Page 32 of The Alpha

Maida sat at the kitchen table. “But… aren’t we supposed to take her directly to the palace?”

“Yes, little one,” Markhel said as he squeezed himself into the room with the others.

Maida looked at everyone. “She’s going to be scared. She won’t know where she is or how she got there. Or if she does know, she’ll think she’s gone plumb loco.”

Markhel turned to the others. “My mate has a point.”

“Aye, I ken she does,” Dallan said. “But ’tis no safe here for Pari or Melvale. We must take them back with us. Melvale needs to… er… do whatever he’s to do, then we can discuss anything Pari wants to discuss.”

Kwaku slipped in between everyone and went straight to Maida. “You are human, little jewel. You can help her adjust. Watch over her.”

Maida looked up at Markhel. “Can I?”

“Yes, of course. Melvale’s mate will need another human around.” He looked at Raina. “The two of you can work together to keep her calm.”

“And if she doesn’t stay calm?” Halden asked no one in particular.

“Den Creator help us all,” Kwaku said.

“There seems to be a strong emphasis on that,” Halden said and pulled a lid off a container of Rocky Road. “If all you say is true, then what’s to prevent Melvale from killing all of us?”

“He could,” Kwaku drawled. “But so long as he does not sense his mate is in danger, he will be Melvale. Once he is fully mated, he will have much better control over the Alpha within him.”

“Do we want him to have a lot of control?” Shona asked. “Seems to me we need to get rid of whomever took them to begin with.”

“Patience, little treasure,” Kwaku said. “An Alpha will not tolerate anyone that harms his mate for long.”

Shona stared at him but said nothing more. Kwaku’s meaning was clear enough.

Dallan looked into Kwaku’s eyes. The bloody heathen saw no problem with letting Melvale do whatever it was an Alpha Muiraran did. As Dallan still didn’t know as much as he’d like to about all of this, he’d keep quiet for now. But he’d prefer it if Markhel exercised his position as judge and jury in the name of the king. And perhaps, that’s exactly what Kwaku had in mind. If Melvale was the Alpha, Markhel his Beta, then Melvale might order Markhel to do what Jaireth would have him do anyway.

“You look troubled,” Shona commented next to him. “Let me get you a bowl of ice cream while Markhel and Zara start searching.”

He looked at her and kissed the top of her head. “Aye, M’eudain.”

“Go into the living room,” she said. “I’ll bring you some.”

He kissed her again, then left the kitchen. Markhel left as well and went into Pari’s bedroom. Zara had slipped into it earlier.

Dallan sat on Pari’s small sofa and watched Archer finish equipping everyone with wallets and handbags to carry currencyin. He thought of how many times he’d watched Melvale do the same thing and found he missed the pointy eared dandy.

Dallan frowned. Had anyone told Angus what happened? Did Sita Mihn know? Both loved Melvale, though Angus would be the last to admit it.

Dallan scooted across the sofa when Shona entered. “I know we should be acting like some super-efficient team you see in the movies,” she said. “But I can’t help but stress eat.”

As soon as she sat he put an arm around her and pulled her against him. She handed him his bowl and gave him a reassuring smile. “We’re going to find them.”

Dallan swallowed hard. “Aye, and when we do, I’ll break every bone in their leader’s body.”

“Hey,” she said, voice soft. “You got this. Besides, we need this doctor or whatever he is for questioning.”

He took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm within. He was beginning to understand Jaireth’s anger from earlier. Everyone loved Melvale, and now that he was gone, some would despair of him ever being returned. He could only imagine what Melvale’s parents, Zerbe and Tasniah were going through.

He ate his ice cream as Markhel and Zara began their search. He wasn’t sure if Tylahs would pick up on anything outside, but it didn’t hurt to let the little Sarian try.

Dallan thought of Tylahs and their time in Bartrol’s caves. The tiny Sarian had toppled an extremely powerful Muiraran with one bite. What, then, could he do with a couple of dozen hired goons? He could take them out. All of them, and Dallan was more than a little tempted to let him. But he couldn’t do that. They should go to trial for their crimes, stand before either Zerbe, Markhel, or the king, and then let justice be served.

Done with their treat, Halden, Raina, and Maida cleaned up the kitchen while Dallan, Shona and Kwaku joined Markhel and Zara in Pari’s bedroom. Dallan went to the window and watchedthe shuttle train pass by. When Melvale jumped across the entire street to get to Pari, a train also passed by. Someone must have snapped a picture of him. That’s what started all this. Still, how did whomever took Melvale see the picture (their best guess was still the doctor from Hawaii) and get to Pari so quickly? If they used footage from cameras placed on the buildings, then what else did they see? Kwaku opened a door through time beneath the subway train’s bridge. Had any of it been caught on camera? And if it had, why didn’t they try to capture any of their party? Or were they too much for the doctor and his men to take on?

---