Chapter 50
50
M elvale shook his head once, twice, then shivered. “Oh, my!”
Zerbe studied him. “My son?”
Melvale faced him and smiled. “Father!” He embraced him then backed up. “I’m sorry… I’m not myself.”
“He is fighting de Alpha,” Kwaku said, ratting him out.
Zerbe took on a panicked look. “Melvale, do not fight it. This must happen naturally.”
“I know, I know, but… I can’t remember what I did last night and…”
“My son,” Zerbe said and placed his hands on his shoulders. “You are Alpha, Melvale. We do not fault you if you must do what must be done. I know you do not wish to take a life. That is what balances the Alpha inside you.”
“Listen to your fadar,” Kwaku said. “What he says is true. Der are bad men in de world. And bad women. Evil dat does not rest. Would you see such evil live to wreak more havoc upon de world? Would you see dat evil harm your mate?”
Melvale’s eyes went bright blue and he let out a roar. “No!”
Kwaku smiled. “Den do not hold him back. De Alpha within you will do what needs to be done. Let him sense out what small amount of good is in de man we are about to question further. Let him decide if he lives or dies.”
Melvale swallowed hard. They were right, of course. He knew they were, yet he couldn’t quite bring himself to relinquish what control he had left.
“My son,” Zerbe said. “If I had been captured by this doctor, imprisoned, tortured, and you had to rescue me, would you let anyone stand in your way?”
“No, of course not,” Melvale said before he could stop himself.
“You have been trained well,” his father said. “That training will help your Alpha side make decisions you didn’t think him capable of making.” He closed the distance between them. They stood at a table covered with a large map of Earth. “Think of how gentle that side of you is with Pari.”
Melvale had to smile. “And less awkward.”
Kwaku chuckled. “You will swing from one to de oder side of you for a time. Dat is normal I tink. But do not try to lock your Alpha up again. You will do more harm dan good.”
He bowed, and Melvale drew in a deep breath. “This is… hard to get used to.”
“The Creator chose you, my son,” Zerbe reminded him. “Trust in His judgement. It will get easier.”
Melvale nodded and hoped he was right. He’d carried Pari off once already during their day in the park. He had to concentrate on getting to know her. “I apologize if I’ve jeopardized anything.”
“Nonsense,” Kwaku said. “But do as your fadar says. We will help you stay balanced.”
Melvale nodded as the door to the meeting room opened, and two guards hauled Peter Oswald inside and straight to the table.
They released him and took two steps back. Zerbe clasped his hands behind him and walked to the other side of the round table, never taking his eyes off him.
Melvale eyed their prisoner. His tie was loosened, his glasses slightly askew on his face. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days, and Melvale heard the man’s stomach growl. “Show me this portal.”
Peter nodded, looked at the map, and pointed. “There. In the Black River Forest in Wisconsin.”
Melvale peered at the map. “Mark it.”
Peter glanced at the table, spotted a pencil, and drew a circle in the middle of the forest. “That’s the general area. But the portal can’t be seen except on full moons. Even then, it’s camouflaged.”
“How convenient,” Zerbe said.
“So, this portal takes you to the year 2022, no matter when you enter it?” Melvale asked.
Peter stared at him, slack jawed. Probably because he was speaking in his normal voice again. “Y-yeah.” He looked at the map. “We went through in the middle of the night, hiked to the nearest town and started buying what we needed. We had two years to prepare.” He gulped and waited, never taking his eyes off Melvale’s.
Melvale bent to him. “You spent two years waiting and preparing to take her?”
No one needed to tell him his eyes had gone bright blue again. His fangs descended, claws appeared. “You took her from her home…”
“To get you!” Peter shouted. He cringed and turned away. “Are you going to kill me now?”
Melvale seethed but could sense some good in the man, just as Kwaku said. “Not yet, worm.” He looked at his father. “Judge him.”
“As you wish, Alpha.” Zerbe bowed, then closed his eyes.
“Wh-what’s he doing?” Peter whined.
Melvale smiled. “Looking into your heart.”
Peter sucked in a breath. “W-why?”
“To see if you should be allowed to live,” Kwaku stated.
