Page 68 of Catalyst

He’d never say anything, but I knew the idea of me rubbing noses with dangerous people made him a little uncomfortable, to say the least. And paranoid, to say the worst.

“Jack said it’s a Pyromancer, but he wouldn’t tell me who… I’m just going to assume it’s some scared kid who doesn’twantto be bad.” And, honestly, the idea of helping a pyromancer specifically made me smile.

It wasn’t often that I thought of Sulien Seo anymore, but I’d like to think he’d be happy that I was dedicating my life tosavingvillains.

“Well… I won’t keep you. Just–call me as soon as you're done, okay?” Jace’s request made me smile.

“I will…. I love you.”

“How did you know those were my three favorite words?” He chuckled. “I love you too, Princess.”

And with that, he hung up. I quickly grabbed my bag from the passenger seat before walking toward the Aegis Center. Sunlight beat off of the hundreds of windows covering the tower, causing me to squint before I made my way inside.

It took me a few minutes to get to my wing of the building. Luckily, I knewexactlywhere I needed to be. By the time I got to theexperimentalregion of the building, Jack was waiting for me, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

“Seriously? You couldn’t have come any earlier.” He scoffed, pushing himself off the wall.

“I’m here exactly when I said I would be.” I shrugged.

Jack let out an aggravated groan as he rolled his eyes before plucking a manilla folder off of a nearby counter and handing it to me.

“What’s this?”

“Villain info. Or anything we could get from him. The guyrefusedto speak.”

I tried to keep the judgment off my face as my gaze swept over my brother. Honestly, if I had a choice, I’d refuse to talk to him too. But, if I said that, I’d be the asshole.

“Do you have any extra suppressing bands? I want to make sure I’m on a level playing field with whoever’s in that room.” I gestured to the steel door at the end of the hall.

“Why? You’re a mind reader; they’re a pyromancer. Plus–they’re villains.”

“I don’t tell you how to do your job; don’t tell me how to do mine.” I sang, extending an upward palm to Jack. “Now, if you have an extra band, can Ipleasehave it?”

Begrudgingly, Jack reached into his tactical belt before producing a silver bracelet and depositing it in my hand. That was another thing I was proud of. I had made the impossiblepossible, and because of that, arrests were safer for all parties involved.

“Thank you.” I smiled, slipping the silver onto my wrist and adjusting it to fit snugly against my skin.

Jack mumbled something under his breath, but I knew it was best to ignore my brother. With that in mind, I tucked the folder under my arm before walking into the back of the hall. Once I was in front of the heavy steel door, I waved my badge over a nearby sensor and waited for the lock to disengage.

Once I heard that click, the door hissed open, letting me inside.

“Good morning!” I called, making sure the door was sealed behind me before I turned toward the interrogation table.

I almost jumped out of my skin when I saw the man sitting at my table.

He was easily the largest person I’d ever seen, but that wasn’t what scared me. Instead, it was the metal mask adorned with devil horns.

HellPyre.

Jack said I hadapyromancer, notthepyromancer. HellPyre killed heroes just because he thought it was fun. His very name was synonymous with carnage and destruction, and he washere.

Okay, stay calm, Callie. He was just a person, one who wanted to be better. And, if my first rehabilitation was with someone likehim, everything after would be a piece of cake.

I forced myself to stay calm as I slid into the steel chair across from themostdangerous man in the world.

“I’m excited to have you here! Is there any chance I can get you to take off your mask?” I asked, forcing myself to sound far more bubbly than I felt. “I can’t help you if I don’t know who you are.”

HellPyre stared at me, his dark eyes flickering away from mine and down to his hands. Slowly, he lifted them, leaving the chains around his wrist to rattle far before he reached his mask.

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