Page 13 of Grounded (Convergence #1)

“He's staring at you again,” Rinna said gleefully.

Liria glanced across the crowded dance floor of Celestine—Dubar's most popular spot for dancing, drinking, and maybe a little more.

Holograms of tropical plants, trees, and a waterfall adorned the massive room—the night's theme evident.

More illusions covered the floor and ceiling in grass, vines, and colorful flowers, while exotic birds roosted in the branches.

But Rennux wasn't part of the scenery. He wasn't an illusion.

Nor was the hot look he was giving Liria—hot enough to steam up the fake jungle.

Eight days had passed since Liria had given Rennux back his feather.

Two weeks since she had kissed him. Or he had kissed her.

Whatever. It had been a total of fourteen days since the incident.

No, fifteen. Fifteen days of hunting. After Liria returned Thaxvarien's feather, he got even more subtle about his pursuit.

More cunning. Liria couldn't prove that he was still stalking her.

But all of her efforts to avoid him failed.

Every time she thought she had outmaneuvered Rennux, she'd turn a corner and there he'd be.

Watching her. It would have been creepy if he hadn't looked so damn sexy.

And forlorn. Ugh! He stared at her like a puppy.

A rabid puppy. Some kind of hunting breed. Who was also lost and lonely.

“Can Aethari track people?” Liria whispered, even though the music coming through all the hidden speakers should have covered their conversation. At this point, she wasn't putting anything past Thaxvarien Rennux.

“Track people?” Rinna looked at the other women at their table, all of them chiefs. “I don't know. I guess as much as anyone. They have access to the same tracking devices we do.”

“No, I mean, can they smell people and track them like dogs?”

Meandra, one of the other chiefs, chuckled. “Not that I've ever heard of. I think your boy simply has it bad for you and makes a point of knowing where you'll be.”

“Yeah, but how does he know?” Liria hissed.

“Hey, ladies.” A cute blond guy stepped around a hologram tree and came up beside Liria, nodding at the other women before focusing on her. “Hey, Li.”

“Hi, Jured.” Liria turned in her seat to face him.

They'd gone on a few dates, but never gotten to the sex.

There was nothing wrong with Jured; they just weren't there yet.

Liria had fully expected to get there with him.

But as she smiled up at him, an image of Rennux popped into her head.

She instantly remembered the feel of his body against hers.

The thought of getting naked with Jured left her cold under the heat of Thaxvarien's memory. Fuck.

Jured wasn't a soldier. He was an ordinary guy who lived in Dubar—a city just five miles away from Fortress 6.

Mainly a support city for the fortress, Dubar wasn't all that large.

It didn't even have leystone carriages or breathforges.

It did have a city ward tower, though. That was imperative in a town so near a pit.

When activated, the tower would cast a dome of protection over the city.

It wouldn't hold against Nethren forever, but it would give the residents enough time to evacuate.

Some people moved to Dubar because of the opportunity to make money off the soldiers; some came because real estate was cheap; and others, like Jured, had been born there. Why a nice guy like him didn't leave was beyond her.

“I didn't know you were coming into town tonight.” Jured set a hand on the back of Liria's chair and leaned in.

“Girls' night.” Rinna patted Jured's arm. “Sorry, Jured. She'll call you later, all right?”

“Rinna, I can speak for myself.” Liria stood up, scowling at Rinna, and motioned Jured off to the side. When they were out of earshot of the ladies, she said, “Sorry, I didn't think about calling you. It's been a rough week. We had a breach.”

“You did? Shit. Are you all right?”

“You know I don't go into the pit. Not during a battle.”

“Yes, but I also know that on rare occasions, the barrier needs someone to repair it physically.”

He was right, of course. As a native Dubarian, Jured knew a lot about the local pit and its defenses. Plus, they'd had conversations about her job, and she had told him a few things. Jured was that rare type of man who actually listened.

“True. Thankfully, I didn't have to do that. I did have to converge some extra energy into the barrier to get it functioning again, but I didn't have to leave the office.”

“Good. I'm glad.”

Jured was one of the better-looking men Liria had dated, almost too good-looking by her standards.

When he smiled, dimples appeared in his cheeks.

Dimples on a grown man. Just adorable. Combined with his fit body and kind manner, Jured was intriguing enough for Liria to push her limits.

And yet now he seemed scrawny, and his dimples made him look like a child.

