The Playful Prince

by Michelle M. Pillow

  “Yes, nothing but us,” he promised, content to pull her tightly into his arms as he held her.

  “I can’t face it,” she whispered, her heart aching as she nestled into his strong, protective embrace. “Make love to me again, please, Quinn.”

  He chuckled softly. “Just try and stop me.”

  Tori smiled, hiding the sadness under the pleasure he gave her. She didn’t want to leave him, but he hadn’t begged her to stay. He hadn’t even asked her. And, if he did, she wasn’t sure what she would say anyway.

  He made love to her three more times, each release better than the last until they were too exhausted to move. Sighing in contentment, she fell asleep in his arms.

  46

  You are mine...forever. The words were a whisper, spoken from Tori’s parted lips. Quinn opened his eyes, waking from a dream. He’d been kissing Tori, making love to her. She was his, completely his. Her dark eyes were staring up at him, and she promised never to leave him.

  You are mine...

  The thought echoed in his brain, a bittersweet torment. Reaching for Tori, he found the bed was empty. He frowned though he was hardly surprised. She had a habit of sneaking away while he slept. Sitting up, he ran his hand through his hair. Then, slowly, he crawled out of bed, found his clothes, and dressed.

  “Siren,” he ordered. “Find Doctor Elliot.”

  “Good morning, my lord. Doctor Elliot is not in the palace.”

  “I’m not surprised,” he whispered, letting loose a humorless chuckle. Anger built inside him. How dare she go back into the forest without telling him? Quinn surged to his feet and stormed out of the suite.

  Her scent was still on his skin. Her voice was in his brain. Quinn growled, feeling his heart like a lead weight and he knew he’d never be free of her.

  You are mine...forever.

  “There is something wrong with me,” Quinn announced, walking into the king’s office. Kirill looked up from his desk, his dark eyes narrowing at the comment. Quinn swallowed, took a deep breath, and uttered, “I’m...broken.”

  Kirill frowned, standing. His eyes roamed down over his brother looking for injuries. “How do you mean, broken?”

  “It will be easier to show you.” Quinn’s face turned a dark shade of red and for a long moment, he stood, not moving. Kirill waited patiently. Finally, Quinn sighed and called over his shoulder, “Come in!”

  Kirill’s features flooded with confusion, as he watched a harem woman come into the office. She was very lovely—young, with dark hair and exotic eyes that could easily tempt any unmated man. When the woman sighed and came to stand next to Quinn, a quizzical smile twitched the corner of the king’s mouth. As he watched them, Kirill leaned on the corner of his desk. He didn’t say a word.

  “Do it,” Quinn ordered the woman, not looking at all pleased. He didn’t care what he looked like. He wasn’t pleased. Tori had ruined him somehow, and he wasn’t happy about it. His first impulse had been to run after her when he discovered she was again missing from his bed, but pride kept him from going. That was two days ago, and he refused to go crawling back to her. He had to retain some dignity. He had to forget her. When the woman didn’t move, he said, “Go on. Do it.”

  The woman frowned, looking dejected. “Again, my lord? I don’t think it will make a difference.”

  Quinn looked at her. She shrugged. Reaching forward, the woman grabbed his crotch.

  “Ha, see that,” Quinn yelled instantly as if proving some point. Kirill merely continued to stare, confused. Ignoring the woman, the prince pushed her hand aside and waved her out of the office, “See, broken. She has ruined me.”

  “Who? Doctor Elliot?” Kirill asked, realization dawning on him. He motioned to the harem woman to leave. She curtsied and obeyed. Quinn ignored her.

  “Yes, Doctor Elliot,” Quinn growled as if the answer was obvious. “She has driven me to madness. I can’t eat, can’t think, can’t seem to breathe without her in my head. I—I need a cure.”

  “Quinn, wait,” Kirill said in his reasonable older brother tone. Quinn frowned to hear it. He didn’t want to hear reasons. He wanted to be free of Tori, as she was obviously free of him. “Why...all this? Has something happened between you and Doctor Elliot? Did you fight? Did she say something?”

