Chapter 62
62
M elvale sank onto the bed. Everything was falling apart! This was his fault… no. This was the other blasted side of him’s fault! You and I, Mr. Alpha, are going to have a meeting of the minds.
He looked at Pari, saw the confused look on her face, and fought a sigh. How was he going to fix this in thirty days? By the Creator! How long was it going to take the two sides of him to merge now? His heart acted as a balancer of sorts. But that was gone. There would be no easing between one side of him to the next like the slow up and down of a teeter totter. Now each side would be slammed to the ground without warning, and that, he knew, wasn’t going to be pleasant. And in the midst of all of that, he still had to win her heart? This was like starting all over again!
“I have a gift for you,” he said softly and forced himself to stay on task.
She looked at him with wide eyes, as if she had no idea of who he was, and quite possibly didn’t. “But you’ve already given me so much.”
“I still wanted you to have something to unwrap at the party.” Everyone else had opened their gifts while he and Pari were ensconced in her bedroom after his Alpha side’s untimely kerfuffle. He left the bed and offered her his hand.
She didn’t take it.
Melvale swallowed hard, forced a smile, and motioned her to follow him into the other room.
In the living room, Shona was sitting on the loveseat leafing through one of Pari’s books. “Will you excuse us, Princess?” Melvale asked.
Shona set the book aside. “Of course.” She smiled at Pari, left the living room and went out the front door to join Dallan who was on guard. Melvale wondered what Pari’s neighbors thought of the Time Master’s constant presence then pushed the thought aside.
He went to the tree and pulled out a brightly wrapped box from beneath it. “Here,” he said and handed it to her.
Pari took it, went to the loveseat, and sat. “What is it?”
“Open it,” he said gently. “And see.” He sat next to her and watched.
She looked at him, then tore the paper away to stare at the square blue velvet covered box in her hands. She slowly opened it.
“Oh, Melvale,” she breathed. “It’s beautiful.” Pari looked at him with wide eyes. “You didn’t have to…”
“I wanted to, Kitten.” He smiled. “Go ahead, take it out, let’s see how it looks.”
She pulled out the intricately carved silver bracelet and held it up. It was a solid band about an inch wide, but not over thick. “Where did you get this?”
He smiled. “Mm, let’s just say it wasn’t from anywhere around here.”
She sucked in a breath. “This is from your world?”
He nodded. “It is very valuable and is what a man of my race might give to his… girlfriend.” He looked into her eyes. “Pari, my people make mistakes just like anyone else. I have made one with you, and I am truly sorry. Your feelings for me, I have damaged them. Let this be the first of many things that helps you find those feelings again.”
Melvale took the bracelet from her, held it between the palms of his hands a moment and closed his eyes.
“What are you doing?” she asked in a soft voice.
“Readying it for you.” He opened his eyes and gazed lovingly into hers. “This is a special gift and not to be taken lightly. Do you accept it?”
Pari didn’t flinch exactly, but she did draw in a sharp breath. “Will it help me…” she shrugged. “Feel normal again?”
He bobbed his head side to side. “Mmm, it can’t hurt.”
Her eyes met his again, and he caught a flicker of trust in them. “Okay.”
Melvale smiled as he opened his hands, and the bracelet clicked open.
Pari stared at it. “What did it just do?” She got closer and peered at it. “I don’t see a clasp.”
“It’s well hidden.” He took her left wrist, closed his eyes, and placed the bracelet on her. It snapped closed and shrank to fit her wrist.
She gasped. “What was that?”
“It’s made so it won’t fall off,” he assured with a smile. “You can shower or bathe with it on and the water won’t hurt it.” He held up her wrist and admired how it looked against her creamy skin. “It’s beautiful on you, Pari.”
She examined it too. “Wow, I’ve never had a piece of jewelry like this before. Thank you.” She smiled at him, and to his utter delight kissed him on the cheek.
Maybe, just maybe, he hadn’t screwed things up as bad as he thought.
Pari drew back from Melvale’s cheek. Touching him made her feel better, less disjointed, and as an experiment, she took him by the hand. “Thank you, for all you’ve done.”
He looked into her eyes with such tenderness her heart stirred in response. “I will always be there for you, Pari. The other side of me might have jumped the gun, as your people say, but I think he means well.” He smiled. “ I mean well, precious one. Thank you for giving me another chance to prove it to you. I don’t want the bond between us to lessen any more than it has.”
“Bond?” She looked at her bracelet. “I’ve heard that word used before.”
“To bond is to… come together,” he said. “To become one. When one of my kind bonds, it is for life.”
Her breath hitched. “That’s… kind of romantic.”
He smiled. “I suppose it is.” Melvale’s eyes roamed her face, and Pari realized that even though she couldn’t recapture all the feelings she had for him now, it didn’t mean they weren’t still there. “Your heart is… inside of me?”
He nodded. “Part of it. The other is with me. It wishes to bring us together, but… I am not whole yet. I have not fully merged with the Alpha side of me.”
“And when you do?”
He drew closer. “Then all will be right with the world.” He gently brushed his lips across hers.
