Xavier's words continued to ring in my ears, echoing all the way down to my stomach and bursting into a beast that clawed at my insides. I couldn't believe the words he had just spoken. He had told me that if I simply chose to stay, I will become his family. His family. And that I will have to lead beside him. He was completely out of his mind to believe I possessed the power to lead in whatever business he was involved with. I could barely lead my own life, let alone serve the protection of an entire state.
Subconsciously, I began to state all the reasons why I was a no-fit for the position. As badly as I wanted to stay by Xavier's side and never leave, as badly as I wanted to become his family, I knew deep down that I was not worthwhile. I couldn't help him protect his home. I could barely protect my own friends, could barely protect myself.
I pulled myself away from where I stood, stepping further and further until I was at least four feet away from Xavier. He straightened his back, frowning as he studied my expression. I began shaking my head frantically, my hair bouncing off my shoulders.
"I can't do that, Xavier." I whispered, a huge lump forming in my throat. "I can't lead beside you, it's not in my power. I don't understand any of that." I let out a dark chuckle. "I could barely protect myself." My eyes met his silver gaze, studying me patiently as I continued to ramble on. "I'm no fit for that position."
Xavier took a step forward as he reached out for me. But instantly, my hand came up to halt him in his tracks, asking him to stay put. "No."
His confused gaze met mine, and it broke my heart to watch the sliver of pain flash behind his eyes at my rejection.
"I don't understand what's going on, why I feel the way I do whenever you're around me. We have barely had enough chance to get to know each other, but it's like you have this unexplainable influence on me and my emotions, I feel imprisoned in your presence." The growing lump in my throat was beginning to restrict my ability to speak, and so I shut my mouth, feeling my chest ache.
"I understand-" Xavier began to speak lowly, but I shook my head.
"No, you don't-"
"Yes, I do." He insisted, reaching out for me once again. Before I had the chance to pull back, my hand was already captured in his. A bundle of sparks shot up my arm, leaving a tingling sensation where his skin connected with mine. His eyes moved down to where our hands entwined, and he raised both our hands up to our eye-level. "You feel that?" My eyes widened at his words. "I feel it, too."
I couldn't help it as my eyes began to water, both as the result of everything that had gone down that day and also for the relief that he reciprocated my feelings. I couldn't believe he felt it, too.
"You are right, Nora. It is unexplainable. Although we have barely had the chance to properly know one another, you have a power over me that I never imagined another mortal to possess. Only I don't mind feeling imprisoned by your presence, because I accept the fact that I am completely at your mercy."
I couldn't help the gasp that escaped my lips, only it came out so distorted it sounded like a sob. My emotions were in a whirlwind. I didn't know it was humanly possible to feel so deeply as I was at that moment.
"The only explanation that I can offer is that we are soulmates, Nora. We complete one another," Xavier whispered, his other hand coming up and his finger brushing gently against my cheek.
I was surprised to find that he believed in soulmates; I hadn't met a guy who ever did.
"I realize I might have said a bit too much for one day, that it might have scared you away. Maybe I should have left the last part for another time." He gave me a small smile, his eyes twinkling.
I couldn't help but smile too. "It would've still scared me off," I admitted.
"It's nothing like you imagine. I would never ask you to fight for or deal with anything beyond your comfort. I only need you by my side." He whispered the last part, his fingers gently grabbing my chin and lifting my head up so I could meet his eyes. "Stay."
I knew that no matter what I'd tell myself, no matter how many times I repeat that this is a horrible idea, that I'm no fit for a man like Xavier - I will never be able to leave his side. Because just as he confessed how I possess a hold over him, I knew damn well that he had a strong one over me, too.
So, I nodded.
Xavier's silver eyes brightened up, shimmering down with a great sense of happiness. Slowly, he leaned forward, and once again my breath hitched in my throat. His chin lifted up, and very gently he pressed a light kiss to my forehead; and my heart nearly leapt out of my chest.
"Should we go back inside?" He eventually asked.
I nodded, finally noticing that the sun was beginning to set. The sky had turned a darker shade of orange, with the clouds appearing as long, purple brush strokes.
