Page 13 of Cruel King
She feels as light as a feather in my arms. I never realized how small she is compared to me. And she smells incredible, like flowers. Still, this tiny thing is full of anger for me.
I guess I have that coming, even though I saved her life.
“Seriously, Matthias, you can put me down. I’ll just go hang out with Eleanor in the kitchen where I belong. You know, where the help hangs out?”
As much as I know I should just do as she wants since it’s clear she’s still furious with me, I shake my head and continue walking toward my room. “You’ll stay with me. Clearly, you can’t be trusted to go walking around on your own.”
I see her dark eyes get big at that comment and force myself not to smile. She really is so easy to upset. Just a few well-chosen words and she’s ready to fight like she’s got an army behind her backing her up.
“Don’t talk to me like I’m some kind of stupid child. Now put me down.”
She squirms even more this time, but I hold her tightly against my body to keep her from moving. “Stop trying to get away. You’re going to hurt yourself if I drop you.”
Finally, after a few seconds of fighting me, she gives up. With a heavy sigh, she stops wriggling in my hold, but I swear she looks like she’s going to cry again.
What’s the problem now?
“Even when you’re trying to do something nice, you’re mean. You know that?” she says with tears in her eyes.
I smile and reach down to grab the doorknob. “It’s my gift.”
“Sounds like a curse you’re going to want to get something done about, if you ask me.”
The thought of throwing her over my shoulder and carrying her into my bedroom that way flashes through my brain, and for a few moments, I actually consider it. She’d probably fight me the whole way to the bed that way too, though.
There’s no winning with this person.
“Gift. Curse. Whatever it is, I like to think it’s part of my charm,” I say as I push the door closed with my back.
Ava’s mouth drops open in shock. “Charm? This is charm? I don’t think you know the meaning of that word, Matthias.”
Always wanting to fight.
“Are you this way with Theo? Is that what makes him want to hang out with you all the time?” I ask as I make my way toward my bed.
That gets me a pout. “No, I’m not because he’s sweet and he doesn’t deserve to have me be like this toward him, which by the way, you totally deserve after what you said to me before.”
She certainly is feisty. She’s also delusional if she thinks my brother is sweet. He may act that way around her, but I doubt anyone else in the world would say Theo King is anything close to sweet.
“Yeah, sweet. Keep thinking that. Just don’t be surprised when he makes a move on you that is anything but sweet, little Ava.”
“Don’t call me that! You don’t get to use that nickname after how rotten you were,” she snaps.
She really is full of piss and vinegar. Not that I don’t deserve it. I know I do. It doesn’t matter that I have my reasons for not wanting her around.
When I stop at the foot of my bed, she looks around like she’s surprised. “Why did you bring me up here to your room?” she asks, her tone suddenly not as sharp as a second ago.
I don’t answer her, preferring to keep the truth to myself. At least for now.
CHAPTERSEVEN
Ava
He gently setsme down on his bed and crouches in front of me to take off my shoes. More than a little confused about what’s happening right now since less than a half hour ago he made it more than clear I wasn’t welcome anywhere near him, I stare down as he carefully unties my right sneaker and then moves to the left one.
Even bent over like this, he’s still so much bigger than me. I watch as his hands with their long fingers tenderly remove my shoe before moving to the other one, all the while avoiding my gaze as he stares down at the floor.
When he begins to take off my left shoe, I cry out in agony as a jolt of pain shoots through my ankle. He doesn’t stop, and when he takes off my sock, I see my ankle is already swollen.