Grounded (Grounded #1) (18 page)

Recreating the scene in the woods proved harder than expected. We were scared back then, even if Jensen wouldn’t admit it. Everything was so chaotic that making it happen again on purpose…I didn’t know how to do it.

Jensen and I met in the training room and sat for hours, legs folded beneath us, facing each other. We held hands, closed our eyes and focused. Nothing happened. I felt nothing. Okay, well I felt something, but not the power surge that happened in the woods.

He caressed my hands with his thumb, which had the opposite effect than what we were trying for. I told him to stop and shoved him away. We tried again, but he ended up taking it in a whole other direction every time. I even carried every piece of copper I could hold to the room to boost our power while we tried again.

Soon, I was starving. We took a break to grab a quick sandwich, then found Aric and brought him back with us. He and Jensen tried fighting, but they didn’t put in much effort. Nobody even drew blood. I started to think we’d all become too close of friends to even bother and said as much, but that just started an argument.

Out of nowhere, Aric grabbed my wrist, pulling my body against his tightly right before covering my mouth with his. I pushed away, but he was actually a lot stronger than me. In that moment, everything else faded away.

I didn’t hear Jensen in the background but felt Aric squeezing me with one hand on the small of my back and the other clenching my hair. I could only concentrate on his lips melting mine, touching and tasting. I felt as if I’d been going down stairs but missed a step, only I’d landed on a hunk of muscle and warmth. My fingers drifted up, stopping just as they skimmed his hairline.

Then he was gone.

Trying to catch my breath, I saw that Jensen had lunged, taking Aric with him. He jumped back up, grabbed my hand and turned to say something. I felt it. The surge of energy, just different enough to be noticeable from what normally happened when we used our power.

He’d taken Aric down, but when Jensen grabbed my hand, something else happened. That surge of energy was the same one I’d felt in the woods the night we’d had the run-in with Aric’s sisters. Aric stayed on the ground and he looked so…sad lying there, unable to move.

I yanked my hand out of Jensen’s and watched as Aric slowly began to recover. I was at a complete loss. Obviously, something happened when Jensen grabbed my hand. We were connected and energy more powerful than I’d ever felt before came from us and did something to Aric. I just didn’t know what or why or how it happened.

He pushed his long body up, moving in a haze, like he’d just woken up. He made his way toward us, angry. Very angry. Pissed off was more like it. Leaning in close, his words came through clenched teeth with more venom than I’d ever heard from him.

“Don’t
ever
do that again,” Aric spat. “Whatever just happened while I was on the floor. Don’t do it again.”

“I could say the same to you,” Jensen said. “Maybe you should keep your lips off
my
girlfriend.”

“I did it to piss you off.”

“It worked.”

Aric’s eyes searched mine, like he was looking for an answer that I didn’t have to give. Whatever we did to him in those few seconds on the floor must have been hell because his eyes had darkened and the kindness that was usually there was gone. He stalked away, slamming the door on his way out with such force the entire floor shook. I didn’t like what I saw in those few seconds he’d looked at me.

“What the—”

“Don’t.” Jensen put his hand up.

“What are you mad about?”

“You have to ask?”

“Come on, Jensen, he only did it to get us worked up.” I put my hand up to stop him from talking because clearly he took ‘worked up’ in a way I hadn’t meant it. “You know what I mean. Get us upset.”

“Yeah, I do know that’s why he kissed you.” I gave him then
then what
look. “What I don’t understand is why you kissed him back.”

He was gone before I could respond. How the hell did everything become my fault?

Chapter Twenty-Six

I sent Aric a message asking him to meet me in the sitting/library room I never used to use. The dark green room had been one my mom spent most of her time in. She’d loved it. I hated the room, but, ever since she died, I could feel her in there and it quickly became my favorite room as well. After my bedroom, that is. Nothing could compare to that.

I would have gone to Aric’s room. Actually, before his little demonstration, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought, but I certainly didn’t want to be seen coming or going or, in some way, be ‘caught’ in there. But first, I needed to see Jensen.

He was so mad when he stormed out of the training room that leaving him to stew overnight seemed like a bad idea. After standing outside his bedroom door for at least a full minute, I took a deep breath and knocked. He didn’t answer. Listening carefully, I didn’t even hear him moving around inside. I knocked again, then tried the doorknob. He’d locked it. He never locked the door unless I was inside with him.

“Jensen,” I called out, my forehead against the wood. “Come on, we need to talk.” He still didn’t answer. Seriously? “Fine.”

While him ignoring me made my blood boil, I decided to be mature about it and concede that he just needed some time. Instead, I’d figure things out with Aric.

I headed to the library to see if either were in there. That’s where I found Aric, alone, with only a small lamp on beside him.

“Hey,” I said, coming around the couch to sit down gently. He was in a chair, his long legs stretched out toward the fireplace. “So…” His eyes left the empty fireplace to find mine. “Okay, so that was unexpected. What were you thinking?” He smirked. “You know what I mean.”

