Chapter Four

Isabella was silent as she walked for what seemed like hours but in reality was about thirty minutes. Robert whistled as he moved beside her, seeming as if he had nothing better to do than take a stroll through the woods on a nice summer afternoon.

When the two of them turned a bend, Isabella stopped in her tracks. Before them was a huge castle, the walls towering high into the sky, grey walls gleaming in the bright sun, and even a large moat surrounding the entire property, which seemed to stretch on forever.

Robert stopped with her as he looked upon the monstrous place. What in the world was happening right now?

“She’s a beauty, isn’t she?” Robert asked with a grin, pointing in the castle’s direction.

“What is this?” she asked as she gazed ahead. She saw movement near the palace and realized they weren’t as alone as she’d thought they’d been. That meant she truly did have a chance to escape.

“This is our summer escape,” he said as if it were obvious.

“Who are you?” she gasped. None of this made a lick of sense.

Robert smiled at her and stood there with his arms crossed against his chest. There was a cocky gleam in his eyes that told her he belonged in this castle. Though Isabella didn’t know a lot about the outside world, she had found Rubare Collina fascinating and she’d looked at pictures of the king and his brothers. That had been a while ago, but she would remember seeing a picture of Robert’s face . . . and she hadn’t.

“Do you want to know me?” Robert asked without answering her question.

“No!” she said, wanting to throw a child-size tantrum. “I want you to tell me who you are, and then I want you to stop all of this nonsense.”

Robert’s grin only grew.

“Damn, you have such spirit,” he said, the words meant to be a compliment she thought, but she wasn’t taking it that way.

“I have an urge to live and not be violated,” she corrected.

Those words made the grin drop from his smug lips as he looked away for a moment before his intense gaze caught hers again.

“Yeah, there’s been a little bit of a misunderstanding,” Robert finally said. For the first time since she’d been captured by this man she heard traces of unease in his voice. That fascinated her.

“Go on,” she insisted.

He shifted on his feet before he stiffened his spine. It was odd how easily he went from discomfort to looking as if he belonged in the throne room of a castle. She waited, now needing to know who he was.

“I’m Prince Robert Phillip Demande of Rubare Virgina. My cousin and I had a bet and I was to “capture” a woman. The thing is, somehow I got the wrong girl,” he said with a shrug, not at all seeming apologetic.

She allowed his words to sink into her disbelieving brain and waited for him to give more of an explanation. When he didn’t she found her anger rising. She opened her mouth to speak and no words escaped, so she shut it and closed her eyes for a moment. She would probably be arrested if she screamed at him like she wanted to. She might be beheaded if she flew at him and poked his eyes out. But that thought was mighty tempting as well.

“You took the wrong woman?” she said, sarcasm and anger clearly evident in her tone.

He shrugged. “Yep. It happens,” he told her.

It was taking all Isabella had to keep her hands clenched at her sides. She now was ninety-nine percent sure this man wasn’t going to assault her, but that only made her fear go away. It did nothing for the unbelievable anger building strong and steady deep inside of her.

“No Robert, it doesn’t happen,” she yelled.

He cocked his head to the side as he studied her.

“You’re upset,” he said before shrugging. She expected him to go on, but the foolish man just continued looking at her as if he’d done nothing more than drop his pencil on the ground and break the lead.

“Who in the hell do you think you are that you can take visitors to your country and refuse to let them go?” she demanded. She was managing to keep her voice at a decent volume, but that was only because she considered herself a hell of a lot more civilized than she did him.

“It’s not my country. It’s my cousin’s,” he pointed out.

His correction made her body shake with her desire to kick him so hard in the shins he would forever walk with a limp. She was beginning to care less about what this country’s people would have to say about it.

“This is unacceptable. You will turn us both around and take me home. I will think about forgetting this ever happened since I haven’t been physically injured. My mental status, on the other hand, might never be the same again.”

She felt relief when she realized he was going to have to set her free. He could, in no way, start an international scandal by capturing a visiting American and holding her hostage. From what she’d read about Rubare Collina, it had its issues, but they were very much implemented into the twenty-first century. She’d assume it was the same in Rubare Virgina.

“Sorry. I can’t do that. We’ve started this journey so we just have to see it through,” Robert told her.

When she realized he was serious she didn’t know what else she could say. This man had made a mistake and instead of trying to redeem himself and fix the situation, he was simply readjusting his plans . . . at her expense.

“I’m not staying with you,” she told him. If she was utterly confident in her words, maybe, just maybe, he’d realize she wasn’t worth the hassle of keeping.

“You don’t have a choice. In this country they are known for capturing their future brides,” he told her, then had the gall to wink at her.

“Did you say bride?” She gasped as she took an automatic step away from him.

“Well, this might get me in some pretty hot water. The solution for saving my reputation could be to marry you,” he said with a shrug. He didn’t appear to care either way.

Isabella had no idea how to even talk to this man. He was obviously mentally ill. A rational person wouldn’t say such things to a stranger, and the two of them were most certainly not friends or lovers. She’d known him for only a few hours, and he hadn’t made a good first impression.

“There will be no marriage, no more kidnapping, and no more speaking. Take me home,” she said before she stomped her foot, hating the action as soon as she did it.

“Sorry. This is home until I figure it all out. You’ll enjoy yourself though. And before you even think about asking for help from the staff here, you should know most of them don’t speak English, and the ones who do would never go against those they serve.”

“In other words, I won’t escape unless it’s at your will,” she said.

Her anger was quickly draining as she realized the seriousness of her situation. She was with a man she didn’t know, who also happened to be a crown prince. The two of them were on an island in the middle of a vast ocean, and she didn’t have a phone, clothes, or money. She was truly at the mercy of this man — at this royal pain in the ass.

“That sums it up nicely. Shall we go inside?” he asked, holding out his arm.

She gave him her most murderous look before turning and rapidly making her way toward the enormous bridge over the moat and into the courtyard of the castle. She ignored the people who greeted Robert, but she did note how they looked upon him as if he were a hero.

She had no doubt none of them would help her. But something that was inevitable was, things weren’t always what they seemed. There had to be at least one person who didn’t love their job as much as their employers thought they did. Isabella would find that one person, and then she’d destroy Prince Robert Phillip Demande. He’d certainly regret the day he’d stepped into her bedroom. She wouldn’t stop until he did.