Chapter 61
61
P ari sat and watched as the company from the palace lined up before her. Kwaku and Zara weren’t there yet but would join them later, according to Archer. “What’s going on?” Not that she couldn’t guess. They had to give her uncles some excuse why she was going off with Melvale and the others, and in reality, what her uncles were told, was true.
“‘Tis for her own good, ye ken,” Dallan said. “As ye just saw, it’s no safe for Pari here. Not right now.”
“No harm will come to her where we’re going,” Shona added. “She’ll be well cared for.”
Uncles Al and Leo stared at Pari. “We haven’t asked a lot of questions, Pariwink,” Uncle Al said. “But if you’re okay with all this, then we are too. These people have your back from what we’ve seen, and if my guess is right, just got rid of that idiot Jeffrey for good.”
“He’s brainless,” Uncle Leo said. “He’ll be back.”
“But I won’t be here,” Pari pointed out. She gave the others a smile. “Thank you, all of you, for everything you’ve done for Melvale and me.”
“‘Twas our pleasure, lass,” Dallan said with a small bow. He straightened. “Weel, now that that’s settled, how about we eat then open some gifts?”
Everyone in the room visibly relaxed and began to disperse. Half went into the kitchen, while the other half stayed in the living room. Pari turned to Melvale. “Thank you.”
He took her in his arms. “You’re safe, that’s all that matters.”
She reveled in the feel of his arms around her. “I’m always safe with you.”
He tightened his hold. “You don’t know how happy it makes me to hear you say that.”
She looked up at him and smiled. “We should eat.”
“I don’t think I can, Kitten.” He closed his eyes and held her a little tighter. “This is too nice.”
She smiled again as Kitty and Archer tiptoed around them to get to the kitchen. In fact, everyone had left the room. “If you’re not hungry, do you want to open your present?”
He loosened his hold. “Yes!”
Pari laughed. “Okay, go ahead.”
Melvale released her and made for the tree. He pulled the long rectangular box out from beneath it and sat on the floor.
Pari sat in the chair nearest him and watched as he began tearing the Christmas paper off like an excited child.
“What is it?” He examined the box then ripped through the cardboard like it was thin paper. “Oh, Kitten…” He climbed to his feet and took out the sword. “Pari…” Melvale studied the hilt. “This is beautiful.” In one fluid motion, he unsheathed the sword from its scabbard. “The weight is good.” He tossed the scabbard onto the love seat, backed away from her and sliced the air. “Very good.” He twirled the blade, tossed it hand to hand, and she realized he was no stranger to handling such a weapon.
Melvale studied the blade. “This isn’t steel…”
“What?” Pari left the chair. “But what else can it be?”
“I’m not sure,” he said and ran a hand along the blade. “But I can find out.” He smiled at her. “Thank you, it’s a lovely gift.” He pulled her close, holding the sword away from her. “And I know the first thing I’m going to do with it.”
She gasped. “You’re not going to skewer Jeffrey, are you?”
Melvale laughed. “No, not that I don’t want to.” He let her go and stepped away. “But I will do this.”
Pari sucked in a breath as he went down on one knee and placed the tip of the sword on the floor, holding it up right.
Melvale bowed his head. “Pari Mae Lindir. I, Melvale Lohrinthian Olwen pledge my sword, my heart, and all my strength. You are the sun that rises in the East, and sets in the West, the moon that lights my night sky and the bounty that feeds me. I am yours to command.”
Her heart stopped and before she could think, the name slipped out. “Bondrah…”
Melvale locked gazes with her, his eyes turning bright blue. His human features melted away, and he knelt before her in all his Muiraran glory. She was vaguely aware of some of the others slowly inching their way into the room, but she couldn’t take her eyes off him. “I am here, precious one.”
His voice was deeper, but not by much.
“Melvale?”
“Here,” he said, the voice not changing. He continued to gaze into her eyes. “Do you accept my pledge, sweet one?”
