Chapter 63
The next morning, in the foyer of Pari’s building…
“We’re sure gonna miss you, Pariwink,” Uncle Al said and hugged her.
Pari hugged him back with everything she had. “I won’t be gone long. Maybe a month.” She caught the look on Melvale’s face. He was standing behind her uncle, his expression a combination of longing and a hint of… regret? Was he unsure if this was going to work out?
She drew back then went to Uncle Leo. “You two take good care of yourselves.”
“You’ll call us, won’t you?” Uncle Leo asked.
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible,” Melvale said. “It’s best not to have contact with those we have in our protective custody. Safer that way you know.”
“Oh, yeah,” Uncle Leo said. “But you’d better have her home in a month’s time buddy, or we’re gonna go a round.” He scowled at Melvale who gave her uncle a smile in return.
“You have my word,” Melvale said.
“I’d better,” Uncle Leo huffed. “Well, I gotta get to work.” He kissed Pari on the cheek. “You be careful, Pariwink.” He marched up to Kwaku and poked him in the chest. “And you, I want to see the police reports from all this!”
“As you wish. I will have dem sent to you.” Kwaku bowed with a chuckle.
Pari didn’t know what Kwaku had told her uncles. She was too wrapped up thinking about being back in the Muiraran palace. She would be safe there, that’s for sure, but part of her still worried over her relationship with Melvale. He’d been building one with her on her terms. But once in the palace, would it be more on his, and could she handle it? When she became panicked, there wasn’t a lot she could do about it. Her issues ran deep, and though Melvale had helped her with some of them, she knew she still had a long way to go.
Pari also knew that if anyone was going to screw this up, it would be her. She’d always known emotions were powerful, but after these last two weeks, she’d just come to realize how much.
“I’d best get to the shop,” Uncle Al said. “Thanks for getting me the extra help, Melvale.”
Melvale gave him a slight bow. “It was my pleasure. Khana is a hard worker, and I hear he got an apartment in the building next door!”
“Yeah, I thought that place was still being renovated,” Uncle Al said. “Guess they decided to start renting out the apartments they already finished.” He offered Melvale his hand. “We’ll see you two in a month. Take good care of our Pari, or I’ll be helping Leo knock you silly.”
Melvale shook his hand then bowed. “She will be safe with me.” He straightened. “In fact, there’s no safer place than home.”
“Glad to hear it,” Uncle Al said. “Well, I’m off.”
A lump formed in Pari’s throat as her uncles hovered near the door. Uncle Leo gave her a heartfelt look, and she swore his eyes were tearing up when he opened it and stepped into the vestibule, then went out the building’s front door. Uncle Al gave their little party a wave and followed.
Pari drew in a shuddering breath and willed herself not to cry. She’d never been apart from her uncles since she came to Brooklyn all those years ago.
Melvale put an arm around her. “It’s all right, Kitten. You’ll see them soon enough.”
She nodded as he turned her toward the hall leading to the basement door. Dallan and Shona picked up backpacks, and some other small pieces of luggage and headed that way. Kwaku and Zara followed.
“Where are Kitty and Archer?” Pari asked.
“Taking care of some last-minute business. Don’t worry, you’ll see them again.”
Pari nodded as they went to the open basement door. “Melvale?”
“Hm?”
“What happens now?”
“You’re about to find out.” He winked at her. “Let me go first but stay right behind me.”
She nodded and began to realize just how protective he was. Even when going down a set of stairs.
He carried her luggage and set everything down once they were in the basement. “Now, Kitten, you’re in for a real treat.”
“What exactly goes on?” she asked. This would be her first time getting to see how his kind “got around” as he called it.
“Who’s doing the honors?” Melvale chortled.
“I am,” Kwaku said. He gave them a huge grin. “Ready, little treasure?”
Pari gulped. “Um, as ready as I’ll ever be.” A nervous shudder coursed through her. “Is this safe?”
