The Silver Guardian Bk. 01 Ch. 25

A huge thank you to my editor Tex Beethoven for another amazing job and collaboration, thank you Tex you rock!!!

Book 1

Chapter 25

Monday morning saw Lily and Dante repeating their drill from the previous Monday of waking up early and loading the truck to head to the compound and unload it before beginning their Pack duties. It was scheduled to be a standard day, except that they were to meet Rose for the final reveal of their remodeled suite that afternoon after they'd wrapped up everything else. No, it wouldn't be okay for them to pop in for a look before late afternoon, Rose and her team still had hours of finishing touches to complete.

The day passed quickly for them both, Dante's morning history lesson and then instructing in firearms went well with no big surprises, and it was the same for Lily's morning. Late morning and early afternoon trainings were solid sessions with both Dante and Lily really beginning to shine in their Enforcer abilities, even the ones where a few weeks ago they'd been novices. Dante's wolf had been large and powerful from the beginning, but now was also becoming rather skilled as a technical fighter. And his human was getting ready to add his second practice katana.

Lily had made great strides in her hand to hand as well as in firearms, and she was refining her already formidable dual dagger skills to where she would be an almost unstoppable opponent in any confrontation. The constant devotion of such a large chunk of time each day, paired with it now having continued for a few weeks, were producing impressive results for them both. Her earlier claim to Dante of being fast and dangerous was proving to be no idle boast.

The afternoon was spent with Lily working with Odin on the family business and Dante on his security company, before they came together later on to handle Pack business. With a couple hours remaining before dinner, they wrapped up and Lily and Dante headed to meet Rose at their suite.

Rose met them outside the suite in the hallway and the mated pair was clearly excited to see the finished remodel.

Lily said to Rose before they opened the door, "Rose, we just want to say thank you for not only doing a terrific job which we can't wait to see, but also for working around our timetable for your available work days. We know that wasn't easy, but we really appreciate it and I know it worked out well just like we had hoped! We absolutely loved what we saw last weekend: the living room and bedroom were amazing! The hammered brass tabletop was a lovely accent, and I can't say anything at all about my portrait above the bed without saying too much, if you know what I mean."

Rose smiled broadly, absolutely thrilled her hard work and effort but most of all her artistry, had been noticed and appreciated. "I'm very glad you both liked it; we had to really rush to finish everything up today, but I believe it all came out well. Let's head in and see the final two rooms."

They walked into the living room and headed left to inspect the two additional rooms in their suite. They entered the small wing through a single door leading to a hallway leading straight back with identical walls and carpet to the living room and bedroom. It had a door on each side. They opened the left-hand door and stopped in at the nursery first.

Rose led them in and explained what she and her crew had done. "This is just a generic nursery right now, only a placeholder for the room until you become pregnant and want to personalize it; we went with a sterile, gender neutral look for now. We painted the walls a light cream color, using black and light gray accents throughout. There's a changing table, a dresser and a standard crib, all accented with sharp, narrow black lines to bring out the color contrast in the room. The one little touch that I can see remaining once you get pregnant is the wolf and moon mobile hanging over the crib."

They looked around and as a placeholder nursery it was perfect, and they said so. Rose next led them out of the room and down the short hallway to the completed office on the right.

Once again Rose explained everything. "We used the same colors in here as for the rest of the suite except the nursery. Rust on the top two thirds of the walls and creamy tan on the lower portion and the distressed crimson-red painted molding between the two. The large area rug which gives you a nice cushion to walk on, is the same rust color that's on the walls, but with swirls of red and black and cream to draw the eye. Since you both will require plenty of desk space, we custom-made one huge desk out of dark cherry that wraps around the entire back side of the room in a U shape, as you can see. The middle section abuts the far wall, but I didn't think you would wish to work with your backs to each other, so the two legs of the U have generous alleys behind them for you to walk and sit and place more filing cabinets or whatever as you wish.

