Page 18 of Grounded (Convergence #1)

Liria didn't see Private Rennux for two days.

Not beyond images on a cacher screen. He seemed more reserved.

No rebellions or bad behavior of any kind.

But then, all he was doing was training.

Liria tried not to look. It was her job to monitor the entire fortress, not just the pit, so she had to at least do a cursory glance at the training yards.

Of course, that didn't mean she had to focus on Rennux.

No, Liria didn't have to. But she did.

And she kept looking—wondering if she had hurt his feelings.

The man had given her the greatest compliment of her life, and not only had Liria tossed it back in his face, but she tacked on an insult to make sure he didn't say that shit again.

She felt like a horrible person. Rennux had just made her so angry with that whole possessive thing.

Pulled her trigger, as it were. They had kissed.

That's all. All right, they did a little more than kiss, but their clothes had stayed on, and when he came onto her afterward, she had turned him down.

There was no reason for Rennux to act as if they were in a relationship.

And Jured hadn't vided her yet. He was probably scared shitless.

Liria knew she should call Jured and reassure him.

But part of her was relieved that she wouldn't have to go out with him again.

Because, damn it, Rennux was right. Jured just didn't do it for her.

He didn't make her heart race. Wasn't that a good thing?

She used to think so. But now she'd had a taste of something addictive, and Liria wanted more. Craved it.

“Stop it,” Liria muttered to herself and looked away from the screen. It was split into ten feeds, but her gaze was drawn to the image in the upper left corner. Again and again, Liria's gaze went unerringly to it.

Because in it, Thaxvarien Rennux was in a shooting stance—dark feathered wings drawn in tightly against his back, arms out straight, both hands on his pulser, and a tight expression focused forward as he shot at a practice dummy set forty yards away.

He stood in a line with the rest of his unit, all of them practicing with their pulsers, but he was the only one Liria looked at.

Why was that pose so sexy? She forced herself to look at one of the other Aethari. Nope, it wasn't the pose.

Liria cracked her neck and went back to inspecting the barrier that had failed during the attack.

It was fine. Back to normal. Made of converged machinery, the barrier consisted of a steel shell, five feet thick.

Inside the shell was magic-fueled machinery that moved the barrier and also generated a magical energy field to coat the inner panel and repel Nethren.

Generally, there was no need to open the barrier's shell, but it could be done in the case of an emergency.

That mechanism was what the Nethren had interfered with to gain the surface.

They had broken through the energy field and tore into the shell to poison the magic with their technology. And that was no easy feat.

Pit barriers were intricate convergences made specifically to withstand direct attacks of technology.

Just getting past the magic field would have been a challenge for Nethren.

But then they would have to get through a steel shell six inches thick before pushing the barrier out of the way.

Without the barrier functioning, it was nearly impossible to move.

The thing weighed over twenty tons. And yet, Nethren broke through barriers all the time.

That's why Liria's job was so important.

She had to lead her team in monitoring and reinforcing the barrier daily.

And when it failed, they had to repair it.

Fast. Thankfully, Liria's team was only one of several security teams that shared barrier duty.

She had been at the fortress long enough to earn the right to choose the shift she preferred.

So, she got to be on days. Despite the way she'd been scouted and the higher pay grade she'd been given as an incentive to take the job, Liria had started as an entry-level officer.

Like everyone else, she had to work her way up to chief and then had to work her way up the chief ranks.

Liria used to work the night shift. That's the worst, and not just because of the whole sleep schedule thing.

The pit is just plain creepy at night. Sounds seep through the barrier.

Strange sounds. And even though they light up the pit after dark, it still feels dark in there.

As if the pit doesn't accept the false light. Or feeds on it.

Shuddering, Liria pushed aside those memories. It had been years since she had to work nights.

Still, thoughts of those dark hours haunted her throughout her shift.

Even as Liria trudged to her room after she was done for the day, her mind kept spinning backward.

And the memories blended with recent ones, merging the eerie sounds and shadows with the image of that blond Nethren who had escaped.

His stare—she could still feel it on her.

Liria shut her door behind herself, locked it, and peeled off her jacket with a sigh.

