Grounded (Grounded #1) (19 page)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The next day, it was back to business, as usual. My father caught me early, just as I was leaving the kitchen after breakfast, to tell me that Aric, Jensen and I needed to do a little spying on the Gobels. There were some rumors going around that Gobels were recruiting non-Gobel, humans and the like, and he wanted some firsthand intelligence.

He and Elliot, the head of the Gobel council, weren’t even on speaking terms anymore. It never got that bad before. There’d always been some kind of dialogue between the two. War was closer than I feared.

I headed to my room and changed into jeans—we’d be in the woods, after all—a t-shirt, and hiking boots. I was locked and loaded, so to speak. Only one thing was missing.

“Hey, where’s Aric?” I asked as Jensen came up beside me.

“I don’t know. He wasn’t in his room either.”

“Well, we need you to head out,” Dad ordered. “You shouldn’t have to engage, so just the two of you should be fine.”

“Yeah, but it’s weird he’s not here, right?”

“Alyssum, I don’t know where he is. Just go.” Official Ash, a voice I hadn’t heard since my mother died, gave the order and it had to be followed.

We piled into the monster to head toward Phoenix. At first, we didn’t talk. Once we were off the property, Jensen didn’t hit the gas the way I would have.

“Hey, Grandpa, the speed limit is higher than thirty-five these days.”

“Ha ha.” He sped up just a bit. “Since we’re without our third wheel, does it mean this counts as a date?”

“You wish. I’m a little harder to impress than that.”

“Don’t I know it.”

I slapped his arm playfully and let my mind wander to the regular life we’d lead after the Gobel issue got settled. That only caused me to think about him leaving, but I had to force that out of my head. We hadn’t revisited the issue and I still had no idea what he wanted to do after everything was over. He could leave. I knew that, knew he wanted to go home, yet still hoped he’d stay with me. A hard break brought me out of myself, letting me know we’d arrived.

“Hey, you okay?” Jensen asked as I came around the back of the SUV.

“Sure.” I headed toward the forest.

“Wait up.” His fingers circled my wrist and he pulled me into his chest. Oh, how I loved being safely wrapped in his arms. He kissed the top of my head. “What are you thinking about? You got quiet all of a sudden.”

“You leaving.” Turning away from him, I took a few steps into the woods, toward the Gobel compound. “Going home. I want this over because I don’t want any of us to be constantly looking over our shoulders. At the same time, you might just leave. And, as much of a stupid, needy girl as it makes me sound, I don’t want you to go.”

“Do you really think I’m just gonna run out the minute things are settled? Geez, what kind of man do you think I am?”

“A good one. You’ll want to go home. You have a job, an apartment, your parents, and a future wife. There’s a lot there for you.”

His laugh seemed louder in the solitude of the forest. “Yes, there is. But you’re here.” I turned, eyes wide, surprising him. “I’m not saying I won’t go home at some point. It’s something
we
,” he gestured between the two of us, “need to figure out. I love you, Alyssum. I can’t just ditch you.” Smiling, I took his hand in mine so we could walk side by side. “So, the future wife will just have to wait.”

It wasn’t too long before we hit the outskirts of Phoenix and started to feel the race of goose bumps up our arms and over our bodies. I reminded Jensen that we had to keep our distance because as much as we could feel them, they could feel us.

We climbed a little higher on the hill to overlook central Phoenix and the Gobel headquarters. Aric told us once that if we ever wanted to observe his people, this is where we should do it from. We’d be far enough away that the Gobel below shouldn’t be able to sense us, but we could still hear them.

Jensen and I watched a dozen or more Gobel training in hand to hand combat, as if they’d get that close in battle. Okay, maybe I could be a little cocky but I liked to think of myself as confident. We sat there for hours, until the sun started to set, watching their every move, listening to every word we could and not talking to each other.

There were times I’d catch Jensen watching me and times I’d watch him when he wasn’t looking. Maybe it was lame, but I liked looking at him and there was something very intimate about only being able to communicate with a look, wrinkle of the nose or a smile. It also started a slow burn somewhere deep inside me. Those kinds of feelings needed to be repressed, given the fact that we were mere feet from our mortal enemy.

Once we were convinced that we got all the information there was to get we headed back, dirty, sweaty and stiff muscled from being in the same position most of the day.

As we got closer to my room, I stretched, elongating my body as far as it would go, and rubbed the back of my neck.

“I’m going to hop in the shower before I do anything else. I think there might be a full lawn’s worth of grass in my hair.”

“Sounds good to me,” Jensen said, acting as if he was going to follow me into my room.

“That would be nice,” I pushed against his chest, “but my dad is roaming around, so…”

“Fine, fine.”

Laughing, I watched him walk, hunched over as if someone had just killed his dog, showing his dislike of showering alone. When I could no longer see him, I headed in. The water felt good running down my body, washing away all the dirt and sweat. With only a towel wrapped around my body, I headed out for some clothes.

“Jesus Christ.” My body jolted hard.

“Nope, just me.” Jensen smiled as he lay comfortably on my bed.

“You scared the hell out of me.”

