Page 39 of Catalyst

“Sawyer.” She repeated the name as if she needed to test it. “That feels… right.”

I nodded, swallowing against the lump in my throat. Itdidfeel right, and that scared the hell out of me, which is why I needed to shatter whatever moment was budding between us.

“All we need to do is stop by a playground and scream it… See if it’s good when we’re pissed at him.” I laughed.

But her nose scrunched. “Were your parentspissedat you a lot?”

I paused, metaphorically being crushed by the elephant in the room. Shin and Gianna said my folks weren’t the type, but they’d died when I was too young to remember if that was true or not. And Callie didn’t need to know that. So, that was my cue to pry myself out of bed.

“Come on, Princess. It’s time to disappoint your mom.”

Walking into Valor University felt… weird. The halls were completely packed with students, both super and not. I wasn’t sure if most people could tell the difference, but I could. Super blood smelled sweeter and would often have slight notes of something related to their power. Kane smelled like a freshly blown-out candle, Gianna smelled like mildew, Sulien and Shin smelled spicy, and Callie smelled like sugary sunlight. Normally, their scent gave me a pretty good idea of what people could do… But Callie didn’t smell like most mind readers.

Most telepaths reeked of metal. And while I had no reason not to trust Callie, I had a feeling she could do more than spy on someone’s thoughts. Now wasn’t the time to think about that, though.

The thick leather soles of my boots echoed off the white tiles, but the sound was quickly swallowed by the rush of whispers. Each of the snobby little brats carried aholier-than-thouair with them, acting like they owned the place. That was until they sawme.

Their eyes would widen before they averted their gaze, like if they couldn’t see me, I couldn’t see them. Normally, I would have ruffled some feathers, but I wasn’t here for me. I was here forher.

My gaze shifted around the room as I realized Callie wasn’t beside me. Instantly, I stopped, turning to see her a few steps behind.

The lack of a spark in her eyes told me she wasn’t feeling good, but she’d wanted to dress nice for the occasion. Something about looking professional while ruining her life. I didn’t give thatmuch attention. But, despite not feeling her best, Callie looked beautiful.

Her golden hair had been tied into a low bun, all except for the few wavy strands she let frame her face. The gray material of her sweater dress was just loose enough to maintain modesty but tight enough to show off her bump. Honestly, I was a little obsessed with her right now, but I wasn’t going to feed her ego if I didn’t have to.

“Come here, Princess. I don’t want to lose you in the sea of brats.” I motioned for her to get closer to me. “Pretend like you like me, would you?”

She rolled her eyes, but a hint of a smile crept onto her lips as she closed the distance between us. I expected her to slide her arm under mine, and we’d leave it at that. Instead, she molded her body to my side. For a second, I forgot how to breathe as each inch of me stiffened. Even the seven I was rocking below the belt.

“You say that like I have to pretend at all,” she muttered.

I forced a smirk, hoping it’d hide the sudden thundering in my chest. “Flattery will get youeverywhere.”

She looked up at me as I wrapped my arm around her waist, letting it linger on her hip. Callie seemed completely unaffected by my touch, and I wondered if she was in my head. If she could tell just how desperately I was trying not to fall for her.

I looked away, hoping to discreetly catch my breath. That’s when I noticed some mousy haired girl staring at us. So, I did what any self-respecting whore would do and shot her a wink.

The girl’s eyes went wide, her face turning bright red before she quickly averted her gaze, muttering something to her friend as they hurried off down the hall.

“Really?” Callie scoffed. “You can’t wait until I’mnothanging off of you to flirt?”

A rush of shame filled my chest, and I raked my free hand through my hair as I fought the urge to tell her I’d never do that to her. I may have been polyamorous, but I knew my limits. And right now, doing anything that could have offended Callie wasn’t on my to-do list. Which was impressive.

“It’s called multitasking,” I teased, hoping if I lightened the situation the sinking feeling in my stomach would stop. “You should try it.”

Callie scoffed once more, and I quit fucking with the pregnant woman. That decision left us to walk in silence until we came upon a large oak door surrounded by some kind of ivy. As we approached, I swore the glossy leaves leaned toward Callie, as if they could sense her presence and wanted to reach out and touch her. Creepy, but I wasn’t surprised. The Voltarises were fucking weird.

For the first time since getting to the school, Callie stiffened, a slight tremble infesting her body as she studied the brass door knob like it was going to bite her.

“You good?” I asked.

She nodded as she exhaled a long, shaky breath. “Just… Nervous.”

I resisted the urge to tell her that was dumb, remembering her family was important to her. Not only that, but she had this weird obsession with not disappointing people, and right now, we were thedisappoint your parentscommittee.

“Don’t be. If she says anything… Well, I won't let her.” I promised, reaching out to open the door.

The scent of earth and flowers spilled into the hall. The smell was almost overwhelming as we walked in. It was like we were in a fucking greenhouse or something. Light filtered in from the windows, and I tried to take in the space in front of me.

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