The Lost Princes: Darius, Cassius & Monte

by Raye Morgan

  “Here is the way your mother looked when I first met her. And now I’ll tell you all about that.”

  He paused, and Mei glanced up as though she couldn’t help herself. Joe smiled. Mei looked away quickly, but he met Kelly’s gaze and they shared a grin. Mei could pretend all she wanted, but it was clear she was listening. How much she understood was another story, but at least she seemed to have some sense of what was going on here.

  “I met Angie at a fiesta,” he said softly. “I was stationed in the Philippines. We were out doing some cleanup work about a day’s ride from Manila.”

  He held up some pictures and Kelly nodded. She was so impressed with Joe, so glad he’d decided to try this, although it didn’t seem to be having much effect yet. So impressed that he could take advice, change his mind, do something because it might work. He was adaptable. You had to admire that in a guy.

  Leaning forward, she asked, “By ‘cleanup,’ I assume you mean taking care of the bad guys?”

  He favored her with a lopsided grin. “You catch on fast.” He showed her a picture of himself and some of his army buddies riding in a Jeep. “Anyway, it was one of those huge Philippines parties that last for days. Everybody comes. There’s singing and dancing and karaoke. And food—tables set up everywhere overflowing with food. Pancit and lumpia and roast pig.”

  Mei looked up at the familiar words. Joe smiled at her. She quickly looked down again.

  “I caught sight of her right away. She was wearing a long skirt and a Philippines blouse with those high starched, gauzy sleeves. She looked like a butterfly about to take off over the trees. So pretty.” He sighed. “Her mother didn’t like me from the start. But Angie did, and for the moment, that was all that mattered. We got married and everyone had a wonderful time at our wedding. We didn’t have a lot of time together, though. I had to go back to Manila and then, suddenly, I got shipped out to Thailand. She had you, Mei, while I was gone. By the time I finally got back there, rebels had taken over the whole area, killing most of the men.”

  Kelly gave a start, glancing at Mei. “Joe, do you really think you should…”

  He took her hand and held it tightly. “Kelly, she lived with this all around her. She’s seen things you wouldn’t want a baby to see. And it wouldn’t be honest to leave out the ugly parts.” He gave Kelly a bittersweet smile. “The truth will set you free,” he said almost mockingly.

  “I’m not so sure that’s always true,” she retorted, but she saw his point. “Just don’t get too graphic, okay?”

  “Don’t worry.” He took a deep breath and continued. “The family was on the run. They had to leave their beautiful plantation behind and hide in the jungle, finding relatives who would take them in. I searched for Angie for days. When I finally found her, we only had a few minutes before—”

  His voice caught and he didn’t go on, but Kelly thought she understood. She’d read about how he’d been shot. Angie must have been killed at the same time. Kelly’s heart broke for him.

  “The rebels were pushed out and Angie’s family got their plantation back. But Angie’s mother blamed me for her daughter’s death. I suppose she was right. It was my fault. If she hadn’t come out to meet me that day…” Tears filled his eyes.

  “Joe.”

  Kelly reached out to comfort him, but before her hand could grasp his, she realized Mei had come over, too. Toddling on her little chubby legs, she looked at him for a moment, then leaned forward and patted his leg with her hand. Two pats, and she turned and went back to her toys.

  Kelly and Joe looked at each other in astonishment, hardly believing what she’d just done. Joe moved as though to go to her, but Kelly held him back.

  “Later,” she whispered. “Give her time to get used to this.”

  He nodded, took a deep breath and went on, talking about things he and Angie had done, about what life was like in the Philippines. As he talked, Mei played with her toys, then lay down on the floor and closed her eyes.

  “Do you really think any of this is getting through to her?” Joe asked softly.

  “Not the way it would to an adult.” Kelly sighed. “But I think it’s done a lot of good. It’s all in the vibes.”

  He rose and walked over to where his daughter was lying. “There you go, I bored her to death. She’s out cold.”

