Page 9 of Origins

“Is that him?” she asked.

I hope not.

Every muscle in my body went stiff as I squeezed my eyes shut. Both Mom and Jack were in the living room, and that meant either one of them would be opening that door any second. I hoped it’d be Mom. During year one of university, Jack and Sulien had a sparring match that immediately sparked a bitter rivalry between them. Ever since then, Jack had beenextremelyvocal about his hatred for Sulien. I never got the exact details of what happened or who won. All I knew was that Jack had made it his life’s mission to make sure Sulien got expelled from the program, thus ruining his chances of ever being a professional hero.

So there was absolutely no way I could let Jack answer that door.

My eyes snapped open, and I frantically checked my appearance one last time before scrambling toward the door. But the second I entered the foyer, I saw that I was too late. Jack’s stocky frame was already blocking the open door.

“You better have a good reason for showing up on my door, Seo.” Disdain dripped from Jack’s words, and his thoughts weren’t any better. Vivid images danced throughhis head of Sulien encased in a solid block of ice. I knew that, given the chance, Jack would bring those visions into reality.

Despite my brother’s rage, Sulien looked completely relaxed, and his mind was equally as calm.

“I’m here to pick up Callie.” There was an underlying authority in his tone—firm but not aggressive. He wasn’t going to let Jack bully him into walking away.

Jack clenched his fists, and the temperature around us began dropping as he glared at my date. Frost crept up the door frame like ivy climbing a building, alerting me to Jack’s rapidly waning patience. For someone who wanted to be a hero, my brother had an awfully short temper.

“I’m not letting my sister leave with a villain like you,” Jack growled.

Sulien didn’t flinch. Instead, his lips curled into a smirk.

“Wow… Good thing Callie’s an adult who can make her own decisions.” Sulien’s tone was confident, almost mocking, but his thoughts told a different story.

His mind was loud with the idea that he’d never outshine the shadows Necro had cast on him, with an undercurrent of insecurity as he worried that he probably wasn’t good enough for me. I didn’t think either of those statements were true, but that didn’t matter. Right now, Sulien’s worst enemy was himself, and it was my job to prove to everyone how great he was.

Apparently, I’d have to changehismind too.

Jack's jaw tensed as the temperature continued to plummet. Tendrils of ice crept up his arms now, forming jagged shards along the tips of his fingers. I knew if I didn’t act fast, things would get out of hand. So, instead of standing by and watching my boys duke it out, I steppedforward and placed a hand on my brother’s arm.

His freezing flesh bit into my fingers, and I struggled against the urge to pull away. Jack’s head whipped around, and as his gaze landed on me, he took a step back. Even after he moved away, the tingle of frostbite gnawed at my skin.

“Callie, you’re not supposed to fucking touch me. Mom’s told you a million times that you could get hurt.” His thoughts of murdering Sulien were quickly replaced with brotherly concern.

“Mom also says no ice in the house.” I smiled, subtly attempting to push past him.

“Callie, I can’t let you go with him.” A whisper roughened Jack’s words. “He is a villain with a capital ‘V’. He’s going to hurt you.”

Something about the wordvillainstruck another chord with Sulien. His mind was overrun with anxiety, and he was considering cutting his losses, apologizing and walking away. I forced the warmest smile I could muster as I studied my brother.

“He’s not a villain. He’s a future hero, just like you.”

Jack’s icy blue eyes flickered between Sulien and me.

“He’s not like us. You have no idea what he’s capable of.”

That was laughable. I could read Sulien’s every thought—I knew everything he planned to do on our date, and I wasn’t afraid of any of it. Honestly, Jack should’ve been more worried about whatIwas capable of. But in his defense, nobody in this world had a clue how dangerous I could actually be.

“I’m not worried, Jack. Sulien said he’d protect me, and I trust him.”

I forced myself between the two, turning my back onmy brother and focusing on Sulien. His dark eyes seemed to light up in my presence, and his lips twisted into a coy smile. Normally, at school, Sulien wore jeans and a baggy sweatshirt. But now, he stood in front of me in a white t-shirt that hugged his lean frame, emphasizing his broad shoulders and slim waist. My stomach flipped as I fought a girlish giggle.

“Hey,” he breathed.

The corner of my lips quirked up. “Hey.”

“Oh my god, look at them. They’resocute,” Aurora chirped from behind me.

Sulien’s eyes widened before he looked to the ground, and embarrassment washed over me like a wave. Instead of prolonging the torture, I snagged a pair of tennis shoes off the shoe rack by the door and pushed Sulien back ever so slightly so I could join him outside. Then I slammed the door and mentally willed my siblings not to follow us.

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