She gave him a nod, and then her father continued. “I want you leaving as soon as you can, and as soon as I have everything in order here I will meet up with you.”
“Are we going to the lake house like Alexander suggested, then?” Emily asked.
“Yep, I think that’s the very best strategy. I feel confident that Alexander will be able to keep you safe there.”
“And you, you’ll be there, they’ll keep you safe too.”
“Yeah, me too,” he guaranteed.
Xavier was hovering over the stove waiting for the exchange to end so that he could interrupt. “Now that that’s all settled, let’s eat. I’m not hungry but I do like hot food, and I bet the two of you could use a good meal.” Xavier moved the omelets off the stove and over to the small square table on the other side of the island.
The four of them sat down at the table, already set with plates and utensils. Alexander, as always, pulled Emily’s chair out for her and then seated himself. Breakfast was delicious. Emily hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she found herself craving another omelet and more hash browns. Glancing over at Alexander’s plate, Emily evaluated whether she would look like a pig if she went for seconds. She was disappointed to see that he had only eaten half of his serving.
Alexander caught her eyeing his plate and chuckled. “Don’t worry about me, eat what you want,” he encouraged.
She glanced at her father’s plate and then Xavier’s. They were both on their second helpings. Emily was bewildered with Xavier. She had expected to see the same display on his plate as she had on Alexander’s, but instead, the exuberant Guardian was shoveling his food in, scraping up every last bit.
“Alexander is right, he is totally opposite.”
Emily reached for another omelet. She decided that it would probably be a good idea to eat a big breakfast since she would be busy packing and preparing to leave today.
Emily could feel Alexander’s eyes on her as she silently ate her food. She knew it wasn’t because she was eating more, he didn’t care. He just seemed to have a quirky habit of watching her.
“Before your father leaves for work I need to run a quick errand of my own. It needs to be done prior to us leaving for your home in Cooperstown,” Alexander said directly to Emily, making sure he received her approval.
“Okay, that will leave Xavier here as bodyguard then,” Emily teased.
“I promise I don’t have to go far, I’ll be back soon.”
“Do you have to go back to the Guardian Realm?”
“No, I need to go visit Carl. He has something of mine that I need.”
Emily wasn’t sure what Carl could possibly have that Alexander needed. If she remembered correctly, Carl was the man who Alexander knew at the Morgan Library and Museum. But, he wasn’t another Guardian, he didn’t fit the profile.
Emily shrugged off her curiosity. She had experienced enough for the morning and didn’t want to snoop any further. Alexander could explain later. One can only handle so much information, and Emily felt like her brain was on overload.
Chapter 14
* * *
Gifts
The two-hour drive to Cooperstown was made in an hour and a half, as Alexander had pushed the BMW to high speeds. Emily was a little apprehensive when they first got outside the city limits and Alexander had accelerated, but her anxieties didn’t last. He maneuvered the car as though it was a part of him, making the ride extremely smooth. She also reminded herself that Alexander was her Guardian and that his job was to keep her safe, not get her into an accident. So, she trusted him, even when the speedometer shot to one hundred and twenty miles per hour.
The house was cold and dark when they arrived but Alexander worked quickly to get all the lights on and build a fire. This time Emily had remembered to pack plenty of her newer, cuter clothes and excused herself to go unpack in her bedroom. Alexander busied himself stocking the cabinet shelves with the groceries they had brought with them.
After fifteen minutes Emily emerged from her room in a pair of soft pink sleep pants and a fitted dark brown tee. She tied her hair up in a messy bun as she entered the kitchen. She could hear the sizzling of butter in a pan and could smell onion and basil in the air. Alexander had begun cooking dinner and it was making Emily’s mouth water. She hadn’t eaten much that day since breakfast because she was so busy packing. Emily was grateful she had eaten that extra omelet after all.
“So how is it that you Guardians are such good cooks?” Emily asked as she hopped up on the counter where Alexander was slicing some fresh green beans.
“How do you know I’m a good cook? I haven’t made anything for you yet,” Alexander chuckled.
“I’m just assuming that you’re a good cook, because you’re good at everything! Besides that, it smells awesome, and the omelets Xavier made this morning were delicious. I figure it’s just one more talent you guys have.”
“I don’t know if I would say I have a talent but I have been around long enough to see, smell, and taste a lot of food. I think I’ve just picked a few things up.”
“So what would you say is the best food you’ve ever tasted?” Emily asked.
“That’s easy, pizza,” Alexander quickly responded.
“Pizza! You’re kidding. Out of all the things you’ve tasted throughout the centuries, you think pizza is the best?” Emily giggled.
“Why are you so surprised? Pizza is an amazing food. It has been around forever; it just keeps getting re-invented and given a new name. I suppose that is why I like it. The concept is so versatile; one can never get bored with it. There are endless combinations of toppings and doughs,” Alexander defended himself.
“So you all sat around eating pizza during the reign of Caesar Augustus?” Emily teased.
