16. Chapter 16
Maddox
Iglare at the message that comes across my phone.
Lucas: Councilor wants to meet with you. And the girl. Tonight.
Of course he does. A muscle in my jaw twitches, the bone locking tight. He made a mention last night about hearing I had an unexpected guest.
Maddox: He was just biding his time. I expected this.
I scrub a hand down my face and lean back against the wall, eyes closing just long enough to picture the alternative.
Grab her. Get her on a chopper. Head straight back to Gravesend. Lock it down. My territory. My rules.
No Feastwell politics. No watching eyes. No family circling like vultures.
My fingers flex.
Yeah. That would last about five minutes. Because they would just come to me. And worse… it reveals my hand, shows them exactly how much I care.
A hard bang slams against the door, and I straighten, irritation snapping through me. Who the fuck—
Another bang. Louder.
I cross the room in two strides and rip the door open, ready to tear into whoever thinks they have a right…
Freezing, I find Arwen, face flushed red, bright blue eyes blazing in anger, some type of garment clutched in her hand.
“A skirt? Seriously?” She says, riding the edge of something that looks a lot like a meltdown.
I blink at her once, confused. I let myself tune into the bond, and her fiery rage hits me. With a hint of amusement.
I lean against the doorframe and cross my arms. “You always wear skirts.”
“False.” She snaps back. “The academy always makes me wear skirts. This is not the academy. So if you don’t want me to walk around in my underwear, I would—”
“Whoa, whoa.” I push off the frame, holding up a hand. “No need to threaten streaking through a city full of deranged lushes. I can get you pants.”
“…Good,” she says after a beat, like she’s deciding not to escalate further. “Preferably something I can fight in if I need to.”
"Of course."
“And if you’re taking requests,” she adds, following me in, “I’d also take a sword.”
This girl is too cute.
A smile threatens, but I shove it down. “A sword?” I echo flat.
“Yes.” She lifts her chin, red soft curls falling away from her face. “That’s what I train with. It’s my combat weapon of choice.”
“Yeah, I’m not getting you a sword.” The edge cracks just enough—my grin slipping loose for a second.
“Ugh—”
“I’ll teach you how to use a gun.” I cut her off, already moving again. “Much more efficient in Gluttony. Trust me.”
She snaps. “I’m from fucking Wrath,” voice rising. “I know how to use a gun.”
A small laugh breaks out of me before I can stop it, and I notice the surprise on her face.
Hell, it surprises me.
“Look,” I say, shaking my head, still half amused. “We’ll get you whatever weapons you want. I’ll order a grenade launcher if that’s what you’re after. Just—” I gesture further into the room. “Come inside. We need to talk.”
“…Okay,” she mutters, the fight draining just enough as she steps in.
I move automatically, grabbing a shirt off the back of a chair, tossing it aside, clearing space until I pause mid-motion.
I’m… cleaning?
The hell.
“You’re looking a lot better today,” I say, glancing over at her. “How are you healing so fast? The potions we have on hand here wouldn’t have healed the scars.”
“Oh—” she hesitates. “Um. I actually got my hands on something that helps me heal.”
Huh? My face scrunches in confusion.
“Probably why I’m still alive,” she adds, flat, looking anywhere but at me.
Right. One thing at a time.
“This girl and her secrets…” I mutter under my breath, then straighten.
“Look,” I say, tone shifting. “I wanted to talk to you because… my father has summoned us and, unfortunately, saying no isn’t an option. If I could, I would run you back to my territory as fast as possible, but it would make this situation even more dangerous.”
All the color drains from her face.
“Is he going to send me back?” she asks, voice low. “Or is he going to exile me like the Council wanted?”
“No.” It comes out fast and harder than I mean. “Absolutely not.”
“How do you know?” I can hear the panic beneath the surface. “He’s allied with Councilor Willshire and voted for me not to go to the academy, and then he voted for my exile. He doesn’t exactly scream ‘in my corner’.”
I exhale and drop in front of her, one knee hitting the floor as I take her hands before she can pull away.
“Arwen.”
She looks at me.
“I know this is scary,” I say, quieter now. “But things are different now.”
I tighten my grip just slightly. “Don’t get me wrong, my father is dangerous. He’s not on our side. You need to keep that in mind.”
Her fingers twitch in mine.
“But,” I continue, steady, “he knows you’re mine.”
Her expression flickers in surprise, and she masks it quickly… so fucking cute.
“He knows what I’ll do to get you back,” I go on. “He knows what resources I’ll burn. And now?” I let out a slow breath. “Now he’s intrigued.”
I tilt my head, watching her as I continue.
“A bond between his son… and the girl who tested at a power level no one’s seen in a millennium?” I shake my head once. “He’s not throwing that away…. But don’t mistake that for safety. He sees you as a tool. Same as Blaise.”
