The Silver Guardian B. 01

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

Book 1

Chapter 27

The next morning Dante sent Lily off for her spa day to pamper her. She complained cheekily about her sore bottom and how her big bad mate had torn up her cute little tush and she needed some pampering to make everything better. Dante had laughed at her, spanking her bottom oh so gently before sending her to the spa. Lily had the full treatment: a facial and salon haircut, manicure with paraffin wax immersion treatment, pedicure and foot massage and overall she was treated like a princess. While Lily was enjoying all the pampering, Dante got in a solid workout by swimming laps in the pool to maintain his conditioning.

After Lily was made into a 'new woman' and Dante had rejoined her in the suite, they decided to have lunch at the hotel before going out to visit some of the historic bars around the city. Lily had been taking pictures of Dante and them both around the city, and had even gotten a few strangers to take some better shots of them while they were out and about, capturing many special moments. She planned to frame several of these and add them to the walls of the suite back home, as well as decorate a few of the rooms in the Cabin when it was finished, hopefully next weekend!

They dressed casually, with Dante in a tight black t-shirt and dark wash tight jeans and his ostrich cowboy boots. He wore his mating necklace since that never came off, and today his new skeletonized watch. Lily looked wonderful in a tight red tank top and black pleated skirt that came to mid-thigh, with her new thigh high black boots. They looked sexy and very fit, but relaxed as they headed out for their last full day in New Orleans.

The stopped in at various places, and in the afternoon they visited the famous Sazerac Bar. Dante ordered the classic Sazerac since he loved his bourbon and rye, while Lily ordered a Hurricane and they both drank and laughed and socialized with strangers, most of them tourists such as themselves. One of them quipped a bit of local lore: "There are two seasons in New Orleans: summer and January." They stayed for a while, enjoying the drinks and the historic bar before they decided to try one more famous spot before having dinner and wrapping up their night at the hotel.

They made their way to Napoleon House in the French Quarter. The old plaster walls and exposed beams with art and decorations everywhere, along with the operatic arias playing through the speakers, made for a unique experience. They tried some of the House specials, a Bourbon Milk Punch for Dante and a Pimm's Cup for Lily and had a great time doing nothing and just soaking it all in.

Since they weren't dressed up for the evening and wanted to try a smaller, more hole-in-the-wall place, they headed for a place some of the locals had referred to as a fantastic greasy spoon, The Camellia Grill. The service was great, and the food rich and homegrown and absolutely fantastic! They relaxed while they supped at a slow pace, fully enjoying their vacation and having a wonderful time alone together and away from it all. This was exactly what they'd needed, and Lily effused over how much it had helped, and was just what she'd been craving to share with him. She thanked him again for doing this, and told him it was the best vacation she'd ever been on and she'd remember it forever and cherish the memories they made together, especially their incredible lovemaking!

It was fairly late when they finally returned to their suite feeling sticky and dirty from being out in a New Orleans '11-month' summer and sweating all day, so they decided to shower before calling it a night. They soaped each other in the shower, and Lily luxuriated as her mate sensually washed her hair and massaged her scalp before they made love slowly but passionately before they both finished together with a groan. They dried off and slipped into bed, falling asleep, Lily once again resting mostly on top of her mate.

***

They woke up early for the last morning of their vacation and since they loved Cafe Du Monde so much, they went back and savored some more beignets and chicory coffee. Dante even picked up a few pounds of the coffee to take back with him, since it was so unique and they both liked it so much. They did a bit more shopping and Lily bought Dante a beautiful black alligator belt with a polished steel buckle that would go with a lot of his outfits, and could be easily dressed up or down.

Dante, wanting to do one final thing before they left, surprised Lily with a special black Coach purse she could use anytime, and would look perfect whenever she was out handling business meetings about dealing with the family assets, since she would be taking over that responsibility quite soon, at first under her father's watchful eye. Dante bought one big enough for her to carry her Kimber .45 in it, since he didn't want her unprotected and unarmed.

They checked out of their hotel around 11am and took a cab to the airport, where they checked in and after waiting a while, boarded the plane and headed back for Glacier Park Airport and their truck to take them home.

They landed shortly after 3pm local time, picked up their baggage before paying the parking extortion for the truck, and pointing it towards the compound. An hour later they arrived back at the Manor House in the late afternoon, unpacked their bags and all their new purchases. Both Dante and Lily were glad for the large walk-in closet in their bedroom, since they were beginning to get quite the wardrobe and accessory hoard.

Lily contacted Mom and Dad through the bond and asked if they wanted to drop by their suite to visit and chat about the trip. They agreed, and a short while later they were all four sitting in the living room, displaying their photos on their TV (looking like a picture frame, damn that's a cool TV!) and sharing their trip. They talked about the incredible food and all the shops and some of the bars. Victoria oohed and made other appropriate noises at Lily's new jewelry while giving sidelong glances to her mate, making Odin realize he needed to step up his game and give Victoria some pampering of her own quite soon. Odin told Dante he'd done well and was glad it was his son in law's job to spoil his daughter now, and his wallet thanked him. Dante laughed, and Lily narrowed her eyes at her father.

