Chapter 26
26
Q started down the long corridor at his usual clip. Melvale had one arm around Pari and held her against him. She gripped his arm with both hands, afraid she’d fall off. Didn’t she realize he would never allow that to happen?
No. She didn’t. Because she doesn’t know you yet, ninny!
He tried not to sigh at the thought as several guards up ahead did their best to melt into the walls. The guards posted outside his chambers had let him pass without a word, and he knew a few followed. But were they following to protect him, or to protect others from him? It was a good question, and he had no answer.
“Where are we going again?” Pari asked, still holding onto his arm for dear life. Seated sideways as she was, he supposed he’d better reassure her.
He leaned toward her ear. “Relax, you’re not going to fall.” He put his other arm around her.
She grabbed hold of it too, and he felt the shiver that went up her spine. But he sensed it wasn’t from fear and smiled.
Q rounded a corner, skidding a little, and Pari let out a yelp of surprise. Melvale bent to her again. “It’s all right, I’ve got you.”
“Yes, but who has you? How are you staying on this thing?” she countered.
He heard the hint of panic in her voice and sighed. He’d have to give her time to get used to him, trust him. He hadn’t won her yet and might have a lot of work ahead of him.
“The library,” he said as Q slowed down. He, too, must have picked up on her trepidation.
“A library? You want to show me books?” Pari said.
“There’s a lot more than books in the library. I want to introduce you to some friends of mine.” He studied his surroundings and saw more guards up ahead. The guards behind him must have sent word to the ones ahead through a heart connection.
His eyes narrowed, and he sensed the Alpha rising. Oh no, you don’t! Melvale squeezed his eyes shut and willed that side of him to back down. He wanted to introduce Pari to Grandma Waller, Doc, Irene, Wilfred, and the others. Maida might even be there. He knew Pari would like her.
“So,” she said, her voice cracking. “This is a palace?”
“It is, Kitten. A big one.”
“But you’re not royalty, right?”
“No.” He bent down again, this time to look at her. “Would you like to meet the king and queen?”
She sucked in a breath. “Jeepers, no!”
He straightened. “As you wish.” Okay, that wasn’t one of his best ideas. She was having a hard enough time taking everything in as it was. Best leave King Jaireth and Queen Shannell out of the equation for now.
Q slowed again as they turned down another corridor that led to a side entrance of the library. Pari looked around, but didn’t ask any questions. He could only imagine what she might be thinking. Did she believe him when he told her they were in the year 3698? She did know he wasn’t human, and she knew he wasn’t himself at times. He was going to have to explain that better, or she might get confused whenever she had to deal with the Alpha side of him.
“Here we arsssk!” Q announced and stopped in front of a simple wooden door.
“Wonderful, thank you, Q.” Melvale gently let go of Pari, scooted back, swung a leg over Q’s back and dismounted.
Pari gave him a panicked look. “You expect me to do that?”
“No, I expect you to jump.” He held up his arms. “You can do it.”
She gulped, gripped Q’s fur with both hands, and gulped again.
“Come, Kitten,” he coaxed and crooked his fingers at her for good measure.
She trembled but let go of Q’s fur and slid into his waiting hands. He held her waist and let her down gently. “There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”
She looked up at Q’s back. “He’s bigger than an elephant.”
“Hmmm, maybe some, but comparable in size to a bull elephant.” Melvale took her by the hand and led her toward the door. “Remember, there’s more than just books in here. Are you ready?”
She looked at the simple wooden door. “Like what?”
He smiled. “Come and see.” Melvale opened the door, and they stepped into bright sunshine and a flower dotted meadow.
“Oh,” Pari breathed. “Where are we?”
He nodded at Q then closed the door behind him. He would summon Q when they were done visiting the library. “Like I said, the library. The southeastern most section to be precise. The Muiraran library takes up roughly fourteen square miles.”
She stopped, gaped at him, and sank a little at the knees.
“Whoa there, Kitten.” Melvale steadied her.
She continued to stare, her mouth hanging open.
Melvale smiled. “I see you’re going to need a lot of time to adjust. I have just the thing.” He took her hand again and started across the meadow.
“Where are we going?” she asked with a hint of panic.
A chill went up his spine as his protective instincts kicked in. “Safe!” His voice came out low, gravelly.
She froze. “What?”
Oh, stab me! Go away! He told the other side of him. She’s perfectly safe!
KEEP HER SAFE!
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and put a hand to his belly. We will keep her safe.
Yes…
Melvale opened his eyes. “Fine.”
“What?”
He turned to Pari. “Not to worry, I… had a moment there. Know that nothing will harm you in here.”
The screech of a young Noghard filled the air, and Pari screamed.
“Blast it.” Melvale pulled her into his arms.
“What was that?!” she asked against the lower part of his chest. He had almost a foot and a half on her in height, and he hoped she didn’t deem their height difference a problem. “A friend, or at the very least an acquaintance.”
She looked up at him. “What is it?”
“Well,” he drawled, pondering how much to tell her. “One of the Noghard. I did tell you there was more than one alien race living in the palace.”
Pari continued to look at him with wide eyes as she gripped him tighter. The Alpha deep within him rumbled in satisfaction. Melvale had to admit he was enjoying her tight hold too.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” he said gently, and was surprised the Alpha was calm. She was frightened, yes, but wasn’t threatened. He knew what the Noghard was doing. It was clearing his friends out of this section of the library. Kwaku must have alerted Novhak, the Noghard king that an Alpha was rising up. Novhak was old enough to have known the last one.
