Ungifted

by Kelly Oram

Russ was now looking at me really funny. He picked up my hand again. “You definitely feel a difference when I do this?” he asked.

  “No doubt about it.”

  “And it’s like that with everyone? Or just the supernaturals you know?”

  I blushed. “I don’t really know anybody besides the people in this room. But I’ve never noticed anything with my dad, or any of his team, or when I have to shake people’s hands. I think it’s just you guys. Well, and Andrew.”

  Russ’s eyes sparked a flash of intuition. He didn’t let go of my hand, but slowly brought his other one up and cupped the side of my face in his palm. I shivered. “Is this different than just holding my hand?” he asked. His voice softened drastically.

  “Um.” I swallowed hard. My body was going haywire. I think most of it was just hormones—Russ had no idea how much I liked him to touch me this way—but only most of it. I tried to pay attention and focus on what he was asking. “Yes,” I whispered. “It feels different.” I melted against his palm. “The same, but just…more. It feels…really nice.”

  Russ smiled and the look in his eyes changed. What I saw made my breath catch in my lungs. He started leaning toward me very, very slowly. But he couldn’t be about to do what I thought he was going to do. Could he?

  “Nobody punch me,” he said, and then, sure enough, he kissed me.

  He’d only touched his lips to mine lightly at first, and it felt as if that’s all he’d meant to do. But then, as if he couldn’t help it, he kissed me. Really kissed me. It was slow and soft and amazing.

  It wasn’t a tenth of the kiss we’d shared the other night, but that kiss hadn’t been for me. I could feel the difference. This didn’t have the desperation or the overwhelming love behind it, but it was nice and it was mine. He was kissing Grace this time, not Dani.

  I could have stayed locked in that kiss forever, but far too soon he pulled back. “How do you feel now?” he asked quietly.

  I couldn’t bring myself to open my eyes. I felt so calm, so relaxed. Which was really weird because Russ had just kissed me in front of a whole bunch of people and basically asked me if I liked it. I should have been mortified and on the verge of a panic attack.

  “Are you seriously asking me that?” I said. I still sounded a little breathless.

  “Better?” he asked. “Less anxious?”

  “Amazing,” I admitted. “Would you all throw tomatoes if I said ‘you complete me’?’”

  Cynthia laughed. “What did you do to her? She’s completely drunk.”

  “No,” Russ said. “She’s in the cravings.”

  He was right. I was definitely craving something. Him. Big time. But somehow I don’t think that’s what he meant, because everyone gasped and spouted denials. Ethan was the most resistant of all. “No,” he said. “It’s not possible. She’s human. She has no aura.”

  “Think about it,” Russ argued. “Maybe she does. Maybe it’s just too weak to see.”

  “I’ve never heard of an aura being that weak.”

  “What are the cravings?” I asked.

  “It’s when a supernatural first comes into their power,” Cynthia said, gaping at me as if she were staring at an alien species. “We don’t know how to control our power. We use up a lot of our supernatural energy, so we need the energy of others. We crave it. Physical contact is the best way to pass supernatural energy, and the more intimate the touch, the more energy is transferred.” She lost herself in thought for a second and then decided she agreed with Russ. “It does make a lot of sense. It would explain why we’re all drawn to her. It would explain her behavior lately.”

  “No, it wouldn’t,” Preston argued. “Do you remember the cravings at all? For her to be experiencing them all this time, with as little physical contact as she’s had, she’d be a wreck. She’d be so sick. We’d have all noticed it long before now.”

  “Not if her aura is really that weak,” Russ insisted. “Trust me. I just went through all this with Dani. It’s the exact same, just on a much smaller scale. If Grace’s aura was really so weak you can’t see it, then she wouldn’t need much energy to sustain it. The cravings would be very light. They’d come on so gradually it would feel exactly like depression or anxiety.”

  “He’s right,” Caleb agreed. “It makes sense.”

  “But she’s human!” Ethan said. “I swear she is. I feel it. Plus, her parents are human.”

  “Dani’s parents are both human.”

