Page 52 of Glutton for Punishment

“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.”