The Playful Prince

by Michelle M. Pillow

“I love you,” Tori mumbled, still eyeing him ruefully.

  In one artful pull, he had her on her back on the couch, and her shirt pulled up over her stomach. He sprinkled feathery light kisses over her. “And I love you, too, my son.”

  “Son?” Tori asked. “It could be a girl.”

  “Possibly,” Quinn chuckled, humoring her. “But, girl children are rare here. You know that.”

  “Don’t remind me that I’ll always be outnumbered by Var men.” Tori chuckled.

  Quinn looked up, concerned. “Do you mind having sons?”

  “If they are yours, how can I not love having them?” Tori stroked back his hair. “Now, get off me so I can go baby shopping with the queen. Though, I have to admit, seeing you tied down in chains does hold some appeal.”

  To Tori’s surprise, Quinn kissed her quickly and jumped to his feet. She sat up, stunned. He rushed to the door. “I’m going to go tell everyone.”

  Her mouth fell open as he left her. Just as she was standing to adjust her clothes, his head popped around the corner. A big, silly grin was spread over his excited features. He’d never looked more handsome, or prouder. “I love you, wife.”

  “I love you, too. Go, tell the world. I’ll see you later tonight so we can finish this.” Tori shook her head as he went to do just that. Sighing she moved after him, hearing his shouts of joy coming from the end of the hall. Whispering, she said with a laugh, “I love you, too, husband.”

  50

  Tori looked around her home in amazement. One day. It had only taken Quinn one day to buy enough stuff for ten children, and she was barely a month along. Working her way through the boxes she chuckled and set down her small shopping basket of baby clothes. It looked pitifully small compared to the furniture and mounds of clothing set before her.

  “There you are,” Quinn beamed proudly at her, walking in the front door. “I was looking for you. Ulyssa said you came back here, so I must have just missed you in the hall.”

  “I see you’ve been busy,” Tori laughed. She watched her husband wade through the boxes and bags to reach her. It took a while, but he finally made it to her side. Stopping, he kissed her soundly then leaned over to her belly to do the same. “Do you think we need all this stuff? It’s just one baby.”

  “Only one now. I plan on keeping you producing my children for many years to come.” Quinn grinned, nuzzling her now bare stomach with light kisses. His voice became hoarse, rasping, as he admitted, “I shall enjoy watching your body grow round with my sons.”

  Quinn made a low growling sound as if the mere thought of her pregnant body aroused him. Tori wasn’t so sure that it sounded like a good plan to her, but merely said, “Let’s get through number one first and then we’ll talk about the others.”

  “We’ll build onto this wing. I think at least twelve sons,” Quinn continued as if he hadn’t heard her. “Maybe more. Sixteen has a nice ring to it.”

  “Sixteen?” Tori squeaked. She was still trying to get used to the idea of one.

  Before he could answer a knock sounded on the door. Quinn pulled back up, covering her stomach from view. His hand lingered on her possessively, before yelling, “Come in!”

  Tori watched in awe as Kirill, Reid, and Falke struggled to bring in the most hideous stuffed creature she’d ever seen. Quinn kissed her temple and went to help. The strange beast was twice as tall as the men and had the spine of an Old Earth porcupine along its thick back, looking as sharp as razor blades. His head was just as vicious with long, deadly fangs and eyes that looked eerie even in its taxidermy state.

  It was a struggle getting it through the door, and when they finally managed, they set it up in the living room. The horrible beast stared down at her, looking altogether like the thing nightmares were made of. The four brothers watched her proudly, as she looked at the awful thing. Vaguely, she was aware of her jaw hanging open in stunned silence.

  “Ah,” King Kirill said to Quinn, slapping him in the chest with a big grin. “Look at her face, she loves it!”

  “How can she not?” Quinn answered and got instant nods of agreement from his brothers. “I told you Earth women liked stuffed creatures.”

  “Quinn?” Tori asked, weakly. “What is this thing?”

  “A Yorkin,” Falke supplied. He still moved stiffly from being tortured by Lord Myrddin, but he was too proud to let it show. Tori felt bad for him. He’d been hurt the worst out of all of them. She couldn’t begin to imagine the horror he’d been through. “We took it down ourselves last year in a hunt, it only took the four of us to defeat it.”

