Ungifted (12 page)

“What are you doing?” I screamed.

“Sorry!” he gasped. He tried to look away but he spun toward the mirror, which only gave him the reverse image of the same view. “Sorry!” He pinched his eyes shut and stumbled out into the hall. “You didn’t come outside, and you didn’t answer when I called your name. I was worried. Sorry. I’ll be downstairs waiting for you.”

So much for my peaceful morning.

Ethan was pacing the living room when I finally hobbled down the stairs. He’d gotten over his relief and embarrassment, and pretty much just looked angry now. “School started fifteen minutes ago,” he said. “Were you planning on getting there before lunch?”

“Actually, I wasn’t planning on getting there at all.”

“You’re just going to skip? Don’t you think your father will—”

“I was attacked by a freaking
vampire
last night!” I exploded. “My best friend is a
werewolf!
I have my very own
guardian angel
who hates my freaking guts, and to top it all off I saw Caleb Layton
naked!
I think I deserve a day off!”

Ethan thought about it a minute and then sighed. “That’s probably best. It’ll give us the weekend to see if you’re going to crack up.”

I sunk down to the couch, glaring at Ethan, but he just shrugged. “The odds are a thousand to one against you. Doesn’t exactly inspire much hope.”

I reached for the remote, but Ethan pulled it out of my hand and sat down next to me. “We need to talk about this, Grace. I’ll try to answer any questions you have. I think the more you understand, the better chance you’ll have at accepting it.”

I snatched the remote back and turned on the TV. I had a million questions, but Ethan Dunn was the last person I was going to talk to. Ever again.

“Fine,” Ethan said with a sigh and sank back on the couch, preparing himself for a long morning of television.

I watched hours of home design shows just to torture Ethan, but oddly enough he actually seemed to enjoy them. I can’t tell you how much it annoyed me that we had something in common.

We sat in silence, watching HGTV until my cell phone rang around lunchtime. I looked at the caller ID but didn’t answer it. I knew Cynthia was probably really worried about me, but I knew she’d come over right after school no matter what and I really just needed a couple more hours to sort things out in my head.

When I let the call go to voicemail, Ethan finally broke our silence. “I don’t blame you for being mad at me.”

Mad at him? Try loathe him more than any other person on the planet.

“You went through a lot last night, Grace. You learned things humans aren’t supposed to know. If you won’t talk to me, fine, but don’t shut out Cynthia. You need her if you’re going to get through this.”

He was right, but I wasn’t about to admit that to him. When I continued to ignore him, he got pissed and stomped off to the kitchen. He came back a few minutes later with a couple of sandwiches. “Eat,” he commanded.

I didn’t, just to spite him. Instead, I grabbed a pen and went to work finishing the drawings on my cast. After I was done, Ethan pulled my leg into his lap. I was so startled by the action that I didn’t even think to move it. He examined my drawings and said, “It’s interesting that you were right about both Cynthia and Andrew. You must have pretty good instincts. You’re wrong about angels, though.”

He took my pen and went to work on a drawing of his own. “The nephilim, which is what I am, are descendants of angels. We’re the strongest and fiercest of all supernatural beings. We are literally the Creator’s chosen protectors. It’s why we were created.”

Internally, I was rolling my eyes. Ethan
would
think he was God’s chosen people.

Ethan paused a minute, waiting for me to ask him to stop talking, but I’d vowed to ignore him completely and deep down I was too curious to stop him. When I didn’t object, he kept drawing and launched into a story.

“The Mother Creator is the creator of all things. She is light, and glory, and all that is good. She is life itself. In the beginning, all of the Mother Creator’s creatures lived in peace and harmony. But things were too perfect. There was no bad to balance the good, and before long the peace collapsed.

“Her first creation, an angel named Beelzebub, was the first to pose opposition. He rallied the other angels, and he and those who followed him were cast out of the Creator’s presence. They found their way to Earth and became the Fallen. They immediately began to wreak havoc, so the Creator sent down those who had remained good to protect the people of Earth.

“The angel army was led by Beelzebub’s brother Michael. Michael was the fiercest warrior the world has ever known, and together with his army he drove the Fallen into a different dimension. Beelzebub became Lord of the Underworld and the Fallen became his demon servants.

“All the demons were locked away in the underworld, but the Creator had realized the importance of balance, and so, while Beelzebub and his most powerful demons were forbidden from ever returning to Earth, many of the lesser demons were allowed to stay.

“They were still powerful, though—more powerful than all other creatures on Earth—so Michael and his army stayed behind, too. But angels aren’t meant to live on Earth, so they mated with humans in order to form a race like unto the demons—not quite heavenly, but more than earthly. They raised up the first generation of nephilim and taught them how to protect the Earth from the demons that plagued it. To this day it is every nephilim’s calling to be a protector of the people. We’re destined to be warriors.”

Ethan finished his drawing at the same time he finished his story. I was shocked by what I saw. Even though Ethan is perfect at everything, I was still surprised by the beauty in his artwork. He’d drawn himself wearing some kind of leather armor, wielding glowing daggers in each hand. His wings were spread gloriously out behind him, and even though the image was beautiful, Ethan was right; he looked fierce.

I could do nothing but stare at the drawing and remember what he’d been like the night before when I’d seen those wings in the flesh. Or is that feathers? Anyway…

After hearing his history, I was overwhelmed. There was so much more to the world than I’d ever realized. Even with me about to become the daughter of the leader of the free world, I was nothing in the grand scheme of things.

