Ungifted

by Kelly Oram

  “No Simone?” Russ asked after Ethan’s uncle gave us quick introductions.

  Clara scoffed, but Aimee’s mom put a hand on her shoulder, warning her to hold her tongue. “Simone had some business to take care of. She should be here shortly. Don’t worry, Russell, I know she looks forward to speaking with you.”

  “Yeah, ditto,” Russ grumbled and then slumped back in his seat.

  The meeting started after that and went pretty much as I’d expected it to. Ethan and I explained about the attempts on my life. The resistance was very shocked and disturbed to learn of Andrew’s having a patroness and spies somewhere within the ranks of the resistance. They also didn’t like that another witch with immortal magic was still pursuing me. Immortal witches were supposed to be almost unheard of. But they agreed that Andrew was probably suffering from a fixation and would never allow his patroness to harm me again, so there must be someone else.

  The resistance agreed to look into the issue and offered me any protection and assistance they could provide. I asked only for any information they could find on witches that might be using immortal magic.

  After that, they bombarded me with questions about the night I discovered the truth and how I coped with it. Once I explained my theory about how Cynthia had been subtly preparing me for months and opening my imagination, everyone got excited and the mention of my father finally came into play. “I wonder if that would work on others,” Aimee’s mom said.

  “What about the girl’s father?” one of the nephilim suggested. “Imagine a president that was able to handle the truth. Think of what he could do for our people.”

  Mr. Dunn looked at me with a very hopeful expression. “I’m sorry,” I said, shaking my head. “You should all know right now that I don’t plan on joining your cause. I agree it’s best to understand one another, but I don’t believe it’s appropriate for me to become involved in your politics, especially not with the circumstances of my father being who he is.”

  “A man you apparently take after, Miss St. Claire.” Mr. Dunn surprised me by smiling. “I understand your reluctance to become involved, but would you at least consider trying to condition your father the way Laytons’ daughter prepared you? Just on the off chance he ever did find out the truth? With you being so deeply involved in our world as you are, it would be wise to take all precautions.”

  True, they weren’t exactly asking me to murder or even manipulate anyone, and if my life was going to be so entangled in the supernatural from now on it made sense to prepare my father for the possibility of finding out the truth. But there was a giant problem in their plan.

  “Won’t happen. My father would never listen. He doesn’t talk to me. Doesn’t spend time with me. Doesn’t respect me. I don’t even think he wants me, really. I’m sorry, but I’m the last person that could ever influence him in any way.”

  “You’re his daughter,” Aimee’s mom pointed out. “Surely you’re exaggerating the situation.”

  “She’s not,” Ethan muttered.

  I flinched. I knew I wasn’t exaggerating, but it didn’t feel good to have Ethan confirm it. I felt an arm slip around me and squeeze. “He’s an idiot, Grace,” Russ murmured against my ear.

  “Thanks.”

  I didn’t understand why the entire room had gone silent, and everyone was watching me with surprised expressions until I saw the look on Clara’s face and realized I was slumped against Russ, leaning my head on his shoulder with my hand resting comfortably in his. I don’t think Russ realized it either until I jumped out of his grasp, blushing like crazy.

  I didn’t get it. Sometimes Russ and I acted so naturally with one another that it was as if our souls knew each other on a subconscious level. But then our minds would catch up with us and the magic disappeared. At first I thought it was just because I liked him, but the more time we spent together the harder it got to deny that there was some other kind of connection between us.

  It looked like the people in the room staring at us were starting to suspect there was more to our story than we were telling them. Which, of course, there was, so it didn’t surprise me when I heard Ethan’s voice in my mind. Can this meeting be over now? Please?

  I think that’s probably a good idea.

  Ethan rose to his feet and reached for my crutches but froze before handing them to me. He was concentrating very hard on something, and then suddenly everyone in the room looked just as uneasy as he was. Russ said a naughty word and pulled me against him protectively.

  “What is it?” I asked just as Andrew, his father, and another fierce-looking vampire walked calmly inside, dragging a dazed High Warlock with them.

