Opal's Wish: Book Four of The Crystal Warriors Series

by Maree Anderson

  The goddess wrinkled her perfect nose. “You are fortunate I harbor a fondness for you, little one. There are few I would allow to show me such disrespect.”

  “God!” Opal blurted, horrified at the sweetly veiled threat.

  “You mean ‘goddess’ I hope,” Saiytada said, shooting her a glare that imprisoned the words in her throat.

  “With a capital G,” Sera added.

  “Exactly so, little one.” Saiytada ruffled Sera’s hair and they both giggled.

  “I know you love me, Sai,” Sera said. “And I love you, too. But I’d love you more if you called me Sera, like I asked.”

  The goddess’s proud features softened. “You are a delight, little one. I begin to understand why your Crystal Warrior cherishes you so.”

  “I love Dan, too,” Sera said, her happiness dissolving into a sadness so profound that Opal almost closed her eyes rather than be forced to witness it. “I wished on the crystal Peter gave me for Danbur to be my daddy, and love me and Mommy so that we could be a family. But he’s back in the crystal now, isn’t he?”

  “Yes, little one. The curse has taken him.”

  “And he’s alone and scared.”

  “Yes.”

  “Can you help him, Sai?”

  “No.”

  “What if I go into the crystal instead? Sometimes I’m scared of the dark but I’ll get used to it. Dan did—for a long, long time. I can, too.”

  Opal found her voice again. “Sera, no!” She lunged for her daughter, but Saiytada flicked her wrist and Opal was caught by an invisible hand that held her fixed to the spot. “Sera, no! I’ll go into the crystal. Danbur has….”

  Tears welled and she blinked them back. She pressed her lips together but she couldn’t prevent the silent sobs that shook her body. “Danbur has sacrificed enough. Let me take his place. Don’t take Sera. Please!”

  The goddess’s searing green gaze pierced Opal’s soul and displayed it like collectors displayed butterflies on pins. “And have you not sacrificed enough, Opal Stewart? Your innocence. Your hopes and dreams. Your career. Your happiness. Your ability to love, and be loved as a woman should be loved.”

  “I don’t need that kind of love. I have Sera. She’s all I ever needed.”

  “And Danbur? The man who loves you. The man that you love. What of him?”

  “I… I… don’t know what you want me to say.”

  “Phaugh.” The goddess waved a dismissive hand. “You are like a flower cowering in the shade, refusing the gift of the sun’s rays that would allow you to blossom. You, Opal Stewart, are withering on the vine. Heed me well. You cannot live your life solely for your daughter. To be the mother you have always strived to be for Sera, to help her grow to her full potential, you, too, must reach your potential.”

  “I don’t—”

  “Enough. I grow weary of this little drama. You are not bonded to the Crystal Warrior, thus you cannot offer yourself in his place.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “Choose, Opal Jordan Stewart. Your Crystal Warrior or your daughter. Who shall it be?”

  “Is this a test?”

  “Yes. Choose. And choose wisely, for your choice cannot be undone.”

  The goddess waved a hand and a vast expanse of darkness blinked into existence. It was black on black on black. It had no beginning and no end. It simply was. But as Opal’s sight adjusted she could see a lighter patch of black. And then the focus shifted, rushing inward until she could make out a human-shaped blob. A man. And he was screaming….

  Sera’s voice cut through Opal’s horror. “You have to choose Danbur, Mommy. You have to! He’s scared and alone and I can hear him screaming. He wishes he was dead! Save him, Mommy! It’ll be okay. I’ll be okay, I promise. Save him!”

  “Choose,” Saiytada said. And Opal wondered how she had ever thought that voice was musical and sweet when it was so cruel and cold and merciless.

  “Choose, or I will choose for you.”

  Danbur. How would she ever forgive herself for what she was about to do. “Danbur,” she whispered, “I’m so—”

  “It is done.”

  “No! I didn’t mean—” But it was too late. Sera smiled a brilliant smile… and in the next blink she and Saiytada vanished along with the window to that black expanse of nothingness.

  “No. Noooooo!” Opal sank to her knees, anguished and sick, appalled by what she had inadvertently done.

  The air beside her rippled, ripped, spewed out a man.

