Royal Doc's Secret Heir (Cinderellas To Royal Brides Book 2)

by Amy Ruttan

  The panic in him was rising and his shoulder twinged where it had been dislocated the night Ali had died, as it always did when he was about to have a full-on panic attack.

  Right now he had to calm himself down.

  He felt useless, but if he didn’t get his emotions under control he would indeed be useless to everyone.

  “Your Highness?”

  Maazin spun around, annoyed that he’d been interrupted. Mustafa stood there and Maazin could tell that he was nervous.

  “What’s wrong? Tell me.”

  Mustafa handed him a piece of paper. “This came in. There’s a storm brewing. Not a cyclone like Blandine, but it’s headed straight for Petrie. I’ve sent my crew out to bring those who are in the tent city here, but I need more help.”

  Maazin nodded. “I’ll come with you. Let’s go.”

  He hurried after Mustafa. Jeena and the first responders who were here could tend to the wounded, but right now he needed to help Mustafa bring in the others. It may not be a cyclone that was headed for Petrie, but a storm hitting an already ravaged island was dangerous enough.

  And it appeared that he and Jeena were spending the night here, whether she liked it or not.

  They were stuck.

  * * *

  Jeena walked among the cots that had been salvaged, along with the other mattresses and bedding that were scattered across the floor. The displaced and uninjured survivors were put in another courtroom. The little courtroom that they’d used to operate on Mr. Patel earlier in the day had been cleaned.

  The storm had struck an hour ago. It was strong and the wind howled fiercely, scaring the small children who had already been through the turmoil of Blandine.

  Jeena was exhausted, but she wanted to make sure that everyone was taken care of.

  There was a quiet calm, broken only by the odd cough.

  All the wounded and sick were stable. Mr. Patel was doing well and Ayesha was staying with him, as was his daughter.

  Where did Maazin go?

  Jeena had been looking for him since she’d heard that he’d gone out to collect the villagers and bring them to the safety of the courthouse. She’d seen him briefly helping Mustafa board up the windows, but now he was gone.

  He was probably hungry and she had a bowl of jasmine rice and vegetable curry that Mustafa’s wife was dishing out to everyone.

  Maazin had to eat.

  She wandered down another hall toward more offices, and found Maazin in one of them, sitting behind the desk, brooding in the shadows.

  She knocked on the door. “I’ve been looking for you.”

  “Ah, I just needed a few moments and Mustafa thought that I would be comfortable in here.” He rolled his eyes. “Apparently a prince needs a giant room all to himself.”

  “Do you?” she asked, amused.

  “No. I would be more comfortable on my yacht, but my security team, which arrived just after us, advised that this would indeed be a safer location.”

  “I believe they’re right,” she said. “I have food. Mustafa’s wife is making food for everyone and it’s good. Very filling.”

  “It smells good.” Maazin reached over and flicked on a small torch. The generator had been powered down to conserve fuel until the storm was over. Jeena came into the room and set the small metal plate down in front of him, together with a fork.

  “Did you eat?” Maazin asked.

  “I did. I wouldn’t lie and say it was good if it wasn’t,” she teased, and she sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the desk.

  Maazin took a bite. “That is quite wonderful.”

  “See, I don’t lie.”

  He smiled at her. “How is Mr. Patel doing?”

  “He’s doing well.” That was the truth and Jeena was relieved about that. He had been so close to death. “He’s our most critical case and he’s stable. Everyone else is in good shape too. For being such a small island with no doctor here, they’re doing remarkably well.”

  “Well, let’s hope they do eventually get their own doctor. My father listens to Sara and I’m sure he’ll support her ideas.”

  Jeena snorted. “Right.”

  Maazin cocked an eyebrow. “My father does a lot of good.”

  “I know he does, but you can understand my derision, can’t you?”

  “No. I don’t, actually.”

  “Kalyana is trying to be a modern country. Yet there’s nowhere to teach people past high school. Your father has been King for a long time and that change hasn’t happened yet.”

  “He has been King for a long time, but he isn’t the ultimate rule-maker. There’s parliament and procedures.”

  “So your father’s ideas are not put through? Are you saying he’s wanted a university?” she asked in disbelief.

  Maazin sighed. “Fine. He can be stubborn and maybe not always think so progressively. He’s getting better.”

  “You do agree with them anyway, don’t you?”

  Maazin sighed. “Yes.”

  “Like the marriage thing?” Jeena regretted asking him about it the moment the question left her lips, but she couldn’t help it. She didn’t understand why Maazin had agreed to marry Lady Meleena if he hadn’t loved her. Maazin had always told her that he was against arranged marriage, even though his parents and Ali’s arranged marriage had been successful.

  He’d always told her that he wanted to marry for love and now he wasn’t. It just didn’t make sense.

  Unless he actually had loved Lady Meleena.

  “You weren’t forced into it, were you?” Jeena asked, embarrassed that she was assuming that he was an unwilling participant.

  “No. I agreed to it.”

  It stung, even though she didn’t want it to sting.

  It’s because you still care about him. After all this time, you still care deeply for him.