Pari’s eyes closed, and a tiny flutter started in her chest. But there was something else, like a wall around her heart, a sentry. Would it let him in? Or was he going to have to fight his way back into her heart?
She was beginning to understand what happened and why Kwaku, Dallan, and Melvale seemed upset about it. All she knew was that it was like he was a stranger all over again.
She thought of their time as prisoners, and before she could stop herself, the name slipped out. “Bondrah?”
Melvale started, and his eyes glowed blue. “Yes, Kahtala Miah?”
His voice was deep, and she became acutely aware of some unseen force surrounding her. “Wh-what is that?”
“Me, precious one. Your Bondrah.”
She licked her lower lip. Did she dare? “Melvale?”
“Oh!” He jumped, his eyes suddenly gray. “Oh, stab me!” He lowered the hand that flew to his chest. “Kitten, don’t do that!”
Her jaw dropped. “Oh, um sorry. I just wanted to see what would happen if I called you Bondrah and…” her hands flew to her mouth. “Sorry!”
His eyes glowed blue again as his fangs descended.
“Oh, okay, we’ll have none of that,” she said and backed away.
“Pari,” he purred in that sexy low voice of his with a predatory look in his eyes.
“Nope! You just get a hold of yourself, big guy!” She started to scoot away but he was too fast. Before she knew it, she was wrapped in his arms and his mouth was descending toward her throat like he was some vampire. “Don’t you dare bite… ohhhhhh, ahhhh…”
He nuzzled her neck, his tongue licking the tender flesh between her neck and shoulder before he kissed the same spot over and over.
“Oh, ah, um… wow… do you… ha-have to oh my…”
He worked his way up and kissed her along the jaw line then worked his way to her mouth. By the time he captured her lips she was a goner. All the feelings that had grown for him over the last two weeks flooded back, the wall around her heart softening to let him in.
When Bondrah broke the kiss, he rested his forehead against hers and purred.
Pari was breathing hard. She’d never experienced anything like that before! That wasn’t just a kiss. He’d stepped inside of her! “How… what?”
Melvale, Bondrah, whatever, drew back and gave her a tender smile. “You have accepted me.”
She nodded, too dumbstruck to say anything.
“I have pledged myself to you, sweet one. Call when you need me. I am yours to command.” He lowered his face to hers again and captured her lips once more.
Pari melted against him as he deepened the kiss. Yet this time she could feel him step out of her, and she moaned in protest.
“Kitten!”
Pari opened her eyes and looked into Melvale’s gray ones. “What happened?”
He sighed. “Oh, stab me. Why does he get to have all the fun?!”
Her eyes went wide. “You didn’t just kiss me?”
“Sadly, no. But did I like it?”
Pari gaped at him. “Okay, I can see how this can be a problem.” She was still wrapped in his arms but wasn’t ready to leave them yet. At least she didn’t feel as disjointed.
“We’ll speak with Kwaku,” he said. “Seems he’s done more research about this sort of thing than I have.” Melvale looked at her. “Don’t worry. We’ll get this figured out together.”
She licked her lips, her eyes darting to his. “Will you… kiss me?”
Melvale’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
She nodded. “I want to see what happens.”
He grinned. “Very well.” Melvale held her tighter, bent his face to hers, and gently kissed her.
It was very similar, she noticed, but not quite the same. The presence or power that accompanied the Alpha’s kiss wasn’t there, but it was still enjoyable. In fact, when Melvale broke the kiss, she licked her lips and asked. “Can we try that again?”
He smiled. “Why, Kitten, what’s gotten into you? Do I still need thirty days to prove myself?”
Pari gave him a heartfelt smile. “I’m not sure, but I’m beginning to think I need that time.” In truth, she wanted to see where this would go. So long as she could feel a love growing for him, she was willing to take the risk and believe she could have something with this man, even if he wasn’t human. She was still distrusting of herself and her own decision making. She had to do this right and move slow, or it might all blow up in her face.
Melvale nodded. “Understood.” He brought his face to hers and kissed her again. And this time, Pari wanted to see what would happen if she kissed him back.
“Wow,” didn’t begin to describe it, and for a moment, she was kissing the whole man. No two separate sides of him, but the being he was meant to become. He was there for a second or two, his presence and power surrounding her, and then it just as quickly faded and there was only Melvale.
He broke the kiss. “I need your help, Pari.”
“You felt it too?”
He nodded. “Together we can fix this. I’m sure of it.”
She slowly nodded. “Then I’ll help you.”
He rested his forehead against hers. “Thank you, sweet one. You don’t know what that means to me.”
Pari wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m beginning to.” And she was. This wonderful man was trying so hard to become what he was meant to be, and in doing so, Pari sensed she would become what she was meant to be too.
Melvale held her closer. “Are you ready to return to the palace with me?”
She kissed him on the cheek. “I am.”
He drew back and smiled. “Good. Let’s pack your things.” He kissed her tenderly on the forehead, pulled her into his arms and stood. “I still think you should have let me buy you that black bag.”
Pari giggled as she rested her head against his shoulder and let him carry her into her bedroom to pack.