Ancient Guardians The Legacy of the Key (23 page)

  “Yes, we handled
the assignment much sooner than we expected.” He looked at the book she held in
her hands. “Catching up on Pemdai history, are we?”

  Reece fanned the
pages with her fingers, “You could call it that. Actually, I came in here
hoping to find a book that would relate to medical science.” She laughed. “That
was kind of an absurd idea. I couldn’t even understand the terminology you use
here. But, hey, I tried.” She finished with a smile.

  Levi softly
laughed, stood up, and handed her the books he brought in with him. “Maybe you
could relate better to these terms.”

  Reece stared in
disbelief at the books Levi placed into her hands. She looked up at him, “Levi?
These are my books from school.”

  He grinned,
“Indeed, they are.”

  She
placed the books over on the side table and stood up. Any childish attraction
she had toward him earlier had vanished. She was absolutely speechless by what
he had done. The consideration he had taken for her with this gesture had
overwhelmed her with admiration for him. “How did you manage to get these?”

  “Well, Harrison
and I took a little detour on our way back to Pemdas. We have ways of doing
things on Earth without being noticed…we’ve had a lot of practice.” He finished
with a wink.

She smiled widely
and resisted the urge to reach her arms up and around him to thank him with a
heartfelt hug. The generosity of this man outshined any faultless quality he
carried in his physical appearance. “Levi, I really don’t know what to say.
Thank you so much.” She managed.

  “It was my
pleasure, Reece. Now, if you will excuse me, we just returned from Earth, and I
need to get cleaned up before Harrison and I report to Samuel.”

  She smiled.
“Okay. Thank you, again.”

  He grinned and
gave her a quick bow before he turned to leave the room.

  Reece laughed
inwardly as she watched him walking confidently across the room in his pristine
suit.
The guy looks like a million bucks right now, and he thinks he needs
to clean up?
She shook her head, and turned with excitement toward where
her books awaited her.

  Reece sat back
down in the chair, and felt more motivated than ever to start going through
them. She had no idea how long she sat before she realized she wasn’t getting
anywhere with her studying. She didn’t know where to start, or what she needed
to study. Unable to engage herself into her books, she decided that a change of
location might help.

  She
walked over to a sitting area just outside of the library, which overlooked the
main entrance to palace. It was perfect. The sofas were inviting and the views
of the Palace gardens behind them were magnificent. Feeling more confident now,
she walked over to a plush sofa and sat down. She flipped one of her books back
open, and began to read. The change of location didn’t seem to help her either,
as now she was distracted with the scenery around her. If she wasn’t staring at
the chandelier that hung over the entryway, her eyes were drawn to the grand
staircase in front of her. Why was this happening? Levi goes out of his way to
bring her these books and now she has no desire to study? Reece was determined
to get something out of these books. She brought her attention back to the
paragraph that she must have read at least hundred times, and started to read
it again. As soon as she started reading, the front doors to the Palace opened,
and two tall men walked through them. Levi and his father were impressive in
their appearance, dressed in white muslin shirts, complemented with their
cravats and lavish, silk waistcoats. Even though this was casual dress for
these men, Reece still marveled at their attire. The men went their separate
ways, and Reece returned her attention to the book in her lap. However, instead
of reading the words on the pages, she was envisioning Levi in his pale blue
waist coat, crisp white shirt, and dark trousers.
I can remember every
detail of Levi’s outfit, but I can’t manage to remember the sentence I’ve read
a hundred times.
She didn’t want to study anymore– she’d never felt so
distracted before, so disengaged. But now, because Levi went out of his way to
bring her books to her, she felt obligated to.

  She laid her head
on the back of the sofa, closed her eyes, and softly exhaled. What time was it,
anyway?

  “Reece?” A low
and smooth voice called out.

 
Levi. What am
I supposed to tell him when he asks what I’ve learned so far?

 
She opened her eyes to find him staring down at her
with that ridiculously handsome grin.

  “Hey, Levi.” She
responded.

  “Everything okay?”
He asked.

  “No, not really.
I don’t know what my problem is, I can’t focus. I haven’t even been able to
read a whole paragraph without my mind wondering off, and then I’m staring at
the lights or whatever. I don’t get it; I can’t concentrate on any of this.”

  Levi laughed,
“Well, maybe I can help.”

  Reece exhaled, “I
doubt it.” She answered, knowing very well that he would only magnify her
inability to concentrate.

  Levi arched his
brow at her, “I believe I can. Give me a moment.”

  He turned and
disappeared down the grand steps before her. She shook her head, realizing this
was going to be a waste of both their time.
Oh well, I’m not in a position
to turn down help
.

  Levi was soon up
the steps and approaching her. He extended his arm out to her, “Come with me, I
have sent for some trays of food to be brought out onto the balcony. We can
start going over your books there.”

  “Oh,” Reece stood
up abruptly, “I forgot, I was supposed to meet your mother for lunch.”

  Levi laughed, “As
soon as I noticed your absence in the dining room, I realized you were probably
up here engrossed in your studies. I explained as much to my mother as I
dismissed myself to find you.”

“Well, shouldn’t we
have lunch with your family then?”

Levi shook his
head, “With Harrison out for the afternoon, and you and me taking our lunch on
the balcony, my mother and father are currently enjoying a quiet lunch alone. A
luxury they rarely enjoy.” He walked over and picked her books up from where
they lay scattered on the sofa. He tucked them under one arm, and offered Reece
his other arm. “Shall we?”

  There was no
backing out now. She had to admit, this was kind of neat; maybe studying with
Levi would be helpful after all.

