18. Chapter 18 #2
“Are you sure you’re not a politician?” She asks, and a harsh laugh sounds across the table.
“I like her,” Vex drawls, lounging back in his chair like this is all a show put on for him. His eyes drag over me slowly. “But she’s quieter than I expected. A 100% power rating. Power like yours… I thought it’d be louder.”
“Don’t be an idiot. She has no power, Vex. The best thing she can do is stay quiet.”
Fucking Teeth.
“Not everything powerful needs to announce itself.”
I don’t even look at him as I respond. That earns me a low chuckle from Vex.
“Feisty. If you were mine,” he continues lounging further in his chair, “I wouldn’t let you sit this far away. Maddox must trust you to handle yourself… or just not give a shit.”
My grip tightens in my lap.
Stop that. Ignore it.
Give them nothing.
“You should come by my lab, Arwen. I bet I could get that power out of you.” Wicka cackles, looking at me over her glasses like a science experience.
A lab? Been there. Done that.
Hard pass.
Despite the ice running down my spine, I reply with a short, quipped, “Maybe.”
A wicked smile spreads over her face as her eyes gloss over, lost in thought. Clearly thinking about taking me apart.
Teeth interjects his brilliant thoughts again across the table. He’s talking to someone else, but talking loud enough to ensure the entire table hears.
“I don’t care who she’s bonded to; a known Sinless, exiled by the Council, having dinner with the entire Gluttony family makes us look weak.”
Ignoring him, I pick up my glass and take a slow, measured sip instead of acknowledging.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Maddox still watching cautiously. Not saying a word in response or in my defense.
A cold knot of doubt tightens beneath my ribs.
I knew this. We discussed what was going to happen.
Don’t show our cards.
Don’t give them anything.
But still—
A small, ugly voice whispers anyway. Why isn’t he saying anything? Why isn’t he standing up for me?
I’ve been told I’m useless my entire life. Although I feel differently now, it’s still a sore point.
“Do you heal fast?”
My head snaps back towards Wicka, whose fingers are twitching against the table.
“I…” I start, then stop. “I… heal… normally?”
Should I have said that?! My heart is pounding.
Should I have said I heal fast instead? It might make them less likely to mess with me. Or should I have given a vague answer like “It depends”?
Trap.
Everything is a trap.
She tilts her head, studying me like I’m a puzzle she’s already halfway through solving.
“I wonder what you’d look like inside out—” she murmurs, then lets out a sudden, sharp laugh that cuts through the table and makes me jump.
Fuck. Most people ignore Wicka, but they I can tell they are noting my reaction to her.
Councilor West says, “Wicka….” Like he’s scolding a 3-year-old. “What did we say about table manners?”
She sinks back into her chair, pouting.
I keep my face neutral and return to my meal. Keep it together.
“Arwen.” A raspy voice next to me draws my attention.
The room quiets just enough. Riven doesn’t even have to raise his voice, as though his words hold a power to halt all conversations.
“Do you feel you belong here?”
Everyone goes silent and looks to me. My pulse ticks once in my throat.
I can feel Maddox across the table, but I don’t look at him.
I can’t even though I know what Riven is implying. The same thing Teeth referenced.
“I think,” I say carefully, “I belong at the Academy. But they’re not in session right now.”
A hum of approval—or maybe amusement—ripples.
“But weren’t you kicked out of the academy?” Amaya says next to me.
“That… hasn’t been finalized.” I respond.
“Oh, really?” She says, faking interest. “I mean, fortunately, you have a Council member right here at the table! I’m sure he could clear up how your trial went.”
“Enough, Amaya,” Councilor West says, annoyed.
She laughs, rolling her eyes and picks up her wine glass.
“I’m sorry, Arwen. Clearly, you’re unsettled,” Counselor West continues. “And yet your bond doesn’t speak for you.”
He looks down the table to Maddox, not in disappointment but with vague curiosity.
The words land like a strike to my already insecure thoughts over this dinner.
I look back at Maddox, but he remains still and silent. Almost unbothered, just watching the interactions.
Maybe he’s not stepping in because I’m failing.
Because I’m not handling this the way I should. Because I don’t belong here.
No, we’re holding our cards close. Get it together.