  The new vampire was holding Marcus against his body like a shield with a knife pressed to his throat. “We do not wish to harm anyone,” he said calmly. “We simply wish to speak with you concerning the girl.”

  “Grace is not your concern,” Ethan said through clenched teeth.

  “Beg your pardon, but she is very much our concern. Her resistance to vampire charm makes her a danger to our entire species.” He turned his attention from Ethan and addressed the entire group. “We need to figure out why she is different. We are willing, this once, to work together with you. Do not try to tell us you’re not also interested in this.”

  That made everyone in the room stop and think. We hadn’t explained anything we’d learned about who I really am, and it was clear this was what they all really wanted to know. They wanted to know why I’m different.

  “The girl was also not affected by a werewolf bite,” Mr. Layton agreed hesitantly.

  “She’s immune to magic, too,” Aimee said.

  Everyone stared at me as if I were some sort of Antichrist sent here to destroy them all. They were scared. “What does it matter that no supernatural power works on me if I keep your secret?” I asked. “I’m not dangerous.”

  “Still,” Ethan’s uncle said slowly. “The vampires have a point. A power like yours could be extremely dangerous to our kind. We need to know why you’re different, and if it’s possible that there are others like you.”

  “I have devoted my existence to the study of human anatomy and medicine,” Stefan said. “I could run some tests.”

  Images of live vivisections danced across my mind as Mr. De La Cote watched me with his calculating eyes. The way he regarded me as an experiment was unnerving.

  “No!” Ethan and Russ shouted simultaneously.

  “Safe and painless tests,” Mr. De La Cote clarified quickly. “As simple as drawing blood and taking X-rays.” He smiled at me with soft eyes. “I would never bring you harm, little one.”

  Everyone in the room looked at me with hopeful, curious expressions. Some of them were even nodding their heads.

  Ethan, I don’t want to, I whispered mentally.

  It didn’t matter, though, because Ethan was already on his feet. This suggestion, and everyone’s acceptance of it, had pushed him over the edge. “She’s not a lab rat!” he shouted. “She’s not a threat to any of you. She hasn’t broken any council law, and she doesn’t want to be involved in your cause! This isn’t your decision to make! It’s none of your business!”

  “It’s my business!” Andrew argued, finally speaking up. Stefan and the other vampire stepped aside to let him into the center of the group. “Grace is my mate!”

  That did it. Ethan snapped. He moved quickly, but the stranger vampire was fast and jumped in front of Andrew just as Ethan thrust his dagger. The vampire dropped to the floor and blood began to pool around him immediately.

  I took that as my cue to scream, but my cries didn’t stop anyone.

  “Yo, Ethan!” Russ called. He tossed something long and pointy through the air. It looked like a slim, wooden stake. Ethan caught it with ease, but before he could plunge it into Andrew’s heart Clara was standing in front of Andrew with venom in her eyes.

  Ethan tried to push her aside, but she had created a barrier around herself and the vampires. “You will not touch him!�
�� she hissed.

  I don’t know which one of us figured it out first, but Russ was the one who vocalized his, Ethan’s, and my thoughts. “You leech-loving little ho bag!” Okay, so not exactly my thoughts. “You’re his patroness!”

  The resistance members in the room didn’t take this news well. There were shouts of “Spy!” and “Traitor!” coming from every direction. People were so upset that no one noticed Russ go down on one knee and mutter the spell he’d cast earlier that afternoon. All of a sudden a shock wave burst through the room and Aimee, her mom, and Marcus all fell to the floor, completely unconscious.

  Clara took the hit, too, but not as hard. Because of her immortal magic, she was stronger. She stayed on her feet, but was still weakened enough that she dropped her shield.

  For one instant everyone gawked at Russ, but then Ethan lunged for Andrew and all hell broke loose. The vampires attacked Ethan while the wolves jumped on Russ when he went after Clara.

  Everyone was fighting everyone. People were grunting and groaning and growling and bleeding. It looked like something out of a bad western. I could do nothing but stay put in my corner and hope my friends came out on top.

