Grounded (Grounded #1) (2 page)

Chapter Two

In the morning, I headed out early to see what I could find. Putnam Valley, with just over eleven thousand people, looked exactly like I imagined it would. I liked the homey feel of the tree-lined streets, how the pedestrians walked almost lazily down the street and most of the shops were small mom and pop types. There wasn’t a big box store in sight. Putnam Valley was small, but it was still much bigger than Delaware.

When I walked into the diner-type restaurant—a place that looked like it hadn’t been updated much since opening, all the way down to the crooked, worn sign that read
Frost’s
—I found the table I wanted, in the corner away from everyone else. It was a perfect spot to watch the door as well as the street outside.

The black haired, emo-goth high schooler with a nose ring to show her rebellion and more perk than her ensemble would have alluded to didn’t seem to mind when I asked if I could have the table in the corner. She returned right away with black coffee, or what my mother called ‘a bad habit.’ I’ll drink it hot or cold, with or without flavoring. It doesn’t matter to me as long as I get my fix.

The nervous energy set in once I had time to think. The idea that I’d have to go through thousands of people before finding him because I had no idea what he looked like was a bit daunting. But hey, I love a challenge. That’s why I came to New York.

Then he just walked right in, making my job that much easier.

I could feel it before ever laying eyes on him. A blanket of warmth covered my body from head to toe, like a warm cocoon of safety telling me one of my own was nearby. He strolled in casually, wearing well-worn jeans and a dark blue t-shirt. He had brown hair, short with a just-out-of-bed look that I know took at least twenty minutes to perfect. He rested his elbows on the take-out counter, giving the plump forty-something waitress a flirty smile, and dropped some money on the counter, which was rewarded with two large bags of food. Then he left.

It was him.

It didn’t seem like he sensed me. I sure sensed him, though, and man, was it intense. His parents
had
been headed to New York City to blend in and protect their son from everything going on back home. Years ago, I found a news article with a photo of what was left of their car after the firemen put the flames out. My mom ripped it from my hands as quickly as she could, but I’d already read enough details to start my journey. Once I narrowed down which hospital the Sorrels’ six month old baby most likely would’ve been taken to had he survived, it wasn’t too hard to connect the dots.

The internet was a wonderful thing because it enabled me to find out that Alice, a nurse in the pediatric intensive care unit, and her husband adopted a baby boy soon after, an orphan that had spent some time in the pediatric ICU. It took me months of research both in The Council’s library and online to find Heath, but it was totally worth it.

I followed him for two days after seeing him in the diner, getting to know Putnam Valley and his routine, all the while trying to figure out how to insert myself into his life. He worked in an auto shop and seemed to enjoy his motorcycle. I should have figured he’d be doing something mechanical. We were extremely good with mechanics and technology. He took long rides in the evening and rode to work even though he lived less than a mile away, so I decided work would be the easiest place to approach him. At the very least, meeting him at his job gave me a non-suspicious reason to be where he was.

Once I got a feel for Heath’s schedule, I let a lot of antifreeze out of my copper-colored Mini Cooper and drove around until steam billowed out from under the hood. The outfit I picked that morning, a dark blue, flowing skirt that just brushed my knees with a pink tank top and a pair of strappy wedges accentuated all the girly-ness I had to offer. Since I’m short, extra height never hurt and honestly, I liked the skirt and tank top look as much as the look I usually rocked with jeans, t-shirts and workout clothes.

I walked past the open garage doors a couple times, trying to determine if he was already working on a car. I didn’t see or feel him anywhere. I took a deep breath and went around front, through the main door, and found him standing behind the counter, in the middle of a conversation with an older man.

That lovely warmth covered me again, maybe even more than before. The boy looked good. Standing six feet tall, if not slightly taller, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist and muscles, along with a prominent vein running down his arms from the manual labor in the shop made him much more imposing than the more rounded older man leaning on the counter.

They were clearly debating something, yet both of their faces were relaxed, playful even. Apparently, I’d been really quiet, because it took a full two minutes for either of them to notice me. Maybe a bell on the front door would do them some good. I didn’t usually fade into the background, but I could have been a drink cooler in the corner for the way they ignored me.

“Hey, young lady. What can we do for you?” The older one asked.

