Ungifted (49 page)

I turned my head to the window and sulked like a little kid all the way home. When we got there I went into the living room, turned on the TV, and handed Preston the remote. “ESPN,” I told him, then stomped—as much as I could stomp, anyway—up to my room. I slammed the door shut for good measure.

Ethan and Russ hollered cheery good-byes up the stairs to me, and not even two minutes later Preston barged into my room. He didn’t bother to knock. He took the book out of my hands and set it on my dresser.

“You just lost my page,” I grumbled.

He sat down on my bed. “You’ll find it again.”

“You promised you’d leave me alone.”

“I lied. I’m here to plead Cynthia’s case.” When I glared at him, he sighed. “Hear me out.”

“I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

“No. You don’t. You need to forgive her. She’s a wreck.”

“If she’s so broken up over it, why hasn’t she called? She won’t even look at me at school.”

Preston’s voice was sad when he responded. “She doesn’t have a choice, Grace. The pack is afraid of you. Not just the pack, the whole resistance. Ever since they learned the truth about you and Ethan, and knowing that you’ve gained Russ Devereaux’s trust, they’re afraid of the three of you. If you guys got angry enough, between the three of you, you could do a lot of damage.”

“We could,” I agreed.

“That’s exactly my point. You’re all angry and none of you are loyal or tied to the resistance in any way. They’re afraid you’ll go to the council if we push you. My dad knows you’re angry because of what he made us do, and he doesn’t want to make it worse. He ordered Cynthia to stay away from you.”

Preston waited, knowing somehow that I’d look up at him. “You’re her best friend,” he said when our eyes met. “And she’s not allowed to explain herself or try to make it right unless you come to her first. You have to talk to her, Grace. She needs you.”

I felt my temper flare inside me. I was still too heartbroken over the fresh betrayal to stay calm. “She needs me?” I cried angrily. “Am I supposed to care?”

“That’s unfair.”

“Unfair? How can you even talk to me after what you’ve done? You were never my friend, either! I was an assignment to you!”

“That’s true,” Preston agreed slowly. “But I never tried to be your friend, did I? It was you who sought me out every time. I only ever followed your lead.”

I stiffened. His confession stung. He saw that he hurt my feelings and sighed. “I think we could both use some fresh air. Will you go for a walk with me?”

His request surprised me, but he was right that we needed to talk about this. At least he could do it maturely. He was probably the only Layton who could.

“I don’t think Ethan wants me to leave the house, and I can’t really go that far on crutches, but I have a fire pit in the backyard. If you want to light it, I’ll make us some hot chocolate.”

“That sounds nice.”

It was colder outside than I thought it would be. There was a bad winter storm moving in that covered the sky in a dark layer of clouds, but Preston was right about needing some air. Sitting in front of the fire, sipping hot cocoa, was both refreshing and relaxing despite the fact that I was bundled up bigger than the can’t-put-my-arms-down-kid from
A Christmas Story
.

Preston sat next to me on the patio sofa, wearing nothing but a jacket and a beanie. He laughed at my layers and then explained that werewolves don’t get cold very easily. I was grateful for the tension breaker, but it didn’t last long. Once we were settled in on the bench, he immediately brought us back on topic.

“I know you know Cynthia wasn’t pretending to be your friend, Grace. I understand you’re hurt, but you know how much she loves you.”

“I know,” I admitted with a sigh.

“I never pretended anything with you, either,” he promised quietly. “I don’t expect you to believe that, but it’s the truth. I never imposed myself on you like Caleb did.”

“But—”

“You asked
me
out, remember?”

I snapped my mouth shut and sipped my cocoa, hoping the steam would hide my blushing cheeks. I had been the one to ask him out. There was something about him, even now, after he’d betrayed me, that I couldn’t help liking.

“I said yes because I like you, Grace, and that’s real. I wasn’t acting on orders. In fact, I was kind of going against them.”

