s a stretch,” Drake said. “But it’s the only thing that makes sense. At least we know roughly what we’re dealing with now.”
But did they? I locked eyes with Eamon. “Did they tell you about my mother?”
“Yes.”
“There has to be a way to get her back.”
Eamon scraped a hand through his hair. “I don’t know if there is,” he said heavily. “From what Narada said, this entity, or Daughter of Chaos as she likes to call herself, has bonded with Diya. They are essentially one person now. I’m not sure how much of your mother is still there to salvage.”
“I can’t believe that. Narada said she only just found out how to kill me. If she’s in control of my mother, then why couldn’t she access this information sooner? She should have known she needed a naga or Garuda to kill me.”
“It’s possible your mother fought for some time, but I don’t see how she could still be in there.” Eamon shook his head, his eyes filled with sadness. “The entity has obviously won.”
No, that didn’t make sense. “Mother is a naga. Why not just use her to kill me?” I struggled to sit up, my pulse pounding in my throat. “I’ll tell you why . . . because she’s still fighting. She’s still in there, rebelling. I know it.”
“Or being host to the entity negates her naga status,” Ajitah said.
Eamon pressed his lips together and reached out to brush a strand of hair off my face. “You are so much like her, you know—determined, selfless and stubborn. If there’s a way to get your mother back, we’ll find it.”
That would have to do for now. I sank back into the pillows and closed my eyes, exhausted, aching, and spent. If this was what using my power did to me, I’d prefer to stick with assassin tactics.
“Get some rest,” Eamon said. “I’ll get Aria to bring you some food. You’ll feel better once you’ve eaten something.”
I wanted to open my eyes and thank him, or something, but the insides of my eyelids were too compelling.
35
It was my birthday. Not the birthday I’d been celebrating for the last seventeen years, but my real birthday. I’d wanted to spend it at home with Eamon and the gang, but he’d insisted I go out. Live a little, he’d said.
“After everything that’s happened, you deserve a night of normality. You may not be able to choose your destiny, Malina, but you have options in everything else.”
So here I was, at Loki’s, dressed to the nines and getting my groove on.
Ajitah watched me from across the dance floor. He’d taken up station at the bar, glass of whiskey in hand as he did his surveillance thing, but he’d barely looked away from me for more than a second, especially now that I was dancing with some random guy.
Leaving Ajitah behind hadn’t been an option tonight. It was my birthday, and it would have been rude to invite everyone but him. Plus, I kind of wanted him here. I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself, but having him around made me feel safe. We hadn’t danced together yet. Dancing was dangerous ground because a sneaking suspicion told me that Ajitah could move, and if we began moving together on the dance floor, I might not want to stop.
Safer this way.
For now.
There was someone else who should have been here tonight, but after what had happened, I wasn’t sure I could have stomached being in Garuda’s presence. I’d been quick to defend him to Ajitah because it was easy to do so with some distance. But the memory of his hands on my throat, his alien eyes on my face as he prepared to tear me to shreds, was too vivid. At that moment, I had seen him for who he was, what he was—a cold-blooded killer who reveled in the death of my brethren. Yes, he’d been under duress, but the potential for violence would always be there. It was an innate impulse that could be unleashed in any moment of weakness. No, I wasn’t ready to be around him. Not sure I’d ever be.
Just as well . . . there’d been no word from him. Also, no word of him since the attack in the underground train station. If only I didn’t care so damn much.
I was so messed up.
“Hey.” Carmella slipped in between me and the tall-dark-and-average I’d been dancing with. She leaned to speak into my ear. “Some girl asked me to give you this.” She handed me an envelope.
The guy who’d been dancing with me tried to push past Carmella to continue our grooving session, but I held up my hand and shook my head. He pouted and clutched at his heart. He was sweet—not my cup of tea, but sweet nonetheless. He’d been polite and attentive, and that was always nice on a night out.
“Thanks for the dance,” I shouted over the music before leading Carmella from the dance floor.
We broke away from the throng and stopped to tear open the plain white envelope. A folded card fell out.
“What does it say?” Carmella asked.
Keep fighting, Malina.
Garuda
“Malina!” Carmella grabbed for the card, and I let her have it. I scanned the crowd for that familiar cropped head and those powerful shoulders while my body rebelled, wanting to get the fuck out of there. I couldn’t see him, but he must have been here. He would have given that girl the note in person.
“He’s probably ashamed,” Carmella said.
“What?”
“He’s ashamed of losing control, of what he almost did.”
“It wasn’t his fault.”
“Yeah, but he was built to kill naga. That urge must always be there. Like quitting smoking. You know you no longer want to put that shit in you, but your body still craves the nicotine. What happened with you must have been like a nicotine high for him.” Her eyes widened. “Shit, maybe he’s staying away because he can no longer trust himself to be around you.”
My skin tingled with goose bumps.
Carmella grabbed my arm. “I’m sorry. I’m an idiot. Forget I said anything. It’s your birthday, and I’m going to get you another drink.”
Offering me a mock salute, she headed toward the spot at the bar where Ajitah was standing.
Shaking off my turmoil, I made to follow.
“Malina.” Loki intercepted me.
