Page 175 of The Alpha

When she entered the room, the brown-haired man called Archer was there. He smiled at her. “Good morning, Pari.”

She gave him a light smile. “Hey.” Melvale was in the kitchen, and she headed that way. He was just tossing an apple core in the garbage. “Are you still hungry?” she asked.

“I will be later. I haven’t much of an appetite lately.”

Concern gripped her. “Why not, are you okay?” She closed the distance between them, and his eyes lit up as they locked on hers.

“Of course, Kitten. I’m just… not myself. I suppose you could call it my new normal.” He smiled at her, and his eyes were full of admiration.

Pari wanted to look away, but she couldn’t. The fact anyone would look at her like that had her awestruck.

“Pariwink,” he sang. “Where would you like to go today?”

Pari didn’t say a word. She stared at him and realized how “normal” this all felt. He looked human, they were going shopping in Manhattan, they’d have lunch. It was stuff a boyfriend and girlfriend might do. And they were going with friends.

“Pari?” he prompted. “What is it, Kitten?”

She shook her head, unable to speak. Wasn’t this what she’d always wanted? Hadn’t she cried in the middle of how many nights wishing for this kind of normal?

But there was nothing normal about it. He was from another time, another planet! As were Dallan, Shona, Kwaku, Zara and Archer. Kitty was the only one in the bunch even remotely close to normal.

Melvale closed the distance between them and bent to her ear. “It’s all right. You’re safe, you have all of us with you, and I want you to have fun today.” He drew back and gave her a gentle smile.

Oh, why did he have to be so wonderful? Why?!

Pari swallowed hard and nodded. She couldn’t get past the lump in her throat to speak.

“Come on, Kitten, let’s go get the others.” He put an arm around her and steered her out of the kitchen and into the living room where Kitty and Archer were looking at something on Archer’s phone.

Pari studied them. She didn’t even know if Archer was human or Muiraran. He was just there and fetched things for people.

“Are we ready?” Melvale asked jovially.

“Aye,” Archer said and smiled at Kitty. “Ready?”

“Yep! I’m always ready for shopping!” She grinned at Pari and Melvale then headed for the door. “Shona and Dallan have already left.”

“What?” Pari asked, snapping out of her stupor. “Where are they going? Why didn’t they wait for the rest of us?”

“Dallan said they were taking their own taxi to 34th street,” Archer said.

Pari wondered at his accent. It was somewhat British, but she didn’t want to ask about it now. “But why didn’t they wait?”

Kitty smiled. “Dallan, he needs his space in a car. He’s claustrophobic.Really,claustrophobic.”

“Oh,” Pari drawled in understanding. “Okay, well, are we okay with taking the subway?”

Melvale shook his head. “I won’t risk the crowds. We’ll take a taxi, Kitten.”

“Or a Lyft,” Kitty said. “I know how it all works now. I can get us one.” She held up her phone.

Pari’s eyebrows shot up. “Don’t they have Lyft where… oh, no,” she said remembering where Kitty came from. “They don’t.”

“Nope, but they do here,” Kitty chirped. She started punching things into her phone and soon the four of them were heading downstairs to wait for their ride. Archer sat up front with the driver as Kitty, Pari and Melvale squeezed into the back seat. The driver kept staring at Melvale in the rearview mirror, and Pari could just imagine what was going through his head.

When they reached their destination (Melvale told the driver to take them to Macy’s on 34th), they got out and stared at the iconic department store.

Kitty clapped her hands. “I’ve always wanted to shop here.” She smiled at Pari. “Is it as glorious as I’m imagining it to be?”

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