The Silver Eyed Prince (Highest Royal Coven of Europe) (17 page)

He scrutinized the cottage with a frown. The details on the girl were classified, but not code red. However, he did suspect that something about her case seemed
unusual.

Keenly observant, he noted high-ranking European Royals, including Prince William XIV, glance in their direction earlier while he chatted with Elizabeth in the parking lot. The Prince even approached her after he'd left, a scene he witnessed on his rearview mirror. A mere Tainted girl would not interest a Royal of his ca
liber.

He knew the Prince recognized him. His position as Colonel and Brigade Commander constantly placed him in contact with the Ruling European Co
ven. The Prince's reaction to his presence in civilian clothing indicated he'd figured out that he was working under cover.

The first light of day broke into the horizon. Col
onel Gunter checked his watch. Another hour and he could leave. Suspicions nagged him.
Why were the European Royals interested in Elizabeth? And what in the blazes was Prince William XIV doing at Darian Hall?

He looked up at the second story window where the girl's bedroom was.

Elizabeth. Another
Elizabeth.

He recalled an old case he worked on that had gone cold. It had been the most important case of the previous century that challenged and baffled him the most. In fact, it was the only case he was in charge of that was left u
nsolved. To this day, he still wondered about what had happened to that particular Elizabeth.
She even has the same color hair as this other Elizabeth....

He
sat up.
Could it be?
He shook his head after a brief contemplation.
Really, Gunter!
He reprimanded himself,
there's no use obsessing over an unsolved case to mollify your bruised ego for failing to bring it to a conclusion.
It was what it was.
Cold.

Sunbeams filtered through the trees. He squinted and put his dark sunglasses on, then turned the ign
ition. The Colonel cast a last thorough scan of the house and its surroundings.
Perhaps there's more beneath the surface,
he thought as he drove off, looking forward to unraveling the mysteries of his new task.

Lady Catherine of Denmark

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

The Palladian Mansion

Greenwich,
Connecticut

        Catherine hurried across the courtyard to the walkway along the side of the mansion that led to the circular driveway in front. She wanted to catch up with Prince William and was relieved to find him there, talking to David and Philippe.

“William!” She hastened towards him just as the silver Mercedes his cousins were riding in drove away. “Can I ride with you?”

The Prince glanced at her and mounted his motorcycle. “Um, not today. Why don’t you ride with the twins as usual?” He nodded towards Silvia and Sophia who were boarding the yellow BMW convertible parked a few yards away.

“But I haven't ridden with you since I got here,” she protested. “And you've been neglecting me.” She pouted prettily at him.

“I'm in a rush.” He put his helmet on, cutting their conversation short. He kicked-started the engine, springing it to life with an angry roar. Catherine stepped back. Without even a wave goodbye, the Prince squeezed the accelerator and took off. She watched him speed down the long driveway to the immense iron gates of the estate until he disappeared from view.

Crestfallen, a niggling concern came over her. She had been trying to comprehend his sudden change in beha
vior since that last week they spent with his cousins in Switzerland. He had been distant and had suddenly flown back to England without telling her. She was shocked to learn of their departure from his butler!

Fortunately, her mother, the Marchioness, took it upon herself to i
nquire about their destination from her contacts at the private royal airport. Apparently, after a three-day stopover in England, the Prince and his cousins went on to America to study at the renowned academy, Darian Hall.

Luckily, her mother managed to secure a last m
inute admission to the school for her. Thus, without a second thought, she followed and showed up at the Prince's Connecticut estate unannounced
.

How awkward that had been!
The Prince didn't hide his annoyance, nor bothered to invite her to stay with him in his mansion!
Oh—she was so hurt, but she didn't dare confront him!
William always had a volatile temper that no one, not even she, must provoke.

Nonetheless, she ended up asking the twins if she could stay with them in the townhouse at the back of the property. Thankfully they let her, a
lbeit reluctantly.

Still—, why did William dismiss her as if she was a nuisance? Had he tired of her?
Catherine frowned, upset at the thought of their strange, bland relationship—
if she could even call it a relationship!

She spent five decades following him around. Ev
eryone assumed they were betrothed, but the truth was, Prince William had never popped the question. Even though they kissed and spent some nights together, he never said anything romantic beyond liking her company or that she was pretty.

And yes—she wanted more! She'd been yearning for that one thing he'd never offered her after all this time.

A
Commitment.
Without it, did she truly have the right to demand his exclusive attention—, or was she making a fool of herself?

“Catherine!” Sophia, one of the twins, called from the car. “Are you coming?”

Startled, she quickly brushed away her nostalgia. “Yes.” She headed towards them and feigned a smile to hide the turmoil she felt inside.

What was she to him, then? A tr
ophy to show off at Royal gatherings? A quick fix to satisfy his needs? But he never hid the fact that he had other lovers too—, so what exactly did she expect?

Catherine sighed. Somewhere in the depths of her heart, she knew. She wished he returned her affections and loved her, like a certain Australian aristocrat did ... many years ago.
She wanted him to cherish her that way—,
that much!

She heaved another poignant sigh and slid inside the car.

Would she spend the rest of her life chasing him around? Was her decades-old devotion for naught?
Catherine stared at her bare ring finger. He had never been displeased by her company before, nor avoided her openly the way he did now
. Why the sudden change? Had someone else captured his elusive heart?

