Shattered Grace (Fallen from Grace) (19 page)

“
Is it going to be wild with a lot of moshing?” Grace frowned, trying not to shudder at the memory of the other night. A repeat definitely wasn’t in her future if she could help it.

“
Not this time. Not that kinda crowd.” Well, she wasn’t that kind of crowd either, but there was still screaming and moshing. “Zeke’s in my fifth period. I can talk to him if you want,” he offered.

“
Sure, that sounds fun.” Grace crossed her fingers under the table, hoping he’d want to go.

“
I want to go too,” Leah chimed in. “Did you invite Brian?”

Tommy frowned at Leah, then shook his head. “Why don’t you two just hook up already?” Not waiting for a response, he dipped his head and went back to shoveling in his lunch.

“
Why?” Leah leaned over and scooted to the edge of her seat. “Did Brian say he likes me?”

“
Uh-uh,” Tommy said, shaking his head. “I’m not going there. I’m not an online dating service.”

“
Tommy!” Emily chastised, elbowing his ribs.

“
Ow! What? It’s true.” Tommy narrowed his eyes and rubbed at his side, leaning a little out of Emily’s poking range.

“
You don’t have to be such a jerk.” Emily’s eyes softened as she turned to Leah. “Yes, Brian’s going.”

Leah’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. Her eyes curved into upside down crescent moons while she bit into her food, smiling around her fork.

“
Well, I’ve got plans. In case anybody was wondering,” Amanda muttered.

Before anyone could ask what her plans were, a loud, incoherent grumble from Tommy had everyone turning their attention to see what was wrong just as Zeke pushed him across the bench.

“
Hey, speak of the devil,” Emily said. “Shouldn’t you be in class?

Zeke stared at Grace, his mouth lifted into a crooked grin. Not taking his eyes from her, he held up a hall pass in explanation. “So, was it fast-spreading gossip, or not-worth-repeating gossip?”

“
Neither. We were talking about Friday,” Grace said uncomfortably. His smirk was going for sexy and his eyes were hungry. As if fingers were snapped in front of his eyes, he finally tore his gaze away. She wondered why she wasn’t into him. “So,” Zeke said to Tommy. “You guys in for Friday?”

“
Dude, The Board Shop,” Tommy said.

“
Oh, yeah,” Zeke said, resting an elbow on the table. “Grace, do you care if we go to Bountiful instead?”

Grace sighed with relief inside.
“Actually, I was hoping you’d want to go.”

Zeke smiled at Grace again from across the table. “I’m guessing you could talk me into going anywhere.” She smiled back, but quickly diverted her gaze to the uneaten sandwich before her.

After Zeke headed back to class, Leah continued her nonstop “he likes me, he likes me not” poll, and Grace snickered a little to herself as she realized that everyone else seemed to be as annoyed by it as she was. As soon as the bell rang, the group split up. Grace, Amanda, and Emily went one way for fourth period, Leah and Tommy the other.

“
I can tell you this,” Amanda said, as they cleared the double doors of the cafeteria. “If the party’s going to be that much fun, I won’t be staying long. Especially if I have to listen to her talk about the what-ifs all night.”

Grace glanced around, relieved Leah was out of ear-shot. “Be nice. She’s just excited.”

“
Yeah, well, my Pomeranian gets excited too, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t want to walk up and kick the little bitch when she starts yapping too much.”

Emily gasped and shot a glare at Amanda.

Amanda rolled her eyes. “Relax, I’m not going to kick Leah.”

“
I was worried about the dog,” Emily snipped.

“
I haven’t kicked her yet either.” Amanda’s lips lifted in a smirk.

“
Oh, what a relief.” Emily narrowed her eyes and pinched her lips, her displeasure apparent.

Amanda laughed. “Man, you guys definitely need to go to that party. If for no other reason than to get your drink on and chill. I’m outie.”

Grace and Emily stood shoulder to shoulder and watched Amanda walk down the hallway, unconsciously provoking responses in her wake—guys staring, girls glaring.

“
There’s no hope for her. You know that, don’t you?” Emily’s voice was thoughtful as they watched Amanda walk away.

“
She’s fine. She’s just going through … a phase,” Grace said, hoping she was right but not believing the words as they left her lips.

“
Whatever. We need to get to class.”

After school, Grace caught up with Emily and Tommy, and told Emily she’d call or text her later.

“
Okay,” Emily said from against Tommy’s lips. “Bye.”

