Within The Bonds

11: One Long Day

Xavier's emotionless voice rings from behind me, making all of us freeze in our places.

I turned around and smile innocently at him, he just narrows his eyes at me in suspicion.

I notice all my other brothers standing next to him, including Jack.

'Wait wasn't he at school?'

Shrugging the thought off of my mind and coming back to the present scene.

"I believe I asked a question. Owen?" Xavier says again this time with a hint of annoyance.

"Nothing much Xavier, this querida here just put Lucas on his ass for sneaking up on her with a gun." The stranger who spoke earlier, who's name I now learned is Owen said.

(Querida -sweetheart)

All my brothers along with the two other strangers tense up at the mention of the gun. I just secretly smiled at the nickname and raised a brow at their strange behavior.

"Um.. yeah, why exactly did you have a gun by the way?" I ask remembering that this guy had a gun in his hand which was once pointed at me.

"Oh that..um you see"

"Self defense" Lucas is cut off by Owen, who I see giving him a slight glare.

'Strange. But it did make sense, they do look like important people' I reasoned out with myself.

Once the tension is defused, it is like realization just strikes them.

"Wait, what do you mean by putting him on his ass?" Noah is the first one to ask.

The others look curious as well, except for Lucas who looks a little embarrassed and Owen who looks proud?

Owen then goes on to explain what had happened, as we walked inside. Once he is done all of them share the same proud look as Owen did a little while back. I just try to avoid eye contact with any of them, not sure if I would be punished for what I did.

We reached the living area where all of them take a seat on the two sofas or the loveseats leaving no place for me. I am about to move out of the room feeling awkward when two strong hands pull me on their lap.

"Going somewhere? " Liam asks in a smug tone.

I shake my head in negative and whisper a soft 'no'. I blush when I realize that the attention of the entire room is on me.

"Okay, Astoria I would like you to meet our brothers... "

"Wait I thought I had only five brothers, " I cut him off, but soon regretted it when he gives me a stern look.

"Sorry," I say softly. He just nods in response before continuing.

"As I was saying, these our brothers. Our cousins actually but brothers nonetheless," he says answering my question.

I nod in understanding.

"Owen is the oldest, Mateo is second. Lorenzo and Lucas are twins," he says pointing to each one as he introduces them.

I'm soon pulled out of Liam's lap and brought into a tight hug by Owen.

"Você cresceu tanto, meu passarinho" (You have grown so much, my little bird)
he says once he pulls away from the hug.

"Você me conhecia quando eu era criança?" (You knew me when I was a kid?) I say with a frown adorning my forehead.

They all look stunned and dumbstruck when I reply in Portuguese, but soon recovered.

"Your still a kid irmãzinha," Jack says with a teasing smirk.

"You know what I mean" I grumble with a huff.

"Sim meu amor, we all knew you as a baby," he says with a flash of hurt in his eyes.

"Erica took you away from us when you were a year old." Xavier clarifies, in his usual emotionless voice when he sees my confused expression

"Why?" I say with hurt clearly evident on my face and voice.

"That's a story for another time querida. Now let's go eat I'm starving!" Lucas says trying to lighten up the mood and succeeding to do so even.

They all mattered a 'your always hunger' under their breath. he huffs in annoyance at their words but smiles when he hears me giggle.

We all move to the dining room and sit at a huge dining table, which I just discovered exists. Xavier and Owen seat at the head and foot of the table. I take a seat next to Lorenzo and Jason.

We made small talk during lunch with Lorenzo trying his best to include me in the conversation. He keeps asking me my opinion on certain things, but I just smiled and gave one-word answers, after some time he finally gave up.

As lunch is coming to an end Lorenzo's bumped into my shoulder by mistake, I hiss at the sudden pain bring the attention of the entire table to me. My five brothers give me a concerned look whereas the other four give me a questioning one.

'This is going to be one long day'