"On Lily's side of the room we have a large bookcase as well as a few filing cabinets, all of them constructed of the same dark cherry. There is a large computer display on a swivel near the back wall that you can either hook up to a desktop computer or a laptop to increase the screen size for whatever you are working on, that should be particularly useful for meetings. There are also pictures of the two of you, including a special one on the far wall above Lily's side of the desk for some eye candy."

Dante looked more closely and blushed a little when he saw it was a picture of him shirtless. It must have been taken during or after a sparring session, since he was sweaty and very pumped up and ripped. In this 'visual confection', he had a hard look on his face, and he could see why Lily had picked it.

Rose continued. "On your side Dante, we have a bank of six large monitors, all mounted in a grid pattern for your computer and programming work. We didn't pick out any computers for you, knowing you would want to do that yourself, but everything is ready for a plug and play setup. At the far end is a padded worktop for any electronics work you'll need to do at your desk. At least slightly inconspicuously behind the door when it's open, we have the massive free-standing safe you requested. It can hold any sensitive documents you may want kept safe, as well as money, jewelry or weapons. It has a biometric lock for quick and secure access. Opening it will require one of your fingerprints, as well as a 3-digit code so nobody can open it even if they should manage to render one of you unconscious; you two can set that up for yourselves after we're done here.

"Lastly, you can see in this corner couches and chairs set up as a place to sit comfortably during meetings or visits. You each also have an oversized and comfortable executive chair at your desk. Dante, Lily also left you a visual treat on the far wall above your side of the desk for whenever you need an ummm... lift."

Dante saw a large picture holding court over his desk. He walked over to take a closer look and smiled lasciviously at what he saw. It was Lily topless and holding her breasts, displaying most of them, but covering the naughty bits with her forefingers, and wearing only a small, lacy red thong. She was leaning against a front fender of his Chevelle, which was parked against the back wall of the Manor House. The wooden wall provided a great backdrop, contrasting nicely with the black paint on the Chevelle and Lily's creamy skin and her red hair and panties. The picture was a tasteful combination of colors, artistically laid out, and damned sexy. It was framed in red carved wood that matched the color of her hair and little panties.

Dante, grinning like an idiot, turned and faced the girls. "By Luna, is that a sexy picture; when did you get this done? I don't remember your taking those pictures, or even when you could have."

Lily and Rose looked at each other conspiratorially before breaking out in grins of their own. Lily spoke, "Rose and I met a few times last week to review her final plans, and one morning we slipped out back so she could take a series of pictures of me. We selected this one for the wall, but there are a few more, including some nudes. My final little surprise is that the rest of them are on a flash drive that you can use to create a screensaver for your bank of monitors, once you've set up your computers. I suggest you also have other screensavers for when we're not alone."

Dante's pants got tight and both ladies noticed, glancing down to provoke saucy smiles on their faces, making Dante's face heat up. He could practically see the naughty visuals they were picturing.

Rose wrapped up, pointing out the final details. "Like for the other rooms, we also set up a sound system so you can pump music into this room, and another of the special televisions that normally appears to be a framed photo, should you ever need a TV in here."

They all walked back to the living room, where Lily and Dante expressed their final thoughts to Rose. Dante went first this time, "Rose, you did better than our craziest expectations: a truly remarkable job! I have zero doubt that we'll be calling on you again in the future; you've secured us as customers for life! Should you ever need a reference, just let me know, and if you wish, you're welcome to use the before and after photos as examples in your portfolio. Thank you again, this is fantastic!" Dante gently hugged Rose, thanking her again.

Lily agreed with her mate, "It's just as Dante said, you did a fantastic job, and anything we can do to support your business, we will! You've got customers for life in us, and I've also really liked getting to know you better and developing our friendship during this time. We will certainly have you over in the near future just to visit and spend time together. Thank you; you did perfectly for us." Lily also hugged Rose, more exuberantly than Dante had felt comfortable doing.

