“Come on, guys,” Tori urged. “Let’s set up camp first, then we can begin collecting samples and mapping the cave systems.”
“You know,” Grant allowed as they began walking again. “You never mentioned how your date with Prince Quinn went.”
Vitto began snickering. Tori stopped. She eyed Vitto and then Grant.
“What did you two do?” she demanded with a worried frown.
“Nothing,” Vitto said, trying to look innocent and failing.
“Yeah, nothing,” Grant mimicked.
“You better spill it,” Tori warned.
“They told him you were a feminist and you hated to be treated like a lady,” Simon offered with a sheepish grin.
Vitto and Grant laughed harder at their own joke.
“Come on, Elliot,” Grant pleaded. “You have to tell us what happened. What did you say to the poor guy? We know you tore him apart.”
“Come on, Tor! We’ve been dying to know.” Vitto turned his dark eyes to her in merriment.
“Actually, you two troublemakers, he was a perfect gentleman,” Tori announced. “He brought me flowers, chocolate and a bottle of wine. It would seem some men know how to treat a lady and how not to listen to morons like you!”
“Oh my gawd!” Grant announced. His mouth dropped open. “You got laid!”
“Ew!” Vitto grimaced. He grabbed his ears and started wailing. “I didn’t want to hear that! My ears, my ears, they’re burning! Make it stop, mommy, make it stop!”
Tori hit him repeatedly on the arm to make him be quiet.
“That’s workplace abuse,” he grumbled good-naturedly. “I’ll take you up on a section eight charge.”
“You’re an imbecile,” Tori said. “Section eight is for misappropriate use of funding. Now shut up or I’ll tell everyone how you really got this job.”
“You shut up or I’ll tell everyone what I used to call you when we were kids,” Vitto returned with an impish grin.
“Do and I’ll fire you!” she teased.
“Tori,” Vitto whined. He made a face behind her back as she walked away.
Grant laughed and, in a little kid voice, said, “Ooooh! You’re gonna be in so much trouble, Vitto. I’m telling Dr. Elliot on you.”
* * * *
“What do you mean, she left?” Quinn asked his brother in the growling tone of their shared language. Kirill looked up from his long stone desk in the royal office to study his brother. He was surrounded by chairs, a couch, and rugs.
The royal office was much like the rest of the palace with the same beautiful tile work on the walls and the same medieval castle feel to the structure. Opposite Kirill’s desk, a large barren fireplace was dwarfed by the even larger sidewall. Long banners hung on either side of it. A large woven rug of red and blue lay on the floor. Its intricate pattern was perhaps the loveliest in the palace. Next to the rug were large chairs, so deep they’d nearly swallow a person whole.
“She insisted on going, to get started this morning. I’m having the rest of her supplies sent out after they established what she called a base camp. Why?” Kirill’s nearly black eyes studied his brother curiously. “Has something happened? You seem oddly ... tense. It’s unlike you.”
“I’m fine,” Quinn grouched. He paced around the office, stopping at the fireplace to look at nothing in particular.
“Ah, so it did not go so well last night, I take it?” Kirill asked, standing from his desk. “Did you give her the flowers?”
“Yes.”
“The chocolate?”
“Yes. Yes. Yes,” Quinn insisted. “I gave her ... everything.”
“Ah,” Kirill answered then, as a knowing look came to him. He said, “Ooohh. Then you’re upset because she’s gone.”
“Ever since you fell in love you’re really annoying, you know that,” Quinn stated with a grimace. “My mood has nothing to do with Dr. Elliot leaving. I only wish to be informed of their whereabouts for the sake of my duty. I can’t very well be ambassador if I don’t know where the scientists are at all times, can I?”
Kirill ignored the question and chuckled instead. “Ever since you laid eyes on the female doctor, your moods have been very unpredictable. Women will do that to you.”
“What, you’ve been married for two days and suddenly you’re an expert on women? This coming from the man who thought calling a woman his property was a compliment.” Quinn shook his head. It had taken Kirill a long time to come around to accepting his feelings for Ulyssa.
