Page 16 of Grounded (Convergence #1)

Heart sinking, Thaxvarien watched Liria storm off.

He had fucked up again. Said the wrong thing.

He blamed it on culture—hers. An Aethari would have been flattered by a man claiming her, even if she wasn't interested in him.

She would know that men only make such statements when they're serious.

An Aethari woman would recognize how much he was offering her.

It didn't mean she had to accept. That was her choice.

But she'd know she would be safe with this suitor.

He wanted a future, not an affair. And he would protect her with his life.

There was so much in those words that Liria hadn't heard—most of all, how much it had cost Thaxvarien to say them.

He shouldn't have said it. It was a good thing that Liria rejected him. If she had accepted, Thaxvarien would have been committed to a Medean he barely knew. Which was ridiculous. And what was even more ridiculous was how much he wanted to run after Liria and explain.

“I shouldn't have to explain!” Thaxvarien headed for the bar.

“We learn about their culture before we come here.

Why doesn't she know anything about mine?” But even as he muttered, he knew the answer.

Aethari weren't exactly forthcoming with their cultural details.

Still, he was upset and needed a path to send his anger down. “Storm,” he said to the barkeeper.

After he received his glass of ice-cold storm, Thaxvarien hunched over it and stewed his thoughts within the amber depths.

Liria Drask. What was so damn special about her?

Nothing. Other than her extreme beauty. And maybe she was a little intelligent.

Very intelligent. And brave. All right, so she was incredibly sexy when she stood up to him.

He liked that. She smelled good too. Like, all the time.

Sort of floral and sweet. Honey and roses.

Yeah, that's what she smelled like. Something delicate but also something to satisfy a man's appetite. And she had called him cut glass.

“What the fuck?”

“Are you talking to your drink?” Ader plopped down onto the stool beside Thaxvarien, his arm around a beautiful blonde Medean.

“No,” Thaxvarien muttered. Then he narrowed his eyes at the woman. “You're friends with Liria.”

“Yeah, I'm Rinna,” the woman said and nestled in closer to Ader. She had an arm around his waist and a hand on his chest. “I'm rooting for you, by the way.”

Thaxvarien straightened. “You know about me? Has Liria talked to you about us?”

“Oh, there's an us? Not according to her.” Rinna chuckled at his grimace. “Perk up, flyboy. Li is my best friend. I know all there is to know about her. And because I think you'd be good for her, I'm going to tell you a secret.”

Thaxvarien waited.

Ader looked down at Rinna. “Well? You going to spill or keep my friend waiting?”

“Men like to be kept waiting.”

“Not this man. Just so you know.” Ader pulled her closer.

“You think less of us if we don't make you wait.”

“I swear to the Source of Magic that I will think more of you if you don't make me wait.”

Rinna burst out laughing. “We'll see how I'm feeling later.”

“Oh, we will indeed see how you're feeling.”

“If you two are going to keep this up, could you move down a few stools?” Thaxvarien drawled. “I'm not in the mood.”

“Oh!” Rinna giggled. “Sorry. I forgot all about you. Uh, what was I saying?”

Before Thaxvarien could snarl at the woman, Ader said, “You were going to tell him a secret about your friend.”

“Oh, yes. Liria.” She leaned toward Thaxvarien. “All right, you gorgeous man, you. Here's the deal with Li. She got burned bad a while back by this handsome motherfucker—I mean like really handsome—and she got it in her head that the more handsome the man, the more of an asshole he is.”

“Ridiculous!” Ader declared. “Look at me. I'm stunning, and I'm one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.”

Rinna cackled as Thaxvarien snorted.

Ader grinned. “You see? I make people laugh at my own expense.”

“Yeah, you're a hero.” Thaxvarien rolled his eyes.

“Hey, I brought Rinna over to you, didn't I?”

Thaxvarien frowned. “You had no idea she knew my girl.”

“Now, she's your girl?” Rinna asked. Then she saw Ader's expression. “Why does that shock you?”

“That's a serious declaration for our kind.” Ader looked from Thaxvarien to Rinna and back. “You didn't say that to her, did you?”

“I may have mentioned that I scared off her suitor because she needed time to realize she was mine.”

“You said what?” Rinna gaped at him. “To Liria? Oh, you fucked up big time.”

Ader groaned. “Rennux, are you fucking daft? Medeans are different, especially the ones who work the fortresses. Their women don't take well to being claimed. To them, it's an insult, not a compliment.”

“Yes, I figured that out.” Thaxvarien took a deep swig of his storm. “She called me cut glass.”

“Cut glass?” Ader blinked. “Why the fuck would she call you cut glass?”

“Never mind. It was relevant to the conversation.” And Thaxvarien couldn't get that fucking relevance out of his head. Cut. Glass.

“All right, you fucked up, but all is not lost.” Rinna patted his arm. “She likes you. A lot. She just doesn't want to like you. So, she's going to take every excuse you give her to push you away.”

“Great.”

“Didn't you hear the part where Rinna said the woman likes you?” Ader leaned onto the bar and lifted his hand to get the bartender's attention. “That means you shouldn't give up. Go after her.”

“No!” Rinna shocked them both. “No, don't do that. You can't mess with her when she's like this. She needs time to think things over. Leave her alone for a couple of days. Let her think you've given up.”

“You don't think I should apologize?”

“For what? From what Laroc just said, you have nothing to apologize for. Look, Liria respects men who go after what they want and keep trying until they get it. But she also hates guys who think they deserve anything they want just because they want it. You know?”

“No, I don't.”

“Be persistent but not pushy. Confident but not arrogant. Most importantly, be vulnerable with her. Show her that she hurt you. Let her see that she has power where you're concerned. That will go far in making her feel comfortable enough to be vulnerable with you.”

Thaxvarien nodded. “All right. That I understand.”

“Good. Just hold off on that for two days. Two. Just enough time to make her worry.” Rinna smacked his shoulder and then kissed Ader's cheek. “I'll be right back. Gotta take a lady's break.”

Ader smiled and nodded as he watched the woman leave, but as soon as she was out of earshot, he leaned down and hissed, “You've offered yourself to a fucking Medean?!”

“Yeah, but she rejected me. A lot.”

“She won't reject you for long.”

“I'm not so sure about that.”

“Oh, fuck off. With your face and that body? She'll come around.”

“It's not all about looks for Liria. That's one of the things I like about her.”

“Rennux, what the fuck are you going to do with her? I mean, if she does accept you, then what?”

“I don't know.”

“Then don't go after her.”

Thaxvarien swung his head toward his friend. “Do you think I haven't told myself that very thing? I know who I am. I know how badly this will go for us. But . . .”

“What? If you know, don't do it! A child sticks their hand in a fire once, and they never do it. This woman is fire for you.”

“I can't stop myself.” Thaxvarien swigged his storm, slammed down the glass, and stared at Ader. “I just can't stay away from her.”

“Then you're gonna burn, buddy.”

“I already am.”