Rose smiled back warmly and responded before she headed out the door, "Thank you both for such kind words. I'm thrilled you like how it turned out, and appreciate your support of my skills. I will certainly take advantage of your kind offer to be my references when it's appropriate. And Lily, I really enjoyed spending time with you and becoming your friend as well. I look forward to us spending more time together soon!"

Rose left Lily and Dante to settle in before they headed down for dinner. They unpacked their things from the prior weekend and changed into more relaxed clothing before it was time to head down.

Dinner was delicious as it always was, and they chatted with Odin, Victoria, Ben and Sara at the head table, telling them about the completed suite. Lily also told them about the excitement during their weekend's dinner date, which neither had thought to bring up earlier.

The other four were not only surprised, but very concerned during the telling, but were relieved at how satisfactorily it had ended.

Odin was the first to comment, "Son, that's the type of thing I had in mind when I handed responsibility for Lily's wellbeing over to you, not that she'd given me any choice about it. You did well, and I'm proud of you."

Everyone else echoed his sentiment and were pleased it hadn't turned out worse for either of them, and that there were no lasting repercussions.

The couple returned to their suite after dinner and sat in their 'cozy spot' in the living room with the electric fire going, as they relaxed and cuddled together. They played a silly little petting game as someone might with a toddler, along the lines of 'I've got your nose' but not with noses, especially as they gradually shed their clothing, seeking more 'I've got your' targets. They whimsically played around and made out off and on for a long time, but overall just enjoyed what they were doing, tonight not in the mood to take things any further. They just enjoyed each other, kissing and petting and sometimes tickling each other for nearly two hours before they went to bed.

***

The week passed quickly, but it was extremely busy for each of them. They were running around and always working on something from sunup to sundown each day, and they knew they wouldn't get much time alone just for each other, staying the weekend at the Manor House.

They did spend some time the first weekend shooting at the new range set up outside the compound, as well as making love as often as they could, since whenever they left their suite they weren't getting much time alone together. They spent some time visiting out with Mom and Dad, and even spent some time together in their new office, with Lily working on the family business and Dante working on getting his products and services hashed out.

By now, Dante had developed a surveillance program that would display many cameras and audios together on one screen, that could also switch the focus to and zoom in from any selected camera to identify threats or just to clarify that people's actions were harmless, as well as link to facial recognition software. He had also selected which models of cameras and microphones he wanted to use with his system for both indoor and outdoor locations. He had acquired, then rebuilt and installed, a bank of computers in his office which were already making it much faster and easier to get things accomplished. He was planning on installing his first security system throughout the suite as a prototype this next week as he could find time, and wrapping up any leftover work during the coming weekend, which would be their second one spent at the Manor House.

By Saturday afternoon the test rig was up and running and all the audio and visual pickups were installed invisibly throughout the suite and seamlessly integrated into the software, which for now was installed in one of Dante's computers. He had linked the feeds into the two picture frame TV's in the living room and office, and in addition to control from his office desktop, he could also control either of these through their remotes, now reprogrammed.

He had also fully stocked the safe. He had stored a set of Lily's daggers in there along with their scabbards, a backup he had ordered for Lily's Custom Carry .45, plus a second pair of his Spartans he'd ordered and massaged to his specs. He also had several blades of his own, most of them for throwing, and several extra magazines of ammo for each firearm. He had requested the safe to be large enough to even store Lily's MRAD in there ready to point and shoot, although in a crisis the handguns would be quicker.

Once again, they spent time that weekend shooting, and invited Ben and Sara over since they'd become good friends, spending so much time together the past month or so. They hung out in the suite for several hours and had a nice time. Still however, they didn't find a lot of time to relax or spend with just the two of them alone.

They had both fallen into a routine of eating and sleeping and working and training. The days passed by in a blur, and Dante could tell the rat race of their scheduled activities was starting to take its toll on Lily. She was becoming grumpy, and even a bit cold and bitchy, which wasn't pleasant for either of them.

