Grounded (Grounded #1)

by Heather Young-Nichols

  After all the heavy stuff, I thought I should try to lighten the mood just a bit.

  “Plus, getting to kick some Gobel ass is super fun.”

  It didn’t work. He didn’t break a smile. When we headed back for lunch, I hoped I hadn’t scared the crap out of him.

  The afternoon activities promised to be a lot more fun than ‘A Brief History of Gremalian/Gobel Strife that Includes the Death of Your Biological Family.’ At least for me. I wasn’t sure what he’d think about it.

  Aric spent the morning holed up in my dad’s office, answering any and all questions he could about the Gobel government and people. I rescued him, saying he was imperative to my plan for Jensen. Which wasn’t a lie. I knew Aric would be much more open to fighting me than Jensen would be. That way we could show instead of tell.

  Once we got changed into more comfortable clothes, I led them to the garage. It wasn’t used for parking cars or working on machinery. It was clear of all clutter with wrestling mats covering the floor and four chairs off to one end. We use it for learning how to fight like a Gremalian and use our power properly. It was the training room.

  We told Jensen he’d just watch. I was getting pretty rusty from all those weeks of being docile in New York, which made me pretty antsy to punch something or someone. At first, Aric and I just stalked each other since our kinds are both taught not to attack unless absolutely necessary. It’s always better to see what the other guy’s gonna do first. At some point, I decided fuck that; it was on.

  Using my small size to my advantage, Aric never expected me to hit right at the waist. He hit the ground hard with a loud grunt. I knocked the wind out of him, but he was back on his feet before he could get a breath. He charged.

  Jumping out of the way, I didn’t see his leg jut out, sweeping behind my knees. My butt hit the hardwood. That would leave a mark. Time to get my energy out.

  I threw a punch to his gut, hard and on target. He doubled over and took me with him, flipping my body across his back, twisting my arm and pushing me face down to the floor.

  Most of my punches hit their mark and, though Aric was strong, he groaned or stumbled with each punch. A right elbow—blocked, left punch—hit his jaw. A sweep of the leg behind his knee brought him to the ground.

  He recovered quickly, flipping me over his back again. I landed on my ass with a thud. With the number of times I met the wood, I think that body part was numb. Since Aric was Gobel and knew all the Gobel tricks, he never told me to stop no matter how many times I hit him. This training would be the only way I’d be able to anticipate every one of the Gobel moves when the time came for the big fight.

  I didn’t cry uncle either, although I think he was going a bit easy on me. Before we started, I asked him not to take it easy on me and hoped that when he agreed, he meant it. Of course, I’d never know for sure.

  A right hook made contact just under my eye and it stung the most out of all of the hits. I felt a trickle of blood run down my cheek. In the end, I was able to overpower him. His shoulders cracked against the floor and I landed on top of him.

  Face to face, we came out of battle mode and started laughing so hard we almost couldn’t breathe. I was in the zone during the fight and forgot that Jensen was leaning against the wall, hands clenched into fists and shoved in his pockets, watching us. We quickly hopped to our feet.

  The look on Jensen’s face was priceless. His eyes were wide, mouth gaped. Maybe having him watch Aric try to kick my ass wasn’t the best idea I’d ever had, but Jensen needed training even more than I did. He had to learn. It wasn’t just a regular school yard fight. Gobels could be tricky.

  “I think we broke him,” I said in a poorly concealed whisper.

  Aric coughed to cover the laugh and grabbed my shoulders to turn me toward him. Studying my face, his eyes honed in on the spot where his best punch left its mark. With a gentle thumb, he wiped away any blood that remained. His eyes darkened, which meant something significant. He was mad at himself, probably for listening to me about the training in the first place. Aric said he didn’t want to hit a girl, which made sense. He’s a good guy. However, this was the first opportunity I had to train with a Gobel to fight Gobels. It had to be done.

  When Jensen cleared his throat, Aric took a step back. The moment between us felt very intimate. He left the room without another word.