  “She’s asleep.” Kelly smiled. “And with babies, that’s usually a good thing.” She rose as well. “Come on. Help me put her down in her crib.”

  “I’ll do it,” he said, and he bent down and slipped his hands under her neck and her legs. She woke as he lifted her, and her first reaction was to scrunch up her face and try to wrestle free. But Joe didn’t let her. He pulled her against his chest and held her tenderly, rocking her and murmuring sweet words. In a moment, she stilled, and then her eyes closed again and she was limp as a noodle. Joe looked at Kelly and grinned.

  Kelly was dancing with happiness—but very quietly. Together, they put the baby in her crib and pulled the blanket over her.

  “It’s going to be okay,” Kelly whispered as they tiptoed out of the room. “You’ll see. You’ve done it. Congrats.”

  “No, you’ve done it.” He stopped, closed the door to the room and pulled her into his arms. “Thank God for you,” he said, his voice low and husky. And then he kissed her.

  She’d heard of kisses that took you to heaven, and she’d always scorned such talk.

  But that was then. This was now.

  And now was very different. Maybe it was the powerful maleness of him that did it. Suddenly everything was all senses—touch and smell and taste—and her brain seemed to go to sleep. His mouth on hers felt as hot and lush as black velvet looked, and it wasn’t just touching—it was stroking and coaxing and plunging and drawing her out as she’d never been before. She seemed to be floating, and she couldn’t feel her legs anymore. Everything was focused on the kiss. She was living in this incredible sensation, and she never wanted it to stop.

  His body was hard and lean and delicious, and she pressed herself against him, hungry to feel him against her breasts, wanting more of him and wanting it harder.

  Vaguely, she realized he was saying something, and then he was drawing back. She didn’t want him to go. She clung to him with an urgency she didn’t know she had in her.

  “Whoa, hold on,” he said softly, taking her head in his hands and laughing down into her face. “Kelly, Kelly, if we keep this up, we’ll be sorry, sweetheart. Let’s take it easy for now. Okay?”

  “Oh!” Her face turned bright red. “Oh, Joe, I’ve never…I mean I didn’t…”

  “Darling, it’s quite obvious ‘you’ve never.’ And I don’t think you’re ready yet, either. No matter what that eager body of yours tells you.”

  She put her hand over her mouth. She’d never been so embarrassed in her life. “Oh Joe, I didn’t mean to…”

  “I know.” He laced fingers with her, smiling at her with a sweet and lingering tenderness. “It’s my fault. I got that train started down the track. I didn’t know you didn’t have any brakes.”

  “Joe!”

  He laughed. “I’m kidding. Come on. Let’s go out on the deck and cool off.”

  She went with him. The moon was out, the sound of the waves a calming backdrop. She looked into the night sky and sighed. If she hadn’t already been pretty sure she was in love with him, she knew for sure now.

  Kelly changed her plane reservations in the morning, but could add only one day. There was no getting out of going home on Sunday. After all, her job was worth saving.

  Mei was beginning to respond to Joe. It was going to take time for her to be as natural with him as he would like, but it was coming along. They spent Saturday at the beach with her and then took her to a kiddie park where she could play on the equipment. They all three seemed to grow closer every minute they spent together.

  Joe couldn’t believe how happy it made him just to be with Kelly and Mei. But lurking in the background were the decisions he w
as going to have to make. Was he really a prince? And if so, was he ready to pick up that mantle?

  This was a complicated problem. It wasn’t as though there was a nice, placid life waiting for him in Ambria. If he wanted to claim his heritage, he was going to have to fight for it. There was a war waiting to be fought. Was he going to feel strongly enough about all this to be a part of that?

  He’d been a fighter all his life. His career was based on the warrior creed. He’d assumed that was the only work he was trained in and the only work he would get. He’d had plenty of offers and he thought he’d take one soon.

  But what if he could do something better? Something tied to his own heritage, his own destiny? Getting his country back from the evil clan who’d stolen it, the villains who had murdered his parents, the force that cursed his native land.

