unmercifully
Her would be beau was a controlling ass. Fine, eyes and body to die for, controlling ass.
For two days, he's been pushing her unmercifully. Her body ached from head to toe. She could barely move. Her muscles protested the daily workouts.
She had bruises up and down her legs and arms and though she couldn't see it, she was pretty sure her ass was one giant ass bruise.
She landed on it enough.
Jess had news for the powers to be, they were so wrong about her and Kellum.
She didn't want to mate with the jerk. Several times a day, she thought about different ways of killing him.
Every day was the same. At committee, he watched her like a hawk. His beautiful eyes searching. Meet and greet was painfully awkward. He would feed her since she hardly made it to lunch. Then he spent the next two hours torturing her.
Okay, the meet and greet wasn't so bad. Mostly they talked. Mostly about ways to make things go more smoothly between his people and hers. He really seemed to care about what she thought.
The problem wasn't talking to him, sometimes she didn't hate it. The problem was he might care what she thought, but he never listened.
They were still eating mush for breakfast though they did get some fruit with it now. Lunch and dinner were still unseasoned meats and tons of veggies she couldn't even name.
She'd kill for a coke.
The vending machines were gone, and she knew who to thank for that.
He was an ass. No way they were a match.
Because of him, she was even avoiding Julian. That fool laughed at her every time he saw her slow pathetic walk from class to class.
"Shouldn't you be at committee?"
Yep. Let Kell chew on that. She told Dez she wasn't going today since a certain someone never listen to her anyway.
"Shouldn't you be anywhere else?"
Frick sat across the table from her. They were the only two in the cafeteria since the lunch bell hadn't rung yet.
"This will be interesting. Kellum is not use to someone not obeying him."
"Yeah, well I don't like the word obey and yeah, not going to happen. Anyway, I'm not scared of him. All he does is look at you in that way that screams he's disappointed."
She got a lot of that during training. She had warned him that she sucked.
"I get that look a lot myself."
Jess knew this boy and Kell were friends. They talked to easily to not be.
"Luckily, it doesn't bother me. I might as well get used to it. Until he realizes I'm not the one for him, he's going to be wearing it a lot."
"For the life of me, I do not understand why you would have issues with a union with Kellum?"
The only answer he was going to get was a shrug. The boy didn't need to know that his friend rubbed her the wrong way.
"Then answer this. What is up with the human?"
"You mean, Julian? That's none of your business."
"I say it is. You are my friend's match, and he is never going to ask you. Your relationship with the human is most confusing."
"You won't be the first to say that. Look Frick the prick, stay out of my business."
"Dezrick, was that an attempt at humor? I could not tell."
"Yes, I believe it was."
Jess's lips twitched a little. "No really, when a nickname fits it just fits, Prick."
"Dezrick?"
"To make a small hole but it can also be a derogatory remark for a worthless person or a penis."
She laughed so hard her body hurt. "Oh my God, that's priceless. Don't make me laugh, it hurts too much."
Seeing Frick's smile, a real smile and humor in his eyes she smiled back. Finally, an alien with a sense of humor.
If she kept working on this one, she might even be able to get him to laugh.
"I completely understand, Jezebel."
"Aww. How long have you've been working on that one?"
"A few days." He admitted. "It fits, does it not?"
"Now who thinks he's funny? You are watching too many recordings, my friend."
She chuckled at his look. "Okay. It was a good one. Point for you. Too bad I'm at least six ahead of you."
"I will catch up. I do not have anything better to do."
"No courting for you?"
"No. Not yet."
She could see that the thought upset him. "Why listen to a machine? Why not see if anyone catches your fancy?"
"The test takes everything into consideration. DNA. Compatibility. Everything. It does not make mistakes, human Jessalynn."
"I disagree."
"You are ninety-eight percent. You could go ahead and pick out baby names."
She gave him a sour look. "Funny man."
He grinned.
"I told you, any test that says Julian and I are not a match is wrong. Hell, you're more my type than Kellum is."
"You are fighting a losing battle, Jezebel. It is only a matter of time before it happens. Then once you are mated there will be nothing you can do about it. You will need him rather you want to or not."
"Bite me, Prick."
"That sounds like fun. Does your people do that often?"
She couldn't stay mad at him. "Damn it, I told you not to make me laugh. My sides can't take it. Quick say something not funny."
His grin grew. "Here comes Kellum."
She was about to give him another point when she realized he wasn't joking. Damn if a shiver didn't run down her back.
Crap on a stick.
How was it that her body knew the moment he stepped into a room?
She'd never been so glad to see Julian in her life but instead of sitting down and trying to fend off the enemies together, he went around the table and sat down on her other side. Tension spiked.
At least he had her a tray with him, or he'd be on her list.
Every time he touched her, Kellum's eyes stared at the spot he was touching.
Prick was watching Julian like a snake ready to strike.
She smiled at Julian, liking the playful look in his eyes. "We've never talked about what kind of casket you'd like."
He winked and put his arm around her shoulder.
"Oh, this looks like the cool table to sit at." Hayley sat next to Prick. Then Frey and Pensley took his other side. Before long, their table was nearly full.
"Jessalynn, were you not just about to tell us why you missed the meeting this morning?"
She kicked Frick under the table and turned to the alien girl. "We haven't really been introduced. Frey, right?"
"She kicked me!"
Jess did it again. Harder this time.
"Yes. This is my mate Pensley." Her smile was small but sweet. He still looked like death. His pale eyes giving her the creeps, but she smiled at him anyway.
He didn't even try to give her one back.
"My friends call me Jess. This is Julian and Hayley."
"Don't ever think about calling her Jesse." Hayley volunteered.
Frick got a look in his eyes.
"Don't even think about it, Prick."
"Yes, Jezebel here is all about nicknames."
Julian chuckled and pulled her closer. "I like that one."
He leaned in even closer so that he could whisper in her ear. "No reason for him to think it's going to be easy for him."
"Pensley, yours is oak tree. Godrick, yours is big and bad. That one is dead on if you ask me. Dude, loosen up some."
The dude in question didn't even look Hayley's way. He would have had to take his eyes off Julian to do that.
That's when she realized every one of the aliens at the table were watching Julian.
Kellum caught her look. Lord, would she ever get use to that? The way he could hold her glance, rather she wanted him to or not?
"Tell Alric what you call him." His voice caused another shiver.
"Alric? Your brother?"
She followed his glance then chuckled. "Gorgeous? You're kidding me?"
The guy in question smiled a little and looked to his brother with a question in his eyes.
"Tell me Alric, anyone ever tell you that you're freaking beautiful? You make my eyes hurt."
"He makes me forget to breathe. It should be a sin to look that good." Hayley admitted.
They laughed. He looked like he would rather be anywhere else.
"Dezrick, send Esther, Ether, and Tyyn over to join us."
"As you like."
Frick grinned at Julian as three girls from a few tables away stood and joined them. When Julian's complexion turned grey and he dropped his arm, she burst into laughter.
His matches with these three were so high he was having to spend time with all of them. In fact, there was another one, and two more who were humans. These three were pretty but they looked so much alike that it was sad. Esther and Ether were sisters. Two years apart but it was hard to guess which was which. Both had long braids and grey blue eyes almost as pale as oak tree. Tyyn had blue eyes and she was taller and thinner than the other two.
That one didn't seem to like Jess sitting so close to Julian.
Yay! Now she could play.