Page 171 of The Alpha

She ignored his stance. “That piece you told me about. What is it?”

“Oh, yeah.” He let his arms drop. “Wait for me in the dining room. I’ll get it.”

She did and was surprised when Uncle Al re-joined her with a sheathed sword in his hand. “What is that?”

“What does it look like?” He set it on the dining room table.

“It’s a sword, obviously, but is it ceremonial or something else?”

Uncle Al smiled. “I think it’s something else.” He picked it up with both hands. “It’s heavy, for one.” He unsheathed it and held it up, again with both hands. “I don’t think I could wield this in a fight.”

She laughed. “I don’t see you having too many sword fights in the near future.” Pari noticed a lion’s head on the hilt. “Wow, that’s cool.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Uncle Al admired the piece. “Pure silver.”

“Wow,” she breathed. “And the blade?”

“Other than long?” He chuckled. “Like I said. Heavy. Here, hold it.” He handed it to her.

She took the sword by the hilt and almost dropped it. The thing weighed a ton. “Holy moly, I see what you mean.”

“Yeah. I was told it was used in battle but haven’t had it appraised yet. I’m pretty sure it’s from Great Britain. Maybe even Germany.”

Pari glanced toward the front door. “Uncle Al, can I buy it?”

“What? You? What are you going to do with it? Hang it over your mantle?”

“I… want to give it as a gift.”

Her uncle glanced toward the front door too. “Oh, I see. You want to give it to yourboyfriend?”

“He’s not my boyfriend.” Pari swallowed hard. “But I do want to give it as…” she was about to say, “parting gift” but changed it to “… a Christmas present.”

“Oh, that’s right. Your little party.” He sighed and drummed his fingers on the dining table a few times. “It could be worth thousands.”

“Or not,” she pointed out. “After all, what did you pay for it?”

“Five hundred.”

“I’ll give you eight.”

He laughed. “You haven’t got eight-hundred dollars.”

“No, but I have four in my savings, and I could work off the rest.” She gave him a pleading look. She wanted to give Melvale something special, and this sword would be perfect. Who knows if she’d ever see him again? Part of her mourned the fact, the other part, the practical one, told her it was all for the best. Who did she think she was running around with beings from another world? She needed to keep her feet on the ground and stop fooling herself.

Uncle Al paced back and forth a few times. “I guess thatisthe sort of gift you might give aboyfriend.”

She opened her mouth then she snapped it shut. “We hadonedate.”

Uncle Al smiled. “He’s goofy, I’ll grant you. Not to mention tall, but he sort of grows on you. I’m not so sure about some of his nutty friends though.” Uncle Al sighed. “Melvale seems amiable enough.”

“Yeah, I know.” Pari thought of his Alpha side, of the way he tried to break out of his cell to get to her, and how he tried tofree them by breaking down his cell door. And how Dr. Charles’ men feared him. Melvale might be goofy, as Uncle Al said, but the other part of him, Bondrah, was anything but.

“Get me the cash,” he said. “And I’ll give you half pay until you work off the rest. Sound fair?”

Pari nodded. “More than fair. Thank you.” She hefted the sword onto the table and hugged him.

Uncle Al patted her on the back. “I hope this one works out for you Pari.”

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