The Crystal Warriors Series Bundle

by Maree Anderson

  His eyes lit up. “That would be a sight to see.”

  “I’ve an idea,” Mike said, looking far too pleased with himself.

  Uh oh. Please don’t say it. Please don’t say—

  “How about we come to the movies with you and Jules? She can bring Alex along—I didn’t have much of a chance to catch up with him last Saturday because I got in so late. What d’ya reckon?”

  “Um…” She cast about for a valid excuse to keep the boys at home. “Don’t you want to watch the Black Caps give the Aussies a run for their money?”

  “Naw. It’s a given the Aussies will thrash us. Their form is stellar right now, and we’re just not firing. Besides, it’s only the first match of the series so I’ll watch the replay tomorrow night when I get home.” Mike turned to Kyan. “What would you rather do? Sit at home and watch a bunch of guys whack a small ball around a grass field with a wooden bat, or go out with the girls to watch a giant gorilla terrorize a whole bunch of people and yank planes out of the sky?”

  Ruby closed her eyes and prayed Kyan would opt for the wonders of cricket.

  “I choose the giant gorilla.”

  Rats. Of course a big gorilla going ape-shit and destroying things would appeal to a warrior.

  “It’s settled. Ruby, how ’bout you ring Jules and tell her to invite Alex along?”

  “But Alex might want to stay in and watch the cricket. And he might have already seen Kong.”

  Mike shrugged. “He can meet us for a pub dinner after the movie.”

  Again with that niggling sensation she’d forgotten to do something important. Something she should have done days ago. And then it hit her.

  Her stomach roiled, ruining the taste of her favorite breakfast of bananas on toast. Bugger. If Ruby had told Jules immediately after she’d screwed up and invited Caroline along, she might have gotten away with it. But she’d left it until practically the last minute. Not even ultra-imaginative Jules would be able to come up with a valid excuse to exclude Caroline now.

  Jules was never going to forgive her for this. She was going to be really pissed off. And the absolute last thing Ruby felt like doing tonight was trying to keep the peace between Jules and Caroline. Plus, there was the added stress of maintaining the flimsy fiction of Kyan being an old school friend when confronted with Jules, her far too astute boyfriend, and Caroline.

  Running through worst-case scenarios was doing her head in. Things were bound slip out. Things that, if she and Kyan and Mike didn’t want to look like candidates for a mental hospital, were better hidden—a fact that obviously hadn’t occurred to her brother.

  “I think it’s a really bad idea to expose Kyan to my friends. You know, under the circumstances.”

  “Why? He blends okay now he’s not wearing all that stripper leather. Besides, if they do find out, Alex and Jules are the sort of people you want on your side. I don’t see the big deal.”

  “Caroline is the big deal.”

  “Caroline?”

  “You know. Caroline. Skinny twig with big boobs who thinks she’s God’s gift to men. Goes through boyfriends like soap on a rope. Won’t take no for an answer.”

  Mike scratched his head. “Sorry, I don’t follow.”

  “I kinda said she could come along on our girls’ night out. She put me on a spot at work. And I sort of felt sorry for her, because she’d just kicked her last boyfriend into touch and she said she was lonely. So I caved.”

  Mike blinked. “And Jules was okay with that?”

  “Erm, not exactly. I haven’t told Jules the good news yet.”

  Her brother let loose a bark of laughter. “You are hip deep in the crapper, Sister Dear. Better get it over with and ring Jules right away.” He made shooing motions with his hands.

