Ancient Guardians The Legacy of the Key (34 page)

“My love, I will
hear no more. You will rest. I have plans after dinner tonight, and they
include only you and me. It will be much more enjoyable for me if you are
awake.”

Reece arched her
eyebrow, staring up at him. “Are you giving me orders, Levi?”

“If that is what is
required for you to rest, then yes, my sweetheart, I believe that is exactly
what I am doing.”

Oh, well...
There was no point in arguing with him when she
couldn’t even fight her own exhaustion.

As soon as they
arrived to her room, Levi bent down and kissed her softly. “Get some rest; I’ll
see you at dinner tonight.” He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I
love you.”

“Love you.” She
said while fighting another yawn.

Levi’s mouth
quirked and he laughed. Then he turned and walked away.

Reece lay down, but
her mind would not stop ruminating about Levi, and the meeting with Navarre and
Samuel. After what seemed to be an hour, she pulled herself up from her bed.

She opted to take a
hot bath to help rejuvenate her. Once she finished and was dressed, she
dismissed Jasmeen for the evening. She had an hour until the family would be
gathering for dinner, so she decided to have a cup of hot tea, and pass the
time quietly.

She sat on the
comfortable sofa, and gazed out of the window. When she finished her tea, she set
the cup aside, and rested her head on the arm of the sofa. Before she knew it,
she was dreaming.

She was walking
through an open, grassy field, and everything felt so peaceful. A crisp, fresh
breeze bent the tall grass, while butterflies danced throughout the field as
far as she could see. She stood there inhaling the fresh air. In the distance,
she noticed a tall, slender figure approaching.
You’ve come back to me.
She
watched, smiling and comforted, as he walked toward her. His long strides
picked up as he realized it was she who waited for him. As he approached her,
he smiled vibrantly. His eyes glowed radiantly with love. He pulled her close
to him as she stood on her toes, deeply inhaling the rich fragrance of him that
she had longed for. “I love you, Levi…”

“And I love you.”

Her eyes snapped
open to find Levi on one knee in front of her. He brought the back of his
fingers to caress her cheek. “My beautiful Reece, I hope I did not startle
you?”

“Um, no. I think I
must have dozed off. What time is it? Am I late for dinner?” Reece pulled
herself up into a proper sitting position.

Levi chuckled in
response. “No, love. But it is close to time. Are you feeling rested enough to
join all of us? My Aunt Madeleine is looking forward to meeting you. My mother
has done nothing but boast of the special young woman you are.” He smiled
proudly to her. “Elizabeth has been talking about you nonstop as well.”

Reece cocked her
head to the side. “I hope I can live up to all of this.”

Levi laughed and
rose up. He extended his hand out to her. “Sweetheart, you need do nothing more
than walk into that room, and everyone will be eating out of your hand.”

Reece smiled, and
placed her hand into his.  

When they arrived
at dinner, Reece found herself at ease in the Palace for the first time in many
days.

At dinner, Reece
was introduced to Harrison’s mother, Madeleine; she was a striking woman, with
black hair and green eyes. Though her coloring was so different from Lillian’s,
their features were similar. Madeleine held herself very upright, and didn’t
speak much; but whether that was just her way, or she was worried about
Harrison, Reece couldn’t tell. She could not form an honest opinion of her, as
Madeleine remained mostly quiet throughout the entire meal. When addressed
directly, she would give short, though polite, answers.

Dinner went
smoothly, and Reece remained comfortable as she discretely watched Levi from
across the table. Her heart was overwhelmed with love as she sat there admiring
every stunning quality he possessed. She watched as he ate his meal and
answered inquiries from his father and uncle. Levi’s voice was cultured and
smooth, but with a slight rasp that always seemed to make Reece’s heart
flutter. Her heart raced in anticipation of when they would finally be alone
together.

Reece was not the
only one stealing glances at the table, on more than one occasion, she noticed
Levi look in her direction. His face would become radiant as he grinned at her,
before bringing his attention back to his plate. It was obvious that Levi was
having the same difficulty getting through dinner as she was, as both now only
wanted to be alone and in each other’s arms again.

After dinner,
Elizabeth played the piano for her aunt and uncle. Levi quietly excused
himself, saying he needed to speak with Reece, and led her out to the benches
where they had sat the night before he went to Earth.

Before Levi could
motion for her to sit, Reece turned toward him and wound her arms around his
neck, bringing him into a tight embrace.

She fought back
tears, but was unsuccessful. Levi leaned down, wrapping his arms around her
waist. “My love, please don’t shed any more tears. I know this has been
difficult for you, but I am home now, and we are together again.” He whispered
in her ear.

Reece sniffed and
laughed softly at her unexpected response to being with him again. She pulled
away and gazed up into the face that she believed she’d never see again. Levi
slightly grinned as he tenderly brushed away her tears.

“I’m sorry, it’s
just that, last night was the first time that I believed I might never see you
again.” Tears returned to her eyes and she quickly wiped them away. “I think
it’s all starting to hit me now, and I’m probably going to ruin our evening
together by being an emotional wreck.” She said as she smiled up at him.

“After what you
have been through, it is perfectly understandable.” He answered.

Levi guided her to
sit, yet did not join her on the bench. His face was somber as he knelt down
and took her hands into his. Reece stared at him in confusion as he slowly
rubbed his thumbs over the back of her hands. His focus was intently on her
hands as he exhaled.

“Levi?”