“Sorry, I like to see you mostly naked so I couldn’t resist.” A coy smiled played with his lips.

“Ha, ha. I have to get dressed. We need to go see my dad.”

He didn’t budge, but his eyes followed my every move as I pulled out a comfy pair of jeans, a t-shirt, bra and fresh panties and took them to the bathroom.

“You’re mean,” he called in with a playful tone. He waited long enough to hear the sound of my blow dryer to come in and take a seat on the edge of the tub. Obviously, the earlier outing had the same effect on him that it did on me.

After I tied my sneakers tight, Jensen and I headed out of my room. We’d just made the turn toward the stairs when we heard voices. We couldn’t make out what they were saying. When I tried to charge ahead, Jensen pulled me back. Before we could make our move, Aric came bounding up the stairs.

“Hey,” I said once he saw us. “What’s going on down there?”

“Brought someone to your dad,” Aric said casually. I couldn’t imagine what he was talking about.

“Who?”

Something about him looked off. I couldn’t put my finger on it right away, but I knew him well enough to know when there was something going on. He sighed, struggling with the words. “Got a message from Kale earlier. It wasn’t my family, Alyssum.”

I knew he was talking about my mom. He’d said it before and I believed him then, but I guess he didn’t fully believe it himself. Even with all the time that had passed, her death was still on his mind as much as it was on mine. Maybe it was because he’s my best friend or because he’d found me down there on the floor, covered in her blood, unable to tear myself away from her body.

“I never thought it was.”

“But Kale did some digging and found out it was a guy named Wes. So I went and got him.”

My eyes started to fill. I felt consumed by anger, though a small part of me felt fear.

“He’s…here.” Ice traveled through my veins and my whole body started to vibrate.

“Yes, but don’t worry about it. He can’t hurt anyone anymore.”

That’s what was off in Aric’s eyes. It took a full ninety seconds for his meaning to sink in. Covering the distance between us, I jumped into his arms, surprising him, but he grabbed me just the same.

“Thank you,” I whispered, hoping that he’d get all that I wasn’t saying. He held onto me and I felt his breath on my neck as he buried his face in my hair. I didn’t have time or the desire at that moment to remind myself that Jensen was standing right there, watching our exchange.

Once he put me back down, he said, “It wasn’t right. That was murder, not war, and he had to answer for it.”

Jensen leaned against the wall, waiting for our moment to pass.

“But you can’t—” My heart was breaking for him. The magnitude of what he’d done for me was overwhelming.

“I know,” he whispered. Our eyes locked and a couple of the tears that had filled my eyes escaped, running down my cheek. Aric wiped them away quickly with his thumb before remembering that Jensen was there. He snapped his hand back and shoved it in a pocket.

“Right, um, Ash wanted me back as soon as possible.” Then he stalked away, leaving me speechless.

“So, what was that about?” Jensen asked once Aric was out of earshot.

“Aric killed the person who murdered my mother.”

“I gathered that part.”

Blinking several times on my way back to him, I took a deep breath to clear my thoughts and calm my nerves. “He can’t go home again.”

“What do you mean?”

“He can’t go home again, Jensen,” I said, a bit louder than I meant to. “It was iffy before. Right now, if he were caught, they’d try him for treason and their punishment is harsh, trust me. But now…he’s a murdering traitor and he’d be put to death for sure. He. Can’t. Go. Home. Ever.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Only allowing ourselves a couple of minutes to let Aric’s situation ruminate, Jensen and I headed off to my dad, who we found in the office. Large and imposing, he stared out the window. His girth almost spanned the entire frame. While I noticed he was staring in the direction of Mom’s grave, I didn’t mention it. The office looked different, smelled different even, than it had throughout my childhood. The touches missing were hers. It made me miss her even more.

“Dad.” He jumped at the sound of my voice.

“Ah, right,” he sounded distracted, “what’s the word on the Gobel?”

Dad made his way across the room to his chair. Back in official mode, any memories that had been in his head a minute before were now gone.

“Not much, actually.” Jensen took one of the chairs on the other side of the desk. He looked very comfortable, like he completely fit in. “We were out there most of the day and nothing seemed unusual.” He paused. “Then again, I guess I wouldn’t know if something was out of place.”

They both looked to me expectantly.

“Yeah, everything looked normal. Just a bunch of training, hand to hand—”

“That’s different. Gobel don’t usually like to get up close and personal.”

I sat in the other open chair. “I know, right? But I didn’t pick up any humans or anything unusual. Although, from what we overheard, I think an attack may be coming soon.” Waiting for his response, I contemplated what else I wanted to tell him.

“Well, we’re ready. Right, Jensen?”

Jensen nodded.

“Dad, we heard something about Aric while we were there. Let’s just say he doesn’t have many sympathizers for fraternizing with us. And now…”

“He’s a good man,” he said. I knew that already, so it didn’t allay any of my fears. “And he’s proven himself as a friend of the Gremalian people, so Aric will always have a home here.” I wondered if here meant
here,
as in our house, or if he just meant among our people. I wasn’t going to ask right then. Maybe when I got my dad alone.

