Page 65 of Seducing Jenny
“We tried to keep the channels clear,” I explained. “Fewer chances of an intercepted transmission that way.”
“Speaking of my situation…” Mal gave them a rundown of where he’d been staying, and told them what had happened with Credo. Both of his friends were aghast at the news.
Surge scratched his bald head. “I don’t know The Long Death. I’ll consult my books.” His gaze drifted to Jade, a concerned frown furrowing his brows. “Is Jenny okay?”
“It’s a lot to get used to, seeing her as a Ladrian,” I said, then added, “and when she’s Ladrian, she goes by Jade.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Surge said, his gaze returning to me. “Is she…unwell?”
I wasn’t sure what he was getting at, considering Jade was currently having fun with Sam, but did say, “She’s had a headache for a few days now, but we thought it might have something to do with the transition to Ladrian. And she’s been a little…off,” I admitted.
Discord watched Jade twirl Sam out on the dance floor, the two of them laughing and having a great time. “She looks fine now.”
“Hmm,” was all Surge said.
CHAPTER 19
Jenny
It was a strange thing, to be a passenger in my own body.
I had no control over what my body did. No one could hear me and I couldn’t speak for myself. No one knew anything of what was happening to me. I was trapped, with a ghost named Grass at the helm.
In my head, her thoughts were just as loud and intrusive as anyone else’s voice. “Oh lighten up!” she said, the words echoing through my mind. “I thought you would be cool about this.”
“You’ve stolen my body, Grass. Why exactly would I be cool about any of this?”
She rolled my eyes. “Shut up. I’m going to seduce your boyfriends, and maybe their friends, and I don’t need to—”
“The fuck you are!” I hadn’t figured out how to take back control of my body yet, but I learned what annoyed her. To give her a bad headache, I tried to squeeze my eyes as tight as I could.The pressure and energy of her fighting back sent sharp throbs of pain to my head.
“Give me all the headaches you want, I don’t care,” she said, trying to ignore the pounding in my skull. “Do you know how long it’s been since I got laid?”
“It wouldn’t beyouthey would think they were fucking, Grass! If you make them fuck me while you’re in control of my body, that’s like eight kinds of assault. Is that the sort of person you are?”
“I am the sort of person who needs to have sex, Jenny. Mal denied me on the island and at least I know he won’t deny me asyou, so back off!”
When I tried to do the eye squeezing thing again, she managed to block me. So I tried lower, much lower. I gave her intestinal cramps. Bad ones.
She groaned internally. “Oh, you bitch.”
“Back off from my people, Grass,” I snarled.
“Fine,” she snapped.
When the time came for everyone to go to bed, she begged off from the guys. “I feel like shit, so I’m going to sleep in another room. ‘Night,” she said dismissively to Tiger and Mal, which is something I would never do.
Then, she asked me, “Where is your room?”
Grateful she was leaving Tiger and Mal alone, I gave her the directions. “Down the next hall, third door on the left.”
Once she was in bed, the real struggle began. Sharing a body during sleep was a nightmare. I couldn’t rest. Couldn’t trust her not to sneak off. I drifted in and out, suspended between fear and exhaustion.
In the morning, we padded out to the terrace at my insistence. It seemed like she could not read my thoughts unless I was specifically speaking to her—she could only control my body, and she wasn’t great at it. I couldn’t read her thoughts,either. I wanted to go to brunch in the hopes that if she was around everyone enough, someone might realizeshewasn’t me.
Surge and Sam were already there by the time we sat at the brunch table.
“Jade, how come you haven’t mogged back?” Surge asked, eying me curiously. “No need not to be yourself around us.”
