His Royal Princess Page 11

  "Oof." A dead weight landed on her leg. She strained against the fabric.

  Nat!

  The bundle nudged her hip.

  "Nat?" She wiggled closer.

  In the dark, swaddled up, she sought the comfort of the wiggling mass beside her. She lay still and gathered her strength. Pain exploded in her head, and she couldn't seem to catch her breath.

  "Celina?"

  The blanket blocked her vision and disoriented her. She struggled to sit up, but only managed to get her head off the floor.

  "Celina!"

  The events unfolded in her mind. Shanna must have orchestrated the men to capture her and Natalia. She rolled her body back and forth, succeeded in righting herself, and kicked her bound feet out.

  "Nat? Where are you?"

  "Here." Nat nudged Celina's leg.

  "What is happening?"

  "Sh...I think we are being transported. Keep your voice down in case they can hear us."

  "Transported? I don't understand..."

  "The woman who came to retrieve us is behind this. I heard her talking with a man. She told the person to take us to the cave."

  The cave? Celina shook her head. "I do not know about any caves on the island." Her brothers would be more familiar with the terrain. Unlike the females, the males had free reign of the island.

  "Why would she do this? She knows what Papa will do when he finds out."

  The cart slowed down and stopped. The surf pounded loud enough to block any conversation between Nat and herself without screaming at each other.

  Celina lay back down. She held her breath to calm her racing heart, and exhaled.

  Suddenly, Celina once again found herself upside down, a shoulder digging into her stomach as someone carried her away. She counted the steps the person took, but with her stomach pitching with each step, she gave up.

  The person set her down roughly. Her head banged against a hard object, but she remained in a sitting position. More shuffling came from somewhere in front of her, followed by a groan of pain. Nat!

  Someone yanked the covering off Celina's head. A fiery, sharp heat sliced down her cheek. She flinched, and squeezed her eyes shut against the sting.

  The rush of cold air in her face helped the pain in her head, and she gulped fresh air. Her hands remained tied, but with her head now uncovered, she gained confidence. It would help her figure out a way back to the palace.

  In the abyss of darkness, she strained to make out any shapes. She might as well be blind.

  "Nat?"

  "I'm here."

  "Are you okay?" she asked. She didn't know what to call her. Nat? Mother? Mama?

  "I think so. You?"

  "Yes. He cut away the fabric over my head and cut my cheek."

  "Can you tell how bad it is?"

  "It's only a scratch. It's not hurting much." She rolled her head against the hard wall.

  A cool breeze rushed at them, echoed off the walls, and validated Celina's hunch. They were in a cave. A seashell put to the ear to hear the ocean sounded the same.

  "Do you think anyone knows where we are?" she whispered.

  "Charles and Drake will look for us and will tell the prince. Don't worry. As long as we stay together, we'll be okay. I won't let anything happen to you."

  Celina struggled against the ropes, and Nat scooted closer. Celina bent her head down and managed to clench the fabric binding her knees together between her teeth. Her muscles strained with the effort. She spat the few strands of thread she managed to tear. If she continued at this rate, it would be days before she freed herself.

  "I can't get loose, and my hands are falling asleep," Celina panted.

  "Let's rest for a few minutes and gain our strength. Then we can try to move closer to each other. Maybe I can feel with my mouth what kind of rope they used to tie us." Nat shifted the weight on her hip. "If I have to, I'll gnaw through the rope to get you loose."

  The strength in Nat's words slammed into Celina. How many times had she wished to hear a mother's fierce protectiveness aimed at her?

  "I don't understand any of this," Nat said.

  "It was Shanna. Papa's second wife."

  "But why?"

  "I don't know. She hates me, but she hates everyone."

  Celina sunk her teeth into the rope, bit down with all her strength, and ground her jaw back and forth, gnawing in panic. What if their capturers came back? She pulled against the bind until she lost her grip. She groaned and fell back against the wall of the cave. This wasn't going to work.

  "Just rest, daughter."

