Page 27 of Taking Jenny (Planet Orhon #4)

Mal

“ W hen will she wake up?” Tiger asked anxiously.

Surge adjusted the thin blanket covering Jenny’s sleeping form.

“With any luck, not until the morning. But human biology is different than ours, and the sedation I gave her is calculated to the size of one of our usual teenagers to make up the difference, but I’m still not sure it will keep her out all night. ”

“How did this even happen to her?” Discord glanced around the lab. “Where is Longshot?”

I’d been so focused on Jenny, I hadn’t realized he hadn’t returned yet. “I guess he’s still vomiting somewhere?”

“Strange,” she murmured, a small frown puckering between her brows. “I’ll go look for him and make sure he’s okay.”

She left the lab and Surge glanced at me. “You two go on with her. I’ll keep an eye on Jenny.”

But I shook my head. “I’m staying until she wakes.”

“There’s no need for that—”

“I’m staying until she wakes, Surge.” This time, my adamant tone brooked no argument.

His gaze softened and he gave me an understanding nod. “Alright then. Tiger, you implied you’d like to learn more about what I do and how things work. Do you want me to teach you some things about magicians?”

“I am curious,” he admitted. “I’ve never spent much time on the topic. I don’t know what it is you actually do.”

“You don’t know, and you still hated me that much?” Surge teased. “If you think you can stomach my presence, then I’d be happy to teach you. Come with me to the library—”

“Shouldn’t you stay here with Jenny?” Tiger asked.

“Not if Mal’s staying put.” Surge smiled to put him at ease. “The worst is over for Jenny and she’ll be fine without me standing over her.”

Tiger glanced at me for reassurance, and I nodded. “Go ahead. Have fun. Surge can show you all kinds of interesting things.”

He squeezed my hand in gratitude before he left. That simple gesture sent a warmth through me. It was nice, seeing them walk out together and getting along again. The tall gray Ladrian and the miniscule black magician chatted up a storm on their way out.

Wherever Longshot had gone, I was grateful he was not in the lab. The room was finally quiet and that’s what Jenny needed right now after what she’d gone through.

I pulled a small chair beside the exam table, sat down, and took her hand in mine.

So small. So soft. Cooler than my own, because humans ran colder.

Their bodies didn’t need as much internal heat.

That didn’t matter. That difference didn’t hinder intimacy.

Didn’t change desire. And for me, none of that made her less magnetic.

I finally eased out a relieved breath, knowing she was going to be okay.

I knew she was angry with me and Tiger. Somehow, she’d figured out what happened between us, and that had clearly affected her.

I wanted the chance to explain why it had happened.

The ache to confess hovered at the back of my throat, heavy and thick, like something clawing for release.

I needed her to know that caring for Tiger didn’t mean I cared for her any less.

That my capacity wasn’t split, it had only grown.

But she was unconscious, and shaking her awake just to say all that would have been selfish. She needed rest. And maybe, just maybe, the more rested she was, the more open she’d be to forgiveness. To hearing me out. To possibly accepting whatever this could be between the three of us.

So I stayed by her side.

The chair was small, Surge-sized, and not meant for someone like me.

My hips barely fit. My knees and back protested.

But her steady breaths calmed me. I hadn’t slept much with Tiger last night.

The man was enthusiastic, to put it mildly.

So sitting beside Jenny in silence, her warmth a heartbeat away, helped me to finally exhale and relax.

I kept her hand in mine and closed my eyes. Sleep stole over me eventually.

I didn’t wake until my head jerked when it lobbed forward.

By then, it was dark outside, and someone had draped a light blanket over me.

I checked the time on my gauntlet driver.

Near midnight. Must have needed sleep more than I thought.

I had been so worried for Jenny that it wore me out. Well, that and Tiger last night.

Jenny was still lying on the table, peaceful, her lips slightly parted in sleep. Smiling, I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

She inhaled sharply and blinked up at me, confusion etching her expression as she tried to sit up. “What…where—”

“You’re in Surge’s lab,” I quickly told her, then gently pressed a hand to her shoulder to keep her on the table.

