The Reckoning

by S. L. Morgan

  “Humor?” Harrison questioned from the doorway. “Forgive the insult, Julian, but I think we can all agree that I am the humorous one.”

  Julian sat in the oversized chair and laughed loudly. “Why don’t you exercise some humility and pour me a glass of wine while you are still standing?”

  Levi crossed the room with an amused grin on his face. “It appears that you finally get to reap the benefits of guarding the clone by meeting The Key in person,” he said, shaking Julian’s hand.

  Julian grinned, but his expression shifted slightly when Levi sat closely next to Reece without any reservation. Levi draped his arm over the couch behind her, and Reece almost instinctively leaned into his side as she always had. Fortunately, she managed to stop herself before doing so.

  Julian took a sip of his wine and slouched back into his chair. “It’s easy to see that you two have become rather comfortable.”

  Levi placed his other hand over Reece’s, causing her to gasp in shock. “Indeed, we have.”

  Harrison laughed as Navarre, Allestaine, King Hamilton, and King Nathaniel entered the sitting room.

  “I believe that is my cue,” Levi said as he stood.

  Reece’s brow creased as she studied Harrison’s amused expression.

  What is he doing? she inwardly questioned as Levi extended his hand down to her.

  “Come with me,” he said.

  Together, they walked over to where Navarre and Lady Allestaine stood, gaining the attention of everyone in the room.

  “Forgive the early announcement,” Navarre started, “but as you all know, Harrison and Levi must report to Earth today. It is with mine and his mother’s blessing that he makes a special announcement before he departs.”

  Levi reached into his pocket and flipped open the velvet box that held Reece’s wedding ring. “Miss Bryant, I know that you accepted my proposal of marriage earlier; however, I did not have this treasured heirloom that I wished to give you at the time.”

  Reece held her hand out. “It is exquisite!”

  Levi’s eyes bore into hers the same way they did on the day he first proposed to her. “Indeed, it is; however, your beauty outshines every feature it possesses.”

  Reece knowingly smiled in return. “I love you.”

  Levi kissed the ring on Reece’s finger, and then the back of her hand. “And I will always love you.” He turned to face the room. “I know it may seem to some of you as though Reece and I have fallen in love practically overnight, but I can happily say that from the moment I first started guarding her on Earth, I knew there was something about Miss Bryant that outshined any other woman of my acquaintance. I had longed for the day when she and I could interact, and when that day came, Reece began returning my affections toward her soon after. It wasn’t until we were forced to bring her into Pemdas that I realized I could not bear to be apart from her, and I understood that I needed to have her as my wife. I could wait no longer to ask her to be my bride, so I woke her early this morning to ask that she do me the honor of becoming my wife. She accepted without reservation, granting me my greatest desire.”

  Everyone in the room stood and generously clapped their hands in approval. Reece ignored the reaction from Simone and her friends and looked at Levi as the room filled with chatter. “Why are you doing this so soon?”

  Levi leaned down and whispered near her ear. “Since Simone encountered you and me this morning, my mother and Father agreed we needed to move quickly before she could spread any gossip. It was the best cover-up I could devise on such short notice.”

  “Works for me,” Reece said as she stood on her toes and kissed Levi on the cheek.

  The room was silenced once again when Harrison tapped a silver spoon on the top of his wine glass. He raised it as servants walked around the room, filling the last of the wine glasses. “I should like to make a toast to two very excellent people. Not only has guarding Reece on Earth been quite entertaining but watching my cousin slowly fall in love with Miss Bryant has been even more enjoyable. To Levi and Reece: may you grow old together and have a life filled with happiness and an endless amount of royal babies!” he finished with a wink.

  Levi and Reece tilted the tips of their glasses together as the room erupted with cheer. Reece peeked over at Marian, who stood with a brilliant smile spread across her face. After Navarre and Lady Allestaine had offered Levi and Reece a loving embrace, they dismissed themselves from the sitting room to prepare for a dinner that would celebrate Levi and Reece’s engagement.