Xavier turned us around to face the house, and with my hand still held gently in his, began leading me towards the glass doors.
"Is no one home?" I wondered. He had mentioned that he lived with three families, but I had yet to see anyone in the house.
Xavier nodded. "They are, we just respect each others' privacy when we have company over."
I smiled. "It seems like you all get along so well."
Xavier chuckled, "we had better. Or else living would be a total nightmare."
Just as he had completed the sentence, we walked into the house to be greeted by Vincent. For a second, I was surprised to see him since I had completely forgotten about his connection to Xavier. Elliot's words from the lake inn began to ring in my ears, where he described Vincent as the right hand to the biggest mob in all of North America. My heartbeat began to accelerate. Was Xavier aware of that?
"Nora! And we meet again," Vincent exclaimed as he neared me, his arms wide open in greeting. I didn't know if he was asking for a hug, but he would be beyond foolish to think I'd give him one. I took a small, unnoticeable step backwards, and cringed a smile.
"Hi, Vincent."
He stopped two feet away, a huge grin on his face, and his arms slowly fell to his sides. Glancing at Xavier, he raised a brow. "Alpha, I guess you let her in on our family history?"
I frowned at the nickname, glancing at Xavier to see him bearing a tight smile. "I told her what she needs to know."
The underlying meaning didn't go unnoticed by me. What she needs to know. That could only mean that there was more that he deemed me unready to know of.
"Very well." Vincent chuckled. "Welcome to the family, Nora." His eyes shimmered in joy, and I was taken aback by how similar his silver gaze was to that of Xavier's. However, although they were at the exact shade and brightness, Xavier's gaze still held an unrecognizable feel to it that Vincent's lacked.
"T-thanks." I mumbled.
Xavier must've sensed how out of place I felt, because he immediately came to the rescue. I felt him set his warm hand on my lower back, pulling me close to him. When my eyes met his, he smiled down at me and spoke, "Vincent is my brother, the head of the Tapaha family and my right-hand man."
My breath hitched in my throat. "Y-your right-hand man?" I'd hoped I heard him wrong.
Xavier's eyebrows furrowed at my nervous tone, and he searched in my eyes confusedly. Suddenly, Vincent chuckled loudly, interrupting our gazing. We looked over at him to see him shaking his head.
"She must have heard of my false reputation." He answered to Xavier, and his eyes lit up as if that reply was enough to clear up all of his confusion.
"You've heard of Vincent before?" Xavier asked me, and I didn't know how to answer that question. I looked between the two of them, the back of my neck heating up from the nervousness. Vincent chuckled once more.
"You don't have to be afraid of me, Nora. We're family now." His determined eyes held a strong promise that somehow erased my doubts and fears. So, slowly, I nodded.
"His false reputation was established by the lower mobs whom we interfered with the businesses of," Xavier began to explain. "They couldn't make sense of our need to protect our state when we weren't federal agents, and hence, idiotically, came to the conclusion that we are another mafia who had already claimed this territory for our business, and that's the reason we were intervening in and destroying their shipments."
I took a minute to fully comprehend his words.
"But we have no connection to the mafia, what-so-ever," Vincent clarified.
I nodded, reluctantly. Maybe they were speaking the truth, but I could never be entirely sure by just hearing their side of the story. Elliot claimed that his most trusted friend had informed him Vincent was, in fact, the right-hand of the largest mafia in North America. Who knew who was telling the truth, now?
Suddenly, a petite frame with a black pixie-cut descended the staircase and walked up to us. She appeared a bit shorter than me, maybe reaching 5'2. She wore casual dark blue jeans with a plain black tank-top, and a pair of black Vans. She stopped right next to Vincent, and her wide jade eyes fell on me. They suddenly shrunk into two crescents as she gave me a wide smile.
"Hi!" Her high-pitched, yet low voice spoke.
I was so taken aback by her adorableness, I took a few seconds too long to finally reply. "H-hey."
I was even more surprised to find Vincent's arm circling around her waist and gently pulling her petite form to his body. Her head rested on his upper chest and her hand found his resting on her hip and she grasped onto it lovingly.
