Nat was flabbergasted to meet a very large and loud old man who laughed at the tiniest things and cooed at her like she was a baby instead of a pre-teen girl. She was pulled into the hurricane called King Fitzgerald and his stories about Ireland and his great lineage.
He was a mountain of a man with the strength of a bull despite his old age. He must be at least a hundred years old from the looks of it. His voice was a rumble of thunder that shook the mansion and woke each and every tenant even at the early hours of the day. He was robust, to say the least.
He didn't smell like how an old man usually smelled. He didn't smell old at all. Not musty or earthy. He smelled good. He smelled of cigar and something strong.
Nat didn't know what scent it was though.
His hair was a wave of thick, white mane and his face was full of wrinkles that made her remember a picture of the Himalayan Mountain Ranges. According to the books, it took millions of years for mountains to form. If wrinkles formed just like mountains, King must be really, really old!
And he seemed to love the similarly loud and slim woman who was with him. If she remembered it right, her name was Alice, his wife.
There were two men who came with the old couple. Both were tall and strong but they didn't seem to be brutes. Well… not until they came into the parlor with Damien and Lie in tow.
Lie had been screaming bloody murder while punching the back of the blond who had thrown her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes while still pulling the oversized shirt she was wearing by the hem as to not get the professor more exposed than she already was.
If Nat's assumption was right, Lie would be wearing her birthday suit under Damien's shirt.
Damien has had his arm twisted behind him by the other man. At least Damien was wearing his trousers even though they were not zipped nor buttoned. He looked disoriented enough for Nat to conclude that he was taken down while he was asleep. Nothing, not even the end of the world itself, could have woken him up. If he had been awake, there would have been a bloody fight. She was sure of it.
Of course, she didn't say that. She just sipped her milk while leaning against the side of the couch with her legs folded under her. "You're such a bully, Mr. Fitzgerald. You could have awakened them both normally," she said before looking at the old man who was seated at the other end of the couch.
King threw his head back and guffawed as Lie was put down by the blond. Said blond barely had enough time to take a deep breath before the professor gave him a right uppercut that sent his head snapping back.
Nat's eyes grew wide with shock even as her hands shook and nearly spilled her milk. Who could have guessed that Lie could be violent?
The guy looked pissed enough to deck Lie--and Nat was actually afraid that he will--but King spoke calmly.
"Jonathan, let it go. It's our fault this time."
The blond--Jonathan--just mumbled about being pulled into the mess and getting an uppercut in exchange for his trouble as he went to the bar to pour two glasses of whiskey.
"Make that four," King told Jonathan.
"Hell no," Jonathan turned to look at the older man and shook his head earnestly. "If Momma figures that I'm the one who handed you whiskey, she'll skin me alive, Pop. Not gonna risk that. An uppercut for the day is enough, thank you very much."
This one was tall but still came short compared to Damien. Maybe 6'2 in height, blond hair, grey eyes. He was wearing a wrinkled polo over his white undershirt that was tucked into a pair of faded jeans. His sharp and unshaven jaw would have hurt Lie's fist. He should have looked shabby, especially next to the guy in a million-dollar suit, but he didn't.
The man holding Damien let him go and immediately raised his arms to show surrender. "I was just ordered."
Damien's eyes flared and he seemed ready to kill but it was Lie's fist that connected to that freshly shaved jaw and sent the man's head snapping backward, just like Jonathan's did just a minute ago.
"Sonovabitch!" the brunet cursed and glared at Lie who raised her chin up at him. His voice was deep and he was one head and a half taller than Lie. His military cut gave him the aura of someone not used to being disobeyed and someone who was ready to use any means to get what he wanted. His Pacific blue orbs the same shade as those of King's shone with vengeance and impatience. It actually seemed like he could take a shot at the professor if he wanted. Especially when she still looked up at him with temper and insult.
"Go ahead, take a swipe. The first one is free," Lie challenged, eyes on fire. She was much shorter than any of the men in the room but she managed to look like she can take them on all at the same time without breaking a sweat. Her hands were fisted on her sides and her body braced for a brawl.
Damien stood beside her, body braced to defend or attack, too.
"Aurelium, my boy, take a walk for now," King told the man and the man named Aurelium took a step back and fixed his million-dollar suit.