  Once the room settled down, Levi led Reece over to the sofas. Finally, she could sit next to her husband familiarly and not have to pretend to be indifferent toward him.

  “Forgive me for being so forward,” Julian said with a laugh, “but this news comes as a bit of a surprise. You certainly do not waste any time, do you, Levi?”

  “I agree,” Simone said as she and her friends joined the group. She looked at Levi bitterly. “If I am not mistaken, were you not supposed to keep your distance from The Key while guarding her on Earth? I believe that your reckless mistake of interacting with the woman is the true reason why the Ciatron became interested in her. How is it that you do not feel guilty for allowing such selfish emotions to overrule your Guardian training and better judgment?”

  Reece felt Levi stiffen at her side. “I believe you have forgotten to whom you are speaking,” he said icily.

  Simone’s eyes narrowed. “I know exactly who I am speaking to, or at least I thought I knew you. This news is preposterous.”

  “What is preposterous is hearing you, Simone, of all people, cast judgment on the emperor’s son. You would do best to silence yourself at once and accept Levi and Reece’s future union,” Harrison boldly returned.

  A soft exhale from Julian prompted Reece to glance over at his annoyed expression. “Simone, why must you feel the need to throw your unsolicited opinions at everyone so liberally? What Levi does is none of your business. Why have you always been so obsessed with him?”

  Fire lit up in Simone’s eyes at Julian’s proclamation. “How dare you make such absurd accusations about me, Julian!”

  Julian took another sip of his wine. “You are petty and ridiculous. And for the record, there is no booklet that says a Guardian cannot have a relationship with someone from Earth. I find it presumptuous of you to feign knowledge about what we do and how we conduct ourselves.”

  “I agree with Simone,” Lillian cut in. “You all may find this humorous and delightful, but Levi should have not crossed important boundaries, not with The Key.” She looked at Levi. “Do you not believe you failed in your Guardian duties by revealing yourself to Reece on Earth? She should have never known you and Harrison were guarding her.”

  “I do not answer to anyone except the emperor,” Levi returned in a loud, authoritative voice. “The fact that the two of you have the audacity to speak to me as though your opinions matter in this instance is extremely inappropriate. In doing so, you are questioning the emperor’s decisions, and I do not believe I need to remind you what an incredibly unwise thing that is to do. The both of you need to remember your place when you are in my home.”

  Simone’s face was flushed with rage. “To think that the emperor would allow his son, the future emperor, to marry a foreigner of Pemdas and—”

  Levi stood and towered over Simone. “You are out of line! As soon as the snow has cleared, I demand that you leave my home. I will not sit idly by while you insult my father, my family, and my future wife.” He looked severely at everyone sitting silently around them. “If any of you should choose to share this woman’s opinions, you are not welcome here either.” He turned to Reece and offered his hand. She accepted and rose. “If you will excuse us, we shall find our entertainment elsewhere.”

  Levi promptly escorted Reece out of the room and up to the third floor, where his bedchambers were. Once inside, he dismissed Henry and led Reece down to the sofa in his room. Reece sat quietly and gazed out of the grand windows, watch
ing the snow falling like glittery flakes.

  Levi approached with a glass of wine. “I apologize that I was unable to inform you about this abrupt change of plans, but it was the best way to keep our relationship honest in that woman’s eyes.”

  Reece ran a finger around the rim of her glass. “You think that it would have been that bad?”

  “With the gossip and venom that spews out of that woman’s mouth?” Levi sighed. “Yes. She would have found a way to slander our relationship to everyone, even before meeting with Michael.”

  Reece leaned into Levi. “Speaking of Michael, how did your mission go today?”

  Levi shook his head as he sunk into the sofa, crossed his legs, and propped them on the table before him. “We certainly learned a lot about what took place leading up to Michael and Simone betraying Pemdas. It appears our assumptions about Simone deriving this plan were wrong. It was all Michael’s plotting. Strange as it may seem, Prather and Brandon, a Guardian who has been serving on Earth with Julian, are involved as well.”

