Page 4 of Grounded (Convergence #1)

Private Thaxvarien Rennux hated the ground. He hated the Nethren that made service on the ground mandatory. Hated the Medeans for demanding that service. There was so much hate burning through his veins that he thought he might combust. And this was after bathing in the blood of his enemies.

Ugh. His first breach, and it had all gone so wrong.

He should have told his corporal as soon as he arrived that he hadn't received enough training with pulsers.

But he'd been embarrassed. And how hard could it be?

You pointed the metal barrel at a Nethren, and then you pulled the trigger.

Easy. Except it hadn't been. Fucking converged weapons.

He was an expert with a sword, but they weren't supposed to use blades in the pit.

Not unless they were struck down and had to fight in close quarters.

At least Branseri had understood. Of course, now, he had additional training to look forward to.

Thaxvarien dragged a hand through his hair as he replayed the breach in his mind. Again. He wanted to blame it all on his ignorance with pulsers, but he knew it was more than that.

“That fucking Nethren,” he growled.

The one with the horned helmet. When Thaxvarien saw that motherfucker escape through the closing barrier, he'd lost hold of his wits.

Which didn't help him with the whole using an unfamiliar weapon thing.

What a fuck up. He shouldn't have focused on that one Nethren.

Couldn't tell you why he did. Just something about the monster bothered him.

The fucker kept looking at the cameras that monitored the pit.

And then up at the window of the security office.

It didn't sit right with Thaxvarien. Especially because that camera had fascinated him as well.

Or rather, the presence at the other end of it.

That Nethren wasn't worthy of looking at that presence, even indirectly.

Odd, yes, but that's what he had felt. That's what had aroused his anger.

And then the asshole escaped. Just left his team like a fucking coward.

Thaxvarien was pretty sure the Nethren was in charge too.

Of course, he was a Nethren. They didn't feel compassion or kinship.

Certainly not loyalty. The monster saw an opportunity to save his own skin and took it.

Didn't give a shit about leaving his team behind.

And Thaxvarien had been left with the scraps.

Still, even after his failure with his pulsers, he shouldn't have landed.

Aethari don't land in battle unless forced to.

They did better in the sky. But Thaxvarien couldn't stay up there when he wasn't able to contribute.

Unlike that Nethren, he would never leave his team behind or hobble them.

He had to do his part. So, Thaxvarien had landed.

And then he beheaded two Nethren like some kind of ancient warrior.

What a moron. All it got him was a blood bath.

It had taken forever to wash that Nethren blood out of his hair.

“Hey, you're Rennux, right?” a female voice came from his left.

Thaxvarien closed his eyes briefly and sought calm.

After a deep breath, he looked at the Medean woman.

She was pretty enough, but he wasn't interested in fucking wingless women.

He'd been polite to the first twenty or so who had approached him.

But this was getting to be a hair-pulling situation.

And not in the sexy kind of way. This was the opposite of sexy for him.

Sure, it was flattering. But these women were fucking aggressive.

Thaxvarien's buddies who had served before him had teased him that he'd be getting so much sex, his cock would be red by the end of each day.

He had assumed they were exaggerating. They were not.

If Thaxvarien had been up for it, he could have fucked his way through all of his off hours.

But these women were too much for him. A step away from assault.

Maybe a step past. And choice was important to him.

It was why he had protested this service to begin with.

Giving in to the sexual demands of these Medean women felt like losing his free will all over again.

“No, thank you,” he said.

“Excuse me?” The woman followed him.

“I'm not interested in sex with you.”

“But you haven't even looked at me. Come on, you must be raring to go after that battle.” She stroked his wing.

“Don't touch me!” Thaxvarien jerked his wing away from her.

“Sheesh! What's your problem?”

“Just leave me alone!” He stomped off.

An Aethari's wings were a no-fly zone. You don't touch them unless you're in a committed relationship.

But these fucking Medeans didn't think to ask.

They just grabbed—his arm, his hair, his ass.

Now, his wings? No, it was too fucking much!

The next woman who came onto him was going to pay the price for them all.