She gaped at him as light flickered around him, but she didn’t know where it was coming from.
“Dallan,” she heard Shona say. “What is that?”
The phenomenon formed into a swirl of light gold, and it began to encircle Melvale. “Bondrah?” she said without thinking. “What is happening?”
“It is my heart, little one.” He smiled at her. “And it is yours if you will have it. Do you accept my pledge?”
Pari stared at him wide-eyed as he knelt before her and bowed his head. “Y-yes?” What else could she say? But in her heart, she knew it was the right thing.
He sucked in a breath as the light widened and encircled them both. It touched Pari, and her knees almost gave out.
She managed to glance at the others, and noticed her uncles must still be in the kitchen. Thank Heaven for that! She drew in a shuddering breath as Melvale got to his feet. “I am yours to command then. All of me.”
Pari stared at him, jaw slack. “Who are you now? Are you Melvale or Bondrah?”
He closed the distance between them, took her in his arms, and bent his face to hers. “I am The Alpha, the bringer of peace and light. And I am yours.”
Without warning he kissed her, and her knees gave out. It wasn’t a passionate kiss or the sort of kiss one does when making out. No, this was something else entirely. This said that she was his, as much as he was hers , and she lost all sense of where they were, who she was, and everything else for that matter. Other than kissing of course.
Then he deepened the kiss, and she thought she would lose her mind. Heat shot through her like lightning, and her heart leapt in her chest as if it wanted to go to him.
Before she could react further, he broke the kiss, as if sensing that was all she could handle, and locked gazes with her. “Wow…” Pari’s breath was coming in short pants as one word permeated her mind. Her eyes rounded to saucers. “Oh…”
He smiled down at her. “Yes, precious one?”
“Oh!”
His smile grew.
“Bond… Bond…”
He bent his face to hers again and in that moment, she knew what Bondrah Miah meant.
Melvale’s lips hovered over hers. “Say it, Pari. Who am I?”
She gaped at him, then swallowed hard. “You are Bondrah Miah.” Her heart seemed to open then, and it was as if his heart wrapped itself around hers, pulling the translation from her very soul. “You are… My Master.”
He kissed her again, and the Earth not only stopped turning, Pari sensed the eyes of the universe shift and were now glued to the two of them. It made no sense, but it was the only way to describe it.
And then, everything went black.
“He did what?!”
Pari’s eyes fluttered open at the sound of Kwaku’s voice in the other room. Her room was dark, the only light that of the streetlights outside. She sat up and knew she wasn’t alone. Her eyes were drawn to the opposite wall where two glowing blue eyes watched her. “Melvale?”
“Who am I, Pari?”
She gulped. “What happened?” She felt disjointed, somehow, and cold.
“Pari…”
Kwaku entered the room, took one look at Melvale and bowed. “Alpha Melvale.” He straightened. “Tell me what happened.”
Melvale’s eyes became fixed on Kwaku. “I pledged myself.”
Even in the dim light Pari saw Kwaku’s eyes widen. “But de merging was not complete.”
Melvale’s glowing blue eyes turned back to Pari. “She called me Master.”
Kwaku facepalmed. “Dis is not good.”
Pari came off the bed. “Did I do something wrong?” She sent Melvale a frantic look, and he came away from the wall so fast she wasn’t sure she saw him move.
“No, little treasure,” Kwaku soothed. “Dis is simply someting we expected to happen later… in your… relationship.” He glanced over his shoulder at Dallan as he entered the room. Kwaku nodded at Melvale as he pulled Pari against him. “De merging is not yet complete, but he has pledged himself to her.”
“What does that mean?” Dallan asked.
Kwaku sighed. “It means dat he will go from one end of de extreme to de oder, rapidly now.”
Melvale looked at them as he backed himself and Pari to the wall. “She accepted me.”
Kwaku nodded absently. “Yes, pup. But de timing is off.”
“Are you sure I didn’t do anything wrong?” Pari asked, worry in her voice.