  “Everyone will stop this, now!” ordered a cold voice, and then a whoosh of air flew through the room, throwing everyone backward, smashing them into the walls of the room. I was the only one unaffected.

  A gorgeous woman, with the most vibrant red hair, practically floated into the room. Clara’s mom. No doubt about it. The elusive Simone. One look at her explained so much about Clara. She was as delicate as a porcelain doll with the body of Barbie and an underlying current of danger that you couldn’t ignore.

  People slowly got to their feet, and the fighting stopped. It appeared everyone in the room either respected or feared Simone enough to obey her. She took in the scene coldly, but when her eyes fell on Russ her entire face lit up with delight.

  “Russell, you adorable darling, it is so good to see you all in one piece! My dear boy, you gave me such a scare the last time we met.” She looked around the room, taking particular notice of the unconscious magic users. “Starting more fights, are we?”

  “Me?” Russ asked incredulously. “You started the last one, and your leech-loving little skank-in-training started this one!”

  Simone sighed. “Russell, you really can overcome the blood feud if you would just try. You and Clara could be so good for one another.”

  “I’d like to stay STD-free, thank you.” Russ scoffed. “Besides, I don’t hang out with people who bond themselves to psychotic vampires and try to kill my friends.”

  Simone didn’t strike me as the type of person to be in the dark about anything, but Russ’s revelation was such a surprise to her that she couldn’t even understand what he was getting at until Clara argued with him.

  “Oh, please! You didn’t even know Grace when I tried to kill her!”

  “Not the first time. But what about at the restaurant and this afternoon?”

  Behind Clara, Andrew hissed.

  “Master, I could never harm Mistress Grace,” Clara said quickly.

  Simone finally understood her daughter’s betrayal. Her eyes narrowed at Andrew and he calmly pulled Clara to his side. “It was her choice,” he said. “And she is under coven protection. I do not wish there to be animosity between us over this. Your daughter has been well respected, I assure you.”

  Simone looked ready to murder someone, but somehow kept her head on straight. “That little backstabbing bitch is no longer my daughter.” Her eyes fell on Clara with a level of disgust I’d never seen before. “You are dead to me.”

  And I thought my dad and I had problems. Clara never even flinched. “Whatever,” she said with a casual shrug. “You’ve been dead to me since you abandoned me in New Jersey. Talk about backstabbing bitches. You faked your death and didn’t tell me!”

  Clara’s composure finally cracked, letting a few angry tears escape. Shockingly, Andrew very tenderly wiped them away. “Calm yourself, Clara,” he said. “You will be better off in my home with your true family anyway. After this meeting, Raul will go with you to gather your things and bring you to the estate. Elizabeth will find the best place for you.”

  “Thank you, Master,” Clara whispered. “You are too kind to me.”

  “You are a De La Cote now, Clara.” Andrew smiled and pulled Clara to him in a fatherly hug. “We will always take care of our own.”

  I don’t think I was the only one completely thrown by this insane display of affection.

  “Uh,” Russ said, stepping into the middle of the room and eyeing Andrew. “As much as I hate to break up tender moments, how can you protect her when she keeps trying to kill Grace?”

  “You are such an idiot, Russ,” Clara grumbled. “You attacked me this afternoon! I was only there to keep an eye on Grace, as my master asked. I was protecting my mistress from her!”

  Clara pointed an accusing finger at Aimee. “She is the one who attacked Grace at the restaurant!”

  Russ called BS on that one. “The person trying to kill her used immortal magic. The only person I know dirty enough to dilute herself with the blood of the undead is you.”

  “The attack at the restaurant wasn’t immortal magic. Was it, Ethan?”

  Ethan looked startled to be addressed directly. He thought about it for a second and then became very unhappy. “She could be telling the truth,” he said to Russ. “I can’t tell the difference between witch and warlock, or regular and immortal magic. It all feels the same to me.”

