Page 39 of Origins

Her eyes fluttered open at the sound of my voice, a smile pulling at her lips. “You came.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” I laughed before tossing most of her blankets onto the floor and crawling into bed beside her. “I brought popsicles.”

I held up the bag, offering her a choice.

For a second, she seemed tempted, and I wondered which flavor she was going to ask for, but after a moment, she buried her face in her pillow.

“I don’t want a popsicle. I want whatever you did on Monday.” A shiver stole her words, and my heart lurched.

I didn’t prolong her suffering. Instead, I pressed a hand to her forehead, feeling the heat radiating from her skin. Today was worse than Monday, and that scared me. But I couldn’t show it. I needed to be strong for her.

“Take a deep breath for me, Sunshine,” I whispered,focusing on drawing out her fever.

She nodded, closing her eyes as I pulled the warmth from her body. As her fever began to ebb and she relaxed into her sheets, I gently straightened her hair, moving the sweaty strands from her face. She was too pretty to have her face obscured.

By the time I was done, I’d taken so much heat that I felt a little dizzy.

I let myself fall onto the pillow beside her. I didn’t want to ignite in her home—for some reason, that felt rude. So, instead of excusing myself outside, I’d just wait for my body to acclimate.

“Oh my God, you have no idea how much better that feels,” Callie groaned, melting into me.

And I savored the way she felt against my chest, but something was missing. Something I was rapidly growing very fond of.

My hand slipped across the thin material of her pajamas until I landed on her stomach. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t take a little satisfaction in the fact that the subtle curve was still there.

“This is okay, right?” I asked, running my thumb across the area.

Her breath hitched slightly, but she didn’t pull away. “It’s fine.”

I smirked. If you’re pregnant, just tell me.

“Even if I was pregnant, which I’m not.” She glared at me. “I’m only like five weeks. So, the baby is the size of a sesame seed.” She pulled the cover down, running a hand over her stomach. “This—” her frustration leaked into her words, “is my body being dumb.”

“Oh, so you’re five weeks?” I wasn’t sure what that meant, but it sounded like an admission of guilt to me.

Her lips parted as if she wanted to correct me, to tell me I was wrong, or maybe even make me feel a little dumb. But the way she hesitated told me more than she evercould.

“Jace said on Friday that your blood smelled weird, and I thought you were getting sick, so this is good news… assuming you are.” Plus, I was dying to have Callie Voltaris undeniably marked asmine.

“He told you… what?” Her nose wrinkled as she looked at me.

“He’s a hemomancer; he doesn’t really use it often,”because he doesn’t know how, “but blood is kind of his thing.”

“That’s disgusting,” she mumbled.

I couldn’t disagree with that. Instead, I slipped her tank top up just enough to expose her stomach. My fingers glided across the area, examining her. Her stomach wasn’t as big as it had been Monday after lunch. I was a little shocked no one had said anything to her that afternoon. My lips pressed into a thin line as I mulled the thought over.

“Plus, if you are pregnant, we’ve got a hell of a media strategy for Saturday.”

Well, we could have one, depending on what she was comfortable with.

“What do you mean?” She propped herself up to look at me better, but I really wished she hadn’t because this was about to be an awkward conversation.

“Does this hurt at all?” I asked, gently pressing on the area. If it caused her pain, we’d come up with something else.

She shook her head. “It’s just uncomfortable. After I ate dinner yesterday, I was so bloated it felt like I couldn’t breathe.”

I considered it for a minute, weighing the options we had. Clearly, Callie wasn’t going to be at her best, which meant I needed to do as much as I could to garner attention. Even if I had a possible offer from Aegis, I needed to gather more attention and a backup plan. Hero internships paid, just not well—definitely not enough to support a family of three—and I needed something to negotiate with.

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