Chapter 22 #2
“Trust,” Ember said simply. “And boundaries. I don’t ask him about anything unless it directly involves our kids or us.
He doesn’t bring work home unless it’s necessary.
We’ve carved out space for us that exists separate from Guardian, from this facility, from all of it.
” She gestured around the medical bay. “Even here, where we both work, we maintain that separation.”
Willow considered that, thinking about her own relationship with Levi.
They were still so new, still finding their rhythm.
But already she could see how they’d need those same boundaries, that same careful balance between operational security and emotional intimacy.
That was if Levi continued to work for Guardian.
As far as her career, well, the CIA was a closed chapter.
She’d find something else. If nothing else, she could become a bush pilot like her father.
“You’ll have your clearance soon,” Ember continued, bringing her back to the conversation. “But not for everything.” The woman chuckled.
“Like the way to this location?”
“Yes, like that, and so much more. I honestly believe that I don’t know half of what’s going on most of the time, and I live with one of the OG Guardians.
” Ember’s expression held amusement and apology at the same time.
“There’ll always be things they can’t tell you, places they can’t take you, decisions they’ve made that you’ll never fully understand.
That’s the reality of this life. The question is whether you can accept it. ”
“After what Levi and I have been through, I can honestly say, yes. I can,” Willow admitted, meaning it. “I don’t need to know everything. I just need to know if I can help, how I can do that, and when he’s coming back if I’m not going with him.”
“With him?”
“I’m a pilot. We made one hell of a team on this last mission.” And looking back, they had done the impossible too many times not to believe they’d be able to do it again.
“Well, that’s information I didn’t have before.
” Ember laughed, “See what I mean about him not bringing work home? But seriously, understanding and support are all any of us can ask for.” Ember stood, collecting the therapy equipment.
“Now, let’s work on your range of motion one more time, then you’re free for the day.
I believe Levi mentioned something about watching him and my husband train? ”
Willow grinned. “He did. He said it would be educational. I think Levi just wants to work off some of the bottled-up frustrations he’s been holding onto since I went into surgery.”
“Oh, this should be good.” Ember’s laugh was warm and genuine. “I’ll get out the bubble bath and run a hot bath. Joey is good, but he doesn’t like to admit he’s getting older. Oh, and don’t let anyone talk you into doing anything stupid before you’re one hundred percent healed.”
Willow glanced at Ember. “Stupid like sex?”
Ember blinked and then laughed. “Ah, no. You’re a big girl, you do what you want, just be mindful of your shoulder. I was talking about sparring. A couple months from now, maybe, but not anytime soon. This place tends to test people before they’re ready.”
The training pit was exactly what it sounded like: a circular fighting ring sunk three feet into the floor, surrounded by padded mats and an observation area with bench seating.
Willow arrived to find Levi already there, stripped down to athletic pants and a compression shirt, hands wrapped and ready.
Across the pit stood his opponent, Fury, or as Ember called him, Joey.
Not that she looked in his direction for more than a split second.
Her eyes went back to Levi because … damn, the man was hot. Deliciously hot.
She watched Ember enter from another door and stop by the ring to give her husband a kiss.
That was when Willow really looked at Fury.
The man was tall with shoulders heavy with muscle.
He had a myriad of visible scars on his back and on the back of his arms. Willow winced at the thought of what must have happened to the man to cause them.
His icy blue-green eyes watched his wife walk away, and he didn’t deviate his gaze until she sat down beside Willow.
Then he turned his gaze to Levi with the cold calculation of someone who'd made a career out of reading opponents.
Ember sat down, tablet in hand, looking completely comfortable watching her husband prepare to fight.
Granted, their hands were wrapped, but Willow hated the thought of how painful those hits could be.
She hoped his leg was healed properly. He wouldn’t fight if it weren’t, would he?
He looked up at her and gave her that sunshine-filled idiot smile. Yeah, he would.
“Rules?” Levi asked, rolling his shoulders.
“Full contact, pull strikes to the head, tap or verbal out if you need it.” Fury's voice was low and controlled, carrying easily across the space. “I want to see what you've got, Z. Rumor is you've gotten soft.”
