Shayne was used to trouble following her wherever she went, and bad things always seemed to happen whenever she deigned to return home. So it wasn't entirely a shock to discover that Tío Pacho, The King of Spain, drew his final breath within moments of her plane touching down on Spanish soil.

The call came through promptly on her cell from Marco's legal team in New York, where they were running around like hamsters on a wheel trying to ensure everything was in place while she stuffed her suitcases in the back of the palace limousine.

"Bienvenido, princessa," the driver tipped the brim of his hat, lisping the 'c' into the Spanish 'th', as he opened the door to the back seat.

Slumped inside, sunglasses shading her eyes, Shayne popped an Aleeve for her headache and swallowed it down with a mouthful of cold coffee. Jet lag tugged at her weary bones and she cursed the fact she hadn't had a wink of sleep the entire flight over. It was nearly three in the afternoon, and body was six hours behind.

She'd gone to great lengths to keep her return as private as possible by booking her flight less than a couple of hours away from departure with a connection in Madrid and a final destination in London. Anyone paying close attention would think she was taking a last minute trip out to visit Eshe.

Not returning home.

And though she couldn't think of anything worse than being trapped in her home country for three months, seeing her grandmother writhe like a flopping fish in her vintage Chanel soon as Shayne crossed the threshold did give her considerable joy.

Sleep evaded her during the short drive to the outskirts of the city. She gazed out the window as the city shifted into quiet residential streets of sandy bricked houses, and further still past a low rising stone wall with a narrow street that led into dusty, flat open land dotted with trees.

While the grand Palacio del Real—the official Royal Palace located in the heart of Madrid, it was owned by Spanish State. The royal family instead resided in the more modest palace, Zarzuela, on the outskirts of Madrid. A modest structure built when in the seventeen hundreds as hunting lodge and was restored in the 1950's to its current state of white and red brick. Elegant, but comfortable—understated.

The limo pulled up to the front of the gravel path and slid to a smooth stop before a stately home of red and white brick. She'd seen bigger mansions in LA and far more ostentatious. This was hardly a grand castle found in fairy tales, but Shayne was grateful for its understated elegance. The last thing she wanted was to be surrounded by gold filigree, vaulted ceilings and the dust of old royal farts.

"I can manage my own suitcases," she said, passing over a folded wad of Euros to the driver. "Is the Duchess in?"

"Yes," the driver answered, his expression concerned. "Are you sure you don't—?"

"I'm fine. And if anyone asks I'll be sure to tell them how attentive you were." Popping out of the car, Shayne had her bags unloaded as the front door whisked open. A woman dressed in a pressed suit descended the short stack of steps. Concepcion De La Fuente was the oldest member of staff for the royal family, and had managed the household for almost thirty seven years.

Aged had turned her hair grey, the ruthlessly tamed waves cut short and tied away from her long, lined face. And, to her credit, she didn't as much as blink at the sight of Shayne—shaggy haired, ripped jeaned and tattoos on full display.

"Bienvenido a casa, Princessa," she said with a smile and embraced Shayne warmly, kissing both of her cheeks. "We were not expecting you."

"That was the idea."

"On behalf of the household, I wish to extend my condolences, Princessa."

"Thank you."A pinch of grief snagged in Shayne's throat. "And please call me Shayne. Are my aunt and the Duchess in?"

Concepcion shook a gentle head. "They are still at the hospital, though I am sure they will be along shortly once they receive word you have come home."

"Good."

"Allow me to help you with your bags."

Shayne barely cracked open her mouth before Concepcion snapped her fingers and a team of staff swooped in to haul the suitcases into the palace.

"Your grandmother has already claimed the royal bed chambers last week after the Dowager Queen relocated to be closer to the hospital, but I can have the Prince's Pavilion set up for you," Concepcion said as she guided Shayne up the steps with a hand to the small of her back. "In the mean time, might I suggest you make use of the guest room to shower and change before The Duchess and Dowager Queen arrive?"

"No, I'm fine. I would like you to call Señor Gallego."

Concepcion raised a brow. "Bernardo? The royal solicitor?"

"Yes." Shayne shucked off her leather jacket, and hooked it over her arm. "Until he arrives, I have a few calls to make and some paperwork to print out, so I'll be in Tío Pacho's study if you need me."

Concepcion blinked a few times in surprise, but a hint of a smile coaxed around the edges of her lips. "What are you up to, gorriónita?"