“My Lyssa knows what I mean, that’s all that matters,” Kirill answered with a grin and a shrug. “I am as much her property as she is mine.”
“I am happy for you, brother,” Quinn allowed. “She is a good woman and she will give you a fine son.”
“Thank you.”
Quinn moved to go.
“Quinn,” Kirill called.
“Yeah?”
“You know, it wouldn’t be so terrible if you found a good woman and mated to her.” Kirill’s voice was quiet, gauging. “It really does something to the inner self. I’ve never felt more whole.”
“What would our father say to that? Two sons falling for women.” Quinn chuckled, but even as he laughed, he heard his father’s words drumming into his brain. “To be ruled by a woman is to be ruled by weakness. Kingdoms are only as strong as their rulers, and you must be strong my sons. A man cannot bow to a woman and still call himself a man. To fall for a woman is to fall for stupidity.”
“Attor was wrong,” Kirill said softly when Quinn didn’t move, didn’t answer. “A woman’s love gives strength not weakness.”
“Until you lose it, brother,” Quinn answered so softly Kirill couldn’t hear. He wouldn’t dampen his brother’s happiness with his own doubts about love and mating. He was glad for the king, but knew such a thing as life mates and happiness wasn’t for everyone. It most likely wouldn’t be for him.
* * * *
Tori looked over the campsite and nodded in approval of it. They’d managed to set up four tents on relatively flat ground. A rocky cliff rose high on one side and the guards told her that was where the entrance to the cave system started.
Their supplies came a couple hours after they arrived and a fifth tent was set up as a makeshift laboratory. Grant and Vitto were unpacking the equipment and she could hear their mischievous arguing coming from inside the tent. She grinned as Vitto yelled. A loud smack sounded and Grant’s cry of pain soon followed.
“Boys!” she yelled. “Don’t make me separate you two!”
“Yes, mom!” came their cry in unison.
Tori chuckled and shook her head. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to climb up to the cave.”
A rope ladder hung from the entrance. It had been there when they arrived. Testing it out, she decided it appeared sturdy enough and began to climb.
“Hey, be careful!” Vitto yelled beneath her.
“I’m just checking out the entrance. I won’t be long,” she answered.
Tori made her way to the opening and crawled inside. She stood, glancing into the dim cave light. Grabbing a flashlight off her utility belt, she shone it around the opening. The stone was red, the color of the Qurilixen soil. Seeing a narrow tunnel toward the back, she moved toward it. She had to turn sideways to get through, but she managed it with little trouble.
The tunnel led to a large cavern. Crystal formations protruded from the ceiling. They reflected the outside light, causing spots to dance on the walls like little rainbows. Small inlets and tunnels spiraled off from the side walls. She turned off her light, not needing it. Then, grabbing a sticker off her utility belt, she peeled it back and slapped it on the wall, marking the exit with a big green circle.
After a quick walk through, Tori left the beautiful cave. Simon had started supper on the campfire when she reached the bottom. She grinned at him as he stirred a big pot.
“What we having tonight?” she asked.
“Stew,” Simon chuckled.
; “Ala something from a foil pack labeled stew,” Grant offered, holding up the empty foil pack for her to see.
Tori laughed, before asking cautiously, “Does it look good?”
“It better be good,” Vitto said as she came to sit by him on a long bench they’d found in the supplies. “It’s the only thing we have. Five cases of nothing but stew and dehydrated coffee.”
“Ugh,” Tori grumbled. “You’re kidding right? Please tell me you’re kidding.”
* * * *
Quinn was crazy. He knew it. He was walking through the marshland on foot to confront a woman he hardly knew to find out why she ran away from his bed. Yep, it was a crazy plan. A stupid plan. It was his plan.
He’d been walking for an hour, thinking about what lame excuse he’d use once he got to the campsite. Maybe, being as he was the ambassador, he wouldn’t need an excuse to check in on her--them. Hearing voices, he stopped. Tori’s laughter rang up around him and he couldn’t help but smile to hear it.