  Ruby slunk off eat copious amounts of humble pie and confess her crimes to her best friend. Crap was right. Could this day get any worse?

  ~~~

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Could this day get any worse?” Dumb question. Really dumb. Because the short answer was, yep.

  Fate, that heinous, capricious bitch, really socked it to her. Jules was mega-pissed, and took a heap of placating before she’d forgive Ruby for being such a wimp, and letting Caroline manipulate her. Then, while she was jogging, Ruby tripped in a pothole on the footpath, resulting in some nasty scrapes and grazes… and an unpleasant encounter with Mike, a pair of tweezers, and the numerous tiny pieces of gravel embedded in her skin. And finally, after enduring the excruciating sting of the hot shower water cascading over her bleeding knees and scraped hands, Ruby discovered she had no clean underwear. She’d planned on putting a load through this morning but the day had gotten away from her.

  Worse, the only option she could come up with turned out to be the screamingly red lace g-string Lani had bought for her birthday. It was either that or go commando.

  She opted for the g-string. And a glance in the mirror at her bum, exposed in all its pale, dimpled glory, was enough to make her want to weep. If she bent over wearing these, all humankind would collectively shudder.

  “Your undergarment is very fetching,” Kyan said from the doorway.

  “Christchurch, Kyan! Don’t you ever knock?” She backed up and sat on the bed before he could glimpse her rear end and choke on his compliment. And then it occurred to her she was half naked because she hadn’t gotten around to checking whether she had a half decent clean bra. She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to make the gesture seem casual, like she wasn’t trying to hide.

  Kyan stroked his fingertips over the wooden doorframe.

  Ruby shivered, imagining those fingertips stroking her.

  “We do not have such grand entrances in my former world. Wood is scarce.”

  “Good try, Kyan. But it’s still polite to ask before you enter my room, especially if I’m just out of the shower and I’m likely getting changed.”

  “I do most humbly beg your pardon,” he said, his voice oozing sincerity. Then he ruined it all by grinning and waggling his eyebrows. “Are you trying to tempt me with that brief undergarment, Ruby?”

  “Sorry to disappoint you but I’m only wearing this thing because all my comfy undies are in the wash.”

  “A pity,” he said. “Because I find myself mightily tempted.”

  Hmm. She dropped her arms to just beneath her breasts, and arched her back slightly to better display her considerable assets. It might have been a bit more convincing if she hadn’t groaned when her sore back muscles twinged. Oh well. A girl had to work with what she had.

  “Really? Perhaps you’d like to sit here.” She patted her bed. “And we can discuss your temptation a bit more.”

  He laughed but made no effort to move from his doorframe. “You are far too transparent, Ruby.”

  “Fine. Whatever.” She straightened her back and rolled her shoulders. Slowly. Ow. “Then would you please leave? I have a difficult decision to make and I’d prefer to suffer the angst of it without an audience.”

  “Oh? And what decision might that be?”

  Ruby sagged forward, propping her chin on her hands. “Only the most difficult decision every woman in the entire damn world has to make on a daily basis—what the hell to wear. Scram. I need to concentrate on the task at hand.”

  “I do not understand what your problem is in this respect, Ruby.” He waved a hand toward her wardrobe. “This entire structure is stuffed full of clothing. How can you not have anything to wear?”

  Great. He was so literal at times. “I mean I don’t have anything I want to wear.”

  The expression on his face screamed that he still didn’t get it. She figured she would explain the concept and once he understood her problem, like any normal male he’d bugger off and leave her to it.

  “I want to be comfortable. Especially if I’m sitting down for a couple of hours watching a movie. Hence my dismay at discovering unless I go commando, I’m going to have to put up with this scratchy red lace and this stretchy stuff
flossing my bum.” She snapped the silicon strap around her hip for emphasis. “I also want to look dressy, like I’ve made an effort to look nice. But not too dressy, otherwise it’ll look like I’m desperate.”

  He quirked an eyebrow, obviously still not understanding.

  “Desperate in this case means trying too hard to attract a man. And Caroline is coming tonight, so I don’t want to dress in the same-ole-same-ole safe clothes all my friends have seen me wearing a hundred times. Caroline always looks immaculate. And she makes me feel— Well, anyway. I’ve no time to get into all of that. Bottom line? I want to look good—like I care about my appearance, but not like I care too much. But if I wear something other than my safe going-out pants and a top that hides all the stuff I want to hide, I’m afraid that’s exactly what I’ll end up looking like.”

  “Exactly how is it that you’ll end up looking?”

  “Like I don’t care about my appearance!”

  Kyan threw back his head and laughed. “I had no idea choosing clothing was so fraught with pitfalls. However, I have a solution. While you locate an undergarment for your breasts, I will choose your clothes.”

  “Oh really?” It was her turn to laugh. Visions of being swathed head to toe in a sarong, à la desert haute couture, skittered through her mind. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Kyan.”

