Chapter 5

Sulien

It had been about a week since I’d slept with Callie, and the only consequence of that night seemed to be acquiring a girlfriend.

Whether it was because I was the only person she could hang out with outside of school or because she actually liked me that much, I wasn’t sure. But every night I wasn’t working, she was with me. She never spent the night, but that was fine, especially because Callie liked to cook before she left.

Every night we spent together, she’d bring ingredients and whip up dinner in my tiny, barely functional kitchen. It felt like a routine for her, but I couldn’t even find the words to tell her how much it meant to me. Since starting at Vanguard, I’d only eaten lunch—thanks to the singular daily meal credit included in my scholarship.

Most days, I skipped breakfast and dinner to make sure my bills were paid and that I had enough to send to my dad for his medications. My dad never asked for the money, but I knew he couldn’t afford his medicine on his own.

The meals Callie made weren’t fancy—just something she could quickly throw together—but they were real food, and they tasted way better than anything I was used to. Plus, I wasn’t eating alone–which was new.

I’d never had company at mealtimes, even as a kid. Before things got bad with my dad’s health, he and I never sat down for meals together. There was always something else going on, a reason to eat alone in front of the TV or not at all. But with Callie, it felt…different. This was how normal people operated, how people who didn’t grow up around villains lived. And while I loved the normalcy she gave me, it scared the hell out of me.

No one in my life ever stayed, aside from Jace and Kane. My dad was in and out of jail, doing his best to make ends meet. The homes that took me in would vanish the moment he was free. And while I liked to think Callie was with me because she genuinely liked me, she was also doing a job.

She was supposed to clean up my image so I could get a placement. But once her mission was accomplished, would she leave like everyone else?

The thought constantly lingered, threatening to obscure the unexpected happiness I’d found with Callie. I wouldn’t say I loved her—I hadn’t known her long enough for that. But being beside her felt right. I stared down at the red plastic tray in front of me, trying not to let my thoughts ruin our lunch.

“You’re thinking too much,” Callie whispered, nudging me with her elbow.

“I’m starting to think you lied about not being able to consistently read minds,” I warned, snagging a soggy fry off her tray.

She gave me a shy smile and shrugged. “I didn’t. You’re just an open book.”

I arched a brow, popping the fry into my mouth. It squished between my teeth, and I found myself a little pickier than I’d been a week ago. It wasn’t fair that Callie could poke around in my mind when I didn’t even know her full name.

“What’s Callie short for?”

“Calendar.” She shrugged, mischief lighting her blue eyes.

“The next time we have sex, I’m going to moan, Calendar ,” I promised, taking a sip of her water. I didn’t need to pick off her tray anymore; I just wanted to see how far I could push her. “And with how frequently we do it , it’s going to happen soon.”

A subtle flush colored her cheeks. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh, I absolutely would,” I warned, taking another sip of her water. “Unless you give me something else to say instead—perhaps your real name?”

She let out a short laugh, and for a moment, I thought she was going to tell me. But before she could, the alarm on my phone sounded.

I glanced at the screen and bit back a curse.

“Combat simulations?” she asked, pointing to the device.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose and nodded. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go to class—it was one of my favorites—but today was the day I’d find out who my partner would be for the yearly showcase.

Callie said she’d been working hard to clean up my reputation, but we both knew that wouldn’t be enough for someone like me. My performance needed to back up everything she’d said.

I needed to be spectacular enough to outweigh the risks that came with allowing the son of Necro into a hero center. And if I didn’t get a good partner, I’d have to work twice as hard.

“Yeah,” I breathed, shoving my phone into my pocket. “Can I walk you to class?”

I’d learned from being late last week and made sure to set my alarm ten minutes earlier.

Her face lit up as she nodded, and I reached for her backpack, slightly proud of myself for graduating from just giving her company to being allowed to carry her books.

***

I’d hoped that Professor Lumanara would rip off the Band-Aid and have our pairings written on the board the second we came to class, but that would have been too easy. Instead, she said that was end-of-class business; she wanted to see everyone spar at least once more before finalizing the lists. The only good thing about this situation was the fact that she’d yet again chosen Jack to be my opponent.

He and I squared off in the middle of the training field. The protective barrier hummed around us. We were paired together a lot, but it wasn’t about evenly matched skill–if that were the case, I wouldn’t consistently kick his ass–it was about containing the destruction that inevitably followed our powers. If the two most destructive forces in the room were paired together, the forcefield only needed to be used once.

Lumanara’s gaze swept over us, her hand poised to give the signal to start.

The other students watched from behind the barrier. I could see a few of them chatting, probably making bets or saying it wasn’t fair to Jack for him to constantly be paired with me. But that didn’t matter. Maybe if Jack tried to use some strategy and not just try to brute force his way through combat, he’d actually have a chance.

With the drop of her hand, Lumanara signaled the start of combat. Jack lunged forward as he seemingly pulled a spear of ice out of thin air. I yawned and crossed my arms, determined to give him a ten-second head start. Maybe if I did that, he’d stand a chance.

The spear glinted in the artificial light as he moved toward me, but I didn’t budge. My eyes locked with his, and I held up my hand, making a show of how many fingers I had.

