The Crystal Warriors Series Bundle

by Maree Anderson

  She shot Kyan a glance. Yeah. Like she would ever be able to look at herself in the mirror if she let that happen.

  Face it, Ruby. You are a sucker for punishment.

  ~~~

  After the emotion-laden lunchtime experience, the normality of the bike shop came as a welcome relief to Ruby. Then again, what the hell was normal about her brother buying her a bike so she could take part in a triathlon? And there was nothing at all normal about Kyan, the big blond warrior who’d suddenly appeared in her life and turned it upside down.

  At least she didn’t have to try to squeeze into bike pants—they didn’t stock any in a large enough size. She knew that because Mike insisted she ask.

  They left the shop wheeling not one, but two bikes: one for her and one for Kyan. Seemed Mike’s brilliant plan was to have Kyan accompany Ruby on her bike rides to help her stay on track with her training schedule. Kyan being an uber-fit warrior and all, Mike had talked him into being Ruby’s personal trainer.

  A personal witness to her heaving, panting, incredible unfitness, more like.

  Ruby groaned inwardly. Having a hot man cycle down the street directly behind her and her huge bum? She couldn’t imagine anything more fun.

  Bloody Mike. Doubtless he thought he was doing her a favor but he was clueless.

  Ruby parked her old Lancer in the carport, and was about to unlock the front door when Mike pulled up in the driveway.

  He wound down the window of the fancy Toyota SUV he’d rented. “Don’t bother unlocking, Rubes. Hop in.”

  “Where’re we going?”

  “Time for a lesson on how to ride your new bike,” he said. “And no time like the present.”

  Oh no. No. No. No. She was so not ready for this. “What? Now?”

  “Now. Unless you’re not really serious about this whole triathlon thing.”

  “Of course I’m serious. Give me a moment to change into something more comfortable than these jeans.” She unlocked the front door and headed for her bedroom. Looked like the humiliation was going to begin sooner rather than later.

  ~~~

  Chapter Six

  Kyan noted Ruby’s downturned lips and slumped shoulders as she emerged from the house. “She seems unhappy.”

  Mike tapped his fingers on the wheel that somehow directed the car. “She’ll get over it,” he said. “If we don’t do this now, she’ll get caught up with work and lose a week of cycling training. Best to get it over with before she chickens out altogether. ”

  “Chickens out?” Kyan thought he might have seen a chicken or two during the last raid. He remembered hearing that they tasted delicious, but he had no clue what Mike meant by mentioning chickens in this context.

  Mike must have noticed his confusion—or perhaps automatically decided to elaborate for Kyan’s benefit. Ruby’s brother did his best to unobtrusively assist Kyan where possible. “Chickening out means reneging on something. In Ruby’s case, it means finding excuses not to ride the bike because the thought of it scares her silly.”

  “She puts on a brave face that fools many.”

  Mike’s fingers ceased their rapid tattoo. “But not you. You see deeper, don’t you, Kyan? You’re not fooled by outward appearances.”

  “Not fooled, no. But I, too, am guilty of pandering to the expectations of others—especially with regard to my choice in women.”

  Mike opened his mouth as if to speak, and then closed it again.

  The man was Ruby’s brother, and fiercely protective of her. Kyan knew what he wanted to ask. “This face has been both a curse and a blessing. Suffice it to say, the many women it attracts have been the blessing. I admit, I have sought solace in feminine flesh to escape the harsh realities of my life. But so long as the women were willing, I see no need to apologize for it.”

  “And Ruby?”

  Kyan shifted restlessly as he watched Ruby sit on the front step to put on her shoes. Did he dare reveal the truth to Mike? There would be serious repercussions if Mike convinced Ruby not to help him.

  After the initial shock of hearing Wulf’s explanations of what the future held for him, Kyan had formed a plan. A simple plan, but necessary to ensure Ruby’s full cooperation until the Crystal Guardian’s testing took place and he was free of the crystal’s curse. Failure, being condemned to the void and possibly to death, was not an option he would willing consider. Just as a warrior did not go into battle considering defeat, so Kyan did not wish to dwell upon the possibility he would fail the Crystal Guardian’s Test.

