Catalyst (Savior Complex #1)

2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Kane

M orning was always my favorite time, which was weird considering my abilities thrived in darkness.

Back when Sulien was still here, he’d wake up bright and early to run. I’d do my best to be up and have coffee ready for him when he got back. Sometimes I’d offer him breakfast, too, but he knew as well as I did that anything I owned was stolen or purchased with stolen money, and his moral compass was too strong. He’d rather starve than accept my offers, and as stupid as that was, I respected it.

Now, my mornings were spent waiting for Jace to get home. He also worked under the cover of night, but his job wasn’t as clean as mine. Again, I’d offered to cover his half of shit; that way, he didn’t have to sell his body. But, he liked having a purpose.

His hemomancy made it easy for him to get an erection, or to help a client if they couldn’t get it up on their own. Even though I knew he hated his job, that he came home every day feeling dirty and used, I let him do it.

The least I could do was give him some space whenever he came home. He needed to shower and exfoliate, and God knew what else to feel clean. So, while he scrubbed away the sins of a hard day’s work, I sat on the couch and watched a stray cat trying to climb a telephone pole just outside our cracked window.

The orange tabby was small, probably barely old enough to be away from its mother. Its claws dug into the splintered wood as it hung on for dear life, but the creature abandoned its mission as an expensive-looking white car roared by. I made a mental note to look for the vehicle later—I bet I could find at least something of interest by breaking into it.

But that was for later. Right now, I was enjoying the peace. The silence wasn’t perfect, but it was about as quiet as this area got... until a knock on our door broke the stillness.

My gaze snapped toward the sound. We didn’t usually get visitors—not friendly ones, anyway. Sometimes we had the stray junkie, a client looking for Jace, or some rich asshole demanding I give them back their wallet. But those knocks were usually rougher, demanding to be let in. This one was soft, almost pleading.

After a moment of hesitation, the sound came again.

“Kane! Someone’s at the door!” Jace’s voice called from the bathroom.

I rubbed my temple, wondering if he’d forgotten that I had ears. But I also knew Jace probably just wanted to get a rise out of me, so I ignored him. The couch creaked as I stood, shadows swirling at my feet like smoke. Normally, when someone knocked, they were looking for trouble. And while I wasn’t one to start fights, I’d certainly finish them.

The shadows crept up my arm. The sensation was cool and wet, like someone pouring ink down my skin. Slowly, with my unencumbered hand, I unlatched the deadbolt and opened the door just enough to peer out. But the person at the door wasn’t looking to hurt us—it was a sweet, sniveling angel.

I pulled the door open so fast I was shocked it didn’t fly off its hinges.

“Callie?”

She didn’t answer me, not directly. Instead, a soft whimper left her lips as she fought to collect herself. Her golden hair was in a messy bun, parts of it sticking to her tear-stained skin. Her cheeks were blotchy, and her eyes were red and swollen.

I’d never seen this girl without a smile, let alone this torn up. That's why I didn’t hesitate to pull her little ass into the apartment, locking the door behind her.

“Come here.” My voice came out rougher than I meant for it to.

Immediately, she leaned into me, her head resting on my chest. She wrapped her arms around me before sobbing into the worn material of my shirt. My hands rose to meet the small of her back, and that’s when I realized she didn’t quite fit against me the same way she used to. There was more of her now, and while the new undeniable softness of her body was doing things to me, that wasn’t what held my attention. Instead, it was the firmness of her stomach.

My heart froze as the shower stopped running. I didn’t want to stop comforting Callie, both for her sake and because of how much I loved having her in my arms, but I needed to get a good look at her.

I pulled back and called forth a shadow to wipe her tears. She cleared her throat, forcing a few shaky breaths. Before I could force myself to look lower, the bathroom door opened. Amber-scented steam filled the living room, and I swallowed hard.

“Holy fucking shit.” Jace’s voice cut through the growing tension in the room. I could hear his smug grin far before I could see it. “When did you get into the business of smuggling basketballs?”

Callie gave him a tired look as he swaggered into view, his long chestnut hair tied into a low bun. The red towel hanging from his waist was the only thing covering his decency. Still, that did very little to hide his... excitement . I couldn’t blame him, though. Despite how shitty Callie looked emotionally, she looked good .

