Page 39 of Beautiful Ascension

Lev sighs. “Yes, for the hundredth time. Wes is distracting her.”

Poor guy. He always seems to draw the short straw, having to take one for the team when it comes to Samantha—still better him than me.

“How exactly is he distracting her?” Wy asks.

“He took her shopping,” Lev answers, and Wyatt and I groan.

I wouldn’t have volunteered to do that for any amount of money.

“Unlucky bastard,” Wyatt murmurs, and I nod in agreement.

We climb the last flight of stairs and come to another locked door.

“I don’t know if I should be annoyed or glad that Dr. Jaffri is taking Ariah’s safety seriously. How many goddamn security measures do we have to go through? We’re going to miss the whole damn appointment at this rate,” I whisper shout.

I hear Lev’s fingers flying over his keyboard. “Quit your whining. There are not nearly enough measures in place. Once you two leave there, I’m going to work with Teagan and the Jacobis to fortify their security. It was far too easy to bypass all their systems.”

The lock disengages as he gives us our next round of instructions. Ariah is on the tenth floor behind three security layers, which doesn’t include her personal guards outside her exam room. My nostrils flare at the memory of how Reign touched her. I hope that’s not his jerking hand because he won’t have it much longer. Then, there are also six armed men positioned at the entrance of Dr. Jaffri’s office and four more in the waiting room.

“Okay, the vents you’re looking for should be coming up on your left. Unscrew the bottom two screws. This will allow you to crawl through without any suspicion,” Lev instructs.

Wyatt pulls tools from his pocket and then opens the vent. We both silently discuss which one will climb in first before he squats down for me to stand on his shoulders.

“What the hell have you been eating, Owen—bricks?”

Lev bursts into laughter in our ears as Wyatt pushes up, and I slide in head first, leaving my legs out for Wyatt to use as leverage.

Once we’re both successfully in, we army crawl.

“What room is she in again?” I ask after what feels like hours.

“Shhh. You fuckheads need to be quiet. I’ll let you know when to stop,” Lev reprimands.

Rolling my eyes, I continue in silence, mainly because he’s right. We know the entire building has been emptied for this visit, but Ariah’s security detail is also stationed on other floors and could hear us. Reign might not be as stupid as I thought—he’s still a dead man.

I hear her before Lev can even say anything. My heart thumps out of my chest at being in such close proximity to her. Inhaling, I can faintly pick up her scent. She’s wearing something soft and floral.

“Everything has been fine,” Ariah says. I miss her doctor’s first question but catch the next one as I move into position for Wyatt and me to both be able to see.

Dr. Jaffri sits on a stool by a computer, facing Ariah. “Your lab work came back, and it looks like your calcium and iron levels are running a bit low, as well as your vitamin D. Have you been taking your prenatal vitamins and getting enough rest?”

“Yes to the vitamins. No to the sleep. Some nights I’m just restless, and others, I’m knocked out,” Ariah replies, chewing on her plump bottom lip, and I have to fight a groan and pray my dick behaves.

The doctor’s hand swirls on a device that I didn’t notice in her hands. “How many nights would you say you’ve been restless in the last week?”

“Three,” she and Wyatt answer at the same time.

Of course, he’d know.

“Shut the fuck up, or you’ll both get caught,” Lev barks.

Dr. Jaffri clears her throat. “I know the answer to this question, but I’ll ask it anyway. How is your stress level?”

Ariah snorts, “Well, considering the guys who helped make this happen. . .” She points to her growing stomach. “They are outwardly campaigning to try and embarrass me as they make my life hell and rub it in my face any chance they get that I’m not good enough for them. . . I’m freaking fantastic. On top of the world even, Doc. Oh, and let’s not forget there’s someone out there trying to kill me, and the only reason I’m even knocked up is because the doctor never put the implant in.”

“We’re going to have to try and work on reducing your stress levels. You’re already a higher-risk pregnancy.” Higher risk? What the fuck? “Due to carrying twins.”

Twins? As in two?

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