  Reece sat up and looked at Levi. “What? How did we not stumble across this information before?”

  “Good question. Michael did manage to escape his prison cell before he could be questioned. I suppose we will have to wait and see how this unravels. Harrison and I are leaving after dinner in order to keep a close eye on Michael. Simone is likely to meet with Brandon tonight, as Michael has ordered him to inform Simone about the plans to remove you from Pemdas.”

  Reece laughed. “Well, after our announcement tonight, I wouldn’t be surprised if she left in this brutal weather to meet with him after she talks with Brandon.”

  Levi’s expression darkened. “We have guards disguised as servants watching her. If, for any reason, she leaves earlier than expected, we will be the first to know.” He kissed Reece on her forehead. “We have no room to make mistakes this time. We must stop the Ciatron from learning that you are The Key.”

  “I’m confident you and Harrison will accomplish all of this without any issues.”

  After the celebratory dinner that evening, Reece was in high spirits, just as she had been the night Levi proposed to her. Simone and Lillian kept mostly to themselves, but Reece knew how enraged Simone was. The only advantage to Simone’s hatred and jealousy was that she would be more eager than ever to plot with Michael, and the sooner that happened, the sooner they could start to live a normal life once and for all.

  After everyone retired for the evening, Reece gladly welcomed a hot, rejuvenating bath. She dismissed Jasmeen for the night and let the serenity of her surroundings calm her nerves even further. She held her hand up and studied the brilliant gemstone of her wedding ring as it glistened against the light of the candles surrounding her.

  “To see that ring back in its rightful place thrills me beyond words,” Levi proclaimed.

  Reece sat up, bubbles sliding down her shoulders and arms. She turned to find Levi standing across the room, arms and legs crossed leaning against her sink.

  “How long have you been here?” Reece asked with a smile.

  “Long enough to realize how much I want this entire mess over with so that we can return to our normal lives again.” He pushed himself up, walked up the steps to the bath, grabbed a sponge, and began running it along Reece’s back. “I have another surprise for you.”

  Reece turned to bring her lips to Levi’s. She ran her hand along his cheek. “Isn’t this day just full of unexpected surprises?” Reece laughed. “Speaking of surprises, what are you still doing here? I thought you left.”

  “Harrison had something he wanted to take care of, and that has delayed our departure. In the meantime, I decided to take this opportunity to inform you that I have purchased our home—again—and by the time this is all over with, we will marry and move there with Marian.”

  Reece’s heart raced with excitement. “I can’t wait to see it again. Is it just me, or does it seem like time is moving in slow motion?”

  Levi brought his arms to each of Reece’s shoulders and turned her to face him. He placed a small kiss on her nose. “I feel the same; however, once everything starts to happen, I believe that it will be over with before we know it.”

  Reece tugged on Levi’s neatly tied cravat. “So how much time do I have with you before Harrison is ready to leave?”

  An arch of Levi’s eyebrow forced a laugh out of Reece. She stood and reached for her towel. Levi’s hand covered hers at that moment, taking the plush towel from her and proceeding to dry her body. His lips traced along her shoulders and down the center of her back, leaving a trail of fire. Once thoroughly dried off, the towel was tossed to the side, and Reece was cradled in Levi’s arms.

  “My beautiful wife,” Levi said as he strode briskly toward her bed. “I believe we have enough time for us to enjoy a proper farewell.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Harrison reluctantly ended his zealous kiss with Angeline. He brought his hands up to cradle her delicate face and smiled when Angeline’s eyes slowly reopened, and her bronze eyes were dazed.

  “Must you leave so soon?” she asked as she nipped his bottom lip.

  Harrison let out a soft groan. “Angie, you mustn’t tease me like this, or I do not think I will ever leave your rooms.”

  Angeline smiled. “How long do you believe that you and Levi will be gone?”

  “We will know more once Simone meets with Michael and we gain more information on when they plan to meet with the Ciatron.” He ran his hands through her hair. “After Levi announcing his engagement to Reece, I believe Simone will find a way out of here faster to meet with that man.”