Odin was quite impressed with Dante's incredible new Richard Mille watch as Victoria commented on how good it looked on him, and that Lily had picked the perfect one; it matched his style well.

They told them about the group of morons who'd bothered Lily, then followed them, thinking to ambush them. They laughed together at the stupidity and predictable results of such a poor decision.

By then it was nearly dinnertime, so they all headed down to the dining room. Many of the Pack welcomed them back and told them they hoped they'd a nice small vacation.

Lily and Dante were always warm and kind to everyone in the Pack, and stopped to chat with anyone who said hi to them. Lily showed off her new jewelry to Sara and Rose at dinner, who both melted at how well Dante loved and spoiled her. In fact, Sara elbowed Ben, saying he should take a page out of Dante's book and he'd have her howling all over the forest if he picked up his game a bit, at which everyone laughed while Ben blushed.

Dinner was battered and fried Northern Pike fresh from Whitefish Lake, and Abigail had done a tremendous job with it, and even came out to say hi to Lily and Dante and Odin and Victoria, whereupon she was praised for her culinary skills and given a hug by each of them with their thanks. Lily and Dante headed to bed shortly after dinner, wanting to catch up on a little sleep before another long week.

***

Tuesday saw the couple back in their normal routine and spending the afternoon catching up on their duties. It was a busy day for them both and lasted late into the evening.

Wednesday though, was an exciting one for Dante when he showed up with Lily in the Training Hall to start their combat training after he'd wrapped up his morning firearms instruction.

Everyone was standing around Ben and Sara, and even Alpha Odin and Madame Alpha Victoria were present. Dante's katanas had arrived that morning! Everyone wanted to participate in a small ceremony to present him with his weapons. All the Betas and Enforcers were there to see their Alpha Heir presented with the weapons that he had now earned after advancing in his training sufficiently far. Lily was beaming to see Dante honored so, and was excited, knowing how her warrior mate loved his role as Spear Point for her and the Pack. She knew he'd been greatly looking forward to obtaining his new weapons and becoming familiar with them.

Alpha Odin and Beta Ben stood shoulder to shoulder, each holding a sheathed, curved sword in their hands, hidden under a black silk cover. Alpha Odin spoke to Dante before the assembled group. "Dante, you have been welcomed into the O'Connor Pack and you have strengthened us, supported us, loved us and led us in many ways. However, any warrior in the Pack has to earn their weapons and you are no different. I now say that you have proven to everyone here you are ready, and that you are the Spear Point upon which our enemies will fall as you lead us in battle. A warrior's soul is found in his blade, and it is fitting that you have two weapons for the two sides of your soul, your human and lycan sides. Twin blades and twin souls for the duality that you are.

"I now present you with your katanas. They have been named 'Twin Moons' by Master Akitsugu Amata, one of the most celebrated swordsmiths of our age, who forged them at his home in the Niigata Prefecture in Japan."

Alpha Odin and Beta Ben removed the silk coverings and the stunning weapons were revealed. Each scabbard was much longer than a normal katana's, due to Dante's significantly larger frame. It was pitch black and its lustrous shine made it look a mile deep. The only adornment on the scabbard was a blood-red lily inlaid near its top, where it met the tang of the blade contained inside. The lily was made of ruby and garnet and was flush with the rest of the scabbard.

Dante smiled in appreciation and reverence. He considered his mate Lily to be the sheath containing the violence and the love of his own soul; now this representation of her was to be the literal sheath for his most effective blades.

The handle of each sword was wrapped traditionally and was larger and thicker than a normal one, so it could accommodate his large hands. It had a crescent moon inlaid halfway down, the size of a silver dollar and made from mother of pearl. On the platinum cap at the butt of the sword's handle was a second but much smaller crescent moon, also made from mother of pearl.

Alpha Odin and Beta Ben unsheathed the beautiful blades to display the entirety of the weapons themselves. Each blade, although made from the hardest and toughest steel, was an iridescent blue-black, like a brilliant starless night almost appearing to be metallic glass. It was breathtaking in its simplicity and lethal beauty. At the tang, set in platinum the size of a fifty-cent piece, was the symbol everyone thought the Goddess Luna Herself must have branded on his chest.

These were the most awe-inspiring blades he had ever seen. He felt Lily's awe, pride and love shining through the bond as she first beheld them herself.

Beta Ben spoke this time. "The blades and material themselves are special in this case. Master Swordsmith Amata and his assistants cast the steel according to the traditional tamahagane method over the longest allowable period of three days, but he also added cobalt to the final, outside portions of iron sand to provide its blue hue, plus several other ingredients to give it the glass-like black finish that makes it appear so distinctive. Because of the highest quality of the iron sand used and the extended time invested in its tempering, these blades are not only harder, but will also hold a sharper edge than any other blade of their kind. Because of their unusual size they are also heavier, making it difficult for a similarly equipped warrior to defend himself.

These blades were crafted specifically to take advantage of your unusual strength and size so they will feel natural to you, and also will have a particularly devastating effect on your enemies.