Over his shoulder, I saw Ajitah lean in toward Carmella. She glanced over at me and turned back to whisper something to him. He nodded and took a sip of his drink.
Loki offered me the crook of his arm, led me around the bar, and pushed open the door leading to the rune corridor. The door closed behind us, muting the club noise.
“Better.” He smiled. “Now I’ll actually be able to hear your beautiful voice.”
“Smooth, Loki. It’s a shame you don’t use those lines on the person you’re truly interested in.”
He quirked a brow. “And who might that be?”
I countered his quirk with two raised brows of my own. “Carmella.”
His expression smoothed out. “I didn’t bring you here to discuss my personal preferences in women. I brought you here to ask how you were coping.”
His hazel eyes were rimmed with shimmering kohl tonight, and his lashes looked extra thick and dark as he looked down at me.
“News sure travels fast in the supernatural community.”
“It does when the events involve an ancient threat to the existence of our world.”
“Do you know anything about her? About the entity?”
“Not yet, but believe me, I am doing everything in my power to gather information on it.”
“Eamon thinks she’ll no longer be a threat.”
Loki’s clever mouth twisted ironically. “She’s a prisoner who has tasted the shadow of freedom. She won’t give up easily. I intend to be ready to take her down for good when she makes her next move.”
“She has my mother.”
“I know.”
“Is there anything you don’t know?”
He chuckled.
I sighed, suddenly weary. “I know I’m meant to do this. That I’m supposed to prote
ct the world, keep these gates sealed. But what if I can’t? What if, when the time comes to take on the mantle, I’m just not good enough? I wasn’t raised to do this. I was raised to kill. This new power inside me . . . I’m not in control. I don’t even know if I can rely on it. But my blade, my poisons . . . I can count on them.”
“The assassin will always be a part of you. But you’re also the gatekeeper. That was something you were born to do. Don’t fight it, and don’t second-guess yourself. Allow your instincts to drive you. Eventually, you’ll find a balance.”
“Wise, too, I see.”
His lips curled in a smile. “Be safe, Malina, and remember, you have an ally in me.”
Eamon’s words echoed in my mind—his assertion that my friends, my allies, would make me stronger. And he was right. Knowing they had my back made me stand taller. It chased away the doubt. Maybe I couldn’t do this alone, but together we could beat back any threat to our world.
Loki opened the door to let me back into the club, and it was as if I were stepping into it for the first time—not as an assassin, but as Malina, the gatekeeper in training.
To be continued…
Malina’s adventure continues in Hunted by Sin, Book 2 of the Gatekeeper Chronicles. Click HERE to get your copy!
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About the Authors
JASMINE WALT is obsessed with books, chocolate, and sharp objects. Somehow, those three things melded together in her head and transformed into a desire to write, usually fantastical stuff with a healthy dose of action and romance. Her characters are a little (okay, a lot) on the snarky side, and they swear, but they mean well. Even the villains sometimes. When Jasmine isn’t chained to her keyboard, you can find her practicing her triangle choke on the jujitsu mat, spending time with her family, or binge-watching superhero shows on Netflix. You can connect with her on Instagram at @jasmine.walt, on Facebook, or at www.jasminewalt.com.
DEBBIE CASSIDY lives in England, Bedfordshire, with her three kids and very supportive husband. Coffee and chocolate biscuits are her writing fuels of choice, and she is still working on getting that perfect tower of solitude built in her back garden. Obsessed with building new worlds and reading about them, she spends her spare time daydreaming and conversing with the characters in her head – in a totally non psychotic way of course. She writes High Fantasy, Urban Fantasy and Science Fiction. Debbie also writes dark, diverse Urban Fantasy fiction, under the pen name Amos Cassidy, with her best friend Richard Amos. Connect with Debbie via her website at debbiecassidyauthor.com or twitter @authordcassidy.
Also by Jasmine Walt
The Gatekeeper Chronicles
Marked by Sin
Hunted by Sin
Claimed by Sin—Coming Soon!
The Baine Chronicles Series:
Burned by Magic
Bound by Magic
Hunted by Magic
Marked by Magic
Betrayed by Magic
Deceived by Magic
Scorched by Magic
Tested by Magic (Novella)
Forsaken by Magic (Novella)—Coming Soon!
The Shadows of Salem Series:
Shadow Born
Shadow Marked
Shadow Hunted
The Nia Rivers Adventures:
Dragon Bones
Demeter’s Tablet
Also by Debbie Cassidy
The Gatekeeper Chronicles
Marked by Sin
Hunted by Sin
Claimed by Sin—Coming Soon!
The Sleeping Gods Series
Forest of Demons
Desert of Destiny
Novellas
Blood Blade
Books Written as Amos Cassidy
The Crimson Series
Crimson Midnight
Crimson Darkness
Crimson Dawn
Crimson Chaos
Raven’s Call - A Crimson Series Prequel Novella
The Shadowlands Series
Shadow Reaper
Shadow Eater
Shadow Destiny
Tales from Beyond the Veil – Novella series
Scarlett’s Path
A kiss of Silver
Ash Rising
Tainted Snow
Standalones
Hawthorn
Aurora