  The nephilim all sounded shocked by this. “Are you saying you can feel magic?” Ethan’s uncle demanded. “That is not possible!”

  Ethan completely ignored him and shook his head at Clara. “Whoever attacked us that night already knew that magic would have no effect on Grace. She also knew how quickly she’d have to act. She knew I’d be able to feel it coming.”

  “Yeah,” Clara said, her voice turning bitter. “And there was only one person I told about you and Grace besides my master.” She glared at Aimee. “So much for trusting your best friend.”

  “Best friend?” Aimee exploded like a soda pop that had been shaken up. “You were supposed to hate her as much as me! She’s a stupid human and she’s got every supernatural in town wrapped around her little finger! She’s got your freaking angel lover boy on a leash, and then she stole the wolves, too. Preston swore to me he couldn’t date anyone but a natural female werewolf, but one little bat of an eyelash from Grace and he’s buying her dinner and holding her freaking hand!”

  This news didn’t go over so well, either. Andrew snarled at Preston, which should have sent the wolves into a rage, but they were so shocked that they didn’t even notice. Preston looked as though he wanted the ground to swallow him up. He looked in my direction but I couldn’t meet his eyes. My shoes were suddenly too fascinating to look away from.

  “You tried to kill Grace because a future alpha’s got the hots for her?” Russ asked incredulously.

  I felt the blood drain from my face and tried not to move. I’d been pretty invisible up to this point and I wanted to stay that way.

  “Not just a future alpha!” Aimee shouted. “The entire resistance wants her! The head of the most powerful vampire coven on the East Coast is obsessed with her. The most dangerous warlock alive, who has connections to the Chosen One and the Seer, is her new BFF. Duncan Moore is protecting her. Ethan’s been stalking her for years. Caleb bit her! She makes everyone go crazy! She’s dangerous! And then the one person I thought I could count on to see her for the problem she is just gave up her home and family and friends to protect her!” Aimee looked at Clara with tears streaming down her face. “You are a backstabbing bitch!”

  Aimee tried to throw a violent spell at Clara, but Clara was too strong and Aimee’s mother grabbed her. She cast a spell that really freaked Aimee out. “You bound my magic?” Aimee gasped, horrified by her mother’s actions.

  “Trying to kill people in a fit of tee
nage jealousy?” her mother replied. She looked to the other resistance members in the room and said, “I apologize for my daughter. I assure you that she will be properly dealt with.” She turned to me then. “I am truly sorry for this, Miss St. Claire. Please do not judge this organization based on the actions of my daughter.”

  I was still trying to blend in with the walls, but I could suddenly feel every pair of eyes in the room resting on me. “It’s okay,” I mumbled into my lap. “I’m just glad we figured out who’s been trying to kill me.” A thought occurred to me and I finally lifted my head to search for Ethan’s face. “There is no one else, right?” I asked him. “I’m safe now?”

  The moment I lifted my head, Simone took one look at me and gasped. “Impossible!”

  Russ cursed under his breath and scooped me up into his arms. “I totally forgot about that.” He gave Ethan a hard look and said, “Time to go.”

  Ethan didn’t ask questions. He grabbed my crutches and held the door open for Russ to carry me through it.

  “Not so fast,” Simone said, and both Russ and Ethan stopped.

  Russ cursed again.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Why’d you stop?”

  Simone laughed. “Humans are so deliciously naïve, aren’t they, Russell?”

  “It’s a binding spell,” Russ muttered. “I can’t move.”

  “Oh.” I thought about that, then frowned. “But you have magic too, right? Can’t you, like, break it or something?”

  Russ sighed. “I’m trying. It’s too strong.”

  “It wouldn’t be too strong for you if you were properly trained,” Marcus said. He was watching Russ with fascination again, even though Russ had totally laid him out twice. “I would train you myself just to see what you are truly capable of.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Russ said sarcastically.

  Ethan huffed, tired of the pointless bantering. “What do you want?” he asked Simone.

  Russ sighed again. “She’s met Dani.”

  “She knows what Dani looks like,” Russ explained.