  “So…” I said, smiling past the sharp pain in my cheekbone as I bounced over to him. He was focused on the abrasion that Aric had wiped the blood from. “Don’t worry, I’m a quick healer.”

  Before he could respond, I heard my dad’s voice just outside the garage. I pushed Jensen into the equipment closet behind us.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Shhh.” I put my finger over his lips, effectively cutting him off. “My dad,” I mouthed.

  “He knows I’m here.”

  I nodded. “And he’s happy about that, but if he sees you, he’ll just want to watch us training or give us shit because you haven’t done any yet. Or ask questions or be himself.”

  Once the voices were far enough away, we scurried back inside the house to the kitchen. We filled our arms with drinks and snacks, then tiredly climbed the stairs, heading back to my room. Well, I climbed tiredly. He just walked slowly so he could be next to me.

  After dropping our goodies on the table by the window, I grabbed a bottle of water along with a small bag of chips and hoisted myself up onto my much too large bed. I hadn’t realized how late Aric and I had trained or how much it’d taken out of me, so the firm comfort of my mattress felt good enough that I think I just about melted. Jensen did the same, flopping onto his stomach next to me. We snacked in silence…well, without talking. The crunch of our chips was actually quite loud.

  “What’s up with your dad?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess it’s like being the daughter of the president or something. He’s never really had much spare time unless it came to training.”

  “You mean, like, you and Aric were just doing?” I nodded. “Your dad hit you?”

  “Yeah, but it’s not like that. There are some dangers that come with being Gremalian and even more if you’re the kid of the head of The Council. It really was for my own good.” The look on his face said that didn’t make it any better. “If it helps, I totally kicked his ass when I was ten.” Finally, he smiled. “Hey, I’m gonna hop in the shower really quick. I need to wash this sweat away.”

  “Okay.” He pushed up off the bed, like he was leaving.

  “I don’t want you to go. I mean, you can if you want, but I won’t be long.”

  I had a feeling my eyes betrayed me. Jensen obviously knew how I felt and I think the look I gave him was a bit more pleading than I’d ever usually be.

  “Then I’ll stay.” He lowered himself back down.

  I gave him a quick peck on his cheek and searched for some comfortable pajamas that didn’t make me look like a bag lady. I found a set that I’d never worn before, pants made of thin cotton and a matching t-shirt.

  After starting the shower, I began to undress and noticed that I hadn’t shut the door all the way. I knew Jensen; he wouldn’t be anywhere near the bathroom, so I didn’t bother closing the door. I took the extra time to shave my legs—not that they needed it, but there was a boy in my room. You just never know. I quickly blow dried my hair. It was still damp when I was done, but at least not dripping wet.

  Exactly as I thought, Jensen was still on my bed, arm behind his head, flipping through channels with the remote. I wondered if he noticed that his TV was bigger than mine. I had no idea why that was the thought that popped in my mind right then. Sexy guy sprawled on my bed…I think of television? Idiot.

  “Man, sleep is gonna feel good tonight.” I crawled under the thin blanket and cuddled up beside him. “So, tomorrow…”

  He cut me off, knowing where I was headed. “I’m not doing that with you.”

  “What do you mean?” I bolted up. “You h
ave to, Jensen. You can’t be in the middle of all this and be unprepared. You won’t hurt me; I’m tougher than I look. And we have to get whatever power is inside of you to come out, and that’s not a euphemism.” A lot of that was just a long ramble. That was something new since meeting him. I didn’t use to ramble so much.

  He smiled, then got serious again very quickly. “I know you are, but I can’t, Alyssum.”

  “What about Aric? You could train with him for a while, then we could work on the other stuff.” That seemed to be the best compromise, and I can’t say the thought of seeing those two go toe to toe repulsed me.

  “Somehow, I think punching him won’t be an issue.”