  Daughter. Natalia called her daughter. Celina swallowed, unsure how to respond.

  "Nat...How did I end up with Papa?"

  The rustling coming from Nat's direction stopped. Celina squeezed her eyes shut. Not from the darkness, but to protect her from something she didn't want to hear.

  "When I left the prince, I still loved him. Not the same way I loved your father, or even the way I love Charles now. The prince gave me one of the greatest gifts someone could give another person." Nat took a deep breath and let it out. "I experienced love from someone who loved me for the person I am; not because I'm beautiful, and not because he wanted to keep me as a possession. He honestly cared about my happiness during a time in my life when I needed someone like him."

  Celina remained motionless through Nat's telling, afraid to miss what she confessed. Celina swallowed over the lump in her throat. She knew the kind of love her mother mentioned. Drake gave her the same kind.

  "I found myself in the hospital, my husband dead, and an infant who needed a mother...I didn't know what to do. I fought depression and couldn't even get myself out of the hospital bed to take care of myself, because I was in a body cast. I mourned the loss of being able to take care of a baby. But, without arms and legs..."

  Nat cleared her throat. "The doctors were not sure I would ever walk again, so I contacted the prince and told him what happened. He came to America and agreed to raise you until I got back on my feet and was able to take care of you. You have to understand—"

  "But it didn't take twenty-one years." Unable to keep the question to herself, Celina spoke her mind. She understood how she ended up with the prince, but her mother never returned.

  "No. Almost three years later, after years of therapy and learning how to walk again, I traveled back to Antaka. I came to retrieve my daughter. What I found was a toddler who loved her papa, the prince. You were happy and smiling. I watched you from the balcony of the prince's office, running in the courtyard and playing with the other children of the village. You laughed and loved your life."

  "So you left me." Celina didn't question her.

  "Yes. I don't regret what I did, Celina. I was unhappy for many years, and you deserved the love and protection that the prince could offer you...what I couldn't give you alone. My parents were already gone, and the prince was the only one I would trust with my most important love."

  If Celina knew the love of a mother while growing up, all those years of hating her mother for what she did to the prince—for hating all Americans for what she thought one person did—might never have matured and festered.

  "The prince and I agreed that when you were old enough to understand my choices, he would let you come to America and get to know me. Of course, he protected his reputation in the meantime. If his people knew he let me walk away after betraying him in the worse way a wife can betray her husband, they would have revolted. He would have lost the respect he'd earned." Natalia sighed. "He made up the phony tombstone and spread the word I'd died in a car accident. That way he didn't lose the power over his people. I didn't think he would tell you such a story of stoning me to death, or let others punish you with the lie. For that, I'm so sorry."

  The dank cold seeped inside the blanket surrounding Celina. She shivered. With so many of her questions answered, the truth of what happened with her mother forced her to realize she hated for the wrong reasons. Her mother loved her, and her pa
pa protected her.

  "Papa never told me about how you'd died," Celina admitted. "Shanna told me when I was six years old. After I asked Papa, he told me to not listen to the others...but I did." Celina bit her lip to keep from crying. "No one else would tell me about you, and I assumed you were stoned to death the way Shanna explained it to me. When I asked the other wives, they said my questions upset the prince and I should concentrate on being a good Antakian. Oh, God, I believed that woman."

  "We are all to blame, Celina. Me, your papa, Shanna—every single one of us is responsible for the suffering you've gone through. We all played charades, but I want you to understand, I'll do anything to get to know you now. I want to be part of your life."

  "We have to get out of here." Celina scooted, inch-by-precious little inch, closer to her mother.

  "We will."

  "No, we have to get out of here now. I need to talk with Drake. I think I made a terrible mistake." She dug her heels in the ground and propelled farther ahead.

  "Celina, Drake loves you."

  "He knew who you were, didn't he?"

