Page 66 of The Alpha

He closed his eyes, drew in a deep lungful of air and exhaled. “No, that name is for you alone to call me. They call me Melvale.”

She smiled. “Yes, that was it. Melvale.” Her blush deepened. “I’ve never heard such a name.”

He smiled and gave her a slight bow. “Then allow me to introduce myself, my kitten.” He got to his feet and bowed low. “I am Melvale Lohrinthian Olwen, and I am forever at your service.” He sat next to her and took one of her hands in his. “You are…” he blinked a few times. “Oh, stab me, I can scarce take you in.”

Pari laughed. “What?”

He gazed into her eyes again, his expression serious. “Oh, little Pari, you… you don’t believe me, do you?”

“Believe what?” She didn’t mean to sound terse, but the fact this was happening to begin with was so outlandish,shecould scarce take it in. This was her, for crying out loud. Pari Mae Lindir. LOSER. The minute he realized that he’d drop whatever sort of infatuation he had and go about his business. It was only a matter of time, and she knew it.

“Your defenses are amazing. So quick to surface,” he said softly.

She froze as if she’d just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. “What did you say?”

He cocked his head, and she was learning he did it when he was puzzling something out. “Your heart is attempting to push me back. You are… frightened.”

“No, I’m not,” she spat. Pari got to her feet and backed away. Okay, not the smartest move. It made her look guilty as heck. She crossed her arms over her chest. “I need to use the… the…” She waved in the general direction of the toilet she’d used before. “I’ll be back.” She marched toward the arched doorway on the other side of the room.

Melvale followed, his long legs catching up in an instant.

Pari stopped. “I’m just going to use the little girl’s room.”

His eyebrows slowly rose. “Ah, yes, of course.” He gave her a single nod.

Her heart in her throat, she continued through the arched doorway, followed by the wardrobe area, through the bedroom, and finally into the pool room, she decided to call it.

She went behind the screen, took care of her business, and was about to head back when she heard a loud splash. “What the…”

Pari stepped around the screen. Melvale had shed his clothes and was in the pool. All seven naked feet of him. She gasped and spun around. “What gives?”

“I’m bathing,” he called from the pool.

“I’m still in the room!” A hand went to her chest. She didn’t think she was going to have a panic attack, but she wasn’t sure what had her chest fluttering or her spine tingling. Oh, good grief, she wasn’t enjoying this was she?

“Are you still hungry?” he asked.

“Yeah, sure.” She started for the bedroom, as fast as her legs would carry her.

She could hear him sluicing through the water and climbing out of the pool. “You do not wish to bathe?”

“Not yet!” She broke into a run. “Put some clothes on!” She ran into the large room with the food and plopped onto the cushion she’d occupied earlier. She stuffed her donut in her mouth and tried not to look at the arched doorway. What if he waltzed into this room naked as a jaybird, as Uncle Leo liked to say?

Her face fell. “Uncle Al, Uncle Leo.” She let what remained of the donut in her hand fall to her plate. “They must be worried sick about me.”

She looked at the arched doorway. Bondrah, that is, Melvale, must have taken her advice and was putting some clothes on. Either that or he’d returned to the pool to finish bathing.

Good, she didn’t think she could take much more of the godlike specimen she’d woken up to. Maybe she was dreaming, and she’d wake up at home in her own bed.

But her lower left hip was sore where they’d taken a bone marrow sample. Nowthathurt, and she’d screamed at first, sending Oswald into the other table. She remembered how he’d jumped forward and almost rammed into hers. She didn’t remember anything after that. Oswald had disappeared fromview, and she figured he’d slipped her a sedative so he could finish the next round of tests without causing her any pain. At least he’d tried to be nice.

Unlike Dr. Charles.

Pari shuddered. She still had so many questions and so few answers. All she’d learned so far was her fellow prisoner’s name—or in this case names—his name for her, and that they were far away from where they’d been taken and…

She didn’t want to think about it.

Pari heard a rustle of clothing, looked up, and saw Melvale enter the room wearing a floor length blue and silver robe of some sort. The outfit was beautiful and made him look like a freaking prince or king. She openly gawked. “He is so out of my league.”

---