Ancient Guardians The Legacy of the Key (38 page)

Levi walked briskly
to the car as Reece unlocked the door for him. He turned the car around in one
fluid motion, and sped up the hill.

 “Are you okay?”

“Fine, thank you.
Please reach into the back seat, and put on the jacket. We are almost to our
next point, and I need you to be ready to leave immediately. There are more
Ciatron making their way to us. They have communicated, and are no longer
following Harrison. We must get away quickly.”

She reached for the
leather jacket and pulled it on. As she was about to ask the reason for the
jacket, they pulled up to a black motorcycle. Levi parked in front of the bike,
and reached into the backseat for his jacket. Then he was out of the car,
grabbing two helmets from the trunk, and pulling Reece out of her seat.

“Now,” he said. “It
doesn’t matter whether or not you’ve ever ridden a motorcycle. Just keep your
feet on the pegs and hold tight, so your weight shifts with mine.”

Levi put the helmet
over her head and fastened it. He tossed her a pair of black leather gloves,
and pulled her jacket zipper completely up, covering her exposed neck. “You’ll
freeze without the leather covering your skin.”

When his own helmet
and jacket were on, he sat astride the bike and started it with a roar. He
pulled his gloves on and motioned for her to join him. Reece found the pegs for
her feet, and positioned herself on the small, uncomfortable back seat. She
leaned over, and wrapped her arms tightly around him. Levi shifted the bike up
and off of its stand, and turned to head down the road. The bike responded
loudly to the gears as he shifted.

As they
accelerated, Levi leaned forward and then reached back and clutched around
Reece’s leg to pull her closer into him. She molded her body tightly against
his. As soon as she did this, her stomach reacted when the bike engine roared
even louder. The trees became a blur. She could not have countered if she had
wanted to; she was completely frozen stiff from fear, squeezing tightly against
Levi.

Her eyes shut
tight. Her stomach told her the bike was turning back and forth; with each
turn, gravity grabbed her stomach from the left or the right. When she found
the courage to open her eyes, they were coming off of a windy road, and
approaching a traffic jam on a highway.
At least he’ll have to slow down.

He didn’t. He
maneuvered the bike through the stopped cars, speeded on by unfriendly gestures
from automobile drivers. Their speed increased, as did Reece’s heart. It was
not long before they were through the jam, and the cars on the highway were
moving at regular speeds again. Hesitantly, she opened her eyes. Levi left the
main road, and headed onto an older, two-lane highway. Reece held tight and
wished for this all to be over. Turns came up; at each one, she felt as if they
were lying sideways on the ground. Finally, Levi slowed, and pulled into an old
run-down gas station with only one car at the pumps.

He pulled up to a
pump, kicked the stand down, and gave her his arm to help her off. For once,
she really needed the arm; she would have fallen without it. Her legs had
become completely numb, and she gripped him with both of her hands, trying to
steady herself. In one swift motion, he was off the bike and still there,
holding onto her. He reached down and unfastened her helmet. “My love, it’s over
for now. We lost them back in that traffic. I am taking a more secluded route
from here to meet Harrison.”

Ah! He’s acting
normal again.
She thought. “I don’t
think I can walk, and I am completely serious when I say that.” She took a step
over to the gas pump, and hung on for dear life as he took the nozzle down.

“You’re doing
extremely well. Have you ever ridden a motorcycle before, by chance?” He asked,
teasing her.

She arched her
eyebrow at him. “No, actually, I haven’t. And for the first time in my entire
life, I believe I was just scared stiff.”

He laughed and bent
down to kiss her. “My love, you enchant me.” He then pulled back, looking
amused. “We are almost at the location where we will meet Harrison. He is
already at the airport, and is preparing the plane for take-off.”

She looked up at
him confused. “You guys are talking through your minds or whatever?”

He smiled as the
pump clicked off, and he hung up the nozzle. “No, love, my helmet has a phone.
We can’t read each other’s minds if we are a great distance apart. You need to
find your legs again.” He winked at her, swung his leg over the bike, and rode
it to the edge of the gas station parking lot.

Reece walked there
with some difficulty. She glared at the offending motorcycle, and wondered if
she could get back on it. Levi’s face was alight with amusement.

He pulled her into
a tight embrace. “We only have about thirty more minutes left to ride. I will
need you to get back on the bike, whether you feel you that you can or not.” He
stepped back and brought her helmet over her head and smiled. “Hold tightly;
the faster we ride, the faster you’ll be on that plane.”

 With that, they
returned to the bike. Reece settled in close to Levi and squeezed tightly
around him. He brought the deep-sounding engine to life, and did not waste any
time in bringing the bike up to top speed.

The sun was
starting to set when they pulled into a private airport. Levi rode through the
entrance, and stopped alongside what seemed to be their private aircraft. He
set the stand down and lent his arm to Reece to help her get off the bike. Her
legs were tired, but not as weak as before.

The stairs leading
up into the plane had extended down to where she stood. Levi got off the bike,
and took off his helmet as well. His eyes seemed to be glowing again. Reece was
beginning to understand now, that his eyes did this whenever he was mentally
communicating or reading someone’s thoughts.

He walked her to
the steps. “Head up the staircase. I need to park the bike.”

At the top of the
steps, Harrison waited. He smiled widely. “You two made perfect time!”

Reece reached out
for Harrison’s extended hand. “I’m beat. You guys own a private jet?”

“You’d be surprised
at how we get around while we protect this world. Now, have a seat so we can
get out of here.”

Levi stepped into
the plane. “They’re only a few minutes away. Find out from the tower if we’re
clear to go.”

Harrison walked
quickly toward the cockpit.

Levi looked over at
Reece, “I’ll be back to sit with you once we are in the air.”

