by S. L. Morgan
Harrison exhaled, rolled his eyes, and slouched back, watching Reece intently.
Reece stared at Levi warningly. “Obviously we aren’t in very good place right now. As a matter of fact, I think I need to get away from this palace.”
She stood up, and looked down at Simone. “Simone, is there any chance you will be returning to your home soon?”
Simone swallowed hard as she looked at Levi, and then Reece. “I wasn’t planning on it, but—”
“I don’t want to impose,” Reece interrupted her, “but if by chance you decide to leave, can I go with you?”
“Reece, what are you doing? This is absurd. All over an engagement party being cancelled? Like I said; blame me, not Levi. I encouraged him to cancel it. Don’t you think you’re overreacting just a little bit?” Harrison cut in.
“No, Harrison, I don’t!” she snapped harshly. She looked down at Simone. “Simone, would you mind?”
“Yes, of course you are welcome to stay at my home. But I really think it would be best if—”
“Then it’s settled. When can we leave?” Reece cut her off again.
Levi stood up. “I can have your carriage arranged for tomorrow. Jasmeen will accompany you as well, if that is your wish,” he replied flatly.
Reece’s heart beat rapidly as he stood there, tall and imposing, staring down at her. It startled her for a moment, and then she recalled how many times he looked at her like this in her nightmares. She shuddered internally, wondering if he would grab her arm harshly and force her out of the room with him.
Unexpectedly, his expression softened. “If or when you should decide to return, your personal guards will arrange for your transportation back to the palace.”
“Guards?” Reece said, annoyed. “I don’t need people following me around, Levi.”
“Unfortunately, you don’t have an option on that one, Reece,” Harrison spoke out. “That little map in your mind mandates that you be guarded at all times.”
“This is so ridiculous!” She glared at Levi. “I don’t need anybody following me around.” She ordered him.
Levi stared at her commandingly. “They are there for your safety. I’ll have everything prepared for you first thing tomorrow,” he said, before turning to briskly leave the room.
How dare he walk out on me? she thought in her rising anger. She became distracted when Harrison stood and stared at her in confusion.
“What, Harrison?” she bitterly demanded.
“Don’t you think you’re going a little overboard, Reece?” Harrison asked.
“Harrison, this isn’t your problem!”
Harrison smiled but it didn’t reach his piercing icy blue eyes. “You have no idea how much this is about to become my problem!”
The smile on his face was fueling her rage. “Whatever.”
Harrison’s expression changed. He grew more solemn. “Reece,” he said deeply. “Perhaps you and Levi need to talk about this in private. You don’t need to leave the palace in order to prove your point that you are upset with him.”
“I agree with Harrison, Reece.” Simone reached for Reece’s hand.
Reece jerked away. “You’re taking their side on this?” She snorted. “Are you going to help me or not?” she asked Simone.
Elizabeth remained silent as she watched Reece lash out at everyone around her. Harrison’s gaze was almost threatening as he stared at Simone, waiting for her response.
Simone sighed. “Yes, we can leave tomorrow.”
Reece smiled with satisfaction at Harrison’s concerned expression. “Then it’s settled.”
Before either could respond, Reece quickly fled the room. She wasn’t done with Levi yet, and she needed to find out where he went. She turned down the corridor, and encountered a servant.
“Sir?” She startled him with her brazen tone.
He bowed. “Miss Bryant, how may I be of assistance to you?”
“Where’s Levi?” she demanded.
“Miss Bryant, Master Levi has retired to his chambers for the evening. May I call on him for you?”
Hiding out in your room and feeling sorry for yourself, huh? she thought with disgust. “No! Take me to his room.”
The confusion in the servant’s eyes told Reece this was highly improper, but she didn’t care; her argument with Levi was not over.
“Sir!” she snapped. “Take me to his room!” she ordered again.
The servant nodded, and with some hesitation, turned and led Reece up to the third floor of the palace. She had never explored these floors before, but understood that this was the Oxley’s private living area.
