Novels by Calahan

The glass cathedral shrieked. It wasn't the sound of breaking material; it was the sound of reality losing its grip as Akira’s violet energy tore into the floor. The platform groaned, its structural integrity failing under the weight of his rage, and with a thunderous, bone-shaking crack, the entire center of the floor disintegrated.Gravity inverted.Akira plummeted into the abyss, his stomach lurching, the air rushing past him in a violent, icy gale. He reached out blindly, his fingers clawing at the shifting debris, but he felt a grip of steel catch his wrist."Don't let go, you damn fool!"It was Kaelith. She was plummeting beside him, her armor glowing with a frantic, protective golden sheen. She wasn't fighting him; she was desperately locking her arm into his, her eyes wide with a fear that shattered her usual, icy composure. A few feet above them, Vax was grappling with a hanging coolant pipe, his face contorted in a mask of sheer panic."Akira!" Vax screamed, his fingers slip

The kiss in the dark hallway tasted like the end of the world, a desperate collision of teeth and tongue that left them both breathless. When they finally broke apart, Akira’s pulse was a frantic, rhythmic drum against his ribs. He didn't look at the gray husks of the Reclaimers; he felt their absence in the atmosphere, a quiet vacancy in the weave that told him they were well and truly gone.Vax wiped a streak of blood from his lip, his eyes dark with a mixture of residual fear and a predatory pride that made Akira’s stomach tighten. "We can’t stay here," Vax muttered, his voice still ragged. "The moment those boys didn't check in, the Spire sensors would have flagged this sector. If we want to hit the core, we have to move now, while they’re still recalibrating."Akira nodded, his fingers lingering on Vax’s hip for a second longer than necessary, grounding himself in the warmth of the man’s body before turning toward the ventilation shaft that led upward. "Lead the way, then. I’m do

The metallic tang of ozone and scorched flesh clung to the air like a shroud. Akira knelt in the gloom, his fingers buried deep into the ragged edges of Vax’s tunic. His own life-force pulsed through his palms, a violet, liquid fire that seeped into the scavenger’s jagged wound. He watched as the skin knitted itself back together, knit by agonizing knit, but the cost was staggering. Akira felt his own internal reserves hollowing out, leaving him lightheaded and swaying."Wake up," Akira hissed, his voice cracking. He didn't know if he was pleading with Vax or with the cold, uncaring city. "You don't get to die on me after what you almost did."Vax’s eyelids fluttered, a raw, ragged gasp breaking the silence. He shifted, his body arching in pain as he looked up at Akira. His eyes, usually sharp and cynical, were hazy with shock. "You… you idiot," he rasped, his voice barely audible over the distant drone of the Inquisitor gunships. "You burned half your soul to stitch me up. Why?"Akir

The heavy iron doors of the Sump cellar groaned as Vax shoved them open, his hand lingering on the small of Akira’s back with a proprietary, firm pressure. Outside, the city was a sprawling, neon-drenched nightmare, the upper levels shimmering with the false promise of safety. Akira moved with a newfound fluid grace, his senses tuned to the subtle vibrations of the metal and stone beneath his boots. He felt powerful—a predator who had finally learned the shape of his own claws."Stay close," Vax murmured, his voice a low, gravelly rasp against the wind. "The patrol routes change in the upper sectors. If we get caught in the light of an Inquisitor emitter, we’re going to have to cut through a lot of red tape."Akira glanced at him, a faint, sharp smirk playing on his lips. "I’m not scared of them anymore, Vax. You taught me how to set the trap. We’re the ones doing the hunting tonight."Vax didn't respond immediately. His jaw tightened, a hard line against the jagged scar on his face.

The silence of the Sunken Sanctum felt heavy, like a shroud that had finally settled over Akira’s mind. He blinked, the violet glow in his eyes receding into a dull, charcoal ash. The world felt different—cleaner, but frighteningly hollow. He looked up at the man holding him, the stranger whose pulse beat in rhythm with the echoes of the chamber."I’m the one who’s going to keep you safe," the man whispered, his breath hot and ragged against Akira’s ear. "And since you don't remember who you were... you’re finally all mine to decide."Akira frowned, pulling back just enough to study the man’s face. The scar that ran from his temple to his jaw seemed like a map he should have known how to read. "Vax," Akira said, the name tasting foreign and heavy on his tongue. He didn't know why he knew it, but the name stuck to him like a shadow.Vax let out a low, shaky laugh, his thumb tracing the line of Akira’s jaw with a possessive, electric friction. "Yeah. Vax. You’re learning fast, aren't yo

The air between Akira and Kaelith grew so thin it felt like shards of glass in his lungs. He was feigning total defeat, his body hanging limp in her iron-tight grip, but his mind was a storm of calculation. He felt the threads of her energy—golden, rigid, and arrogant—unfurling near his skin. She was so close he could taste the ozone of her power.Closer, he prayed, his fingers twitching in the dark.As she leaned in to deliver her final, chilling threat, the air didn’t just vibrate; it tore. Akira snapped his head forward, not to strike, but to jam a hidden, solidified spike of his own violet energy into the gap between her armor plates at her neck. It wasn't enough to kill her, but it was enough to shatter the localized pressure.Kaelith recoiled with a sharp hiss, her golden eyes flashing with genuine surprise. In that micro-second of disorientation, Akira twisted, slamming his shoulder into her chest and breaking the hold. He dove toward Vax, hooked his arm under the scavenger’s h