Page 17 of Origins

I shivered as the chill of the ice bit into my palm, signaling that I’d fucked around long enough. With a deep breath, I focused on the heat growing in my chest, steadily releasing it into my palms. My grip on the spear tightened, the ice hissing as steam rose between my fingers. Jack’s eyes widened as I savored the way fire surged beneath my skin.

“Jack. Jack. Jack.” I tsked, shaking my head. “Don’t you know what happens when fire meets ice?”

“Quit fucking talking and just fight me!” Jack snapped.

My lips curled into a smirk as I watched Jack try to hide his panic under anger. Jack knew as well as I did that talking was part of my strategy. When you pissed someone off enough, they became sloppy, and if they were sloppy, they made more mistakes.

I used what remained of the spear in my hands to pull Jack closer before twisting my wrist and snapping the ice. Shards fell to the ground with a wet clatter, and before Jack could react, I grabbed the collar of his training uniform.

Jack’s knee shot up, grazing the fabric of my shirt, but I stepped to the side just enough to avoid impact. I used his momentum against him, sweeping my leg under his and causing him to tumble to the floor.

Jack hit the ground with a pained groan, and I finally gave in to the fire, begging to be released. With a sharp exhale, I allowed the orange flames to coil around my arms and coat my fists. Flickering shadows danced along thetraining ground as I reached down to grab Jack by his collar once more.

The flames around my fists crackled and roared, casting a tangerine glow across Jack’s face. “What’s the matter? You can’t be out of tricks already.”

He smirked at me as the world rapidly dropped in temperature. The air around us began to crystallize, shards of ice hitting the floor as frost spread beneath us. My muscles went rigid as I tried to think of my next steps. This was new—like, really new.

Before I could gather my thoughts, the frost spread to my legs, crawling up them like ivy on an old building. The pain was sharp and tingly, and as I fought the urge to cry out, a memory flitted through my mind.

Last week, Jack had done this to Callie. Not on purpose, but he’d still hurt her nonetheless, and that pissed me off.

The frost crept higher, biting into my chest, and I could tell by the smug look on Jack’s face that he thought he’d won. But he was making a big fucking mistake if he thought he could hurt my girlfriend without repercussions.

The flames coiled around me like a snake and slowly shifted to a deep blue as the temperature around us skyrocketed.

The frost on the area quickly shifted to steam as my chest heaved. All I could think about was incinerating Jack.

“So, that’s the trick you used to hurt your sister.” My voice was a low, dangerous growl.

I dropped Jack, causing him to fall to the ground, before extending my palm to him. A mound of blue flames generated near my palm, and just as I was about to release them, Professor Lumanara snapped me out of my thoughts.

“Sulien! That’s enough.”

I stood a little straighter as I looked back at her, suddenly feeling a little guilty for my thoughts. Heroes didn’t kill people, but I’d wanted nothing more than to punish Jack for hurting Callie.

The blue flames around us slowly started to dissipate, and the area cooled. The protective barrier around us shimmered as it retracted.

Jack lay in a puddle on the ground, shivering and somewhat stunned at what almost happened. Slowly, Professor Lumanara approached us, her white cape billowing with each step.

“That was villain behavior.” Lumanara snapped.

A flush of embarrassment crept into my cheeks as the rest of Lumanara’s lecture faded into the background. The wordvillainechoed in my mind over and over and over again. As much as I hated to admit it, she was right.

Heroes were supposed to put their feelings to the side and act for the sake of the greater good. But I hadn’t done that at all. Instead, I almost seared Jack Voltaris in the name of revenge—anger I’d harbored toward him for an accident.

My breathing shallowed as I balled my fists, letting my nails dig into my palms. My powers had gotten out of control before, usually when I was angry. But this was different. I remained in control of my flames. I had chosen to let them burn, to let them come dangerously close to consuming Jack. It wasn’t a slip; it was a decision—a calculated one.

My stomach churned at the realization. And, for the first time in my life, I genuinely wondered if I’d be able to cut it as a hero.

Chapter 6

Callie

I lay on the couch in the living room, my hair spilling onto the floor as I prepared to text Sulien. Last night, when I asked if I could come over after class, he said he was working. As a bartender, it made sense for him to be busy most Fridays, but it wasn’t like him not to text me first thing in the morning.

He liked to tell me good morning and send me the weather forecast for the day. He always said it was so I’d be properly dressed, but I had a feeling he didn’t know what else to say. Still, I liked it. It was like he had his own weird way of caring for me, and it was sweet.

I frowned at my phone, staring at the blank message I’d typed and erased a thousand times. Sulien woke up every day at six a.m. sharp. He liked to run and study before the day got busy, so he should have been awake for three hours by now.

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