Vickie leaving to go back home affected Ari worse than she thought it would. She was so lonely that she found it hard to concentrate. Of course, she had Grayson, but he had become obsessed lately with finding Dima and Ralph's murderers, and finding the link to Marcus and Piers. She just hoped that he could find it soon. It was time they put the past behind them and moved on with their lives. But how could they with their murders hanging over their heads?Ari was missing Henley and hadn't spoken to her for a while, so she dialed her number. "Hello, Ari?" Henley answered after a few rings.Ari smiled, missing her terribly, wishing she could be there. "Hey! How are you?" Tears filled her eyes, hearing her sister's voice. But she didn't want her to know."Better now," she replied. "I can't wait to see you."A tear trickled down her cheek. "So, you still coming to Estrea?""Yes, of course." Henley waited for a moment. "Ari, what's wrong?" Even though she was trying not to show it, Henley w
Grayson dialed the number of Dr. Parker's office as soon as Ari's shower turned on. Grayson was so excited to be having a child with Ari, and just as excited to know the sex. Although he knew he would be fine with it either way, it would be nice to know what clothes to buy and what to plan. He would have to start a college fund, too, but he'd wait for that until it was closer to the birth. Grayson always knew he wanted children, but now that it was happening, he was more excited than he could have ever imagined."Hello? Dr. Parker's office," the receptionist announced. "How may I help you?""Yes. Do you have any appointments available today?" Grayson asked. "My wife, Princess Ari Pierce of Estrea, needs an ultrasound.""Well, we didn't have any openings," the woman said. "But I had something that just opened up. Could you be here by one o'clock?"Grayson's lips curled into a smile. "Yes! Absolutely! That would be great. Thank you."He hated to use his—or her—title, but if it got her in
The movers came and put Ari's mother's and sister's things in an on-site storage building at the castle. It was awe-inspiring, walking through it. Storage buildings at a castle are much different than in America. There were old artifacts that needed restoration, as well as furniture, vases, virtually items from all eras. It was almost like walking through a time capsule. Ari ran her hand over an antique table that looked as if it were a King Louis XV, now covered in dust."What were you thinking just then?" Grayson asked, watching her carefully. "I was thinking about how I'd love to have these things restored to their original beauty and displayed." Ari brushed the dust off the table with her hand. "That way, the people of Estrea can enjoy them."Grayson smirked, taking a step toward her. "Spoken like a true Queen. Maybe that's a project you could take on. Your sister could help you, if she wants to." Then he walked ahead farther in and into a room toward the right, where suddenly eve
As the evening wore on, Ari became so excited that she thought she was going to bust. At first, she started checking her watch every hour, and then it went to every half hour. Now she was checking every fifteen minutes. "Will you please sit down?" Grayson was clearly concerned for her and the baby. If he had his way about it, he would literally wrap her in bubble wrap as he had said until she delivered."I'm fine." She folded her arms across her chest and continued pacing. Then she stopped to check her watch... again.Grayson sighed as he took her hand and led her to the sofa. "Ari, pacing won't make them come quicker.""Sir!" Mrs. Jackson's voice rang out down the hallway. "Ye canno' come in here without knockin' first! How many times do I hav' to tell ye?""Carlton?" Ari and Grayson said in unison. Grayson disappeared from the parlor, headed for the foyer.Xavier gave Ari's hand a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry. They'll be here soon."Ari smiled as she nodded, thankful for the friend
They had a wonderful time, getting reacquainted with one another at dinner that night, and Ari was pleased that everyone was getting along so well. Even her mother had softened a bit, having hit it off with the king. To her surprise, Grayson's father seemed quite taken with her, too. Even though her mother was younger than the king, they were close enough in age that they could relate to the same eras and share a kinship.After a while, Ari noticed that Henley was looking too pale. Her nurse, a staunch woman with kind eyes, stood to the side, watching her."Would you like me to show you to your room?" Ari asked, keeping her voice low. Henley nodded. "If you don't mind. I've only just been released from the hospital.""I'll have the nurse check you when you're in your room." Ari stood and held her arm. "Here. Let me help you."Henley pulled her arm gently away. "Thanks, but I got this." She stood and looked around, noticing that all eyes were on her. "Why don't we go upstairs?" Celest
Later that afternoon, Ari had set up the decorations and soon everything was in place. The cake was given to Mrs. Jackson to be brought out at the right time, and the gifts to everyone were setting on a small table off to the side. Satisfied, she headed back up the stairs to dress. She quickly changed into a cute, casual dress, just as Grayson came out of the shower, as sexy as ever, dressed only in a towel. Little water droplets clung to his bare chest muscles. But they had to get ready for dinner. and Ari wanted everything to be perfect."Are you ready for tonight?" She pulled a medium blue shirt out of his closet along with dark gray pants and a jacket. Casual, for him. Then she held it up for him to see. "This okay?"Grayson nodded, smiling. "Fine. Thank you." As he was getting dressed, he asked, "So, is everything ready for tonight?"She nodded. "As ready as it's going to be."He raised an eyebrow. "You know, you could have told Mrs. Jackson what you wanted, and she could have tak