  To escape the possibility of returning to his crystalline hell, he would use all his wiles upon Ruby. Seduce her, and yes, even lie and tell her that he loved her with all his heart.

  Her heart, he would tear to shreds. In the end, however gently he tried to let her down, she would hate him for his deceit. Just as he would hate himself for hurting her. But that wouldn’t stop him doing what needed to be done. He couldn’t afford compassion. Not now, not when his sanity, and very likely his life, was at stake.

  He was saved from having to lie when Mike drew his own conclusions in the face of Kyan’s silence. “I’ve seen the way she looks at you. She cares what happens to you, Kyan. She won’t let you down—disappoint you, I mean.”

  “I know.” Ironic given that Kyan knew he would ultimately disappoint her.

  “If you hurt her, though, I’ll have to kick your arse.”

  If—when—he hurt Ruby, Kyan would invite Mike to kick his arse. And beat him to within an inch of his sorry, selfish life if Mike desired it. Kyan was no stranger to beatings, and this time, a beating would be no more than he deserved. He’d been beaten many times with fists and feet and sticks and whatever was closest to hand. First by his mother. Then, once he’d escaped her toxic influence, by his fellow trainees, who didn’t appreciate a weakling such as Kyan being included in their ranks. Once, even by the warrior in charge of his training. That beating had been particularly vicious. His kinsman, Wulf had put a stop to the humiliation by knocking the older man out with a punch that had sent him sprawling… and earned Wulf an official bawling out from the training commander.

  How strange. Until now, it hadn’t occurred to him that he’d never thanked Wulf for saving him from worse injury that a couple of broken ribs. Or for treating Kyan with scrupulous fairness when Wulf was given his own troupe to command. When all this was over, perhaps he would contact Wulf and make amends. Kyan knew he had much to apologize for. He hadn’t been the easiest man to command. He’d been bitter, coveting Wulf’s success, resenting him.

  He blinked, dragging himself back from the past. His old life. The one Wulf had told him he must cast aside because he could never return to it.

  Mike stared at him through narrowed eyes that saw far too much for Kyan’s comfort. And this time, Kyan didn’t try to hide his inner turmoil from Ruby’s brother. “I cannot promise that I will not cause her hurt when this comes to an end. I am be-spelled, Mike. What I feel for your sister—” He scrubbed his fingers through his hair. “Only the sorcerer who cursed me knows whether what I feel for your sister is real.”

  What he felt for Ruby…. What did he feel?

  He admired her. He liked her acerbic wit. He liked her mass of dark hair that shone with cinnamon-colored highlights when the sun hit it just so. He thought her features were exquisite, especially her soulful brown eyes with hints of gold flecking the irises—eyes that truly were windows to her soul. Her smooth, pale skin intrigued him. Her generous curves made him want to press his body against hers and luxuriate in her femininity. He appreciated those curves in ways that only a man who was a connoisseur of women could. The insecurities and vulnerability he’d glimpsed when she dropped her defenses cut him like a blade—made him yearn to seek out those who’d inflicted them upon her and punish them.

  Regardless of the bonding spell, he believed all of those qualities would have attracted him to her.

  But what of the feelings that went deeper than like and desire? The ones he feared could t
ie him to a woman who might possess the power to tear down the protective walls he’d so painstakingly built, and lay bare his fears. What if she realized that, in truth, he did not deserve her?

  And then there was the pain that had twisted his gut and throbbed through his veins when she had left the house to go shopping—pain that had only eased when he saw her at the café. The pain had recurred when she drove home in her own car, but it had been far less intense, merely a dull ache, almost as though his body knew and understood that he was following her home.

  Kyan buried his turbulent, disturbing feelings for Garnet Ruby Roberts and locked them away. He could not allow himself to love her—a woman named not for one precious stone, but two. And if that wasn’t a sign from the gods, he didn’t know what was. But he’d vowed never to give a woman such power over him. He refused to ever again be so helpless, so dependent upon a woman for his physical and mental wellbeing, so pathetically eager for a kind word or a gentle hand.

