The Goddess and The Guardians Boxset: The Complete Romantic Fantasy Quartet

by Karen Tomlinson

  Hugo snorted loudly and stood grinning down at her.

  Grabbing a pillow, Diamond chucked it at him. “I am, too. Arthur says so,” she defended herself.

  “Yeah? I wonder what he’d think to your ladyship if he saw you rip someone’s throat out with your bare hands or turn them to dust with your magic,” he commented drily, raising his eyebrows, hands on his hips and looking massive from this angle.

  “Oh, do be quiet and help me off with my boots,” she demanded. Waggling her feet, she tried not to succumb to the heat that flooded her body and face as she realised she was reclining on a bed with him towering over her.

  Silence descended as he realised the same thing. Then a wolfish grin spread across his face. “Sure,” he said and grabbed her legs, unceremoniously pulling her to the floor. Diamond landed with a bump, and he laughed, jumping in her place on the bed. “There. It’s mine now,” he declared, giving a satisfied moan as he flopped back with his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

  “Bully,” she muttered in disgust, trying to ignore the mad rhythm of her heart as she raked her eyes over the full length of his body. It suddenly felt really warm. “That’s no way to treat a lady,” she grumbled from the floor.

  He opened one eye and fixed her with a sapphire stare. “Oh, Diamond, I know precisely how to treat a lady,” he drawled.

  Her breath hitched in her throat and her stomach tightened almost painfully at his velvet tone.

  “I’ll even come and attend my lady in the bathing room to scrub her back if she wishes,” he grinned lasciviously, laughing when she flushed bright red.

  “No thanks. I’ll manage,” she huffed, not sure she could cope right now with this version of Hugo.

  William knocked and entered, crockery rattling as he balanced the tray he carried. Diamond hastily pushed herself up off the floor. Poor William looked mildly confused as he saw her struggle up whilst Hugo kept his position, reclining on the bed with his eyes closed. The young servant placed the tray on a table near the small window and turned to leave, glancing nervously at Hugo, who still wore all his weapons and armour.

  “Err, thank you, William,” Diamond said gently, not wanting to startle the boy further.

  “You’re welcome, my lady. I will fill your bath now and make sure it’s ready for after you have eaten,” he said, still staring in awe at Hugo and his weapons.

  “Thank you so much, William,” Diamond soothed, looking pointedly at the door.

  William looked away from the reclining Queen’s guard and reluctantly left them alone.

  Hugo deigned to get off the bed long enough to remove his leather armour. As he placed his weapons carefully within arm’s reach of the bed, Diamond tried to ignore the way his damp shirt clung to the contours of his body. Instead, she busied herself with pulling the table up to the edge of the bed so they could sit and eat in relative comfort.

  The roast pork, vegetables and potatoes tasted as wonderful as they smelled. They ate quickly and quietly; Diamond realised that if she was hungry, Hugo must be famished. He was almost twice her size and would have burned up fuel in a matter of moments when he used his magic. The wine Arthur had sent up was a bit sour, but it flooded Diamond’s body with warmth, making her cheeks flush and her limbs relax.

  With her hunger sated, she sighed contentedly, then eyed the door. That hot bath beckoned. She ached to scrub herself clean; even she could smell the stink of stale sweat, horses and travel on her. It would be wonderful to feel her tight, magic-fatigued muscles relax, but she was so tired now, and that bathing room was such a long way off. She loosed a big breath, her spine slumping forward.

  Hugo smiled, slid closer and nudged her gently with his shoulder.

  “If you want that bath, you’d better go now, before you fall asleep. William will not think you much of a lady if you waste all that hot water he lugged into the bathing room.”

  Diamond groaned, “I know. Maybe you should go use it instead.”

  “Hmm, I might, but first,” he prompted, putting his hand at her lower back and shoving her up off the bed. “It’s yours. It will help you relax. Come on, I’ll walk you down.”

  “Oh, I’ll be all right, Hugo; you don’t need to do that,” she protested, not really seeing the need for an escort.

  “Yes, I’m sure you’ll be fine too, but I’ll take you down and wait in the guardroom for you anyway,” he declared, standing up.