Congratulations Dante, you have done even better than I had hoped, and it's been a pleasure training you thus far. I look forward to continuing your training, now utilizing your new weapons... Twin Moons."

Alpha Odin then spoke. "The soul of the blade must know the blood of its master. Spear Point Dante, extend your hands."

Even knowing what was coming, Dante willingly extended his hands palm up, with a somber look on his face. Ben and Odin grasped his extended fingers and drew the twin blades across his palms, biting deep and releasing lines of blood to stain the tamahagane steel blades. At the first touch of their Master's blood, the twin moons in the handles began to glow faintly, the symbol on his chest flared for a moment and his eyes flashed.

Except for the swords taking part, this wasn't the first time this had happened, and everyone was looking at Dante and his new swords, pondering the meaning of these occurences. Dante could feel Lily's concern through the bond and responded.

My love, do you know why the sword moons glowed? Does this happen routinely at such a time as this?

She could only reply,

No my mate, I have never heard of such a thing, but your eyes and Luna's symbol upon your chest also glowed, such as I have seen them do twice before. Surely a sign such as this means something about your... perhaps even our... destiny, but I know not what. I do know however that in some mysterious fashion we two are blessed by Luna. To others you are unavoidably feared and respected even if you are well liked. To me however, you are my soul mate, my other half.

He didn't have any better answer himself, and so just remained silent and motionless in front of everyone for a respectful period, the blood from his extended hands dripping on the ground.

He eventually reached out to accept the re-sheathed blades saying, "I thank you for this honor. I will strive to live up to the responsibilities I have undertaken to my mate and to my Pack. I accept these blades with all humility and I pledge to master and wield them without mercy in defense of those whom I must protect."

He gave small bows, first to Alpha Odin and then to Beta Ben as everyone clapped and cheered. Lily came up and draped herself into him and kissed him with passion, so proud of her mate and so happy for him, knowing what this meant to him. Victoria came up to him as well and hugged him saying, "I'm very proud of you, and I know you will continue to grow and become even more than you already are, my son."

Dante hugged her back, wondering why he felt so emotional over what she had just said, wondering why her words struck such a chord inside him.

The gathering for the brief ceremony broke up shortly after that, and the Enforcers, including Dante and Lily, embarked upon their workout and run before returning for weapons practice.

This would be Dante's first time swinging Twin Moons, and he found they immediately felt like a natural extension of his body.

As he first grasped them properly, he was moderately surprised to discover that only an hour after Twin Moons had inflicted slices across his palms in order to drink from them, the wounds were already well on the way to healing without a trace. The speed and precision with which he was now able to wield his blades was impressive, and between the heft, the speed, the balance, and the sharpness of his blades, added of course to Dante's own mass and strength, there could be no doubt about the damage he could inflict with even a single blow.

He had become quite adept at his skills and was now working on mastering and perfecting the finer details, such as muscle memory, inspiration and originality, experience, tactics, flexibility and many other nuances. He already had the basics and most of the advanced techniques down, and now with these blades themselves within his grasp instead of carved pieces of wood, he could now work on honing and mastering his craft through hours of repetition and practice of all kinds, all while receiving from his weapons the exact same sensations and feedback he would receive from them in battle.

To an observer, his movements and steps were fluid, devastatingly fast and powerful; it was like watching ballet, subtle and overt at the same time, while seeming to follow a predestined current of water flowing across a stage or a battlefield.

Lily never failed to become aroused when watching Dante work, and it always revved her up for the rest of the day. Many nights she would come at him like a wildcat in her passion after watching him practice and spar. While other nights, similarly motivated, she became a sensual goddess, so gentle and passionate and responsive to his every desire, performing her aria of pleasure for his ears alone. Their love and desire for the other was as boundless as it had always been, fated by Luna Herself.

The rest of the day proceeded as normal. A master leathersmith in the Pack had crafted a harness for Twin Moons to perch lengthwise along each side of Dante's spine, since he would now wear the blades whenever he was training or performing Enforcer duties, as well as when he took part in certain formal occasions as Alpha Heir. Dante would prepare a spot to store them in his safe in the office when he wasn't wearing them.

On Thursday Lily and Dante received the wonderful news that construction on their Cabin was nearly complete, and that by Saturday morning it should be finished and ready for their arrival, and even better, that everyone would be gone so they could move right back in! They spent their free time on the rest of Thursday and during Friday packing Lily's truck from storage, as well as including several decorations, pictures, and a boatload of electronics equipment that Dante intended to install that weekend. A decent amount of their wardrobe was also being relocated.

When all was said and done the bed of the truck was filled to overflowing, and spillage was prevented only by a heavy tarp and ratchet straps; the rear cab was packed full as well. They decided to wake up extra early on Saturday and head over after they made themselves some breakfast in the Manor House kitchen, so they wouldn't bother Abigail, and then head over to their newly remodeled and fortified Cabin. They knew they had a fun and exciting, but very busy and long weekend ahead of them, with lots of work to do.

***

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