“Does it look good?” Tori asked.
“It better be good,” Vitto answered. “It’s the only thing we have. Five cases of nothing but stew and dehydrated coffee.”
Quinn came to the trees. His eyes narrowed as he saw Tori sitting close to Vitto on the bench. She leaned in to bump his shoulder with a playful nudge. Claws grew from his fingertips, ready to cut through Vitto’s throat if she dared touch the man again.
“Ugh,” Tori grumbled. “You’re kidding right? Please tell me you’re kidding.”
“Not at all,” Vitto answered. His arm reached around to give Tori a hug. Quinn gripped the trunk of a tree and dug in his claws as he fought a full shift. His nostrils flared and his jaw tightened painfully.
“Hey, knock it off you two!” Grant demanded. “You know the rules ... no affection unless I’m in on it.”
“Oh, baby, come here and give mama some sugar!” Tori teased.
Quinn’s hands balled into fist, scraping the bark from the tree. He forced his claws to retract. Taking a deep breath, he shook with outrage. But, instead of storming forward like he wanted to, he turned and stalked away.
* * * *
“Oh, baby, come here and give mama some sugar!” Tori teased Grant with a roll of her eyes.
Grant paused in his walk across the campsite and pointed a finger at her. “Don’t tempt me, sugar mama. I just might crawl into your tent tonight and bite you on the ass!”
“Is that how you got Linzi into your bed?” Tori asked with a smirk. “With threats?”
Grant made a small noise and took a deep, dramatic breath before sighing loudly. “Oh, she was the only one doing the biting last night. I tell you what. She brought out these chains and a whip--”
“Oh!” Tori and Vitto grimaced in unison.
“Too much!” Tori shouted in laughter.
“My ears, my ears!” Vitto chimed in, taking his arms from Tori to put them over his ears.
“Quiet!” Simon demanded. They all looked at him with wide eyes, surprised at his harsh tone. He motioned for silence with a large spoon. “You two let the boy speak. This conversation was just getting good!”
The younger scientists rolled with laughter and Simon just grinned, moving back to stir his pot.
* * * *
After a few weeks being at the camp, they fell into a normal routine. In the mornings they would map out the caves and check for signs of contamination. The equipment HIA sent them was unable to sense through the rock, so they had to go to each cavern individually to search. It was a tedious process, but they were scientists and well used to tedious assignments.
In the late afternoons, they’d collect samples from the surrounding swamplands--water, soil, green and black moss. It was discovered that air is what killed the black moss, so loads of rock and dirt were hauled into the laboratory tent where they set up a special environment to test the strange fungus.
During their time, the four scientists had no contact with the outside world. They were used to the isolation, but for some reason it seemed to be wearing on Tori more than usual. At night, alone in her tent, she would relive each moment with Quinn in her head. It was only a few days, but it felt like a lifetime. The way he’d kissed her, made love to her, stayed in her thoughts during the day. At night, he haunted her dreams. There was no way around it. She missed him.
“Ah!” Tori yelled as mud splattered onto her face. A large clump got into her mouth, making her gag. “Oh, crap! Darn it! Crap! Crap! Crap!”
“Tori?” Vitto called, his voice giving away his concern. She heard the tent flap lift behind her. “What happened?”
“I-I got distracted,” Tori answered, swiping mud from her eyes and spitting. She flicked her gloved hands in the air. “I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing and I got careless.”
“Damn it, Tori, it’s in your eyes!” Vitto moved away only to come back. She felt a cool rag on her face as Vitto swiped her clean. “This distraction has been happening a lot lately. Care to share?”
“No,” she grumbled. “I just want to take a bath.”
“Listen,” Vitto began. “I’ve been thinking that it’s about time we headed back to the palace to report to HIA, not to mention King Kirill. We’re almost done with the caves, except for that lower subsystem Grant found yesterday in the east tunnel. I know you’re in charge and we’ll do what you decide, but it’s just a friendly suggestion.”