“Look, kicking the crap out of each other wasn’t working. I hit him where I knew he’d get the most pissed. I had to work his greatest fear.”

“Greatest fear?”

“Losing you. In general, but specifically to me.” He was right and his scheme to piss Jensen off had worked. In the process, Aric shocked the hell out of me, as did my reaction, but that was something I wanted to bury deep inside and ignore. My maturity only went so far.

“Okay, but why were you angry?”

Aric rubbed his chin where several days of whiskers had grown in. “That’s a little harder to explain.” The expectant look on my face kept him talking. “That was just about the worst thing I’ve ever experienced.”

“The energy sucking thing?”

“Yeah, it was horrible. It didn’t just take my energy or leave me incapacitated. That would have been manageable. It actually sapped my will to live.”

“What do you mean?”

I really wasn’t getting it and the sadness that took over him as he remembered what he felt made me want to cry, or hold him, but that would probably be bad because I’m sure the minute I made any gesture of affection, Jensen would somehow burst through the door and I’d be even more screwed.

Dahlia could come in too. Though they spent time together, neither had defined their relationship. As a matter of fact, Dahlia only said they were friends…with a wonderful benefits package. Even so, I was sure she’d be hurt if she found me and Aric together. I wanted to tell her to shut her mouth, that hearing details about Aric was almost more than I could handle, but I didn’t. I let her talk about the guys she was with before and things had to remain the same.

“You could have killed me and I would have thanked you, Alyssum. The world meant nothing to me in those few seconds.”

“Wow,” I said. He nodded. “That’s terrible.”

“You’re telling me.”

I kinda felt bad for doing that to his sisters, but, in my defense, they were trying to kill me. Jensen and I would have to reserve it for very extreme circumstances only.

“I need a drink.” I slapped my thighs. He grunted. “I meant to quench my thirst, like water, but I know my dad keeps beer in the fridge and you’re welcome to that.”

Together we went to the kitchen, falling back into the easy way we usually were with each other. As we left, me with a bottle of water, him with an open beer he was actively drinking and another for later in his room, we turned toward the stairs in time to see that Jensen had just come back in and was headed upstairs too. The anger on his face hadn’t dissipated and those blue eyes that normally sparkled at me were cold steel shooting daggers my way. Awesome.

“No, wait.” I grabbed his arm to stop him. Aric didn’t say anything. Instead, he took the stairs two at a time to leave us alone while throwing me an ‘I’m glad I’m not you’ look. “I know you’re mad. At me, at Aric. But come on, Jensen, we can’t ignore things. Can we please talk?”

His shoulders slumped and he allowed himself to sit on one of the steps. I followed suit. “I’m annoyed with Aric, not mad.” Jensen’s voice remained low, yet I heard what he was feeling and it wasn’t good. “He had his reasons and, as much as I don’t want to admit it, it probably was the best way to get things moving.”

“Okay…”

“But you, Alyssum? I’m pissed. You didn’t even try to fight him off. As a matter of fact, you were totally into it.”

I sighed. “I’m sorry, if that makes a difference. I wish I could explain.”

“Try.”

“Have you ever…hasn’t your body just taken over before?” His face remained still. “Okay, I’d never kiss Aric like that. Obviously, I had a reaction, but it’s because some kisses can’t be ignored. I think that’s the best I’ve got.”

His jaw clenched so tightly I was expecting some teeth to start breaking.

“I’m with you which is exactly where I want to be.” I didn’t like or appreciate the pleading tone that had crept into my voice, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. That could be a deal breaker and the very last thing I wanted was for him to break up with me. “Plus, you’ve felt what happens around Gobel. Hell, you even thought you might be gay because of it. It’s the same for me.” I caught him watching me and decided to try turning the weirdness around. “I mean, not the gay part. I’m totally sure about that one.”

The corner of his mouth twitched and he sighed. Jensen stood to his full height, said “I’m going to bed,” and took off up the stairs before calling back, “You coming?”

Yes…yes I was.

Sleeping in Jensen’s arms was my idea of perfection. Number one, I actually got to sleep right away, something that had eluded me since I was a kid. Number two, I knew he wasn’t mad if he allowed me in his arms. And at that moment, with his face close to mine, I didn’t care what Aric had done or that we were on the brink of war with the Gobel or that everyone I cared about might die. It all just fell away, even if only for those few perfect seconds, and that felt good.

“Mmmm.” Jensen moaned as he stretched while pulling me closer. “Any chance of a day off?”

“You can answer that better than I can. I haven’t seen or talked to my dad in, like, a week.” I eyed him carefully, trying to guess what was going on inside his head, but he was getting really good at keeping me in the dark when he wanted to.

He groaned in frustration, which meant I had to ask. “Is that a no then?”

“Probably not the best idea, but I feel like we haven’t been able to just have fun.” My eyebrow cocked up suggestively, which caused him to chuckle. “I mean, like, a normal couple—a date, a movie.”