He walked toward
the cockpit, where Harrison was already positioning the aircraft to head out to
the runway. Reece buckled into a comfortable leather seat that faced a table.
Out the window, she could see three or four cars speeding into the gates of the
small airport. She tensed. The airplane picked up ground speed as it followed
the blinking lights toward its takeoff point.

As the plane slowed
and turned, she saw people standing outside the fence, watching them. From
Levi’s recent report, it had to have been the Ciatron. Her heart rate began to
pick up.

The next moment,
the plane was speeding along the runway; and for the first time since they had
come through the vortex, Reece felt truly safe. She let her head lean against
the leather headrest as the plane’s ascent pressed her into her seat. A glance
out the window showed the land dropping away. She closed her eyes and tried to
think of nothing but the peace she had been given.

Her eyes popped
open after Levi unfastened her seatbelt and scooped her up. He placed her on a
long leather sofa. “You need to rest, my love. The hardest part is over now,
and you are safe.”

“I guess I should
thank you for not killing us on that motorcycle?”

She smiled as she
sat up and curled her legs underneath her. She motioned for him to sit next to
her, and he did. He brought his arm around her, and she snuggled into his
tender embrace. Feeling the adrenaline still pumping through her veins, she
knew she couldn’t rest. Her mind became flooded with everything they had gone through
to get to this point. “Levi—I’m curious about something.”

She felt him laugh
quietly as he ran his fingers through her hair. “After this afternoon, I am not
surprised. What is it that you are curious about, sweetheart?”

“So, when those two
Ciatron men disappeared today, they were being sent back to their dimension
right?” She looked up for his response.

He stared down to
her and smiled. “That is correct.”

She sat up. “You
guys can’t kill them?”

“No. We are simply
sending them back to their dimension. It is extremely frustrating to us, but we
don’t know how to completely destroy their kind.”

She settled back
into his embrace. “I’m just glad you are safe; it was terrifying to watch you
fight them.”

He squeezed her
gently. “Do not ever allow yourself to worry over me like that, my love. This
is what I have done for many years. I can handle myself.”

“Hey!” She said. “I
just thought—how’s Jack supposed to get his car back?”

He laughed. “You
won’t stop, will you? We must find a way to calm your nerves so you can get
some rest before tomorrow.” He stood up. “You haven’t eaten anything since
breakfast; let me get you something.” He turned and walked toward the front of
the plane.

While he was gone,
Reece found the bathroom. When she looked at her hair in the tiny mirror, she
gasped. “Must be true love,” she muttered as she tried to do something about
the tangled mess.

When she got back,
there were two plates on the table filled with fruits, vegetables, and a
variety of meats and cheeses. Levi was walking over to the table with a bottle
of wine. He smiled wryly at her. “Unfortunately, Harrison did not prepare us a
fine dinner before our arrival.” Then he laughed as he sat and poured her a
glass of wine. “I believe this would probably agree with you better than
Harrison trying his hand at cooking anyhow.”

She reached for her
glass, laughing. “And you? I was expecting a romantic meal this evening, and
all I get is cold cuts and finger foods?”

Levi shot her a
pitiful look. “My love, I must resolve to demonstrate my romance in some other
form; I fear my culinary skills are minimal.”

She laughed as she
began to eat.

Levi swallowed a
bite and took a sip of water. “About your friend, Jack? He’s probably
retrieving his car now. He helped Harrison bring the motorcycle to that
location. Once the little race party was over, he told Harrison he would have a
friend bring him to it.”

She shook her head.
“I’m surprised he let you guys drive his car.”

Levi laughed. “Your
friend Jack was only paying Harrison back for the privilege of driving our
car.”

Reece rolled her
eyes. “Men are so ridiculous sometimes.”

She leaned back in
her seat and stared out of the window, while Levi finished his meal. Her eyes
became heavy, and she startled when Levi stood up. “Come, lie on the sofa. You
look as if you could sleep.”

She took his hand,
and followed him back to it. He brought over a pillow and blanket, and wrapped
it around her, as she snuggled against his side.

 “I’ll wake you
about an hour before we land, and we’ll talk then. For now, just rest.”

  Her eyelids
responded to his command and she was asleep.

Chapter
28

Reece woke to Levi’s softly brushing her hair from her
face. “I need you to wake, love.”

 She opened her eyes to find him kneeling next to her, smiling
brilliantly. She grinned back to him, and reached out to touch his handsome
face, while her eyes adjusted to the morning light on the airplane. He reached
to her hand that caressed his face and gently kissed it. “I do not know what is
more beautiful; watching you sleep, or the first smile of your day being
intended for me.”

She began to sit
up. “Good morning,” she managed.

“I made you some
toast, and attempted to make you some scrambled eggs. Hopefully you’ll like
them; I’m not really one to cook.”

She laughed as he
led her over to the table. She looked down and smiled at the perfectly sliced
oranges that Levi used to garnish the plate.

As he sat down to
join her, she looked across the table at him and smiled. “This looks delicious,
Levi. Thank you, but aren’t you and Harrison going to eat, too?”

He nodded. “We
already have. Fortunately, Harrison approved of my cooking, or else you would
be having orange slices and toast for breakfast.” He laughed.

Levi poured her
some orange juice as she took a bite of the scrambled eggs. “Levi, they are
delicious!”

He grinned, “I’m
glad you approve.” He then became more serious. “Reece, I fear today will be
very demanding. We are facing a situation with an uncertain outcome. There is
only one thing I
will
be sure about, and that is your safety. I will not
allow you out of my sight, under any circumstance.” He reached for her hand.
“No matter what the outcome of this day, you will be leaving Castle Ruin by my
side.”