Melvale made a mental note to himself to speak to him later. He might have some good advice on how to navigate the slippery slope of merging.
“Are… you sure it’s safe?” Pari hedged.
He looked at her and tightened his hold. “Yes, little Pari, it’s more than safe.”
She took a deep breath, then nodded against him. “Okay, I’m… better.”
Melvale closed his eyes a moment, dragging the bliss of having her against him out before letting her go. “Let’s continue on then.”
He led her across the meadow and into the woods beyond. The shaded path was inviting and cool, with ferns and wildflowers growing on either side. Pari held his hand and squeezed it as her eyes rounded to saucers. Her jaw dropped now and then at the birdsong overhead, and again when they emerged from the woods and headed for the arched bridge over the small creek. “Melvale, this is beautiful.”
He smiled and squeezed her hand in return. “It is, isn’t it? The people I want to introduce you to love it here.” A tiny pinch of warning got his attention. The young Noghard might have frightened her, but what was Irene Dunnigan going to do? He hoped she was in a good mood. He wouldn’t react around some of his favorite people, but he wasn’t so sure about the other side of him.
They passed through the next set of woods and eventually reached the replica of Clear Creek. Pari took one look at the old west town and openly gawked. “What is this place?”
“You could say it’s a sort of headquarters for some very special people.” He smiled at her. “Would you like to meet them?”
She met his gaze “Are they… human?”
“Yes, but… well, I’ll let them explain.” They entered town near the hotel, and Melvale sensed more than a few people inside. They stepped through the hotel doors, and Pari continued to stare at everything in wonder.
“Melvale!” Cyrus cried from the dining room. He headed straight for him. “Welcome back! Kwaku said you had a time of it.”
“Cyrus,” he greeted then saw the others. “Polly, Mary, Paddy.” He waved at hand at Pari. “May I introduce you to my ma… um, Pari Lindir.”
Pari sidestepped closer to him as Mary Mulligan approached. “Hello. My, what pretty… hair you have.”
Polly was next to greet her. “Hello there. I’m Polly Van Cleet and this is Mary.” Her eyes were also fixated on Pari’s pink hair. “Well, will you look at that.”
Pari unconsciously ran her fingers through her short pink hair. “It’s his fault.” She tossed her head at him, and Melvale smiled.
“Yes, I’m afraid it is.” He reached for her hair, took a short lock between two fingers, and reveled in the softness of it.
“Wilfred, Irene, Grandma and Doc are all at the mercantile,” Cyrus said. “Would you like me to run and fetch them?”
Melvale let go of Pari’s hair. “No, we’ll head that way next. I’m showing Pari around and thought she’d like to meet you.”
Cyrus was the first to study him, then Pari. His eyes locked onto their joined hands, and he looked at Melvale again, eyes misting.
Melvale held up his free hand. “Don’t start, my friend, I don’t think I could take it.”
Cyrus nodded, smiled, and glanced at the others and back. “I speak for all of us when I say, congratulations. At last, your wait is over.”
Melvale gave Pari a sidelong glance and forced a smile. In truth, his journey had just begun. “Is Maida here, by chance?”
“No, we haven’t seen her since the lot of ye returned,” Paddy said. “But she’ll be along. Soon, is my guess.”
“Yes, she’ll need to feed,” he mused.
Pari looked up at him. “Feed?” She sniffed the air. “Is something baking?”
“Yes, I’ve got bread in the oven,” Polly said.
“Homemade bread?” Pari’s eyes lit up. “I haven’t had homemade bread in ages. My mom used to make it now and then.”
“Well, come into the kitchen, dear.” Mary said. “I was just about to take out it of the oven.”
Pari looked at Melvale again, as if asking if it was okay. Melvale and his other half smiled in satisfaction. “It’s safe, go on.” To Melvale’s utter delight, she smiled back, then followed Mary into the hotel’s kitchen, Polly right behind them.
“She’s beautiful, Melvale,” Paddy gushed. “Ye must be thrilled.”
He swallowed hard as he watched the kitchen door swing shut. “How much has Kwaku told you about what happened?”
“He said when all of you returned that you weren’t yourself,” Cyrus said. “But you seem fine to me.”
Melvale gave them a heartfelt look. “It thrills me to hear you say that. But the truth is, I’m not myself. I am… changed.”
“Because ye got yerself a pretty mate?” Paddy asked happily.
“No, my friend. Because I am a Muiraran Alpha. A rarity among my people.”
“A what?” Cyrus asked. “What does that even mean?”
Melvale sighed. “Suffice to say, I have within me the capacity to battle an army.” He sighed. “Or three.”
Cyrus and Paddy exchanged the same look of confusion. Paddy grinned. “So ye can kick butt, as Shona says. That’s great.”
Melvale gave them a weak smile. Best not to go into too many details. He didn’t want to terrify them. “Something like that, yes.”
“Speaking of kicking butt,” Paddy said. “I’m still the champion of this week’s checker games. What do ye think of that?”
Cyrus rolled his eyes and groaned. “Don’t encourage him, Melvale. He’s been rubbing it in all week.”
Melvale started for the kitchen door. Time to check on Pari. He sensed no fear from her, but he didn’t like being apart from her for long. “I’ll not say a word.”
“Good!” Cyrus said with a clap of his hands. “C’mon, Paddy. Let’s play! I’ll get you this time!”
Melvale ignored them as he entered the kitchen and found his little Pariwink sitting at the kitchen table with Polly and Mary, a hot slice of homemade bread in her hand. She was smiling as he watched her slather it with butter and sighed in contentment. Yes, bringing her here was a good choice.