Page 27 of Grounded (Convergence #1)

“Traitor!” someone hissed.

Thaxvarien ignored them and kept walking. Traitor was the least horrible thing he'd been called in the last two days. But he didn't care. He had Liri. And Ader was still nice to him, often defending him against the others in their barracks room. So, at least he had one ally.

“Fuck 'em.” Right on cue, Private Larocran Ader stepped up beside Thax. “They all fuck Medeans, but magic forbid you feel anything for them. Bunch of dickheads.”

Thax lifted an eyebrow at his buddy.

Ader shrugged. “I know I warned you, but I honestly didn't think they'd treat you like this. I thought you might get your dad in trouble, not be . . .”

“Persecuted?”

“Yeah, that. Shit, Rennux, they're acting as if you've sided with Nethren. I had no idea the racism ran this deep.”

“It's all right. I've faced people like them before.”

A look over his wing, and then Ader said, “This is getting bad, though. It's only been a couple of days since you, you know, made your announcement, as it were.”

“I'm aware.” Thax turned and headed along the colonnade that overlooked the pit. He glanced down. Then froze.

Ader followed his stare. “Is that her?”

Thaxvarien's entire demeanor shifted in a heartbeat. A grin banished the anger from his face, and his wings spread wide in the Aethari equivalent of a puppy wagging its tail. “Yup. That's my girl. Isn't she beautiful?”

“Yeah, she's pretty.”

He stepped onto the low wall ringing the pit and jumped.

“Nice talking to you!” Ader shouted after him.

Thax landed two feet away from his Liri. She jerked back from the barrier, dropping her tool, and shrieked.

Laughing, Thax picked up the device and handed it to her. “Sorry, Liri.” He spread a wing to hide them from anyone passing overhead and kissed her cheek. “I saw you down here and thought I'd say hello.”

Liria took the tool and leaned in when he would have stepped back. Automatically, he reversed direction to meet her halfway. Great magic, this woman could command his movements with her will alone.

“You just startled me.” Liria lifted her face. “Come here and give me a proper kiss.”

Thax couldn't deny his Liri. Pulling her closer, he wrapped his arms around her and gave her what she wanted. It just so happened to be what he wanted too, so that worked out well for him. But even if she had asked him to crawl over jagged rocks to kiss her feet, he probably would have done it.

The thought made Thaxvarien draw out of their kiss. He was heading into dangerous territory.

Oh, who was fooling? He was there, in danger up to his eyeballs.

And that thought only confirmed what he had suspected.

She was his destra. Only a claimed destru thought things like that.

And a claimed destra held all the power over her destru.

Ironic, considering the way Liria had viewed his “ownership.” She was the master of his heart.

He would do anything for her. Luckily, most destras felt the same about their destrus.

Did his destra feel it? Did she feel their bond at all? Or was it different for her since she wasn't an Aethari?

“What's wrong?” Liri asked.

“Nothing is wrong when I have you in my arms.”

She snorted a laugh. “You're such a romantic.”

“Hey, that's progress from calling me a lying seducer.”

Her smile turned serious. “Thax. I don't want you to get hurt by our relationship. Not by me. I mean by your people. You're the one who will pay the greatest price. I don't think I can bear to be the reason you lose your family.”

Well, that answered his question.

“Being without you would hurt me more than anything else.”

She shook her head. “My romantic.”

“Come here. Give me one more kiss before I go. I'm on my way to pulser training with Branseri.”

“Oh? He's still training you even after what happened?”

“He's getting over it. He has to; he's my corporal and my father's minion. Now, stop talking about other men and kiss me.”

Oh, yeah, there was the good stuff. As Thaxvarien kissed his destra, he knew he'd face a lifetime of Aethari scorn for her. For just one more kiss.