Xavier

Newcomer

Xavier’s POV

Paola took one look at the girl in my arms and narrowed her blue eyes at me. Her porcelain skin had aged gracefully but there was no hiding the silver hair she had neatly pulled back into a clip or the fine lines fanning out around those sharp eyes.

I could imagine how this looked to our old housekeeper. Though our estate was a peaceful one, it hadn’t always been that way and she’d been here through many a season.

“She was like this when I found her.”

With a slight frown, she turned on her heel and I followed along after her, aware that she already had a room in mind for the newcomer. “She’s too thin,” was the older woman’s curt observation.

“Malnourished,” I agreed.

“And concussed by the looks of it.” She shook her head as we moved down the hallway of the villa, then up the familiar stairs. “Her nose must have been broken.”

“It doesn’t look broken.” The older woman just tsked, moving quickly into a room which was already set, ripping the blankets up. “Paola, this seems counterproductive.”

Rolling the comforter around her arm, she sighed. “When was the last time we had company?”

I just blinked. “There’s Kai.”

“The boy sleeps outside.” Moving toward the door, she glanced back at me, quickly stating, “I’ll fetch some fresh sheets.”

“What for? She’s filthy.”

She came to a halt then, giving me a hard look. “Xavier Rosario, I will not have our guest sleeping on dusty sheets. I will just change them after she’s had a nice bath.” The woman raised an eyebrow, waiting just a beat to see if I had anything else to say.

I did, of course. With a slight grin, I just murmured, “Yes mum. Whatever you prefer.” I’d learned long ago to pick my battles with her. Huffy, she left the room in search of fresh sheets and, in the middle of the room, I just stood there, patiently awaiting her return with the tiny slave girl unconscious in my arms.

I’d commanded her to rest.

I hadn’t expected her to go completely limp for nearly an entire day.

I’d carried her onto the jet.

Carried her back to the car.

Was stuck carrying her here.

Couldn’t I just command her to wake up?

In a rush, Paola returned. “Here.” Setting fresh sheets down hurriedly, I noted that they were a light shade of pink. Why do we have pink sheets? When she gave it a quick pat, I walked over, about to set her down when I felt her stir. Her heartrate increased, quickly accelerating, her hand crumpling the front of my shirt. A nightmare probably. I hummed, something that should relax a human, and felt her shift in a way that was almost a thrash against me. Like a fish out of water, she was trying to throw her body about and, for just a moment, I thought of just dropping her onto the bed.

But they were fresh sheets and she was dirty.

I could imagine Paola bustling about, trying to reset the bed once more. It seemed like an awful waste of the woman’s time since the girl was bound to wake up.

So, instead of doing what I would’ve preferred to do, I just tightened my hold on the little thing. “Emelie.” She squirmed, looking pained. A part of me wanted to pinch her or something. Hurry this little tussle along. Louder this time, I called it like a command. “Emelie.”

Her eyes snapped open.

She stared up at me for a long moment, caramel eyes wide, sweat beading on her brow—and then she opened her mouth and let out the quietest scream I’d ever heard.

Whispered almost, her vocal cords seemed to have frozen as she trembled in my arms.

It was a truly pathetic display.

“Yes, dear, they’re a terrifying lot,” Paola said in agreement, taking the girls hand, offering it a light pat. “This one won’t hurt you, though.” Paola nudged me and, reading her pointed expression, I gently set the girl onto her unsteady feet. “C’mon dear,” she said, carefully guiding the frail thing away from me. “You need a good soak.” Nervously, the girls head turned, eyes flickering to me before she quickly bowed her head. I sighed at the instant reaction, unsurprised by Paola’s light goading to straighten up.

Pathetic might not be the right word.

Defenseless, maybe.

Tiny.

I thought about her nose, about how humming had just made her nightmare worse. Almost as if her body was conditioned to recognize it—or rather, our kind—as a threat. Ricco Oscillius, poorly bred with all the haughtiness of someone suffering from an unwarranted sense of privilege, caused all of that.

What could be gained from bullying something so harmless?

It never made much sense to me.

A soft padding sounded in the hall and I glanced toward the door, unsurprised by the large black jungle cat that had taken a seat in the doorway. There was no doubt he’d noticed someone unusual had been brought to the property and had come to investigate the situation. “Make sure not to scare the little girl, gatto grande. She’s been through enough.”

The jaguar huffed.

He always hated being called a big cat. That's why I did it.

“When she wakes, I suggest keeping your distance until she’s better acclimated to her new surroundings.”

He c****d his head to the side. Since his preferred form was that of a non-verbal jungle cat, Kai had become quite good at using body language to communicate. Having spent quite a bit of time with the big lug, I’d become accustomed to his antics.

“I have business to attend elsewhere, but I’ll be back shortly.”

The jaguar huffed. It was a deeper sound, almost a rumble in his broad chest.

I wasn't impressed by his attitude. “Paola will be fine handling that little thing.”

Another huff. Argumentative.

“Besides,” I grinned, taking a step forward, reaching out to give his head a good pat, “I can trust you to oversee things, hm?” When the jaguar turned to bite at my hand, I pulled my hand back with an amused chuckle. After all, Kai was one of the only creatures with enough guts to snap at me like that. Probably because he's one of the only one's who could survive it. "Behave, gatto."

Stepping out of the room, I could feel the yellow gaze of the huffy jaguar following after me.

Could practically hear his unspoken list of complaints.

It changed nothing.

Breezing out of the house, moving with ease toward the wilderness bordering our property, I knew there was a Chieftain anxiously awaiting to hear my report. For now, that would have to take priority.