“Grant just wants to see Linzi,” Tori answered, chuckling. She’d honestly been putting off going back to the palace, though she knew Vitto was right. They did need to check in with HIA and report. And it never hurt to keep the locals informed of their progress. It also made for good relations when and if they needed to stay longer than planned.
“And you want a bath and I want to eat something besides that horrible dehydrated, ‘I’m sure the Agency really just wanted to kill us with it anyway’ stew.”
“I know. I think we’re all at least fifty pounds lighter since this began,” Tori chuckled, tired. She could use a bed and a warm bath. Slowly, she nodded. “All right. Have everyone secure our site so we can go. We’ll leave in about an hour and a half for the Var palace.”
* * * *
When the four weary scientists trudged into the palace, they were greeted by the king. He smiled at them, not seeming surprised that they were there. Tori guessed the guards had alerted him before they even made the edge of the Var city. After a brief report to Kirill and Falke about their progress, they were allowed to go back to their rooms to rest.
Tori searched for Quinn, as she made her way back to her suite, but didn’t see him. She was almost afraid to face him, scared of what he thought of her. She’d acted completely wanton and she’d been too nervous to face him in the light of morning. He hadn’t tried to contact her since she left, though she secretly longed for him to. There were many nights she laid alone in her tent, wishing and praying he’d come to her, even if it was for one night.
Now that she was back in the suite, the memories of Quinn flooded her anew. Her body heated, curling with the beginnings of desire. Humming a twentieth century earth tune, Tori stretched her legs across the bathtub. The curtains were drawn over the windows, leaving the bath dim. Water was so much better than trying to clean with a hand sanitizer in the cool air of morning out in the forest. Rubbing soap over her skin, she washed at leisure, daydreaming that it was Quinn’s hands on her body.
“Want some company?”
Tori jolted in surprise. The words materialized as if out of her thoughts. She turned in the bath to see Quinn standing below the platform. An instant blush stained her features and she swallowed almost nervously. She hoped the steam from the water made her looked flushed so he wouldn’t notice. He looked tired, but gorgeous. Just seeing him took her breath away. Her heart leapt.
“Quinn,” she panted, breathless. “You’re ... here.”
“Kirill told me you were back.” Without waiting for her permission, he began undressing. It seemed natural
that he would do so and she didn’t protest. Tori watched him as his beautiful body was unveiled.
“What are you doing?” she asked belatedly, as he stepped up to the tub. His body was erect, ready for her, and she grew excited just knowing it.
“I figured I’d come help you relax,” he answered, giving her a small grin.
Tori studied him carefully. There was something different about him, but it was hard to name. It was his eyes. They didn’t seem so bright a blue. And his smile, it didn’t appear so mischievous in intent.
“Is-is something the matter?” she asked as he came up next to her. “You look stressed. Are you having problems with the Draig? With Lord Myrddin? Has something happ--”
“How was your work?” he interrupted, instead of answering. Taking the rag from her hand, he lathered it up and motioned for her to turn around. She did and he began washing her back.
Tori moaned. His strong hand felt as good as she remembered along her skin, easing the tension from her muscles. She loved his hands.
“Work was fine,” she answered at length. “We think we’ve got the caves almost cleared, though we really didn’t expect to find much.”
“And our neat Var marshland mud?” he asked.
She glanced over her shoulder and he winked at her.
“It’s still neat,” she returned, giving a small laugh. “I wanted to ask you about the black moss though. Like, where’d it come from? How--?”
“Shhh, later. We’ll discuss it later.” He leaned in to lick at her earlobe.
“Mmmm,” she moaned, instantly forgetting about work and black moss.
“So, did you miss me?” he questioned, dropping the cloth and rubbing his hands around to her front to glide around her large breasts.
Tori wasn’t sure how to answer, so she just made a weak sound. Yes, she had missed him--terribly.
His hot breath hit against her ear, as he came up along her back and pressed his body along hers. Heatedly, he whispered, “Did you miss this?”
The Playful Prince Page 7