Zerbe opened his eyes. “We can use him. He still knows much.”
Melvale bent to Peter. “Do you?”
Sweat trickled down one temple “Oh, sure, anything you want!”
Melvale straightened. “Why me?”
Peter looked at the three, then the guards behind him. “Dr. Charles… he… discovered you in Hawaii. You’re a… a purebred.”
Melvale’s eyebrows shot up as he glanced at the others. “Muiraran?”
“What else?” Peter huffed.
“As is my father, as are these guards behind you,” Melvale pointed out. “There were much finer prizes on the beach that night.” He looked at Kwaku who nodded. If they were going to take a Muiraran, Shona or Zara would have been the ones to get their hands on. But no, they’d targeted him. Why? “I was the only one they discovered to be full Muiraran?”
“I guess so. I didn’t accompany Dr. Charles on that mission.” Peter gulped and turned back huge map. “I can show you more.”
“Please do,” Melvale said and began to walk around the table.
Peter pointed to the state of California. “There, in the forests outside Nevada City. There’s a portal on the side of a rock face. But it’s hard to get to.”
“And does this portal also operate only during a full moon?” Melvale asked.
“That’s right.” Peter studied the map again. “Oregon has one, and we were sweeping the west coast looking for more.”
“Where is that one?” Zerbe asked.
Peter drew a circle once again in a heavily forested area. “There, in the Mt. Hood National Forest. The nearest town is Government Camp.”
Melvale studied the map. “These two portals in the west. What year do they go to?”
“The one in Oregon takes you to 1891.”
Melvale looked at the others. “Tillie from Clear Creek.”
Zerbe narrowed his eyes. “And have any of you used that portal?”
“Um, yes sir,” Peter answered. “But I’m not sure who. We can’t go through all of them. Some are… persnickety.”
“Persnickety?” Zerbe repeated with raised eyebrows.
“Yes, sir.” Peter was shaking now, and Melvale sighed.
“You have one in England, in the late 1800s, don’t you?”
“I believe so, yes.”
“You do not know?” Kwaku drawled.
“I’m not told everything. I’m Dr. Charles assistant in the lab, nothing more.” He hung his head and fixed his eyes on the floor.
“That’s how they got to the village near the Stantham Estate,” Melvale said more to himself than anyone else. “It’s how they were able to get their hands on Tory Barrow.”
Zerbe nodded. “We must tell the king.”
“King?” Peter almost choked on the word. His breathing picked up, and he looked about to faint.
Melvale’s eyes narrowed on him. “Stay conscious, worm.” He paced, noticed his claws had retracted, and sighed in relief. “Why me? There are far superior specimens.”
“You’re what we got closest to, um, sir,” Peter said. “A superb example of a Muiraran male.”
“Pari is not Muiraran,” he pointed out.
Peter gulped and looked him in the eyes. “Then what is she to you?”
Melvale glared back. “You don’t deserve to know.” Anger rose, hot and swift at what this man had done to her. Melvale raised a hand as claws sprang forth and with a roar swung it down hard on the table, splitting it in two.
Peter cowered, his arms over his head, and backed away.
“Get him out of my sight before I kill him!”
“Yes, Alpha,” one of the guards said. They grabbed Peter and dragged him off.
“You did well, Alpha Melvale,” Kwaku praised. “Our prisoner is still alive.”
Melvale stared at him, his chest rising and falling with every angry breath he took. “I wanted to kill him,” he said in his Alpha’s gravelly voice. “But there is light still in his heart. It would be a shame not to guide him to it.”
Kwaku smiled. “Yes. Now you are beginning to understand. And was dat same light in any of de men you dealt wid last night?”
Melvale looked him in the eyes. “No.” With that, he turned and strode out of the room. At least he remembered that much, but enough. He needed Pari, needed to hold her, make sure she was safe. He knew Dallan and Shona could take care of her, yet he couldn’t stand to be apart from her any longer.
She was the only one that could calm him, make the storm raging within him settle. She could tame the Alpha.
“Kwaku!” Melvale called over his shoulder. “We will leave soon.” He stopped in the long corridor outside the meeting room. “Father…”
“Yes, my son?” Zerbe glided up to him. “What do you need?”