Liria suddenly craved a pair of broad shoulders and a belly she could break her teeth on.

“Li?”

Liria cleared her throat. “Sorry. As I said, it's been rough. I'm a bit distracted. Just came here to unwind.”

“Hey, I don't want to intrude on your girls' night. I get it. Sometimes you just need to hang with your friends and get really drunk.”

“Ugly drunk. Puking in the street drunk. The kind of drunk I don't want you to see.”

He laughed. “Yeah, I'm getting the picture.”

“Don't,” she teased, pushing on his chest. “I just told you I don't want you to see me like that.”

“I will try to put it out of my mind. But honestly, even the worst images of you are beautiful.” He caught her hand and kissed it. “Can I vid you in a couple of days? Maybe we could do dinner?”

“That sounds great. Yes, of course.”

Jured grinned. “I'll talk to you then. Have fun tonight.”

“Thanks.” Liria nodded toward the group of his friends. “You too. Looks as if you're having a boys' night.”

“Yes, but that means they're all looking for girls.” Jured winked at her.

As he left, Liria tried to find the excitement she used to get from flirting with Jured.

It just wasn't there. And then she looked up and met Rennux's hard stare from across the hall.

Liria blinked. Frowned at him. He lifted an eyebrow at her.

She rolled her eyes and went back to her seat, ending the oddly intimate and wordless conversation.

She had to stop looking at Private Rennux. Simple. Just don't look at him.

Liria looked up. Rennux was gone.

Wincing at her weakness, Liria went back to nursing her drink.

Maybe seeing her with Jured had been what Rennux needed to move on.

So why didn't she feel relieved? Why was her chest getting tight?

And why hadn't she left with Jured as she would have done on any other night?

Girls' night? Please. Liria ditched these girls for men all the time, and they did the same to her.

The possibility of sex was more appealing than getting drunk.

For one thing, it didn't make you throw up. At least not if you did it right.

Pondering men would lead to another type of hangover. So, Liria reached for her drink, intending to concentrate on it and her friends. Except that one of her friends had another idea.

“Are you seriously going to bother with that boring bowl of porridge when you could feast on that decadent dessert of an Aethari?” Rinna demanded.

“Rinna, I don't want to just fuck around with someone.” Liria narrowed her stare at her friend. “And please don't send my boyfriend away without my permission again.”

“Boyfriend? Ugh, don't use that word.” She grimaced. “I was doing you a favor by getting rid of him. Or trying to. Then you went and ruined it. You know Rennux was watching the entire time. He's probably given up on your idiot ass.”

“Good. We're not compatible.”

“Compatible? The only difference between you two is that he has wings, and yeah, they can get in the way of a few positions, but they also make new positions possible. So, it works out.”

The other girls giggled.

Kei leaned into the middle of the round table to whisper loudly, “I had a winger once who fucked me while flying.”

“Shut up!” Rinna shrieked. Then she looked at Liria.

“Not happening,” Liria said. “And where could you even do that without the entire planet seeing you?”

“That's why we did it at night.” Kei waggled her eyebrows. “Right above the fortress.”

“You did not!” Heila pointed her finger at Kei. “You're a damn liar.”

“No, it's true.” Kei giggled again.

Liria sat back and sipped her drink, her gaze sliding over to Jured's table.

She was considering going home with him just to prove to herself that she didn't need anything Rennux was offering.

But Jured was gone. Not just him—the whole table was empty.

Liria frowned and looked around the dance hall.

Across the jungle of writhing people, moving to the wild music, she caught the flutter of dark wings. And not of the holo-birds.

Thaxvarien was settling against the wall as if he'd just returned from the bathroom. Or from screwing some woman in a dark corner. Or—was he smirking at her? Liria narrowed her eyes at him and looked around again.

“Son of a Nethren!” Liria shot to her feet.

“What? What?” Rinna spun in her seat, looking side to side before she saw Rennux. “Oh, he looks pleased with himself. Told you, girl. He moved on. Damn, he's quick. Some lucky woman got all of that.” She frowned and reconsidered. “Then again, if he's that fast, maybe she's not so lucky.”

“If only that was what he was doing,” Liria growled and stormed off, skirting the tropical dance floor.

“Go get him, girl!” Rinna shouted after her.

“Oh, I'm getting him all right,” Liria muttered. “I'm about to pluck that motherfucker.”