At the end of the long hallway were two large double doors. The servant knocked on them softly. The hesitation the servant was displaying was aggravating, and she stepped forward abruptly. “Thank you.” She arched her eyebrow, and dismissed him with her reproachful gaze.
The door opened, and when Levi’s valet saw her, he stared at her in utter astonishment. She let out a quick breath; all of this propriety was making her irritation worse, and validating why she wanted to leave this pretentious place.
She crossed her arms. “I need to speak with Levi.” She spoke loudly, hoping Levi would hear her.
“Who is it, Henry?” Levi called out distantly.
Before the servant answered him, Reece shoved the other door open and stormed into the room. Levi stood in front of the large windows at the front of his room. He turned at the sound of Reece entering his room.
Her eyes were drawn to the paintings that lined the burgundy walls of his room. The pictures were magnificently set into rich mahogany frames, and displayed beautiful images of scenery and Guardian horses. Levi’s room was exceptionally warm and inviting. The décor, in Reece’s opinion, spoke of his personality very well. She walked past a large mahogany desk toward charcoal-colored sofas situated around the fireplace. Various books lined the elaborate, mahogany mantel that lavishly framed the large fireplace.
Levi was watching her in suspicion. “Reece?”
“We need to talk!” she demanded.
Levi addressed his butler. “That will be all for this evening; thank you, Henry.” When he brought his attention back to Reece, his expression was somber. “I trust you have said everything you needed to say to me tonight.”
“No, and that’s because you ran out of the room before I was finished!”
Levi ran a hand through his hair and exhaled. “I’m listening.”
“First of all, for a man who seems to be so proper all of the time, I’m trying to figure out why you were so rude to me tonight. How dare you walk out on me! And then you come up to sulk in your room?”
Levi’s expression was unreadable, and she went on. “I don’t know what’s going on between us, but right now, I don’t know what to think anymore! Tell me why you think that it’s okay to go running around and making decisions behind my back!”
His expression changed to that of regret, and it repulsed her. He reached for her arm. “Reece,” he said softly.
Reece shook his hand off of her. “Don’t, Levi! I simply came up here to tell you that I can take care of myself! I don’t need anyone telling me what I can and can’t do! Or what I should or shouldn’t be doing. Maybe that’s how it works in the royal family, but that’s not how it’s going to work for me.”
Levi didn’t answer her; instead, his countenance grew dark as he studied her. She started to demand a response from him but before she could, her emotions took a wild turn again. At first her head felt as if it would explode, and then almost as quickly as the pain hit her, it left, and she found herself overwhelmed by Levi’s presence.
What is wrong with me? She thought as she battled her emotions. It felt as though something were controlling her. No matter how hard she fought she couldn’t resist it. A strong desire came over her to have him kiss her deeply and powerfully; then other thoughts began consuming her. They were so great that she couldn’t think about anything but wanting him.
L
evi stared at her indifferently as she sauntered over to where he stood. She reached up, bringing both arms around his neck, drawing his face down onto hers. He didn’t embrace her in response, and when his lips touched hers, they were motionless. She had to get him to give in, so she must apologize.
She stepped back and allowed tears to fill her eyes. “Levi, I’m so sorry. I’m such a horrible person.”
“Reece, you should rest. We can work this out tomorrow. I’ll have Henry escort you to your room.”
Tears ran down her cheeks, “Right now I must to be with you.” She said as she reached for his face.
Levi’s eyes closed as he inhaled deeply.
“Kiss me, Levi,” she said in a seductive tone.
Levi opened his eyes and stared down into hers. He wasn’t saying no, so once again she wrapped her arms around him, pressing her body tightly into his. Levi didn’t fight her, and he fulfilled her aching desire by placing his lips lightly on hers. Without hesitation, she deepened their kiss, and Levi accepted.
