Page 26 of The Alpha

Pari’s stomach growled, and she put a hand to it.

“Best eat something, hmm?” he suggested.

As much as she hated the idea, she went to her cot and unwrapped the sandwich. It looked like it came from a deli. Maybe wherever she was didn’t have a kitchen. Did they have to go out for all their food? If so, that meant they were either still in the city or someplace with businesses nearby. She hoped they weren’t out in the middle of nowhere. That would only make it harder for her to escape. If, shecould escape, that is.

“Name?” the doctor asked.

Pari looked at him as she chewed and didn’t answer. She didn’t want him to think she was a total loser. She chewed her food slowly then swallowed. “You’re the ones that were waiting for me in my apartment. You already know my name.”

He smiled. “Indeed, we do.” He looked at the man on the table. “But we don’t know his name. What is it?”

She took in the god-like specimen once again and shook her head. “I have no idea. I’ve never seen him before in my life.”

“Never?” the doctor chortled. “I find that hard to believe. We saw how he leapt across the street to get to you. He tossed a young man like he was a rag doll. Did you know he threw Jeffrey the length of two buildings?”

Her eyes went wide. “Jeffrey? How do you know about him?”

“Oh, we know all sorts of things, my dear. Your uncles, for example. Leo and Al, is it?”

She gulped. “Leave them alone.”

“Of course.” He leaned toward her. “So long as you give me what I want.”

Her stomach soured, and she didn’t think she could eat anymore.

The man on the table jerked, just like before, and she wondered if they’d give him another dose of sedative.

“Hmmm, most curious,” the doctor said. “I wonder…” Dr. Charles looked her up and down. “He seems to be protective of you. But why?” He reached for a clipboard he’d placed under his chair. He flipped through the pages. “Your blood work isn’t anything special. In fact, I don’t see even a trace of Muiraran blood flowing through your veins.”

Her eyebrows knit. “Muir-what?”

He looked at her with raised eyebrows. “Muir-are-ahn. And I’m beginning to think you’re not one of them.” He looked her over again and arched an eyebrow. “Finish your lunch. If I do have further need of you, I want you to keep your strength up.”

She backed to her bed and sat. “Wh-what are you going to do?”

“More tests. We might even let your big friend over there regain consciousness, just to see how he interacts with you. But only if he behaves. If he keeps trying to break out, then we’ll have to keep him sedated.”

She looked at the handsome man on the table. “What is he?”

The doctor gave her a wide smile. “My prize.” He glanced at the table. “A purebred.”

“A purebred what?”

Dr. Charles eyed her. “Muiraran, of course.” He looked at the man again. “They’re an elusive race. Very hard to trap. I’ve been trying to study them for years. This is the first lucky breakI’ve had. With him in my possession, I can figure out his race’s weaknesses.”

Her breathing picked up. “Wh-why do you want to know that?”

He smiled as his eyes brightened. “Because they’re a race of beings with abilities we humans can only dream of. But if my guess is right, and one of us mates with one of them, especially a purebred, we grow stronger, faster.” He put a finger to his temple and tapped it a few times. “Smarter.”

Pari almost slid off the bed. “You…you mean he’s…”

“An alien?” the doctor drawled. “Why yes, my dear. He is. And I want to find out where the rest of his people are hiding.”

She gaped at him. That was an honest to goodness alien on the table?!

Pari’s chest tightened. Oh no, not now! She shut her eyes tight. “What will you do if you find his people?”

“Look at me, girl.”

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