Page 116 of The Alpha

She stared at him a moment, then smiled. “Thank you!”

He gave her a single nod then surveyed their surroundings. He was still on high alert, and she hoped he didn’t sense anything. She didn’t know what to do with herself when that happened.

They purchased their groceries, and everyone carried a bag. Aside from dinner, they bought things for breakfast and a few lunch items. Pari wondered how long they planned to stay. One day, two? Would her date with Melvale be tomorrow night? Her eyes widened as she realized he was pursuing her on her terms. Could it be…?

No, no one was ever interested in her… oh, wait. Jeffrey was more than a little interested, but in a twisted way. Why did she always attract the weirdos?

Her heart sank, and she gave Melvale a sidelong glance. She’d been accompanied to the grocery store by this godlike specimen, and she was wondering if he was a weirdo?Get a grip, Pari! He’s a freakin’ alien!Weirdo didn’t begin to describe him.

Okay, so Melvale was more of a dorky alien. Pari’s smiled before another thought struck. He was also Bondrah Miah, whatever that meant, and could turn into a brutal savage in the blink of an eye. But he’d never hurt her. She could sense it, and he himself had told her several times. But she still didn’t understand why he wanted to pursue her.

“You are confused,” Melvale stated as he walked next to her.

Pari looked up at him. “How do you do that?”

He gazed at her. “I can smell your emotions, Kitten.”

She shook her head in disbelief. “Wow, that is so weird.”

“But handy,” he tacked on.

Pari laughed. “I guess.”

He looked at her again. “You will see just how handy it is, my little one.”

Pari wasn’t sure what to make of that and didn’t ask. She knew he would protect her, but what else would he do? There was still no logical reason to pursue her in a romantic way. She might smell nice to him, but romance? Ha!

37

When they returned to the apartment building, they stopped in at Uncle Al’s and invited him and Uncle Leo to dinner. They decided Kwaku and Zara would make it and bring the food to Uncle Al’s apartment as he had the biggest dining room table.

Upstairs in her apartment, Kwaku and Zara got busy, and shooed Pari out of the kitchen as soon as the groceries were put away. She soon found herself standing next to Melvale in her little living room. She was suddenly shy being alone with him and didn’t know what to say. It felt like she’d brought a boyfriend home, minus the usual derogatory comments about him drifting to her from the kitchen while Uncle Al and Uncle Leo cooked dinner.

“You are nervous,” Melvale stated.

She rolled her eyes. “Will you stop that?” Pari marched out of the living room, through the next two rooms, and finally into her bedroom. Melvale followed.

“You don’t have to be nervous around me,” he said. “Though I understand if you are.”

She turned to him and refrained from tossing a hand in the air. “Why, because you’re so… you?” She stared at him a moment. “An… alien?”

“We are perfectly compatible with humans,” he stated.

Reality wasn’t fun when it hit. Everything that had happened to her up to this point was blanketed with something surreal, but that something was wearing off. He was not of this world, neither was Zara. “Is Kwaku human?”

“Yes. You knew that.”

“He looks like one. His features don’t change the way yours and Zara’s do.”

“As I told you before, that is our camouflage instinct. It makes us blend in.”

“So does that mean if you’re standing in a herd of cows, you’ll look like a cow?” She sat on the edge of her bed.

He lowered himself down next to her. “It doesn’t work like that.”

“Then what good is it?”

“We are not shapeshifters, well, not the way you might think.” He turned to her. “Pari, there is a lot to teach you, but there is little time to tell you all you need to know. Suffice to say, we are compatible with humans to a certain extent.”

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