  “Why?” she frowned. “I’m only going downstairs. Why not stay here and rest?” she asked, almost pleadingly. The thought of Hugo actually coming to scrub her back made her hot and cold at the same time.

  “Because my lady, in case it has escaped your notice, you are quite possibly the only female in this turret,” he said, leaning forward and cocking his head. “And a damn gorgeous one at that.”

  Diamond willed herself not react to that comment and deliberately avoided his burning gaze, staring instead at the open neck of his shirt.

  “And,” he grinned at her, “I have not yet come across a bathing room in a soldiers’ quarters that has a lock on it. It’s sensible; we don’t know who else is here, or what they are like, so it will be safer for you if I watch the door. Unless you’d like the company of another male in the bath with you? Maybe he could scrub your back instead?” he drawled, raising his eyebrows in amusement, but she didn’t miss the hint of possessiveness in his tone.

  “Of course I don’t!” she snapped, using that as an excuse to move away from him. Hiding her gulp, she grabbed her sack with her clean clothes and toiletries. As an afterthought, she bent down and picked up a dagger.

  Hugo smiled, turned and grabbed a couple of knives as well, thrusting them in his belt.

  “Come on, then. Let’s go, escort,” she said, trying to glower at him as he opened the door for her.

  He smiled and bowed mockingly. “I’m yours to command, my lady,” he declared.

  Flustered and not sure how to react to that statement, she flounced past him and smacked him hard in the belly for good measure.

  “Oomph! Very lady-like,” he laughed as she swept down the stairs. Keeping her back to him, she grinned.

  Chapter 40

  The bathing room was small and a bit damp, but it was also clean and warm. A small fire burned in the hearth, which had left the walls and roof covered in a build-up of black soot. A small Silverbore bath stood forlornly in the middle of the floor, full of steaming hot water. It dawned on her that iron could not be used for the fae officers; hence, the Silverbore.

  Diamond dropped her sack at the edge of the room and undressed. She quickly slipped into the water. Hugo was right, there was no lock on the door. As she scrubbed her hair, she heard deep, male voices rumbling through from the guardroom. Stiffening, she leaned over the edge of the tub, her wet hand reaching automatically for her dagger. She cocked her head to listen, her heart banging hard. Then she relaxed; Hugo was watching over her. Lulled by the knowledge he would keep her safe, Diamond relaxed back in the water and had nearly fallen asleep when there was gentle knock at the door.

  “Hey? Are you all right in there? You’ve been ages,” complained Hugo from the other side of the door.

  “Sorry!” she shouted, sitting bolt upright. “Nearly done!”

  Quickly Diamond stepped out, dripping water in a puddle on the floor. Drying herself on the rough towels that William had provided, she kept a wary eye on the door. Her hair she left loose, running her fingers through its long silver tangles, grimacing at the knots. It would dry eventually, but brushing them out would take an age.

  Diamond hastily threw on her shirt and leggings but didn’t bother with her underwear or tucking her shirt in, or even doing all the buttons up. Her limbs were shaking with fatigue. A groan escaped her. She just wanted to sleep. She’d have to ask if using magic would always ravage her body like this or perhaps she simply was not used to expending such energy from her soul. Aware that Hugo was waiting, she gathered up her belongings and, without giving her appearanc
e another thought, rushed out like a sweet-smelling whirlwind.

  “Sorry,” she uttered breathlessly to Hugo, her attention solely on him. Hair tumbled over her shoulders, her face flushed from the heat of the water and her eyes glittered in the fire light.

  The atmosphere in the room changed immediately, the background conversation stopping abruptly.

  “Nearly dozed off,” she explained in an apologetic rush as she closed the bathing room door.

  Then Diamond noticed the four men sitting at Hugo’s table. The two fae, who looked to be around Hugo’s age, immediately lifted their chins and inhaled deeply. The two human soldiers, who were older, eyed the fae warily, their eyes darting to Hugo, who had become completely and utterly still. Silently the fae appraised her.

  Diamond cursed herself. Young, male and fae were a bad combination for a half-dressed, half fae female. Extremely flustered and wishing she had dressed herself properly, she became very aware of her loose buttons, lack of underwear and bare feet. She had thought Hugo would be alone by now. It had seemed so quiet out here.