  Wasn’t that what his entire career, his entire life, had prepared him for? If he was a prince—and he was becoming more and more certain that he was—it was his duty, wasn’t it?

  Kelly seemed to think so.

  “I’ve got my boss setting up some meetings for you,” she told him that afternoon. “He’ll arrange for your DNA test and—”

  “Whoa,” Joe said, shocked at how quickly this was coming at him. “I haven’t said I would do that yet.”

  “No.” She smiled at him sweetly. “But you will. Won’t you?”

  He melted. It was that smile that did it. This was not good. She could just about get him to do anything, couldn’t she?

  “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to get the facts,” he said grudgingly. “But what are these meetings you’re talking about?”

  “Different officials will be calling to discuss the possibilities with you.” She hesitated, then smiled again, taking his hand in hers. “They’ll want you to come to Italy.”

  “How am I going to do that? I can’t leave Mei behind. “

  “Take her with you, of course. They’ll find someone to help with that. Don’t worry. Very soon, there will be people popping out of the woodwork to help you with everything. Get ready to feel overwhelmed.”

  He wasn’t sure if he liked that prospect, and his eyes were troubled as he looked down at her. “I haven’t said I’d do all this yet, you know,” he reminded her.

  She nodded. “But you will. You have to.”

  He had to? His natural sense of rebellion was rising up.

  “I don’t have to do anything,” he claimed, feeling grumpy. Reaching out, he brushed back the hair from her face and looked at her lips. “Except kiss you. A lot.”

  She smiled up at him. “Of course,” she murmured. “That goes without saying.”

  So he did.

  On Sunday morning, Kelly was preparing to go, and it broke her heart. How was she going to say goodbye to the child who still clung to her neck every time she got the chance? How many mothers and mother surrogates did this baby have to lose in one lifetime?

  And then there was Joe. Kelly couldn’t even think about that.

  Mei was asleep, and she wasn’t going to go in and look at her once more. It was time. She turned to Joe.

  He came toward her and pulled her into his arms, rocking her and holding her against him.

  “Kelly,” he said, his voice rough, “I want you to stay.”

  She closed her eyes. This was so hard. “Joe, you know I can’t. I’ve thought about it long and hard. But I can’t.”

  “Is it your job?”

  She nodded, pulling her head back so she could look in his face. “You are Prince Cassius of Ambria and you have to take your place in that system. No matter how much you try to fight it, you belong there. I don’t. I would have no place there, no tie, no claim. And anyway, I would lose my job.” She shook her head sadly. “I have to look out for my own future.”

  He groaned. “If you get on that plane, we’ll probably never see each other again.”

  She knew he was right. But it had to be. She stayed with him until she was already behind schedule, and then she finally tore herself away.

  “I don’t want you to come to the airport,” she told him when he offered.

  “Why not?”

  She looked at him with tragic eyes. “I need to take my rental car back, anyway. I’d rather cut it off here and try to get back into my normal patterns right away. It’ll…it’ll be easier if I just…”

  Her eyes filled with tears and she turned away. “Goodbye, Joe,” she said, her voice choked. “Good luck.”

  “Kelly, wait.”

  Shaking her head, she kept walking, fighting back the tears.

  She heard him coming up behind her, but she was startled when he put his hand on her elbow, pulled her around and took her into his arms.

  “Kelly,” he said roughly, looking down into her face. “Don’t you know that I love you?”

  “Joe…”

  His mouth on hers was sweet and urgent all at once. She kissed him back, loving him, longing for him, wishing things were different. But they were what they were.

  “Oh, Joe,” she said brokenly as she clung to him. “I love you, too. But it doesn’t matter. We can’t…”

  “Why can’t we?” he said, wiping away her tears with his finger and gazing at her lovingly. “I don’t have to be a prince. I don’t even want to be one. I’d rather be with you.”