“My car is steaming.” I pointed out the window at my pretty baby spewing white mist. “I was just driving around when it started.” The old guy gave me friendly smile. My eyes went to Heath, although I shouldn’t assume that’s still his name, then quickly back. “I was hoping someone could look at it for me.”

He put his hand on the younger ones shoulder and said, “I think my son here can handle that.” Alice’s husband seemed quite nice. I quickly went through all the information in my head, trying to remember his name. I came up with a big fat nothing.

“Sure,” Heath said, running his fingers through his hair. “Can I have your keys?”

I handed them over and watched as he put his large frame in my tiny car to pull it into one of the bays. He came back within a few minutes. I expected that. Gremalians and our way with mechanics.

“Your radiator’s bone dry,” he said.

“Is that bad?” I asked, even though I knew it was. He smiled a beautiful smile as his light, cerulean eyes danced at my apparent cluelessness.

“Yeah, that’s bad, but easy to fix. I don’t think you were driving with it steaming long enough to do any serious damage.” His dad came out of the office, so he added, “Tyler’s bringing back more antifreeze. It’ll be about twenty minutes. I’m going to check the radiator for a leak while we wait.”

“How do you do that? Is there an instrument you use or something?”

A curl of hair fell over my shoulder and I twirled it around my index finger absently. I knew it would be considered flirting and I was okay with that. Twirling my hair really was a habit.

“Just water.”

“You can go back and watch if you want,” his dad said after I’d sort of forgotten he was there.

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to get in the way.”

“You won’t. Go on back with Jensen.”

His dad reacted as I’d hoped, but
Jensen
didn’t seem to care either way.

Jensen Burkhardt waved me along, although it looked as though he did it begrudgingly. As we entered the garage, I glanced back and saw his dad’s face over my shoulder. Looked like he was trying to get his son to notice me too because there was definitely a silent conversation happening there.

We passed two other cars and a few mechanics hard at work before getting to my Cooper. I stood back and watched him get started. It wasn’t going as smoothly as I’d planned since, for whatever reason, perhaps too much time around humans, he wasn’t picking up on anything.

A prickle started up my spine and covered my entire body. The hair on my arms stood on end. I frantically searched the room with my eyes, trying not to look out of place. A man with a curly mop of dark hair and a matching tuft on his chin came out from under the hood next to us. He asked Jensen a question. I wasn’t paying enough attention to the words to know what he asked.

Jensen said something about grabbing a part for him and then said to me, “Oh, this is Aric.”

I had a feeling that
Aric
was new to the shop because there was no way a Gobel had been around long and Jensen hadn’t felt a thing. Aric and I stared each other down. His dark eyes, the same color of his hair, remained calm. Mine didn’t.

“What are you doing here, Gobel?” My tone was threatening, but I kept a polite smile on my face while taking a step toward him.

“The name’s Aric Bramble and I suspect we’re here for the same reason.”

“How did you find him?” I seethed.

“That’s not important. I’m not your enemy.” I scoffed at his response. “Really. I’m trying to prevent a war. No biggie.”

“What?”

I didn’t believe him, and the muscles coming out of his grease-stained t-shirt were distracting me. What’s with these guys? Why do they have so many muscles? What happened to the awkward, lanky boys from high school? Do they all grow up, get huge and make me feel tiny?

“Look, he’s coming back. We should talk. I’ve got an apartment on Fifth,” he said. I raised an eyebrow, wondering if he was trying to set me up. “I’m sure your Spidey-sense can find me there tomorrow, after five,” he added quickly just as Jensen rejoined us.

After a long bout of silence, I asked, “So, what’s that?”

Jensen looked at me like I was the dumbest blonde he’d ever seen. He drew his words out as if he was talking to a toddler. “The engine.”

I had to giggle at the look on his face. “I know. Figured I should ask a question. I feel stupid just standing here trying not to get dirty.”

Aric went back to work on his side of the garage while I tried to forget he was there. I’d deal with him later.

Laughing a little, he continued working until a kid who looked more like the tall, lanky, awkward boys I went to school with showed up with the antifreeze. With the radiator filled, Jensen said he’d meet me inside after pulling around, so that’s where I headed. His dad was pretty funny in those few minutes we had alone. He had the same easygoing manner I noticed in Jensen.