  Hugo stood and glowered at her. She swallowed nervously when his eyes turned wholly black. He was ready to fight. Not really sure what to say to defuse such a volatile situation, Diamond gave all four males a polite smile.

  The humans narrowed their eyes and, smirking at the fae, leaned back in their chairs, waiting to see what happened next. Both fae studied her intently, their eyes running over her, then lingering on the open neck of her shirt.

  Hugo stalked around the table, his countenance curt, his face empty. Even so, she took a step toward him, glad of his intimidating air.

  Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! she berated herself. This was an army of fae warriors, many of whom were going through their mating urge and with very little opportunity to assuage it.

  “Gentlemen, I bid you a good night,” Hugo said politely, even though his voice was laced with ice. He slipped a warm possessive hand around her waist and pulled her close.

  Diamond tensed, then leaned against him, dropping her eyes demurely. Letting them think she belonged to Hugo, that she was his, was the safest action right now. The two fae eyed Hugo belligerently. Both backed down at the challenge in his coal-black eyes. Disappointed there would be no violence, the other two soldiers shrugged and struck up a conversation once again.

  Hugo guided Diamond up the stairs, urging her forward with a hand at the small of her back. No sooner had he shut the door to their room than he hissed at her, “What in Chaos did you think you were doing coming out of the bathing room looking like that?!”

  “Like what?” she asked indignantly. “I’m dressed!” Diamond looked down at herself. She was dressed and covered—mostly.

  “Barely!” he spat, shoving his face up close to hers. His eyes glittered as he looked her up and down as thoroughly as the other fae had.

  Her hand itched to slap him for looking at her like that. “What? I am dressed!” she retorted bitterly, turning away from him. Throwing her sack down in the corner, she fished out her comb and tackled her hair.

  Hugo paced about like a caged animal, muttering about her lack of awareness and naivety. Most young fae had a remarkable degree of self-control around others, male or female, but sometimes things could get out of hand, and violent.

  Embarrassment at her mistake turned into anger and indignation. Her magic sparked and, without conscious thought, she blasted him with a wave. His pacing stopped immediately, and he swung to face her.

  “Oh, stop muttering, Hugo! I was trying to be quick so you didn’t have to keep on waiting for me. I didn’t think anyone else was in there with you. And you know it isn’t my fault that they looked at me like that. They’re fae, just like you. I can’t poke their eyes out to stop them, can I?” she ranted, her eyes flashing as he stood and glowered, his arms folded tightly over his chest.

  “Yes, you could. You could do a lot more than poke their eyes out. But before that, you could damned well dress yourself so the males around here don’t want to break this damned door in to get at you,” he growled. “Have you forgotten about their instincts, Diamond? Or mine? Because if you have, I would be happy to remind you exactly why you shouldn’t tempt a fae who is of an age to be hunting for a mate,” he finished, his eyes alight with silver fire.

  Diamond swallowed, her hand shaking so much she nearly dropped her comb. Despite the sudden heat flooding her body, not to mention the way he was looking at her, Diamond stomped over to the big bed and flashed him a mutinous look over her shoulder. “Oh, I give up! You’re being an unreasonable, arrogant pig! And I don’t care if you are fighting some ancient biological need. It’s nothing to do with you, or anyone else, how I dress. I don’t belong to you, and I can do whatever the hell I like!” she yelled and flicked her wet hair down her back.

  At that moment a hard gust of wind rattled the window and door.

  Hugo immediately twisted his head towards the door as if expecting someone to barge in.

  Ridiculous, Diamond thought. Fae were an extremely physical race and sometimes wild with their needs, but not stupid. Neither of those fae would risk the possibility of Hugo’s wrath to bed a female they didn’t even know.

  Hugo grabbed a chair and wedged it under the door. Diamond almost laughed until she saw the look of rage on his face.

  “I’m going to bed,” she said petulantly. Then she pointed at the small single bed. “You get that one.”