Tossing it onto a chair, she headed to the bathroom.

Maybe a hot shower would relax her enough to banish those memories.

“Liria,” a deep voice stopped her.

Liria shrieked and spun. There he was—Thaxvarien Rennux, sitting on her bed, his wings framing him as if he were posing for her.

“Son of a Nethren!” Liria snarled. “What the fuck are you doing in here?”

“Waiting for you.” His expression and tone said that it was obvious.

Liria sighed and rubbed her forehead. “All right, fine. I wanted to talk to you anyway. Not that I approve of you breaking into my room.”

“The door was open.”

“You entered without permission.”

He shrugged.

“Right. I need to be more vigilant about locking my door. Lesson learned.”

“Yes, you do.”

Liria went to stand before him. “I'm sorry about what I said. You know, at Celestine.”

Rennux's eyes widened.

“I got mad. You're not stupid. Definitely arrogant, but not stupid. And you're not a bad person. I shouldn't have implied that.”

“You said I'm cut glass.”

“You're not cut glass. It just sounded good in my rant.”

“Thank you.” He stood up. “That stung. A lot.”

“It . . .” Had he just admitted to being hurt by something she said? Wow.

While she was distracted by the possibility of a vulnerable man, Rennux stepped closer.

Liria backed away. He was massive in her little room, the breadth of his shoulders—already impressive—enhanced by his wings, even when they were folded.

Had she ever been with a man so large? Nope.

Not even close. But then, she'd only been with Medeans, and Medeans aren't built for flight.

“Liria, why can't you admit that you feel the same for me as I do for you?”

“You're very attractive, and I do feel things. There, I've admitted it.”

“Great.” He reached for her. “Now, all you have to do is ask me to kiss you, and we can move past this awkwardness.”

She batted away his hand. “Enough, Rennux. I said no. I don't want to be with you. And I certainly don't belong to you. Go find someone else. I'm sure you won't have to look for long.”

“That was a misunderstanding—what I said about you being mine.”

“A misunderstanding?”

“I meant it as proof of my good intentions toward you.”

“What?” Liria locked stares with Rennux, daring him to proceed with that nonsense. “You want me to believe that throwing out a claim of ownership is your way of showing me you're a good guy?”

“In a manner of speaking. Look, it's an Aethari thing. I was trying to tell you that I'm not looking for a quick fuck with you. I respect you. Saying you're mine implies that I'm yours. I'm willing to focus on you and you alone.”

Huh. That didn't sound so awful. Was this a cultural misunderstanding, as he said? Liria searched her mind for anything she'd read about Aethari courtships. Maybe she had overreacted.

“I'm not an Aethari. How was I to know what that meant?”

“I see that now.” He ran a hand over his hair, brushing the ends back off his shoulders. “Look, I know we'll have more misunderstandings. There will be things we need to learn about each other and our cultures. We're very different.”

“You got that right.”

“But not so different that we can't be together.”

“I disagree.”

“I don't understand. Why? Why not me? You said you're not into fucking strangers. I respect that. I'm willing to take it slow. Come on, Liria. Give me a chance. Get to know me. Then we won't be strangers anymore.”

“I can't.”

“Why? What's wrong with me? Just tell me!”

“You're too damn sexy!” Liria shrieked.

His eyes went wide.

Liria took a deep breath. “I can't get involved with someone as attractive as you. It's dangerous. I get . . . too involved.”

Rennux started laughing.

“Shut up.” Liria crossed her arms over her chest. “I'm being serious.”

“Oh, I know you are. That's what's so funny. You don't want me because you want me too much.”

“I . . . yes, I want you too much. When I'm with a man like you, I end up losing myself in him. He becomes more important than me, and I become someone I don't recognize or even like. I get clingy. I get stupid. I get . . .” She flopped her arms out.

“Adorable?” He grinned and eased closer. “That's called falling in love, Li.”

“Don't call me that. You don't know me well enough to call me that.”

“Ask me.”

“No.”

“Come on,” his voice dropped to a purr as his hand slid over her hip. “Ask me to kiss you.”

“I'm not asking.”

“I won't let you lose yourself.”

“You can't stop it from happening.”