Levi's grin this time was sharp and dangerous. “Rumor's wrong.”
They circled each other, and Willow could see the shift in Levi's posture, the way he centered his weight and narrowed his focus. This wasn't the man who held her hand. This was the operative, the weapon, the part of him that lived in violence.
Fury struck first, a lightning-fast combination that Levi barely blocked, forcing him back two steps.
He didn't give him time to recover, pressing the advantage with a low kick that he had to skip back to avoid.
Fast. He was incredibly fast, and his movements were economical and precise, with no wasted energy.
Levi caught the rhythm, started to counter.
His reach was about the same as Fury’s and his strikes landed just as heavy.
He drove Fury back with a series of jabs and a brutal body shot that would have dropped most people.
Fury absorbed it, rolled with it, and came back with an elbow that caught Levi in the ribs.
They traded blows, neither giving ground.
Sweat gleamed on both their bodies as they moved through the space.
It was a brutal dance of violence and skill.
Fury was faster, but Levi was solid and strong.
Fury darted in and out of range, landing quick combinations before sliding away.
Levi stalked Fury like a predator, patient and relentless.
Willow realized he was waiting for his opening.
When it came, he took it. A feint to Fury’s left, then a takedown that brought them both to the mat. They grappled, twisting for position, all elbows and knees and controlled aggression. Fury nearly got him in an armbar, but Levi powered out, reversing into a pin that Fury immediately escaped.
Willow watched, fascinated and a little awed.
This was a language she didn’t like but understood.
There was a brutal honesty to combat, where skill and pure will were the only things that mattered.
These weren't fighters trying to hurt each other; they were professionals testing limits, pushing boundaries, staying sharp.
After twenty minutes, they broke apart by mutual agreement, both breathing hard, both marked with the red beginning of bruises. Fury touched knuckles with Levi, respect clear in the gesture.
“Not bad, Berserker,” he said, chest heaving. “Still got it.”
“You, too.” He grabbed a towel from the bench, wiping sweat from his face. “Though, you've gotten faster.”
“Have to stay ahead of the students somehow.” Fury dropped onto the bench beside Ember, accepting the water bottle his wife handed him. “So, what are your plans?”
Levi glanced at Willow, and she saw the uncertainty there, the question he'd been carrying. “I don't know,” he admitted. “I want to stay with Guardian. This is my family, my purpose. But it all depends on Willow.”
“Depends how?” Fury's gaze was sharp, reading between the lines.
“Whether she wants this life.” He looked directly at Willow now, his expression open and vulnerable in a way she rarely saw.
Ember stood, collecting the equipment. “All right, enough emotional vulnerability for one day. Joey, you need ice on your shoulder. Levi, take a hot shower before your muscles lock up. Willow, I want you doing your evening stretches.” She turned to look at them.
“Doctor’s orders. Now, march.” Then she spun and headed out of the pit.
“Bossy little thing, isn’t she?” Levi asked looking at Fury.
“Sometimes.” Fury smiled. “Sometimes not so much. Good workout.” He walked out without looking back.
Levi hopped out of the pit and fell into step beside Willow, his hand finding hers. He was sweaty and battered and exhausted, but he was smiling.
“Thank you,” he said quietly.
“For what?”
“For choosing us.”
Willow squeezed his hand, feeling the calluses and strength through the tape that still remained.
“Always,” she said. “I'll always choose us.”
The walk to their quarters underground wasn’t far.
Levi unwrapped his fists and popped into the shower.
His muscles ached in a good way, and he’d have a few new bruises, but the workout was what he’d needed.
He’d needed to let the anger and the frustration out.
To physically release the mental anguish he’d been holding on to.
When he stepped from the bathroom into the bedroom, Willow was there. Naked and in bed. Her wound was visible and a stark reminder that he’d almost lost her.
“I talked to Ember today. She said to be careful, but sex is hereby authorized.”
Levi dropped the towel around his waist and walked to the foot of the bed. He crawled up her and found her mouth with his. “Are you sure?” He glanced at the wound.
She sank under him and lifted her good arm to circle his neck. “I want you. I need you, Levi. Make love to me.”