  Danbur.

  He craned his neck, his gaze wild and frantic. “I heard Sera’s voice. Where is she? Opal, where is she?”

  “She made me choose,” Opal whispered. “Between you and Sera. I said your name but I didn’t mean— God, what have I done?”

  He sank to his haunches and grasped her hands. “Tell me. Everything.”

  And when she was done he released her and stalked away. “You evil bitch!” he screamed at the sky—or where the sky would be if this place had such a thing. “Enough of your tricks. Release the child. Come face me, Pieter’s goddess, and we will strike a bargain.”

  No response.

  No one.

  Nothing.

  Opal curled into a ball and wished herself dead. And then a hand stroked her hair, and Danbur pulled her into his lap and held her while she sobbed her despair and heartache until she had no more tears left in her. Until she was empty.

  Do not give up. Together you can bring her back. Together, you can defeat the curse. This is the true Test.

  “Did you hear that?” Danbur asked.

  “Yes.” Opal swatted the tears from her face. “It sounded like—”

  “Hush. Do not say his name or she might hear.”

  Danbur clasped Opal’s hands. “Close your eyes, Opal. Think of me and I will think of you—what we truly mean to each other. And then we will think of the most precious thing in the world to us both.”

  “Sera,” she whispered.

  “Sera.”

  She held tight to Danbur and somehow she let him into her heart, fully and completely. And oh, it was frightening and wonderful and heartbreaking and humbling, seeing deep into his heart and soul, learning him, seeing through his eyes and experiences, seeing herself as he saw her. And finally, utterly comprehending how deep and enduring a love they had forged despite all the misunderstandings and the meddling and the heartache.

  And then it was time to concentrate on Sera, to picture her face and her smile and the myriad things that made her beloved and dear, and—

  “Mommy! You did it!”

  Opal felt small arms encircle her, and then a small body wriggled between her and Danbur. She dared open her eyes. And Sera was here with them. Really truly here!

  “I knew you loved Dan! And I knew both of you would find me and bring me back. Sai knew it, too. That’s why she tricked you.”

  Opal gasped, struggling to find the words she wanted to say, struggling to cope with the pure happiness welling through her, unable to choose between gazing at her daughter, and the man she loved. Danbur was doing the same, his gaze flicking from Sera to Opal, and back to Sera. And Opal knew the love shining in his blue, blue eyes was reflected in her own.

  But Sera hadn’t finished. “Isn’t there something you’ve forgotten, Sai?” she called.

  The goddess’s laughter rang out. “Such a cheeky little one.” And then there was a loud click—as might occur when a deity snapped her fingers.

  Between one blink and the next, Opal was back in her Green Lane townhome with Danbur and Sera. And as her daughter threw herself into Opal’s arms, and Danbur gathered them both into a hug, Opal knew, absolutely, that she had everything she’d ever dreamed of having. And much, much more than she had ever imagined she deserved.

  ~~~

  “That turned out well, if I don’t say so myself.”

  Pieter snorted. More good luck than good management, he thought.

  “I heard that!” Saiytada glared at him.r />
  “I might be more inclined to give you full credit for the outcome if you hadn’t forgotten something,” he said.

  She narrowed her gaze. And he could see her mentally ticking off each aspect of the “clean up” that had been required after things had gotten a little out of hand. Such as when Danbur had mysteriously vanished from the interrogation room in the middle of a police interview, and Sera had vanished from her hospital bed.

  “I’ve thought of everything,” Saiytada announced.

  “No, you haven’t.” Revenge, Pieter decided, was a beautiful thing. Even if the form his revenge took must needs be small-scale and somewhat… petty in nature.

  Saiytada stamped her foot. “Yes, I have!”

  Pieter abruptly tired of his game. “Richard Windsor,” he said.

  She frowned. “What of him? He was convinced by his attorney to drop all charges against Danbur. He is of no consequence.”

  Of course she would see it that way.

  “He is the kind of man who doesn’t like to lose,” Pieter said. “If you see no reason to punish him for what he did to Opal, then consider this. He will try to take Seraphine from her mother—not because he cares for the child, you understand, but because he sees her as a possession. Something that belongs to him. Something he must own. He will keep trying, regardless of the cost.”

  Plus there was the matter of Pieter’s vow to Danbur. And by playing his trump card—namely, Saiytada’s fondness for Seraphine—Pieter hoped to provoke his goddess into taking care of Richard Windsor once and for all.

  “Do you really wish that sweet, precious little soul in the hands of a rapist with the moral fiber of pond scum? He would ruin her.”

  Saiytada’s expression darkened and her green eyes turned incandescent with rage. “He would not dare.”

  “Oh, he will dare all right.”

  “You have seen this?”

  “I know all too well how humans think.” Pieter bared his teeth in a humorless smile. “Once upon a time I used to be one, remember?”

  With a screech of rage, the goddess vanished. And Pieter smiled, knowing that Opal’s rapist was about to get exactly what he deserved.

