Page 124 of Glutton for Punishment

“Do not touch her. She is under the protection of Maddox West,” he says, staring around the room. “That goes for all of you.”

Every head in the room turns. Metal face releases my wrist with a curse under his breath. I pull my arm back against my chest and look up at my apparent rescuers.

They’re… almost identical. Buzz cuts and broad shoulders. “I’m sorry,” I drawl. “Who exactly are you?”

The taller one nods once. “Protection detail.”

“We work for Maddox,” the other says.

Oh, my universe... could I stick out anymore?

“No thanks,” I say. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

Neither of them reacts to my words. Just stare around the room like a bullet is going to fly from the chalkboard.

A girl near the front moves her bag. “You can sit here,” she offers.

“Uh… thanks.” I slide into the seat and set my bag down.

Unfortunately, buzz cut one and buzz cut two stare down the students seated behind us until they awkwardly gather their things and relocate. They take their places.

Fantastic.

I pull out my academy phone under the desk and type furiously.

Arwen: Call off your guard dogs.

Three dots appear almost immediately.

Maddox: No.

I stare at the message in disbelief, then let my forehead drop dramatically against the desk.

The girl beside me snorts. “It’s probably better you sit over here with us anyway,” she says. I lift my head enough to look at her. She has long braids piled into a messy bun and dark eyeliner.

“The guy who grabbed you?” she continues. “He works for Kael’s people. I don’t think they usually like people like…” She gestures vaguely at me.

I sigh.

“Is there anyone in this room who isn’t some lackey for a West family member?”

She shrugs.

“Most Gluttony students at SinVail are sent here by gangs. Not the family directly,” she explains. “They rank too high to handle recruitment themselves. But everyone wants the strongest fighters, the strongest potion makers, the strongest powers. If nobody scooped them up before, they’ll get scooped up after. Not much neutral territory in Gluttony.”

So much for escaping family politics...

I glance back toward metal face. He’s still glaring at me from across the room like he’s debating whether murder is worth detention.

“Don’t worry,” the girl says when she notices. “Dean Bellows comes down hard on gang disputes inside academy grounds. Most people behave normally.”

Her eyes flick toward the guy again. “Then again, some are more passionate than others.”

Universe, I wish I had Cleo and Tabby with me. Unfortunately, because I spent last year bouncing between sin power rotations while being powerless, I now have to make up freshman Gluttony courses. Which means no familiar faces in this class.

Instructor Lennox sweeps into the classroom right on time. “Eyes forward,” he says dryly, not even raising his voice. His gaze lands on me briefly.

“Today,” he continues, “we’ll be reviewing catalyst activation and magical stabilization. If you somehow survived your Gluttony education without understanding either concept, I suggest prayer.”