Page 26 of Origins

“You grew up surrounded by supers, right?” I yawned, closing my eyes again.

She nodded against my chest. “What’s that got to do with you?”

I tangled my fingers into her hair, toying with a few strands as I thought. “Then you should know that supers are a little different than normal people.”

A thought suddenly struck me—was Callie a super? She could read minds, albeit inconsistently, and she was an empath. Both of those were powers, but she was smaller than any super I’d met.

“Yeah, they don’t get sick with normal viruses,” Callie added.

“And most have a genetic predisposition to gain muscle mass incredibly easily.” I reminded her. “But, that depends on their type of abilities. Since mine are physical, I’m in that group.”

Honestly, there was a whole list of things that made supers different.

She shifted, propping herself up on her elbows to look at me more closely. Her face was so close that all I could think about was kissing her. I really hoped she wasn’t reading my mind right now becausethatwould be embarrassing.

“So, it’s because you’ve been training more?” she asked, slipping the covers down to expose my chest. Her touch was gentle, almost reverent, as she traced the contours of my muscles.

“Partly that, partly because I’m not starving half the time,” I admitted, pulling her back down beside me. I didn’t want to see the expression on her face, not for this conversation. “Until you came along and started forcing me to eat dinner, I only ate during lunch.”

Her body tensed, causing her exploration to come to a screeching halt. “You weren’t eating? Why?”

Her tone was more confused than judgmental, but it didn’t erase the shame. I swallowed hard, trying to find the right words. “Couldn’t afford it. When you’re barely scraping by, sometimes food doesn’t make it onto the list of needs.”

The room fell into a heavy silence, and I braced myself for her response. She couldn’t possibly understand. I’d never been inside her house, but from what I’d seen on the outside, I could tell she’d never had to want for anything. Any advice she offered wouldn’t hold much weight. But when she spoke again, I realized that didn’t matter to her either.

“Guess I’ll need to start getting you breakfast too.”

“Please don’t.” I forced my tone to sound lighter than I felt. “I can’t afford new clothes if I grow out of them.”

It was a weak excuse, but it was the first thing that came to mind. While it was true that I’d be screwed if I couldn’t fit into my clothes, what scared me more was letting Callie get too close. Right now, I was grateful for her in ways I could never fully explain. If she went any further, I’d risk becoming dependent on her, and that would destroy me when she eventually left.

“I’m not going to leave,” she mumbled, wrapping her arms around my neck.

My heart skipped a beat, and I felt my cheeks warm.

Get out of my fucking head. I thought before tightening my grip on her, pulling her even closer.

“Plus, it’s my job to find you a center placement. I can’t do anything about the fact that your dad’s Necro, but according to my sister, appearance is one of the most important parts of being a hero,” Callie explained. “And my brother said something about bulky heroes being in right now.”

She was trying to help, and in a way, she was. But I had no desire to be a poster child for the hero industry. I just wanted to prove that I could be good. That I wasn’t my dad.

“I think you just like the idea of a big, scary boyfriend.” I laughed, hoping to change the subject.

“You’re not scary,” she snorted. “But the idea of you being able to throw me around like I’m nothing more than a toy does something for me.”

It did something for me too, and if it weren’t for the pounding in my head, I would have shown her that I didn’t need to be any bulkier to do that. But right now, all I wanted was to melt into her.

“If it makes it easier for you to get me a placement, I’ll try,” I relented, knowing I’d do whatever it took to help thisprocess along.

The last thing I wanted was for her to work so hard that she made herself sick. The idea of her exhausting herself for me filled me with a guilt I couldn’t explain.

We were still about three weeks out from the showcase, and while I knew that every major heroing center in the county would be there, I couldn’t help but worry if Callie would actually be able to help me. She was a mind reader, not a miracle worker.

“Can I ask you something?” She said softly.

I nodded.

Her tongue darted across her lips as she stared at me with wide, unblinking eyes. “Once this is all over, and I’ve found a center for you. What comes next?”

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