“No. I did not come across pizza until about one hundred years later. And it wasn’t called pizza, but compared to current versions, it is the closest thing in likeness.”
Emily could not contain her laughter. She was taken back with this new revelation concerning Alexander. Here was her Guardian, the man she loved, who has been around for thousands of years, has experienced things she could only imagine and the guy’s favorite food was pizza. It just didn’t seem to fit his sophisticated personality.
“One of these days I will make you some pizza and you won’t be laughing, you’ll be begging me for more. I guarantee it will become your favorite food.” Alexander playfully poked her.
“It’s a date then,” Emily retorted.
Alexander went back to cooking dinner and Emily watched in awe as he worked the knife like a master chef. His motions were quick and crisp as he chopped each of the vegetables and chicken and then placed them together in a large pan. It wasn’t long before he had the steaming food plated and ready to eat.
Alexander carried their plates over to the table, placing them next to each other. It was easy for Emily to spot where she was supposed to sit. One of the plates was piled high with food, while on the other lay an amount that would barely feed a small child.
“This is so good,” Emily continually said as she devoured the contents on her plate. Alexander really was a good cook, and now she could say that with certainty.
Emily had stuffed herself and felt a bit sluggish after she finished. Alexander had enjoyed watching her eat his creation. As usual, she felt a little embarrassed.
“What was it that you had to get from Carl this morning?” Emily tried to take the attention away from her empty plate.
“Funny you should ask. I was planning on showing you after dinner.” Alexander rubbed his hands together as an excited smile spread across his face.
He led Emily over to the living room where a large leather satchel lay against the stone hearth. He sat Emily on the piano bench while he fetched the mysterious bag. She had seen the object when they were loading the car, but had only caught a quick glimpse before Alexander had placed it in the trunk.
Now, as the bag lay before her, she examined it more car
efully. The leather was old and worn, streaked with marks and deep scratches. It was shaped in a wide crescent with a flap that hung over to close the bag. There was a thick strap that was obviously supposed to be positioned across the chest and shoulder of whoever wore it. The item reminded her of something she would see Indiana Jones carrying.
Alexander sat down in front of her on the ottoman he pulled over. With the leather bag on his lap he carefully opened the flap and reached in to remove a small wooden box.
The beauty of what lay in his hands struck Emily. It was only about six inches long and no more than two inches wide, but the small box was covered in intricate carvings. The box was made from a very solid and dense wood, but had somehow been crafted into a tiny masterpiece. Small balls of gold were strategically placed in the center of several sets of carved flowers. As far as Emily could tell, not one of the gold balls was lost. The treasure was well taken care of, much like her precious violin.
“Carl has been keeping this for me for a very long time,” Alexander said as he looked down at his hands. “I have kept this safe for centuries, hoping that one day I would find a purpose for it…When we met; I knew this was meant for you.”
“Alexander, it’s so beautiful,” Emily replied, not knowing how to accept such a gorgeous gift.
His smile broadened showing his amusement. “It’s what is inside the box,” he said as he slowly lifted the lid.
Emily couldn’t help but gasp as she saw what he revealed.
Lying within the box was an emerald necklace. The size of the stone was only slightly larger than an almond, but it was magnificent. The brilliant green of the gem was an exact match to Alexander’s eyes. The jewel was worked into a flattened teardrop, held by an intricate web of thin gold prongs. They decorated the emerald, crisscrossing over and over, running almost the complete length of what they held so solidly in place. The thin strings of gold delicately wove into the rope-like chain that the jewel hung from. It was obvious that the pendant was never meant to be detached from the chain; it was to remain as one unified piece.
Emily was speechless as Alexander carefully removed the necklace from the box. The emerald glistened in the firelight. The clarity of the jewel was like nothing Emily had ever seen. She was scared to ask how old it was. Without words, he slowly lifted the chain up and over Emily’s head. There wasn’t much slack to get it around her ears, but it went on smoothly nonetheless. Shivering as the cold chain came to rest against the back of her neck, Emily reached up to touch the emerald that now lay just above the center of her chest.
“This necklace belonged to a Chinese princess. It is said that the stone was cut from a giant royal emerald that stood in the halls of the palace. During the Chinese dynasties, Emperors often sent their daughters to be married to form alliances between other countries and China. Legend has it that one Emperor had sixteen daughters. Each time he sent one off to be married, he had a piece of the royal emerald cut and made into a necklace for each of them before they departed. The giant emerald was said to have powers and was thought to protect anyone who remained near it. That was why the Emperor gave a piece to each of his daughters with a strict charge to wear it always.”
Emily made no effort to close her jaw as she examined the jewel. She was in complete shock. “I can’t keep this, Alexander, it’s way too valuable,” Emily stuttered as she began to delicately remove the necklace.
Alexander caught her hands and gently guided them back down. “You are more valuable than the most precious jewel. I want you to have it. I have been waiting my entire existence to find someone worthy of this treasure and that someone is you.”
Her eyes filled with tears. She wondered why on earth she deserved Alexander. She was just a simple human girl, one of the billions.