It was no wonder Ethan thought I was so pathetic. I really was. All humans were. Wandering around the planet, thinking they’re the only intelligent creatures, worrying about nothing but themselves, blind to all the power around them, and so incredibly weak.

Ethan had given me a lot to think about, and I spent the rest of my afternoon oblivious to him. I was left thinking about the supernatural and everything I’d learned until Cynthia burst through the door after school, Caleb following close behind. When they saw me sitting on the couch, showered and dressed, they both breathed obvious sighs of relief.

“When you didn’t come to school I was so worried,” Cynthia said. “I thought maybe you’d…”

Cynthia couldn’t finish her sentence, so good old Ethan did it for her. “Cracked up?” he offered. “I think she did. She hasn’t eaten a thing all day and she isn’t speaking.”

“I’m not speaking
to him
,” I told Cynthia. “I just needed some time to process. Not a stay in a mental hospital,” I added, glaring at Ethan again for good measure. He looked surprised to see me respond so normally. He really had thought I’d lost it.

“So you’re really going to be okay?” Cynthia asked. “You’re not too freaked out by this?”

“Oh, I’m definitely freaked out. But I’m not going to
crack up
over it.”

Cynthia’s eyes glossed over with pride. “I knew you’d be the one.”

“‘The one’?”

“Supernaturals aren’t supposed to tell humans that we exist. Most humans can’t handle it. They go crazy if they find out the truth. They say only one in a thousand humans can really deal with it.”

“I don’t see why. It kind of makes sense to me.”

“It does?” Ethan and Caleb asked at the same time. Caleb had been crossing the room to sit next to me, but stopped short at my confession. Both he and Ethan stared at me, wide-eyed with their jaws hanging open.

I shrugged. “Legends have to come from somewhere, right?”

A proud grin spread across Cynthia’s face and she pulled her shoulders back, standing tall. “I told you she’d handle it.”

“Sure,” I said to Cynthia. “I mean, you’ve been trying to tell me for months haven’t you? With all the books and movies, and all our stupid talks? You’ve been preparing me for this, right?”

Cynthia looked surprised and shook her head. “I didn’t do it on purpose. I think I just wished you knew. I hated keeping it from you.”

“It’s surreal,” I admitted, “and a little scary that guys like Andrew can just take people if they want, but I’ve always said you’d make a good werewolf.”

Cynthia laughed. “I’m just relieved you aren’t a vampire.”

“I’m relieved I’m neither. No offense.”

“None taken.” Cynthia grinned. “I wouldn’t want to be betrothed to my brother, either.”

I blushed horribly and couldn’t meet Caleb’s gaze. “You’re really going to have to explain that one to me.”

Cynthia laughed. “We’ll explain everything once we get some food into you. I’m thinking Chinese.”

“Sounds great. I’m starving.”

“If you were hungry, why didn’t you eat the lunch I made for you?” Ethan grumbled.

When all he got from me was another glare, he accepted his defeat and shuffled toward the door. Cynthia laughed at him. “You’ve got a lot to learn about Grace, Ethan. She’s a sensitive soul, but you can almost always cheer her up with mu shu pork.”

Cynthia was right.
I was in a much better mood once I’d scarfed down some egg rolls—especially when Ethan excused himself to go say hi to some girls he knew at the restaurant. One was a very striking strawberry blonde. I couldn’t help thinking she and Ethan would make a disgustingly attractive couple. Which reminded me…

“I told you he’s not in love with me.”

“Dunn?” Caleb asked with a giant frown. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

“Oh, I’m sure,” I grumbled.

“You never did tell me what was up between you two.”

“Nothing. I’ve been telling Cyn as much for a year, but you know how she is.” I looked at Cynthia. “You believe me now, don’t you?”

Cynthia gave me a sour look. “I was wondering when you’d throw that in my face.”

Caleb frowned in Ethan’s direction. “Are you two trying to say that you believe Dunn isn’t completely hot for Grace? Because that is the stupidest load of crap I’ve ever heard. The whole freaking school knows he’s got it bad. Why do you think there’s not a girl at Atherton besides Cyn that wants to be your friend?”

“Well.” I hadn’t thought of it that way, but it made sense. “At least
they
have a reason to hate me.”

Cynthia glanced across the room too, and then sighed. “Try to ignore Ethan, okay, Grace? He was a jerk this morning.”

“What’d he do?” Caleb asked.

Cynthia ignored her brother. “That’s just how nephilim are,” she told me. “They think their angel blood makes them superior to everyone.”

“The Creator’s chosen race,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I heard the story. So what about werewolves? Do you hate us lowly humans, too?”

“Nobody hates you, Grace,” Caleb assured me.

I guess he felt the need to prove how much he didn’t hate me because he took my hand in his and refused to let it go when I tried to pull away. He’d beaten his sister to the seat next to me when I’d slid into the booth, and she’d been randomly kicking him under the table ever since. She kicked him again now and said, “Especially not werewolves. Remember, most werewolves used to be human at some point.”

“Were you?”

“No. I’m a natural. My brothers and I were born werewolves, not turned. But that’s pretty rare. Especially for girls. Besides my mom, I’m the only natural female in my entire pack.”

“Wow! How come?”