I notice a beautiful woman with long blonde curls, sitting two seats down, studying me intensely. There’s so many of them. This is a minefield.
I drag my gaze back to the table, forcing my expression to stay smooth.
“Maybe,” I say before I can stop myself, “he trusts me to handle myself.”
It comes out sharper than I intended. Too defensive.
Amaya’s interest spikes.
Councilor West’s eyes gleam.
Vex’s smile sharpens.
“Like I said, feisty,” he murmurs, and louder down the table: “If you get bored with her, I’m sure I could break her in.”
Maddox gives them nothing.
“Must be a worthless bond if you will not speak up for her,” Teeth mutters.
Universe, I’ll give you anything for him to choke on a bread roll right this second. Actually, if you’re taking requests, they can all choke on their bread rolls.
“Control matters more than strength.”
The words come from further down the table, next to Maddox. A bald, broad man. Duval. He’s supposed to be more levelheaded, like Valentine.
A softer voice cuts in—the curly blonde leans forward, eyes bright with something different. Not cruelty. Something closer to curiosity. This must be the last sibling, Paris. Maddox didn’t talk about her very much. “What does it feel like… all that power inside you with nowhere to go?”
The question catches me off guard.
“It felt…” I start, then pause, clearing my throat.
Fuck. Felt is the past tense Arwen.
“It feels completely normal. I expected to test at a 0% power rating. Certainly not 100%.”
A weird silence fills the table as anxiety presses in.
Paris smiles.
“Interesting.”
Does she know? Did she catch my mistake?
“Power that isn’t used is a waste,” Kael mutters from somewhere down the table, barely sparing me a glance. “Why are we talking about this?”
Thank you, scary looking man who hates me for changing the subject. I’ll ask the Universe to delay your bread roll choking for another day.
I go back to my dinner and thankfully Kael continues to steal all the air in the room, retelling, in great bloody detail, his latest underground fight.
The conversation shifts through dinner, but I remain under the radar. The pressure never leaves. I don’t look up at Maddox again; I can’t bear to risk it and see the disappointment on his face at my slip up. Fists and fighting, that’s what I know. Not this word game bullshit.
I’m so focused on eating my peas one by one I don’t notice when Maddox slides up behind my chair.
“We are retiring for the evening.” Maddox says with a tone of finality.
They all respond with silence, besides two disappointed groans from Wicka and Vex. Considering one wants to sleep with me and one wants to study my insides, I’m not considering that a win.
***
Maddox’s fist goes through the wall.
I look away from the outburst only for my eyes to land on the remains of the broken bed.
I am really doing a number on this room…
He didn’t speak the entire way back. He just grabbed my hand and booked it back to his bedroom. Apparently the walls can’t even be trusted here.
“I’m sorry, Arwen,” he says, facing me. He looks wrecked.
“Look, you don’t have to punch a wall. I’m sorry…” I start before he interrupts.
“Don’t. Don’t apologize. You didn’t ask to have dinner with the most fucked up people in Vail. You held your own and did perfectly.”
I sit on the couch, face in my hands, and groan.
“Well, maybe you didn’t hear, but I slipped up. Paris asked about being powerless, and I said, ‘I felt’. Past tense Maddox.”
“I said they were evil; I didn’t say they were smart.” He responds.
Faking a laugh, I shake my head. “Someone caught it. I know it. Paris, or Amaya. Riven. Your father!”
“Don’t even think about them, Arwen. They don’t deserve to be in your head. They’re my responsibility. You met them. You did your part.”
I sigh; that’s easier said than done.
“By the way… if you were feeling all that,” I say, pointing at the new hole in the wall. “Your control is phenomenal.”
His eyes heat as he focuses in on me.
“You have no idea.” He replies. The intensity sends a needy ache through my body down to my lower stomach.
Shaking myself out of it quickly, I turn toward the exit. “I better head back to my room.”
“I’ll walk you back. You’re not sleeping alone with all of them under one roof.”
Panic hits me. Although I’m attracted to him, I’m still trying to process and figure out what the bond is influencing and my feelings from before.
“I… I don’t think I’m ready for..”
“Relax,” he replies softly. “I’ll be outside your door. It’s just for tonight, and hopefully, we can get out of this hellhole tomorrow.”