Page 64 of The Alpha

He exchanged a look with Raina. “Um, yes.”

“And so is everyone else dat was in de room. He could have killed us all, commanded us to do any ting he wanted, and we would have done it. In dat room was but a small taste of his power. A mere pin prick in size.”

Halden gulped. “I see.”

“Melvale’s heart will balance dat of his Alpha’s. And she is helping it along while sleeping!” He smiled and with Zara, headed down the corridor.

Halden stared after them then turned to his wife. “Wow, and we thought our romance was complicated.” He kissed Raina, then followed the others.

21

Pari moaned and stretched. She was sleepy, yet something nagged at her to wake up. But part of her didn’t want to. She was warm, content… at peace. Something she’d not felt in, well, she couldn’t remember.

Warm. So warm…

Pari’s eyes fluttered open. She was lying on her side and immediately noticed she was not alone. She swallowed hard. “Bondrah?”

He moved, and she sucked in a breath.

“Kahtala Miah…”

She froze. His voice was different, not as deep. Still darn comforting though. “Are we safe?”

He moved, lowering his head to hers. “You are safe. Nothing can harm you here.”

Pari gasped. “You talk!” She maneuvered herself so she could face him. “You… spoke English.”

He cocked his head. His eyes were so full of admiration she almost rolled off the bed, or whatever it was they were on. “I speak many languages, Kahtala Miah.”

Pari looked into his eyes. They weren’t the bright blue she’d seen before. No, his eyes were a steel gray now. “Are you hurt?”

His chest and broad shoulders shook with silent mirth. “You ask if I am hurt, even after all you’ve been through?” He bent his face to hers and gently ran a finger down her cheek. “You are a wonder, little kitten.”

She made a face at his words then quickly smiled instead. She didn’t want to insult him. Maybe it was some kind of endearment.

Pari noticed the intimate position they were in. It was generally a sleeping position, but they didn’t know each other. “So… are you okay?”

He gazed deeply into her eyes, making goose flesh ripple over her skin. “I am your Bondrah, you are my Kahtala. I am much more than okay.” He ran his finger down her cheek again then got into a sitting position. “You must be hungry. I’m slacking in my duties already.” In one swift move he was on his feet, walking toward a low table…

“Raina and Halden were here earlier,” she blurted without thinking.

He plucked a grape from a bowl and popped it in his mouth. “They brought food.”

“Yes, and I drank…” Her eyes widened. “Don’t drink anything!” She tried to get up and fell off the bed with a thud. How embarrassing!

He was at her side in an instant. “Are you all right?” He took her by the arms and lifted her to her feet like she weighed nothing.

Lord in Heaven, who was this man? Oh, wait, now she remembered. “You’re… n-not human.”

He pulled her a little closer and bent to her ear. “No, I am not. But you are, and you must eat.” He looked at her with a gentle smile. “Shall we see what they’ve brought us?”

Pari noticed he had an odd accent. One she had never heard before. Curiosity hit her hard and fast, and a million questions began to form. “Where are we?” She followed him to the low table, spied a coffee pot, and sank onto the nearest cushion. “Coffee?!”

“Smells like it.” He picked up the silver coffee pot and sniffed. “Yes, an Italian blend I believe.”

She gaped at him. “You can tell what kind of coffee it is by how it smells?”

He gave her a light smile. “I can tell a lot of things, little kitten.”

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