“So, how much do I owe you?” I started to open my pink crossover purse as my eyes fell back on him.

“No charge,” Mr. Burkhardt answered, waving his hand in front of him.

“Oh, I can’t do that.”

“I insist. Just write down your name and phone number.” He slid an invoice across the counter and my eyebrows went up. “Just for customer records and inventory of the antifreeze.”

I nodded. I was going to do it either way, but I didn’t want him to think I was the type to give in too easily. Now that my information was there, I hoped Jensen would use it.

“Are you new to town or just passing through?” Mr. Burkhardt asked. I watched Jensen lean against the back counter and cross his arms while staring, annoyingly, at the back of his father’s head. Even annoyed, he looked pretty sexy.

“Just exploring.” I smiled. “I drove until somewhere looked like a good place to stop.”

“Well, it was nice to meet you. Hey, if you’ve got nothing to do, there’s a town picnic and fireworks display for Memorial Day,” he turned the paper to read my name, “Alyssum Bracken. That’s unique.”

“It’s a flower,” Jensen and I answered at the same time, which brought a smile to my face.

“Most people don’t know that,” I said. After another minute of awkwardness, I added, “Thanks again.”

After glancing back at Jensen and his dad one more time, I left.

Chapter Three

I went to the only apartment complex on Fifth, walking past each door slowly until the familiar prickling crept up my neck and the hair on my arms stood up the way it did whenever a Gobel came around. I pounded hard just below the cheap gold 3B hanging above a peep hole and heard, or rather felt, him coming to the door. He didn’t look surprised to see me; actually, he looked unnervingly relaxed in a worn pair of cargo shorts and a black t-shirt.

Before he could get a word out, I grabbed his neck, shoving him inside against the far wall. It felt good to exert some energy.

“What are you up to?” I spat through clenched teeth, giving my fingers an extra squeeze against his trachea, feeling his heart pound at the pulse point, the natural reaction to being choked.

“Jesus, Alyssum.” The words came out hoarse enough that I decided to loosen my grip just a couple of notches so I could hear him. “I’m here for the same reason as you are. To stop the war.”

I smirked. “I just want to make sure we win it.”

After a little hesitation, I relaxed my hand and released his throat. I backed away and walked across the apartment to put some distance between us. I folded my arms under my breasts the way I always did when I was giving my parents a hard time. Usually, though, with guys it just made them look at my chest. He was definitely a guy.

“Wouldn’t it be even better if we could stop it from happening in the first place? I think he can do that. You do too, right?”

“I’m not telling you what I do or do not know, Gobel.” I wasn’t entirely certain what Heath could do, if anything—shoot, what Jensen could do.

“I’ve heard of you…strong, fierce,” Aric started. I felt a cocky smile spread across my face. Then he continued with, “pigheaded, rule breaker.”

“Yeah, yeah, flattery isn’t going to help you today.”

He told me his grand plan to get Jensen home to Delaware, which, if he was as powerful as they feared, might make the Gobel council back down. The legend of Glen Sorrel went deeper than I thought if the mere thought of what Jensen possessed could be enough to make the Gobel back down. I saw the flaws. The chances he’d be taking assumed Jensen packed the punch we both hoped he did. It was the same chance I was taking, even though Jensen’s return might not be enough. A fight might still happen. My muscles relaxed. I agreed with him about one thing, though. Jensen had to come home.

“Okay, Gob—Aric.” I rolled my eyes. “I’m going out on a limb here and giving you the benefit of the doubt on this one.” My wedged heels thudded against the linoleum as I stalked toward him. “But if you’re up to something, your throat isn’t the only one I’ll rip out.”

His eyes widened. “Damn. What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean,” another step closer, “your mother, your father and, honestly, since you’re Gobel, you must have like a dozen or so brothers and sisters. I’ll hunt each one down and end their existence. Capisce?”

“Yeah, yeah. Christ, Alyssum, you need to calm down.”

Turning on my heels, I left the kitchen to sit on the tired couch in his living room. I swung a leg over my knee, thinking about how I loved it when I got to be badass, but even I had to admit I probably looked pretty silly. I’m five foot three; he’s more than six foot. I hardly looked threatening in comparison, but I can follow through on everything I said. I knew it. I’m sure he knew it too.

