Ancient Guardians: The Uninvited (6 page)

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Laugh it up, Mr. Oxley, because you’re going to look like an idiot when your future wife busts into some square dancing moves on the ballroom floor.”

Levi’s eyes crinkled in humor. “Square dancing? That most certainly will be delightful to witness. I’ll see to it that the emperor secures the first dance set with you.”

Reece arched her eyebrow at his smug grin. “Or the two-step…” she taunted.

His eyebrows shot up as he softly laughed. “Ah, indeed, the two-step…now that I should love to see,” he said, as he reached for a small piece of fruit. He tossed it in his mouth and leaned back. It was obvious that he had no concerns about bringing her to this ball, prepared or not. “I will say, that if this is your preference of dance at the celebration, Harrison will be extremely delighted to help you introduce this way of dancing to the Pemdai culture—preferably those in royalty.” He laughed again.

Well, if he wasn’t going to worry about it, then neither was she.

Reece shrugged her shoulders. “Forget it. You’ve been warned,” she said with a smile.

Levi turned to face her. “Whatever style of dancing you should decide upon, I can assure you, I will not ever consider myself an
idiot
to be at your side.” He ran his long fingers along her neckline and over her shoulder; his vivid blue eyes followed the fiery trail his fingers created on her skin. “However, if you should choose the Pemdai way of dancing, I will happily volunteer my services to help instruct you.”

“The
Pemdai
way of dancing?” she repeated with confusion.

“It is similar to what those of Earth consider ballroom dancing,” he absently answered her, while he slowly pulled her sleeve down, exposing her shoulder.

Well, that’s not so bad,
she thought, while having difficulty keeping her thoughts straight now. Levi’s attention was solely on her bare shoulder as he tenderly caressed it with his thumb. “How long do we have until this ball?” she whispered. Her heart was now racing at seeing the hunger in his eyes.

“Two weeks; and I’m confident you will be proficient with your dancing skills long before then,” he said in a lower, raspy voice before he placed a soft kiss on her shoulder. When Levi’s eyes returned to hers they were dark with desire, instantly entrancing her.

His eyes pierced through her. “You are so incredibly beautiful,” he said hoarsely.

Levi slowly lowered his face closer to hers, and his expression sent butterflies swarming in her stomach. When his lips were close to her neck, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. His mouth gently claimed the side of her neck. Reece reacted as if she had never been kissed by him before. She tilted her head back, offering more of her neckline to Levi, and he eagerly accepted her invitation. One of Levi’s knees slid underneath her legs as he positioned himself to lean further into her, tenderly kissing the base of her throat and under her chin. Her eyes closed in utter satisfaction as his soft yet powerful lips lovingly caressed her hot flesh. She massaged her fingers through his damp hair, encouraging him for more.

As Levi pursued her collarbones with lingering kisses, Reece ran her hands under his shirt and up along is warm, muscular sides. Levi groaned softly and brought his eyes back to hers. The light of the fire flickered in his dark, smoldering irises as he gazed deeply into hers. She ran her hands up his back, seized his sturdy shoulders, and let her lips linger at the base of his throat. Levi’s mouth parted slightly as he closed his eyes and moaned in response to Reece actively kissing and tasting of his intoxicating flesh.

With the warmth the fire had created in the room, and this being the first time Reece had ever tasted of his rich fragrance she loved so much, Reece became wild with desire for more. Levi remained perfectly still, only low groans escaping him, while she continued to pursue his tantalizing skin. She ran her hands along his sturdy back. “My love,” she whispered, as her lips tenderly tugged at his earlobe.

“Reece—” he replied breathlessly, obviously as taken by this moment as she was.

She brought her mouth back to his, needing to feel his lips on hers. He kissed her with more passion than before. He ran his hands through her hair, gripping it tightly as he kissed down the center of her chest, and then ran a blazing trail of fire along the daring neckline of her dress. Reece closed her eyes, completely consumed by the pleasurable sensations of Levi avidly kissing her.

It was not long before his lips were hungrily on hers again, sending Reece’s heart rate soaring. She moaned softly in response, and couldn’t be more grateful for this sudden thunderstorm that gave her this moment with Levi. Time appeared to have stopped, and Reece had no idea how long they remained in this delicious kiss, before Levi slowly withdrew from her.

Reece sighed softly while Levi grinned at her. He kissed her tenderly on her lips. “You, Reece Bryant, are most fortunate that the rain has let up, or I would insist upon you becoming my wife tonight,” he finished with a laugh.

Reece smiled as she caressed his cheek. “I wouldn’t have a problem with that.”

As Reece’s better judgment slowly began to return, she sat up and glanced out the windows. The sun was shining brightly on the wet grass, making it appear as though thousands of diamonds had been thrown out into it.
Just when I thought this place couldn’t get any more majestic.
She looked over at Levi, who was lounging on his side, running his fingertips along her arm. As tempting as it was to maneuver her way back into his arms, she realized that it would probably be a better idea to start preparing for this ball that was two weeks away.

She pulled her sleeve back over her shoulder and laughed when Levi frowned in response. “Unless we’re going to be tap-dancing to “Mary had a Little Lamb” at this royal ball, you should probably get busy on giving me some dancing lessons.”

T
he days leading up to the Oxley’s trip to Sandari Kingdom passed quickly. Reece, Allestaine, and Elizabeth met with the seamstress every morning to be fitted for the extravagant dresses that were to be made for their trip. Since this was Reece’s first introduction into the royal society of Pemdas, all of her gowns were given the utmost attention, with not one detail unattended to. Allestaine was determined to present her future daughter-in-law in such a way that no one would question her as Levi’s intended wife. Reece was to marry the future emperor, and Allestaine would leave no room for speculation about whether or not Reece was the perfect match for her son.