The Former Queen’s Plight

       At the yellow cottage, Elizabeth's mother, the former Queen Elizabeth Gwendolyn XV, peered outside the window as a black SUV parked in front. “Elizabeth! Your friend is here!”

Her daughter
bounded down the steps. “Come say hello to Chad, Mom!” She sauntered to the door.

Mom saw the tall, fair-haired gentleman walk t
owards the front porch. He rang the bell and turned slightly, revealing his face under the light.

Mom froze.
It couldn't be!
She watched in panic as Elizabeth opened the door.

“Hi! Come and meet my mom for a sec,” she heard her daughter say.

“Sure,” she heard the gentleman reply.

Mom dashed down the hallway towards the bat
hroom and listened to the sound of his boots on the hardwood floor inside the house.

“Mom? Where are you? Chad is here!” Elizabeth's light footfalls a
pproached the end of the hallway where she hid inside the restroom.

Hastily, she pushed the lock and turned on the w
ater. “I'm in the shower!”

Elizabeth's footsteps paused by the bathroom door. “You were just standing by the window.” Her daughter tested the doorknob. “I thought you were going to say
hello
.”

“Ooopps! My bad! Just tell him I said
hi
. You guys drive safe, okay?”

“Okay,” she heard Elizabeth sigh and could imagine her rolling her eyes. “Bye, Mom. See you later.”

“Bye, Hon.”

“Sorry,” she overheard Elizabeth say to the gentl
eman. “She's in the shower.”

“There's always a next time.” He chuckled.

Mom waited until their footsteps faded. A squeak sounded and the front door closed. She peeked cautiously down the hallway before venturing towards the living room. Then, she discreetly parted the curtains and looked out the window.

Elizabeth had boarded the SUV and her friend shut the passenger door for her. He strolled towards the dri
ver's side and this time, she got a full view of his face.

Colonel Alexus Gunter!
She gasped.

Worsening her dismay, the Colonel paused and aimed his razor-sharp eyes in her direction. An odd fee
ling that he knew she was watching made her heart pound. She held her breath and remained stock-still, as he glanced her way one last time before climbing into the SUV and driving off into the night.

Relieved, she collapsed onto a nearby chair. Yes, she was grateful that a formidable assassin was guar
ding Elizabeth. He would keep her safe at all cost. But Colonel Gunter was also the commander in charge of the search and rescue mission for her seventeen years ago. He would recognize her instantly and no doubt carry on his unfinished mission to bring her back to Europe. If that happened, the news would easily reach John Drake, Duke of Northern Peninsula. War would be inevitable and her daughter's life would plunge into chaos!

Friendship, Love,

A First Kiss and A Little Garlic

       Inside the comfort of Chad's SUV, Elizabeth secretly observed him as they drove into the dark woods. She didn't feel threatened around him like she'd anticipated. On the contrary, his presence made her feel very safe.

“What are you thinking?” Chad glanced at her.

“Just wondering about your school.” Elizabeth couldn't help but notice his scarlet eyes. They looked keen and analytical, indicating an alertness and intelligence about him.

“Tactical Defense Institute?” He turned his atte
ntion back on the road. “What about it?”

“What do they teach you there?”

“Uh—, Tactical Defense?” He peeked sideways at her and grinned.

Elizabeth chuckled. “I know that, silly! I meant, if you have the same curriculum as ours.”

“No, we don't, except for Combat.” He shifted his position and leaned closer. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious.” Elizabeth caught a whiff of his c
ologne. He smelled of spice and the outdoors and she rather liked it. “Did you always want to go to military school?”

“Well, my dad is a General and my dad's dad is an Admiral, so yeah—it's in my blood.”

“Wow. You got big shoes to fill. Must be interesting growing up in your family.”

“Yup, especially with two younger brothers, also in military school. My mom used to say there's too much te
stosterone in the house.” He laughed and switched his hold on the steering wheel, resting a hand on his thigh. “What about you?”

“Me?” Elizabeth followed his movement with her eyes, distracted by the swell of muscles on his leg where his long fingers casually splayed.

“No, I was talking to the stick shift.” The humor in his voice drew her attention back to his face.

Her cheeks flamed. “What do you want to know?” she nonchalantly asked, pretending she hadn't just been caught gawking.

He shrugged. “Anything you could spare.”

“Okay . .
.” She deliberated on how to summarize her bizarre life into something that sounded perfectly normal. “I'm seventeen, born in California, and lived a cool gypsy lifestyle with my mom before settling here. Met Ben, Carlos, and Lela at Darian, love music and reading, and—and I guess that's it!” 

“What about family? Your dad?”

“Never knew him nor any relatives, sad to say, and I have no siblings.” She gazed out the window. Suddenly uneasy with the way their conversation was progressing.

“So it's just you and your mom,” his tone sobered.

“Yeah,” she replied without taking her eyes off the darkness outside.

“Well, don't you worry,” the playfulness in his voice, returned. “If you need somebody to do some man-work around the house; fix the roof, mow the lawn, act as bodyguard—, I'm your man.”

Glad with the change of subject, Elizabeth couldn't help but tease him. “Are you saying that aside from being an expert handyman, you're also a Knight in shining blue jeans?”

“To guard and protect you—,” he propped an elbow on the center console and bestowed her the most char
ming dimpled smile, “with all my valiant heart.”