Page 45 of Cruel King
I look over toward the doorway as I watch for the middle King son to appear. When he does, it’s like I’m taken back in time to those days when the three of us would play on the estate’s grounds from early morning to late at night every summer.
Unlike his brother, Marius doesn’t look like he’s changed much at all since I saw him last. Still lean, he may have filled out a little in the past five years, but as always with him, there’s a hint of something dark in his expression, even as it brightens when he sees me.
“Ava Sutton, you’re a sight for sore eyes after a flight from hell and that drive from JFK,” he says as he opens his arms to hug me.
“When did you fly in? If I knew you were taking a flight close to mine, I would have waited and we could have driven up together,” Theo says.
I step back from Marius and smile as he sits down next to his brother and immediately begins picking at his muffin. “That’s what you get for not keeping in touch, you know.”
The two of them laugh, and then a second later, they begin pushing one another to get to the muffin. Eleanor shakes her head before setting a fresh blueberry muffin in front of Marius.
“No need to fight. I made two dozen.”
“They’re as good as you remember,” Theo says as he breaks off a piece of his brother’s. “Now we’re even.”
I can’t help but chuckle at how much has changed yet these two are still the same as they’ve always been. As Eleanor sets a glass of milk down in front of Marius, Theo begins to talk about how good it is to be back, even though it’s for a bad reason.
One by one, the King boys return to their childhood home. Kellen and Ronan arrive together a few minutes after Marius, and with each time someone walks into the kitchen, it’s like we’re all transported back in time to when we were kids. We laugh as each one brings up a story they remember, the past flowing into the present with ease for all of us.
All except Matthias.
I wait as the minutes tick by and he doesn’t show up. Finally, after we’ve all talked for over an hour, I begin to wonder if he’s ever coming.
Leaning in, I quietly say to Theo, “Where is Matthias?”
He shrugs and looks down the table at the rest of his brothers. “We’re missing one. Anyone know where Matthias is? I figured he’d be back by now.”
They all shake their heads, and it’s like the mention of his name brings an end to all the laughter. I hate that for him. Yes, he could be miserable, but I’ve seen his happy side. His brothers have too. I know they have.
Yet even one of them saying his name changes the mood of the group.
“He is coming. Isn’t he?” I ask as my hopes begin to fade I’ll get to see him and have a reunion like I’ve had with his four siblings.
None of them have the answer. Each one in turn says that he hasn’t talked to Matthias for over a year, and all I can think of is how sad it must be for him to never speak to his brothers for all that time.
We start to talk about happier times, and once more, everyone is laughing and reliving the old days. Eleanor busies herself with making more muffins, and for a time, I forget how much I wanted to see the one King brother I’ve missed more than any other.
In the middle of Theo telling all of us about his last race where he crashed and miraculously walked away without a scratch, the oldest King brother appears in the doorway to the kitchen. He doesn’t say a word, but the very presence of him chills the mood for everyone, and they fall silent.
“About time,” Theo says as he stuffs more muffin into his mouth. “We thought you might have bailed and left this whole thing to the four of us.”
I watch Matthias stand as still as a statue, not even cracking a smile at his brother’s poor attempt at a joke. No one else speaks, and while I wait for him to say something to any of us, I can’t help but notice how angry he looks.
But he’s as stunning as he was the last day I saw him right here in this house. His hair is a little longer, but it’s still nearly black. His beard looks about a couple days old, and as he scans the room, I see not a hint of happiness in his dark brown eyes.
It’s as if being back with his family makes him feel nothing.
Even more, it’s as if seeing me makes him feel nothing.
And then he opens his mouth, and it’s like I’m back in that room upstairs on that snowy day and he’s telling me I’m not welcome in this house.
“What is she doing here?” he says, each word dripping with nothing but pure hate.
His anger stuns me. After the time we spent together, I thought he’d be kind to me like he was that last day I saw him.
Theo immediately comes to my defense, thankfully. “She’s been taking care of Dad. You know this, Matthias. Sit down, take a load off, and eat some fucking muffins to get that frown off your face.”
No one says as word as Matthias narrows his eyes to angry slits and shakes his head. “I’m not interested in muffins.”