Melvale took her into his arms and held her. “You don’t have to watch if it’s too much for you, and yes, it’s perfectly safe. Well, except perhaps for a little rumbling and shaking, which now that I think of it some might equate to an earthquake…”
“Earthquake!” Pari held onto him tighter. “Will it hurt the building? I mean, I know we’re in the basement and all but…”
Melvale’s eyes rounded to saucers. “Basement!”
Dallan turned to him. “What?” He glanced at Pari and back. “Melvale?”
He let go of Pari and slapped a hand to each side of his face. “I remember now. I left them in a basement!” He sent Dallan a look of shock. “I… bit them… and it… knocked them out?” He ran his tongue over his top teeth. “Oh, stab me, I’m venomous?!”
Pari caught Kwaku and Dallan exchange the same look of shock. She eyed Melvale. “What? Who?”
He gave her a sheepish grin. “How about I explain once we get to the palace?” He put his arms around her again, kissed her on the cheek, and smiled. “Ready, Kitten?”
She drew in a deep breath, let it out, and nodded. “Ready.”
Kwaku smiled and opened his arms wide. “Come here, Pretty One.”
Zara did, and Pari gasped when he pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly. When he broke the kiss, he grinned. “Take us home, Beloved.” He spoke to her in another language, and Zara, to Pari’s surprise, knelt at his feet and began to sing.
The room shook and Pari held onto Melvale as a bright yellow light shot forth from Kwaku and Zara and hit the opposite wall of the basement. It quickly narrowed and began to draw a picture. In fact, if Pari didn’t know any better, she’d say it was a picture of Melvale’s private quarters. As soon as the picture—more of an outline really—was complete, Kwaku swept one arm across it and the whole thing peeled away, like peeling a sticker out of sticker book.
Pari stood, awestruck. “Oh. My. Golly.”
Melvale kissed her hair. “Come on, Kitten. Let’s go say hello to Q.”
The wall of the basement was gone, replaced by Melvale’s private quarters, complete with Q, who bounced in anticipation at the sight of them. They stepped into Melvale’s quarters like it was nothing, and she gaped at the sight of her building’s basement behind them. “How in the world…?”
“I’ll explain everything, sweet one,” Melvale said.
“Aye, but first ye’ll explain about the other basement?” Dallan said with a stern look.
Melvale blushed. “Oh, yes, that. Well, at least I didn’t… you know.” He made a face and ran a finger across his neck.
“What?” Pari asked.
Melvale bent to her. “Nothing for you to worry about. In fact, I’m relieved.” He straightened and let out breath.
Dallan exchanged another look with Kwaku. “Melvale. What did you do?”
He gave them a sheepish look, swept Pari into his arms, and rubbed his nose against hers. “Hungry? Let’s pay a visit to Shaveer and see what he’s cooked up for the day!”
“Melvale!”
“Can’t talk,” he sang. “I have to feed Pari!”
“Melvale!” Dallan snapped.
Melvale picked up the pace, went through his door to the corridor beyond and broke into a run. They reached the kitchen within seconds where he set her down.
Pari teetered from the speed, and he had to hold onto her to keep her from falling. “What was that about?!”
He shrugged. “Well, I might have sort of left a group of evil mercenary henchmen snoozing in a basement.”
“What?”
Melvale bent to her. “Never mind about that, how about some ice cream?”
She openly gawked. “Are you talking about the doctor’s men?!”
He took on an innocent air. “Well…”
She held up a hand. “Never mind, I don’t want to know. This is a lot to take in without having to think about that.”
“I totally agree. Now, Kitten. That ice cream?” He offered his arm.
Pari sucked in a deep breath and took it. She’d done it! She was here, embarking on a great adventure with this man. Pari had no idea what was going to happen, but at least she knew that they were safe here in the palace. Now she and Melvale could spend the next thirty days with each other and see where that time would take them. And with any luck, in time, she could fall in love without messing anything up and live happily ever after.
Timmohn watched Melvale exit his quarters, a woman in his arms, and in a flash, they were gone. So, Melvale and his mate had returned.
She marched into his quarters, knowing a Time Master had to be there. They’d been informed Melvale would be returning today, and she had her work to do. There was no sense wasting time.
