" Master, I have brought her already so may I take my leave now?" The butler said which brought my attention back from staring at the room to notice a man at the bar counter sitting on one of the stools and a drink in one hand and a phone in the other.
" You can leave gabriel, good night" the man said and gabriel bowed and left the room immediately.
My back felt so stiff, I held my breath waiting for him too to say ' leave and good night.'
" What are you standing there doing?, Come sit with me" he said.
_When I said I felt stiff to move ,I meant it,_ I was damn afraid at the moment.
" Am waiting...." He said again to remind me.
I just tryed to move my legs towards his direction in the room where only his silhouette I could see , and I sat down too on a stool beside him, although I feel really uncomfortable and scared, but then I realized when I took a glance at him from the side of my eyes even though my head was facing my laps although. _This guy is actually a snow lion, I can't believe it_ .. my eyes grew wide in shock immediately.
He dropped his phone to get a better look at me and said.
" Hi , how are you? ...my name is kaiden krex, you don't have to be afraid of me okay, I won't hurt you" he ,I mean kaiden solemnly said.
I just nodded as practically the answer to him.
" Have you eaten yet this evening?" Kaiden asked me once more and I gently nodded as an answer.
_Why is this guy acting nice towards me! Let him just show his true colors like the rest so I can prepare my mind_. I can already feel my eyes prick because of the probability of me crying.
" You seem to be a really serious introvert, it's fine, I won't force you to speak to me.... but I would still really like to know you more" he said in the process of smiling.
_I _can't deny, he's actually easy on the eyes but who the butt am I to confront him anyways._who am I kidding, this guy don't care, he's just trying to make me get comfortable and I am not buying it one bit._
" I would like to ask curious questions about you but maybe that would be tommorow, I just got back and am feeling really sleepy at the moment, I am gonna call gabriel to take you back to your room, okay" he said bringing out his phone and called the butler to take me back to my room. "Nicole, I need you to try and be happy living here okay, I know it may not feel like home to you but.... anytime you need anything, just meet gabriel if you can't go through me" he said getting up from the stool and headed to his bed and laid down. Immediately gabriel came knocking and came to take me back to the room I was staying previously.
_Wait.... it's that it, like, I totally thought my misery would resume this evening! I remembered when he said, living here may not feel like home but he actually does not know that the so called family I have makes it feel like more like it was just living in a house and not a home!'_
When gabriel and I got to the room, gabriel wished me good night and left immediately. I laid on the bed under the thick duvet rolling here and there because I can't sleep. Why is my emotions stirring up like this? I feel pain, happiness, lonely, nervous, fear, and all this feeling still revolves in one thing, pain.
*Morning was quick to arrive* , the routine was the same with the maids and I.
Later that day, I felt so bored and lonely and overly idle. I had the idea of calling one of the maid to please request for gabriel, when he came finally.
" Yes ma'am, you sent for me" he said in all manner of politeness.
"" Uhmmm...yes..is it possible that I can take fresh air outside?" I asked in my usual low voice.
" Yes you can ma'am, my master won't mind" he said reassuring me " come, I will lead the way"
I followed his every foot steps to make sure I don't get lost. I can't deny the fact that everything here looks beautiful. Gabriel led me to the mansion garden where they was like a mini garden house.
" If you need anything ma'am, the maids are around to attend to you" he said before leaving.
I sat down in the mini garden house which was decorated with flowers of different kind. I was so lost in my deep thoughts, my memories continued to drift to my papa and mama.
" I miss you both so much" I whispered to my self. After a while I didn't even know how I fell asleep on the soft sofa in the garden house and after a while I heard a voice which brought me out of my nap since am so much not a deep sleeper. I blinked multiple times to see who the person is only to see a soft smile looking at me.
" Hi, I Did expected to see you here, sorry for waking you up" kaiden said to me,i immediately frowned, I didn't expect to see him here.
Kaiden took his seat on one of the sofas across the room.
_I'm guessing both of us didn't expect to see each other...now that's funny._
I just had to bring up the courage of saying " Good afternoon" still in my low voice as usual, I could see his smile emerge on his face again.
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*{Kaiden POV}*
The girl I talked to last night actually talked to me, I'm sure she doesn't know how happy I am to hear her voice for the first time. I actually always come to the garden to relax but I didn't expect to see her, maybe it was gabriel that brought her here and forgot that when am mostly home I like coming to the mini house and I don't like extra visitors but to my own personal Surprise I saw her, I have to say, I didn't take a better look at her last night but now I can't deny she looks really attractive. I'm sure she's really shy around everyone when I asked gabriel but her appearance looks so cute to me, she's probably scared of me and yes I made a big mistake by buying a snow lion am taking her as my concubine but that wasn't my exact intension not until then incident that happened a month ago and I had to take this drastic action and now this snow lion in front of me is damn scared of me.
I got curious with a question that pop up in my mind to try to make her communicate and feel comfortable around me.
" Hmmmm...are you an american?" I asked maybe a conversation can just pop up.
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*{Nicole POV}*
After a while of silence seeing kaiden go on his laptop looking busy and thought he had forgotten about my presence, thank God. Before I could find a nearest escuse to get out of here quickly, I heard his question.