  "Yes. We felt it would be better that he knew why you were brought to America...and later, when you two grew closer, we thought having someone support you would make it easier to take the news." Nat groaned. "I'm so sorry. I don't think I could ever—"

  "Come on, wiggle closer, and I'll work on your ropes," Celina said.

  Her blanket-clad legs brushed against her mother. She leaned her head over, using her cheeks to gauge where the ropes might lay. Opening her mouth, she ran her lips along the rope and searched for a knot. Yes.

  "I found the knot. I'm going to try and chew through it." Celina ground her teeth against the fibrous material of the rope. She grunted and strained. Her own bindings cut into her arms. She forced her body into an unnatural position. She had to make this work.

  "I think it's working," Celina mumbled around the rope. She worked harder, becoming more determined as she gained progress. She needed to get them loose and find Drake. He needed to know she still loved him and would go back to America with him.

  The rope gave away and fell out of Celina's mouth. She collapsed into Nat's lap and let the sobs overtake her.

  "I did it." Her laugh came out hysterical. She stayed in her mama's lap listening to the praise Natalia sent her way.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Charles strolled into Drake's room. His son lay sprawled out on the bed, his hands behind his head. This trip had everyone's wishes for a happily ever after working overtime. For Drake to find happiness, the rift between Natalia and her daughter must close and heal first.

  "Drake, have you seen Natalia this morning?"

  Drake's long legs swung around, and he sat up. He ran his hand over his face. Charles had never seen his son's face so haunted.

  "No. Maybe, she and Celina are talking."

  Charles nodded. "Yes."

  A deep sigh came from Drake as if his life depended on winning Celina back. Charles sat beside his son. He knew exactly what Drake was going through; he felt the same way about Natalia. "It'll work out, son. Have faith."

  Drake scoffed. "She wouldn't even talk with me last night. She kept asking me if I came to witness her punishment. The way Celina acted, I think she believes the prince will stone her to death the way she believes he killed her mother. I just hope Natalia can make her believe the truth. I can't stand knowing she suffers every day from a lie she was told. I think we need to talk with Prince Joqua. Celina, if nothing else, will listen to him. He's as much at fault as everyone else."

  "Yeah, you might be right, son."

  ***

  Prince Joqua's servant ushered Drake and Charles into the prince's private room. The prince sat alone at his desk, going over papers.

  "Prince Joqua?" Drake stood in the entryway. Out of respect for his father, he restrained himself from strangling Celina's papa.

  "Hello Drake, Charles." Prince Joqua stacked the papers he worked on and stood.

  "I would like it if you could talk with Celina. Make her see why we're all here."

  The prince inhaled deeply through his nose and frowned. "It's long past time I talk with my daughter. I've dreaded the day this would happen, and now I believe I have waited too long to set things right."

  Drake sensed the trepidation from the prince, but understood how he only wanted the best for Celina.

  "She loves you." Drake stepped forward.

  The prince nodded. "I believe she loves you too. You will have to make sure you tell her." He patted his chest. "Tell her until she knows it in here."

  Drake nodded. "I will, Prince." As soon as Celina will talk with me.

  Prince Joqua summoned Linje and asked him to retrieve his oldest daughter.

  "She's hurting, Prince." Drake cupped the back of his neck. Since Celina ran away, each day seemed to drag on and on, without any sign that things were going to improve.

  "I know she is. She holds a special place in my heart that even my children from my blood will never fill. She comes from the woman who captured my heart the first time. My first true love who gave me a gift more valuable than this...island." Prince Joqua nodded at Charles.

  "I understand." Charles bowed his head.

  Linje rushed into the room. "Prince Joqua, Celina is not in the women's quarters. Danika says she didn't sleep in her bed last night."

  Prince Joqua glanced from Drake to Charles, and then snapped to attention. "Call up my men. I want her found, now!"

  Chapter Seventeen

  The last of the ropes fell off Celina, and she grabbed her mother in her arms and pulled her to her chest. She sobbed with relief. The last hour, she'd worried about their kidnappers coming back and catching them in the act of untying themselves.