A few days later, Celeste wanted to take Ari and Henley shopping and, of course, Vickie came along, too. So, it ended up being strictly a girl's trip. And even though they had planned on going shopping together, Ari thought that they may end up at a beauty salon, also. Lord knows, it had been a while since she had a day of beauty and it was sorely needed."Be careful today," Grayson said, his eyes filled with concern."Don't worry. I'll be fine.""Take some bodyguards with you."Ari sighed. "Grayson—""Humor me," he cut her off. Then he kissed her forehead. "But most importantly, have fun.""Oh, we will." Ari gave him a quick peck, grabbed her coat, and then headed out the door. She would be glad when spring was here. Ari had enough of the snow and was ready for some good weather.Downstairs, Vickie was already waiting. "Is Mom and Henley down yet?"Vickie shook her head. "No, but they'll probably be down soon." Vickie motioned with her head toward the family dining room. "Hungry?""I
The Danish Ari ate earlier didn't agree with her, or maybe she drank too much orange juice, but her stomach was churning. She took deep breaths, willing the nausea to go away. And the movement of the limo didn't help. Henley reached over and squeezed her hand.Ari smiled. "I'm glad you're here.""Me, too." Henley tilted her head to the side. "Better?"Ari nodded. "You okay?"A smile curled Henley's lips. "Never better."Tomas pulled the limo out onto the street and they were headed toward Main Street in downtown Estrea a few minutes later. They passed the cafe and at the far end was Aurora Coiffeurs, a beauty salon. A moment later, the car pulled to a stop in front of the place."Wait here and I'll secure the area." Arnold quickly climbed out of the car and headed up the stairs of the small salon. The other guard exited the limo and stood outside the door, standing guard.Vickie lifted an eyebrow, looking at Ari. "Really?"Ari nodded. "Trust me. You don't know the half of it.""The gua
Grayson was proud of his father's efforts to unite Estrea once again. It was clear that the old ways were no longer working. It was time for a fresh start. And King Maxwell of Estrea was determined to do just that.The election was held the next month, as King Maxwell promised, and the Royal Council was selected. But through it all, the feeling in Estrea had been one of new hope. In the news, King Maxwell was praised for his bold initiative to bring the realm into the Twenty-First Century.A few weeks later, the first meeting of the Royal Council was held on April 1. The board voted to continue holding the meetings twice a month, on the first and third Mondays, to keep the council abreast of the happenings of Estrea. The king then promised to make the proceedings and decisions made by the council known to the public in the interest of full disclosure. There was also a procedure set in place for grievances, ensuring that everyone's concerns would be heard. "So, what about the name Maso
The next day, Grayson was working in his office at the castle when Xavier walked in. Without a word, he crossed the room to the television and flipped it on. Then he stood back and folded his arms across his chest."And in the news today," Ella J. Scott said to the camera. "The body of Prince Marcus Pierce was found in an old abandoned warehouse, along with the bodies of other men. One of the men has been identified as Piers Wingfield, former head of security for the Crown. King Maxwell Pierce and members of the Royal Family have made no comment as to the cause of death. In other news—"Xavier sighed, folding his arms across his chest. "I don't think you have to worry about paying Piers now.""Let's speak with Father," Grayson said, already headed toward the door.Xavier followed. "What should we tell him?"Grayson sighed, turning around to face him with his hand on their father's door. "The truth."Xavier looked at him for a moment, and then nodded his agreement.Grayson knocked on th
A week later when Ari was feeling better, she finally had that meeting with the hospital administrator about Henley's House. This time, Henley, her mother, and Vickie attended. Grayson had wanted to go, too, but Ari had to persuade him to let her go without him. After all, she couldn't live in fear for the rest of her life."This is a wonderful idea. I appreciate you bringing it to us," said the hospital administrator, Dr. Sienna Gallagher. "We look forward to hearing more about it. And please be sure to tell His Majesty King Maxwell Pierce and His Highness Grayson Pierce how much we appreciate it. Cancer patients, and their families, will be very appreciative."After speaking with Dr. Gallagher, and at Henley's insistence, Ari had decided to expand Henley's House to include all cancer patients treated at Estrea Medical Hospital, not just leukemia patients.Ari held out her hand. "The pleasure is ours. Thank you for offering us the land on which to build. I'll speak with my husband and