Her gaze darted around. “What happened?”

“Longshot said you slipped when you were running. You fell and hit your head pretty hard, but Surge says you’ll be fine. He’s repaired the damage, but you need to rest.”

She scanned the room again, her eyes gradually focusing. “Is everything okay?”

“Aside from you giving everyone a fright? Yeah.”

“Even you ?”

The disbelieving tone of her voice took me aback. “Of course. Why would you ask that?”

She pulled her hand out of mine, and I let it go. “It just…it seems like your life would be easier if I weren’t in the picture.”

Her words hit like a knife, sharp and too pointed, and I reeled from them. “That’s a terrible thing to say. Why would you think that?”

“You and Tiger,” she said, something akin to hurt flickering in her eyes. “I know what you two did, Mal.”

Yes, she was clearly feeling much better. “Why do you care?” I asked, feeling defensive. “You’re the one who snapped at Tiger for acting like the two of you were exclusive.”

She stiffened at the accusation. “That’s between the two of us.”

“It doesn’t feel like it is, since you’re clearly pissed at me, too.”

She stared up at the ceiling. “Well, it is.”

“So then, you’re not mad at me?” I asked, trying to understand.

She let out a little huff of breath. “I didn’t say that.”

Frustration got the best of me and I growled beneath my breath, clenching my fists on my knees. “What is it with you, Jenny? Why does everything with you have to be so damn complicated?”

She let out a dry laugh. “Wow. I had to travel lightyears to be called complicated.”

“What does that mean?” I asked, my exasperation increasing.

She turned her head, meeting my gaze again, her lips pursed.

“Back home, I was the easy one. The breezy hippie girl who drifted from boyfriend to boyfriend. No drama, just good times.” She swallowed hard, her stiff demeanor softening.

“Then I arrive here and get arrested for no reason, and brought to a mansion instead of a prison, and I still don’t fully understand why.

And now, the guy I’m sleeping with is sleeping with another guy who I… ” She stopped, clamming up.

My heart tripped because she was referring to me , and I had to know how that sentence ended. Very quietly, I asked, “Another guy who you what?”

“It doesn’t matter,” she said stubbornly. “Just forget it.”

“You say something like that and expect me to forget it?” I asked incredulously. “Say what’s on your mind, Jenny. Even if it’s cruel.”

She yawned, and I wasn’t sure if it was real or a deflection. “I’m tired, Mal.”

“Please tell me,” I said, hating how desperate I was to know her thoughts about me.

“Leave me alone.” She rolled to her other side, giving me her back in a clear dismissal.

I clenched my jaw, and my annoyance got the best of me. “This attitude is what’s going to get you served on a banquet platter,” I said, before I could stop myself. “You’re a quitter.”

She turned around so fast, it was a blur of motion, but I didn’t miss the flash of hurt in her eyes. “I am tired of being lectured by you! That doesn’t make me a quitter.”

I abruptly stood up. “You say you want Tiger, then you almost say something about me, but you won’t finish the sentence.

And when I push you on it, you act tired and dismiss me.

You’re this convoluted mix of bravery and cowardice.

Too brave to know better than to kick a palace guard, and yet too cowardly to say how you feel. ”

She opened her mouth to speak, and I shook my head at her, not done yet.

I wanted her to care enough to fight me.

“You don’t get to be a coward on the mountain when you’re running Illiapol, Jenny.

You don’t get to feign exhaustion there, either.

It only makes you easier to hunt. Injured, not injured, tired, awake…

it doesn’t matter when your life is on the line.

I hope you remember that when it counts. ”

Ignoring the fury sparking in her eyes, I turned and headed for the door.

“How fucking dare you, Mal!”

I spun on her, heart pounding. “What?”

She sat up on the table, legs dangling over the side, still pale despite the angry splotches of color in her cheeks.

