Ungifted (40 page)

“Calling a specific angel is a lot harder,” he explained. “You have to have a personal connection to them—an object of theirs, a memory of previously meeting them, or a very specific reason for needing them personally.”

Russ, Ethan, and I all shared a dry look. We pretty much had that one covered.

“So that’s it, then?” Russ asked. “I just call out to them and ask them to come?”

“Sincerity usually helps,” Mr. Devereaux deadpanned. “But yes. That’s all there is to it. Even humans can do it. Of course, nothing can force an angel to appear. They’re stronger than any earthly magic. There’s no guarantee they’ll make their physical presence known, and I wouldn’t get your hopes up. That’s not something they like to do. There’s a lot of superstition about the effects they have on mortal beings.”

Ethan scoffed quietly and glared at the phone. I felt bad, too. What happened to his mother was definitely not superstition.

“Pray,” Russ said again with a hard laugh. “Well, that’s pretty anticlimactic compared to the whole human sacrifice thing you needed to raise Addonexus.”

Mr. Devereaux heaved another sigh, this one the most weary of them all. “So you’ve talked to Dani, then?”

Russ’s face flushed bright red at the mention of Dani’s name. “No,” he growled. “The council came after me, and they were only too happy to give me all the gory details. Then they kindly pointed out how much you screwed me over in my training and offered to teach me properly. They asked me to join the freaking guardians.”

“Russ!” Mr. Devereaux sounded slightly panicked. “Don’t do it. I know it sounds like a gracious offer, but you can’t trust them.”

“Don’t worry, Dad. Thanks to you, I don’t trust anybody.”

“You should trust me.”

This made Russ burst into obnoxious laughter. “I trust you the least of anyone.”

“At least let me explain.”

“Thanks for the info, Dad. Have a nice life.”

For the second time that night, Russ hung up on his dad. This time, Mr. Devereaux didn’t call back.

We waited until the next day
to summon the Angel Michael, figuring after Russ and his dad one call to an estranged father a day was all the excitement we could handle.

Ethan and Russ both chose to camp out on my bedroom floor all night. I had no say in the matter. When I argued, they both told me I’d just have to get used to it because until Andrew was taken care of and we figured out who tried to kill me, they weren’t letting me out of their sight.

You’d think a girl would find that flattering, but all it did was make none of us sleep very well. We were all tired, and Russ and Ethan were both really cranky with me when I wouldn’t just let them call an angel in my living room the next morning.

I got a lot of grumbling on the drive out to Great Falls Park, and even a few interesting curses under their breaths when I forced them to leave the heat of the car and sit with me on the observation deck overlooking the snowy Potomac River.

“Tell me again why I’m out here freezing my—” Russ stopped when I glared at him.

“We needed the privacy,” I said stubbornly.

“The car has plenty of privacy,” Ethan grumbled.

I was appalled. “I’m not going to ask an angel to make an appearance in the backseat of a car! I don’t care if it is a Lexus.”

“We’d let him have shotgun,” Ethan said, smirking conspiratorially at Russ, who snickered with him.

I groaned loudly, letting them both see my frustration. “You guys are idiots. If you want to go back to the car, then fine. I’ll call him myself. I don’t need you with me to ask him my questions anyway.”

It’s not easy to stalk off on crutches, but I sure tried to. I went over to the railing, muttering to myself, and soon both of them flanked me on either side, trying their best to look apologetic. They weren’t doing a very good job of it.

“What’s it matter where we meet him?” Russ asked, attempting to sober up.

They were going to laugh at me, but I didn’t care. “I just thought that if I was going to meet an
angel
it should be someplace peaceful and beautiful. This is my favorite place in all of D.C.”

I was surprised when Russ managed to stop smiling and take me seriously. He looked out at the river and then spoke so softly I almost couldn’t hear him over the sound of the waterfalls. “Dani loves the water, too.”

I was startled by his mention of Dani. He generally didn’t bring her up unless it was absolutely necessary. “Do we have a lot in common?” I asked.

Russ shook his head in response, but his gaze never left the river. “Not at all. You’re completely different in every way. I keep waiting for you to remind me of her, but you never do. It’s kind of a relief, actually.”

“That’s good, I guess.”

Except not really. It was good that I didn’t constantly remind him of the girl that broke his heart, but all I heard from that conversation was that I was exactly the opposite of everything he wanted in a girl.

I could feel Ethan burning a gaze in my back and blushed at the way he was frowning. He must have been getting a taste of my sudden depression. I only hoped I was right that he couldn’t understand the reason for it. That would be embarrassing.

Don’t ask
. I grumbled mentally.

Ethan’s frown got even bigger, but he spared me and asked a different question instead. “Why do you care so much about this, anyway? I thought you said angels were lame.”

“In books.” I gave him my best eye roll. “Fiction. Fantasy. Nephilim, fallen angels…In books, they usually are lame. We’re talking about a real angel now. One of God’s very own beloved. And not just any angel—
St. Michael
.”

Ethan couldn’t hide his surprise. “I didn’t know you were religious.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” I snapped, then instantly felt bad when his face crumbled into a guilty expression.

