Jess nodded her head. “It’ll look good on my resume. He’s written so many articles it’s insane and it lets me work on some really interesting projects. Even if I do have to put up with his comb-over and bean-dip breath.” Jess sighed dramatically.
“You chose it.” It was an old argument.
“I thought you might need someone to go with you to the raptor center, but it looks like you’ve got it covered.” Jess’s eyes darted between me and Alex. I knew she was trying to figure out if he was going with me. I could almost feel her mentally prodding me for answers. Or maybe that was the foot she was using to kick my leg.
“There are three bodyguards standing outside the door waiting on me.” I batted her foot away from me.
“Not to mention the three that followed me.” Alex laughed.
“Oh, are you going with Sam?” Jess turned bright eyes toward him. He seemed to pick up on her tone and leaned back in his chair, that little smile playing on his mouth.
“She was kind enough to offer to show me the birds.”
“Uh huh.” She turned and smiled at me. I thought about shoving her off the desk.
“Alex has birds at home. I thought he might enjoy seeing the ones we have here.” I stood up and started collecting the trash. Alex held open the bag so I could stuff the wrappers inside.
“Well, I guess I’ll go on to my office then.” Jess stood up and picked up her bag. “Have you heard from Dr. Geller?”
“Shoot. I need to check my e-mail. Today has thrown me off.” I sat back down at my computer and opened up my account, scanning the messages. I frowned when I saw the one from Dr. Geller. Apparently the dean had contacted him, so he knew a little bit about what was going on. He would be in early tomorrow to talk.
“Greeeaaat,” I muttered.
“Geller unhappy?” Jess looked over my shoulder.
“The dean called him.” I met Alex’s eyes. His face was blank and I knew he was waiting for more information. “I think he was just surprised to not have heard the news from me.”
“It’s not like you exactly had time.” Jess shrugged. “You’ll be fine. Geller loves you.”
“We’ll see.” Would he still love me if I went to Lilaria? He had invested a lot of time in my education. Was I really thinking about going?
“I’m going to run. I’ve got some papers to grade and I don’t want to do it tonight.” Jess looked over at Alex. “Enjoy the birds. Don’t let the eagle bite you. He’s a moody bastard.”
“I shall endeavor to keep my fingers to myself.”
“You do that.” Jess moved out of his sight and winked at me.
I looked away from her and down at my computer to log off. “See you later.” I didn’t look up when I heard the door open. I was worried Alex would see the relief on my face. The longer Jess was around him, the bolder she would become in her jokes.
“She’s a good friend.” Alex said it like he knew for sure after spending less than an hour with her.
“I have good taste.” I smiled at him as I picked up my bag. “Ready?”
“Lead the way.” He opened the door for me and motioned into the hall. There were people in suits filling the area just outside the office.
“Uh, I need to head over to the center.” I looked at Duvall, who motioned at the others. Someone handed Alex a winter coat and we headed down the stairs. There were more people in the lobby than normal and I had a sneaking suspicion it wasn’t because of the snow. In fact, the ones that normally used the area to study looked irritated. I didn’t blame them.
“Sir, should I send someone for your car as well?” A man that rivaled Alex in size leaned close.
“No, I’ll be accompanying Samantha.” Alex nodded at me.
“Yes, sir.” The man moved ahead of us to clear the door.
A young woman with red hair broke away from a group near the elevator and stopped in our path. She was vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I knew her from. Her shirt was unbuttoned much farther than it normally would’ve been considering the frigid air outside, and from the way her friends giggled, I was sure it was just for Alex’s benefit.
“May I have your autograph?” She smiled around the bodyguards at Alex, her eyes practically shimmering like an anime cartoon. The guards continued to block her, allowing Alex to make the decision.
“I’m sorry, I can’t sign anything.” Alex flashed a panty-dropping smile and she made a little moue of disappointment before turning toward me.
“Would you sign?” She pushed the notebook toward me.
“Um.” My eyebrows rose so high, I thought they might try to escape my face.
“You were the TA in one of my classes last semester. I can’t believe I know a royal.” She shoved the notebook toward me and I had no choice but to grab it. I felt awkward and clumsy as I stared at this girl who acted as though she knew me.
“As much as we would love to sign it for you, we’re not allowed to give autographs.” Alex took the notebook from my hands and held it out to the girl.
“So you are a royal?” Something in her eyes shifted to a shrewd glint. With one simple sentence, Alex had confirmed all the news reports floating around and sent the rumor mill into overdrive.
“I’m a grad student.” I tried to keep my face friendly, but I had a feeling she wasn’t some silly co-ed.
“But you’re also part of the royal family from Lilaria?”
“I’m sorry, we’re going to be late.” I tried to smile, but it probably looked deranged.
“My brother works for WKFS. He’d let you tell the story in your own words.” She stepped closer and I saw the guards around us move into action. Duvall slid between us and Becca stepped close to my right side. Alex put a hand on my elbow and steered me away from the redhead.
“Let’s go.” A thread of anger slid through his quiet words as we tried to walk around everyone.
“Samantha, are you and the prince dating? Have you always known you were from a royal family?” The heat that would have normally flooded my cheeks was countered by the cold that seeped up my spine.
I didn’t look back up until we’d gone through the security checkpoint. That was when I noticed the extra campus guards. Instead of the usual one, there were three. They each looked me over with interest but also made sure no one was following us.
The cold air slammed into me and I scrambled to button up my coat. Alex had dropped his hand from my arm but stayed close by my side as we walked through the campus to the parking lot. Despite my earlier instructions to not walk around me like they were guarding the crown jewels, the team was carefully edging people away from us.
“It’s a pretty campus. I imagine it’s very nice in the summer.”
“Are you trying to distract me?” I looked up at him, amused.