It came to a head after dinner late in the third week. They had just gotten the unwelcome news that the Cabin construction would be delayed an additional week, meaning it would now be three weekends before it would be completed so they could move back in. Lily was unmistakably upset, and when Dante had attempted to hug and run his hands along her, she pulled away and snapped at him harshly, "Don't touch me, dammit! I don't need you right now!"

Dante recoiled as if he'd been slapped, and Lily hated seeing the shock and hurt on his face. She was aghast at herself! She didn't know why she'd said that, and when Dante turned and padded out of the bedroom without saying a word, she slumped to the bed and burst into tears at how badly she'd just fucked up. Several minutes later she sniffled and took control of herself, knowing she had to make this right. She dried her eyes and got up to search through the suite for her mate.

She quickly located him in the office, where he had taken his Spartans apart and was listlessly servicing them with a wounded look on his face. Lily walked up to him and turned his chair around, so she could curl up in his lap. She snuggled her head against his chest and began sniffling and tearing up again.

She eventually spoke, "I'm so sorry Dante. I swear I didn't mean that. I don't even know why I said it! I always need you more than anything, and I never meant to hurt you or drive you away, I just didn't think! I've been out of it the past few days and I just feel that we haven't had any time for us for way too long. I not only miss that alone time with you, but it seems I really need it, otherwise I begin turning into such an unpleasant person that even I hate her!

When you told me it would be longer still before we got our space back and could be alone again, I snapped. I really am so sorry baby, I promise I won't do it again."

Dante had held her and comforted her with his gentlest touch as she spoke. He'd been hurt by her outburst, but he could never become so upset he wouldn't still love and comfort his mate. When she finished her tearful apology he kissed the top of her head and hugged her tightly before responding.

"I understand better now what went down, and thank you for talking it out with me. Yes, I was hurt, but not wounded, if that makes any sense. I could tell you needed some space, but I also knew that deep down you love me, so you'd come to me when you were ready. However, that was the logical side of me making decisions; my inside was hurt by your rejection, as you could see.

"If you had come to me sooner we could have worked this out. Our communication is one of our greatest strengths together, and you need always to talk to me immediately about anything upsetting you. I need you to remember that and start doing better on that, ok? Nothing you feel can ever be wrong, including what you felt a few minutes ago. But failing to communicate those feelings until they erupt can hurt us both, as it just did.

"Of course, that goes both ways. I don't always communicate as well as I should either, so please pester me whenever I seem withdrawn. I need reminding too.

"You did hurt me, but you weren't trying to be cruel, and mistakes happen. I forgive you and we can move past this, ok? There's a basic bond of love and... and I don't know, destiny?... between us that we both know is indestructible."

Lily sniffled and her face remained buried in his chest as he spoke. She looked up at him, her emotions strong in her glistening eyes, not attempting to hide her pain and regret, but he could also see her love, and her remorse at her recent rejection of her beloved mate. She kissed him deeply but softly, trying to get her apology and emotions across. "I understand baby, and I promise to do better about talking to you before things become a bigger problem. Thank you for forgiving me; I behaved like a nasty bitch."

Dante frowned, and now did get upset, "You're not a bitch and no one, not even you, is allowed to call my mate something like that! I don't ever want to hear you call yourself that again, understood?"

Lily smiled back at him, loving his defense of her even when it was against something she'd said herself. "I won't, my love at least not like that, and thank you. But there are various takes on the word 'bitch', and if someone calls me a 'dangerous wolf bitch', I'll accept that with pride. We are wolves, you know."

Dante agreed and chuckled and relaxed and a smile returned to his face before he continued speaking. "I have an idea for us that should fix this situation until we can move back into our Cabin. Construction needs to continue until it can be wrapped up. After two weekends we can move back in, but how about we take a long weekend this weekend and I take you on a trip somewhere, just the two of us?"