“You keep dodging what you want to say, too! And when I call you on it, you turn everything around and act like this is some grand lesson for the mountain, which is bullshit! I know what I’m up against—”

I marched back to her, fast, closing the space between us until I could smell her skin, sweet and earthy. “You have no fucking idea what you’re up against, Jenny!” I yelled at her, both furious and fearful for her future. “And it all boils down to this. Are you a fighter or are you food?”

Her breath caught, before she clenched her jaw. “Get. Out.”

“Quitting again?” I sneered. “I wonder what your menu will be like. They vary it a little every year—”

She jabbed a finger toward the door. “Get. Out. Now !”

“Of course,” I said, heading in that direction. “Wouldn’t want you too upset before the trial. Negative emotions are said to foul the flavor of the meat.”

“Fuck you!”

I slammed the door behind me and stormed up the stairs. At the top, Longshot, Rhonda, Discord, Surge, and Tiger were all gathered, pretending like they hadn’t been listening.

With massive effort, I kept my voice calm and neutral, when everything inside of me was a fucking jumbled mess of emotions. “What are you all doing up this late?”

“Needed to check on Jenny,” Surge said, the only one with a valid reason for being there.

Discord crossed her arms. “I was curious to see how she was faring.”

Tiger didn’t even try to lie. “You know why I’m here.”

Longshot stroked Rhonda as if to keep her calm, and raised a brow at me. “So, Jenny is well enough to argue?”

My fury pivoted and found a new target. I grabbed Longshot’s shirt and slammed him up against the nearest wall. “What the fuck where you thinking out there, huh?”

He angled his arm, shielding his beloved strigella from harm, but Longshot’s eyes sharpened on me. “I was doing my job, Mal. Unhand me!”

Rhonda hissed at me in warning.

I ignored her, all my emotional turmoil unraveling on Longshot as I got closer to his face and shook him harder against the wall. “You should have been more careful. You pushed her too hard! She’s just a human!”

Longshot’s gaze narrowed. “I mean it, Mal,” he said in a deceptively calm voice. “Let me go, or I will make you let go.”

Rhonda struck me without using her fangs. Her version of a warning.

I knew what it meant, and I didn’t care. “You let her get hurt!”

“ You hurt her first!” Longshot countered.

His words were like a slap, and I froze. I released his collar, trying to make sense of his words. “How?” I whispered.

“Had she not discovered you in Tiger’s bed this morning, she would not have gone off like a crazed jem’hora,” he snapped.

“She was trying to burn out her anger at the two of you when she hurt herself. I swear, humans come with a self-destruct feature, and all it takes to activate it is to piss them off. I don’t know how any Ladrian beds them. So damn fragile.”

All my rage drained out of me. This is all my fault. I did this to Jenny. If I hadn’t…if I could have resisted my attraction to Tiger…fuck.

I looked back at Longshot. My brother in arms. My friend. My confidant and my mentor. “I am sorry.”

“Think nothing of it,” he said quietly, already forgiving my tirade.

I glanced at his strigella. “Rhonda, I’m sorry I upset you, too.”

But she just slithered her tongue and curled tighter around Longshot’s shoulder, still not looking at me.

“All of you, I’m sorry.” I jammed my hands through my hair, beyond disappointed in myself. “I…I was out of line. That was shitty of me, and I shouldn’t have done it.”

Discord stepped forward, her tone kind when she spoke. “We all have our bad days, Mal. You’ve always been there for us when we’ve had them. It’s time we were there for you.”

I let out a breath that seemed to scrape at my ribs. “I just…I need time to sort through things. I’ll see you all at breakfast.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Tiger asked.

That’s what had started this whole fucking mess. I shook my head. “I would prefer to be alone.”

My natural state. My punishment. If I was alone, I couldn’t hurt anyone else.

Tiger’s shoulders sagged, the light dimming in his amber eyes. “Okay.”

If I’m not with him, I can’t make it worse.

I turned around and walked to my room, leaving the people I cared about the most in the wake of my emotional wreckage.