  ~~~

  Rick Windsor paced the floor of the Dallas apartment he kept for private assignations—such as the one he was about to have. Couldn’t have whores sullying his family home.

  Speaking of whores….

  Where the fuck was the one he’d ordered? The bitch was five minutes late. He would make her pay. Oh yes. He would make her beg—maybe even bleed a little. And afterward he’d throw a bunch of cash in her face and kick her out into the night… which would leave him plenty of time to brainstorm how to make another bitch who’d pissed him off pay.

  She’d called his daughter Seraphine—what the fuck kind of name was that? And she’d kept the kid’s existence from him all these years, damn her. The kid was a Windsor. You only had to look at her to know that. And no daughter of his was going to be raised by a slut. Who was fucking a nigger, for chrissakes.

  Rick threw himself into an armchair. He’d call in a favor, get someone to take care of that big black bastard, too. Dan, or whatever his name was. His fingers crept to his still healing face. Oh, yes. He would pay, too. Slowly, and painfully.

  He’d sort that first, he decided. And then, while that skinny green-eyed bitch was still bawling over losing her boyfriend, Rick would take back his daughter. And better not forget the pièce de résistance…. Seeing to it that Opal Jordan Stewart AKA Jordan fucking Cast’s pretty face was ruined. So she’d never model again—never dare step foot out of her house again.

  “I’m sorry I’m a little late.”

  He glanced up, scowling. “How the hell did you get in?”

  Her trill of laughter held a sharp edge but he didn’t notice because she was naked. And so fucking gorgeous she stole his breath. And he was too busy ogling her magnificent tits.

  “Oh,” she said, “I have my ways.”

  “Come here, bitch,” he growled.

  She beckoned to him. And some invisible force dragged him from the chair and jerked him toward her.

  “Kiss me, Richard James Sebastian Windsor,” she said. “And I will show you why I am the incarnation of grief.”

  Something about her scared the shit out of him but he couldn’t help himself. He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her. And even though it was agony and the pain quickly became unbearable, and he could feel his mind unspooling and he knew he was losing himself and falling… falling… falling… into an abyss he knew he would never crawl out of, he couldn’t stop.

  When Saiytada had drunk her fill there was nothing left but a shell of a human being. She wiped her lips with the back of her hand. “That,” she said, “was for my darling girl Sera.”

  Epilogue

  The bedside phone shrilled. Opal dragged open one eyelid and groaned. “Can you get that? I can’t move.”

  Danbur reached across her to grab the phone. His palm stroked her naked bottom. She shivered.

  A darkly satisfied male chuckle echoed through the room. “Hello?”

  Squeals erupted from the phone receiver.

  Opal lifted her head and saw he was holding the phone away from his ear. His expression could only be described as bemused. “It’s Annie,” he said. “She seems a little, ah, excited about something.”

  Opal rolled onto her back and Danbur passed her the receiver. “’Lo?”

  “It’s Annie. Have you seen it? Oh my God, it’s huge. And it’s so… so… hot! I swear I nearly wrecked my car. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Annie, calm down. What are you talking about?”

  “The billboard! With you and Danbur?”

  “Billboard?” The lethargy brought on by really, really great sex vanished with a poof!

  “Outcasts? You—Jordan-Cast-you, that is—and Danbur? Ringing any bells?”

  “Oh. That billboard.” Opal vaguely remembered Emilie telling her to mark a date on her calendar, but she’d been too busy with other things to pay much mind.

