13. Chapter 13
Chapter 13
Callie
B eing this tired was a new kind of torture. My eyes burned with every blink, and my body felt like it was weighed down with lead. Dr. Fields had promised the fatigue would ease as my system adjusted to the increased dose of suppressors, but right now, I wasn’t so sure.
All I wanted was to curl up in bed and forget about everything for a few hours. Yet there I was, sitting in the sun-dappled patio of an Italian restaurant, too exhausted to care that I’d been dragged here.
I leaned back in the iron chair, letting the warmth of the late summer sun seep into me as I tried to shake off the residual nerves from this morning. The paperwork required to withdraw from Valor had felt endless. And if that wasn’t overwhelming enough, halfway through the stack, Kane had texted me. His message was brief but annoyingly direct: he was in the area, he wanted to grab lunch, and neither Jace nor I could say no.
At least the weather was nice.
I rested my hands on my stomach, closing my eyes to enjoy the feeling of sunshine on my skin. As much as I hated the exhaustion, it was unexpectedly nice to not hear everyone’s thoughts. If I wanted to peer into people’s minds, I still could, but the suppressors had mostly stopped me from doing it by accident. Right now, I was savoring the near silence, the only sounds around me coming from passing cars, clattering plates, and the low rumble of Jace and Kane’s voices in the background.
They were talking about something important; I was sure, but I couldn’t be bothered to pay attention. Instead, I focused on Sawyer, who squirmed beneath my skin. I didn’t think the extra heat had bothered him that much, but he’d definitely been more active since getting my fever under control.
“Hey.” Jace’s voice shattered the quiet, and I jerked up in my chair.
I hadn’t realized how close I’d been to falling asleep. Jace smirked, watching me for a moment before placing his hand beside mine.
“Is he moving again?”
I blinked about a million times, hoping to shake off the exhaustion clinging to me like a wet towel. When it didn’t, I reached for the soda I’d ordered. I knew I needed a caffeine boost, and coffee had been giving me heartburn since I got pregnant.
I took a long sip. The sugar helped clear some of the fog clouding my mind. I barely had time to put the glass down before Jace was touching me again.
“Is he?” Jace repeated.
I nodded. “He hasn’t stopped since last night.”
“... The baby moves?” Kane asked, a hint of skepticism in his voice.
“Oh yeah, he does. Callie let me feel it this morning—probably because she likes me more than you.” Jace teased, picking up a glass of red wine.
I sat up a little straighter, squinting as I watched him take a sip. Convinced my mind was playing tricks on me, I looked again, but no—he took another long drink, acting like he’d done this a thousand times before.
Where the hell did he get that? And more importantly, how?
It wasn’t like we were at home. That meant he’d had to show his ID to order… but Jace wasn’t old enough legally to drink, was he?
He must’ve noticed me staring because he slowly put the wine down, giving me a slightly annoyed look. “What?”
“Nothing,” I blurted, trying to ignore what I’d just seen.
Jace had always said he was a villain. Maybe there was some evil code where the legal drinking age didn’t matter.
“Kane,” Jace sighed, reaching for the focaccia on the table. “Calista’s being weird.”
He dipped the bread in the olive oil and vinegar mixture before placing it on his small white plate. Kane’s dark gaze pinned me, and I squirmed under the weight of his gaze.
“I’m not being weird! He is!” How was that even up for debate?
Kane smirked, running a finger around the rim of his glass. He’d ordered a beer, which made sense. He just felt older. But Jace?
“Jace loves reds… we just don’t keep them in the house much,” Kane said matter-of-factly. “Eat some bread. The baby’s hungry.”
He pointed to the basket, then to my stomach. I grabbed a piece of bread because I wanted to, and totally not because Kane told me to. It was still warm and soft, smelling like rosemary. I tore off a small corner and popped it into my mouth. The bread was delicious, but it couldn’t distract me from the fact that Jace was sitting beside me with illegal wine.
I kept stealing glances at him, hoping he’d somehow explain without me having to ask outright. But Jace was perfectly content, smirking at me between bites of focaccia like he knew exactly how much he was messing with me.
Finally, I couldn’t stand it any longer.