  This argument had my head spinning. I could barely keep up. “What are you saying?” I asked. “You guys, I’m so lost.”

  “I don’t think you’re human, Grace,” Russ said. “I think you’re just like Dani. I think you’re a pure, like she is. I think you’re a new type of supernatural that no one’s ever seen before. You’re Dani’s opposite.”

  “Do you really think?” Cynthia asked.

  “There’s definitely a connection between them. They could be identical twins. They were born on the same day. They both came into their power around their sixteenth birthdays. They’re both something that defies supernatural possibilities, and their powers are exact opposites of each other. They’re yin and yang. Wouldn’t it make sense then that if Dani has the strongest aura of any supernatural ever, Grace would have the weakest?”

  “Great,” I groaned when I finally understood what he was telling me. “You’re saying I’m a supernatural and I’m still the most pathetic person on the planet?”

  Preston and I made it out for dinner, but this hadn’t felt much like a birthday party, or even a date. Not that I had much dating experience, but I was fairly sure you weren’t supposed to spend your entire date talking supernatural politics, history, and other guys over dinner.

  Preston started the evening giving me a bit of history about how the resistance was formed, then moved on to trying to make me see their point, and finally, asked for my help with Russ.

  “He didn’t come to us, Grace. He came to you. The resistance doesn’t know that, but it’s true. You’re the one who can get to Russ. You’re the one who could convince him to trust the resistance. You’re probably the only one.”

  “No!” I gasped. “I won’t do that! He’s been lied to and manipulated his entire life. I won’t add to the tragedy. Don’t ask me to.”

  “The resistance needs him, Grace.”

  When I still said nothing, Preston tried a different approach. “It’s not like we’re asking something horrible. The resistance could help him, too. He’s on his own. They could give him a place to stay. Teach him to be a great warlock. Give him people he can trust.”

  “No,” I said again. “I want no part of it. I have nothing to do with your resistance or your council. This is a supernatural fight. The token human is neutral.”

  Preston sighed.

  “I’m probably the only person in the world who wouldn’t try to use Russ, and that’s what he really needs right now,” I said. “I’ll be his friend, but that’s it. And I’m warning you now, as his friend I won’t sit back and watch the rest of you try to manipulate him. If I know you’re not being straight with him about anything, I’ll tell him.”

  The contemplative look on Preston’s face annoyed me. Was he dissecting my feelings for Russ again? Assuming things I’d never admitted to, like being infatuated with Russ as he’d claimed earlier?

  “What?” I muttered. “I’d do the same for you, too, if you needed it, so stop looking at me like that.”

  “Like what?” Preston asked, slightly startled.

  “I don’t know, like you’re trying to understand my loyalty to him. Because I’m not choosing him over you guys. It’s just the right thing to do in this case.”

  Preston surprised me with a grin. “I know, Grace. Relax. I was only admiring your ethics. Sure, it’d be easier if you would help us, but it’s impossible to argue with you when you’re being so…good. I have no doubt you’ll be the perfect friend for Russ Devereaux. He’s a lucky guy.”

  “Oh.” That shut
me up. When Preston smiled at me, my annoyance was replaced with my stomach giving out. And my heart fluttering. I felt the heat rising in my face and dropped my gaze to my lap.

  I was grateful that when the waitress came with our dessert the topic of conversation changed. “There,” I said as the woman set down a large, gooey piece of lava cake. She’d even stuck a lit candle in it for me. “Didn’t I promise a volcano of chocolate?”

  “That you did,” Preston said. He was smiling at the cake but when his eyes met mine, all the playfulness left them. “Thank you, Grace.”

  His intensity used to scare me but now when he looked at me the way he was right then, it felt different. He wasn’t trying to intimidate me. He was just being Preston. I wondered if he kissed with that same level of energy. I realized I was staring at his mouth and mentally kicked myself.

  “Make a wish.”

  Preston held my gaze a second longer, then blew out his birthday candle with the ghost of a smile on his face. His lips puckered so nicely that I wished he had a million candles to blow out. I gave myself another mental scolding. Preston was going to be an alpha. He was off limits.

