by Kelly Oram
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?”
“It takes two naturals to have children. There’s something about the change when a human is turned that makes it impossible to get pregnant. Then, for some reason, even if you’re lucky enough to have kids, the boy to girl ratio is, like, ten to one. We think it has to do with the fact that werewolves have about three times the testosterone humans have.”
“Geez. It’s no wonder you need me around so much.” I frowned when a new thought occurred to me. “So, wait, if you guys don’t hate humans, how come you don’t hang out with them? I mean, your brothers pretty much stick to themselves, and you only ever talk to them and me.”
“It’s not that werewolves have anything against humans. Humans are just naturally shy of us. They’re instinctively intimidated by us. We don’t want to risk raising any suspicion, so we tend to gravitate toward other supernaturals. Us and Ethan are the only supernaturals at Atherton, so we keep to ourselves.”
“But I’ve never been scared of you.”
Cynthia smiled. “Yeah, but we both know you’re an odd duck.”
“Shut up.”
“How about my brothers, though?” Cynthia challenged. “You’re not exactly comfortable around them, are you?”
This was very, very true. I shot a quick glance at Caleb and tried not to blush as I shook my head. “Not even close.”
Caleb smiled and let go of my hand so that he could drape his arm over my shoulder instead. “Ah,” he said, tucking me into his side. “But you will be.”
I couldn’t take it anymore. “Will you please explain to me why your brother thinks we’re engaged? And could you kindly remind him that I didn’t turn last night, so that is most definitely not the case.”
“You don’t have to be a werewolf to be mine,” Caleb argued. “What do you say, Grace, want to make it official—be my girlfriend? You could get naked for me and even things up a little.”
I gasped and scrambled as far away from Caleb as the tiny booth would allow. It wasn’t nearly far enough.
“Caleb!” Cynthia shouted, equally horrified. “Don’t act like a pig! Grace doesn’t want to be your girlfriend!”
Caleb frowned and pulled my arm to him. Ethan had cleaned up my wrist where Caleb had bitten me, and I’d had to wear a fat bracelet to cover the bandages. The last thing I needed was rumors that I’d tried to slit my wrist. My father would love that.
Caleb pushed the bracelet up my arm a little and examined the wound. “Is it sore?”
“It’s fine.”
Caleb laughed at the way I was trembling. He brushed his fingers lightly over the bandages and sighed wistfully. “It’s a shame it didn’t take.”
“Caleb!” Cynthia warned, and he finally let go of my hand.
“I still don’t understand why we’d have to get married if you turned me.”
“Council law,” Caleb explained. “We can’t just go turning anyone we want into werewolves. The humans would become suspicious. But we’re allowed to turn a human if we’re in need of a mate because there are so few female werewolves. If I’d turned you, then I’d have to have you as my mate, or I’d be in big trouble with the council. And if Cyn turned you, then dad would have had to give you to someone in the pack or Cyn would have been in even bigger trouble.”
“I think they would have gone easy on me, considering the situation,” Cynthia explained when I went pale. “Andrew should never have attempted to turn you. I would have been helping supernaturals by turning you wolf instead. You’d have been a lot easier to hide in plain sight as one of us.”
“Still,” Caleb said. “Dad wouldn’t have risked it. He’d have made sure you were paired with someone in the pack. Then no council law would have been broken.”
“This is the same council you were talking about last night? The one you said will kill me if they find out I know the truth?”
Cynthia nodded grimly. “The council is basically the government for supernaturals. They really don’t like the idea of being exposed to humans. But you aren’t in danger from them anymore, Grace. Not if you’re fine with knowing the truth and never giving away the secret.”
“Plus, they’re never going to find out about you,” Caleb said fiercely.
“No,” Ethan agreed, slipping back into his seat next to Cynthia. “They aren’t.”
“But if I’m not in danger, if I don’t go crazy, then what does it matter? Is it against council law for humans to know?”
“Not technically,” Caleb admitted grudgingly. “But the council doesn’t always play by their own rules. Sane or not, you’re probably going to be the first daughter soon. I don’t want to know what they would do if they knew someone so close to the President of the United States knew the truth about the supernatural.�
��
“‘Close’?” I scoffed. “They obviously don’t know the relationship I have with my father.” I took a huge swig of ice water. “Anyway. Let’s all just pray we lose the election and it won’t be a problem.”
“Or,” Caleb said with a wicked grin, “you could still agree to be my mate and then nobody could touch you. Except me, of course.”