  “No.” Drawing back, she shook her head. “No, Joe. You have to go to Italy. You have to explore your destiny. I couldn’t live with myself if I kept you from that. You know you have to do it.”

  Reaching up, she pressed her fingertips to his lips in one last gesture of affection. “Goodbye,” she whispered again. And she turned and left him there.

  He didn’t say anything at all as he watched her walk to the car. This wasn’t like watching Angie die. Not anything close to that. But it hurt almost as badly.

  To be or not to be. A prince, that was.

  Did he really want to do this thing? Joe wasn’t sure. He had now talked to the liaison people Kelly had set up for him, and they wanted him in Italy right away. They claimed they had accommodations ready for him, including servants and child care for Mei. It sounded kind of cushy—one might almost say royal.

  Of course, they were expecting him to take a DNA test first thing. That was only reasonable. And he had no doubt what it would show. He was Prince Cassius. He knew that now.

  Prince Cassius of the DeAngelis family who had ruled Ambria for hundreds of years. Wow. That was a real kick in the head.

  Did he feel royal? Not really. He felt like the same Army Ranger he’d been since he left school. He’d grown up in a working-class household without any thoughts of privilege, and those early lessons would stay with him all his life. Admittedly, this was going to be quite an adjustment for him. Did he want to make it? Was he sure?

  He wasn’t sure of much of anything right now. His life was in flux and he was caught in the rapids. But there was one truth that he would never waver on—Mei was going to be with him wherever he went, whatever he did. His first priority would always be her. And Angie would always have a central place in his heart.

  But there was something else that was becoming more and more important to him, and it centered around a woman with a mop of curly blonde hair and an irrepressible smile—the very woman who had brought all this royal stuff crashing down on him. Kelly. He missed her every minute. How could you miss someone so much who you hadn’t even known two weeks ago? Something about her had worked for him from the very beginning. If he had Kelly with him right now, he’d be a lot more sure of what he was doing.

  Was he in love with her? He thought back to how it had been with Angie, how he’d fallen hard from the moment he first saw her, how she’d swept up his life into days of passion, weeks of torture when he was away from her, moments of high drama and the awful, final act of destruction. It had been a wild ride, but—except for the ending—he wouldn’t have missed a moment of it. Angie was part of him now, and she had left him with Mei, the best present of his life.

 
; The way he felt about Kelly was different, and yet in some ways it was stronger even and more life-changing. She saw into his soul in ways no one else ever had. She could tell him more with a simple glance than anyone else, as well. In the short time she’d been with him, she’d made a lasting impact on them all. Kelly could have been his angel for the long haul, the center of something big and important. If only they’d had a little longer together…

  But life didn’t stand still and let you take time with decisions. It came at you quickly and you had to be ready to take it on. They wanted him to be a prince. Okay. He’d give it a try. He’d go to the funeral in Piasa. He’d meet the others and check the lay of the land and decide from there.

  There was one missing ingredient, though. Something he was going to have to have. He sat down and looked up some numbers on his cell phone. He had a few people to call.

  Kelly had been back to work for three days. California seemed like a dream. Had she really been there? Had she really fallen in love with a prince?

  Yes, she had. But it was all over now. She had to get back to real life, even though there was a big, black hole in the middle of her soul.

  She’d never been in love before. She hadn’t realized how much it was going to hurt to know she could never have Joe, no matter what she did. For the first two days, she’d felt as though her life was over. She was getting better now. She had finally slept the night before, and was actually able to force down some toast for breakfast before coming in. Now she was just trying to retrain herself to focus on her work and not dream all day about a certain golden surfer who was far, far away.

  She was typing up a report when Jim came in waving a piece of paper.

  “Guess who’s going to the funeral?” he said, looking acerbic.

  “Oh. Did you get an assignment?”

  “No.” He waved the paper at her. “You did.”

  “What?” She frowned. That couldn’t be right.

  “It says so right here. Better pack your things. They want you in Italy right away.”