She hungered for more as though she had never kissed him before. She ran her hands along his sturdy sides. He’s unimaginably perfect. A strange voice sounded in her head. Reece sensed the awkwardness of the situation, but she was powerless against the force taking over her. So lost was she in the sensations of everything she was feeling and wanting, she couldn’t understand why Levi’s hands gripped hers firmly and he stepped away from her.
Reece grew infuriated, but resisted the urge to laugh when he brought his fingers to his bottom lip to examine the trace of blood on it.
Did I just bite his lip? she thought in humor. “Looks like the brave Pemdai warrior isn’t so tough after all, eh?” she said with a dark laugh.
Her humor was replaced when Levi stared at her in disbelief. “I think you should go.” Levi’s eyes were fierce. “I have no idea what is happening with you, Reece. Something is not right; you are not acting like yourself.”
She cocked her head to the side. “You know what, Levi? It doesn’t matter anymore, anyway. Forget it. I’m trying to make things work out between us, and apparently kissing you was a bad idea.” She whirled around and stomped to the door.
She opened it and turned back to him before walking out. “Make sure you have the carriage ready for me to leave tomorrow.”
With that she spun on her heel in a fury, and stormed through the corridor and down the steps to her room.
Levi was motionless, and his were eyes fixed on the door that Reece slammed on her way out of his room. After weeks of enduring her aggressive mood swings and her constant irritation with him, Levi had finally reached his breaking point.
He began unbuttoning his shirt as he walked into his closet. He shrugged the shirt off, gathered it up, and threw it forcefully against the wall. It was obvious that he needed to unwind. He quickly changed into a pair of shorts, pulled on a dark robe, and left his room. He strode briskly through the servants’ passageways down to one of the large pool rooms in the palace.
He wasted no time removing his robe and plunging head first into the crisp water. His chest barely grazed the bottom of the pool before he swam back up to the surface. Once above water, he swam vigorously through the crystal clear water, letting each lap he made calm his tense nerves.
What was happening between him and Reece? How did it come to this? No matter how aggressively he swam through the water, it could not erase the strange feelings of the last kiss they shared. For the first time ever in Reece’s presence, Levi had no desire to kiss her. This was not the woman he fell in love with. Something had changed drastically, and Levi was losing her.
With these thoughts resurfacing, Levi felt all of his energy draining. He finished a final lap, and held onto the side of the pool. He placed both elbows upon the stone surface, and smoothed his hair back with his hands. The thought of losing Reece sent a violent pain through him. Regardless of her behavior, he loved her so greatly, and he couldn’t imagine his life without her in it. What had he done to cause her such bitterness? After all of the years he guarded her on Earth, she had never acted like this toward anyone. Maybe honoring her request and giving her this time away would bring her back to him somehow.
The next morning, Levi reported to the training facility as part of his morning routine. His agitation was still present, but not as intense as the previous evening. The men began their rigorous drills, and Levi let it serve as therapy. After finally pinning Harrison to the ground, Harrison laughed when Levi let him up. Levi’s eyes widened has Harrison brushed the blood away from his cheek.
“That was excellent!” Harrison said, as he clapped Levi on his shoulder.
Levi sighed. “Forgive me; I didn’t intend to make contact with you.” Levi was disillusioned that he’d injured Harrison in their training. Yes, the Guardians’ training was extremely aggressive, but the men were skilled enough to not cause each other injury.
Harrison grinned. “It was nothing, and you will teach me that new move!” He arched his eyebrow at Levi. “I think Reece needs to irritate you a little more often.”
Levi rolled his eyes. “I am not upset with her; I am merely confused by her behavior.”
“Well, what do you expect? It appears her new best friend is Simone, it’s pretty obvious—”
“Harrison!” Levi snapped, cutting him off. “Do not compare Reece to that woman.” He reached down for his towel, and wiped the sweat from his face. “You’ve known Reece long enough to understand this is not like her. Something else is wrong.”
Harrison sighed. “She’ll get over it soon enough.”
“I do hope you are correct.”