I didn’t have to say anything because Cynthia and Ethan both glared at Caleb enough for him to laugh and say, “Fine. Fine. How about just my date, then? Because there’s this party tonight that’s going to be awesome.”
I tried to swallow back my nerves. I was pretty sure I didn’t want to go on a date with Caleb any more than Cynthia wanted me to. “Tonight’s Halloween,” I said, looking for a way to refuse him without just saying no. “I don’t have a costume.”
I’m not sure why Caleb rolled his eyes the way he did. It’s not like a costume party on Halloween is unheard of. But he seemed to think I was a moron when he said, “It’s not a costume party. The supernatural don’t celebrate Halloween the way humans do.”
“You don’t mean…?” Cynthia said.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Ethan agreed warily.
“It’s a great idea!” Caleb argued. “She’s in it now. The more she learns and gets to know people, the better off she’ll be.”
“There’s already at least one supernatural who wants her dead,” Ethan argued. “Parading her around at a sacred celebration will only add more people to that list.”
“You’re looking at this like a stupid, short-sighted nephilim, Ethan,” Caleb insisted.
I had to hide my smirk. I was glad that I wasn’t the only person in the world who didn’t love Ethan Dunn.
“People are going to love her. Think about it. When’s the last time you ever met a human that could handle the truth? Think about what this could mean. Especially for the resistance. She’s proof that the council is wrong. She’ll give people hope. Everyone will want to know her and protect her. She’ll be safer.”
“He’s right,” Cyn agreed. “Plus, we can feel people out at the party. See if we can get any clues as to who would want to hurt her or why. Whoever attacked her the other day did it before she knew the truth, but what other reason would a supernatural have to want her dead? I hate to agree with Caleb, but this party might be exactly the thing we need.”
Ethan lost the argument, and all three of them stared at me expectantly. My stomach dropped to my knees and my voice jumped three octaves. “You really want me to go to a supernatural party?”
“Be brave, little Gracie,” Caleb said, pulling me tightly to his side again.
Caleb was looking down at me so intensely that there was no way to say no. I hated that he was intimidating me, but at the same time I was so curious about this magical new world I’d discovered. “Okay,” I whispered. “I’ll go. But I want to go with Cynthia. I don’t mean any offense, Caleb, but I’m still not sure if I’m ready to know about the supernatural world, much less date it.”
“Thank the Creator,” Cynthia mumbled, letting out a giant breath of relief. She smiled hugely at me and then kicked her brother again. “You heard the girl. She’s not interested, so back off.”
. . . . .
“Don’t look so terrified, Disgrace. We aren’t gonna bite,” Cynthia’s younger brother, Peter, teased as we drove to the party later that night. He glanced at Caleb and snickered. “Well, not all of us, anyway.”
I was squished in the back seat of the Layton family Suburban between Cynthia, who’d vowed to keep Caleb from getting me drunk and whisking me off to Atlantic City to get married, and Ethan, who said I could only go to the party if I stayed within arm’s reach of him all night. Not exactly my idea of a good time, but still more appealing than the thought of sitting at home, just Ethan and me, handing out candy to any kids who braved buzzing the front gate of my too-big, security-laden house.
Without warning, Cynthia whipped out and punched her little brother square in the jaw.
“OW!” Peter roared. “What was that for?”
“Knock it off with the Disgrace crap! Her name is Grace.”
“Fine. Geez.” He glared at Cynthia, rubbing his face, but didn’t dare hit back. I guessed that was because he knew she would pummel him if he did.
“The dork has a point,” Preston said, glancing at Cynthia in the rearview mirror. Turning his intense eyes on me, he added, “You’re probably the first human to attend a Samhain celebration in Washington, D.C., in over a hundred years. People are going to be curious. If you’re scared, you’ll make them really nervous. They’ll be waiting for you to lose it. The supernatural world isn’t for the faint of heart, Grace.”
Preston, Caleb, Peter, and Brett were all examining my face now, looking for signs of a nervous breakdown. “I can handle it,” I promised when I met Preston’s eyes. After he’d called me brave, I really didn’t want to let him down.
“You’ll have to do better than that, Grace,” Preston said, his voice firm. It was a legitimate warning. I liked that he wasn’t afraid to be straightforward about this. He seemed to be the only one besides Cynthia who didn’t think I was going to fall apart. “You can’t be afraid. Werewolves can smell fear a mile away.”