  “Yes,” Tori said. “I’m afraid I still don’t understand.”

  “Well,” Reid explained as if it should’ve been perfectly clear. “Quinn told us of the baby and for a gift, he said you’d like either flowers, which he’s already picked and given to you, or hunted offerings. None of us know this fearsome teddy bear you speak of, but we are sure this creature has to be at least twice as deadly as that.”

  Tori’s jaw dropped further. She wanted to laugh, but their faces were so earnest, so proud of what they’d given her, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything.

  “What in the...?” Ulyssa said from the door.

  “They’ve brought me a beast more fearsome than a teddy bear,” Tori said. She’d confessed the misunderstanding to Ulyssa one night who hadn’t breathed a word of it.

  “Oh,” Ulyssa said, and Tori saw her struggling not to smile. Turning to her husband, she winked and said, “It’s almost as good as the weapons you all gave me for the baby.”

  The four Vars’ grins deepened.

  “Good God!” Vitto exclaimed coming in. Grant was next to him. “What is that thing?”

  “A Yorkin,” Quinn supplied, waving to encompass the beast.

  Vitto smiled at Tori. He gave an amused glance around at all the boxes.

  “Are you giving birth to an army?” Grant asked, laughing as he too looked around.

  “Not yet,” Quinn supplied. “But, soon.”

  Ulyssa shot her a pointed look. Tori just shrugged weakly and helplessly shook her head.

  “Um, Lyssa...?” King Kirill began.

  “Ah, no. No army for you, my king,” Ulyssa automatically answered. “Maybe three.”

  “But...” the king said, looking as if his wife had taken away his favorite toy. He glanced meaningfully at Tori and Quinn. “Quinn gets to have—”

  “We’ll discuss it later,” Ulyssa said, smiling lovingly at him.

  “Fine.” The king actually looked like he was pouting.

  Reid frowned slightly in discomfort and looked at the floor. He always seemed to stiffen up whenever any of his brothers acted affectionately toward their wives. She knew that being raised by King Attor had scarred each of them more than they’d ever admit. She only hoped that someday Reid and Falke would both find the happiness they had. Oh, and Jarek, she mustn’t forget her other new brother, the space explorer.

  Vitto made his way through the boxes to hand her a small stuffed bear he carried. Grinning at her, he said, “I hate leaving. I promise to come back after my next assignment and see you.”

  “Me, too,” Grant said. Tori knew they were both signed up with the HIA for another mission. It seemed they both enjoyed the danger that working for the Agency brought. She worried about them but knew they were smart, capable men. She had finished her work, sending her reports in to ESC and HIA over a week ago. Doctor Martens’ belongings went with it. HIA mission director, Franklin, said he’d make sure they were delivered to Simon’s family.

  Handing her the bear, Vitto said, “I know it’s just a teddy bear, but I wanted the baby to have something from his uncle before I left.”

  At Vitto’s words, Tori heard a round of gasps. All four Var warriors made their way through the boxes to look at the small bear. Quinn took it from Tori’s hands and examined it. Reid grabbed it from him and did the same, passing it on to Falke and Kirill.

  “Where are its teeth?” Quinn asked,
frowning, not at all impressed by the small furry animal.

  “It’s so small,” Reid said. “Is it poisonous? Does it shift?”

  “We could easily hunt this,” Falke added. “It has no claws. Were they perhaps removed?”

  “Does it have fangs? Is it spry?” Quinn asked. He pulled at the stuffed animal’s mouth, but couldn’t get it open to see.

  King Kirill lifted the bear and sniffed it before turning to his wife. Holding it up, he said, “Lyssa, you are frightened by this thing?”

  The four humans began to laugh. The Var looked them over, confused.

  “Come on, guys,” Ulyssa said, ushering them out. “Let’s leave these two alone. Vitto, Grant, come and help me explain.”

  Once alone, Tori eyed the Yorkin. No matter how misguided, it was sweet of her new family. She turned to her husband. He held the bear, poking at its soft, fake fur in confusion. She leaned over and kissed him soundly.