“Tell Mother I want quarters prepared for Pari. If I must bring her here, I want her to have a private place she can go to.” He thought a moment. “No, wait, she might want to be with other humans. Speak with Grandma and the others. Have them prepare a room at the hotel.”
“As you wish. I’ll post guards in that section of the library.” Zerbe put a hand on his back. “You will win her, Melvale.”
He nodded. “I have to, don’t I?”
His father gave him a sage nod. “Yes.”
Melvale drew in a deep breath. “I will do my best.”
Kwaku joined them. “I have summoned Zara. Do you wish to take anything back with you?”
Melvale thought a moment. “Some clothes for Pari… no, I’ll take her shopping instead. She’ll enjoy that.” He took a few steps. “Christmas shopping.” He smiled. “Let us pay a visit to wardrobe. I’ll need something else to wear, and as I recall, there are even a few Christmas items tucked away somewhere.”
Kwaku grinned. “As you wish, Alpha Melvale.”
“And the prisoner?” Zerbe asked. “What of him?”
“Feed him, water him, keep him alive. He knows more; I can feel it, but it seems scattered.”
Kwaku nodded. “Yes, Alpha. I will meet you in de wardrobe section of de library. We will leave from dere.” He strode down the wide corridor to meet his wife.
Melvale watched him go. “I would visit Q for a moment, Father.”
“Very well, I shall tell your mother your wishes, and we will speak to Grandma Waller and her friends.”
“Maida can visit Pari there, and I’ll spend as much time with her as I can,” Melvale said. “I…” he swallowed hard. “I already love her, Father.” His face softened. “Is that possible?”
“Of course it is, my son,” Zerbe said with a smile. “She is your mate, your heart. You must allow your heart to heal her. But you must also be patient. Just because you have risen to be the Alpha of our age, does not mean war is at our doorstep quite yet. You have time to win her.”
Melvale’s face fell. “But war will be here soon enough.”
Zerbe took a deep breath and nodded. “I am afraid so. Why else would your Alpha have risen?”
He nodded. “Why else indeed.” Melvale hugged his father, patted him on the back, then took off at a run for his quarters. His new speed was faster than a Sarian. In fact, as far as he knew, he was now the fastest thing on the planet, in any century.
When he reached his quarters, Q was on the balcony. “Melvalesssk!” He scrambled toward him and came to a skidding stop.
Melvale grabbed hold of his fur and buried his face in it. “Q” came out muffled but that was okay. He drew back and went to stand in front of the huge beast.
“Where is Parisssk?”
“Safe with Time Master Dallan and Shona.”
Q sat on his haunches. “Melvale is sad. I can feel itsssk.”
“I suppose I am, my friend.” He petted Q on the nose. “I… I am trying to get used to the other side of me.”
“Can I seesssk?”
“The Alpha?”
“Yessssk.”
“Are you sure you want to?”
Q stood and began to bounce. “I want to play with himsssk!”
Melvale thought about that for a moment. Q was formidable, even for other Sarian. But the Alpha? “Very well.”
Q bounced some more, this time in anticipation. It was hard for him to play with the other Sarian, he was too big and powerful, and it was too easy to hurt one of them.
Melvale wasn’t sure how to summon that part of him, he’d been too busy trying to suppress him. “Um, perhaps if you struck me?”
“Whatsssk?”
“Hit me, Q. Then I’m sure you’ll have something to play with.”
Q cocked his head. “Okaysssk.” He swatted him with one leg and sent him flying across his living room to the wall beyond. He hit it hard, bouncing off and landing on the floor in a heap.
“Melvalesssk?”
Melvale rose, his eyes bright blue. His voice, deep and guttural. “You wish to play?”
Q bounced up and down again. “I dosssk!”
“Then let us play, beast.”
To Q’s utter delight, Melvale lunged, and their fight began.
Q hit the same wall, bounced off, and also landed on the floor in a heap. He jumped up, chittering in delight. “Againsssk!”
Melvale smiled. “Oh, stab me,” he said, voice still gravelly. “I do believe this is going to be fun.”