Caleb flashed me a wicked grin. “Drives us crazy, too. It brings out the predator in us.”
I shuddered at the thought and tried to swallow my nerves. “It’s not the supernatural part that scares me,” I admitted, blushing. “I don’t go to parties.”
“Ever?” Brett asked incredulous.
“She’s not exactly Little Miss Popular at school nimrod,” Peter muttered. He wasn’t quiet enough, though, and Cynthia smacked the back of his head.
“Stop it!” he growled.
“You stop it!” Cynthia barked back.
I sighed. “Leave him alone, Cyn. He was only stating the obvious.”
“Grace.”
I waited for Cynthia’s usual “love yourself” lecture, but before she could start in on me Brett frowned and said, “Still. You’ve never been to a party? Ever?”
“I went to a party once, two years ago. That was enough for me.”
That night, this boy from school had taken me on my first date. It turned out the tabloids had paid him to take me to a party and get me drunk for some underage drinking scandal. I wouldn’t drink, so he had slipped something into my soda. If my dad’s lawyers hadn’t proved that he’d drugged me, I’d have been arrested. I was cleared, but it was a huge media scandal that lasted for weeks and my dad has basically hated me ever since for embarrassing him so badly.
“Grace,” Ethan whispered, breaking the silence he’d kept the entire drive so far. He placed his hand on my knee and looked genuinely sympathetic. “It’ll be okay.”
Of course Ethan knew what I was talking about. Everybody at school remembers that party. Not only did my date and the paparazzi who paid him both end up in jail, but a lot of kids from school got busted that night when the video of me drunk and half dressed, making out with a stranger at the age of fourteen, hit the internet. I’ve been a “disgrace” ever since.
“Nothing like that is going to happen to you again. I’m here tonight.”
I shrugged. I knew Ethan was trying to reassure me, but his words were hardly comforting. “You were there that night, too,” I pointed out. “And you were there last night when Andrew broke into my room and forced me to drink his blood.”
Ethan sucked in a sharp breath and pulled his hand back to his own lap. I could tell that even though it was the truth—and I hadn’t meant it maliciously—I’d really deeply hurt Ethan’s feelings.
I felt bad. I may hate Ethan, but I’m not naturally cruel. “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I didn’t say that to be mean. I’m just pointing out that sometimes things still happen.”
My apology did nothing to make him feel better. He turned his body away from me and stared out the window.
A heavy arm came around my shoulder. Cynt
hia knew the story too, even though it happened before the Laytons transferred to Atherton. “If you want to go home, we can,” she said.
I leaned into her side and let out a long breath. “Just stay with me every second tonight.”
“Promise.”
The car came to a stop then, and Preston was standing by my door as I climbed out. To my astonishment, he held out a hand to help me from the car like some eighteenth-century gentleman. “Time to put on your game face,” he whispered as he set me on my feet and handed me my crutches. “Remember, most of the kids here can smell fear. Literally.”
I gulped. “Like I could forget.”
“Thanks a lot, Preston,” Cynthia grumbled.
Preston just laughed at us and dissolved into the crowd.
“Forget it, Caleb!” Cynthia snapped when Caleb sidled up next to me. “Go find someone else to mack on tonight!”
“Relax, sis.” Caleb shot Cynthia a cutting look and took my hand. I tried to pull away but couldn’t. Caleb refused to let me go. My touch seemed to put Caleb in a trance. “Amazing,” he whispered. As soon as he could snap himself out of it, he smiled. “Grace may not have turned last night, but she’s one of us now,” he told Cynthia. “You’re not allowed to keep her to yourself anymore.”
“You’re still freaking her out!” Cynthia snarled, wrenching my hand back to safety. “Leave her alone. She went through hell last night and doesn’t need you making things worse.”
Caleb glared at Cynthia and then asked me, “Am I making things worse for you?”
I cringed, and felt myself blush a deep red. Apparently that was enough of an answer for Caleb because he shook his head and stalked off muttering curses under his breath.
“Thanks,” I said as soon as he was out of earshot.
“What’s with Caleb, anyway?” Ethan asked. “Why is he suddenly so enthusiastic about Grace?”
“Ignore him, Grace!” Cynthia snapped, so livid she didn’t even realize that Ethan had asked that question and not me. “Trust me—he may seem charming, but you don’t want to get involved with him. I know I said we needed to find you a boyfriend, but just…not Caleb, okay? Please?”