  Pulling back, he again eyed the bear in severe concentration and said, “I could have hunted this on my own, without my brothers. You know that, don’t you? I will get you one if you truly wish me to find one. What planet is it from? Only Old Earth? New Earth?”

  “I know you could have, sweetheart, I know.” Tori grinned. It was so sweet that he was worried his Yorkin disappointed her compared to the bear Vitto had given her. She pushed him back through the boxes toward their bedroom, her hands roaming beneath his clothes.

  “That Yorkin took five days to track and we fought for nearly three hours to bring it down. Usually, it takes at least twenty men twice as long. It supplied meat for the whole palace for months.” Quinn didn’t seem to notice that he was already half naked, but as she pulled off her shirt and threw it on the bear in his hand, he glanced up. A grin instantly spread over his features.

  “Mm, yes, you’re my big bad hunter, aren’t you?” Tori said, playfully pushing him back. “Why don’t you come and show me how you track your prey?”

  Quinn’s eyes flashed with the threat of a shift, sending hot arousal through her. He instantly dropped the bear but held onto the shirt. Lifting his wife over his shoulder, he rushed her the rest of the way to the bed. He laid her gently on the bed and undressed her completely. When they were both naked, he yelled, “Fire!”

  “Oh, no, Quinn,” Tori protested, watching her clothes fly toward the fireplace. “Not again!”

  “I disobeyed a royal decree, wife.” Quinn kissed her. “Now, wasn’t there some sort of punishment due me? Something to do with chains?”

  “Mm, you’re such an outlaw,” she moaned.

  Quinn grinned, chuckling as he covered her body with his, easing his thighs between her legs. Tori’s laughter joined his and her arms wrapped around his solid neck, not caring if she ever wore clothes again.

  The End

  * * *

  The Series continues with

  The Bound Prince

  CLICK HERE to read the book!

  * * *

  To be informed about new releases, preorders and sales, join the newsletter: http://michellepillow.com/newslettersignup/

  The Bound Prince

  The series continues with…

  The Bound Prince

  (Lords of the Var® 3)

  by Michelle M. Pillow

  Cat-shifter Prince Falke commands the Var armies, so it’s a little embarrassing when a beautiful female kidnaps him in his shifted form. Since no one knows where to send a rescue party, it’s up to him to use all his training and powers of seduction to find his way back home.

  Captain Samantha Dorsey and her men are on a mission to complete a scavenger hunt and claim the prize money. Drunk and feeling like some fun, they snag the last thing on their list—a primitive wild beast. The next morning she realizes that they got more than they bargained for...they kidnapped a warrior prince.

  The Bound Prince

  CLICK HERE to read the book!

  First Chapter Excerpt

  Samantha Dorsey flicked her short fingernails in a steady, annoying rhythm, purposefully torturing the two irritated crewmen sitting before her. She received mischievous pleasure in watching their backs stiffen as they tried to concentrate on the task at hand. Black makeup outlined her calm, violet eyes. She turned to study the men, partly laughing, partly mocking, and mostly playful.

  “Hum, Captain Sam thinks she’s got us.” Evan Cormier, her go-to man on the ship, lifted his chocolate brown eyes in amusement as he looked at her fingers. He had short black hair, with glints of silver along his temples. His sex appeal was completely lost on her most days, but now he was beginning to look a little sexy. Too bad she didn’t sleep with her crew. According to the many women Evan had taken to his bed, he was able to ‘read’ what a woman wanted and give it to her. Sam knew it was because he was partly telepathic, a fact he didn’t share with too many. People either became weird about it, or wanted to use him to up their odds in poker games. Sam paused in her nail-clicking as she watched him. His brow rose in silent challenge, and she started the clicking all over again. His low voice rumbled, as he stated, “Chase a star, Captain.”

  Sam grinned, reaching down into the messy pile of playing cards and drew. A lock of blonde and purple hair fell over her eye and she swept it back. Lifting the ace of spades into her hand, she fiddled with her cards. Evan cleared his throat and gave a meaningful glance at the half-empty bottle of Torganian rum. Sighing, she reached for the bottle and chugged a big swallow. It really was nasty stuff. She sputtered and gagged, as she gasped for breath. Making an awful face, she slammed her fist on the table.