His pistachio colored eyes flickered from her waist to her face, then back to her body. And though his smile didn’t falter, I could tell he was just as shocked as I was.

I finally allowed my gaze to follow his. Her formerly flat stomach was full and round, stretching the already-thin pink material of her shirt. A gentleman would have stopped looking there, but I wasn’t like that. My attention fell lower, savoring the way her hips strained against her leggings. Her thighs looked softer, and instantly, I thought about how they’d feel wrapped around my head.

I took a deep breath to quell the thundering of my heart. A wave of warmth hit me below the belt, and I discreetly adjusted myself to prevent her from knowing what she was doing to me. Now wasn’t the time to bend her over the couch and watch the way Callie’s ass jiggled as I plunged in and out of her. I needed to figure out who hurt her.

Jace’s towel slid lower as he crossed his arms against his still-wet chest.

“So... I see someone’s been eating good.” His eyes lingered on her curves in the shameless way that would’ve earned anyone else a slap.

Callie’s cheeks flushed further, though I couldn’t tell if it was from frustration or embarrassment. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other before placing a hand on her stomach.

“Shut the fuck up, Jace,” she muttered, using her free hand to rub her temple.

She clearly wasn’t happy, but at least she wasn’t crying anymore.

Jace’s smirk deepened as he blatantly gave her a once-over again, now circling her. I didn’t miss how he pulled his lip through his teeth when he looked at her ass. When he filled the space beside me, his cock was at full attention, turning the towel into a makeshift tent.

“Our sweet little angel’s filled out a bit, hasn’t she?” His words took on a mocking tone as his eyes repeatedly flicked between her stomach and her hips. “The way you look in those leggings is about to give me a fucking heart attack.”

Her jaw tensed as she sniffled once more. No tears followed, so I assumed it was just her winding herself down.

“I’m pregnant, asshole.”

“Now, was that so hard? You could have started with that and saved yourself all this embarrassment.” He rested a hand on her stomach, and I envied how he shamelessly touched her. “Don’t get me wrong, though. Those new curves of yours look delicious .”

“Are you enjoying yourself?”

Though she sounded fed up, I could see the way her breathing quickened. Whether or not she liked it, part of her was responding to Jace’s attention. He slid his hand lower, hooking one finger into the band of her leggings.

“Oh, I absolutely am.” He assured her. “And I know if Sulien were here, he’d be keeping that fine ass of yours well-fed and as close to the bedroom as possible.”

Just the mention of his name caused Callie’s face to fall. Her bottom lip quivered for a beat, and I prepared to smack Jace. But, after a moment, she cleared her throat and wiped away the tears sticking to her lower lashes.

“Shut up, Jace.” The shake in her voice strangled my heart.

Callie turned away from him, crossing her arms as she completely focused on me. Her lips parted like she had something to say, but the words died on the tip of her tongue.

“I’m sorry,” she breathed before turning to walk away. To prevent her from leaving as quickly as she came, I jogged past her to the door and pressed my back against it. I shot Jace a glare, and he held his hands up in mock surrender, but his smirk said he wasn’t sorry.

Fucking dickhead.

“Hold on there, sweetheart. You didn’t come to visit just to get bullied.” I laughed, trying to think of something else to say, anything to keep her here. “We haven’t seen you for months. Why don’t you sit down? I can get you a drink.”

The second I offered it, I realized we didn’t actually have much in the way of beverages. We had a bunch of beer, something a pregnant woman couldn’t have. Jace brought home some whiskey the other day, but no mixers, so I couldn’t offer her a soda. I wasn’t sure, but I didn’t think she could have coffee either. And, though it was fine for Jace and me, I didn’t really trust the tap water.

Callie pressed her lips into a thin line as she shook her head.

“I shouldn’t have come here, and I’m sorry.” She struggled through the words, and I swore I was going to see her cry again.

“Well, you did,” Jace called from behind me.

Callie wrapped her arms tighter around herself as her sapphire eyes flickered between me and the door. If I weren’t right here, she’d have bolted by now. And that would’ve meant losing the one form of contact we’d had with her in months. Of course Callie had been on my mind since Sulien’s death, but I figured she didn’t give a shit about us. And that was her right. Her family was heroes, and we were just low-grade villains.