  “I’m sorry, then. I didn’t mean...” She trailed off, not sure of what to say next, and she stood up to leave. “I’m sorry.”

  She tried to leave the room, before she continued to put her foot in her mouth. She really didn’t know what had come over her, but as she tried to leave she felt a hand on her arm, pulling her back, and she saw Maazin standing behind her.

  How had he got to her so fast?

  His touch sent a shiver of delight down her spine. And suddenly all she could hear was the sound of her pulse racing in her ears and the rain hammering against the roof.

  She forgot everything else as she stared up into those eyes she’d loved so much. The eyes of the man that she’d loved so much, the man who haunted her dreams.

  She looked away. It was too much.

  “Jeena, it’s not like that. I agreed to it because it made diplomatic sense, because it’s my duty. That’s it. I didn’t love her.”

  Jeena looked up stunned. “You didn’t?”

  “No.”

  “Didn’t you care for her at least? I mean, you agreed to marry her.”

  “Because it was my duty but, no, I didn’t care for her because she wasn’t you,” he whispered. He took a step closer to her and touched her face, like he had all those years ago on Patang Island.

  Her heart skipped a beat and her body shook, craving more of his touch. And then, before she knew what was happening, his hands were in her hair and he was pulling her close, kissing her, and she let him.

  She let him kiss her, very gently, and her body began to melt, powerless.

  There was a knock at the door and Jeena jumped back, embarrassed by what she’d let happen.

  “Jeena...” Maazin pleaded.

  She shook her head. “No. I’m not falling into that trap again.”

  “I’m not engaged,” Maazin said.

  “It doesn’t matter. This can’t happen.”

  “Why?” he asked.

 
But before she could say anything further, before she fell into the trap of believing and trusting him again, she opened the door to find Ayesha there.

  “Dr. Harrak, it’s Mr. Patel. His temperature has spiked again.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  Ayesha nodded and left.

  Jeena took a calming breath and looked back at Maazin. It was too late for them. Even if he was no longer engaged to Meleena, he was off limits. She couldn’t be with him again, she was too afraid of being hurt, and when this was all over she was going back to Canada, back to her son, and would try to put this whole thing behind her.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  THE STORM BLEW itself out overnight, although there was a storm raging inside him. He knew he shouldn’t have kissed her, but he’d been unable to prevent it.

  And even though no one else was supposed to know that his engagement to Lady Meleena was over, he’d wanted Jeena to know. And he was glad he’d told her. He was just angry with himself for kissing her.

  What had he been thinking?

  At least no one had seen them. Jeena may know his engagement was off, but the rest of the world didn’t.

  His parents would be furious if the announcement was made now. Hadn’t he done enough damage to his family?

  Still, he’d been unable to help himself. When he was around her she made him feel alive again.

  Maazin tossed and turned all night, guilt eating away at him.

  He was so selfish.

  * * *

  In the morning Maazin went out with Mustafa to survey the damage, which was minimal thankfully. The last thing Petrie Island needed was to have more of the small island torn apart.

  Still it was clear to Maazin that Petrie needed more help than he and Jeena could offer. It would take a long time to repair the damage that Blandine had done. Thankfully not many lives had been lost.

  Maazin got on the satellite phone in his yacht and called Farhan for assistance, and Farhan promised he would send more manpower and supplies needed to rebuild Petrie.

  It only took about five hours for shelters, food and water, to arrive, as well as a relief physician who was a young doctor from Kalyana, which mean that he and Jeena could leave.

  Her time was almost up. Farhan told Maazin that Jeena had been called back to Canada now that Kalyana was getting back on its feet. She would be leaving soon.

  The thought of Jeena having to leave again struck him with a sense of dread that he wasn’t prepared for. The official date hadn’t been given by the Canadian consulate, but Jeena’s time in Kalyana was coming to an end and he didn’t like it one bit.

  You should be relieved.

  He should be happy to have this closure. He now knew what had happened to Jeena all those years ago so he would never have to wonder about that again. It had given him the closure he needed so he could move forward.

  Really?

  No, he didn’t really believe that, because he knew deep down that he would never be over Jeena and that kiss they’d shared last night just proved how much he still wanted her. Even after all this time when he’d thought she’d betrayed him and left him.

  When he’d realized Jeena had left he hadn’t cared about anything. And that lack of care had cost Ali his life and eventually set Maazin on the path to right his wrongs and save others by serving his country.

  His dedication and passion for that had driven Meleena away and disappointed his parents yet again, but he didn’t care that Meleena had left.

  He’d never loved her.

  He didn’t even like her.

  It was Jeena. Always Jeena.

  He still wanted her. Wanted no other, it was just that he couldn’t have her. He didn’t deserve to have her.

  And it was clear that Jeena no longer wanted him. She no longer wanted a life in Kalyana when Canada offered so much more for her. It was for the best.

  And he wouldn’t subject Jeena to this life of protocol, this shackle of being a member of the royal family.

  He wouldn’t do that to his son.