  So he would ignore the gods-sent portent of her crystal names. Besides, those bizarre physical symptoms had been explained by Wulf. The pain was a result of the bond being initiated after the exchange of true-names. Whenever Ruby and he were apart, he felt physical pain. The farther apart, the more intense the pain. And that pain was a physical effect of the sorcerer’s bonding spell. Thus, Kyan reasoned that spell was the root of all his feelings. The Crystal Guardian was powerful and obviously favored by his gods. Kyan wouldn’t put it past him to have manipulated even a woman’s true-names to his own ends.

  “Fair enough,” Mike said. “And I appreciate your honesty. But I’ll still have to kick your arse if you hurt her.” He whacked the wheel with the flat of his hand and a shrill honk rang out.

  Ruby hurried over to the car and opened the back door. “Impatient sod,” she said to her brother.

  “Day’s not getting any younger,” Mike said. “Buckle up.”

  Kyan glanced over his shoulder in time to see her stick out her tongue at Mike’s back. He grinned, charmed by the childlike reaction. Charmed by so many things about this complex, fascinating woman, who didn’t understand the power she could have over men—over him—if only she believed in herself more.

  ~~~

  After wobbling round the grounds of Mairangi Bay Primary, Ruby’s old school, for about two hours, Ruby figured she was getting the hang of this riding lark. Plus, she had the immense satisfaction of suspecting that despite her lack of bike pants, she was far more comfortable on her bike than Kyan was on his. If his frequent grimaces and the occasional squirming were anything to go by, tight leather pants and a hard bike seat didn’t go well together. Poor guy really should have gotten changed first. At least Ruby’s un-sculpted bum had plenty of padding.

  Sore arse and other masculine dangly bits aside, Kyan looked very competent on his bike. No doubt being a warrior, he’d honed his body-awareness to perfection, making balancing on two wheels a breeze. If there was a god of cyclists, then Kyan might have been made in his image. Even the racy silver helmet Mike had bought suited him.

  He seemed extremely fit. And since he’d gotten through a couple of decades of warrior-ing without a scar to mar that pretty face of his, he had to be damn good at fighting. Either that or he was a coward who ran away when things got dicey. Ruby couldn’t imagine him fleeing a battle, so she contented herself with admiring his ability to adapt to what must have been a strange and alien piece of machinery, the likes of which he’d never seen before.

  “Righto!” Mike called from his makeshift throne on the jungle gym. “Time for a bit of a challenge.”

  Uh oh. Ruby braked hard, skidding to a slightly wonky stop. “What do you mean by a challenge, exactly?”

  “Follow me.” Mike swung down from the wooden platform and jogged over to front entrance of the school. He pointed down the road, beyond where he’d parked his car. “Remember the path we used when we walked to school, Rubes?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, why?” She was getting a bad feeling about this.

  “You’re going to cycle along the street until you get to that path. Then you’re going to cycle down it, and continue up Maxwelton Drive until you get to our old house on Nereus Place. I’ll take the car ’round and meet you there.”

  Chills skittered down her spine, making her sweaty, overheated skin clammy. “You have got to be bloody kidding me. Have you forgotten how steep that path is?”

  “Nope. Good opportunity for you to learn how to apply the brakes to control your speed when you’re going downhill.” He paused to absorb the look of unmitigated horror she just knew was plastered all over her face.

  His voice softened. “Look, Rubes, this is the safest way to learn. It’s a pedestrian track, so there’ll be no cars at all until you hit the road. Plus, it’s a weekend, so the traffic will be light. No way will you be able to avoid all slopes and find a completely flat route around where you live. You’ve got to learn how to negotiate hills sometime.”

  “But I was just going to ride on the footpath around home—until I’d been riding a while, anyway.”

  “Do you think the triathlon course is going to be on a footpath?” Mike snorted. “Not likely. Besides, technically it’s illegal to cycle on the footpath.”

  “I will follow you and see you come to no harm,” Kyan said. “Be brave, Ruby. You can do this.”

  Yeah. Like he’d be able to stop her from arsing over when he was riding behind her. He’d only be good for picking up the pieces after she’d come a cropper. How lovely. Two novice cyclists and a really steep hill. What the hell was Mike thinking?