We sat in the sparsely furnished room for two hours, discussing our options. I didn’t give him much information about what I thought should happen after we got Jensen on board. That would be up to my council, not his. Then something occurred to me. Aric was risking his life just by being here. If his people found out, they’d kill him for fraternizing with the enemy or some other stupid code of conduct violation.

With that in mind, I started to trust him, at least a little. My entire body unclenched. I hadn’t even realized I was rigid until my muscles released. We were raised to fear Gobel, to want to end them and to never, ever allow them into our life. I always did have a hard time following the rules.

After returning to the motel, I ate while surfing the internet on my laptop, even though the Wi-Fi connection was spotty at best. There were a few new emails from Dahlia, my best friend. With increasing capital letters, she asked where the hell I was. There was also one strongly worded message from my dad indicating he thought he knew what I was up to. In no uncertain terms, I should turn the car around and head home. My saving grace was that he’d never taken the time to listen and therefore had no idea where I actually was, unlike my mom. She listened to everything.

Cheeseburger gone, email sent to my mom assuring her I arrived safe and sound, leaving out where I was in case Dad read it, I shut the laptop and headed into town. I couldn’t send Dahlia anything just in case someone else got a hold of it. She must be pissed. What’s a girl to do?

It seemed like I’d be in Putnam Valley a while, and I wanted to get a better lay of the land. My room felt thick and stagnant, the ancient air conditioner humming in the corner not helping. I needed to get out.

I parked my car at one end of Main Street to walk and window shop. The town blended as much small town charm it could with the big city, whose shadow it lived in.

A quaint fabric shop was nestled next to McDonald’s; I, myself, preferred the independent book store on the corner. None of the cities close to my town had a bookstore that size. I loved going through the stacks instead of ordering books off the internet to be picked up at a post office twenty miles away in Eagle River. Getting my paranormal romance required a lot of effort.

I rounded the back corner of the bookstore, five books in hand, and found Aric sitting on the floor, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles with a book on his lap. Instead of saying anything, I gave his foot a hard, but playful kick. His eyes popped open like he was about to give someone a piece of his mind. He smiled when he saw it was me.

Apparently, I’d made friends with a Gobel in a day. Eighteen years of ingrained hate be damned.

“Looking for something to do?” he asked, pushing himself up to his full height. He stood close, as if we’d known each other for years.

“Yeah, they have actual stuff here, you know. It’s kind of weird.” I leaned a shoulder against one of the black shelves.

“You don’t get out of Delaware much, do you?”

“Not really. I mean, I’ve gone away with my parents a little, but I mostly just go to the Eagle River post office.” He burst out laughing at that one. My town was sparse. It only had the post office, a small grocery and a bar. You never have to go far for a bar in rural Michigan. “I know, exciting.”

“Hey, want some coffee?” he asked.

I nodded and, after I paid for my books, we headed down two blocks to the coffee shop.

“So, where have you been so far?” he asked once we were settled at a tall table in front of the biggest window.

After a large gulp of the piping hot tea I ordered, I said, “Just a few places. Detroit, Grand Rapids, places like that. My mom and I did go to Florida twice and a few other states for council business on those rare occasions when my dad took us with him.”

Aric’s face dropped. “That’s right. Your dad is the head of The Council.” I nodded. The words came out with a hint of fear, like he just remembered that fact. “Shit.”

I knew what he was thinking. It’s what I would’ve been thinking if I were him. It was bad enough that he put himself in bed with the Gremalians, but working directly with the head of The Council through me would be seen as high treason by his people.

“Don’t worry. If you help me, I won’t let anything happen to you. From either side. My dad’s a big teddy bear.” He almost spit out his coffee, then let out three hard coughs trying to clear his throat and get some air. “Really. I know how to handle him.”

We talked a while longer about his childhood and mine and learned our upbringing was pretty similar, although he didn’t have to deal with the added crap I had to deal with as the daughter of a council leader. We both ordered a second cup, which I didn’t finish, then called it a night.

