Ungifted (46 page)

Clara pointed an accusing finger at Aimee. “She is the one who attacked Grace at the restaurant!”

Russ called BS on that one. “The person trying to kill her used immortal magic. The only person I know dirty enough to dilute herself with the blood of the undead is you.”

“The attack at the restaurant wasn’t immortal magic. Was it, Ethan?”

Ethan looked startled to be addressed directly. He thought about it for a second and then became very unhappy. “She could be telling the truth,” he said to Russ. “I can’t tell the difference between witch and warlock, or regular and immortal magic. It all feels the same to me.”

The nephilim all sounded shocked by this. “Are you saying you can feel magic?” Ethan’s uncle demanded. “That is not possible!”

Ethan completely ignored him and shook his head at Clara. “Whoever attacked us that night already knew that magic would have no effect on Grace. She also knew how quickly she’d have to act. She knew I’d be able to feel it coming.”

“Yeah,” Clara said, her voice turning bitter. “And there was only one person I told about you and Grace besides my master.” She glared at Aimee. “So much for trusting your best friend.”

“Best friend?”
Aimee exploded like a soda pop that had been shaken up. “You were supposed to hate her as much as me! She’s a stupid
human
and she’s got every supernatural in town wrapped around her little finger! She’s got your freaking angel lover boy on a leash, and then she stole the wolves, too. Preston swore to me he couldn’t date anyone but a natural female werewolf, but one little bat of an eyelash from Grace and he’s buying her dinner and holding her freaking hand!”

This news didn’t go over so well, either. Andrew snarled at Preston, which should have sent the wolves into a rage, but they were so shocked that they didn’t even notice. Preston looked as though he wanted the ground to swallow him up. He looked in my direction but I couldn’t meet his eyes. My shoes were suddenly too fascinating to look away from.

“You tried to kill Grace because a future alpha’s got the hots for her?” Russ asked incredulously.

I felt the blood drain from my face and tried not to move. I’d been pretty invisible up to this point and I wanted to stay that way.

“Not just a future alpha!” Aimee shouted. “The entire resistance wants her! The head of the most powerful vampire coven on the East Coast is obsessed with her. The most dangerous warlock alive, who has connections to the Chosen One and the Seer, is her new BFF.
Duncan Moore
is protecting her. Ethan’s been stalking her for years. Caleb
bit
her! She makes everyone go crazy! She’s dangerous! And then the one person I thought I could count on to see her for the problem she is just gave up her home and family and friends to protect her!” Aimee looked at Clara with tears streaming down her face. “You
are
a backstabbing bitch!”

Aimee tried to throw a violent spell at Clara, but Clara was too strong and Aimee’s mother grabbed her. She cast a spell that really freaked Aimee out. “You
bound
my magic?” Aimee gasped, horrified by her mother’s actions.

“Trying to kill people in a fit of teenage jealousy?” her mother replied. She looked to the other resistance members in the room and said, “I apologize for my daughter. I assure you that she will be properly dealt with.” She turned to me then. “I am truly sorry for this, Miss St. Claire. Please do not judge this organization based on the actions of my daughter.”

I was still trying to blend in with the walls, but I could suddenly feel every pair of eyes in the room resting on me. “It’s okay,” I mumbled into my lap. “I’m just glad we figured out who’s been trying to kill me.” A thought occurred to me and I finally lifted my head to search for Ethan’s face. “There is no one else, right?” I asked him. “I’m safe now?”

The moment I lifted my head, Simone took one look at me and gasped. “Impossible!”

Russ cursed under his breath and scooped me up into his arms. “I totally forgot about that.” He gave Ethan a hard look and said, “Time to go.”

Ethan didn’t ask questions. He grabbed my crutches and held the door open for Russ to carry me through it.

“Not so fast,” Simone said, and both Russ and Ethan stopped.

Russ cursed again.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Why’d you stop?”

Simone laughed. “Humans are so deliciously naïve, aren’t they, Russell?”

“It’s a binding spell,” Russ muttered. “I can’t move.”

“Oh.” I thought about that, then frowned. “But you have magic too, right? Can’t you, like, break it or something?”

Russ sighed. “I’m trying. It’s too strong.”

“It wouldn’t be too strong for you if you were properly trained,” Marcus said. He was watching Russ with fascination again, even though Russ had totally laid him out twice. “I would train you myself just to see what you are truly capable of.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Russ said sarcastically.

Ethan huffed, tired of the pointless bantering. “What do you want?” he asked Simone.

Russ sighed again. “She’s met Dani.”

“She knows what Dani
looks like,” Russ explained.

Ethan echoed Russ’s curse. Between the two of them, I would end up with the mouth of a sailor if I weren’t careful.

Simone walked up to me and caressed my cheek as she studied me.

I squirmed in Russ’s arms, though I made no attempt to climb to my feet. Somehow, even though he was completely frozen, I still felt safer with him holding me.

“Such an amazing resemblance. You, darling, are much prettier, though. You are Danielle as she should be.”

“Something you’d like to share with the rest of us?” Ethan’s uncle asked, coming to stand next to Simone.

Simone looked surprised. “You don’t know?” When it was obvious he didn’t, Simone released a cackle that would make the Wicked Witch of the West jealous—both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. “My dear Logan, I’m afraid these children have been keeping secrets from you.”

