Page 162 of Glutton for Punishment

He slams backward into the marble statue with a curse, twisting to wrap himself around me protectively as another explosion rocks the corridor.

Stone cracks as dust fills the air. Students scream somewhere in the distance. My ears ring.

It goes silent and dark as my eyes close. When they open again, all I can hear is chaos and the ringing in my ears. I look around at the blurry mess. My mind flashes back to the destroyed Grand Hall in Gluttony. To the explosion on the docks.

Was this me? No. Please…

“ARWEN!” Maddox’s voice tears through the smoke like a siren, but I can’t see him.

Maylo’s grip loosens just enough for him to look down at me frantically, checking my face, my arms, my legs. “Are you hurt?”

“No—I don’t think so—”

His hands frame my face for one brief second. Relief flashes across his expression. Then distant footsteps thunder closer as Maylo goes still and his entire demeanor shifts. Walls slam back into place.

“It’s time for me to go,” he mumbles.

“What? No—”

“Not yet.”

And then he’s moving away just as Maddox barrels around the corner. Maddox’s eyes land on me, and sheer panic rips across his face.

“Arwen.”

He reaches me in seconds, grabbing my shoulders, checking me over so fast it almost gives me whiplash.

“Are you hurt?”

“I’m okay. I think there was an explosion—”

His gaze snaps around the damaged hallway, pure violence simmering beneath his skin. Students are flooding through the corridor now in full panic. Alarms blare overhead.

Maddox grabs my hand. “We’re leaving. I’m getting you somewhere safe.”

“No,” I pull against him. “I need to find Holly.”

“Arwen—”

“She was heading back toward the dorms after class.”

“It’s not safe,” he snaps. “We don’t know what’s happening yet.”

“I’m going back to my room,” I fire back. “You can come with me or not, but I’m not leaving my friends alone if something’s wrong.”

His jaw clenches. For a second, I think he’s going to throw me over his shoulder and carry me to an isolated tower like a dragon hoarding gold. Instead, he exhales sharply through his nose.

“Fine,” he growls. “But you stay beside me.”

***

Maddox disappears for almost twenty minutes. Long enough for my nerves to fray completely.

The dorm room feels too small with all of us packed into it. Holly sits cross-legged beside me on the bed, anxiously picking at chipped black nail polish while Cleo paces near the window. Tabby deals with her stress by talking too much.

A knock sounds against the dorm door before it swings open and Maddox steps inside. The entire room quiets at his thunderous expression.

His dark clothes remain covered with ash. He shuts the door behind him before looking at me.