  After we finished dessert, Preston refused to let me pay for dinner. “This was supposed to be my treat—my birthday gift to you,” I argued when he slipped the server some cash before I could.

  “You’ve already given me the best gift. I haven’t been out like this in a really long time. I never get to do normal things and feel like a normal guy. Tonight was a nice break. It means a lot to me. Let me keep up the pretense a little while longer and pay for dinner.”

  His mood was light, but his words made my heart feel heavy. Cynthia had tried to explain the pressure he was under being the future alpha of his pack. I hadn’t really understood how much pressure she’d meant until that moment.

  Things fell quiet a moment and then Preston reached his arm across the table, holding his open palm out to me. “Let me see your hand.”

  I was startled, but I couldn’t refuse the offer. I slipped my hand in his and tried my best not to shiver at the contact.

  “Does this really help you feel better?” Preston asked curiously. He was staring at our hands as he brushed his thumb back and forth over the backs of my fingers.

  “Yeah, it really does.” I stared down at our fingers. “Do you think Russ is right about me? Do you think I’m not human?”

  “I don’t know what to think about you, Grace. You’re a conundrum. But, to be honest, I hope he’s wrong.”

  I felt myself frown. “Would it really be so horrible if I were one of you? Am I really so pathetic as Ethan says?”

  Preston’s smile vanished and he looked at me with anger in his eyes. “You are not pathetic, Grace. Ethan’s opinion is his own problem.”

  I cast a self-conscious glance in Ethan’s direction. He was standing stoically near the front of the restaurant where he could see the whole dining room. It was the first time he’d acted like a real bodyguard. He was clear across the room, but even though he was giving Preston and me our privacy, I knew his nephilim hearing was probably picking up our whole conversation.

  “I would be disappointed if you weren’t human because you give me so much hope,” Preston explained. “I think you’re going to give a lot of supernaturals hope.”

  I blushed and looked away again.

  “You’re important, Grace. You have no idea how much good you could do for us.”

  Preston’s grip on my hand tightened and then, suddenly, we were ripped apart with the force of a freight train. I barely had time to blink before I found myself on the floor, pinned beneath Ethan. He’d cushioned the blow, but I was still breathless from the sheer speed of his movement.

  Before I could speak, he had us on our feet again and was thrusting me into Preston’s arms. “Get her in the car. I’ll be right there,” he growled in a voice so menacing it scared me.

  He was gone in another blink and that’s when I noticed what was left of the chair I’d been sitting in. The chandelier I’d been sitting under lay in shattered bits. Most of the ceiling was on the floor with it. Had it not been for Ethan, I’d have been rubble, too. He’d saved my life again.

  Preston scooped me into his arms and rushed me out to the Suburban. I didn’t realize how badly I was shaking until Preston tried to set me on my feet and I nearly collapsed. Preston crushed me to his chest. “It’s all right. You’re safe now.”

  When I still couldn’t stop trembling, Preston pulled my chin up and forced me to look into his eyes. “Do you hear me, Grace? I won’t let anything happen to you, and neither will Ethan.”

  He kept talking, but I didn’t hear a word he said. Maybe I was in shock. Or maybe I was just wrapped in his strong arms, staring up at his perfectly kissable lips, wishing he would close the distance between us.

  “Freaking witches and their damn cloaking spells!”

  Ethan was back. Moment of lusting after Preston officially over.

  “No luck, then?” Preston asked.

  “I never saw a thing. I felt the magic, but I couldn’t tell where it was coming from or what they were trying to do. If the same thing hadn’t happened at school, I wouldn’t have thought about the ceiling. I’m lucky I got to her in time.”

  “That wasn’t luck,” Preston argued. “I’ve never seen anyone move that fast. Not even other nephilim.”

  “Yeah, well, it almost wasn’t fast enough. Let’s get her home before something else happens.”

  “Um,” I said when Ethan opened the passenger door of Preston’s car for me. “My crutches?”

  Ethan sighed. “You sure picked a hell of a time to be an invalid, Grace,” he said and headed back inside the restaurant after my crutches.