Preston sighed at my look of confusion. “Cynthia’s right,” he said. “I wouldn’t be allowed to date you even if you could ever trust me again. I’m an alpha. I have responsibilities to my pack. When you asked me out, I told myself it was okay because my father wanted me to try and gain your trust, but the truth is that I just wanted to go. I know I’ll be expected to mate with a natural female werewolf someday, but just know that when I find someone I hope she’s like you.”

“Oh yeah, I’m a real catch,” I muttered before I could stop myself.

“You are, Grace. Guys like Ethan and Russ don’t understand that because they don’t think like you. They’re fighters. They admire physical strength. But neither of them understands what it’s like to be a leader, to have to think beyond themselves and put others first.”

That wasn’t exactly true. “Ethan always puts me before himself.”

“Only because he’s bonded to you.”

Okay,
that
may have been true.

“When you don’t stand up to the kids that give you a hard time at school, it’s not because you’re afraid,” Preston said.

It wasn’t a question, but I answered it anyway. “No. My dad needs me to keep a low profile, and high school will be over soon enough. Trust me, it’s better for everyone if I ignore the idiots and just be happy with my real friends.”

Preston smiled. “Exactly. When you don’t speak up, or sacrifice your own needs for others—especially for people you don’t like—you’re the stronger one. You have a lot of your father in you. You’re diplomatic. You’d make a great leader.”

I blushed again and Preston grabbed my hand. He actually pulled my glove off so that he could lace our fingers together. He soaked up my humanity for a moment and then said, “If I could make you my mate and have you rule my pack with me someday, I would. You have compassion and mercy, but also conviction in what you know is the right or wrong thing.

“Plus, you’re brave. The way you’ve handled everything thrown at you? After seeing that, I didn’t know you, but I admired you instantly. The more I learn, the more I like you. I’ve been so angry knowing Caleb was asked to try and claim you.” Preston paused a moment, then corrected himself. “Angry and jealous.”

I tried to hide my surprise but I stiffened anyway, and Preston pulled my hand into his lap, forcing me to lean just a little closer to him. “Caleb just saw a prize. He was flattered that the pack asked him to take on such a big responsibility. He thinks you’re pretty and he knows you’re special, so he was willing to go along with the plan, but he didn’t care about you at all. He didn’t know what he was being offered. He would have been nice, but he wouldn’t have appreciated you the way you deserve. Not like I would.”

This time I didn’t bother to hide anything—not my gasp, not my blush. Not my surprise, or fear, or excitement. I stared up at Preston with my mouth hanging open like an idiot. “You really see all that in
me
?”

Preston stared back at me with that intense, wolfish, hungry stare of his. When his eyes drifted the direction of my lips, I forgot to keep breathing. He tucked my hair behind my ear, letting his fingertips linger on the side of my face and it became official—my heart gave out.

“What I wouldn’t give to be allowed the chance of winning your heart, Grace,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry that you’ve been hurt by my family.”

It took me a moment of sitting there before I realized what I was waiting for, and then another moment to realize that Preston wasn’t going to do it. It took no time at all to realize exactly how much I wished he would.

“Preston?” I asked.

He was already looking at me, but he raised his eyebrows slightly. “Hmm?”

I pulled his face down to mine before I could talk myself out if it. I felt his hesitation as he told himself he should stop me. But I could also tell he didn’t want to stop me, so I leaned into him just a little. My ungloved fingers found their way to his cheek, and he gave in to me.

The kiss was soft and slow at first, but something began to build in it. Warmth spread through my whole body that had absolutely nothing to do with the supernatural, and everything to do with liking the feel and taste of his lips. He moved his hands to my face as he deepened our kiss. Then, all too soon, we were pulling apart, both trying to get a hold of ourselves.

I knew he was surprised that I kissed him. Staring into his eyes, seeing just how much shock was in them as we tried to catch our breaths, I knew I was going to have to explain myself. “I like you, too, Preston,” I said, doing my best to not blush. “You’re nothing like your brother. I noticed that the night of Aimee’s party. That’s why I asked you out when I’d said no to him. I feel like you understand me. You know what it’s like to have expectations placed on you. You know pressure, and you know there’s no point in playing games. You’re just you,” I told him with a shrug of my shoulders. “Sometimes that’s a little scary and intense, but it’s still refreshing. There aren’t many people brave enough to just be themselves.”

