Page 47 of The Alpha

“What?!” Evan looked at Archer in disbelief. “Well, I guess that comes in handy, so long as you’re near enough food.” He smiled at Archer. “You’d better hope your future mate can cook.”

Archer smiled. “I’m not only hoping, I’m praying!” He slung an arm around Evan and began to drag him in the direction of the fast-food place.

Dallan’s mouth curved into a smile. There was nothing they could do now, so they might as well feed themselves. They’d need it for what was to come. He didn’t know how much fighting there would be, but they’d all agreed to let their enemy think they had no special abilities and were just a group of men breaking Melvale out.

“Yer sure yer up to this, Flower?” he asked Shona.

“I’ll be fine.” She leaned against him and kissed his bicep. “Besides, Dad and I will be with the car and van. If anything, we can hightail it out of there if there’s any sign of trouble.” She cast him a worried look. “Don’t get separated from me.”

Translated, she meant,don’t get captured. “Dinna fash, lass, I won’t.” He tucked a finger under her chin, brought her face to his, and kissed her.

Dallan didn’t care what he had to do. He would not be captured and taken from his mate.

16

The doctor and his staff ignored Pari all morning as they repaired the door their prisoner tried to break down. They moved with incredible efficiency, and she despaired of ever escaping. In fact, she was beginning to think the urgency was more than efficiency.

Pari smiled to herself. They were scared.

She looked at the man in the cell next to hers. They’d put heavy irons on his ankles, and they were fastened together by a short length of chain. They’d done the same to his wrists, and she eyed the padlocks locking the irons. Could he break them? Would he?

Pari frowned. Even if he did, Dr. Charles would only shoot him with a tranquilizer gun, knock him out, and that would be that.

She noted the dear doctor hadn’t shown his face since he left a couple of hours ago. If her friend in the next cell was indeed burning through the sedatives they were pumping into him, then it was only a matter of time before his body burned through this latest batch.

She stared at the darts on the floor of his cell. No one had bothered to pick them up. Their captors might be proficient in some areas, sloppy in others. It could also be that they hadn’t got around to it.

She sank onto her bed, realizing she’d been watching over her friend in the next cell. HerBondrah Miah.

What did the term mean? Was it a title of some kind? She’d figured out thatKahtala Miahmeant my heart. Or possibly your heart. So,Miah,must be the word for my.Bondrah… she shook her head in frustration. Was Bondrah his name?

The rustling of chains caught her attention, and she came off her bed. Bondrah was stirring.

The men in the cell noticed too and doubled their efforts. “Dr. Oswald!” one of them cried.

Oswald came out of a closed off area with a half wall of windows. She didn’t know what was in there as the window blinds were closed. Maybe it was some sort of office.

“What?” he looked at her, then the men in Bondrah’s cell. Pari decided to call him that for now. It had to be some sort of title or name. But the “my”? She pondered it some more as the men in Bondrah’s cell picked up their tools as fast as they could and were getting out of there. One of them even snatched up the used darts from the floor. Okay, so they weren’t sloppy.

They ran a card through a small box on the outer side of the cell and the door slid shut and locked. The men who’d fixed the door sighed in relief and started congratulating each other on a job well done.

Pari stood at the wall and watched Bondrah as he stirred some more. Should she speak to him? Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea. Did they even know his language? She didn’t think so.

“Well, big boy,” Oswald said and shoved his dark rimmed glasses up his nose. “Looks like we beat you to it.” He smiledat Pari. “For once.” His smile faded, and he nodded at the men. “Good job, everyone. Drinks are on me tonight.”

The men smiled, congratulated each other again, then froze.

Oswald’s eyes rounded to saucers. “Oh...” He cursed, and Pari looked into the cell next to hers. Bondrah was on his feet. How did he manage that without making a sound?

“Bondrah Miah?”

He didn’t look at her, but she could see his eyes were that bright blue again, and he was staring hard at the men outside his cell.

“Oh, man,” Oswald grunted and bent at the knee. “Doc…tor… Ch-ch-ch…”

He went down, eyes wide, and looked like he was fighting some unseen force. They all did.

One man started to crawl toward the cell, a key card in his hand.

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