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At university, royal friends Galen Kouros, Khalil ibn Amir Al-Nazari and Augustine Solari were known as the wicked princes, causing mayhem wherever they went! Now they’re the three ruthless kings, each responsible for a whole nation, wielding more power than many could comprehend.
But even from their gilded thrones, there is one thing these kings are about to learn they cannot control...
Solace Ashworth is back and there’s one thing she wants from Galen...their son! Read on in:
Wed for Their Royal Heir
Khalil hasn’t forgotten the contract Sidonie Sullivan signed years ago. Now he’s about to make her his queen! Read on in:
Her Vow to Be His Desert Queen
Rumors abound that Winifred Scott is carrying playboy King Augustine’s baby... Read on in:
Pregnant with Her Royal Boss’s Baby
All available now!
For the OG Ashendens, Wendy and Richard.
CHAPTER ONE
WINIFREDSCOTTPAUSEDand squinted down yet another echoing, deserted palace hallway. She’d been given precise instructions about where her room was by one of the palace staff, but it was one in the morning, and she’d just come off a late-night flight from London and she was tired. So very tired. Getting turned around a few hallways back hadn’t helped, especially now that she wasn’t quite sure where she was. The hallways all looked the same, that was the problem, and she’d been half asleep when the staff member had given her directions, and now she couldn’t remember where she was supposed to go.
Getting lost in the royal palace in Al Da’ira—a small desert kingdom near the Red Sea, currently ruled by King Khalil ibn Amir al Nazari, one of her boss’s best friends—was embarrassing, especially when she’d been here before many times. Then again her sense of direction had never been that great.
Really, she should have worked out where her room wasbeforeshe’d landed, but she’d had a number of last-minute loose ends to tie up in London; then her plane had been delayed for three hours, which had meant she’d missed the ball she was supposed to have attended with her boss.
Given that said boss was Augustine Solari, king of the small, mountainous European kingdom of Isavere, and given to tetchiness if she wasn’t around when he needed her, she knew he’d be unhappy about her nonattendance.
She hadn’t been happy about it herself. Her entire professional life was dedicated to making sure the business of being a king was as easy as possible for him, and her not being at the ball would have complicated things.
Having to go to London in the first place had been a pain, but Augustine was due to arrive on an official visit after he’d finished in Al Da’ira, and there had been a few things she’d had to deal with in order to smooth the way. He did have a very specific set of needs. Then when the time had come to return to Al Da’ira, she’d had to fly commercial because Isavere’s royal jet was unavailable, and the plane had been delayed twice, meaning she hadn’t arrived untilwellafter the ball had ended.
It couldn’t be helped, but Augustine had sounded annoyed when she’d called him about the delay, which was going to make dealing with him the next morning fun.
She didn’t like it when he was annoyed. His life was hard enough as it was and it was her job to make it easier for him, and when she couldn’t she always felt as if she was failing in some way. Which she also didn’t like. But some things were out of her hands and plane delays was one of them.
She frowned at the hallway again. She’d just passed some Isaveran security staff so obviously she was at least sort of in the right place.
Perhaps her room was down this hallway.
She tightened her grip on her briefcase and went cautiously along it, pulling the small wheeled case that was the rest of her luggage behind her, before stopping before an intricately carved wooden door.
This must be it. In fact, it had better be it, because she was about ready to drop with exhaustion.
She put her briefcase down and tried the door handle, which opened silently.
Thank God.
Winifred went in, dumped her bags and shut the door. Then she fumbled around for the light switch, which, much to her annoyance, she didn’t find.
She muttered a curse under her breath, but as her eyes adjusted, she could see the room wasn’t totally dark. Dim light from what she assumed was an outside courtyard was coming through a gap in the curtains, showing her where the bed was.
Bed. That’s all she needed. That’s all she wanted. The difficulties of having to deal with Augustine she’d figure out in the morning, once she was rested. First a shower though, which meant finding out where the bathroom was.
That at least wasn’t a drama, and after shedding the crumpled clothing she’d been wearing for nearly twelve hours straight, she spent a blissful ten minutes standing under the hot water, washing off the travel grime.
Annoyingly, she was just drying herself off when the bathroom light flickered and went out, plunging her into yet more darkness. Irritated, she flicked the switch on and off a couple of times, but the light appeared to be well and truly dead.