“So… Jace,” I started slowly, drumming my fingers on the table as I searched for a discreet way to ask, before realizing there wasn’t one. “How old are you?”
“Calista!” Jace set his glass down with an exaggerated gasp. “Hasn’t anyone told you it’s rude to ask a lady her age?”
I parted my lips to remind Jace that he was, in fact, not a lady. But before I could, the server arrived with our food. The scent of garlic and cream wafted up from my bowl, causing me to salivate.
For a minute, I forgot all about Jace as I twirled thin strands of angel hair pasta around my fork. The sauce was creamy and salty, which was exactly what I hadn’t known I needed until now. I was fully content to eat in silence—until I noticed Kane staring at me.
“What?” I asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious.
“Nothing… You just look nice, that’s all.” He averted his gaze, focusing on his lasagna. “He, uh… Jace is twenty-five, by the way.”
I froze, my fork halfway to my mouth as I looked at Jace.
He shot me a sly look, taking another drink of his wine as if for emphasis. Was Kane messing with me? There was no way Jace was that old. Sure, he had a certain confidence that would make sense with age, but I’d just assumed that was his personality.
“How old did you think I was?” Jace asked, resting his chin on his hand.
“I don’t know—like nineteen? Maybe twenty? Definitely not old enough to be an adult-adult .” I put my fork down, trying to process this.
“What’s an adult-adult?” Kane chuckled.
My cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “I don’t know! Like, someone who’s old enough to have health insurance and a retirement fund?”
“Oh, well, I don’t have either of those,” Jace said, waving me off with a laugh before picking up his fork. “But I am old enough to take care of a baby… hey, open your pretty little mouth for me.”
I eyed him suspiciously. “Why do you—”
Before I could finish, Jace shoved his fork into my mouth. Instantly, my tongue was assaulted by so much spice that my eyes watered. I choked down whatever the hell he’d just fed me and gulped my soda.
“What was that?” I asked, barely holding back a cough.
Jace shrugged, planting his hand on my stomach. “Relax, princess. A little heat never killed anyone.” He smirked as Sawyer thumped against his hand. “Little dude’s dad loved spicy food. Just seeing if he took after Sulien… and it looks like he does.”
The inferno in my mouth raged as I let out a hiccup. Oh my God , I was going to kill Jace.
“Kane, tell Jace that wasn’t funny,” I pleaded, desperately chugging my soda.
Kane shook his head, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.
“You’re both the worst,” I groaned, although I wasn’t entirely sure I meant it. For the first time in a long time… I felt at home, which was impressive, considering I hadn’t even felt that way with my parents.
“That’s what you get for messing with villains.” Jace shrugged, taking a bite of his own pasta as if to prove it wasn’t that bad.
But just as I opened my mouth to tell Jace to fuck off, the surrounding air dropped by twenty degrees. Goosebumps prickled my arms as I fought off a shiver.
“Yeah, that’s what you get for messing with villains,” an all-too-familiar voice sneered.
My head snapped toward the sound. Standing a few feet away was my brother. His blond hair was slicked back, and he wore his hero suit. The white material gleamed like fresh frost on a winter morning. He crossed his arms, causing the ice-like armor plates on his chest and arms to clink together. And, as if that wasn’t bad enough, he had company.
Trenton Taylor stood beside my brother with a smug, I’m better than you smirk. The sunlight reflected off the silver of his suit, making him painful to look at in more ways than one.
I turned to Jace, hoping he’d have something clever to say that would make both our unwelcome guests back off. Instead, he shrank into his seat. The change in Jace was subtle. His shoulders squared, his grin fading. I didn’t like it.
Luckily, Kane wasn’t nearly as fazed by their presence.
“Looks like you’ve both got something to say,” he challenged, seeming not at all threatened by them. “So say it and get lost.”
The air around Jack began to frost over, wisps of white mist curling up from his boots. I scooted closer to Jace.
“Of course, I have something to say! My little sister is parading around with villains,” Jack scoffed.
Kane’s eyes widened as he looked between Jack and me, but his surprise quickly morphed into a smirk.
“So, you’re the douchebag Sulien used to complain about all the time,” Kane snorted.
Jack’s brow furrowed as he stared at Kane. “Douchebag or not, that’s my sister.”