His darkened eyes
met hers. “Reece, my father informed me of your confrontation with Simone, and
how you dealt with the distressing position she placed you in.” He inhaled
deeply. “I want to personally apologize to you for that. I should have been
better aware—”

“Levi, no. Please
don’t blame yourself for any of this. How was anyone supposed to know Simone
would do something like that—and all because of jealousy? At first I thought
she was making it all up to scare me. But, the more she talked, the more I
wondered if the woman was truly that insane. And that’s when, regardless of
what she said, I knew I had to get a message to your father immediately. I knew
your father would know how to deal with the situation. And whether or not what
Simone said was true,” she stared at Levi as she added, “I really think that
woman is insane.”

Levi’s expression
grew dark, “I have already paid her a visit, regarding the threat she made you.
She is fully aware that if she as much as looks at you, she will have to answer
to me. After my discussion with her, I want you to know that you have nothing
to fear from that despicable woman.”

“Who is this
Michael Visor guy that she planned all of this with, anyway?” Reece asked.

“Michael was one of
mine and Harrison’s friends. We formed a close friendship while we were in Guardian
training together; however, once Harrison and I were assigned to guard you, he
started to distance himself from us.”

Reece shook her
head, “It doesn’t make sense to me. Any of it. Why would he be involved—he’s a Guardian.”

Levi exhaled,
“True; however, as I said in the meeting, he has always been envious of me. And
now it makes perfect sense—as Guardian, protecting ‘the Key’ is the highest
honor one can receive. I’m sure now, Michael was not happy when he wasn’t
selected for that duty. Maybe that’s what this is all about—trying to sabotage
mine and Harrison’s duties of protecting you?”

“Levi—let’s not
talk about this anymore. Trying to analyze all of the motives of why Michael
would betray Pemdas will frustrate you more. Our time is better spent making
sure we can bring the rest of the Guardian’s home. I can’t imagine what their
families are going through right now.”

Reece ran her
fingers along the concerned lines on his face, and his expression softened at
her touch. He took her hand and brought it to his lips. His eyes closed as he
let his mouth linger against the palm of her hand.

“How is it that I
can love you more now, than I did before?” His eyes were smoldering when he
returned them to hers. “Thank you for the strength and support you offered my
sister, and for being as courageous as you were in my absence. I am sorry that
you had to deal with this alone, and that I was not here to protect you from
Simone’s detestable behavior.”

“Please don’t
apologize. You came back to me—that’s all I needed and wanted from you.” Reece
smiled and Levi studied her.

 He stood and sat
next to her. Without saying another word, he brought one arm around her, and
used the other to gently cradle her legs, bringing her effortlessly onto his
lap.

He stared intently
into her eyes. “As strong as I was enduring the torment we went through, there
was a moment when I believed I would never hold you in my arms again. To
believe I would never feel your closeness again,” he exhaled, “that was the
only time I felt as though I would die.” The back of his fingers traced along
her jawline and down her neck. “That was the only pain I suffered. And now, you
are with me again, and in my arms. All I want is what I yearned for while I was
imprisoned by those vile creatures. He grew more serious, and then carefully
and studiously, his lips softly savored her skin as they ran along her neck, to
the base of her throat. Reece’s body shivered at his warm breath against her
skin.

 “Your fragrance
intoxicates me in ways that I can’t explain,” he whispered hoarsely. “To taste
the sweet flavor of your soft skin—is almost more than I can bear. I have
longed for this moment since the morning I left you.”

 He brought his
eyes back to meet hers. Reece’s heart beat erratically as she saw the hunger
and passion in his eyes. She inhaled deeply as she watched him studying her.
His grip around her waist tightened, and his other hand brushed softly up and
along her arm.

“I love you, Levi.”
She sighed.

He answered by
cradling her head in his sturdy hand. Before she could take another breath, his
mouth seized hers with a kiss so urgent and powerful, it consumed Reece entirely.

She ran her hands
through his hair, wanting more from him. Levi answered this request by pulling
her closer into him, and deepening their ardent kiss further. The pain of their
separation was now lost in their passion for each other. Reece could not have
asked for more than to be here now, in this moment, with the man she loved.

After some time of
relishing in each other’s love, Levi withdrew, and Reece leaned into him. She
listened as his rapidly beating heart found its normal rhythm again. She stared
out at the glistening fountain with contentment, while Levi placed dozens of
soft kisses throughout her hair.

“My sweetheart, as
much as I desire to sit in silence and appreciate our time together again, I
must go over some of the details of our training tomorrow with you.”

Reece chuckled and
turned to look at him, “You’re probably right. I volunteered myself, so I
should know what I’m going to be up against.”

Levi became
serious, “Are you sure you are still feeling confident enough to return to
Earth alone with me? Samuel and I have discussed this in more detail, and he
believes he will be okay if he sacrifices one of the Guardian warriors he
needs.”

Reece shook her
head, “I will be fine. You guys just need to let me know what I have to do to
help.”

Levi stared
intently into her eyes. “Reece, you heard me say I’d need to prepare you if I
couldn’t have another Guardian with me?”

“Yes.”

“We must prepare
you the best way we can to defend yourself, in case we come upon a situation
where I am unable to.” His eyes grew dark, and he inhaled deeply. “This goes
against everything I am, to accept that I may not be able to protect you. If
Harrison can arrange a sufficient distraction, you should have no need to
defend yourself. However, we need to prepare for the worst.” He exhaled softly.
“We need to use tomorrow to train you as quickly as possible for this. It will
be a grueling exercise. Are you positive this is something you are willing to
go through?”

“Grueling? Don’t
you think what we are about to go through back on Earth will be hard enough in
and of itself? Levi, you aren’t going to scare me out of this; I only hope I
can learn as quickly as you guys might think I can. Hopefully the self-defense
class I took in my first year of college will help.”

Levi showed a hint
of a smile. “I must have you understand, Reece, this is not your average
self-defense class. It is more of a mental training, and one that will be much
harder on your nerves.”