“What makes me so special in his eyes? I don’t get it.”
“Alexander, I just don’t know, this necklace is ancient. How did you get it?”
“Well,” he began, “I know you have heard of Alexander the Great…”
Emily interrupted. “You’re not going to tell me you were Alexander the Great’s Guardian. That is too crazy.”
He shook his head. “No, I was not his Guardian; I was Guardian to one of his head generals,” Alexander continued. “As you know, Alexander was one of the most successful military commanders of all time and he was well known for gathering treasures as he dominated the countries of the world. An interesting visit came to us just after Alexander conquered Egypt. One night as he and my Traveler surveyed the streets together, an old Chinese woman approached them, claiming she had a very valuable treasure for Alexander’s safekeeping. He brushed the old woman off, assuming she was crazy and continued on. But Marcus, his general, who was my Traveler, was intrigued by the old woman and wanted to hear what she had to say.
“She told him that she had once been a Chinese princess who was sent to wed a prince of India. She had fled to Egypt to escape the arranged marriage. Soon after arriving in the foreign land, she fell in love and married an Egyptian. She claimed that she was one hundred and twenty years old, but she did not look a day over fifty.
“Once she had Marcus convinced, she removed this necklace from around her neck and gave it to him. Her husband had long since passed away, and she wanted to join him in the afterlife, but had not been permitted to, because of the necklace’s power. She claimed it was the protective powers of the necklace that had spared her life for so long. She instructed that the necklace was to be given to the green-eyed gods for safekeeping until it was needed again.
“Marcus accepted the necklace and never saw or heard from the woman again. He wore it for a long time. He didn’t necessarily believe in the woman’s tale, but he liked the story and so wore it for sentimental reasons.”
“Did he ever take it off?” Emily asked, completely captivated by the tale.
“Yes, he did, when he was ninety-five years old. He had outlived his wife and four children, and had become a lonely old man. He removed the necklace and placed it in this box. One week later he died.”
“Do you really think this necklace was the reason the old Chinese princess and Marcus lived so long?” Emily asked, feeling even more intimidated by the gem that hung around her neck.
“It’s hard to say, but I think there is something to it.”
“You must have been the green-eyed god the old woman was talking about,” Emily offered.
“Yes, I think so. That is why after Marcus died, and he had no one to pass the necklace on to, I took it for safekeeping.”
Emily examined the necklace again in complete awe. She secretly hoped that the powers the old woman claimed it had were real. Emily hadn’t given much thought to how she and Alexander were going to overcome the problem that she aged and he didn’t. If the legend was true, then this necklace could be a possible solution. Looking at it from that perspective, she was no longer intimidated by the jewel. Instead she felt comforted wearing it.
Emily tucked the necklace beneath her shirt and then leaned into Alexander.
“Thank you,” she whispered, and then gently kissed his soft lips.
“Let’s hope it works,” Emily added when she pulled away.
“It won’t have to work, not while I’m around. I will never let anything happen to you,” Alexander replied as he stroked his fingers through her hair. “I will protect you through all of this, so there is no need to worry.”
Alexander kissed her forehead. For the first time since the chaos had begun, she felt reassured that everything was really going to be okay.
Chapter 15
* * *
Tension
Almost two weeks had passed since Emily and Alexander had arrived at the vacation home in Cooperstown. Her father and Xavier had shown up just a day after them, and so far had only made one short trip back to the city. The first few days felt like a wonderful vacation, as they all enjoyed good food, card games and a little time out around the town.
However, things had changed in the la
st week, as Alexander and Xavier began scouting the property and making improvements to better fortify the home.
James enjoyed helping the guys with some of the preparations, and had jumped at any chance the two Guardians gave him to join in their scouting excursions.
Emily, on the other hand, felt left out and just plain bored. She knew what Alexander was doing was vitally important, but a part of her was quite jealous. Her father seemed to be spending more time with the man she loved than she was.
The uncertainty of all of them surviving the pending attack drove her desire to spend any spare moment she could with Alexander and her father. She wasn’t convinced that her pessimistic approach was completely wrong. She would always be prepared for the worst, and therefore would never be surprised by an outcome again.
Alexander remained a pillar of strength, showing no signs of worry or panic. He had visited the Guardian Realm twice since taking up residence in Cooperstown. He needed to counsel with the Governing Five and discuss the aide they would require from other Guardians.
Even though his trips were short, Emily dreaded the time he spent away from her. She found herself clinging to the emerald necklace he had given her each time he was more than a quarter mile from the home. Not only did she want the legend of its protective powers to be true, the necklace reminded her of Alexander. The green of the emerald was like looking into green of Alexander’s mesmerizing eyes.
Tomorrow would be exactly two weeks since Alexander had learned of the Opposition’s plans. They all knew that the attack would happen any day now. Everyone was doing their best to keep tension and anxiety down by acting as normally as possible, but it was becoming evident that they were each on guard and more alert than ever.
Son of Eden, a Paranormal Romance Page 22