  God only knew what Danbur would think of it. She’d tried to explain what to expect but she didn’t think she’d gotten across the sheer scope of it. She’d have to show him in person. And take pictures of the expression on his face. Lots and lots of pictures.

  “We have to celebrate,” Annie was saying. “Conrad and I want to have you and Danbur and Sera over for dinner. Tomorrow night?” And before Opal could say anything she giggled. “Conrad’s cooking. Though I gotta say, that meal you helped me with has become my signature dish.”

  “Just a sec, I’ll check with Danbur.” Opal held her palm over the receiver. “Dinner at Annie and Conrad’s tomorrow?”

  He nodded, and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “Of course. I would enjoy that very much.” Another kiss, this one paying homage to the dip of her navel. His short-cropped hair tickled her skin and she shuddered beneath his lips. When he glanced up, his eyes had gone a darker shade of blue, and she knew he was thinking about something else they would enjoy.

  Hoh boy. She tried to ignore what he was doing. “Sounds great, Annie.”

  “Desiree and Roth are coming, too.”

  “Fantastic.” She’d suspected Desiree and Annie would like each other.

  “Opal?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’ve just realized. You don’t stutter anymore!”

  Opal smiled. And shuddered again when Danbur’s lips shifted lower. “I know. See you tomorrow. Around seven?”

  “Perfect,” Annie said.

  Danbur did something illegal with his tongue and Opal almost dropped the phone. “I’m, uh, sorry, Annie. I, ahhhh, have to go.”

  “I’m sure you do.” Annie giggled again and rang off.

  Some time later, Opal dragged her incredibly satisfied self to the bathroom with an admonishment that Danbur not join her or they’d still be in bed when Sera came home from her sleepover. She turned on the shower jet and wallowed for a bit, luxuriating
in the heat soaking into some very well-used muscles.

  As she soaped up, she smiled, picturing Yara’s youngest sister, Gabriela, and Sera together. The two little girls had become best friends since Yara’s family had moved into the house one “Peter Stone”, AKA Pieter, AKA the Crystal Guardian, had deeded them. The old sorcerer had been very generous—and very persuasive. But Opal couldn’t fault him for influencing the outcome in this instance. Yara’s family had been in dire straits, and too proud to ask for help. Little wonder Yara had been so desperate for a job.

  Opal missed the old man. He’d been her neighbor for five years and she had no doubts whatsoever he’d been watching over her and Sera for at least that long. He’d turned their lives upside down and put them through hell, but he’d had good reason. And, having encountered Saiytada, Opal knew it couldn’t have been easy to go against the wishes of a goddess.

  Pieter had done his utmost to aid Danbur, too, and she would always be grateful that his machinations had brought Danbur into their lives. But while Opal hoped to see Pieter again one day, she would rather not encounter his goddess a second time. Even once had been one time too many where Saiytada was concerned.

  Opal thought she might rest easier if she could convince herself that Saiytada wasn’t still lurking, watching, interfering. Like that newspaper clipping that had mysteriously arrived in her mailbox a couple of weeks ago. It had been clipped from a Dallas newspaper—a front page story about mayoral hopeful Richard Windsor, who’d been found dead in a penthouse apartment. The coroner had finally ruled out foul play, and the official cause of death announced as a severe brain bleed and widespread organ failure. A virus had been mentioned as probable cause, but the corner of the clipping had been signed with an elaborate “S” inked in gold.

  Opal shivered, and turned up the hot water. Thanks to a passport and other documents Pieter had left before he disappeared for parts unknown, Danbur was legally Sera’s father. Rick’s family would have no claim on Sera—even if they knew she existed. And Opal suspected the Windsors hadn’t a clue because Pieter and his goddess had been very thorough indeed.

  As for Sera…. She was thriving. She’d made friends at school, and best of all, she now had a daddy who adored her. All she seemed to recall about Rick was that he’d been a bad man who’d tried to kidnap her. When questioned, she didn’t remember his name, and she’d proven surprisingly upbeat about the whole incident. Pieter again, no doubt. His fondness for Sera had been genuine, and Opal figured the Crystal Guardian would rather Sera not suffer any lasting trauma from that harrowing experience.