Page 18 of His Stolen Princess

Apollonia

“We have to find her.” Carter pleads with me, his eyes filling with tears and threatening to break my heart. I know in this moment I’ll take this house apart brick by brick until I find the kitten for him. I’d do anything to wipe that sad look off his face. He’s had enough sadness for a lifetime already.

“I’ll find her.” I sit on the side of the bed next to him. “She’s a cat. I’m sure she’s only exploring. This is a big house, and cats are curious.” I try to put him at ease.

“Yeah,” he agrees, looking to the door of his bedroom that’s cracked open a little. “I didn't mean to leave the door open.” His bottom lip starts to tremble. I want to throw my arms around him and comfort him. Or maybe it’s me that needs the comforting. I can’t stand to see him this upset. I can’t even imagine how hard it was for Cato to have to tell Carter about my brother's death.

“It’s good for her to go out and explore. I’ll find her in no time unless she beats me to it by coming back for food.”

He nods but doesn’t look convinced.

“Don’t worry. There are too many people around here. There’s no way we won’t find this kitten.”

“I don’t want her to leave and never come back.” Those sad eyes look up at me. I didn’t think it was possible for my heart to break any further, but those few words have proven me wrong.

“No one is going to let anything happen to her. She’s coming back.”

“That’s true. Cato can do anything. He’ll protect her,” he says proudly. I believe him with the way Cato dotes on the sweet boy, but I want him to have faith in me, too.

“I’ll need you to be brave and wait here for her. You lie down, and I’ll go find our kitten. You try and think of a name. We can’t keep calling her kitty. Can you do that for me?”

He puffs out his chest a little. “I can do that.”

“I knew you could.” I kiss his chubby cheek. “If you’re asleep before I get back, I’ll put her in bed with you.” He throws his arms around me and hugs me tight. I hug him back. There’s no way I can come back here without this kitty. Even if I have to ask Cato for help, I will. There isn’t anything I wouldn't do for Carter. Even if it means that I have to play nice with Cato.

“Love you.” He says before releasing me. A knot forms in my throat. It’s the first time he’s said it to me. I’ve said it to him hundreds of times already. No one has said those words to me in a very long time, and I welcome them with open arms.

“I love you, too.”

He lies down, and I can’t help but give him another kiss before I pull myself from his bedroom and leave the door cracked for him. I head back toward my room to put some sneakers on. Before I’d talked him into finally getting into bed, I’d already searched most of the house.

I’m worried the kitten might have gotten out. I need to do a check outside. If the kitten is still inside, then it’s trapped and safe, but if she got out, she could be getting farther and farther from the house with each minute.

I make my way back downstairs. I find myself stopping outside the doors of Cato’s office and wondering if he’s in there. He joined us for dinner like he always does but left after we all were finished eating. I hate the disappointment I’d felt about that. I am still avoiding him, so it works in my favor. But he said he wasn't going to let me avoid him anymore. So what exactly is he doing now?

I pull myself away from the doors even though I want to know what he’s doing. I have more important things to do, like find a kitten. I don’t want him to catch me lingering outside his office, either. He’d never let me hear the end of that, I’m sure.

When he’d brought that kitten into the room and kneeled down on the floor with us, I had the biggest urge to lean over and kiss him right on the mouth. My mind is playing games with me. He has me all twisted up inside. My emotions are everywhere. We aren't some happy family. I can’t let my mind make those mistakes. I will not develop Stockholm syndrome.

I open the back door and step out onto the porch. The back looks well lit. I call for the cat a few times but nothing. Typical cat. I take another few steps out farther. I look back into the house. Maybe I should get Cato. I never did like the dark.

“You can do this yourself,” I reassure myself. What other choice do I have? I don’t want to ask him to help. He’d probably be amused at my fear of the dark. I would have to admit weakness to him, and I’m not prepared to do any more of that. He’s already seen me in the most vulnerable of times.

I know the fear is irrational, but it’s one that I’ve had since I was a girl hiding under the bed thinking I was about to die. I hate it. It makes me weak. Here I am saying I want to ruin a man like Cato, but I’m scared of the damn dark.

I stand up a little straighter and make myself venture out farther into the night, calling for the kitten. I freeze when I think I hear a meowing sound. I turn my attention toward the noise. It seems to be venturing farther from the house and toward the vineyard area. I’ve come out here a few times with Carter. The vineyard is endless. It’s also the last place I want to be in the dark. Of course, the kitten couldn’t choose a well-lit area to roam off to.

“Kitty. Here, kitty.” My call is met with another meow. I squint and think I see the kitten down one of the long rows of vines.

I take off toward her, and she darts over a row, then another, then dashes down another, her tail up as she hurries away from me.

“Kitty, come on.” I follow, crossing rows whenever there’s a break in the vines and the horizontal supports. Down a hill, then up another, the kitten puts me through my paces.

I finally get close enough to almost touch her when she dives between two vines and hides in a scrubby flower bush.

“Kitty, what are you doing?” I ask and bend down to pick her up. She nuzzles my chest for warmth. It’s chilly out here. I should’ve grabbed a sweater or something. “I’ll get you inside. There’s a little boy who’ll keep you warm all night.” I kiss the top of her head, which earns me a loud purr.

I turn to go back the way I came, but five minutes later I’m pretty sure I’ve made a wrong turn somewhere. This area is like one of those corn mazes that get your direction all messed up. The only light I have is from the moon.

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