  He patted his shoulder for me to lie back down and wrapped both arms around me, pulling me into his chest. I’m not sure when I fell asleep or how long I was able to hold out before drifting off. I liked laying there with him and wanted to enjoy it as long as I could, but eventually, the effects of all the work I’d done won out.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jensen was gone when I woke up. It was still dark, twenty minutes before midnight, according to the clock next to my bed. He’d made sure I was comfortable, tucking me in snugly, before going back to his own room. I wished I knew how long he stayed and made a mental note to ask him later. Since I hadn’t had dinner last night, my stomach started demanding food. I took a little walk to the kitchen for a not-yet-midnight snack. I didn’t turn any lights on as I grabbed a bowl, spoon, cereal and milk. The energy efficient lightbulb over the sink that we left on every night gave me enough light to move around without hurting myself.

  “Hey,” Jensen said, approaching me from behind where I sat at the island.

  “Jensen!” My hand flew up to my heart and I dropped the spoon. “You scared me.”

  “Sorry.” He leaned over, looking into my bowl. “That’s the best you could do?”

  “I…uh…can’t cook.” He looked a little surprised. “Is that a deal breaker?”

  “Hardly,” he scoffed. “Besides, I can, but you know making a sandwich isn’t exactly cooking.”

  “True, but it’s a whole lot more effort than I’m usually up for in the middle of the night.” A low chuckle rumbled in his chest. “What has you up?”

  “Water.” He shook the bottle in my face, as if he was stating the obvious. Which he was.

  “Ah, there’s some in the fridge in your room.”

  He eyed me. His eyes were usually clear enough that I could tell what was going on in his head. They were like a window to his soul.

  “I won’t say I was kind of hoping you’d be up because of your insomnia. I won’t say that.” He cocked his head to the side, one corner of his mouth curling up.

  “Ugh, always.” I shook my head. My mom said I was so high strung, so tightly wound, that nothing I did seemed to help me sleep.

  “How come you fall asleep so easy when I’m with you? Am I that boring?”

  I laughed, shaking my head. “You make me really comfortable. Like my whole body just relaxes.”

  He liked that answer.

  ***

  Even with the interruption to my sleep, I still woke back up much too early. Apparently I wasn’t the only early riser. Aric already had some eggs cooking on the stove. Newly toasted bread sat on a plate in the middle of the large island.

  “Morning. Want some?” He tipped the pan toward me.

  “If you have extra.” He nodded while I took a seat on one of the bar stools. “We should talk about today.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I was talking to Jensen last night,” the muscles in his jaw tensed slightly, “and he won’t train with me. I thought you could do it.” He nodded. I hated it when he answered with body movements. “But at some point, we have to convince him. He has an ‘I was raised not to hit girls’ thing that’s driving me nuts.”

  Aric brought a plate of perfectly cooked eggs over and sat it in front of me, then tossed two slices of toast on top. “Yeah, Alyssum, that’s what all the girls complain about.” He changed his voice to sound feminine and said, “My boyfriend won’t hit me!”

  I threw a spoon in his general direction and missed, catching a small vase of flowers and leaving a snowflake shaped crack on the front instead. Oops.

  “Any sign of some power?” he asked, still chewing. I shook my head in response. “You better get on that, then.”

  My brows went down. “What do you mean?”

  “There’s a reason why our powers kick in just after puberty. Hasn’t anyone ever told you that?” I shook my head because apparently no one tells me anything. Apparently, he knew more about us than I did them. “Geez, it has to do with hormones and whatever. Look, you’re going to have to get him really…uh…frustrated.”

  I had no idea what he was talking about. In my defense, it was really early and I don’t sleep much. “Like what? Give him really hard math problems? That always worked for me.”

  He shook his head and readjusted his position on the stool, showing he wasn’t entirely comfortable with our conversation.

  “No, Alyssum.” His eyes narrowed and he drew out the next word. “Frustrated…”

  I swear it took a full minute before his meaning sank in.

  “Oh. Oh.” My breakfast suddenly got very interesting. “But why wouldn’t it have kicked in before?”

  Aric smirked and scratched his head roughly. “I’ve known him for a while now and uh…I don’t get the impression he’s ever had reason to be frustrated.”