Grace rolled her eyes and headed for the Shelby. It was at least 102 degrees outside. She hoped the freakishly unusual burst of warm southwest air would head in a different direction. She could feel the heat through her flats and see the mirage undulate from the blacktop. She dropped her backpack from her shoulder to her hand when a noise from her right made her pause. Nonchalantly, she peeked over her shoulder, but no one was there. With a shrug, she continued walking to her car.

Again she heard a noise, but this time to her left. Annoyed, she glanced over her other shoulder. Nothing. Whipping around, she was ready for whoever was sneaking up on her. What the hell? No one was there, only a low growling noise that increased in volume the longer she stood there. Nervously, she flashed her gaze around the parking lot, spinning her body back and forth. Grace saw only students making their way to cars and buses—nothing to explain the noise.

When she spun on her heel to beat feet out of there, she noticed a shadow. And then another. Not shadows of people, but amorphous black blobs roiling and slithering a little above the ground. Grace wondered if clouds might be casting the shapes, but the sky was bright blue and clear. No birds, planes, clouds … nothing. They were getting closer. And growling? She ripped her key from the front pocket of her backpack and fumbled to shove it into the lock. Fighting with her key, she risked a quick glance behind her. The things were only a couple of car lengths away.

Finally making a connection and unlocking the car door, she threw herself and the backpack in the front seat. As soon as she was out of the parking lot, Grace heard her cell buzz from a text.

Quentin:
We need to talk.

“
Uh, yeah,” she said aloud.

Grace:
U think? Manor in 10.

Not waiting for a reply, she tossed her cell in the passenger seat, pressed her foot against the gas pedal, and hoped like heck the cops were patrolling somewhere else in Woods Cross
.

“
Shadow Hounds?” Grace plopped down on the sofa. Not this again. This conversation had no room for Bible stories or folklore. Something seriously freaky was stalking her in the parking lot and she wanted to hear something logical. Shadow Hounds sounded anything but. “What exactly is that?”

“
Have you ever heard of a Hell Hound?”

“
Should I have?” Grace snapped. With two fingers from each hand, she massaged her aching temples. Another headache was settling in just behind her eyes. Wonderful.

Not hearing a reply, she opened an eye. Quentin was scrutinizing her. “Are you alright?” he asked.

It was obvious from his gentle tone he was concerned, but Grace didn’t want his pity. “I’m fine.” Her voice was edgy; her hands trembled slightly as she dropped them to her lap. “Tell me what a Hell Hound is.”

“
Are you sure? I can get you an aspirin if you need one.”

If one more person asked if she was fine and if she was sure she was sure
,
she was sure she was surely going to lose it. Surprisingly though, his offer managed to soften her irritated edges a little. “No, I’m fine. Tell me what a Hell Hound is and why I
need to know about them.”

Quentin still watched her. Probably because he doesn’t know what’s going to come from me next, she thought. Nice one minute, angry the next; telling him to leave, then asking him to come back. The more Grace thought about it, the more she made herself dizzy with motion sickness. She could only imagine how he must be feeling right now. She changed tactics, putting on her most encouraging face, hoping he’d continue.

“
You remember everything we talked about last night?” he asked.

Sarcasm tempted to spill out with her words, but she bit her tongue. “How could I forget?” Quentin didn’t take his gaze from hers, apparently still trying to gauge her mood. “I remember, Quentin.”

“
Remember when I told you others would try to find you?”

“
Uh-huh.”

“
What I didn’t tell you was that a Chosen becomes completely Chosen on his or her eighteenth birthday. From that day forward, a Chosen is no longer off the grid. You’ll feel other Nephilim, and other Guardians. And they’ll all sense you. What you won’t be able to sense are Fallen.”

Quentin sat back on the couch with a large breath, hands rubbing anxiously across his knees. She could feel his eyes still on her, but she couldn’t move. Like a pivotal point in a movie, where everything comes together for the character, she could see the truth in his words. Logic swooped in, however, and cut it all to shreds. He might as well have been telling her for her eighteenth birthday, crazy aliens were going to stop at nothing to abduct her. Surprise! No thank you, she didn’t want that kind of present. Like that would ever happen anyway. Aliens. Don’t. Exist.

But what happened with Limye didn’t make sense either unless she bought his explanation about being able to see and sense things once she turned eighteen. Wait a minute, I’m not eighteen yet, she realized.
“But I’m not eighteen, and I saw and felt something weird today. How could that be if your story’s true?” She plopped back against the sofa, raising an eyebrow in smug triumph as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“
That’s just it, your change didn’t wait for you to turn eighteen. Your change completed in the middle of the night. You’re a Chosen
now,
Grace.”