  “Trust me. I know what looks good on the female form.” He sauntered over to her wardrobe, yanked open the doors, and began rifling through the outfits she’d managed to collect over the years.

  Trust him? She didn’t think they were at the stage of their “relationship” where she’d let him choose her clothes. So not a good idea to give guys that kind of power. But she was out of options, so she decided to humor him… with one proviso. “If I don’t like what you choose, or it’s not suitable, I’m not wearing it, okay? I’ll swallow my pride and go for my black high-rise pants, my favorite purple drapey top, and my black boots. Deal?”

  “It is a deal,” came his muffled voice as he delved deeper into the cavernous wardrobe.

  He’d have the devil’s own job finding something that actually fit her. She never threw anything out—not even items that were too tight. There was always the chance she might lose some weight and be able to squeeze into them again. So she reckoned the chances of Kyan coming up with something she liked that actually fit her were almost nil.

  While he was occupied, she sidled over to her dresser, keeping her rear end pointed away from his direct line of sight should he happen to glance up from his Herculean task. She didn’t want the sight of her whiter-than-white bum cheeks searing his eyeballs from their sockets.

  She pawed through her drawers. All hope of finding a clean bra that wasn’t too hideous was fading fast. She was used to wearing mismatched underwear, but the plain white or skin-toned bras she favored seemed ludicrous when paired with a red lace g-string. Darn. If only she hadn’t worn her good black bra out cycling this morning because the straps didn’t chafe. Exercise sucked in so many ways.

  She was about to give up and go for a skin-toned one when she unearthed a glossy black box hidden beneath a pile of socks and pantyhose. The logo on the box belonged to a shop that specialized in sex toys, racy dress-ups, and even racier lingerie.

  Huh? She certainly would have remembered buying something from there.

  She peeked inside the box, pushed aside the tissue paper, and as soon as she spotted the froth of red lace, she clicked. A gift from her ex-fiancé. Red crotch-less undies and matching see-through lacey bra. Well not matching, exactly. It didn’t have cut-outs for her nipples or anything sleazy like that, thank God.

  Sheesh. Even now she couldn’t reconcile the man who’d bought her naughty underwear—in the right size and everything—with the man who’d constantly nagged her about her weight. Even now, the sight of this lingerie twisted her stomach and made her skin feel clammy.

  She shrugged off the bad memories. This was an emergency. She couldn’t afford to have too many principles. She ripped off the tags and ladled her breasts into the bra before she could change her mind. It wasn’t the exact shade of red as her g-string, but hey, who’d be getting up close and personal enough to notice?

  The only man she was interested in getting up close and personal with, chose that moment to slam the wardrobe doors shut and turn to her with a smugly satisfied smile… which slowly slid off his face as he looked her up and down. That smile was replaced by the smooth blankness of expression Ruby had come to realize signaled he was hiding some strong emotion.

  “Here.” He handed her a floaty black skirt with tracings of large hibiscus flowers outlined in a gorgeous coppery color, and a v-necked black sleeveless top with a clever gathering detail down the front, which Ruby seemed to recall hid a multitude of sins.

  She wiggled into the skirt and top, and then caught sight of herself in the mirror. “Oh!”

  He handed her a pair of mid-heeled sandals in a color that matched the copper tracings on the skirt. Exactly.

  She slipped them on, and then examined her reflection again. Critically.

  “Well?”

  She beamed at him. “Excellent choice, Kyan. I’d forgotten I even had these tucked away. I think I look pretty—”

  “Wonderful,” he interrupted, in such a clipped tone that Ruby ceased admiring herself in the mirror and turned to ask what the hell was eating him.

  “I am going to shower,” he said.

  “Uh, okay.” What had gotten up his nose? What on earth had she done now? “See you soon?”

  “Yes. Soon.” He pronounced the words like knells of doom and then he stalked from her room.

  Men. She would never understand them.

  In fact, she might even make that statement her new mantra to help regulate her breathing while she was jogging.

  Breathe in while chanting, “Men. I’ll. Ne-ver.” Then breathe out while chanting, “Un-der-staaaaaaand. Them.” Yeah. That could work.

  She twirled before the mirror, craning her neck to catch sight of her rear view.

  Final verdict? Classy. Almost hot, at a stretch. At least, so long as you didn’t mind a well-padded rear. And thankfully, the skirt was long enough to adequately cover the big hunks of sticking plaster Mike had applied to her grazed knees after he’d finished doctoring her.

  She smiled at her reflection, feeling confident for the first time in years—so confident that she adjusted her boobs to further enhance her cleavage and practiced a sultry, come hither smile in the mirror.

  Kyan was not going to be able to resist her tonight. They were going to have sex. Wild, passionate, uninhibited sex. She was going to complete the bonding. And nothing was going to stand in her way.