Chapter
15

T
he temperature outside was much warmer than it had been in days, making
lunch on the balcony an excellent idea. While they ate, Levi read through one
of her textbooks. It was his calm, yet assertive demeanor, combined with the
lovely weather and scenery, that seemed to help Reece relax. Thankfully, she
could finally concentrate on the material she had been struggling with earlier.

  She hadn’t
realized just how famished she was, until she started eating. With nourishment
her body obviously required, she was more alert and focused. As it turned out,
Levi wasn’t the distraction she thought he’d be. Having his help was more
useful to her than she initially imagined.

He easily proved to
Reece how intelligent he was. She was awed at his ability to take the difficult
material and make it interesting to her in a way it never had been before. By
the time they finished their lunch, Reece had gained more knowledge from her
books than she believed she could have learned in a week.

As they were
relaxing with their tea, a servant walked up to the table. “Master Levi, Mr.
Howard is here to see you, sir.”

“Thank you,” Levi
answered the servant, and brought his attention back to Reece. “Please excuse
me for a moment.” He politely excused himself, and made his way up the short
staircase to speak with the young man who waited there.

Reece used this
opportunity to admire the physique of the tall and noble man. Even with his
back to her, she could sense the command and authority he always carried
himself with. Strength and power always seemed to radiate from him.
There’s
nothing wrong with admiring him,
Reece thought innocently.

After a short
conversation with Mr. Howard, Levi returned to his chair, “Forgive me for that
interruption. That was Mr. Howard, one of the Guardian instructors.”

“Oh. Are you
leaving again?”

Levi grinned, “No,
we won’t be returning to Earth for at least two weeks. Harrison and I were
asked to instruct a new group of Guardian recruits. Mr. Howard was here
inquiring after Harrison.”

  “Where is
Harrison, anyway?” Reece asked.

  Levi
sipped his tea, “He has been planning the training curriculum we will be using
in our combat sessions next week. By the time he has finished, I believe the
new recruits will hate us both.” He laughed and returned his attention to the
textbook he had been reading.

“I think that’s
enough studying for one day. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty much done
going through this stuff.”

Levi laughed. “That
is understandable. I am sure you have been at this since I returned this
morning, anyway.”

Reece grinned.
“Pretty much. This was really nice, though, Levi. Thank you for everything you
did to help me today.”

Levi smiled, “It
was nothing. I must say, I enjoyed going through the information in your
books.”

After they finished
their deserts and tea, Levi told Reece that he and Harrison would be traveling
to Sandari the next day to escort Elizabeth back to the Palace. He offered to
assist her further with her studies during his free time upon their return, and
Reece accepted the offer without hesitation.

Over the next two days,
Reece was engrossed either with studying her books, or helping Allestaine
organize items in the collection room. Even though she had stayed busy, she had
to admit that she missed Levi. He and Harrison were due back at any moment with
Elizabeth, and the thought of seeing him again brought a wave of excitement
through her. She knew she probably wouldn’t encounter any of them until dinner,
as it was a long journey from Sandari Kingdom to Pasidian Palace. With that in
mind, she tried to remain focused on her reading.

She sat on the sofa
just outside the library, which was turning out to be her favorite place to
study. Sitting out on the landing gave her a perfect view of the Palace’s main
entry; however, Levi and his family rarely used this area to enter the Palace.
So it came as a surprise that, while she was enveloped in a lengthy chapter of
her book, the front doors of the Palace swung open, and a young woman walked
through the doors holding Levi’s arm. She secretly watched the two make their
way into the entryway. Levi’s smile was radiant as he escorted the beautiful
woman into the Palace. Reece grinned; this must be Elizabeth.

  Appearing to be
close to the age of seventeen, Elizabeth was polished and lovely. She was
dressed superbly, even for someone who had been traveling in a carriage for
most of the day. Her beautifully-styled hair was a lighter hue of blond than
Reece’s, and from what Reece could determine from this distance, she seemed to
resemble her mother, just as Levi did his father.

  Reece assumed
they were on their way to meet Allestaine, and she brought her attention back
to the book in her lap.

  A few moments
later, she was politely interrupted from her reading.

“I hope we are not
intruding on your studies, Miss Bryant?” Levi questioned formally, surprising
Reece.

  Her head snapped
up to find Levi and Elizabeth standing in front of her, both wearing brilliant
smiles. Up close, Elizabeth was more beautiful than Reece had initially
thought.
This family couldn’t possibly be any more attractive
.

  Reece stood up,
“Absolutely not, Levi.” She looked over at Elizabeth and smiled.

  “Elizabeth, this
is Miss Reece Bryant. Reece, please allow me to introduce you to my sister,
Elizabeth.” Levi announced proudly.

  Levi’s face was
glowing as he stared down at Elizabeth. Reece could easily see the love and
admiration he carried for his younger sister.

  Elizabeth spoke
softly. “Miss Bryant, it is truly an honor to meet you. I have heard so much
about you. I hope you have been comfortable living here with us in Pemdas?”

  Reece instantly
felt the purity and properness Elizabeth carried within her. Reece smiled at
her, “Elizabeth, please call me Reece. And yes, Pemdas is wonderful; I have
been extremely comfortable while I’ve been here.”

   Harrison made
his way up the steps and over to the group. “Reece, I see you have finally met
a young woman who is actually a pleasure to be in the same room with.” He
proclaimed upon his approach.

  Elizabeth’s
cheeks colored lightly.

  “Yes, Harrison, I
think I have.” Reece smiled at Elizabeth.

  Harrison laughed
and brought his arm around Elizabeth, “Lizzy, you must know, Reece has had
quite the impossible challenge of dealing with Simone, Lillian, and Catherine.
It is good to have you among us all again at Pasidian.”