They turned to follow the other Guardians out of the training unit. “Samuel has a pretty complicated assignment for us today; are you up for it?” Harrison said enthusiastically.
“Pennsylvania again?” Levi said with a soft laugh. “Let Samuel know that once I’ve seen Reece off, we’ll leave for Earth.”
It was nearing daybreak when Levi headed to the courtyard to arrange Reece and Simone’s transportation to Samuel’s estate. On his way through the dimly lit corridors, he encountered Jasmeen.
“Master Levi, Reece is still asleep. Forgive me if I’m out of line by saying this, but I am concerned for her being alone in Simone’s company.”
“She will hardly be alone, and Reece may be aggravated about this, but the Imperial Guards have been instructed not to let her out of their sight. They will be guarding her heavily, and Samuel is returning to the estate to ensure her safety as well.”
“That is relieving to hear,” she replied.
“If you’ll excuse me, I must finish making my preparations for her departure.”
“Very well, sir,” Jasmeen said, and offered him a short curtsy.
With a nod, Levi turned and walked through the corridor, down to the courtyard where he encountered Samuel as he was preparing to leave.
Levi walked over and shook his commanding officer’s hand, “Sir, I am indebted to you for returning to your estate in order to ensure Reece’s safety.”
Samuel nodded, “Think nothing of it, Levi. I regret to admit that I do not trust my own daughter alone with Miss Bryant.” He hoisted himself up onto his horse and looked down at Levi, “Vincent will be in charge and will be reporting to me in my absence.”
“Very well, sir.” Levi answered as Samuel directed his horse to leave the courtyard.
By late morning, Reece and Simone made their way out to where Levi was finalizing their transportation arrangements with the guards at her carriage. Levi looked up and noticed Reece. Seeing her prepared to leave the palace sent a wave of despair through him. All he wanted was to have her in his arms, to see her smile at him again, and to hear her laugh. He was dismayed that she was leaving, but he wouldn’t interfere with her wishes.
As soon as the women descended the steps into the courtyard, Levi dismissed the footman in order to have one last opportunity to feel the softness of Reece’s delicate hand in his. Simone led the w
ay, and Levi managed to repress his hatred of the woman long enough to offer his hand to help her into the carriage. He avoided any eye contact with her, and once Simone was seated, he turned with some anxiety to offer his hand to Reece.
Surprisingly, she didn’t decline his hand, but instead placed it carefully into his. Her tender touch burned against his skin, and his heart beat erratically as he assisted her. He resisted the urge to grip his hand tightly around hers and beg her not to leave him, but he had to let her go. When she accepted his help into the carriage, she never smiled or made eye contact with him.
Levi was distraught as he stared at Reece in the carriage. He exhaled in defeat when the driver called out to the horses. Levi stood and watched as the carriage left rapidly. He ran his hand through his hair, straining to keep his thoughts straight. Just give her time, he told himself.
“I give her two days at most before she comes screaming back to the palace,” Harrison called out, as he hopped down the steps to where Levi stood.
“Only time will tell.”
Harrison clapped Levi on the shoulder. “Javian has our horses ready, and I am ready to get out of here.”
Levi nodded. “I couldn’t agree more.”
Levi did his best to throw himself fully into assignments on Earth, but it wasn’t helping. Even with Harrison’s light-hearted personality, Levi found no reprieve. There was no word of Reece wishing to return to the palace, and he began to turn numb to everything around him.
After a few short days serving on Earth, Levi requested leave. He was unable to be effective in his duties in such a distracted state of mind. It had been a week since Reece’s departure, and Levi became increasingly despondent. He isolated himself from everyone, wishing to be left alone. He sat in a chair, staring out of his window and recalling the cherished times he shared with Reece.
“Upon my word, cousin, you look frightful. Is this what it has all come to?” Harrison said as he entered Levi’s sitting room unexpectedly.
“I do not understand what you are trying to imply.” Levi answered curtly.
