Kissed by a Dark Prince(25)

“You expected us to walk into this trap without weapons... pitiful mortal.” The man behind Loren sounded just as gruff and vicious as he had the time he had barged in on her and Loren back in the castle. He went to draw the black blade hanging at his waist.

Loren placed his hand on the male’s arm. “We are not here to do battle, Bleu. Remember that. Our quarrel is not with these mortals.”

He sheathed his own sword and released Bleu.

“I apologise for the manner of our arrival, Olivia. We had not agreed a time and I had concluded my business, so I felt it provident to come here so that we might begin our tests.”

Olivia stared up at him. No one in this world spoke like Loren. He sounded antiquated, a constant reminder of his incredible age. A cute sort of reminder. She liked how he spoke all formally and rigid. All noble and princely.

Her bosses came forward, the three male hunters flanking them, leaving the doctors to stare at Loren and Bleu from across the room.

It struck Olivia again how tall the elves were, towering four inches over the tallest of the men in the room. They were slighter than two of the male hunters, but Olivia knew that didn’t mean a thing when it came down to their actual physical strength. These two elves probably had the strength of twenty powerful human males.

“I apologise for the way you were greeted.” The senior staff member who had said it was dangerous to allow Loren to come and go as he pleased held his hand out to the man he wanted contained and Olivia wanted to tell Loren not to take it. It turned out she didn’t need to. Loren just stared at the man’s offered hand and then into his eyes, a cold edge to his blue irises. The man shifted nervously and lowered his hand. “We are not a threat to you.”

Bleu smiled grimly. “At least you are aware of that.”

Olivia had the feeling he wanted to squish the man like a bug, and there was a tiny part of her that would pay to see it because he was being an almighty ass.

She cleared her throat, bringing all eyes to her, including Loren’s. They burned into her, setting her body aflame, making her yearn to look up into his eyes and lose herself in them all over again.

“Now that we’ve established that the fae I want to study is real and he’s not a threat to us and we’re not a threat to him, will you send out the notification that he and his comrade are off limits to all staff?” Olivia smiled, figuring that it wouldn’t harm her chances.

“I believe our top medical staff should handle this case,” the grey-haired man said and the other two backed him up again. The smug doctors in the corner exchanged a glance and sized up Loren and Bleu.

Olivia opened her mouth to protest.

Loren stepped forwards to tower over the man. He tilted his head and narrowed his gaze on him. “I believe Olivia must have mentioned that I will only work with her, and the data from our tests will remain private until she sees fit to make it available to others. I am a busy man, and I do not have time for this delay. It is very simple. Olivia is to work with me, alone, and if anyone seeks to harm myself, Bleu, or the female, they will answer to me.”

Olivia might have omitted the threat at the end, but all in all, he had perfectly captured what she had wanted to say.

The senior staff members scurried off to a corner with Mark, talking in low voices. The irritating doctors cast thunderous glances her way. Bleu eyed them and the three male hunters as though he was already dismembering them in his head, and was enjoying it.

Loren stared at her. “It will work out, Olivia. There is no need to be anxious.”

Anxious. Elevated pulse. Increased hormone levels. Everything that Loren was probably experiencing just because she was feeling it. She nodded and breathed slowly, settling her racing heart. She didn’t want to make him ill again.

Her superiors returned to them and Mark came forwards. “We have agreed you can work alone with the fae, but on the proviso that they are not allowed to roam freely without supervision and you run thorough tests, including those requested by other medical staff, and document everything.”

Loren looked reluctant to agree to that and hair-trigger boy looked as though he was going to draw his sword and cut her boss into tiny bite-sized pieces.

Loren’s blue gaze slid down to her and he spoke softly. “I will subject myself to whatever you believe is necessary.”

Olivia nodded. “It will be simple tests. Stamina, strength, abilities. That sort of thing.”

Loren still looked uncertain. He leaned closer, bringing his lips down to her ear. His breath tickled her neck and his proximity did funny things to her insides, making them quiver and heat. She ached for his touch, her body curving towards his against her will, drawn to him.