  Her brother gave her his sternest “I believe in you. I know you can do this” eyes. It didn’t help one bit. “If you don’t at least try this,” he said, “there’s no way you’ll be confident enough to handle going out on your own early in the morning. You won’t be able to rely on Kyan to keep you safe, either—he’ll be too busy keeping himself out of trouble. I have to know you can look out for yourself or I’m trading in the bike.”

  She sucked in a deep breath. “All right. I’ll give it a go.”

  “That’s my girl. And remember, Kyan will be right behind you.” Mike slapped Kyan on the back and grinned like a proud parent.

  Fine for him. He’d be safe in his car—not careening down the effing mother of all hills, gripping the handlebars so tightly his skin was likely to become permanently bonded to the handles.

  Ruby tugged her helmet’s straps, tightening them under her chin. Then, trying not to think too hard about the vast amount of exposed skin she would graze if she fell, she pedaled off.

  It was fun for about five whole minutes. The road leading away from the school sloped gently downward, making the going easy. She’d just begun to relax when she spotted the walkway entrance. She cycled up to it, signaling a stop well before she reached it so Kyan didn’t smack into her or something equally dire. She positioned her bike at the top of the narrow concrete path, and looked down.

  God it was steep.

  She vividly remembered struggling up it as a youngster, dragging her feet and her schoolbag, falling ever-further behind Mike with each step she took. Often when she revisited places that had seemed incredibly vast or large to her as a kid, they didn’t seem anywhere near so imposing as an adult. Not this time. The walkway seemed twice as steep as she remembered. Either that or sheer terror was playing tricks on her.

  She must have uttered some sort of sound—a whimper of dread most likely—because Kyan reached out to place a hand on her arm. “You do not have to do this if you are afraid, Ruby. You have nothing to prove.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Kyan.” She managed a tremulous smile. “I have to prove to myself I can do this.” Before he could respond, she launched herself down the hill.

  Despite her rigid grip on the handbrake and heavy pressure on the back brake, the bike continued to gain speed. When she dared ease off the pressure slightly and didn’t start to wobble, she began to enjoy herself.

  It was ex
hilarating. The breeze whipped back her hair and plastered her sweat-sodden t-shirt against her front, but for once she didn’t care what she looked like. And before she knew it, she reached the flat, juddered off the footpath, and was pedaling along the side of the road like she’d done this umpteen times before.

  Kyan whizzed past her, hunched over the handlebars and pedaling for all he was worth.

  “Hang a left at the corner,” she yelled after him. “Then head straight ahead up the hill until you see the signpost for the first street on the left!”

  She hoped he’d heard her, otherwise he might get lost in one of the other side streets veering off from the main road. Not her problem if that happened. Mike would just have to cruise the streets until they found him—or until Kyan found her. If this mythical bond was all it was cracked up to be, then Kyan would simply follow his nose until he located her.

  By the time Ruby reached the intersection and turned left to pedal up the hill, she was losing the momentum she’d gained from the walkway. Pedaling became a chore. Her non-existent muscles screamed protests. The only thing that kept her going was the thought of being able to flop into the back seat of Mike’s comfortable rental while he drove her home.

  She grit her teeth. Her world narrowed to her bike and the increasing effort it took to push down the pedals and propel it forward. Through a haze of effort she heard Kyan urging her onward. And after what seemed like an hour but was probably merely minutes, she crested the side-street and found herself cycling on a flat piece of road.

  Success. She’d done it.

  Mike was there, waiting as promised. As they approached, both men beamed like she’d achieved the most incredible milestone. She grinned back. Anyone who knew her well would know the effort she’d just made was pretty incredible.

  Then she ruined it all by stopping and trying to get off her bike. Her knees wobbled and then folded like limp noodles. She crashed to the footpath and lay on the concrete with the bike on top of her, shaking with shock from the fall, and relief that it was all over.