Page 35 of Origins

So, instead of going to the Combat Simulations room, I wandered around campus, hoping I’d stumble upon Callie sooner rather than later.

Eventually, I caught a glimpse of her from the corner of my eye.

Reporters swarmed her with flashing cameras. Her shoulders were pulled tight, and I took her being fully distracted as a chance to admire her without the risk of her poking through my thoughts.

I slowly drew closer, and instantly, my gaze flickered to her stomach. That’s when I noticed her usual pencil skirt was fitting a little more snugly than it had last week.

A smug smirk pulled at my lips, and while she’d told me she wasn’t pregnant, seeing her like that didn’t stop my recent fantasies from feeling more real.

I reveled in that thought as I closed the gap, preparing to sneak up on her and disrupt her interviews, but the closer I got, the worse she looked. When we talked on the phone, she’d told me she couldn’t shake the lingering exhaustion, but it didn’t seem like exhaustion was enough to cause this.

Her skin was so pale it almost looked gray, and her eyes were slightly glassy. When Callie stood, she normally had a strange sense of confidence, like she belonged anywhere she went, but there was none of that.

Instead, it seemed like she was holding herself upright with sheer willpower alone. Something was wrong with my girl, and she needed my help.

Before I could think better of it, I sped over, tossing my arm over Callie’s shoulder in hopes of supporting her and distracting the reporters. And while my plan worked, I wasn’t at all prepared to be the center of their questions.

“Sulien, what was it like having Necro as a father?”

“What made you want to be a hero?”

“How do you feel about the rumors that Callie is doing more than managing your public image?”

Those were all things I could answer easily. And I knew I should have smiled and played along. Half of heroing was about your image, and this was my chance to show the world that I wasn’t just Necro’s son. But making a good impression wasn’t even on my mind.

“Back off,” I warned, pulling Callie closer to me.

All the reporters looked at me like I’d just burned down their homes, and if it got them to fuck off, I would have. But Callie had been working too hard for me to ruin it all like that. So, instead of embarrassing us, I moved her away from the crowd.

I found a secluded place near the back of one of the buildings, leaning her up against the brick as I focused on her. My gaze bounced around her face as I noticed more and more wrong with her.

Her cheeks were flushed, and dark circles hung from her eyes. She was not at all the put-together woman I was starting to love. She needed to go home, and she needed to go to bed.

“Callie, what’s going on with you?” I asked, my whisper coming out more angry than concerned.

She looked up at me, and I could tell she was struggling to stay focused. She breathed in a shaky breath as she prepared to answer me, but before she could, she swayed just slightly, enough for her face to crash into my chest.

Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around her to keep her steady, but as I quickly worked through the shock, I noticed something. Callie was burning up.

And not like a normal fever. It felt like her forehead was going to burn through the flame-resistant material of my super suit. My stomach twisted with a mixture of fear and anger. Fear because my girl was so sick, anger becausesomeone let her out of the house like this.

“Callie, you need to go home.” I kept my tone stern, completely ready to abandon the day and drive her myself if need be.

She shook her head weakly. “I’m just a little warm. I need water.”

“You need a doctor.”

She took an unsteady breath and pushed away from my chest, her eyes meeting mine with a stubborn determination. “I need to be here,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Sulien, this showcase determines our future. I need to make sure you find a center placement that’s close.”

Tears formed in her eyes, and I could see how much this meant to her. But there was no way she could stay in this condition. I wanted to argue, to tell her she was being ridiculous, but the desperation in her voice, the fear of losing me, was enough to make me pause.

“I need to do this, Sulien,” she whimpered. “If we don’t do this, I might lose you.”

Her statement was touching, but there was no way in hell she’d tell me that if she wasn’t sick. Still, I was putty in her hands, and that meant I’d do anything to keep her from crying.

I heaved out a sigh as I picked her up, cradling her against my chest. “Alright, but we need to find a place to cool you down.”

She nodded, and I carried her into a nearby building. The air conditioning made her shiver against me as we made our way to the student lounge in the support building. I thanked God it was empty as I gently lowered her onto a well-worn leather couch.

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