A layer of frost began to creep out from under Jack’s boots, and I let out a startled yelp, pulling my feet up into my chair to avoid the spreading ice.
“You’re making a bigger mess, Calista .” Jack spat my name like it left a foul taste in his mouth.
“I am not .” I argued. “They kicked me out! Jace and Kane actually want me around.”
“Just agree to go on a few dates with Trent and come home!” Jack rolled his eyes before crossing his arms. “Mom and Dad are worried sick.”
A knot formed in my stomach, and I had to remind myself that if they really cared, they’d have actually checked on me. But before I could say anything, Jace finally spoke up.
“Your family wants her–” he pointed to me “–to hook up with him?” He pointed to Trenton.
“Don’t say it like that, villain .” Jack’s eyes narrowed. “What our family does with my sister is none of your concern.”
Jace let out a hollow laugh as he crossed his arms.
“Oh, it’s very much my business,” he said, eyes fixed on Trent. “You’re trying to take my girl and pair her up with someone who lacks the proper…” His gaze flicked downward to Trent’s crotch before meeting his eyes again. “ Equipment to keep her satisfied, let alone happy. Also—let’s be clear: if anyone here is the villain, it’s you two.”
Slowly, I turned to face Jace. How did he know Trent?
“How do you figure, whore?” Trenton finally spoke up, and the disdain in his voice made me feel physically sick.
I hated everything about this situation. I hated that I’d had to drop out of school, that my mom had barely acknowledged me in her office, and now that these two idiots were crashing my date.
I was so angry that I’d started tuning out the actual conversation around me. But I started paying attention when I noticed Kane standing up. In one swift motion, he grabbed Jack by the collar and dragged him into the shaded area of the patio. The second Jack crossed into the shadows, they seemed to ripple, reaching up to coil around his legs.
The black shadows popped against the white of Jack’s suit as he struggled to free himself. But the more he moved, the higher the shadows climbed.
“I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but neither of you has any right to bother my family,” Kane growled.
A strange flutter of warmth filled my chest at the way he said my family , but the shadows creeping up Jack’s body ruined the moment. I forgot how to breathe when they wrapped around his neck.
Jace’s face turned grey and his lips blue. Trent’s arrogant smirk had been replaced with pure panic as his skin took on a metallic sheen that matched his suit. He reached out to help Jack, but the second he touched him, the shadows began wrapping around him, too.
A wave of dizziness hit me as I realized I was about to watch Kane kill someone—not just anyone, but my brother.
“Kane. Stop.” My voice shook, betraying the anxiety I tried to hide.
When Kane’s gaze flicked to mine, his eyes were almost unrecognizable. Normally, they were a deep, soulful brown, but now even the whites had gone black. He looked back at the struggling heroes, his jaw tightening.
The shadows lingered around Jack’s throat, squeezing him tighter as his face took on a sickly pallor. Trent was frozen in terror. I knew that if Kane didn’t stop, Jack would die—and Kane would either be arrested or neutralized .
And this was exactly the kind of situation suppressant technology was supposed to prevent. But I didn’t have time to point that out. Instead, I was going to have to do the one thing I wasn’t supposed to.
I took a deep breath and reached into the darkest corners of my mind, to the places that had been dimmed by the chemicals suppressing my abilities. A dull ache blossomed behind my eyes, warning me to stop, but I couldn’t. As Kane’s shadows coiled tighter, I didn’t have another choice.
“Kane, stop,” I commanded.
The dull ache exploded into a mind-shattering pain, but as the shadows began to recede, I knew it was worth it. Kane blinked, taking a step back as his eyes faded back to their normal brown.
He looked back at me, his brows knit together like he knew I did something, but I paid him no mind. Right now, my attention was on my brother.
Jack slumped to the ground, clutching his throat as he gasped for air. Trent looked absolutely terrified. It was a shame that I didn’t get to enjoy his reaction. As soon as the tension broke, my vision blurred and my face flushed with unbearable heat. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the overwhelming feeling, but I couldn’t escape it.
“Callie.” Jace’s voice was frantic, and I felt his hands on my shoulders.
But the harder I fought to stay conscious, the more I could feel myself slipping away. No matter how hard I tried, there was nothing I could do to stop it.