  ~~~

  Kyan turned the shower mixer to full-on cold, stripped off his clothes, and stepped beneath the water. He turned to face the ice-cold stream, letting it pound his body and pummel his aching, throbbing cock into submission.

  Gods. Ruby would be the death of him. He’d never met a more stubborn, frustrating, desirable woman. If he’d stayed in her room a second longer she would have tempted him to rip her clothing from her body and bend her over the dresser, drive his cock into her over and over until she screamed his name as she climaxed. She would have gone nowhere tonight because after he’d taken her hard and fast, he would have tumbled her to the bed and taken his time with every inch of her delectable body. She would have spent the entire evening in bed. With him. And afterward, he would have cradled her until she drifted off to sleep, and thanked his absentee gods for allowing him to finally know happiness.

  The only thing that had stopped him was fearing that when this was all over, Ruby would revile him for forcing the bond on her and taking away her choice. She believed that bedding him to cement the bond was the right thing to do because it was his only chance of escaping the sorcerer’s spell. But he didn’t wish her to have intercourse with him because it was “the right thing to do”.

  Kyan believed that in order
to pass whatever test the Crystal Guardian devised, he and Ruby must share more than merely a strong physical attraction—why else would the spell revolve around a concept such as life-mating? The old sorcerer was far too canny to be fooled by outward appearances and false declarations of undying love. He would look deep into their hearts to ferret out the truth of their commitment toward each other.

  Kyan knew his own heart. It was Ruby’s that he doubted. And he wanted—needed—to be more to her than an obligation.

  He’d recognized love and affection in Chalcedony’s voice when she’d spoken of Wulf—inwardly sneered to hear echoes of the same in Wulf’s voice. Wulfenite, Lord Keeper of the Shifting Sands fief, a ruthless warrior who tolerated no weakness, cooing over a woman and the child she’d borne him? How the mighty had been brought low.

  Now, mere days later, Kyan would sacrifice a limb to hear that same affection in Ruby’s voice, and watch her grow big with his child.

  He understood enough about this woman—his woman—to know that uttering three little heartfelt words would convince her to secure the bond. But that was no longer enough for him. For once, instead of living in the moment, he was looking toward the future. A future with Ruby…. Provided the Crystal Guardian had chosen truly, and they did not loathe each other on sight the instant the curse lost it power. Provided everything Wulf and Chalcedony had revealed about the curse were true.

  He thrust his face beneath the cold water, ignoring the stinging of his skin. When he blinked water from his eyes, with clarity of vision came understanding. Ah. Perhaps that was to be the Crystal Guardian’s ultimate punishment—to show him the pain and ultimate joy of loving a woman, only to have her reject him. Kyan wouldn’t put it past the twisted old bastard to devise such a revenge.

  So be it. If fate decreed that Ruby turned her back on him once the Testing was done, it would be no more than he deserved.