" Are you an american?" He asked me. I'm guessing I have to respond, at least to be nice or at least to get out of sudden anger by him thay would lead me getting in trouble.
" No, I'm ethiopian" I said in my low voice. Yes mama and papa are Ethiopians but I was born in new Jersey and my dad met uncle Rowan in one of his travels and made him his assistant of his business in new Jersey. But to think am ethiopian and still have white skin which made me so unique in my family.
" Oh really, ...I Did get to open the file about you which my secretary dropped on my desk" he said the last sentence to him self while facepalming himself.
"Uh..?" I said looking up from my laps to look at him.
" Oh nothing, anyways now I can relate with you without the file, I really do want to know much about you though.... Can I ask you a question? " He said still keeping a smile on his face and I just nodded as an answer to him " Do you have your snow lion form yet?" And I nodded yes again. " Uh..I don't think you get my question.... not the beast lion form...the acient snow lion transformation?" He asked with all manner of hope expecting me to say yes.
I have never heard of the acient snow lion's form, the only one I know is the beast form and then the normal form am in now.
" No" I said still looking confused.
" Well, Snow lions have three forms while the Linxs has two....to be precised , I thought I could find a snow lion with the acient form just like me to clearify my doubts whether am the only one with the form or maybe there is still snow lions out there in the world who haven't discovered their acient form..... Nicole I don't have any intentions of making you a concubine and I'm being sincere, I brought you here because the deaths rate of snow lions increases even though we are epic rare because of the Linxs and humans using snow lions ability for the use of exercising experiments, health benefits from deadly disease and some other many crazy stuffs and it's really unsafe for any snow lion out there and the only reason am still alive is because my father is really wealthy and am practically protected from the beginning of my life" kaiden said with a face of seriousness.
I just continued to stare at him with confusion and shock.
" How do you know all of this" I asked becoming curious about the new revelation.
" My acient snow lion told me...we are able to communicate through mind even though I'm just one, he told me things I needed to know" kaiden said answering my question.
" Is that why you bought me?" I asked wanting to clear my doubts. I saw his smile return back on his face
" Yes nicole...it may sound silly but I couldn't take how things were unfolding in front of my eyes, right now I just need us To be friends and nothing more... you can tell me anything you want and I would get it just to make you happy... Nicole I go you aren't missing your home too much, I know you had to agree being sold as a sacrifice and am sorry I took you away front your love ones" kaiden said.
' _what? Agree, when did I agree to be sold....what did mr. Morgan said to him'_
" I did not agree to be sold...my uncle forcefully sold me away purposely...and I don't miss them" I said, I could feel my eyes prick because of the tears am trying to hold back.
Kaiden blinked at me multiple times to be sure whether he heard me correctly.
" What...what about your parents Nicole?" He asked me.
I didn't answer him immediately.
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*{ Kaiden POV}*
Okay...I didn't expect the conversation to go to this direction. I could have known I shouldn't have thought of trusting me Bronson the owner of ZRAA hotel and his minions to get me a snow lion but, I anyways I knew how far that man can go for money. It took a while of pure silence before she could answer me.
" They are Dead, they died when I was only fourteen in an accident and since then I lived with my uncle" she said, I could hear everyone she said regardless she spoke bearly above a whisper. I couldn't help ruffle my hair because damn mr Bronson also did that too Lena which brought her to work for him, the man killed her family and kidnapped her from her small town.
" Am sorry to hear that Nicole.....that you weren't cared for...sorry if talking about this has hurt you but he's suppose to be family...and no matter how bad a family is ... your still his niece" I said being careful with my words and my voice full with sympathy.
" We are not family...we are not related by blood, he's just my papa assistant before he died so he didn't care to have a second thought to sell me" she said looking at her laps with her voice low.
' _damn.... that's why I should read before going into the exam...I would have just read the profile reports of nicole. But at least am happy I brought her out from her evil uncle'_
_:' At least she won't have a pleading reason to go back':_ I heard my snow lion speak to me in my head
_' gosh, you are evil, we are supposed to be sympathetic and not think about selfish motives, dude something is wrong with you'_ I said in my mind trying to shut the acient snow lion up!
" Mr Bronson is a crooky old man who loves too much of money and I understand he must have sent his assistant to do whatever it takes to get a snow lion...am so sorry about that Nicole, I wish I could take your hurts but I can't" I said trying to make her feel less bad , before I could say another word to her, I saw tears already sliding down her face, I could see that she was emotionally pained.
_':Go hold her, or are you just gonna just watch:'_ my acient snow lion continue to say even though I have shut him up.
' _I can't, she's still shy and afraid of me , so now don't make me do stupid mistakes'_ I said to him in my mind.
" Nicole don't cry, okay, it's better for now you go inside and go and rest, please" I said then called gabriel to send a maid to take nicole back to her room.
As soon as the maid took her back, I couldn't help but wish that she should have stayed here with me and I would have been the one to concole her.
Now that I am alone my mood just went from bright to darken, my mind drifted to what nicole told me earlier and I couldn't help but see that her uncle endure the same pain she endured. I could feel my claws emerge and my eyes changing to blueish slits, I felt angry that Nicole was hurt which also reminded me of Lena's situation.
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*{ Three months ago}*