That made me smile. He was still the same Jensen I found in Putnam Valley. In the end, he got the girl, but I could still get him a little embarrassed, a little off balance. Even though I tried to keep the hopefulness off my face, I knew a whole day alone was nearly impossible at that point, but he must have seen it anyway because his eyes melted.

“Meet me after lunch?” he asked.

If my smile had been any bigger, my face would’ve split in two. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” I squealed then covered his face in kisses.

’Course, I spent the few minutes it took me to get to my bedroom kicking my own ass for being such a girl, but if yesterday taught me anything, it was that I was his completely and didn’t want anything to screw that up. A whole day together was the gift I didn’t think to ask for. I knew two things for sure: I was going to look hot and I really couldn’t care less where we were going.

***

“Heading out to pillage the village?” Aric took me off guard as I waited for Jensen in the front yard.

“Something like that,” I replied. Aric stopped a foot away, leaning on his arm against the porch railing. “You?” He shrugged. Okay, things were kind of weird now and I didn’t want them to be. “Why don’t you come with us?”

“Yeah, I’m not into that sort of thing, but who knew you were such a freak? Then again, it could be interesting.”

Giving him a playful, but hard shove, I said, “You wish. Seriously, I think we might go see a movie and you should come. Weirdness isn’t allowed, remember?”

He relented with the condition that he could bring Dahlia. I could deal with that, especially since it was probably more so he wouldn’t feel like a third wheel than anything else. What the hell? I should be happy for my two best friends, but it bothered me, and not for the reasons Jensen would’ve guessed.

It was weird that, at one time, I had dated Aric, although not seriously. Girls could get really weird about that and I hoped Dahlia would understand when she found out. I worried about her reaction.

We walked into town as four friends on a double date, like nothing else existed in the world. As any one of us could have predicted, the film playing was about six months past being a new release, but we didn’t care. Three out of the four of us were used to it. Jensen might get movies the day they came out in Putnam Valley, but this far in the boondocks, we had to wait.

The theater was jam packed. With war on everyone’s minds, I guess everyone was looking for an escape. After we got popcorn and drinks and found seats, Dahlia and I noticed some girls we went to school with. I wouldn’t exactly call them friends, but we didn’t hate them either.

Dahlia took a handful of popcorn and flung, one after another, at the group of three who immediately spun to see the culprit. Seeing it was Dahlia, they laughed, came over to talk for a few minutes, and then headed back. For the first time in a while, I felt like we were normal teenage girls. It was nice.

When the movie started, there was no semblance of order inside the theater. People spoke in fake whispers and several couples started making out in the corners. Dear god, I hoped they were just making out because there were sounds coming from the corners that I had to block out. Complete denial was how I preferred to operate.

“Go to the restroom with me,” Dahlia whispered in my ear.

“Why?”

“We’re girls. It’s what we do. Come on.” She yanked my hand hard enough that I had no choice but to stand.

“Apparently, I have to use the restroom,” I whispered at Jensen. I tried my best not to step on Aric’s toes as I passed by.

“What?” I asked as she washed her hands. I leaned a shoulder against the wall since I wasn’t the one who needed to come there in the first place.

“Nothing.” My eyebrow shot up, letting her know I didn’t believe her. “Do I get any details yet? Because things feel pretty heated with you guys.”

Two freshmen stopped to look at us, eyes wide. Dahlia dismissed them. “Move along, Bambi.”

“Who?”

“Jensen. Unless there’s someone else I don’t know about.” I shrugged. “Why are you so tight lipped about things? I’m your best friend. Like with Sage, you never said—”

“I didn’t have sex with Sage. That’s nasty.”

“Bet you wouldn’t have thought it was nasty then.” She moved on to applying a fresh layer of lip gloss. “What about Aric?”

“What about him?”

“Was there anything between you two?”

Uncomfortable. That’s the only way to describe that particular moment. Aric and I hadn’t discussed what he’d told her or what we should say but, in the grand scheme of things, not much had happened.

“What’d he say?”

“Not much. Just that you went out a couple times, but you weren’t his type.”

“Oh, I’m not, huh?” Two things told me she was lying. First, I knew her well enough to know that she would say something like that just to see how I’d respond. Second, Aric would never say that.

She pondered a moment. “No, he didn’t. I just wanted to see your reaction.”

“You’re mean, but nothing really happened between us.”

“Yeah, I figured. You’re totally meant to be with Jensen.”

Smiling, we left the restroom and returned to the movie and our dates. Bedlam had broken loose to the point that Aric and Jensen began to participate. Aric tossed chocolate-covered raisins into Alera’s shirt, eliciting a round of giggles from the group of cheerleaders. The girl had the goods and wasn’t afraid to give everyone a little peak. Aric and Jensen were smiling and laughing in a way I hadn’t seen in quite a while.

As with everything, the fun eventually had to end. After the movie ended, we grabbed a quick bite and headed home, relaxed and stress-free.