Little sparrow. No one had called her that in nearly ten years. The nickname given to her by her father. The heat of tears lanced the back of her eyes, and Shayne blinked them away, refusing to think of her parents and the sadness remembering them brought.

She would not face the Duchess bloodshot and snot-faced with heartbreak.

"Let me know when he's here." Shouldering her carryon, Shayne strode through the foyer towards the heart of the palace. The study was hitched to the library, walled with polished dark wood and smelled of cigar smoke.

Her uncle had liked to smoke at least two a day, on top of his endless chain of cigarettes.

Booting the door shut, Shayne dragged out the heavy chair, high backed and shaped almost like a throne, wrapped in steel grey leather and studded with brass nails behind a fifteenth century mahogany desk.

And went to work.

Dragging a laptop out of her carryon, Shayne popped it on the desk and plugged it in, using an international adapter, and called Priya as she logged in.

"What's the status?" she demanded without wasting time.

"Everything's been formally legalized. A hardcopy is on route via courier, I've emailed you the tracking number along with the scanned documents. Should reach you by tomorrow afternoon."

Shayne hummed in thought as she whisked through her emails until she found the one from Priya with three attached files. Opening each one, she fired them off to the study's printer. It hummed to life and within a few seconds started spitting out paper.

"How are you feeling?" Priya asked.

"Fucking exhausted," Shayne grumbled around a grin, "but pissing all over the Duchess' territory has oddly rejuvenating effects. Wish someone could make it a weekly spa treatment."

Priya snorted, yawned. "Alright, well, keep us posted. Eshe and Cait are dying to know how it all goes down. Cait wanted me to talk you into Facebook live streaming it."

"Don't tempt me."

"And Isabel also sends her love," Priya added. "I'm going to grab a power nap and will check in with you in a couple of hours."

"Sounds good."

"Love you, bitch."

"Love you more." Hanging up with a grin, Shayne gathered the sheaf of papers and stapled them together.

Twenty minutes later the doors to the study burst open and a stockily built man swept in. His face was dominated by puckered lips, a thin, hooked nose, and round tortoise framed glasses. Dressed in a thin pale blue sweater beneath a suit jacket and tailored slacks, Bernardo Gallego, much like Concepcion, had been in the employ of the royal family for most of his life. He'd known Shayne from the moment she was born, but unlike Concepcion, she'd never warmed to the man.

His personality was as cold and uncomfortable as old sweat. But he'd served the family faithfully, and was the only reason Tío Pacho had held the throne for as long as he had, despite near a decade of turmoil.

"Princessa," he stopped before the desk and inclined his head. "What are you doing in the King's study?"

"Waiting for you." She cocked a wrist and tapped an imaginary watch. "Getting a bit slow, aren't we?"

His puckered lips rolled to the left. "I don't appreciate being summoned. With the King dead I have a lot of work to do to prepare for the royal announcement of succession and—"

"Which is why I summoned you." Flashing a wide grin, Shayne shoved the stapled documents across the desk. "Read it and weep."

His eyes dipped to the documents, and held there a moment before he sat down in the waiting chair and gathered them into his lap. Eyes closed, Shayne listened to the song of whispering pages punctuated by his rising oaths.

"What sort of game is this?"

"Not a game. As you can see all the i's have been dotted, and the t's crossed."

He dropped the papers to the desk. "It's absurd."

"It's binding."

"Your grandmother will not stand for this...this disgrace."

"Indeed," a cold voice blasted from beyond the line of Bernardo's shoulder, and both she and Bernardo whipped their gaze to the Duchess of Merlo, standing in the doorway of the study. "Your uncle—your King—is dead barely two hours and you don't even have the decency to pay your respects to your grieving aunt at the hospital?" the Duchess seethed, easing the door shut behind her. "Instead you're messing about in his personal study. The place where he conducted matters of state. Have you no shame?"

She stomped towards the desk, hands in fists, her elegantly coiffed white hair, styled in a perfect cloud around her austere face. And though the whites of her eyes were palest pink, the entirety of her makeup was unmarred.

Apparently the King of Spain—the disappointment of her two sons, was not worth shedding actual tears over.

"Speaking of shame," Shayne shucked the wrapper off a lollipop she plucked from her jacket pocket, sour apple green, and popped it in her mouth. "You're getting awfully comfortable in the palace, aren't you, Duchess? I might've borrowed Tío's office, but I hear you're borrowing the royal bedrooms."