“Time Masters Dallan, Kwaku,” she purred as she entered. “Welcome back.” She bowed then straightened. “I see our Alpha has already taken his little mate elsewhere?” She clasped her hands in front of her and smiled.
“Yes,” Kwaku drawled. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to wait for your return, so we could make amends.” She bowed again with a smile
Kwaku and Dallan eyed her.
“I was wrong,” she said as she straightened. “I… judged the situation poorly and overreacted,” she said. “I apologize.”
Dallan arched an eyebrow. “Aye, that’s putting it mildly.”
“I am sorry. My mate, he was upset with me and…” she hung her head. “Put me in my place.”
Kwaku walked a circle around her. “And how do you propose to make amends, Timmohn?”
“I want to help with the bond. I hear it is… precarious.”
Kwaku sighed and looked at Dallan. “Archer.”
Dallan rolled his eyes. “He’s here, is he no?”
“Yes,” Kwaku said. “Seems you have ears everywhere, Timmohn. Archer was to report to de king and him alone.”
“I keep myself informed for the good of our people,” she shot back. “Now can I help? Melvale is my grandnephew, and I don’t want anything to hinder the merging. It’s too hard on him and will be too hard on his mate.”
Kwaku sighed and looked at Dallan. “We will discuss it. Right now, I am hungry, as is Time Master Dallan.” He took Zara in his arms. “Come, Beloved, let us go to our quarters.” They left, leaving Dallan and Shona. The latter was already in her mate’s arms. “Schedule a meeting, Timmohn,” Dallan ordered. “I want your mate and Melvale’s parents there as well.” He steered Shona toward the door. “Coming?”
Timmohn, her back to them, smiled. “Of course, Time Master.”
Horace Peabody was no spring chicken, and by no means a rich man. So when his faithful tenant Mrs. Kohler (his only tenant as he was renovating the other apartments) phoned him for the third time in two weeks that someone had once again tampered with the doors of the building, he almost blew a gasket.
He parked his beat-up work truck in the driveway of the brownstone he owned, grabbed his toolbox, and went inside. Sure enough, his beautiful leaded glass front and vestibule doors of the building had been broken. He’d have to replace the entire doorknob assemblies and locks. Again! At least someone had left him some money the second time he’d had to replace everything. They’d shoved an envelope full of cash under Mrs. Kohler’s door. He wasn’t sure if he’d be as lucky this time.
He shoved his glasses up his nose, ran a hand through his curly white hair, and headed for the basement door. “Doggone it!” It too was broken. Poor Mrs. Kohler was too old to make it down the basement steps to investigate, so didn’t see what sort of mischief had gone on down there. Well, Horace was not of the same delicate constitution as his tenant and returned to his truck for his baseball bat.
Once back in the building, he crept to the basement door and shoved it open. It creaked as it swung, and he blew out a sharp breath. “Hello?”
Silence. No… wait… there was a sound, but he couldn’t make it out. Horace slowly descended the stairs, his bat at the ready. When he reached the bottom, he fumbled around in the dark for the light chain and, “Uff! What the?” He’d run into something! Horace pulled the chain, and the light came on to reveal at least a dozen or more men passed out on his basement floor!
His jaw dropped. Some had blood on their clothes, and some had more than a few bite marks. “Jumpin’ Jehosaphat, what happened here?!”
The men littering his floor were all softly snoring.
He poked one with the bat. “You there, wake up!” Horace turned a full circle. “You bunch of squatters! I said wake up!”
A man at his feet opened one bleary eye, looked at him, then closed it and went back to snoring.
Horace took a closer look at them. Some were wearing what could only be described as tactical gear. Others were in normal dress. And what was with all the bite marks? Had they fallen victim to a huge rabid dog?
“I said, WAKE UP!”
Nothing. Except more snoring.
Horace tossed a hand in the air, then tossed his bat and pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. He punched in a number.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
He frowned. “This is Horace A. Peabody. I’d like to report a group of drunken reprobates in my basement!”
THE END