Page 72 of The Alpha

Raina had climbed into the bottom tier of the fountain itself, the water up to her chin. “This water is hot.”

Pari marveled at the ingenuity of Melvale’s race. “This is wonderful.” She smiled and climbed in too. “The fountain is the actual bathtub, right?”

“Yes, the pool is for swimming.”

Pari giggled as she took in the beauty of the room. There were plants and flowers everywhere. Some climbing up the near thirty-foot walls. The fear that gripped her earlier hadn’t struck again. Maybe she was in shock and didn’t realize it.

“I’m not losing my mind, am I?” Pari asked Raina.

“No. And if it’s any consolation, I had to ask myself the same question. So did Halden.”

Pari noticed bottles and vials of different colors on a stone shelf built into the fountain. “Which is which?”

“The blue one is for your hair. I was told it’s shampoo. The reddish one is also for hair. It makes it soft.”

“Conditioner,” she said and looked Raina in the eyes. “Do you believe any of this?”

“Yes. I had to.” She reached for what looked like a round bar of soap. “Halden is… well, he’s part… of what Melvale is.”

Pari stopped pouring the thick blue liquid in the vial into her hand. “He’s part alien?”

“Yes. A fourth they say, possibly a third. He’s rather proud of it.”

Pari trembled then put the vial back. Maybe washing her hair would help. “I hope this doesn’t make the pink fade.”

“What?” Raina said then looked at her hair. “No, it won’t. That’s… the color of your hair now.”

Pari stopped spreading the lather she’d worked up through her hair. “What? This isn’t color?”

Raina stopped washing herself. “No, Pari. It’s not. You’re… you are Kahtala ulnah. His heart.”

She noticed her breathing was coming in short pants. “What does Bondrah mean?”

Raina shook her head. “I don’t know. No one will tell me.”

Pari closed her eyes. “His heart. His Pari… his…” she rolled her eyes. “Kitten.”

Raina smiled.

“It’s not funny,” Pari said. “I’m not anyone’s anything.” Her eyes misted. “I never was, never will be.”

Raina’s eyes filled with sympathy.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’ve screwed up too much, Raina. He just doesn’t know it yet.” She scrubbed her hair, hard, fast, as if she could wash all the shame she’d caused herself over the years away.

“Pari, give him a chance.”

“My hair’s pink!”

“Pari…”

“And look!” She held out an arm. “All my tattoos are gone, Raina. Gone! It’s as if they were never there!”

A sob escaped, then another. “What’s happening to me?”

Raina looked at the water streaming down from the fountain. “Sit under the water, rinse your hair before the suds get in your eyes.”

“It’s already in my eyes,” she squeaked. “Why else would I be crying?” Pari scooted under the nearest wall of water coming from the upper part of the fountain and sat under it.

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