“Is it working?” He cut his eyes toward me. “You looked like you were leading a funeral procession.”
“I did not!” I laughed, realizing he was right. “Okay. It’s just weird. And strange. And disconcerting. All these people staring at me. I’ve been here for four years, but they’re acting like I’ve suddenly sprouted a second head.”
“You’re a novelty.” We got to the car and he opened the door. “It’ll wear off. Probably.”
“You Lilarians aren’t a very comforting bunch.” I pulled my bag off my shoulder so I could slide into the seat. He laughed as he closed the door and walked around the car.
Chapter Eight
Raptor Center Receives Large Grant
—Minnesota Raptor Association
The ride to the center was long, but it would have been shorter if people had stopped turning to look in our windows. When we pulled into the gravel parking lot where I had met Duvall yesterday, I hopped out of the car before Alex could get around to my side and shouldered my bag again.
“Well, this is it. Last chance to come up with something interesting to do. If you stay I might put you to work.” I looked at him, not sure if I wanted him to stay or go. Logically, I knew I’d get more work done if he wasn’t there, but I was also starting to enjoy his company.
“Use me as you see fit.” Alex stepped close, his eyes lit with mischief. “I’m at your disposal.”
“You may regret that.” I tried to keep my voice calm but failed.
“I highly doubt it.” Stepping around me, he opened the gate and we walked toward the main building. People stopped to stare at us, but for the most part no one really bothered me. For the first time that day I felt normal, like I could be myself.
I threw by bag down in a corner of the office and looked around for any notes. David had been here earlier in the day and checked on the birds. Thankfully everyone seemed to be handling the weather well.
“You might want to leave your suit jacket.” I grabbed Dr. Geller’s large snow coat from the rack and tossed it to Alex. He traded coats and hung his jacket on the rack.
This was the part of my day I looked forward to. Here, I didn’t have to deal with students or idiotic questions. Most of the others were leaving or going to their offices to finish up paperwork. I could focus on my birds, get lost in research, and agonize over my thesis. It was my passion and here nothing else got in the way. Nothing else came first.
Alex didn’t talk much as I showed him the facility: the mews, the enclosures, and the area where we prepped the food. There was also a very small room where Dr. Geller performed examinations of the injured birds brought to us. It was a slow time of the year, considering most birds that could leave the cold did so. That was why Dr. Geller chose this time to take a team of students farther south. They had spent time in the Everglades and the swamps of Louisiana. I think it was also a convenient way for him to get away from the snow for a while.
“How many of you work here?” Alex was helping transfer some of the birds while I cleaned cages. He hadn’t needed much direction. It was easy to tell he spent a great deal of time with raptors.
“Depends on the season.” I hauled a bucket over to use for trash. “In the summer we have volunteers who help out. There are shows and education programs as well that help raise money for the birds.”
“Education is the key, isn’t it? The more people understand about these creatures, the more they will be able to see their vital importance.” Gently, Alex coaxed the horned owl from her perch and onto his gloved arm. “That’s one of the things I’m working on back home. I run a charity that goes to schools and town centers to help educate the public. The kids love it.”
“What’s it called?”
“The Future Bird Trust.” He didn’t look at me as we talked, his eyes solely on the bird, so didn’t see my dumbstruck expression.
“You run the FBT? I thought they were based in France.”
“Yes, we work very closely with the French government to uphold the laws protecting these beauties.” He looked at me over the owl’s head, his eyes full of determination. “It’s my goal to spread the FBT to the surrounding countries to educate the public about the importance of raptors. I hope that with more knowledge people will understand why it is so important to preserve these birds.”
“I’ve read about the FBT.” I leaned the shovel I was carrying against the wall and went to wash my hands. “They’ve done some great things.”
“Thank you.” He looked back at the owl, examining the large gash on her beak. “What happened to this one?”
“Car.” I turned back to the table to finish getting the food sorted. Rats and mice were the entrée for tonight. Not exactly my favorite part of the job, but I’d become immune to it at this point. Everything has to eat. I brought a small rat over to Dover, the owl Alex was holding. Alex took it in a gloved hand and proffered it to the bird.
“C’mon, sweetheart. Don’t be shy.” Alex clucked when Dover turned her head away from the meal. “I saw you eyeing it while the lovely Samantha got it ready.”
“She’s a coy one.” I smiled at him, not sure if I was more amused by the coaxing tone or by him calling me lovely.
He mumbled a few words in Lilarian, at least I thought they were Lilarian, and Dover turned to look at him. He chuckled and offered the rat again, which she deigned to accept. I didn’t blame her for turning to look at him. While he spoke English easily with an almost British accent, those words were beautiful.
“Well, that may be the fastest she’s ever accepted a meal from anyone.”
“That so?” He smiled over at me.
“It’s the accent. Women always swoon for an accent.” I rolled my eyes.
“And does the accent work on you?”
“You wish.” I fumbled with the gloves I was trying to put on. I looked at him over my shoulder to see if he was watching.
“Too true.” He winked at me. My heart jumped and I turned to finish making the meals. Unfortunately I knocked over the shovel and was rewarded with a loud clanking that sent all the nearby birds into a flutter. I bent over to pick up the shovel and glanced at Alex. He was openly watching my backside.
When he realized he had been caught ogling, he smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Nice jeans.”
“Thanks.” I turned back to the task at hand.
“No—thank you.” He chuckled and I blushed.
“Did you know what your aunt was going to tell me last night?” I asked, wanting to change the subject. I kept my back to him, not wanting him to see my red cheeks.
“No. She asked me to accompany her to dinner and since I had no other plans, I agreed. She mentioned something about the university, but since we had been here earlier that day, I had no reason to think it was for anything else.”