Preston only let the tiniest hint of a smile break out on his otherwise stunned face. I was glad he seemed happy with my confession, but then his expression dimmed a little and he said, “I thought you liked Devereaux.”

There was no stopping my cheeks from flaming this time. I looked down at my lap and shrugged. “I do,” I admitted quietly. “I like you both. But there’s a difference between you. I can’t really explain it, but I’ve felt drawn to Russ since the second I first saw him. I feel like I know him, like somehow I’ve always known him. I’m not sure if that’s because of Dani or what, but it’s almost as if I can’t help liking him.

“Liking you feels different because I know it’s all me. You earned my approval. It’s not some mysterious supernatural connection. Somehow, that’s more appealing. Right now, if I had the choice between the two of you…” My voice trailed off, my embarrassment finally creeping back in. “I’d like to give us a try.”

Preston sighed and then leaned back, putting a safe distance between us. “I’m sorry, Grace. It’s not that I don’t want to, but it’s impossible. My father would never allow it.”

Sometimes I really hated werewolves. All their stupid rules were, well…stupid, that’s what! No one person should be able to have that much control over other people’s lives. I was so angry all of a sudden that I wanted to go find the D.C. alpha and threaten to sick the council on him just because. “Why can’t I?” I muttered to myself.

“What?” Preston asked.

“It couldn’t hurt to ask,” I said. “If I’m really so important, maybe he’d let us.”

Preston shook his head. “You don’t understand pack life, Grace. It’s not that simple.”

“No. Think about it. If I were dating you, then, in a way, I’d be tied to your pack. That’s what your father wants, right? It’s what the whole resistance wants. Your brothers are all natural born, too. Tell your dad to let them mate with natural females. You know Caleb would be much happier with some wild and crazy wolf girl than me, anyway.”

Preston laughed despite himself. “How well you know my brother.” He chuckled again, but then pulled himself back together. “Grace,” he said seriously. “There’s no doubt it’d be a tempting offer, but think about what you’re saying. Wolves look at things like what you’re offering as contracts. Dating me would basically be like joining the pack. My father would expect you to be loyal. He’d want you to join the resistance. I’m sure he’d ask that in return for giving us what we want.”

I sighed. I knew he’d ask that, too. Then he’d ask me to somehow pull my father into the mess. I liked Preston, but was dating him really worth that?

“If I ask you something, will you be completely honest with me?”

“Always,” Preston promised.

“Do you follow the resistance out of loyalty, or do you believe they’re really doing the right thing?”

Preston took a long time to answer me. I was glad because that meant he was really, truly thinking about it. “I think they lose focus sometimes,” he said. “They get a little overzealous and take things too far. What Simone did to Russ and Ethan at the meeting was uncalled for. And sending people to kidnap the Chosen One and the Seer, giving them orders to kill whomever it took no matter how innocent, makes them no better than the council they oppose.”

“But?”

“But,” Preston agreed, “I do believe the cause is right. The only way to make the world safe for everyone is to bring balance between the humans and us, but the council will never allow it. They won’t listen to reason. They push us so deep into hiding that it’s no wonder humans can’t accept us. In a way, they’re the ones creating the fear and animosity. They inadvertently create the violence they’re trying to protect us from.”

I thought it over for a minute, then reached for Preston’s hand again. “Well,” I said, “then it sounds like the resistance needs me. They need someone to be the politician and keep them from turning as evil as the council, right? I’m not about to let them murder innocent people or start a war. There has to be a peaceful solution. If bringing humans and supernaturals together is really what this world needs, then who better to do it than me—the counterpart of the most powerful supernatural ever to exist, and the daughter of the most powerful human on the planet? Not to mention one of the only people in the world who truly loves both species.”