The Crystal Warrior

The Crystal Warrior (Chapter 10)

The Crystal Warrior

By Maree Anderson

Chapter Ten

Chalcey just missed spraying Francesca with her mouthful of hot chocolate. Whoa. Sure hadn't seen that one coming. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and gulped another mouthful. A sugar-rush was definitely required to handle this situation with any sort of aplomb.

Francesca blotted up the mess with another lace hanky. "Centuries ago, Wulf was cursed and imprisoned in a piece of wulfenite crystal by the Crystal Guardian."

Hel-lo. Déjà freaking vu. Had her mother somehow invaded her mind and shared her dreams?

Francesca interpreted Chalcey's reaction as disbelief. She compressed her lips and puffed out a delicate sigh. "It's true," she said, smoothing her dress down her thighs.

"Sure it is." Chalcey imbued her tone with a large dollop of skepticism. Not because she was being confrontational, but because right now, she just needed someone—anyone—to clue her in on what the fuck was going on, and needling her mother was sure to do the trick.

"I don't suppose you'd just take my advice and stay away from him?"

Chalcey shook her head. "Nope."

"I suppose you want to know everything so you can make an informed decision."

"You got it. Now spill."

Was that an eye-roll? Nah. Chalcey must have been imagining it. Francesca didn't do eye-rolls.

"Before I explain, I need to ask you another personal question. How many times have you had intercourse with Wulf?" She stared at Chalcey with über-intentness, as though her daughter's entire fate teetered precariously upon the answer.

Apprehension burrowed into the pit of Chalcey's stomach and hatched into great big butterflies. "That's pretty personal, even for you," she managed to say in a very normal voice, even though her mouth had gone dry. "I don't make a habit of discussing my sex life."

And especially not with my mother.

Francesca had the grace to look abashed by the probing question—so abashed and flushed with embarrassment that Chalcey felt sorry for her and relented. "Sheesh! Once, okay? We've had sex once."

Her mother exhaled long and loud, sagging back in her chair, so obviously relieved by the answer that worry bit at Chalcey's mind. "Why do you seem so darn thrilled to hear that?"

"Because there's a chance you're not irrevocably bound to Wulf yet." Francesca sipped her chocolate. She didn't seem in any hurry to elaborate and put Chalcey out of her misery.

Chalcey waited.

And waited some more.

And fumed.

And finally lost it. "Will you please tell me what the hell is going on?"

To her shock, Francesca obliged. "Wulf's a Styrian warrior from an alien world. Their priests opened a portal to our world and sent Wulf and his men here to steal women for breeding purposes. An old man with a supernatural affinity for crystals cast a spell to imprison them all in their namesake crystals. That old man became the Guardian of the Crystals, condemned to watch over them all until each warrior finds a woman to redeem him for his crimes. This might come as a surprise to you, but you've been chosen to redeem Wulf."

It was all Chalcey could do to stay in her chair, rather than stagger to her feet and dig out her last bottle of tequila with a view to numbing her shock with alcohol.