Unknown L (Book 1)

~~~ The Keeper ~~~

L peered at Bryce in sheer disbelief, whereas he looked thoroughly amused and began to walk with her onto the base. First of all, the light had changed, it had been getting dark before they reached the barrier scanner but here it was already dark and a blueish-green glow lit the area.

It looked and felt so magical. L could still see the sky above them, dotted with stars and swirls of clouds. The base was in the middle of a forest once again, but L could feel that this was a forest of a different world. The trees were older than most of the species travelling among them, they twisted and bent in peculiar shapes, and some were wider than a house and taller than a six-storey building.

There were tree-houses in this base too, which were already being given occupants and L noticed they were a mixture of Elves and Reptilians. A few Were-Creatures and Elementals also joined them. L was too in awe at the base to be surprised by it and continued to stare at her surroundings.

The houses they'd begun to pass were familiar and it took L an extra second to realise why; they were exact replicas of the Worcester's house. All that was missing were the barns and fields out back. L bit her lips together to stop the tears and felt Bryce's grip tighten. She looked at him and he gave her a sympathetic smile.

"What do you think?"

L nodded, "I think it might be my favourite base so far."

"The others will be glad to hear that. Come on, we still have to get you to your new house."

L blinked in surprise, "Another house? I feel like I'm back on the run from foster homes."

Bryce rolled his eyes, "This one will be yours no matter whether you choose to stay here or not. It belongs to you, it will be well kept and looked after even while you're away."

L tilted her head to look at him and a thought crossed her mind, "You don't think I'm sticking around, do you?"

Bryce's brow creased and he shrugged his free shoulder, "I don't know. You're not obligated to stick around anymore and you won't need help once you're feeling better. Your Keeper duties could take you all over the world."

L realised a moment later what he was thinking and she actually smiled. "I didn't think you were insecure. I may not need help but I'll still need you. I'm not about to just gallivant off and leave you here to wait for me. I mean, would you actually just stick around and wait?"

L watched his emotions change a couple of times while he thought about it; surprise, intrigue, curiosity. He finally settled on amusement and gave her his signature mischievous smile.

"I'm not really sure but I like the idea that you still need me," Bryce admitted.

Even in the blueish-green hue surrounding them, L could see the blush in his porcelain cheeks.

"It's not just a matter of needing you either, I want you in my life... or have you forgotten the deal we made in the watchtower?"

L arched a brow and watched the blush darken ever so slightly. She could hear his pulse skip a few beats and knew he was remembering their kiss, to which her own pulse betrayed her.

"I wasn't sure if things might have changed in that respect, the lack of impending death and all..."

L narrowed her eyes at him, "You think my feelings were brought on because I thought I might die and since I'm fine, they'd just be gone now?" Bryce nodded meekly and L sighed, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say, and that's a pretty long list."

Bryce looked taken aback for a moment and then chuckled, "Thanks for that. I'm glad I can count on you for the reality check."

L faked a scowl and leaned over to kiss his cheek ever so lightly, "Does that help your doubts?"