"I'll get you for that later, Callie," Aurelium warned before he walked towards the bar and took the glass of whiskey Jonathan handed him. They didn't have any physical similarities but every action they made to each other suggested that they were brothers.
Lie turned on her grandfather so fast her hair whipped around and slapped her face. "You!" she pushed her hair away from her face and angrily stalked towards him.
Nat was afraid she would throw a punch at the old man who was sitting at the other end of the couch where she was sitting on. She actually pushed herself further onto the armrest of the couch even as she watched the drama unfold in front of her.
"You bloody son of a…"
King's eyes flared and sharpened as if to challenge his granddaughter to continue her words. He even tilted his chin up to look into those furious eyes.
"You… you… you son of a bloody fucking witch!" Her voice rose a couple of octaves from the usual, making even the guys and Damien flinch.
She pushed her face closer to her grandfather's face and her voice dropped. "I will tell Momma every. single. hiding place that you have. I will tell her who buys you the bloody things." Both Jonathan and Aurelium turned around and cleared their throats at that as if they were young boys who got caught with their hands in the cookie jar.
It seemed that they'll be in huge trouble if Lie followed through with her threat.
"And get this, I will hand their heads and your head on a bloody golden fucking platter, you understand me, Viking Fitzgerald?!"
Nat had never realized that it was much more frightening to listen to threats delivered in such a low and menacing tone and voice than those that were delivered in screams. Lie's size didn't seem to matter in this case.
Nat watched from a small distance and she could feel the heat pumping from Lie. She wondered if anyone had ever tried to stop the professor when she was in this kind of temper and if that person still lives and owns all of his limbs.
"I always wondered where you got your temper," King grinned up at his grandchild charmingly, totally nonchalant about her threats. "Now I know that it is a credit from your momma and your mom."
Lie growled and turned around, hands gripping her head as if she wanted to punch something. Her fists shook violently as she walked past Damien and picked up a throw pillow, pressed her face to it, and screamed against it in pure and utter frustration. None of the men came close to her except Damien who rubbed her back gently even as he was yawning and still obviously confused by what was happening around him. She continued to scream against the pillow for a few minutes, only taking a breath once in a while.
When she finished she dropped the pillow on the couch and panted, her energy and her temper finally lessening a little. She was way too pale for comfort at that moment. Eyes still burned with fury but her lips had gone pale and her face pasty.
"Are you alright?" Damien's voice was gentle as he turned her to face him. He cupped her chin and tilted her head up. "What's wrong, beautiful?"
Lie's breath came in huffs and puffs that were loud enough to make even King stand up from his chair and ask, "Where is your inhaler?"
Jonathan ran out of the parlor yelling, "Momma! Something's wrong with Lie!"
Damien cupped her cheek gently. "Take a deep breath. Don't breathe too fast. Just a deep breath. Okay, very good," he smiled and planted a kiss on her forehead as Lie took a deep breath, kept it in for a few seconds, and slowly released it. "Good, take another one. You're doing great, baby. You're okay."
Aurelium didn't even move a muscle from his position. Was he used to this or did he just not care?
Nat raised a brow at how gentle her brother was. If she didn't know, she would assume that those two were in an emotional relationship and not just a sexual one. Who knew? Who bloody knew that he could be that nice and gentle? She turned to look at King and realized that she wasn't the only one who stared and contemplated the situation. He looked stunned but suspiciously happy at the same time.
"What's wrong?" the old woman came in and immediately zeroed in on her husband. "King, if you did something on my granddaughter, I will skin you." She turned to Lie. "Calliope?"
Lie continued to take deep breaths while Damien held her face. They looked into each other's eyes as they synchronized their breathing. When she was done, she turned to her grandmother and smiled. "I'm fine, Momma. But you and I are going to have a loooooong talk about someone I know," she said with a side glance at her grandfather.
Nat swore that she saw King shiver at that.
Alice chuckled and kissed Lie's cheek. "We will and I will punish someone for you. I promise." An inhaler was passed from one hand to another before the older woman left the scene once again.
Nat smiled and sat up to see where this episode would go. Less than a week in and she was already hooked into the family drama. Thank God it was Saturday. She could stay and watch the whole day if she wanted.