Well, that, I certainly did not expect.
"Nora, this is Scarlett, Vincent's girlfriend," Xavier introduced us. I nodded and offered her a smile, and she reciprocated the action.
"It's so nice to meet you!"
"You, too, Scarlett. Uh, if you don't mind me asking," I cleared my throat, knowing damn well the question was bound to sound rude, but I had to ask. "How long have you guys been together for?"
Vincent's eyes fell on me, and he gave me a shameful smile. His hand came up to scratch the back of his neck, as if he caught on to the reason behind my question. "We just recently met. Around a week ago."
My eyes widened, surprised by his response. They met only a week ago and were already appearing to be so in love? But I knew I didn't have the right to judge anyone else's relationship. So I nodded instead, smiling widely and complimenting how well they appear next to each other.
Xavier then excused us to give me a quick tour of the house. As we walked away, he leaned down to whisper his question in my ear. "Why were you so interested in how long they'd been dating?"
I bit the inside of my cheek, stopping at the bottom of the staircase and turning to him. "For Ariel."
Xavier's eyes widened in understanding. "Ahh.. did she have feelings for him?"
I shrugged. "I'm not sure. But Vincent did seem interested in her back at the inn, and I guess that led her on to believe that their relationship had potential. I just wanted to make sure he wasn't playing any games on her while dating another."
Xavier shook his head. "Vincent would never do that. He truly was interested in your friend, but that was before he met his mate."
"Mate? As in soulmate?" I asked, and he nodded. There he goes again with that word. "Do you honestly believe that they exist?" Before replying to my question, he motioned towards the staircase, and I moved to begin ascending with him following on my right.
"The concept of soulmates is another one of our family's strong beliefs."
"And how do you know you've met your real soulmate?" I questioned.
Xavier took a sharp intake of breath, pondering over his words before he spoke them. "To put it in simple words, it's when you meet someone and instantly feel like your whole world has shifted. Everything about them engulfs your senses, and you begin to feel so deeply when you're around them like you've never done before."
My eyes moved to his, and my breath hitched in my throat. He was describing exactly how I felt when I first met him, and exactly how I felt at that moment pausing in the middle of the staircase and staring into his powerful silver gaze.
Could it be possible?
Could Xavier really be my soulmate?
"Sir?"
Our interlocked gaze was suddenly broken as a voice interrupted us. We glanced a few steps down and found a middle-aged woman standing at the bottom of the staircase, a familiar bag in her hand. She stretched out her arm and offered it to us.
"I apologize for the interruption, but you left your belongings in the car and I didn't know where to keep them." Her soft voice spoke with so much respect, her gaze staring at Xavier's chest instead of into his eyes.
He stepped away from me and descended the few steps to reach her. "It's alright, Mrs. Smith. Thank you." He grabbed my shopping bag from earlier and turned to walk up to me. But while doing so, he separated the bag and sneaked a glance inside.
His movement slowed down as he walked up to me, a confused frown growing on his features. Mrs. Smith had stalked off towards the other side of the house and we were once again alone on the stairs.
"Are you okay?" I asked him, confused as to what could have caused the sudden shift in his mood. Xavier raised his head and his eyes met mine again, and he gave a stiff nod.
He offered me the bag. "Yours, I believe."
I nodded and grabbed the bag, thanking him. I turned to continue heading up the stairs when his voice halted me in my tracks.
"What do you need those pills for?"
My nerves suddenly went into hyper-drive and my heartbeat began to increase at the mention of what I'd forgotten was in there. Without turning around, I replied to his question. "They're just vitamins."
His steps began to move up the stairs, coming closer to me. He stopped next to me, his doubtful eyes finding mine, and he leaned down until we were at eye-level.
"Then why is your heart beating so fast?"
I was taken-aback, my eyes widening. Was he serious?
Xavier's eyes held mine as he defiantly searched between them for answers. "I told you my story, Nora," his breath fanned my face with his close proximity, and I gulped my nerves away. "It's time you tell me yours."