My voice drops, and I hold her gaze.
“Difference is—you’re tied to me. And I don’t let people use what’s mine.”
She looks down at the floor in silence, and something in my chest twists.
The spark she had at the academy has left her eyes. It was always there. Even when she was afraid.
Now it flickers. It’s dimmed.
My hands curl into fists, nails cutting into my palms. Councilor Blaise. I will see his head on a platter before this is over.
“It’s more of a formality,” I say, forcing my tone back to even. “He wants to assess the situation. We go. We get it over with. Then we leave for Gravesend. Away from Feastwell. Away from all this.”
“Okay,” she says. Quiet but firm.
“There’s something you should know before we go,” she says hesitantly.
I shift, settling back but staying in front of her. She has my full attention if she is finally opening up.
“When we… bonded…” She grimaces. “When I was transported to Greed, I sort of… got my sin power.”
I blink. “What?”
“You’re saying you have a power?” I ask, surprised. “You’re not sinless anymore? Arwen, why didn’t you tell me? What is it?”
She grimaces again. I can feel how uncomfortable she is through the bond.
So I rein it in.
“Well…” she says, hesitating. “It’s a Gluttony power.”
Fuck. That paints a target on both of us.
“What can you do?” I ask instead, trying to contain my absolute dread at this U-turn.
“To be honest?” She huffs. “Nothing. It doesn’t work. It showed up once when I first got to Greed and again during a…” Her face scrunches, “…session.”
My shoulders pull tight. She means torture. It takes everything in me not to get on a helicopter right this second to put a bullet in Blaise’s brain for touching her.
“That’s why they kept trying,” she adds. “To bring it out.”
I take a slow breath. “Can you try it?” I ask.
She blinks. “What?”
“Give it a shot. Try it now.”
She looks away, embarrassed. “…Sure. Why not put on a freak show for you? If you laugh, I’ll find something to stab you with.”
She closes her eyes, and the room goes still.
Then—
A violent whoosh rips through the air.
Force slams into me, knocking me on my ass as the room darkens, twisting, something unseen tearing through the space—
Arwen’s scream cuts through the air the same instant I’m knocked back. It’s over in the blink of an eye. An atmosphere of tension hangs in the air after the event.
The bed is in two clean pieces. One half is just gone. Not debris or wreckage. Gone.
The remaining half tips, groans once, and drops hard, the frame splitting further on impact, mattress stuffing blooming out across the floor like snow.
Holy shit.
I stare at it.
Then back at her.
“That wasn’t enough for them?” I ask.
Her eyes are wide.
“No—no, that’s not—this isn’t how it was.” She shakes her head. “I couldn’t get it before. No matter what they did. But this—” she looks at her hands. “It was just there. I can feel it now. Like it’s… solid.”
She’s spiraling as she stumbles over her words, staring at her hands. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s okay,” I say. “We’ll figure it out.”
I step closer again, lowering my voice. “But nobody can know. Not yet. This will only draw more attention to us. It could get even more dangerous.”
She nods. “That won’t be a problem. The last thing I want is more attention.”
“Good.” I turn, stepping over the wreck of the bed, eyeing the damage.
“Does… does Atticus know?” I ask, casual.
“Yes, he was in the cell next to me the whole time. He knows everything that happened.”
I nudge a broken piece of frame with my boot.
“Is… umm… is it true?” I scratch the back of my neck.
“…Is what true?”
I don’t look at her. “What he said at the council. Is he your bond too?”
She remains silent, but I continue focusing on the mess of wooden frame and mattress stuffing.
“Yes,” she says softly. “But we haven’t completed the bond.”
I nod once, knowing that already. I would’ve felt it otherwise.
Still, I exhale, irritation slipping through before I can stop it.
“Why?” she asks. “Why does it bother you so much? Outside of the faction differences… why do you hate him so much? Aren’t you usually allied with Pride?”
I straighten, rolling my shoulders. I’m not getting into this. There’s enough going on.
“We have… history,” I say. “And it makes you more of a target. Two Councilor’s sons tied to you? With your power?” I shake my head. “That’s a problem.”
She studies me and then must decide to let it go.
“Guess I should get ready,” she says, standing.
“Yeah.” I glance at the remains of my bed and then back at her.
“Looks like I’m bunking with you tonight.”
She snorts and rolls her eyes, but her face goes bright red.
“This place is massive,” she shoots back. “If you can’t find another bed, you need your eyes checked.”
I drag a hand over my mouth, hiding the hint of a smile.
She turns to leave and stops short in the doorway.
“And Maddox…”
“Hm?”
“If you want me to meet your dad,” she says, raising a brow, “your choices are bonded in pants… or bonded in panties.”
She drops the skirt on the floor and walks out.
I stare at the door and feel my smile breaking loose. What the hell is this girl doing to me?