  She knew the bed was far too short for him, but right now she didn’t care. In fact, she took pleasure in the thought that she could punish him by making him uncomfortable—even if it was only a little bit. He deserved it. She then purposefully goaded him into losing his tight self-control by pulling off her leggings. Flashing him a dirty look, she bundled them into a ball and threw them at his feet. Only her loosely buttoned shirt covered her now, exposing her thighs. It was stupid and dangerous to push him, but she wanted to. Defiantly, she unbuttoned her shirt more.

  Hugo glowered and snarled, his energy pushing angrily against her skin. Scowling, Diamond huffed once more for effect before slipping into bed, turning her back on his thunderous face.

  Dangerous to turn her back on him when she was drowning in his rage as well as the burning, musky smell of his arousal. Her heart banged against her ribs even as his magic nipped at her skin. They needed to talk about what was happening between them, not fight. But Diamond balked at that idea.

  Not now; we are both too angry, she decided, knowing she was being cowardly.

  Metal rattled as Hugo threw his knives down on the wooden floorboards. Diamond flinched. The metallic clattering grated on her already tense nerves. Every move he made as he stomped around undressing made her tense even further. Eventually, he blew the lamps out. The room plunged into shadows, broken only by the glow from the dying embers of the fire. The little bed creaked as he reclined.

  Diamond lost track of how long it took for his angry energy and the scent of desire to calm enough for her to relax slightly. As he turned or sighed, she felt a little spark of magic nip painfully at her exposed skin. She remained still, feigning sleep, though her mind and body buzzed with the awareness that he wanted her.

  Diamond swallowed hard. Her father had always been candid about sex; being fae, such subjects needed to be discussed. He had told her to wait for someone she trusted. Despite everything, she knew she trusted Hugo. Sharing his past with her was his way of showing how much she meant to him too, that he wanted her to understand him. That he trusted her. A deep breath did not dispel the tightness in her belly. She and Hugo had so much to talk about: their bond, their feelings, his servitude. Gods, she didn’t even know how their Nexus worked. Diamond squeezed her eyes shut and sighed.

  Ignoring her nerves, she shuffled over onto her other side to ease an ache in her hip, only to find him staring right at her, his face wreathed in shadows. Unwaveringly, she held his gaze until the sheen of his midnight blue feathers caught her attention. Her breath caught in her throat; now all she c
ould think about was the feel of those beautiful, silken wings wrapped around her naked skin. She bit back a groan of frustration and sighed. They had fought enough.

  Diamond lifted herself up onto one elbow. “I’m sorry, Hugo,” she said quietly. “I didn’t even consider there may be other fae here who might be going through the urge. You’re right. It was naive of me. Please. Can we forget this?”

  The bed creaked as he sat up on the edge. He was wearing only under shorts. Diamond found her eyes glued to the ridges of muscle across his abdomen and bare chest, which flexed as he ran his hands through his hair, ruffling it into a mess. The sight of his naked body made her hot and unsettled. Swallowing hard, she was unable to tear her eyes off him as he stood and came to kneel next to her bed. Gently, almost reverently, he smoothed her hair back from her face, running his fingers through it until it cascaded down her back in a silken curtain.

  Diamond closed her eyes enjoying the sensation of his touch in her hair. Gods, she had missed him this last week. After a while he cupped her face tenderly in his big hand.

  “No,” he whispered.

  Her stomach lurched. No?

  Hugo took a deep breath, shaking it loose before speaking. “Diamond, none of this is your fault. You don’t need to apologise for being you. It’s me who is sorry for being an arrogant pig, as you put it,” his lips curled in a slight smile. “And you are right, it is none of my business how you choose to dress or who you choose to be with. But I want it to be, so much. And you know what happens to us foolish males when we want a beautiful female.”

  The knot in Diamond’s stomach grew. It was impossible to tear her eyes from his face. His throat bobbed as he swallowed.

  “It’s just—those two fae were looking at you like they wanted to drag you to the nearest bedchamber. And I wanted to destroy them,” he admitted, silver flames beginning to burn among the blue of his irises. “I am a warrior; I know how to control myself, but the longer I’m near you, the harder it becomes to remember that.” He gave a small shaky laugh.