  “Easy, Grace. You’ll give yourself a migraine glaring that hard.” Preston chuckled and swiftly lifted me into his car. “Try not to let Ethan get to you. I’ve heard legends about warriors. The way he’s bound to you is no simple thing. He must be half out of his mind with stress right now.”

  “He still doesn’t have to be a jerk,” I muttered.

  “No, I suppose not.” Preston sighed. “Let’s get you home and maybe he won’t be so cranky.”

  “I don’t know. If Ethan weren’t cranky, the world might be thrown off its axis.”

  Preston laughed just as Ethan slipped in the backseat with my crutches. “Glad you guys find all of this amusing,” he grumbled.

  Preston stopped laughing and nobody said a word the rest of the way home.

  The night had been ruined but Preston, ever the gentleman, still insisted on walking me all the way to my front door even though Ethan was coming in with me.

  “Sorry I’m such a disaster magnet. Didn’t mean to ruin the evening. Maybe we should try it again sometime. Without the assassination attempt.”

  Preston gave me a sad smile and said, “You be safe, Gracie. Do what Ethan tells you.”

  I noticed he didn’t agree we should go out again. He didn’t kiss me, either. He gave my hand a squeeze and then looked at Ethan. “The pack is ready to help any way we can. You have my number.”

  Ethan shook Preston’s hand and then told me to get in the house.

  Best. Date. Ever.

  . . . . .

  “No kiss goodnight? I wouldn’t have pegged a future alpha to be such a wuss.”

  For the second time that day I stumbled into my house to find Russ sprawled out on my couch. The only difference was that this time he was awake and had apparently been watching out the front window.

  The evening was bad enough with Ethan’s hovering and the attempt on my life, but to have to come home to Russ, too? That was just cruel. “It wasn’t like that,” I said, flushing with embarrassment. “It wasn’t really a date.”

  “Was too,” both Russ and Ethan muttered at the same time. They exchanged a glance, and while Ethan looked wary, I swear Russ was fighting back a smile.

  “Did he drive?” Russ asked me.

  “Yeah.”

  “Did he p
ay?”

  “I tried to, but he wouldn’t let me.”

  “Did he open doors for you?”

  “Yes.”

  Russ smirked. “Date.”

  I couldn’t stop my eyes from finding Ethan. Russ noticed the direction of my gaze and chuckled. “It’s true three is a crowd, but a chaperoned date is still a date, and probably the only sort you’re ever going to go on, so you’d better get used to it. Next time, just go for it. Angel boy can stomach it.”

  If possible, I turned an even deeper shade of red. “Aren’t you supposed to get to know someone on a date?” I asked. “Talk about yourselves? Discover common interests and all that?”

  “I suppose you’d have to at least a little bit. Can’t make out the whole time if you you’re chaperoned,” Russ teased.

  “Well then, it wasn’t a date because we didn’t make out, and all we talked about was you.”

  My confession startled Russ. His playful attitude was gone in an instant. “Me?”

  Ethan glared at me again, but that happened so often nowadays that it barely fazed me. I heaved myself down onto the couch next to Russ, meeting Ethan’s accusing look with the eye roll that drives my dad crazy. “Aren’t you supposed to be making sure there are no crazed witches or obsessed vampires hiding in my closet?”

  Ethan made a face and then stomped off up the stairs. When he was gone Russ looked at me, waiting for an explanation. I didn’t think he’d take my news well, but I wasn’t going to keep it from him. He deserved to know.

  “Apparently the resistance thinks you’re a hot commodity,” I said. “They want you badly and think that since you came to the Layton kids they’re the best chance at recruiting you. Preston, Caleb, and Cynthia have all been asked to try and earn your trust so that you’ll stay and join them.”

  “I figured as much.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Russ shook his head. “For what? I’d be shocked if they didn’t try. Doesn’t matter, though. I don’t trust your friends any more than I would trust their parents, and I wouldn’t join the resistance even if I did trust them.”

  “I know. Preston knows that, too. That’s why he spent the whole night telling me about all the evil things the council has done, and why the resistance is so important. He asked me to try to befriend you too because he thinks…”