Ari took Grayson's arm and he patted her hand, reassuring her. Then he turned toward the priest and nodded. But she couldn't take her eyes off him. He was about a foot taller than her and stood very tall and straight, adding to his height. There was a regal air about him, one cultivated only with time and having been raised with royalty.Vickie had been right. She could do worse.Ari turned toward the priest, listening to the words as old as time itself, that would bind them as man and wife. When it was time, Ari said "I do" without hesitation. Somehow, she was already his, and he was hers. She wondered if he felt it, too. Finally, the priest said, "I now pronounce you man and wife." Then he turned to Grayson and said, "You may now kiss the bride."Grayson took her into his strong arms and looked into her eyes, as if seeing into her soul. Searching her eyes for acceptance and finding it, his lips descended upon hers in a kiss filled with passion and promise for the future. He was the
The next morning, Greyson woke with his new bride in his arms. Ari she was perfect: beautiful, funny... Xavier adored her, and he could see through anyone. And there were no long engagements. As he watched her sleep, he was glad that things had worked out as they had. Love was overrated, but might come with time. But as he watched her sleep, he realized that he was already attracted to her. When she had walked down the aisle headed toward him at the church, taking her last steps before becoming his wife, she had taken his breath away. At that moment, he had never seen a woman as beautiful as her in his life. She had a grace about her that he hadn't expected. And when she met Xavier, she was kind.And last night, she had given herself to him completely.During the night, he had truly made love to her as he had no other woman before. He had tried to be as gentle with her as he possibly could, but she had responded as he hadn't expected, deepening their kisses and their lovemaking.He h
After Declan left, Grayson looked toward the restroom and heard the shower come on. He was tempted to join her but ordered room service first. After he hung up, he slipped into the bathroom and pulled back the shower curtain."Mind if I join you?" he asked.She shrugged, leaning back into the water to rinse her hair. He was suddenly jealous, having wanted to shampoo her long hair for her."Look...." Grayson sighed. "I'm so sorry about Dima... that you were put into that position with her. I promise you that I'll have a talk with Piers about keeping you safe."She opened her eyes and stood before him, letting the water run over her glorious body. "I have one thing to say to you."One corner of his lips curled into a smile. "Oh? And what's that?"She shrugged. "Who's going to protect you... from me?" Before he could say anything more, she pulled him into the shower, robe and all. ***After their shower, room service had delivered their breakfast. They spent the morning feeding each othe
Grayson opened the door for Ari, headed for the castle, when flashbulbs went off in their faces."Is it true that you're married?" one woman asked."Where're you from?" a man asked Ari. "How did you meet?" another man asked Grayson.Grayson grabbed Ari's arm, pulled her back inside, and closed the door. "Where are my bodyguards?" He whipped out his phone and quickly dialed Piers Wingfield's number."Yeah?" Piers answered on the first ring. "I can't get out my door! The paparazzi are swarming!" Grayson spat into the phone. "Where are my guards?"It sounded as if Piers started walking and then running. "Are you at the hotel? Is Her Royal Highness with you, too?""Yes, she is." Grayson looked over at her and she folded her arms across her chest. Then he turned his attention back to Piers. "Where are my bodyguards?"Grayson heard a car door slam shut at Piers' end of the phone. "That's what I'm going to find out. I'm on my way."Grayson clicked off and shoved his cell phone into the insi
Bang! Bang! Bang!Grayson opened the door and Piers was on the other side. "We're ready."Grayson nodded, then he closed the door and held Ari's coat for her. "They're ready."Ari slipped into her coat, colder than she had been before."About Dima—""Let's not talk about it now," Ari cut him off. "I said what I had to. What you do with the information is entirely up to you." Then she turned to look into his eyes. "But know this. It's not just about you anymore. It's about me now, too."Grayson nodded once. "Let's go." He wasn't going to make her promises that he couldn't keep. He wasn't going to tell her that Dima would no longer bother them because, frankly, he didn't know. He had hoped that he meant more to Dima than for her to destroy not only his marriage, but his life. But after this, he no longer knew."Let's go!" Piers and two other guards whisked Grayson and Ari down the hallway. A guard was standing by the elevator, waiting. Another guard blocked off the stairwell close by. Pi
Ari pulled her coat around her to shield herself from the cold. But the cold was not only from the weather.Grayson reached over and held her hand. "I don't want there to be anything bad between us. Not now."She nodded, letting him take her hand. She was amazed at the level of attraction she felt for him. When she had agreed to marry him, Ari hadn't expected that. She had no idea what she expected, but this wasn't it. It was as if she already knew him, as if they had known each other in another life. But she pushed the thought aside. She knew that married life, and the adjustments that came along with it, would be hard. But she had no idea it would have this many good points. Ari snuggled close to him. "I just wish everyone would leave us alone and let us be a normal married couple."Grayson nodded, wrapping his arm around her. "Welcome to the monarchy. Nothing's ever normal." Then he lips curled into a smile. "What is normal, anyway?"Ari smirked. "I surely wouldn't know."A few mom
Ari and Grayson were ready to leave the castle, but the King stopped them. "Grayson, a word." His father stepped to the side, out of earshot.Ari slipped into her coat while she waited. Grayson came back a moment later. "How would you like to continue our honeymoon in Switzerland, away from prying eyes?""Switzerland?" Ari asked in disbelief. It was going to take a while for her to get used to this level of life, thinking nothing of taking off to some place like Switzerland on a moment's notice.The King nodded. "Yes. I have a chalet in Switzerland, and I feel that you both will be safer while on your honeymoon, away from the paparazzi." He took her hands and looked into her eyes. "Please. Do this for me. It'll give me peace of mind.""Thank you." Ari replied, and then turned to Grayson. "Do you think it'll be safe?"He nodded, "It should be much safer than staying. Here, the paparazzi will find us, no matter where we go."Ava nodded, understanding. Grayson was right about one thing:
Ari and Grayson only had a few hours of sleep when Piers knocked on the door of the townhouse the next morning, but they were packed and ready to go. After their things were brought to them from the hotel the night before, they had spent most of the night packing."Ready?" Piers asked, peeking his head through the door.Grayson opened the door wide, letting him in. "Our bags are in here."Piers nodded and had some of his team bring out the bags. Then he turned to Grayson, "The path is clear to the limo so we should have no problem getting you out safely.""Good." Grayson turned to Ari and raised an eyebrow. "Ready?"Ari yawned, tired for not having had much sleep. "Let's do this."Grayson rubbed her back, smiling. "You can sleep in the car—""Or on the plane," Ari finished.Grayson nodded and then gently kissed her forehead. "We're ready."Within minutes, they were in the limo, headed for the airport, and minutes after that, they were on a private jet."Anything to drink?" a flight att
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