  “No, she left me without a word. She stole out of my bed, yet again, to run off with those two scientists.” Quinn slashed his hand through the air in agitation. When he discovered from Reid that the scientists would be gone for a week, camping again in the forest, he’d been livid. Of course, they had an armed guard with them this time and weren’t to be left alone, but it didn’t matter. He remembered Vitto’s words of love. He was a fool to believe she wasn’t sleeping with the man.

  “You’re jealous,” Kirill stated, grinning wider. “You’re jealous of the male scientists.”

  “I’m glad my pain amuses you brother,” Quinn growled. He felt helpless, not knowing where to go or what to do. All he could think about was her.

  “If you are so concerned, why don’t you just go out there to see what’s going on?”

  “And humiliate myself by crawling at her feet?” Quinn had already thought of that, but he didn’t think it would work so he saved himself the embarrassment of begging her to love him.

  “Quinn, no—”

  “Don’t you get it, Kirill? I am not whole,” he cried. Quinn’s hands lifted helplessly, and his whole frame shook. “Can’t you see it? Something has happened to me. I’m ruined, broken, insane!”

  Kirill slowly pushed up from the edge of the desk. His smiled faded. “Quinn, it’s all right. Try to calm down. I’ve never seen you like this.”

  “You don’t understand. I can feel her in me right now. I feel as if I hear her thoughts, but they’re unclear. I taste her mouth. I can smell her hair, right now, as I stand before you. My heart beats and it feels her. I want it to stop.” The brightness had faded from his eyes as he looked around him. “This is the madness King Attor spoke of. You might have gotten lucky, but not I. I should have heeded our father’s warning. I should have stayed clear of her.”

  “Quinn, you don’t—”

  “I’m broken,” Quinn interrupted, nearing complete desperation. He fell to his knees and buried his face into his hands. His words were muffled, as he hoarsely whispered, “I’m broken, Kirill, and I don’t know how to make it go away.”

  “No, brother, you are not broken,” the king said softly. He crossed over to him and placed a hand on his brother’s arm. Quinn’s eyes rose to meet the king’s dark ones. “You are life mated.”

  47

  “Tori, this is stupid.”

  Tori blinked in confusion, looking up at her brother from the ground. The comment came out of nowhere. He held a drill in his hands, waiting as she injected the last of the formula into the last hole. They’d been working for three days, traveling around the marshes, injecting the ground, watching the black moss die a quick death.

  Their task had gone a lot smoother than they had at first hoped. Everything looked as if it would be all right. Even the preliminary tests they’d done on the soil looked promising. Within ten years, the shadowed marshes should be thriving again with life. There was a deep satisfaction in knowing they had accomplished that.

  “What are you talking about?” Tori asked, turning back to her work. “It’s a good thing we’re doing here. We’re saving a planet. We’re saving lives. How can you call that stupid?”

  Vitto didn’t say anything for a long time. Tori turned back to her work. When she finished and began to push up from the ground, he said, “I’m not talking about our work. I’m talking about you and Prince Quinn. I’m talking about how the two of you are acting like children.”

  Tori felt the blood drain from her features. Her heart skidded nervously in her chest. She’d been refusing to speak of Quinn since they’d come out to the forest. Early on the morning they had left for the marshes, she had awakened by Quinn’s side, shaken to the core by a stra
nge dream. In the dream, they were happy and so in love. He promised never to leave her.

  You are mine...forever.

  She could still hear his voice in her head, whispering to her. Even now she felt like he was next to her, trying to whisper into her brain. She was terrified that she could feel so much for a man who’d made her no promises. Trying to bury herself in work, she endeavored to forget him. But, it hadn’t worked, not this time. He was always there, ready to torment her thoughts. She could barely eat or sleep, and she could forget about concentrating on anything for more than two seconds at a time.

  You are mine...forever.

  She’d looked at Quinn’s face, peaceful in sleep as he lay in the bed next to her. His hand had been on her breast, possessively holding her. Tori shivered anew to think of it. She’d been frightened by her feelings, was frightened still.

