Ungifted (21 page)

“Russ!” Duncan snapped. “Calm down and tell me what is going on now or I
will
take you back to the consulate.”

Russ muttered something and then there was a blinding light and the sounds of a major scuffle. Russ and Ethan were fighting Duncan and his guards. I couldn’t let them get hurt and I couldn’t let them go to jail for protecting me.

“Stop!” I yelled and stepped out of the dressing room. “Everyone, please, just stop!”

The fight stopped instantly and those who were still conscious—Russ was being held captive by Duncan, but he and Ethan had taken out three guys already—stared at me. “The Chameleon?” one man asked. Another made the sign of the cross.

“Impossible,” Duncan breathed. The way he studied me froze the blood in my veins.

“Please leave Russ alone,” I begged him. “He’s only trying to help me.”

“She’s human!” the first man who spoke said.

“Yes, I am,” I said. “But you can’t blame Russ or Ethan for my knowing about the supernatural. It wasn’t either of their faults, and I promise I haven’t said a word about it to anyone. I never will. I won’t break your laws.”

“A human who has accepted the supernatural?”

“She looks just like Miss Danielle,” one of the men on the ground said as he slowly sat up.

“I can’t smell her,” another said.

“Me either,” Duncan said with the same fascination Andrew had shown the first time we met. “Absolutely no blood lust whatsoever, yet I can clearly hear her beating heart.”

He let go of Russ and took a step toward me. Both Russ and Ethan jumped in front of him. “I won’t hurt her,” Duncan said, annoyed. “I don’t understand.”

“None of us do, sir,” Ethan whispered. “But I swear to you she has kept our world secret. She knows, yes, but she has handled it with amazingly little effort. There is no need for the council to take action against her.”

The quiet was shattered when Marcela wandered into the back room, looking very confused. “Grace?”

“Marcela!” I screamed when Duncan dashed across the room to her. “No! Don’t hurt her! Please!”

Ethan held me back when I tried to run to her and whispered in my ear to just wait.

Duncan put his hands on Marcela’s shoulders and smiled at her. “Everything’s fine,” he said in a gentle voice. “The girl is done here and we’ll all be leaving now. Thank you for your help.”

Marcela shook her head, dazed, but eventually smiled. “Of course. I’ll just grab Grace’s packages.”

Marcela collected the black dress from the changing room and after zipping it in a garment bag handed it to Duncan. Then she handed him the box with Andrew’s blue gown. Finally she stacked two shoe boxes on top of those.

“Thank you for your help, ma’am.”

“Oh, wait! The blue dress came with a matching clutch. Here.” Marcela threw one last package on the pile, stacking it so high that Duncan could hardly see around everything in his arms.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Marcela said cheerfully. “You’re going to look more beautiful than ever tonight, Grace.”

She came to hug me and then held the door as the guards filed out of her shop, never questioning who they were or where they had come from. I was confused, but then I remembered what Andrew had done to the orderly in the hospital. Vampires must have some sort of mind control power. I shuddered, grateful that it hadn’t worked on me when Andrew tried it and hoped that meant I was immune to all vampires.

“Thanks, Marcela. If I have time, I’ll stop by before we go.”

I hugged her back, praying that it wasn’t going to be the last time I ever saw her.

As soon as we were all outside Duncan dismissed his guards.

“There’s no need,” Russ said. “You can go with them. We’re done here.”

“Russ, we really need to talk.”

“Like hell. I told you—I don’t know where Dani and Gabe are.”

“I do. They’re back at the consulate.”

Russ broke into an impressive string of profanity that didn’t stop until Duncan said, “Your father attacked them, Russ.”

Russ froze.

I had no idea who Gabe was, or what was going on, but the thought of Russ’s dad attacking the girl he loves so much made my stomach churn, and if I was affected by this news Russ had to be dying.

I reached out and took Russ’s hand without asking. I startled him at first, but he clung to me. After a moment my calming mojo—or whatever it is—started doing its job. Russ took a deep breath and whispered, “He attacked Dani?”

“She’s okay, but we
need
to talk.”

Russ reached up with his free hand and rubbed his head as if it were pounding. I tried to let go of him, but when he felt me start to pull away he gripped my hand tighter. If I blushed nobody said anything, but Duncan had mentioned being able to hear my heart beat earlier so he had to have noticed the way it just sped up.

“Fine, let’s talk,” Russ said.

“Fine,” Ethan agreed, “but we need to find a place where Grace can rest. Her leg is hurting her.”

Suddenly both Russ and Duncan were looking at me. “I—” I didn’t know what to say. My leg was hurting, but…I turned to Ethan, surprised. “How did you know my—”

“You’re fidgeting,” Ethan said quickly, begging me with his eyes to drop it.

“Oh.”

“You’re in pain?” Russ asked.

“It’s not bad.”

That’s all it took for Russ to sweep me off my feet into his arms and carry me back to his car. Ethan glared at him as we passed, but I didn’t understand what he was mad at. He couldn’t possibly be jealous.

I figured I was being paranoid until Duncan laughed. I glanced back, startled by the sound, and found him smirking at Ethan. When I caught his eye his smile transformed into a wide, playful grin and he winked at me.

Once we were all piled in Russ’s car, Russ turned to Duncan and demanded to know what happened.

“It’s a long story, Russ. Why don’t we talk while we get the girl something to eat. I believe the discomfort in her leg isn’t the only thing she’s been keeping quiet about.”

When I glanced at Duncan he teasingly said, “I can hear your stomach growling.”

