Page 74 of Expecting Royal Twins!
There’s a lot at stake, Izzy. Don’t let that stubborn streak of yours get in the way.
Maybe she had been too stubborn. But there wasn’t time for that now. She jumped into the truck. “Let’s go.”
Isabel’s castle was deserted. No vehicles remained. It looked as if a tornado had ripped through the pantry and linen closets. Broken vases, glasses and sculptures. Tipped over bookcases and display cabinets. But no bodies. No blood.
Relief flowed over Niko.
Isabel must have evacuated and taken the staff with her, but where?
There were so many villages he couldn’t begin to guess where she might be. He prayed she would remain safe wherever she was.
Hours later, Niko stepped through the rubble of one mountain village with a two-year-old child in his arms. The boy had cuts and bruises, but thankfully no broken bones.
The boy cried. “Mama.”
Niko didn’t know what to say to the distraught child, who had been sleeping under his bed when the earthquake hit. A neighbor had heard the boy’s screams and pulled him from the rubble. They were still searching for the rest of his family. “They are looking for your mama.”
The big, fat tears stopped rolling down the child’s face. He stared up at Niko. “Papa?”
“They are looking for him, too.”
Gratitude filled the child’s eyes. He rested his head against Niko’s chest.
Niko swallowed around the lump of emotion in his throat.
A nurse appeared in sweat-stained surgical scrubs. “I’ll take him, sir.”
Reluctantly he handed the injured boy to the nurse. “His family is missing. Please…”
Don’t lose him was what Niko wanted to say given the number of people needing help and the chaos around here.
She nodded in understanding. “We will take good care of him, sir.”
With that the nurse hurried into a hospital tent that had just been erected next to the medical clinic.
Help continued to arrive. The sound of helicopters and heavy machinery filled the air.
His father was in another village helping, but Niko hoped the king saw what he saw. A united Vernonia.
Whether Separatist or Loyalist during the conflict, people worked side by side in this mountain village, searching for survivors in the rubble and helping those that had been injured. Differences in point of view no longer mattered; they were all fellow Vernonians. Niko couldn’t be more proud of the people.
If only he knew where Isabel was… That she was safe…
He noticed a familiar looking man up ahead. “Emil!”
The man turned and bowed. He had a can of oil in his hand. “Sir.”
“Where is Isabel?”
Emil glanced around, looking uncomfortable. “She is safe, sir.”
Safe wasn’t good enough. Niko wanted his wife to be with him. He felt like a better man when he was with her. The past no longer mattered. The future seemed brighter. “Take me to her. Now.”
The butler led Niko back toward the medical tent. “Princess Izzy is attempting to fix the medical clinic’s generator, sir. I tried to stop—”
Niko raised his hand. “I’ve learned nothing can stop my wife once she sets her mind upon something.”
She wanted him to trust her, to let her figure out how to be a princess herself, but he hadn’t known how to do that. He was ready to try now.
Emil grinned. “A true Vernonian.”
“Yes, she is.” And the love of my life.
Years of dirt and grime coated the clinic’s generator Izzy had found in the destroyed storage area in the back of the clinic. Villagers had carried it into an open area, eager for her to fix it with the tools they’d cobbled together. Izzy doubted if the generator had run in years or if it would have run under the best of circumstances. Her determination faltered, a combination of futility and frustration. Not to mention fatigue.
No. Izzy pursed her lips. The people were counting on her. She had to do this.
Kneeling, she checked a fuel line. “Come on. Show Izzy what’s not right.”
“Isabel.”
The sound of Niko’s voice washed over her like a ray of sunshine after a morning thunderstorm. She wasn’t surprised to see him here. He was the crown prince. He should be here. But the vise grip on her heart wouldn’t allow Izzy to even peek in his direction. She kept focused on the motor.