In the morning, I decided to do some shopping. Because of the time factor, packing had been so minimal that even going to a laundromat a few times a week wouldn’t stop me from having to rewear an outfit every couple of days, which I wasn’t willing to do. I didn’t even pack enough underwear.

I found a couple of cute shops and bought a few skirts, shorts, shirts and some shoes. I even found a small lingerie shop.

On my second trip back to the car, my hands were overflowing with bags. I only spent a couple hundred dollars. Thanks to sales and a pretty cool thrift shop, I got everything I needed. I was being very careful with my money because I wanted to use my credit card sparingly. Mom would be the one to see the bill if it came while I was gone. She already knew where I was, but I figured I should give Dad as few chances as possible to find me, if he was even looking.

I was so focused on trying not to drop my bags that I wasn’t watching where I was going. I hit what felt like a brick wall. Stumbling back, I lost my footing and saw the pavement rapidly approaching as I fell. A hand on each arm grabbed me just before my face hit the cement. Apparently, I’d hit a wall of muscle.

“Sorry,” I said. I looked up to find Aric’s hand wrapped around my left arm and Jensen’s wrapped around my right. Once I was balanced, they let go. I had to take two small steps to actually see their faces. Aric and Jensen were almost the same height, but Aric looked to be about an extra quarter of an inch taller.

“Hey, this is Alyssum,” Aric started. He looked over at Jensen. “She came into the shop yesterday.”

“I remember.” He flashed a sexy smile. I don’t think he was even trying to, but it worked. “How are you?”

“Good.” I returned the smile, hoping it was a good one. “The car’s good, too. No more issues.”

“Good to hear.” He looked me over quickly but thoroughly. The way his eyes searched my body warmed every inch of my skin.

“Doing a little shopping there, Alyssum?” Aric asked, pointing to my excessive baggage.

“Yeah, well, a girl’s got needs, right?” Then I realized I was flashing them the lingerie bag. I could only shake my head and end the conversation. “Anyway, I better get going before these end up all over the sidewalk.”

I started to go around them.

“Do you need some help?” Jensen asked.

“That would be great.”

I handed everything to Jensen and Aric and we headed to my car, parked just across the street. I slammed my trunk after they loaded everything.

“Thanks, guys,” I said.

“No problem,” Jensen said, then they were back off to wherever they’d been headed.

Before getting in my car, I glanced over my shoulder and saw Jensen doing the same. I smiled shyly, turned around and hopped in.

Over the next week, I ran into Jensen several times. Sometimes I orchestrated our meetings; other times, they were just accidents. He’d stop to talk to me, just the random neighborly small talk, and every time we’d chat a little longer. I started to hope that maybe he liked me or, at the very least, was getting used to me.

Our conversations were all so sterile and cordial that I wanted to give up. I’d already found myself thinking about him when he wasn’t around in ways that had nothing to do with saving our people. I hated that, but we needed Jensen. He was like Obi-Wan Kenobi to my Princes Leia. He was my only hope. If he had the type of power his parents supposedly had, there’d be no losing.

“We have to stop running into each other like this,” Jensen said. He caught me by surprise as I rounded a corner on the way to freaking nowhere. While in New York, when I got bored, I tended to just walk off all the extra energy I had. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t.

“Jesus.” I held my chest. He really startled me.

“Sorry,” he replied, laughing. “Where you headed?”

“Nowhere, just walking. Probably get my billionth cup of coffee of the day.”

“I’ll walk with you.”

He turned around and fell in step beside me, close yet not close enough for us to be touching. Damn it. He held the door open at the coffee shop I went to so often, the staff were beginning to know my order before I even said it, which was extra impressive since what I ordered changed with my mood. I was in a caramel macchiato mood.

He held his cup of straight black like it was going out of style. “So, how are you liking Putnam Valley?”

“I like it. It’s nice to be in a city for a change.”

“City?” He smirked. “I take it Delaware is pretty small then?”

He remembered where I lived? Interesting. “I’d be surprised if it’s on a regular map.”

“Have you been to the city yet?” I shook my head. “Maybe you should ride with me sometime.”

“New York City? How close are we?”

“’Bout an hour away. I make the trip every couple of weeks for the shop. Just a quick run.” He paused to take another swig.

“That would be great. Just let me know when.”