“Grace, I—”

“I believe in God,” I said quickly. I didn’t want to hear whatever was about to come out of his mouth. “I don’t know about your Creator, but angels are angels, and I’m not about to disrespect the Archangel Michael by asking him to meet me in the backseat of a car. And actually, if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate a little space. Prayers are kind of private, you know.”

“But it’s
his
dad,” Russ started to argue, until Ethan grabbed him by the shoulder and carted him off to a bench about twenty feet away.

Thank you,
I thought to Ethan.

I was surprised to get a response.

You’re welcome.

I leaned out over the railing and took a deep breath. As my eyes drifted shut, I heard Ethan’s voice in my head again.

Grace? I’m sorry.

Like Mr. Devereaux with his son last night, I didn’t think Ethan’s apology was just about giving me a hard time for dragging them to the river. For some reason that thought terrified me, but now wasn’t the time to think about it.

I took another deep breath and let the sound of the river relax me a little. “Lord?” I asked quietly. “I know I usually ask you to look out for my dad, but I could really use your help for myself this time. I’m looking for your servant Michael. Please. If there is any way I could speak with him—”

I could feel his presence before he spoke to me. The sensation was so strong I gasped and couldn’t finish my prayer properly. For a moment, I couldn’t even move. He was here, really here. Standing right behind me. I felt his love penetrating my skin like the warmth of the sun, and when I heard his voice it sent a peace through me that I never knew was possible.

“Your faith is exceptionally strong, little one. I thank you for that.”

Slowly, I turned around, but nothing could have prepared me for meeting an angel. He was the most magnificent thing I’d ever seen. More beautiful than should be physically possible. He was tall and strong, dressed in a simple white tunic that only covered him from waist to knee, and over his shoulders rose an enormous set of pristine, white wings. Hanging over his bare chest from a chain around his neck was a pendant exactly like the one Ethan had received from his mom the other night.

He was so glorious it was difficult to be in his presence, but that’s not what made me gasp. He looked so much like Ethan! The eyes, the lips, the same perfectly golden halo of hair…Ethan had his mother’s nose and chin, but the rest came from the man standing in front of me. And this man didn’t look a day over thirty.

When I gasped, the angel smiled warmly at me. “You have no need to fear me, Grace St. Claire. You are growing into an amazing creature and are truly in the favor of our beloved Creator. I have been sent to answer the desires of your heart. What is it that I can do for you, child?”

“I—I—” I couldn’t help it that I was stammering like an idiot. I knew this was the part where I should ask him who and what I was, but for some reason what came out of my mouth instead was, “I’m not afraid of you. It’s just that you look so much like…I mean…um…I hope you don’t mind, but I brought someone with me.”

Michael noticed me glance over his shoulder and turned to follow my gaze. Then he was the one to gasp. “You’ve brought my son to me,” he whispered reverently.

“Yes,” I said softly. “And I think he’d really like to meet you.”

I was amazed at the tentative way Michael approached Ethan. His feelings seemed to leak from his very pores, saturating the atmosphere around him. Overwhelming feelings of shock, awe, humility, fear, and love so strong I nearly cried out when I felt it. I followed the angel and went to stand beside Russ. He took my hand automatically and I could tell he was every bit as overwhelmed as I was.

Michael came to a stop five feet from us. “Ethan?” he asked in a shaking voice.

Ethan stared at the man, unable to speak until Russ elbowed him lightly. Then he chocked out a very unsure, “Dad?”

That one word, whether it was the acknowledgement of their relation, or simply the sound of Ethan’s voice, sent tears spilling from the angel’s eyes. The Archangel Michael, the fiercest of all God’s creatures,
the rival of Satan
, was crying! The moment was too surreal.

“I have wanted you to know me for so long,” he said. “I’m sorry for the distance between us, but I’ve always been with you. I check in on you as often as I can.”

Ethan swallowed a lump in his throat, then pinched his eyes shut and ducked his head shamefully. His entire body started trembling so much that I reached out to steady him, afraid he was going to fall over.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I’ve messed up so much. I don’t deserve the honor you’ve given me. I—I can’t do this.”

Michael closed the distance between them and placed his hands on Ethan’s shoulders, but Ethan still didn’t open his eyes. I suspected there was probably a bit of moisture in them that he didn’t want any of us to see.

“Yes, you can,” Michael promised him. “It’s not too late, son, and it’s not entirely your fault.”

This made Ethan finally look at his father.

“I owe you an apology, too, Ethan,” Michael said. “I thought you’d come to your mother when it happened. I thought you’d know the truth. I thought you’d have help, and I didn’t expect your clan to poison your mind.”

“I’m so lost. I don’t understand any of this. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, and I—” Ethan looked at his feet again and gulped. “I’m scared.”

I barely managed to stop myself from gasping. I didn’t know guys were capable of that kind of honesty. Especially Ethan. He never let anyone see what he was really feeling, and yet here he was, openly admitting that he screwed up and that he was scared. In that moment, he became a completely different person to me.

“Finding me was the first step,” Michael said. There was so much pride in his voice that Ethan looked up again. I could tell he was surprised by the sincere smile on Michael’s face.

“There is so much I have to explain to you, and we must start your training as a true warrior as soon as possible. We’re going to have to work very hard. You’re getting a late start, and Grace needs you.”

“We?” Ethan gasped. “You mean
you
are going to train me?”