  His son. As much as he didn’t want this life for Syman, he wanted to be a part of Syman’s life. Why did it have to be so complicated?

  Perhaps it doesn’t?

  Maazin finished loading the yacht with the supplies the islanders didn’t need and then saw Jeena coming toward him with her duffel bag on her back and carrying the biohazard container with her surgical instruments.

  The duffel bag looked larger than her and he didn’t know how she was carrying it all so easily. He met her down on the pier and held out his hand.

  “What?” Jeena asked.

  “Let me carry that for you.”

  “I can carry it. I’m used to carrying it.”

  “That must be heavy,” Maazin remarked.

  “I can deadlift over a eighty-five with ease and back-squat with the same. I think I can handle this.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “What?”

  Jeena chuckled. “You think you’re the only one who works out? I do strength training. I have to be able to manage out in the field on my own or with very little help. Who else is going to carry my gear?”

  Maazin was impressed and he took the biohazard bucket. “Let me at least make sure this secure so we don’t have a mess. The ocean is a bit choppy after the storm.”

  “Deal.”

  Maazin helped her on board and they secured everything and then cast off from Petrie Island, heading back south toward the main island.

  Jeena sat beside him on the bridge and that tension that always seemed to be there settled in again. He hated that. Talking to her had once been so easy, but he’d been a different person then.

  He’d felt more free. He hadn’t necessarily been free, but he’d felt more free. Of course, that relaxed disposition had caused nothing but trouble. It had caused nothing but a world of hurt and pain that he was never going to be able to make up to anyone.

  Not to his parents.

  Not to Farhan.

  Not to Jeena.

  And not to himself.

  He deserved his sentence. He deserved the unhappiness, and the best he could do was try and take care of his people.

  “I want to thank you again for the work you did on Petrie,” Maazin said, breaking the silence.

  “You’re welcome. That’s why I’m here.”

  “Would you have come back had it not been for the cyclone?” Even though he knew the answer to that.

  Jeena’s expression was sad. “No. I didn’t want him growing up here as an illegitimate lovechild.”

  Maazin flinched at her harsh words. “I am sorry. I wouldn’t have let that happen.”

  Jeena shrugged. “I did what was best for myself and for Syman. My parents chose to give up everything to come with me. I can never repay them enough. They didn’t have to come with me, but if they hadn’t given up so much to support me, I wouldn’t be a surgeon now.”

  “I am sorry. Your family shouldn’t have had to give up so much just because of who I am.”

  Tears welled up in her eyes and she looked away. “Thank you.”

  “I have received word from the consulate that your orders have been changed and you will be called back to Canada in a matter of days.”

  Jeena brushed away her tears. “What?”

  “Kalyana is getting back on its feet and Canada has called back its special services. Not to sound too clichéd, but the British are coming.”

  “That doesn’t make sense.” She checked her phone and frowned. “You’re right, my orders have arrived. In five days we’ll be heading back to Canada.”

  “You’ll be able to see Syman again,” Maazin said gently. He was trying to give her something to be happy about because maybe if she was happy then he would feel happy too. Right now, he didn’t feel happy about it.

  Though it
was for the best that she leave.

  “Patang Island,” Maazin remarked. “It looks so peaceful now.”

  Jeena nodded. “I wanted to go back. I wanted to visit all my old haunts before I left again, because it would probably be the last time I saw them.”

  “Well, let’s go, then,” he offered.

  “What?” Jeena asked, confused. “We can’t go to Patang Island.”

  “Why not?” Maazin asked, turning the wheel to head his yacht around to the lee side of the island, where they would be safe and wouldn’t come up on a reef. From there they could take the small dinghy out to the sandbar and he could give her a short time of peace.

  Later, he would take her back to her family’s old home. He owned the plantation now and kept up the vanilla production. Jeena’s old family home was used as a small bed and breakfast establishment now, but was currently empty because no tourists had been allowed to come to Kalyana since Blandine had hit, and any tourists that had been in Kalyana had been evacuated.

  Not that many tourists took the long trip to Kalyana.

  The Seychelles were much more popular, and didn’t have quite the pomp and circumstance that Kalyana and his father demanded.

  “Maazin, this is crazy,” Jeena shouted above the wind as he sped toward the island. “Your security team will go bananas when you don’t pass their certain check points in time.”

  “So let them. We’re safe. Kalyana’s waters are monitored. Let’s just take this moment. You wanted to go back to Patang Island and we shall.”

  Jeena smiled. “Okay.”

  He came up on the lee side of the island and anchored in a safe spot where they wouldn’t run aground from shifting tides but were safe from the waves or any surges.

  “Why don’t you change out of your uniform? There may be some women’s clothing in the main berth. Farhan and Sara sometimes take the yacht out.”

  “That sounds good.” Jeena disappeared below deck and Maazin let out a sigh as he listened to the gentle waves in the shelter of the island and the large reef that surrounded it lap against the side of his boat.

  What’re you doing?

  He didn’t know. He just wanted to give this to her. He just wanted to spend this time with her. When she left this time he didn’t want her to leave and think about him or this country with bad thoughts.