A Dance Of Crowns & Thrones | Book I

Chapter 24 | "What Are You Trying So Hard To Hide?"

"Look," she flared with a brilliant cheesy smile, "Mads, ALWAYS is overprotective. It's because I'm the youngest! Apparently, I'm the most delicate," then she half snorted in annoyance as she shook her head.

Eko just happened to leave out the specific words of 'cousin' and 'princess' amongst that statement, but it wasn't going to matter.

Once this was cleared up, she would rip Ezra's head from her body, destroy the eastern border, and make sure whoever took over as King or Queen was appropriate.

Then she would find the backup storage of money she had hidden off-world in case of emergencies, and then she and Madison would disappear from this life altogether.

Start new.

Start life again.

Easy peasy.

Taking a step forward in the opposite direction of the ship enticed Matthew to follow her as they continued their journey to the crash site.

"You would think she would realize that I'm a grown-up, " Eko scoffed to break the silence, "I can totally take care of myself. I don't need someone protecting me."

It takes a moment for him to consider what took place; something about this situation sat in the back of his mind, gnawing at him to see what the grey area of this black-and-white picture was.

"With the mischief you get into. I'm sure she has valid reasons."

"Excuse me?" Eko couldn't believe what she was hearing, slowing down in her pace as it allowed Matthew to continue forward.

"Mischief," he stated again, and this time Eko was right on his heel.

"Explain that judgemental comment for me?"

"I found you half dead beneath the rubble," his head cocked to her briefly, "why you weren't on any rescue transportation in the first place still baffles me. You wanted to continue the fight."

"And?"

"Then, with no regard for your well-being when you awoke, you demanded to find your princess, to push on considering your state."

"Minor lacerations, a few bumps, and bruises. I didn't lose a leg or anything." Eko rolled her eyes. 

"Still, you wanted to push on. Straight at me to help in the assistance of finding survivors, your friends, and the princess."

Eko's piercing sky-blue eyes narrowed as she attempted to discern the message that Matthew was conveying.

"Then, when you find one of them, you still proceed to be with me, looking and searching. I would say Madison has valid reasons to be worried about you."

"Excuse me, Mr. all-of-known-me-of-five-minutes, I can protect myself. Thank you very much, Skarsgard. I am not as delicate and fragile as what people may think," she did not want to be annoyed at the beautiful face, but he had poked at her enormous ego.

"I do these things because I'm not the type to just sit there and take it. If I want action, I go out and do it."

Eko then raised her head and began to take longer strides to part from him.

"Are you annoyed?" he laughed unbelievably, "at me?" it shocked him how out of joint she suddenly was.

"Not every woman requires rescuing," abruptly, she stopped and spun around to him, ready to lecture the man, to educate him that the wolf in her bones does not shrink because she was being hunted. She bares her teeth and lashes out.

"I've taken care of myself this long. Judgment on whether I am reckless with my life is not valid from you or Mads. Understood?"

"Understood, Eko," he nodded at the way she flared up before him in defence, "if I see you against a monster, I shall simply let you be eaten to death."

"Great! That would be appreciated."

Then she was back, the quick tongue on this brunette maiden that had him hypnotized, and as she turned to walk away from him, he found himself now the person on her heel, trying to keep up with her.

"You're an interesting case, aren't you?"

Stopping suddenly, Eko nearly collided with his chest. She swallowed, her mouth gone dry.

"I'm not that interesting."

"Funny," a flicker of a smile and a gaze that never wavered, "uninteresting people generally don't have to say that."

Then he stepped closer, and a part of her told her to get out.

A step closer, and she was mesmerized.

"What are you trying so hard to hide?"

And she was ready to answer. She was prepared to make him feel utterly out of control, just as he made her feel at this moment.

That's when she felt this eerily silent sensation sweep around her.

Noticing what she had, Matthew's head peered up in interest, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Do you hear that?" his heart stammered in his chest; silence was never golden for them. It was deadly.

"Nothing?"

"Exactly," he mumbled, "nothing."

OOHHHHH shiitttttt..... they're gonna need your help.... VOTEEEEE to make sure nothing bad happens to them!!

xxx