  “Why’s that?” I asked.

  Aric shot me an evil grin. “I’m not saying he’s a man-whore or anything, but he’s known pleasures of the flesh.”

  “Oh god.” I dropped my head into my hands. Jensen and I haven’t had that talk yet. He might not have been completely comfortable with my jokes and innuendos, but I hadn’t assumed he was a virgin. A lot of guys just don’t think girls talk like that.

  Aric dropped his plate in the sink, rubbed my head the way you would a little kid, and walked out.

  “Jackass,” I called down the hall with a smile.

  ***

  I returned to my room to change out of my pajamas. The three of us had planned to meet at ten. My father had Gremalian business that would take him away for a few days, a truce talk with his Gobel equivalent that likely wouldn’t go well. Dad wasn’t interested in giving up any of our land, an area that happened to be very rich in natural resources, and the Gobel weren’t interested in anything else.

  I heard his car pull out just after I got back to my room. No goodbye, no “see ya later, sport,” no “good luck training the savior of our society.”

  Aric and Jensen were already in the garage, sitting relaxed across from one another when I got to them. No doubt, Jensen would be at Aric’s throat if he knew the conversation that had taken place just hours earlier. We didn’t talk about those things.

  “What? No fighting, yet?”

  Their postures went stiff and their heads jerked toward me. I smiled at the way I took them by surprise, then sat in my own seat, flinging my legs over one arm. I opened the magazine I’d brought with me.

  Aric started by explaining the theory of Gobel fighting. I didn’t listen to most of it. He said something about how mischievous Gobels could be, attacking out of nowhere when you least expect it. While they were strong, that wasn’t the only thing to be on the lookout for. They all have powers, but not the same type or level of powers. It was more a hodgepodge of low level powers that most of the time was just annoying. Since they breed like rabbits, they have the numbers to overcome their enemy.

  Then it was time to fight.

  They weren’t overly aggressive right out of the gate. I pretended not to be watching until they got some of their pent up energy or pent up aggression out. In the beginning, Aric was able to avoid Jensen altogether. I could see Jensen getting frustrated. My mind paused on the word frustrated. I tried to shake it out of my head altogether.

  To cool down a little, Jensen pulled his t-shirt off and t
hrew it toward the door. Watching his muscles flex and turn, I noticed how strong he was. I knew there was definition there from all the times I’d felt it just below his shirt, sometimes skin to skin. Watching him was mesmerizing.

  “Alyssum?” Aric broke the spell.

  “Draw,” I said, because they were actually pretty evenly matched.

  They’d each gotten the other good enough to call it a tie. Apparently, my staring hadn’t gone unnoticed by either of them.

  “My turn.” I got to my feet in one swift motion and joined them in the center of the room. “I know you’re firmly against this, Jensen, but it’s got to be done.”

  “I told you no.” He started to walk away.

  “What if it could save your life?” I called to his back.

  He turned to me, his eyes on fire. “Do you think I care?” He yelled. “Do you think that matters if I hurt you?” His reasoning didn’t deter me.

  “What if it saves my life?” I yelled back. “Does it matter then?” His face scrunched up. I could see he didn’t understand. “Look, I need practice too and I can’t only use Aric because I’ll get too used to him. Plus, you are here to save lives, mine included.”

  He reluctantly gave in and came back. I could tell, right away, his heart wasn’t in it. He was coming at me and missing on purpose, over and over, so I corrected him. When he went left, I went right so his punch landed squarely on my jaw. Since he wasn’t actually trying, it didn’t have a lot behind it. He jumped back, horrified by what he’d done. I just smiled and re-engaged.

  Soon we were at half speed and he was a natural. I only hoped that he noticed before we started that the small cut Aric gave me the day before was completely gone. He never said anything about it, though.

  “Ow! Okay, enough. That really hurt,” I cried after he landed a barely felt kick to my stomach.

  “I’m sorry.” He had a horrified scowl on his face. “I told you I didn’t want to do this.”