Cheeky Prince

  Ariel conceded slightly. "Yes, I do think that the king possibly wants to use you because you’re a woman. But you need to look at it like you’re the secret weapon. And you have to show Noah and the super alphas over there what they don't have."

  I inclined my head. “An ounce of fat?”

  Ariel grinned. "Me."

  I returned her smile with genuine enthusiasm. "That's right. I do. And the two of us together, we make one hell of a team. God, I loved the look on Matthias's face when you told him you were already in the system. That was freaking priceless."

  Ariel said. "I’ll tell you now, it wasn't easy. And to be honest, I had just barely breached. I slipped in like the thinnest of tapeworms. And his systems were already on the lookout for me. It was mostly luck. And he happened to notice that I was there just at the right time. I let myself get caught and asked for permission nicely. His systems would have kicked me out eventually anyway, and then it would be next to impossible for me to get in. He's that good."

  "Yeah, let’s not tell them that."

  "Nope, we sure won’t. So did the pep talk suffice?"

  "You mean am I ready to engage in my somewhat open-ended mission to keep the Crown Prince of Winston Isles safe from harm?"

  “Yeah, that.”

  I shrugged. "Yeah, sure thing. Never mind that I have absolutely no idea how to do that."

  “Lucky for you, I do. And it starts with getting you closer to him.”

  I pursed my lips. Ariel seemed far too chipper about the prospect. “Something tells me I’m not going to like this.”

  Ariel placed a finger over my lips. “Shhh, just let it happen. Best if you don’t know what I have planned.”

  Chapter 7