Suddenly Royal by Nichole Chase

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.”
    “ Yeah, I saw you guys. You were busy flirting with a blond girl outside the library and I couldn’t get through the front doors. I had to go all the way around to the back and they still wouldn’t let me in with the fancy-schmancy prince visiting.” He laughed at my barb and I remembered the way he had been laughing with the girl. Something in my chest tightened. I tried to stomp the emotion down because I had no reason to care.
    “ Jackie.” He said her name with a fond tone and I felt my back stiffen. There was no reason I should care if he liked her. Just because he had been flirting with me didn’t mean anything. And really, I had no use for a prince. “She was assigned to show us the campus. Part of a sorority, I believe.”
    I continued chopping up mice bits and ground my teeth. Of course she was. Cute, blond, designer clothes. Probably a business major so she’d have a degree when she went to work for the family company. Plus, she’d looked adorable standing next to Alex for the camera’s that had come to record the event. They had looked cute standing next to each other. And comfortable with each other.
    I grunted. “Yes, she was the perfect little host, I’m sure.”
    “ Yes, Jackie was an… excellent escort.” Escort? Escort? Alex’s next words cut through my thoughts with amusement. “How small are you planning on cutting those?”
    “ Shit.” I frowned and looked at the mess I had made. I