"These are tumultuous times." The Duchess raised an imperious chin, dark eyes full of authority. "We do not have the luxury of falling apart. Not when our country needs their king. And now that my son is dead, I intend to govern them until Marco regains his health."

Shayne rolled her eyes to Bernardo and grinned around the candy orb in her mouth. "Are you going to show her? Or shall I?"

Bernardo's lashes fluttered in something precariously close to an eye roll. "Allow me, your grace." He offered the signed paperwork he'd diligently combed through and offered it to the Duchess with a sigh of regret. "It appears Marco has appointed his sister as his heir apparent, and given her full authority to act in his stead while he completes his treatment in Toronto for a period of no less than three months, but with an extension for as long as year, if necessary."

The Duchesses spine stiffened and she snatched the sheaf of papers from Bernardo's hands, eyes soaking up the legalese as she swiped through page after page after page. Color leeched from her powdered cheeks, and her mouth flopped open.

"No," the Duchess gasped. "No, I won't allow it."

Shayne rolled the lollipop stick between her teeth, and boosted her boots on the edge of the desk, amused by the Duchess's expression of abject horror. "Now that is priceless. Thinking you have a choice, or a say in the matter."

"You are not worthy, you are not fit for such responsibility." Ripping the document in half, popping the staple, the Duchess heaved the papers at Shayne with a snarl. Her small frame rattled like a rabid Pekinese poodle about to lose her shit. "Marco had no right to appoint you—you as—!"

"Well he did." Shayne dragged her feet from the desk and boosted from the seat. Her feet settling over paper scattered about the study like confetti. "And whatever your personal feelings about me, it doesn't change the fact I have been appointed as Spain's interim Queen."

"The head of Spanish State will never sanction this."

"We shall see what they have to say when the time comes. Until then I am named heir-apparent by Marco's own hand." Pressing a button on the underside of the desk, a fraction of a moment later the doors pushed open and Concepcion entered, hands clasped before her. "I'd like The Duchesses things removed from the royal bedrooms immediately and relocated the Prince's Pavilion."

Concepcion cleared her throat, nodded. "At once."

Twisting the stem of her lollipop, she sucked loudly before dragging it from her mouth, and jabbed the glistening green end towards the Duchess as she rounded the desk. Her movements slow. Cagey. "You can fight me on this, and in truth—I hope you do. I've wanted to face off with you in the ring since I was a little girl. But this will have to do. Fight me, fight me with everything you have. Down to your last breath. Hold no punches." Shayne brought herself toe to toe, until she was square with those dark, ruthless eyes. "It will make beating you all the sweeter knowing you gave it everything you had."

The Duchess opened her mouth, the barest parting of her lips when Bernardo reached out and gathered her wrist. "Consuela..." The Duchess snapped her mouth shut with a hard exhale, rage flashing in the depths of her eyes with a silent promise of war.

Shayne watched as The Duchess stalked from the study, Bernardo in her wake, and claimed the first round as hers.

But there was still a long way to go.

***AN***

GAHHHHH!!!! OMG I can't tell you how good it feels to be back with my girls. I'm sorry for the ridiculously long absence but some exciting things have happened in the last six months. 

First and foremost - I have landed one of the BIGGEST agents in publishing to represent me. We've been working on editing and getting my YA Fantasy novel - TOUCHED BY FIRE ready. And as of yesterday  I AM OFFICIALLY ON SUB!!! Which means we're shopping it around to editors. 

GUYS!

My dreams are right there. So close!!!! 

Any positive thoughts and energy would be soooooooooooo much appreciated as I anxiously wait to find out if a publishing house will actually buy my book.

So, now that I have that off my plate - for now - I am diving back into the Sisterhood, and another WIP to keep my mind and hands busy so I don't stress. Hence why we have this amazing but seriously overdue chapter. 

I want to THANK YOU all for being so endlessly supportive and patient. I know it's been unforgivably long, and I seriously did not intend to leave things wait for such an extensive stretch, but this is where sometimes prioritizing forces us to have to pick and choose what is most important.  

I love you guys all so much, and I am determined to finish book two for you all because these girls have made us all FAMILY. 

SO over the next couple of weeks I am going to try and bang out as many chapters as I can to get this story well under way again. Also, in future should I run into another hiatus - please connect with me on Twitter (same name)!! I'm far more accessible there and I want to keep in touch with all of you as much as possible. 

LOVE n HUGS!!!