Page 147 of Glutton for Punishment

Shit.

He does look pissed.

He walks towards us, jaw set, each step deliberate and unhurried in the way that makes people get out of the way.

“Anyway, we’ll talk more later, Arwen. Have fun with your boyfriend. Bye!”

“What?” I look to where Tabby was standing, but she’s already halfway down the hall, escaping at a brisk pace.

“Coward!” I shout at her as she rounds the corner and disappears from sight.

Maddox stops in front of me, close enough that the familiar scent of smoke and leather finds me, and underneath it, his cologne. Something in me unknots at the smell of him, and I have to resist the urge to step forward into his arms.His dark eyes move over my face slowly. Checking. I watch him do it and still can’t quite convince myself he’s actually standing here.

Then his jaw tightens again, like he’s remembered he’s angry….

He runs his fingers through my hair as he leans in close to my ear.

“When exactly were you planning on sharing that your powers weren’t working?” he whispers, dangerously.

“No hello then,” I ask, hoping my sass will hide my anxiety. His eyes just continue to bore into mine, waiting for an answer.

I glance around as students pretend not to stare and whisper to their friends.

“Maddox—”

“No.” His voice stays calm, which somehow feels worse. “You call off my men from guarding you, you hide things from me, you leave yourself vulnerable…”

I wince. Okay. He’s definitely angry. Sass and deflection will not work here. “I was going to tell you.”

“When?”

“I don’t know!” I hiss. “When you weren’t busy trying to stop your siblings from turning Gluttony into a war zone, maybe?”

His expression hardens. “That’s exactly why you need to tell me these things.”

Guilt twists in my stomach. I know he is worried about me, but how can I get through to him that I’m not some damsel in distress?

“You know I can handle myself. I didn’t want to make things harder for you,” I admit. “You already have enough on your plate.”

For a second, he just stares at me. Then he steps closer, lowering his voice.

“When are you going to realize I would gladly overload my plate until it broke for you?”

The words hit me like a punch.

“Maddox—”

“No, please listen to me.” His eyes lock onto mine with brutal intensity. “You keep putting yourself last on my list of priorities. But that’s not up to you. The bullshit going on in Gluttony, the territories, the hierarchy… none of it comes before you.”

My face goes warm.

He folds his arms across his chest. “You’re mine now, Arwen. That means you and your safety come before everything else. But I can’t help you if you don’t let me in and trust me to make the right call. I know you’re used to handling things on your own, but things are different now. You have to let me help.”

A hot, frantic fluttering kicks against my ribs, a trapped bird of appreciation and independence fighting for space.

“I don’t need you protecting me every second,” I mutter.

“That’s unfortunate,” he says, “because I’m going to anyway.”