“All right then.” Rennux was close enough that one step would bring their bodies together. He leaned down close enough that his breath feathered over her face. “I promise to give as much of myself as you give of yourself. Come on, baby. Let's get lost in each other.” His lips brushed against hers.

Liria shuddered. Oh, fuck. She leaned back. “No.”

“Liri, you're killing me.” His wings closed around them, the scent of lemon, mint, and masculine musk billowing around her. “I'm actually in pain. Help me.”

“Not happening. All your pretty lines aren't going to work on me. And don't call me Liri either.”

“They're not lines. They're the truth. You watch me as much as I watch you. I know you do. I feel it when you look at me. Every fucking day.” Another brush of his lips, this time over her cheek.

“So, you know I don't play like this. You know I haven't pursued anyone else.

Don't you remember what I said that first day?

I'm not one of those men who came here expecting to have sex with Medean women.

I came to serve my time and leave. I don't want to make this my career, and I wasn't looking for a lover.

Not until you punched your way into my heart.

Now, I can't get you out. So, you see, you're already clinging to me, just not in the way you expected.

You and I will be different. More than anything we've had in the past. I promise you.

And yes, it will be difficult and maybe even .

. . I don't care. I need to know what we'll be together. I need to know you.”

“We'll be a tragedy,” Liria whispered. “I'll lose control. And you won't like who I become. I won't be strong anymore. I'll be pathetic. Men don't like pathetic women.”

“I promise to be pathetic with you. That makes it all right. I won't even notice your weakness. Do you know why?”

“Because you'll be weak too?” She rolled her eyes.

“Because it's not weakness. If we get there, to that point where we'd do anything for each other, it will be love, and that's strength. It's powerful. I've seen it. You've just been with the wrong men. They didn't love you like you deserve. I can. Let me love you right.”

A woman can only take so much. With a groan, Liria let her arms fall and lifted her lips.

Rennux eased back, but only a little. “Are you asking?”

“Damn you, Rennux! Just fucking kiss me!”

“Call me Thaxvarien first.”

Liria blinked, losing her thunder. “How about Thax?”

“Can I call you Liri?”

“Yes, all right.”

“Then, yes, I like Thax.”

And she liked what he did with her lips.

Her tongue. Her entire body. Thax didn't have to touch her everywhere for her to feel him everywhere.

Just the mouth and the small of her back.

He took it slowly as promised—no grabbing or grinding.

It was a completely different experience from their first kiss. And completely life-changing.

Was this the same man Liria saw go savage in the pit?

The same one who snarled and pawed at her?

Thax's gentle kiss made her want more. Not just of his body, but more of him.

It made her think there were depths to him that she hadn't noticed.

Just as he wanted to get to know her, she wanted to learn about him. But first, she needed to kiss him.

Liria went on her toes and grabbed onto Thax's shoulders.

Body arching into his, she teased his tongue into her mouth.

Held him there. Caressed him. All the while, their lips learned the feel of each other.

He was soft there, but that was about the only place where there was softness on him.

Everywhere else Liria touched was solid.

Slabs of muscle over bone. Wait. Oh, yeah.

His ass was squeezable. Lots of padding there.

Thax tore his mouth from Liria's, his hot breath fanning her lips as if to comfort her in the absence. He stared at her, eyes wide. Swallowed. Liria stared back, waiting for a teasing comment. He didn't speak.

“Aren't you going to crow out your victory?” Liria lifted an eyebrow.

“Crow? Woman, I'm about to fall to my knees and beg you to skip the getting to know each other part and move straight to making love.”

She laughed, the low, sensual tone surprising her. Had she just made that sexual sound? It was completely at odds with her next words. “You know I don't do that. Not this fast.”

“Oh, but you want to.” Thax grabbed Liria under her ass, lifted her off her feet, and carried her to the bed. Lying her down beneath him, he said, “I won't go beyond kissing, but I need to lie here with you.”

“Or you'll fall to your knees?” Liria shook her head. “How many women have you seduced with those lines?”

He reared up to glare at her. Liria froze. She'd gone too far. That was real anger on his face. Holy shit. Was he being honest with her? Was all of it real?