“That should make Dahlia quite happy,” my dad added.

Yup, it would and now I knew that he felt, no matter what, my place was with Jensen, which was fine by me, but that little part of me that didn’t like following the rules resented the implication that I needed permission to be there. Now it was okay for me to be an active part of protecting my people because
he
said so, not because I did. However, part of what I’d learned since I left Delaware to find Jensen was that sometimes you had to pick your battles. I let it go.

“Hey, where is she anyway? I haven’t seen her around.”

“She and her mom left for Chicago.”

“Of course.” I shrugged.

“They went to Chicago now?” Jensen asked.

“Her parents wanted her out of town when the shit hits the fan,” I said. I smiled at Dad’s disapproving look. “That way she’ll be safe. I wouldn’t know what that’s like.” Dad cared a lot about my safety. He said me and mom were the reason he did anything, but his idea of keeping someone protected meant keeping them close, not sending them away.

“As if I could send you away, Alyssum. You two weren’t raised the same. Those who can fight, do. Those who can’t, go shopping.”

The three of us laughed. Even with his more limited exposure to Dahlia, Jensen had seen some of the side effects of teaching that girl how to defend herself. The only person that got hurt was the one doing the teaching. “Besides, the last time I tried to keep you safe, you ran off on your own hundreds of miles away.”

“True, but it was for a good cause.”

We decided we had to go on the offensive, that it was time to take the war by the collar and show the Gobel what we’re made of. My dad put the call out, kind of an alarm of sorts, that we were all to be in the meeting room in two hours.

Our meeting room, where we hold town meetings, air grievances publically, and have trials, was connected to the east side of the house, like a large reception hall. Soon, the room would be filled, standing-room only, with Dad, his advisors and now Jensen sitting at a table that stretches almost the width of the room. There’s a sound system with mics in front of each of their seats so everyone can hear and another tall mic between two sections of chairs for anyone who needed to be heard.

My chair was in the front row, where I always sat with my mom. It would be the first time I attended one of these without her. It made me sad. One of the other member’s wives would occupy the seat next to me now. Jensen and I walked, hands clinging together, slowly toward the room. At the end of the hall, Dad and his council waited, talking quietly until everyone else got seated.

“Well, this is it, huh?” Jensen said before letting me go in.

“Guess so. Some people are going to be pissed.”

“I trust your dad.”

“Me too.” I wrapped my hand around the back of his neck and pulled him down to me so that I could give him a kiss. I didn’t care that some of the more conservative council men tsked at the public display. I only wanted Jensen to know I was behind him no matter what happened.

I took my usual seat and bent my legs into a pretzel. One of my knees shook nervously as I glanced around, taking a mental attendance. Security was in their place along the side walls, ready to step in if things got out of hand. The rest of the chairs were full, with others squeezing in wherever there was room. The meeting quickly became a “standing room only” situation.

We Gremalians sure were a loyal bunch. Not one person able to fight for our people wanted to be left out.

Then they came in. Even the old guys looked strong and determined as The Council took their seats—Dad right in the middle, his second in command to his right, Jensen to his left. Jensen found me right away and gave a little smile.

“It has been decided,” Dad started once everyone quieted. “We will embark on an offensive battle plan. We can no longer sit and wait to be attacked. Given the latest intel, I do not feel it’s prudent to only act in defense.” That was Dad taking the blame in case anything goes wrong.

A small pocket of the audience erupted. Dad let them. It was their opportunity to get some of their frustration out. Within seconds, a spokesman for that group, the second borough, stood in front of the microphone.

“We will support you, Ash. You’ve never led us wrong. However,” Skye Parker began, “we would prefer waiting it out. The Gobel have threatened before and not acted. We can’t be sure they will this time. Is it really worth the lives of our people?”

He turned back to his group to be slapped on the back for having the guts to speak up.
Really people
, I thought,
you say the same thing every time. “Let’s wait,” isn’t going to work anymore
. I didn’t understand how Skye couldn’t see the fact that the Gobel had already acted. There had been several breaches and my freaking mother was dead. What more did they need?

“I understand that concern, Skye.” Dad took a deep breath before continuing. “I know that some of us may not come back and I do urge you to secure your wives and children.”

He paused again and I watched as he chose his next words precisely before saying them. Only a few girls ever participated in defense or security, mostly because they had small children to care for, and if their husband was lost in battle, those kids needed someone to be there.

That was when I finally saw Aric. He leaned against the wall in the corner by the door The Council came in. Our eyes locked for what seemed like a long time.

“My own daughter will be with us and, as a father that makes me proud. As a father, it puts a fear inside of me that I’ve never known before.”

The silence of the room was deafening. It wasn’t their leader talking and he never let them see anyone but their leader. He cleared his throat.

“We will be outside, ready to go at four tomorrow morning. Those of you who do not wish to stand with us don’t have to. But be sure, however many or few of us there are, we will do everything we can to ensure the safety of our people.”

With that, he stood and left the room. The others followed suit.

It was seven in the evening. We had nine hours before we started a war.