  “Ugh, it still tastes like Lophibian piss!” Sam spat, grabbing a shot of New Earth whiskey to chase the foul liquor down. This time she didn’t sputter. “Where did Viktor get this crap?”

  Evan and the other player of their torturous card game, Lucien, laughed, nearly falling over drunk in their chairs. Lucien was half human, half Dere, with the strangest red-brown eyes they’d ever seen, unless you counted the red-green eyes of his older brother.

  “Do you have a…eight?” Lucien asked Sam. Sam looked down at her cards. Seeing an eight, she handed it over. Lucien grinned triumphantly, getting out of drinking the horrible alcohol. They were well aware they played a warped version of a child’s game, but as drunk as they were, they’d been hard pressed to focus on much else.

  Everyone on the ship was at least half human. There were six of them in total. Sam was the Captain, mainly because she’d been the lucky one to win the ship in a card game. Evan was the first mate, second in command. Lucien was in charge of communications. Passed out on the couch was Lucien’s brother, Viktor. He was one hell of a mechanic and could rig anything. Passed out on the floor was Rick Hayes, their pilot. And, if Sam guessed right, passed out in his room was Dev. Dev was half Belvon, a demonic looking race with red skin. Aside from the intense coloring, he looked human, only larger. He was the ship’s muscle.

  Sam wasn’t worried about her drunken crew. The ship was on autopilot and they weren’t currently in hostile territory. The outer edge of the Y quadrant was nearly abandoned from what they could see. Earlier, they’d spotted a small reddish-brown planet surrounded by a blue-green earthlike sky. Initial scans said it was oxygen based and inhabited, with no visible space ports and no sky activity.

  Sam blinked, looking down at her hand. She suddenly realized she had three aces left. Throwing them down, she declared, “Kiss my comet! Drink up boys!”

  Lucien and Evan grimaced but grabbed the Torganian Rum and dutifully took their losing drinks. They sputtered in disgust, just as she had, and they quickly followed the shot with whiskey. Sam laughed, slamming her fist down on the table several times while trying not to fall onto the floor.

  “Ah,” Evan spat, stretching his tongue out of his mouth as if that would make the taste go away.

  “Oooh, yuck,” Lucien grumbled, shaking his head and wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. “Sometimes I wonder about us.”

  Sam laughed harder. “Hey,
what’s next on the list? What else do we need to get?”

  Lucien grinned, automatically knowing what she was thinking. Swiping the cards aside, he ran his hand over the table. A transparent floating computer screen materialized before him and a control panel opened beneath the flat surface. Pushing a few buttons, he grinned, and said, “A wild beast from a primitive planet.”

  “What was that planet we just passed? Quri…Killillrillen…the red one with oxygen?” Evan grinned, nodding his head. “It didn’t have any known landing bases when we scanned it. You can’t get much more primitive than that.”

  “Let’s do it!” Sam shot to her feet, swaying terribly on her wobbly legs. “Evan, grab the tazers or phasers or traq—hic—quilizer darts. We’re going to bag us a wild…something or other from Killill…Killrillon! Lucien, get a transporter ready. I’ll get the food and turn this hunk of metal around. I’m starving. Meet me at the space pod.”

  “Aye, aye, Captain,” Lucien and Evan said in unison, giving very un-military salutes, first to their slender Captain, then to each other, and then to the passed out men on the floor.

  “They’re going to be so angry when they find out we went without them,” Evan snickered, grinning like a fool. He tried to whisper, but the sound just came out loud. On the floor, Rick mumbled and turned in his sleep. They all froze, their liquor-hazed eyes turning down to the pilot. Sam knew he wouldn’t be happy if she took over the controls again. He always complained that she reset everything, which she did on purpose. When Rick started to snore, they all relaxed.

  Sam and Lucien chuckled like wayward children, stumbling toward the door. Evan was right behind them. She knew they were drunk, and in the back of her alcohol-soaked brain, she was sure going out half-cocked to an uncharted planet was a bad idea. She grinned. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d done something unwise, and it definitely wouldn’t be the last.