Melvale sat on the floor and pulled her into his lap. “Shhh, kitten. Rest.”
“Oh… oh no…” Pari’s eyes lids grew heavy, and she went limp as a rag doll in Melvale’s arms, making it impossible to make sense of what was happening.
“Will you stop doing dat!” Kwaku snapped.
Melvale growled, presumably at Kwaku, and adjusted her in his arms so she was sitting up more.
“Dere, dat is better,” Kwaku said.
She finally managed to open her eyes and drew in a breath. “What was that?”
Kwaku sent a dagger of a glare at Melvale who smiled at him.
“Pari,” Dallan said. “We leave in the morning. Ye can tell yer uncles goodbye then.” He eyed Kwaku a moment, then Melvale, and left the room.
She put a hand to her head. “What happened, did I pass out earlier?”
“Yes, little treasure.” Kwaku glared at Melvale again. “But it was not your fault. You are fine. Do not blame yourself for de actions of anoder.” He turned on his heel and left the room.
Pari gazed at Melvale confused. “Wh-what did I call you earlier?”
He looked at her. “You addressed me as Master.”
“But… what does that even mean?”
“That I am at your command.”
She rubbed one temple with her fingers. “But that doesn’t make sense. I don’t understand.”
He held her closer. “You will. When the time is right. I… may have… pledged myself to you sooner than…” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Pari, I did not wish to make you uncomfortable.”
She looked into his eyes as his face hovered over hers. “What happened?”
“My heart now guards yours. But perhaps before you were ready.”
“What does that mean?” she whispered.
“That it will be more difficult for the two sides of me to merge. For my heart is now trying to merge with yours.”
She gasped. “That sounds bad.”
He gave her a tiny shrug. “I don’t wish to scare you, but… it is the equivalent of me asking for your hand in marriage. My heart took over, and I got ahead of all this and…”
“Marriage!” she blurted, cutting him off. “But we’ve only had two dates!”
“I am sorry.”
She scrambled out of his arms and stood. “What happens now? What does this mean?”
He climbed to his feet. “I am still your… boyfriend.” He said it as if the word was so foreign, that he couldn’t begin to guess its meaning.
She put a hand over her heart. “I feel different.”
He hung his head. “It is the presence of my heart. It is… trying to merge with yours.”
“You said that! Well… what if I don’t want it to?” She took a step back and his face fell.
“Please, don’t be afraid of me.”
She clutched the fabric of her dress over her heart. “I’m… I’m not.”
“You are. But we can fix this.”
“How?”
He got down on one knee again. “Pari, I have frightened you. Please don’t be. I want to get to know you, and for you to know me. I want… to be more than a boyfriend.”
“Yeah, well, you made that clear enough.” Dating was fine, it was slow, but this? It was beginning to freak her out. “I can’t go fast, I’ve done it before, and it’s always been a disaster! I just can’t!”
“Give me time, that’s all I ask. Give us … time.”
For some reason, she felt empty and wanted the peaceful feeling that started to overtake her to return. But would that give her any answers? She was confused and could feel her old panic begin to rise. Maybe this was all a big mistake. Something was very wrong, but she couldn’t tell what it was. But shouldn’t she give Melvale a chance to make this—whatever it was—right?
“Thirty days,” she said.
He got to his feet. “What?”
“A month. You told Dr. Merrill I’d probably be back in a month. I think… that’s as long as I can stand being away from home.” She swallowed hard. “Then you’ll bring me back.”
He cocked his head. “And if I can give you a reason to stay with me?”
Pari slowly nodded. “Then I’ll stay.” She was acting like a frightened child but didn’t care. This was freaky stuff! She could feel his heart’s presence and wasn’t sure what to make of it. It was as if her growing feelings for him had been overshadowed by his heart, and it felt like they were vying for position. The result was, she felt nothing toward him. Only the sense of being disjointed remained, and she didn’t like it. Not. One. Bit.