  "Do you have any idea where we are?" Nat asked.

  She shook her head. "No. Papa never brought me to this part of the island. I believe we're close to the ocean, but where, I have no idea. The breeze is coming from over in that direction. I think we should make our way toward the wind." Celina helped Nat to her feet and guided her forward. "You'll need to be careful, and hold on to my hand."

  Celina led the way. Holding on to Natalia, she held out her free hand and skimmed the wall of the cave. One stumble and they might fall into a hole or break a bone. They needed to reach the opening of the cave and find somewhere to hide while they figured out how to make it back to the palace.

  "Be careful. There's a ledge right in front of me. I'm going to let go of your hand and pull myself up." Celina ran her hand along the cold surface trying to gauge the size.

  The barricade, a large boulder, reached to the top of her thigh. Cold and flat against her bare hands, the rock proved a challenge in her long dress and the slickness of the surface.

  "Reach out for my hand. I'll help you up." Celina stretched her upper body back toward Natalia. With her mama's hand in hers, she pulled Natalia up beside her.

  "I think the wind is picking up." Celina pulled up the ends of her robe.

  "That's good. It means we are closer to the mouth of the cave."

  Inch by inch, Celina guided Natalia over the rock. She stayed low and crawled, but slowed down to allow her mother to keep up. The cold from the rocks numbed her knees and pain radiated up her legs.

  "Wait, Celina. I don't think I can go on." Nat sat down and rubbed her knees. "I've lost feeling in my legs."

  Celina stopped. She eased back to sit beside Natalia.

  "We'll rest."

  "You must go on. Find the prince, Charles, and Drake. They will come to get me." Natalia found Celina's hand in the dark and squeezed. "It's important for you to get back to Drake. Make things right with him."

  "No, Mama, I won't leave you. The kidnappers might come back, and I'm afraid of what they might do if they see you loose and me gone."

  Celina rubbed Natalia's hands between her own warming them, hoping to bring back circulation and ease the aches. She moved and massaged Natalia's legs next.

  Sh
e squeezed Natalia's calves. "Does that make you feel better?"

  "Yes. Thank you. I can feel my legs again."

  "I don't want to push you harder, but we must find the exit." Celina gathered Natalia's hand and held it tight.

  The rock ledge ended, and the women stepped down onto the ground. Natalia groaned, and Celina hurried her steps. She needed to get Natalia out of the cave, hide her somewhere out of the chill of the wind, and go on her own to look for help.

  Natalia leaned heavily on Celina, and Celina's own fatigue forced her to slow down. Nat pulled on Celina's arm. "Look."

  Celina lifted her head and pulled her mother forward. "We did it! Hurry, Mama."

  ***

  With the women and children under lock and key inside the palace, Prince Joqua ordered his men to stand at attention and wait for orders. He marched amongst his men, dispatching selected groups to search the island. Never in all his years, nor in his father's years, did a cry for duty cause such fear in his soul.

  "Prince Joqua, your daughter Danika wishes to speak with you." Linje bowed and waited for orders.

  "Not now, Linje."

  "But Prince, she is quite persistent and says it has something to do with Celina."

  The prince whirled around to face his personal servant. He glared at the man who dared beg for his attention. Every moment of doing nothing might cost his daughter her life.

  "I believe she knows what happened, Prince."

  "Very well. Send her to me, but do not, I repeat, do not leave her side."

  Drake and Charles stood with his men, and Prince Joqua waved them over. He filled them in on the current news in an attempt to boost their hopes. He would find the women.

  Danika ran toward him, dragging Nari by the arm. A lead weight dropped to the bottom of his stomach. Nari, his frivolous daughter who often got herself into trouble with her pranks, appeared in front of him upset. "What is it you know, Danika?"

  "Celina and the woman..." She covered her face and cried.

  "Go on, Danika."

  "I think they are in danger. I heard Nari brag about not having to deal with Celina anymore." Danika yanked Nari forward and pinched her sister's arm. "Tell him, Nari!"