Page 5 of Grounded (Convergence #1)

Liria was heading out of her private room—another perk of being a chief—when she remembered the amulet.

“Shit.” She looked down. Her running gear was perfectly acceptable in public, but also skintight.

Approaching an Aethari corporal with all of her lady curves on display could be taken the wrong way.

But if she didn't return the amulet soon, it would seem odd.

And she might forget about it again. “Damn it.” She grabbed the amulet and stormed out of the Medean wing.

Corporal Branseri was not in any of the common areas of the fortress.

This meant Liria had to head toward the Aethari wing.

Not somewhere she liked to venture, and part of her wondered if she shouldn't have just returned the item directly to Private Rennux when she saw him in the dining hall.

This was what she got for being a coward.

Now, she had to ask for directions to his room and endure the knowing looks.

By the time she found the corporal's room, Liria was grimacing. She knocked on the door. No answer. Knocked again. Harder.

“Of course,” she muttered and retraced her steps.

Hold up. There, coming toward her, was Private Rennux. It seemed as if the Source of Magic itself was challenging her—offering her another chance to be brave and face a beautiful, brutal man who every woman in the fortress was panting after.

“Except for me,” Liria muttered.

As softly as she'd spoken, her voice had still been enough to gain the private's attention. He looked up, frowned at her, and turned his stride into a march.

With an inner eye roll, Liria stepped into his path. “Private Rennux—”

“Oh, for fuck's sake,” Rennux snarled. “Really? Can't I get back to my room without this shit?”

“Excuse me?” The hand holding his amulet dropped to her side.

“You're a bold one, I'll give you that. Dressed for the part, eh?”

“I'm sorry, I don't—”

“Oh, now you're going to pretend that you just happened to run into me looking like this?” He waved at her skintight running outfit. “Let me guess—you were going for a run and got lost?”

“No, I've been working in this fortress for several years now. I'm a chief. I know my way around. Actually, I came to this wing looking for you.”

“Oh, I know you did. Should I be flattered? Or maybe I should salute?” Rennux gave her a sarcastic salute.

“Wow.” Liria made a huffing sound. Her mind spun. This was not how she had expected this interaction to go, and she had no comeback prepared. She always had a comeback. Damn it! “Look, I don't know what your problem is, but—”

“My problem is—I don't like being hunted by horny Medeans who think I'm fair game because I got grounded.”

“Grounded?”

“That's what we call being assigned to a fortress. We've basically had our wings clipped.” He rustled his black feathers. “Grounded. Trapped here, defending you people.”

Oh, that was it. Prepared comebacks weren't necessary at this level of insult. The words came naturally.

“Defending us? How about defending yourselves, motherfucker!” Liria shoved him in the chest with her free hand.

Rennux was so shocked, he actually let her get a full sentence out. He floundered and gaped at her as she went on.

“You fucking arrogant asshole! Standing there, making assumptions about me and my race.

Well, let me make a few about you. Let's see: you were born believing you were better than Medeans because you can fly.

But no one told you that having wings is actually a detriment.

So, you can fly? So what? What else can you do?

Fucking nothing! You're useless except for those muscles that you think so highly of.

It's all your rulers had to offer us in exchange for the floating cities that you can't even build yourselves.

You had to barter your children into military service because you couldn't stand the thought of living on the ground. Grounded!” Liria made a scoffing sound.

“Of course, that's what you call it. As if it's a bad thing.

When it's the only thing that makes sense. Only here, in between the tech and the magic, can you converge. Well, not you. Only Medeans—the very people you literally look down on—can converge. Do you know that word, little boy?” Liria added an extra dose of venom to her voice.

“Con-verge-ence. It's the only real power on Para, and that includes the sky.

I could converge my own wings if I wanted to.

I could cut you down with one of those weapons you use but don't have the ability to make.

Without me, you'd be flapping around in the dirt, trying to figure out how to build a shack.” Liria shoved him in the chest. “Useless!”

Liria completely lost it. Lost. Her. Damn. Mind. And while she went fucking woo-woo on him, Rennux stared at her. His eyes widened and then blinked. His lids went half-mast. His lips went slack. Rennux sucked in a breath.

Liria should have recognized the signs. In him and herself. But she was too busy berating him.

With a move too fast for her to track, Private Rennux grabbed Liria by her waist and shoved her against a wall. His wings whooshed open and folded down, creating a screen between them and the corridor. Even as Liria gasped, his mouth covered hers, claiming the sound.

Soft and firm, Rennux's lips molded to Liria's and then pushed.

Hard. He shoved her mouth open with those soft lips.

The citrusy-sharp taste of storm—the drink Aethari preferred to ale—filled her mouth, offered by his lashing tongue.

She should have shoved him away, but her body was riled.

Anger heated her to the point where desire was a mere step to the side, and this savage kiss seemed the perfect outlet for it. Shall we dance?

Groaning, Rennux leaned into Liria, pinning her to the wall.

His erection pressed into her belly. Impressive but not monstrous.

She approved. She showed her approval by weaving her free hand into his shoulder-length hair and then used it to pull him closer.

Rennux pumped his hips. Thank convergence for those skintight clothes.

Without them, she wouldn't be able to feel his shaft to the point where she could see it in her mind.

Panting, Rennux pulled back and stared down at her. “Is this what you wanted?” His hand went between her legs, and his fingers stroked her. With only a thin layer of fabric covering her, it was as if she were naked. His fingers curved into her sex.

It was enough to break the erotic spell that held her in thrall.

“What the fuck?!”

“You said you came looking for me.” His fingers flattened, but only so he could rub her again. “Don't act like a prude now. Should we fuck here or go to your room? You have a private room, right, Chief?”

“Motherfucker!” Liria shoved Rennux back, one hand still in a fist around his amulet.

That fucking amulet! “This is what I get for being a nice person.” She shook her head and slapped the amulet against his chest. “Fuck you, dickhead.

I was monitoring the feeds after that attack and saw you drop this in a hallway.

I came to return it. That's all I wanted from you.

You can go fuck yourself for all I care. I'm not going to do it.”

Liria let go, but Rennux didn't catch the amulet.

He was too busy gaping at her. He continued to gape, looking like a caught fish, while Liria walked away.

His pretty bauble fell to the floor with a clink.

She didn't wait to see him look down. Sure, it would have been satisfying to watch him realize that she had been doing him a favor, not “hunting” him down for sex.

But walking away without looking back made her feel like a badass.

And that was exactly what Liria needed. Without that bravado bracing her, she might have succumbed to the lust that still ran rampant through her veins.

His eyes weren't just green. They were a bright ivy with gold striations.

“Motherfucker,” Liria muttered as she stormed off. “Now, I really need a run.”