  Tori looked at her hands, pretending to concentrate on dusting them off. It didn’t matter, as she was covered in sweat and mud. “What about Prince Quinn? I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Damn it,” Vitto growled. “Vittoria Rosemary Elliot, so help me you are the most stubborn person I’ve ever met, or the most stupid!”

  “What?” she defended, surprised that Vitto yelled at her in such a tone. He sounded like their father at that moment. “What did I do?”

  “They say love is blind, but in your case I’m assuming it’s also deaf, dumb, and completely brain dead.” Vitto shook his head. “Did you think we wouldn’t notice that you ran away from the palace, coming out here to hide?”

  “Hide?” Tori shot in return. “I came out here because I had a job to do.”

  “Hmm, yeah, that’s why we found ourselves roused from our beds before dawn to sneak out of the palace, yet again, I might add. You’re afraid to face Quinn. Admit it.” Vitto glared down at her, and he didn’t give her a chance to answer. “Grant and I have been waiting for you to work whatever nonsense is in your head out, but I give up. If you’re not going to call a spade a spade, then I’ll have to say it for you. I know you, Tor. I’ve known you my whole life. You know I love you and always will. We’re family. And that’s why I can say this to you. You’re being a stupid ass. You need to stop being so involved in your work and concentrate on you. You’re in love with him, Tori. You’re in love with Prince Quinn.”

  “But, Vitto—”

  “No buts,” Vitto growled. Tori jolted in surprise. She’d never seen him like this. “I’ll not watch you throw your life away because you’re too stupid to see the answer that is right in front of you. More often than not, the simplest solution to a problem is the right one.”

  Tori’s mouth trembled, as she fought to hold back her tears. “Vitto, I know you mean well, but you don’t understand. What I feel is one sided.”

  Vitto snorted, looking like he was about to argue. She held up her hand.

  “Please, Vitto, don’t make this harder on me. He’s made me no promises,” Tori swallowed.

  “Have you given him a reason to?” Vitto asked, drawing her forward into his brotherly hug. “I know how you are. You’re safe, cautious. You’ll only proceed when the answer is clear. As a scientist, that little characteristic is admirable. As a woman, it just plain sucks. He probably had to tell you fifty times that he was attracted to you before you’d sleep with him.”

  Tori turned bright red. Quinn had said he wanted her several times before she’d finally given in, even though she’d wanted him just as badly from the very beginning. Vitto was right. She did play it safe.

  “Men are stubborn creatures and these men are more so than others. I was talking to Reid and from what I gathered about their upbringing, their father wasn’t exactly the best teacher. They weren’t lucky like we were. We had parents who loved us openly and knew how to express it with and without words. Quinn and his brothers weren’t raised to recognize emotions like love. And if he can’t recognize it, what makes you think he would know how to express it?”

  Tori shivered. Vitto’s words made sense. King Attor had been a horrible man, an unworthy father—unloving, murderous, a tyrant. Quinn did have a strong sense of duty and commitment to his people. But, aside from King Kirill with his wife, she’d never seen any of the brothers confess or show that they cared for each other—at least not openly so. The respect and closeness was there, but she doubted any of them knew how to express what they felt with words.

  Tori and Vitto had been raised in a home where love was so openly spoken about that she’d grown to take it for granted. She’d been sitting around, waiting for Quinn to say openly how he felt for her, to just come out and tell her. Remembering the queen’s words, she sighed. Ulyssa had told her that sometimes it takes a knock on the head to get the Var men to confess anything. She’d told her to ask Quinn straight out what he felt for her. Why hadn’t she listened to the queen’s advice? Who would know better than a woman who’d managed to break through King Attor’s demented teachings?

  “Vitto, I have to go,” Tori whispered. She handed him her equipment. Almost in a daze, she backed away. “I have to go.”

  “Wait, Tori, you can’t leave yet,” Vitto said, stepping after her.

  She froze, looking at him in question. “But, you just said I should...I have to tell him how I feel.”

  “Um, that’s great, Tor,” Vitto said. “But, as a man, can I give you one little bit more advice?”