“Don’t be like that,” I soothed, leaning further onto the wooden door for emphasis. “You’re here now, so just sit for a few minutes… I don’t really want you running around like that .”

I wildly gestured to her stomach, still trying to process the news. Sulien had said something about Callie fucking around with other heroes before she got involved with us, so there was a chance that thing wasn’t Sulien’s… but I hoped it was.

It’d be nice to have a piece of him to hang onto, and I knew his dad would feel the same.

Her gaze fell to the floor. “I can’t stay. I’m sorry for interrupting you.”

“Don’t be sorry.” I locked the sliding lock at the top of the door before pushing myself off of it and closing the gap between us. The second she was within reach, I placed a hand on either of her shoulders. “No matter what, you’re always welcome here. We’ve missed you.”

She tensed, but didn’t pull away. The second her eyes met mine, I saw an emotion much deeper than anxiety, sadness, or even anger. Callie was completely exhausted—not just physically, either. The normal spark in her eyes was gone. In the time since I’d last seen Callie, she’d been completely broken.

“I can stay for a few minutes,” she relented, batting at her eyes with the back of her hands.

“Good.” That was all we needed. Callie could explain why she was like this, and then she could leave, as long as she had somewhere safe to go. If she didn’t though… I guess I’d have to politely kidnap her.

I draped an arm over Callie’s shoulders and led her away from the door. Jace decided that was his cue to vanish into his room. Honestly, it might be easier to talk without his dumb ass here. After making sure Callie was as comfortable as possible on our depressing excuse of a couch, I settled into the weathered armchair across from her.

“Now, why are you in our neck of the woods?”

Our neighborhood wasn’t the place for people like Callie—too many shady things for someone so bright.

“I…” Her voice trailed off as she picked at the chipped pink polish on her nails. “I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

I fought a look of confusion. “Don’t you still live with your folks?”

At least, that’s what Sul had said. His exact words were: The Voltarises are like some sort of cult where the kids never move out . But hey, having a close-knit family wasn’t a bad thing. If my Mama hadn’t been so insistent about me joining the family business , I would have stayed at home a few more years. Could’ve used the time to get myself on my feet, honestly.

“I got kicked out.”

My eyes involuntarily widened.

“Because of the baby?” In a fucked-up way, that made sense. They probably wanted some sort of cookie-cutter princess, and right now, that wasn’t Callie.

Her hair swayed as she shook her head.

“They wanted me to get into a relationship with the top hero at Aegis. Something about fixing our reputation.” A quiet sort of anger colored her words, but it didn’t last long. “So… I was hoping I could stay here… just until I figure out what to do.”

So, the Voltarises kicked out their own daughter because she wouldn’t play along with their plans for her. That wasn’t the type of behavior you’d expect from the world’s most popular family of heroes. And now, not only was their daughter homeless and pregnant, but it sounded like she thought she was a burden.

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees as I studied her. If Sul were here, he would have burnt down their fucking mansion for hurting Callie like this, and I’d have helped him. But Callie didn’t need that stress. Instead, I focused on coming up with a way to tell her that I’d prefer her to be here. It’d be easier to protect her and the baby that way. I just didn’t want to come off as a creep.

“You can stay as long as you need.” That seemed safe enough.

She let out a deep exhale, pressing her fingers to her chest as she mumbled something I didn’t quite catch. I could practically see her muscles relaxing one by one.

Ah, fuck. I was staring at her again.

“I can pay bills!” she hurriedly offered. “I kind of lost my job because I worked for my family… but I have savings, and I can get another one!”

“You’re in school, right?”

She nodded, and I winced.

“No job,” I ordered, trying to be firm without overstepping. A job, school, mourning, and a baby were way too much for one person to carry. “I make enough; if you need or want something, just ask, and I’ll make it happen.”

Her lips parted as she studied me like I’d suddenly grown another head.

“No job?” She echoed like she couldn’t quite believe it. “But... I don’t want to sit around and be useless. I need to help somehow.”

I waved her off. “You’re growing a human. That’s enough.”

Her brow furrowed, and I felt like she was going to argue with me, but it would be in vain.

“Give me a list of stuff to get you from the grocery store.” I yawned as I stood. “You’re home now, and I want you to feel like it.”