  Angeline reached for Harrison’s hands. “Speaking of engagements, when do you believe that we should start planning our future?”

  “I would have happily proclaimed our engagement tonight alongside Levi; however, Julian is unaware of our true life together, and I am not about to get on the wrong side of the strongest, most savage Guardian there is,” he laughed. “As soon as we figure out Michael’s plans and deal with all of the traitors involved, I have special plans to begin showing others that I only have feelings for you.”

  Harrison stood with Angeline following. He embraced her tightly. “I will return to you soon. Until then, I believe sharing time with Reece, Lizzy, and Marian will make the time pass more quickly.”

  After Angeline walked with Harrison to the servants’ passageways, Harrison quickly disappeared out of her rooms and walked unnoticed down to the first floor. Once in the command center, he found Julian and Brandon in Samuel’s office.

  “What do you believe they are discussing?” Levi asked as he came up from behind him.

  “Since Samuel has learned that Brandon is involved with Michael’s plans, Samuel is most likely dismissing him from serving on Earth.”

  When Julian and Brandon turned and exited Samuel’s office, Harrison and Levi walked directly to the two men.

  “Returning to Earth so soon?” Harrison asked.

  “It appears that I no longer qualify to guard the clone. Some new recruit will be taking my place,” Brandon grumbled. “I am to report to the training center for the next month.”

  Julian bit down on his bottom lip, trying to conceal his smile. “Apparently, Samuel has had Guardians watching us, and they reported that Brandon is not performing as well as expected.”

  Brandon glared at the three men. “I have done nothing to receive such an insulting report. If this is how Guardians are treated, I might do well to resign altogether.”

  Levi’s dark gaze did not falter against Brandon’s. “You, sir, are bold to make such a declaration in your present company. Certainly, you realize that guarding the clone is equally as important as guarding The Key.”

  “Forgive me, Your Highness,” Brandon said in an insulting tone. “Perhaps if I were the emperor’s son and Samuel’s pet, I would have known better.”

  “Brandon,” Julian interrupted, “get out of here before you make yourself look more ridiculous
than you behave. No one is interested in your point of view. Be gone.”

  Brandon went to leave when Julian caught his arm. “By the way, the emperor is in his office. Perhaps you should take the opportunity to resign your guardianship tonight.”

  “Get your hand off me!” Brandon sneered. “I shall do as I please.”

  Harrison softly laughed as Brandon stormed past them and out of the command center.

  “Which new recruit will be your partner?” Levi asked.

  “Caleb Evans,” Julian said dryly.

  Ah, perfect! Samuel is ensuring that everything falls into place, Harrison thought.

  “Caleb is quite talented and very well mannered. He is an exceptional Guardian, and I believe you will enjoy serving with him.”

  “Let us hope he doesn’t screw anything up. He is young,” Julian said with a laugh. “What about you two? You leave for Earth tonight on a new assignment, correct?”

  “Yes. We were both about to check in with Samuel as he has requested us to take on a special mission.”

  “Gentlemen, this night has been entertaining, and I will not detain you any longer. Be safe on your mission,” Julian said as he turned to walk over to where Vincent was standing.

  Levi and Harrison arrived in the Sandari Kingdom two days after leaving the palace. Because of the treacherous weather, they were forced to keep their horses at a slower pace. Harrison sighed with relief when they arrived at the inn where they were staying. A hot meal was the only thing on his mind. After they secretly located Michael’s whereabouts, the men were finally able to eat and go over all the details of how they would furtively keep an eye on the man’s every move as they waited for Simone to arrive.

  After a week of waiting and watching Michael, Levi and Harrison learned that Simone would be arriving with Catherine and Lillian that evening.

  “Finally, we can get this over with,” Harrison said as he pulled on his boots.

  “I completely agree.”

  That evening, the men watched as Simone dismissed herself from her friends. “I am unsure as to how long I shall be gone, but my dearest friend has fallen ill, and all I desire is to help him in any way I am able.”