  “What? Anything.” Tori’s round eyes looked up at him as he came to her. His gaze moved briefly over her clothes.

  Vitto grinned, a mischievous glint in his brotherly eyes. “Take a bath first and get cleaned up. You smell like a pig sty.”

  Tori’s mouth fell open, and she glanced down at her muddied clothes. She did look a frightful mess. Vitto’s hand lifted to her face, and he pushed her mouth shut with one finger.

  “Water’s that way,” he said, pointing to where the water container sat in one of the tents. “I’ll get the camp packed up while you get cleaned up.”

  48

  Tori’s whole body jolted with nervous excitement. The walk back to the palace seemed like it took forever. She stayed quiet, lost in thought as she rehearsed what she would say in her head. She hardly paid attention to the large trees or the red earthen path. Several times she began to wander off course, deep in thought. Vitto or Grant would reach out and pull her back, not bothering to say a word to her about it as they shot her impish grins. The men chatted next to her, going back and forth with their Var escorts.

  Her heart pounded furiously as she neared the palace. She was sure her face was flooded with the heat of her nervousness. Tori swallowed, trying to still her shaking limbs. Suddenly, she stopped. Turning to Vitto, she whispered, “What if he says nothing?”

  “Trust me, Tori. He’ll say something.” Vitto took her gently by the arm and almost had to drag her to get her to move forward. “If you don’t take the chance, you’ll never forgive yourself. At least this way, you’ll know for sure how he feels.”

  Tori thought about Vitto’s words, and before she realized it, he’d dragged her to the banquet hall. A few Var soldiers sat about the tables, drinking and joking. Half-eaten plates of food were set before them. At their entrance, the noise lessened as several turned to look at the newly returned scientists.

  “Hey, guys, I’m going to take a bath and find Linzi. I’ll see you later,” Grant said, glancing into the hall but not entering it. “Elliot, I expect a full report.”

  Tori nodded weakly, barely hearing the man. She looked around, ignoring the stares. At the head table was Quinn. He sat next to his brothers. When her eyes found his, she didn’t see anything else. She stared for a long moment. She felt faint. She couldn’t do it.

  Turning to Vitto, who still held her arm, she whispered, “There are too many people here. I can’t do this.”

  “You can,” Vitto answered, placing two hands on her shoulders. “I know he cares for you, Tori. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

  “But
—”

  “No buts,” Vitto ordered. “Or I’ll kick you in yours.”

  Tori chuckled softly at the look he gave her. He was right. It was time to tell Quinn how she felt about him, how much she loved him, how she never wanted to take another breath without him by her side.

  Quinn watched Tori walk into the hall with Vitto. He had to blink several times to make sure the vision was real. They hadn’t been expecting them back so soon. The guards that had escorted them walked into the hall, going immediately to the tables to join their comrades. Grant poked his head in, said something to Tori and Vitto and then disappeared.

  He watched through narrowed eyes as Vitto grabbed Tori by the shoulders. His hand gripped tightly around his goblet in jealousy. When Tori laughed, a rage ripped through him, and he couldn’t contain his anger any longer. Slamming down the goblet, he stood. All eyes turned to him.

  “Get your hands off of her!” Quinn demanded, glaring at Vitto.

  Several of the men gasped, turning to look at Vitto and Tori. Vitto slowly let her go. King Kirill hid his grin behind his hand. Ulyssa did the same.

  “What are you doing?” Reid whispered, trying to get Quinn’s attention.

  “Quiet, Reid,” the bandaged Falke ordered at his side. Reid blinked in annoyance at the command but said no more.

  Tori’s eyes finally left his, and she glanced around the quiet hall. Quinn could see her hands tremble from his place at the head table. He hadn’t meant to scare her. Coming around the platform, he marched forward.

  “Prince Quinn,” Vitto said. “Perhaps there has been a misunderstanding.”

  “I choose Tori as mine. You are not to touch her.” Quinn announced. His words were so tense that they echoed harshly over the banquet hall for all to hear. There were several more gasps and a loud murmur of excited whispers.