CHAPTER FIVE #2
“I said before that this was going to be uncomfortable. And a big part of the reason is that there’s no way for me to guess exactly what information you need at which stage of the process.
The long-term solution is for you to read the manual and get a better understanding of how a dimari’s mind works.
But the other very necessary skill you’re going to have to learn is how to recover from the mistakes that you inevitably will make.
And at the same time, Xel’s going to be learning what to expect from you.
Life here is going to be very different from what he was used to at the hotel, so he’s going to be fairly off-balance for a couple of weeks. ”
Talk about a steep learning curve. “Okay, then…” I thought frantically. How was I going to make this work? “Can you give me maybe the top three rules to follow so I don’t upset him? Just something to get us started?”
Thankfully, Aiden nodded. “All right. Number one: Don’t ask him what he wants or likes.
Tell him what you want and he will happily do it for you.
Number two, and this is an important one: Give him a direct order to tell you if anything is causing him pain, and make it clear that that’s never your intention with any of your instructions to him.
As a general rule, dimari cannot refuse to follow their master’s orders, even if it’s going to harm them, so you have to deliberately give him an out.
Number three: Praise him on a regular basis.
Whatever task he does for you, either tell him he’s done it well, or give him clear instructions as to how to do it better, if it’s not up to scratch.
Physical touch is a big part of the reward system for a dimari.
Put your hand on his shoulder. Hug him. Stroke his hair.
Whatever works for you. But praise and affection are two vital keys for a dimari’s happiness.
As I’ve already said, there’s a fair bit more to learn, but that should keep you out of trouble for the first few days. ”
I nodded. A few bumps in the road were par for the course in a situation as complicated as this one. You can do this, I told myself firmly. Xel’s depending on you. “Okay. Let’s go start this tour.” I led the way out of the building, leaving Bo to a little peace and quiet for a while.
“Let’s start with the cattery and kennels,” I said to Xel and Kade, once we caught up to them. The small animal building was both the closest and the simplest. “There are also some storage sheds where we keep the-”
My explanation was cut off by a shrill beeping from Aiden’s comm. He checked the incoming call, then cursed softly. He unclipped an earpiece from the side of his comm and slipped it into his ear, pacing a few steps away for a semblance of privacy.
“Hill here,” he said, as he answered the call, and I waited patiently, sure he wouldn’t be interrupting our activities if this wasn’t urgent.
He’d already made a point about how important Xel’s welfare was to him.
As I watched, I saw his posture stiffen, then his jaw clench.
“Yes, sir,” he said, sounding rather alarmed about whatever he was hearing.
“When did it arrive?” He ran a hand through his hair, pacing forward, then turning around again.
His gaze met Kade’s, something dark and fearful in his expression.
“No, do not open it!” he barked suddenly, and I saw Kade stiffen at that.
Aiden was silent for a moment, listening to whoever was on the other end of the call.
Then he said, “Yes, sir. We’ll be there as soon as possible.
” He ended the call and came striding back towards us.
“Cole, I need to talk to you privately for a moment.”
I could only nod, and I followed him a short distance away.
“Kade and I have to go back to the base,” he said, his expression grim.
“We have a dire emergency on our hands, and as much as this is absolutely shitty timing, I have to go. And I realise this is an absolutely unfair question for you, but do you think you’ll be able to look after Xel?
Long term, I mean. I should be able to come back in a couple of days and give you a more thorough rundown on everything he needs, but you have the instruction manual and there are a lot of questions that Xel can answer himself, about his skills and experience and what-not. So what do you say?”
Talk about being put on the spot! I gaped at Aiden, frantically trying to view this from every angle.
It was a big ask, and a very sudden change to my quiet, reclusive life, but I couldn’t come up with any real reason to refuse.
I had a place for Xel to live. I had work for him to do.
I knew from experience that I had the patience to help him work through his issues – hopefully with a bit of extra support from Aiden, but that would come in time.
Being thrown in the deep end like this was far from ideal, but from the sounds of it, Aiden had no more control over this than I did.
“Yeah,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. “I think it should be fine. I’ll need to speak to you again about some of the details, but I don’t see why it couldn’t work.”
“Oh, god, thank you,” Aiden said. He tapped at his comm.
“Here’s my contact details. Send me any questions you have, but for the next couple of days, I might be a bit slow at replying.
Xel’s got a bag with his clothes in the car, but that’s pretty much all he owns.
” He set off at a run towards the carpark, calling to Kade as he went.
I dashed after him, then waved for Xel to come along as well.
“I’m so sorry about this,” Aiden said again, as he handed me the duffle bag of Xel’s clothes. “Kade, we’ve got to get back to the base. I’ll fill you in on the way. Best of luck,” he said to me, as he slid into the driver’s seat. “You’ve got this.”
The wheels spun as the car backed up, then they were disappearing in a cloud of dust, leaving me and a very concerned looking Xel staring after them.