Her Protective Mate

One

It's raining when I step onto the street, the Taxi driver handing my bags. I thank him, giving a small smile, before I shield my head with my bookbag and hurry my way up the cobblestone pathway. The house is much larger than I had anticipated, my hand falling limp to my side as I debate on knocking or not. While my hair drips down my back, I hear people in the house laughing, their voices loud and demanding of attention.

I raise my hand again, getting ready to knock, when the door is thrown open and I am greeted with a woman that looks exactly like my mother.

"Oh, Sofia," she whispers.

Choking the tears down, I awkwardly give her a hug back, and she pulls me inside.

"Oh, darling, I am so sorry we couldn't pick you up. With William in the hospital, I'm afraid it's just me here and I can't leave these boys alone."

"You don't have a daughter?" I ask slowly, panic gripping at my chest.

She laughs, and I faintly remember the way my mother's eyes used to curl when she did the same. "I have two daughters, and three sons, Sofia. Don't worry, you're not alone here. But goodness, you are soaking wet. Go upstairs to the bathroom and get changed."

I see her pause as she looks at my bags, then looks at me. "Is there an issue?" I ask slowly, worried.

She shakes her head almost instantly. "Not at all, darling. Is that all you brought?"

Slowly, I bob my head. "My grand-mère left me the cottage, and everything in it, but I cannot pack that all the way to America."

My aunt smiles at my use of French before ushering me upstairs. "It's the first door on your right. Go change into warmer clothes. We can get you settled and then go get you more outfits in town."

Ready to speak, she shoots me almost a motherly glare and I grab my leather bag, fast-walking up the stairs. There's laughter as I reach the top, and I slow my pace, my hand on the doorknob. Four boys barrel out of a room, their shirts drenched in sweat and their faces red. I make a face, seeing all four of them look at me.

"Who are you?"

I look at the shortest one, a blush creeping its way up my face. "Sofia. I'm Celia's daughter."

The tallest one stares at me, his eyebrows furrowed together as his eyes glimmer under the dim lighting. I shift on my heels before pushing the door open, giving them a short salute. "Well, lovely to meet all of you," I chirp slowly, entering the bathroom. "But I would like to get changed now."

Quickly, I shut the door, leaning against the cool wood with my eyes closed. I hear them whispering, their voices low enough to where I can't hear them, and I push myself away to pull off the damp shirt sticking to my skin.

"She's hot," one of them say, and my face begins to burn.

"She's our cousin, you gross ass." I recognize the voice to be the short one, and I soon hear a body thump against the door.

"She isn't my cousin."

I shake my head quickly to get their voices out of my mind, pulling apart the wet clothes and hanging them on the side of the tub. My phone is damp in my hand, and I turn it over to check for any damages. It lights up with a welcome message, and with a smile on my face, I dial the number.

"Bonjour mon amour," I hear, and my smile grows.

"Bonjour, my darling. How are you doing without me?" I ask. I can hear him move around on the other side, and I gaze at the clock. "What are you still doing in bed? It's three in the afternoon there!"

He laughs, and I can almost imagine the dimple appearing with the ever growing smile. "Sof, my love, just because it is in the afternoon does not mean I cannot lounge around. I miss my girlfriend."

I shimmy on the skirt, blushing at his words. "Sebastian," I speak, "I miss you more than ever. I will come see you in a few weeks, I swear. Are you keeping an eye on the cottage for me?"

"Yes, Sof. It's being well taken care of."

I hear my aunt calling me, and I stiffle a sigh. "I have to go, Sebastian. I'll call you later, alright?"

"Don't forget to set up the Skype, Sof! I'll send you the name!"

Muttering a quick "I love you," I hang up, grabbing my bag and making my way down the steps. Everyone is gathered in the entry room, seven sets of eyes facing my direction when I hit the bottom step, and I give them a small smile.

"Everyone," my aunt says, gaining their attention. "This is Sofia, my niece. I want all of you to show her respect and kindness, and that includes you, Fynn."

I turn towards the one she's speaking to, and once again I'm greeted with the silver eyes that wouldn't stop staring at me. "She's not my cousin," he muttered, looking towards my aunt.

She glares at him, her eyes burning a hole into his head, but he ignores her. "Introduce yourselves, kids."

The two girls step up first, their smiles growing wide on their faces. "I'm Rebecca, and this is my sister, Leah. We are so excited to have another girl in the house!" Rebecca squeals, both of them tackling me in a hug. I give a soft squeak which eases them both into letting me go. It would be easy to tell the twins apart; Rebecca keeps her hair to the side, while Leah had a small scar running down her chin.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," I say, and I see Leah's smile growing.

"I love your accent!" she tells me. "All of the boys are going to eat you up."

I frown, ready to ask, but my aunt gets onto them. The shortest one walks up, stuffing his hands deep into his pockets. "I'm Cole, and these are my brothers, Jonah and Evan. Fynn is our Al-"

I jump back in shock as my aunt whirls around and smacks Cole on the shoulder, his eyes bulging out in pain before he gathered himself. "Sorry, he's our family friend."

Slowly, I nod. "Alright. I'm Sofia." Smiling to them, I gaze around at my cousins before my eyes land on my aunt. "So when can I go see Uncle William?"

"In just a little bit, sweetheart. We're going to take you to go get some more clothing and to get the uniform for school."

"My regular uniform wouldn't suffice?" I ask, a frown on my face.

Cole stifles a laugh, turning to look at his brothers. "Depends, Sofia. Do you French girls wear cute little skirts and shirts that barely button?"

My face burns with embarrassment, and before I can begin to reply, Fynn punches him, a bruise already beginning to form underneath Cole's eye. "That isn't how you talk to a woman," he growls, his eyes narrowing into slits. "Much less your cousin, you dip shit."

"Language in my house, Fynn." My aunt is glaring at Cole as well, her arms crossed over her chest. "Say you're sorry, Cole."

He rolls his eyes before walking back upstairs. We all sit in an uncomfortable silence before Rebecca laces her arm through mine, smiling a big enough grin to be for the both of us. "Ready to go?" she asks, pulling me towards the door.

I see Fynn's eyes linger on me before following my cousins upstairs. "Ready as I'll ever be."

___

It's a bit short, sorry about that!  I wanted to get it out who she will be staying with.  Did you see that little slip that Cole let out? 

New chapter coming soon♥

Edit:  Above is what I imagine Sofia to look like!