Ari had fallen asleep on the way home, despite her best efforts to stay awake. But the lack of sleep and the continuous motion of Grayson stroking her hair, made sleep inevitable. But now that she was with Grayson again, the world could fall apart, and she wouldn't care. Her stomach hurt a bit, waking her."Are you alright?" Grayson asked, his voice filled with concern.Ari nodded. "My stomach's hurting just a bit, but I'm fine. I just need to rest.""And eat," Xavier added, looking at her in the rearview mirror. Ari laughed. "Well, that's a given." She thought for a moment, wanting to word it correctly. "Xavier, Grayson, thank you both for coming to my rescue.""It's my pleasure, my lady," Xavier teased."You know I would move heaven and earth to get to you," Grayson replied, his voice low and husky.Xavier nodded. "And he is not exaggerating."Ari laughed. "Well, I truly appreciate it." Then she thought of something. "I had to do something that I'm not proud of." She bit her lower
Ari ran through the forest as quickly as she could, headed toward who knew where. She remembered that there was a road that lead back to the village, and she had to find it. She couldn't follow the beach; she'd ever get home.Home.A small word that held so much power. As she ran, all she could think of was Grayson and going home, their home together, at the castle. Then she fell, stumbling over a root protruding from the ground, but caught herself with her hands. But she got up and started running again. After a bit, she looked behind her to see if anyone was following... and ran straight into something. When she looked up... it was Piers."No!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, her knees buckling under her. But to her surprise, he caught her in his strong arms."Quiet!" Piers said, holding a finger to his lips."Hold it right there." When she looked up and saw Grayson holding a gun, her heart leapt with relief and joy."Grayson!"Piers quickly pulled her in front of him. "I want
Grayson rode with Xavier into the night toward the shore. Although the chances of finding her in the dead of night was slim and none, he knew he had to try. And from the moment Xavier had heard, he was along for the ride. Without question. "Thank you for this," Grayson said, looking over at him.One corner of his lips curled into a smile. "You don't have to thank me. You would do the same for me, if the tables were turned.""Without question."Xavier shrugged. "But then again, I'd do it for Ari, anyway."Grayson chuckled. "Of course, you would," he teased. "I'm glad that you two get along so well.""What can I say? She's a nice girl...." Then he grinned. "and I'm a nice guy."Grayson laughed. "Yes, you are... but I didn't say that.""Of course not." Xavier looked over at him and smiled. "So, have you seen anything suspicious?"Grayson shook his head. "No. Nothing that could be used as a fortress or a hideout.""The shore is farther away than I thought." Xavier sighed."Which is why I
Ari looked around the warehouse, taking everything in. Maybe she would find a clue as to where she was. She kept hearing the crashing of waves, as if she were near the ocean, which meant that she was a few hours away from the castle. Either way, it would be a long walk back.One thing was certain: she couldn't just run back down the road to the castle, even if she did manage to escape. But then again, if she could just get out, then she could easily find her way back to the castle. Surely, someone would know the way and could give her a ride. Although she had no idea what time it was or how much time had lapsed, she knew she had much less than twenty-four hours now and, although there were no windows, she knew it had to be dark—or close to it—making it the perfect time to escape. But she was also getting hungry and she knew she had to eat soon. Also, when she came out of the restroom earlier, Piers had put another zip tie around her wrists again. So, she had to escape when the Zip tie
Grayson called Xavier, knowing he couldn't just sit there and wait. At that moment, he would give anything to have Ari back."Yeah," Xavier answered on the first ring. "Find anything?" Grayson asked, pacing the floor in his office. "Yeah, I think you'd better get down here." From the sound of it, Xavier was pacing, too.Grayson sighed, fearing the worst. "I'll be right there." He clicked off and was ready to walk out when the door slowly opened. "Where's Ari?" Celeste asked, slowly walking in, obviously having overheard something. "Do you know where she is?"Grayson sighed, biting his lower lip. "Please, sit down." He knew he had to go, but her mother deserved to know the truth before he left.Celeste said nothing but slowly walked into the room and folded her arms across her chest. "Where is she?"Grayson looked directly into her eyes, pain ripping through his whole body, as if someone had physically shoved their hand into his chest and ripped his heart out."Ari's been kidnapped."
Ari looked around the warehouse and all eyes were on her. Marcus gritted his teeth as he walked purposefully toward her and slapped her across the face. "How dare you say that about me?" He raised his hand again, but Piers caught it.Piers shook his head. "You gave your word that she will not be harmed for twenty-four hours."Marcus glared at him for a moment, and then ripped his hand out of his grasp. Then he turned his attention to Ari. "Kill me, will you?"Ari raised her head and glared at him, staring daggers into his eyes looking through her hair covering one eye. "Mark my words. You will never get away with this. You should have taken the deal that King Maxwell offered you. It's as good as you're going to get." She shrugged. "It's more than I would have given you.""Why you—" Marcus made a move toward her again, but Piers stood in his way and shook his head in warning."Not while I'm here," Piers replied. Quicker than Ari would have thought possible, Marcus whipped out a gun an