“What secrets?” Mr. Dunn demanded. He looked in Ethan’s direction for the answer.

“Ones that are none of your business,” Ethan replied.

“Fascinating all the same,” Simone said, “and too good to not share.” Simone pushed my hair away from my face. “This human is identical to the Chosen One.”

Simone smiled at Russ as she waited out the murmurs her declaration spurred. “Incredible, isn’t it?” she asked him. Her face fell into a look of pity. “How this face must haunt you to look at it.”

Russ managed not to react, but I couldn’t. “Leave him alone,” I gasped. When Simone looked at me with surprise I blushed and muttered, “There’s no need to be cruel.”

Simone burst into laughter again. “How positively tragic!” she cried with delight. “You finally have the affection you desire, and it’s from the wrong girl!”

“Shut up!” I shouted, surprising myself with my outburst.

Simone’s expression turned cold. “Tell me, human, are you aware of your connection to the Chosen One? Do you know your purpose?”

I couldn’t withstand the force of her stare and buried my face in Russ’s neck.

“This child knows her destiny,” Simone said. “Will you not share your secret with us, darling?”

When I didn’t answer, Simone hissed and muttered something very quietly. Then suddenly Russ dropped me and collapsed to the floor, screaming and writhing in pain. “Russ! Ethan, help him!” I screamed, but when I looked in Ethan’s direction he was suffering the same torture. “Stop!” I cried. “Stop!”

“Tell me what I want to know!” Simone bellowed.

I’d never seen this kind of violence before ever in my life. I was so scared I couldn’t process her request. “Stop!” I begged again, sobbing this time. “Please, stop hurting them!”

When my crying became so violent I couldn’t even form single words anymore, I pulled my knees into my chest and hid my eyes from the sight. There was nothing I could do to block the sound of their screams, though.

“Simone,” someone urged.

“She will tell me what I want to know!”

But I couldn’t. I wasn’t built for this. Political arguments and power plays I could handle, but I wasn’t equipped to deal with pure evil like this. I wasn’t tough. I was too emotional—ruled by my fear and panic.

“She’s too distraught,” someone else argued. “She can’t tell you anything like that.”

“Stop this now!” someone hissed. “Or I will kill you.”

I heard a scuffle and then the screaming was silenced. The only sound left in the room was my own hysteria. I looked up and Clara was standing over her mother, locked in concentration. She started to sweat and finally collapsed. The vampire whose name I didn’t know pulled her into his arms.

“You dare to challenge me?” Simone spat at Clara, but her breathing was ragged. Clara had weakened her pretty good.

“Broke the spell, didn’t I?” Clara rasped.

Simone looked ready to attack Clara, but Mr. Dunn put a hand on her shoulder. “Enough,” he urged. “You’ve frightened the girl out of her mind. You cannot treat humans as you would one of us. They’re too weak.”

I wanted to defend myself, but he was right. I’d completely lost it.
Ethan?
I knew I sounded like I was crying.
Ethan!

It’s okay, Grace.
Russ and I are fine.

Even his mental voice sounded ragged and weak, but it was enough for me to focus. Not knowing what else to do and scared Simone would hurt them again, I told her what she was waiting for.

“I don’t have a purpose!” I sobbed. “I’m just supposed to be alive. I’m the opposite of the Chosen One. The Creator calls me the Ungifted One because no supernatural power can touch me. I can’t hurt you, and I can’t help you, and you need to leave me alone. I exist to keep Dani balanced. We’re connected somehow, and without me she’d become too powerful. She would destroy everything. I’m just supposed to exist, that’s all. Just supposed to live my life! I don’t want to be a part of all this!”

Someone picked me up off the floor and cradled me tightly against them. I didn’t know who it was until he spoke. “Of course not, love. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. I can keep you safe. I’ll take you away from all of this and give you the best life you could possibly imagine. You only need ask. If you wished it, your nephilim would let you. He could even come with us if you couldn’t bear to be separated from him. I would allow that. Give me a chance to make you happy, Grace.”

If anyone but Andrew had given me that offer right then, I might have taken it. But Andrew, despite all his gentleness and sweet talk, was a monster. He stroked my hair and continued to murmur soft assurances, but they weren’t helping. I was just as scared of him as I was of Simone.

“Ethan!” I squeaked, my panic obvious in my voice. “Don’t let him take me! Please!”

“Let her go,” Ethan said. His voice sounded strained but better than it had before.

Then I was pulled from one pair of arms to another. I didn’t need to look to see who it was. I was beginning to recognize the feel of Russ’s arms around me.

“Are you okay?” I asked him.

“Never better,” he grunted, laughing at the obvious lie.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m not,” Russ said. “Now I have enough of a reason to kill her and not feel bad about it.”

“As if you could, darling.”

“Maybe not yet, babe, but someday. I promise you’ll regret the day you met me.”

Simone laughed, but it quickly turned into a longing sigh. “So much like your father,” she cooed.

“Enough of this!” Andrew suddenly shouted. “Get your hands off her, boy! She is
my
mate! I
claimed
her! That my blood didn’t turn her doesn’t change that fact!”

“If that’s true, then my Caleb has just as much claim to her as you,” Mr. Layton interrupted suddenly. “More, even. He was pursuing her first!”

I couldn’t believe the strangeness of the direction this conversation had just taken. They were actually fighting over who owned me. Before I could even wrap my head around that, Ethan put a stop to it.