Despite everyone’s reassurance, Reece had natural insecurities about meeting the royal families in this land. She had no idea where to start with the etiquette that she knew would be expected of her amongst royalty. On Earth or in Pemdas, Reece was not accustomed to royal lifestyles or traditions. Knowing that Reece was somewhat nervous about the Hamilton’s ball, Levi held to his word and spent a few hours each day teaching her the Pemdai style of dancing.

The dance lessons turned out to be Reece’s favorite part of the preparations for the celebration. Levi was not only an impeccable dancer, but his way of leading her so properly in this ballroom-style of dancing was quite charming. When Reece teased him about his flawless dancing skills, he laughed and informed her that in Pemdas, it is expected that a young lady or gentleman achieve proper dancing abilities by the time they are of age to court.

All-in-all, by the time the week was over, Reece had learned the Pemdai way of dancing to the best of her ability, and she felt somewhat ready to step out formally as Levi’s future wife.

The morning of their departure, Reece and Elizabeth walked out to the waiting carriages together. The maidens, butlers, and other staff had already departed in the carriages that carried their luggage. The previous evening, Reece learned that Levi wouldn’t be along for the first part of the journey. Word had come to Samuel that Michael had been spotted in the dimension of Armedias, and Levi was asked to assist Samuel in learning more about this latest discovery. In a letter he penned to Reece before he left the palace, he expressed his apologies, but assured her that he would likely meet up with the convoy at their first stop on the way to Sandari.

They walked into the courtyard, which was filled with Pasidian Guards who patiently waited in perfect formation on their horses on front of two luxurious carriages. Navarre led Allestaine to the first carriage before turning to see Reece and Elizabeth being ushered into the second carriage. The emperor gave a final word to one of the guards before he loaded into his carriage; and after a quick shout from the palace’s guards, the massive convoy was on its way.

They traveled through an area of the countryside that Reece had never seen before, and the terrain that surrounded them was breathtaking. Flowers that were sprinkled throughout the meadows glistened in light of the brilliant sun, while an array of majestic birds flew in lazy circles throughout the cloudless sky. The subtle rocking of the carriage, the crisp, fresh air, and the majestic scenery they were traveling through, filled Reece with utter contentment. Even so, after nearly four hours of sitting in the carriage, she was starting to become weary. She glanced out the window of the carriage, wondering when they were to reach the first city that they would be spending the evening in. Her eyes widened in astonishment when she saw large boulders poking out of the grass, glistening like gemstones.

Large red rubies, yellow diamonds, and different formations of crystalline spears were scattered throughout the glistening meadows. The terrain was becoming plentiful with these stones as the carriages started their winding ascent up the mountainside. Reece was speechless; the polished mountains they were traveling through were transparent, and they illuminated a rainbow of different colors.

“Elizabeth,” she finally managed. “Where are we? This is absolutely amazing!” she said with wonder.

Elizabeth beamed. “The Syskanah Highlands are glorious, are they not?” she said, as she glanced out of her window to admire the beauty as well. “There are many who travel great distances to view these sites.”

“I can definitely see why.” Reece answered, still awestruck.

The sounds of the horses’ hooves clicking against the hard surface of the polished stone started to become muted, and soon after, the carriages halted completely. Elizabeth and Reece looked at each other in confusion, while it sounded like a mob of horses were aggressively approaching their location. Reece’s eyes searched, but couldn’t see anything but the gemstone mountains to her right, and a luminous forest of trees to her left. Deep voices of men subtly echoed, coming from the carriage in front of them. Reece glanced out of her side window, and her breath caught when she saw Levi standing amongst a group of men.

She pressed her lips together, trying to conceal her smile of excitement that he had already joined up with the convoy. “It’s Levi, Harrison, and Samuel,” she informed Elizabeth while she admired Levi, who was wearing his Guardian regalia. Areion, who stood patiently behind Levi, was also dressed in some type of black, shiny armor. To Reece’s surprise, he had a round shield strapped to his saddle, while a long sword hung at Levi’s side. She looked back at Elizabeth. “They look like they’re getting ready to go to war,” she said with a nervous laugh.

Elizabeth smiled faintly, and before another word was spoken, the door to their carriage opened. Levi propped one foot up on the step and reached for Reece’s hand. His smile broadened as he raised it to his lips for a tender kiss. His eyes left hers for a brief moment to acknowledge Elizabeth. “Good afternoon, my ladies,” Levi said with a smile. He looked at Reece. “I trust your journey has been uneventful thus far?” he asked with a wink.

Reece laughed as Levi guided her out of the carriage and turned to assist his sister. The convoy had pulled into an open area, giving the horses a break, and giving the family some time to stretch their legs, and take in some fresh air. Levi drew Reece’s arm up into his and led her over to where Samuel was relaying information about Michael Visor to Navarre.

“Is everything okay?” she whispered softly to Levi. “Why are you dressed like you’re heading into a battle?”

“Protocol,” he said with a soft laugh, “and yes, everything is perfectly fine. Whenever we enter another dimension with plans of confronting their leaders, we wear our Guardian attire.” Levi led Reece to a more secluded area. “We believe Michael is in Armedias; however, their ruler, Lucas, will not comply with our requests to begin a search throughout his domain.”

Reece stepped back and looked up at Levi. “Lucas—that name seems familiar.”

“Yes, you may recall his obtuse comments toward my father in the council meeting on Earth.”

Reece suddenly remembered that frightening day in Scotland, when Navarre presented her before all of the aliens in order to restore their trust in the Guardians to continue protecting their worlds and Earth. It was easy to remember who Lucas was; he was one of the few who looked human, and not like some frightening creature that she was sure would cause her nightmares.