“Five… four… three…” With each number, I put a finger down.

By the time I’d finally counted down, Jack was almost upon me, his spear dangerously close to my chest. But just as he got close to stabbing me, I ducked to the ground, leaving him to aimlessly swipe at the air.

The force of Jack’s misplaced momentum caused him to stumble, and I used that second of hesitation to pivot back to my feet.

“Uh-oh, someone missed,” I taunted as he whipped around.

Jack cast me a narrow-eyed glare before throwing the spear in my direction. It was a good attempt, just not good enough. I stepped to the side, allowing the weapon to whistle past me before shattering against the protective barrier.

“Come on, you can at least make me sweat!” I heckled.

Jack’s nostrils flared as he looked directly at Lumanara, but all she did was motion for us to continue. He grunted as he flicked his wrist, summoning another spear like that’d do him any good.

He charged at me again, this time with a look of determination in his eyes. This was new and maybe a little bit exciting. As he closed the gap between us, I watched his feet, gauging the rhythm of his movement. Jack was stupid, but he had to know that direct confrontation didn’t work—not with me, at least.

This time, he swung the ice in a large arc, and I ducked under it before reaching up just long enough to grasp the shaft.

I shivered as the chill of the ice bit into my palm, signaling that I’d fucked around long enough. With a deep breath, I focused on the heat growing in my chest, steadily releasing it into my palms. My grip on the spear tightened, the ice hissing as steam rose between my fingers. Jack’s eyes widened as I savored the way fire surged beneath my skin.

“Jack. Jack. Jack.” I tsked, shaking my head. “Don’t you know what happens when fire meets ice?”

“Quit fucking talking and just fight me!” Jack snapped.

My lips curled into a smirk as I watched Jack try to hide his panic under anger. Jack knew as well as I did that talking was part of my strategy. When you pissed someone off enough, they became sloppy, and if they were sloppy, they made more mistakes.

I used what remained of the spear in my hands to pull Jack closer before twisting my wrist and snapping the ice. Shards fell to the ground with a wet clatter, and before Jack could react, I grabbed the collar of his training uniform.

Jack’s knee shot up, grazing the fabric of my shirt, but I stepped to the side just enough to avoid impact. I used his momentum against him, sweeping my leg under his and causing him to tumble to the floor.

Jack hit the ground with a pained groan, and I finally gave in to the fire, begging to be released. With a sharp exhale, I allowed the orange flames to coil around my arms and coat my fists. Flickering shadows danced along the training ground as I reached down to grab Jack by his collar once more.

The flames around my fists crackled and roared, casting a tangerine glow across Jack’s face. “What’s the matter? You can’t be out of tricks already.”

He smirked at me as the world rapidly dropped in temperature. The air around us began to crystallize, shards of ice hitting the floor as frost spread beneath us. My muscles went rigid as I tried to think of my next steps. This was new—like, really new.

Before I could gather my thoughts, the frost spread to my legs, crawling up them like ivy on an old building. The pain was sharp and tingly, and as I fought the urge to cry out, a memory flitted through my mind.

Last week, Jack had done this to Callie. Not on purpose, but he’d still hurt her nonetheless, and that pissed me off.

The frost crept higher, biting into my chest, and I could tell by the smug look on Jack’s face that he thought he’d won. But he was making a big fucking mistake if he thought he could hurt my girlfriend without repercussions.

The flames coiled around me like a snake and slowly shifted to a deep blue as the temperature around us skyrocketed.

The frost on the area quickly shifted to steam as my chest heaved. All I could think about was incinerating Jack.

“So, that’s the trick you used to hurt your sister.” My voice was a low, dangerous growl.

I dropped Jack, causing him to fall to the ground, before extending my palm to him. A mound of blue flames generated near my palm, and just as I was about to release them, Professor Lumanara snapped me out of my thoughts .

“Sulien! That’s enough.”

I stood a little straighter as I looked back at her, suddenly feeling a little guilty for my thoughts. Heroes didn’t kill people, but I’d wanted nothing more than to punish Jack for hurting Callie.

The blue flames around us slowly started to dissipate, and the area cooled. The protective barrier around us shimmered as it retracted.

Jack lay in a puddle on the ground, shivering and somewhat stunned at what almost happened. Slowly, Professor Lumanara approached us, her white cape billowing with each step.

“That was villain behavior.” Lumanara snapped.

A flush of embarrassment crept into my cheeks as the rest of Lumanara’s lecture faded into the background. The word villain echoed in my mind over and over and over again. As much as I hated to admit it, she was right.

Heroes were supposed to put their feelings to the side and act for the sake of the greater good. But I hadn’t done that at all. Instead, I almost seared Jack Voltaris in the name of revenge—anger I’d harbored toward him for an accident.

My breathing shallowed as I balled my fists, letting my nails dig into my palms. My powers had gotten out of control before, usually when I was angry. But this was different. I remained in control of my flames. I had chosen to let them burn, to let them come dangerously close to consuming Jack. It wasn’t a slip; it was a decision—a calculated one.

My stomach churned at the realization. And, for the first time in my life, I genuinely wondered if I’d be able to cut it as a hero.