I blushed, irritated. Did everybody have to know everything about my physical needs? That was going to get really old.

“Grace, I know you’ve been stressed this week but you shouldn’t be skipping meals,” Ethan lectured. “Making yourself sick isn’t going to help anything.”

“I’m not anorexic, you jerk!” I snapped. “I didn’t eat because Russ and I had plans to meet Cynthia for breakfast at ten. How was I supposed to know you and my father had already planned out my day for me?”

“Sorry,” Ethan grumbled.

I sighed. Ethan’s not the one who’d scheduled my fitting. “No, I’m sorry. It wasn’t your fault, it was my dad’s. But will you please stop treating me like a five-year-old? I’ve practically been on my own since my mother died when I was eight. I know how to take care of myself.”

“Sorry,” Ethan mumbled again, less angry this time.

I shrugged awkwardly and changed the subject. “Do you mind if we still meet her? I texted her on the way to the fitting. She’s probably waiting for us now. Russ wanted to meet her, and I know she’d want to know what’s going on.”

“Cynthia?” Duncan asked, pleasantly curious.

Russ smirked at Duncan. “Human Grace here is a supernatural magnet. Not only does she have a nephilim for a bodyguard, but her best friend is a natural female werewolf.” He eyed me suspiciously and then added, “And if I’m not mistaken, the future alpha of the D.C. pack and his little brother are both fighting for her affection. Not to mention a witch wants her dead and she has a vampire stalking her.”

“I beg your pardon?” Duncan asked, startled.

I felt the blood drain from my face. “Russ!” I hissed.

“It’s all right, Grace,” Ethan assured me, realizing how scared I suddenly was. “Mr. Moore won’t hurt you.”

“Please,” Duncan argued, “it’s just Duncan. Mr. Moore makes me feel my real age. Now what’s this about a vampire stalker?”

“Long story.”

“I’ve got time.”

“We’ll explain on the way,” Ethan said. “If you’re okay with us meeting Grace’s best friend. Grace is right about her wanting to know what’s going on. She and Grace are very close. She’ll be worried, and she’s a good friend for Grace to have in the know. It keeps her safer.”

“This is the natural female?”

Ethan nodded. “Cynthia Layton, daughter of the D.C. alpha.”

“I’m acquainted with her father,” Duncan said, nodding. “That’s fine. I’d very much like to meet her.”

As soon as Russ was driving, Duncan asked again about my vampire stalker. I cringed and was so nervous I couldn’t explain.

“I know I’m not Russ’s favorite person in the world, but I’m a friend, Grace,” Duncan promised. “You can talk to me. I’ll even help you with the problem, if I can.”

I just shook my head. I didn’t want this man to know I hadn’t turned. Ethan and Cynthia both seemed to think the council would kill me if they knew that. That’s why I was shocked when Ethan, of all people, happily told Duncan what he wanted to know. I wondered if it was the vampire mind control thing, but Ethan seemed to idolize Duncan for some strange reason, so who knew.

“You have to forgive Grace for being afraid of vampires,” Ethan said. “They’re the reason she knows about the supernatural and the experience wasn’t exactly pleasant.”

Duncan waited for more explanation so Ethan went on, careful not to divulge the most crucial details. “Andrew De La Cote broke into her room and tried to turn her.”

Duncan’s eyebrows flew sky high. “Andrew De La Cote tried to—how is it that she’s still human?”

“Luck,” Ethan said quickly. “Myself, Cynthia, and her brother all happened to be downstairs at the time. We were able to defuse the situation.”

Duncan wasn’t sure what to think about all of this, but after collecting his thoughts he said, “Andrew De La Cote is over six hundred years old and has never before tried to claim a mate. Council law allows him that right. Why did you stop him?”

I felt my heart stop beating. Of course the vampire was going to take Andrew’s side.

Ethan looked uncomfortable, but gave Duncan the answer he was looking for. “Several reasons. First, her father hired me as her personal security guard. It’s my job to protect her. Second, her father is Senator Alan St. Claire. Grace is most likely going to be the first daughter elect next week. She couldn’t exactly disappear. Andrew should never have attempted to turn someone so well known.
That
would have been against council law for sure. And last, Grace isn’t like other humans. She was resistant to Andrew’s charm. She was fully aware of what was happening, and he was acting against her will. She was terrified and screaming for help. I wasn’t just going to stand by and watch him do that to her.”

Duncan was now staring at me with eyes so big that the car seemed a lot smaller. I had to roll down the window and let the cool, crisp air blast me in the face.

“Can we please not talk about it?” I asked, my voice hiccuping. I hadn’t realized I’d started crying.

“He can help you, Grace,” Ethan said. Then to Duncan explained, “Now Andrew won’t leave her alone. He’s gotten his father involved in Grace’s dad’s campaign so that they have to keep meeting. I believe he’s still going to try to claim her as a mate.”

I shuddered and felt a hand come down on my shoulder. “I know the De La Cotes well,” Duncan said. “I’ll speak to them for you. Ethan is right. Andrew shouldn’t be bothering you. Council law does allow him the right to choose a mate, but the laws are very specific and your celebrity status is a problem.”

It felt hopeless to me.

“Duncan’s an important person, Grace,” Ethan said. “Andrew will listen to him.”

“Or he will answer to the council,” Duncan promised.

Cynthia was waiting for us
by the time we got to the restaurant, and she’d brought both Caleb and Preston with her. I was kind of mad that she’d blabbed about Russ to her brothers, but I was grateful for their presence. I knew Duncan wasn’t supposed to be a threat, but he still made me really uneasy.