Shattered Grace (Fallen from Grace) (37 page)

Both eyes safely back on the road, she smiled. “I am.”

“
Uh-huh. Should I be driving?”

Grace grabbed the steering wheel at ten and two. “Nope, I got it.”

A few minutes later, Darius told her to turn right at the next road. She took all the turns he instructed, and finally parked in front of what looked like a huge sheet of black glass—reflections from the half moon and stars skating across the top. As she got out of the car, she was excited to see a lake. She didn’t even know it existed.

Blanket and bag in hand, Darius walked alongside her. He shook the blanket out, laid it on the ground in front of the still water, and sat down. Captivated with the scenery, Grace didn’t tear her eyes away until she heard the crinkling of plastic, and something cold and wet pressed against the back of her hand.

“
Here.”

Taking the beer from Darius, she sat down too. “Thank you.” Grace contemplated whether she should drink the beer as she played with the tab on top of the can. “I probably shouldn’t drink this.”

“
You don’t have to if you don’t want to. It might help though.”

Tonight. The beer would only numb tonight, but that was enough. She’d take what she could get. Her fingers pulled on the tab, and she waited for the hiss to die down before taking a sip. As the metallic taste of alcohol slid down her throat, she prayed it would make the events of the night fuzzy until all she could think of was the lake before her, and Darius beside her.

Darius’ voice broke the beautiful silence. “I come here when I need to get away and think.”

The focus of her eyes stayed on the surface of the lake, as she stared at the twinkling reflections. “I can see why.” A part of the heaviness from earlier lifted from her shoulders, making it seem like they weren’t so weighed down. The only other time she had been drunk, she was a happy drunk. So she’d heard. She didn’t feel so happy the next morning when she swore over the toilet she’d never do it again. The glimmer from the moon caught in the condensation trickling down the can while she held the beer up.

“
It’s crazy,” she said, without turning toward Darius.

“
What is?”

“
This place. It reminds me of somewhere I’ve been in my dreams. Somewhere I love.”

The sound of grainy sand scratching against the underbelly of the blanket rang out from beneath Darius’ shifting body. “That doesn’t sound so crazy.”

Done with soaking up the scenery, she turned her head toward Darius, only to be caught up again. But this time, it was from the moon’s reflection in his eyes. She was lost, sucked into the glimmer of his compelling stare. He drew her in like a stupid moth to an alluring, beautiful flame.

Sounds around her sharpened like background music to a movie, building tension for the scene. Grace’s pulse quickened as everything else in her life fell away, leaving only the world of Darius underneath a dark sky that shone bright against the moon’s vibrant white light. Her breath caught when he leaned toward her, releasing the tension her grip had on the blanket.

Uncertainty shone in his eyes as he slowly lifted his hand and cupped the side of her face. A shudder ran through her body from his touch, dulling the song of crickets, the whispering breeze across the sand, and rustling of grass until it was all muted. There was nothing else but the two of them, just Darius and her. The warmth of his breath pressed against her lips, and she drew it in like she needed it to breathe. His mouth came closer to hers and she stilled, captivated with anticipation.

Slowly, his breath brushed upward across her face, until the heat of his lips seared her forehead. And then he kept them there. The growing excitement crashed down all around her. She wasn’t sure how she knew, but she wasn’t going to be kissed by Darius. Not on the mouth, anyway.

Disappointed, she let out a heavy breath, allowing her tensed muscles to relax. Darius brought his face down, resting his forehead against hers, his eyes tightly shut. Swiftly, he kissed her forehead again and sat back up.

“
So, I know you said earlier you didn’t want to talk about it. But I can’t help but ask. Was it the guy from the party?”

“
Yes and no,” she said, still trying to shake her disappointment. “It’s a long story, really.”

“
I don’t have anywhere I need to be until the morning.” His smile was a mixture of encouragement and mischief—confusing.

A thought suddenly occurred to her. “Hey!” she said. “What time is it?”

Darius’ gaze went to his watch. “Eleven ten, why?”

If she dragged this out a little longer, she’d be spending her coming-into-adulthood moment with Darius. “Oh, no reason. It’s just my birthday in fifty minutes is all.” Happy freaking birthday to me, she moped. I can’t even get a kiss.

“
Can I give you something?”

“
Sure,” she said with a shrug.

Before Grace knew what was happening, he pulled her by the nape of the neck, placing yet another kiss on her forehead. But then he kissed her temple, moved further down, and pressed his lips against her cheek. Her heart completely stopped from the shock, but then stuttered into a fast-paced tempo. Her breathing accelerated.

Slowly, he pulled away while looking her in the eye, entangling her in his web again. Then he deliberately leaned back into her but didn’t close his eyes, and neither did she. Tenderly, he pressed a feather-light kiss on her lips. No matter how brief, or soft, he took her breath away. In that instant, her world was set aright as she took in how perfectly her lips molded to his. He kissed her one more time on the head and turned his gaze to the lake.

They both stared across the water, quietly taking the moment in. “Darius?”

“
Yeah?”

“
Thank you,” she whispered.

He ran a finger down the back of her hand before slipping his fingers in hers. “I can’t think of any other way I’d rather have spent my night.”

Grace had finished another beer before lying back on the blanket. The blurry stars gazed back down at her from above. They shot like streaming confetti tracers across the sky. Oh, they’re not shooting, she thought dreamily. My eyes are moving.
She rested the back of her hand against her forehead, shut her eyes, and wished everything would stand still.

“
Come here.” Darius pulled on their entwined fingers. “Lay your head on my chest. The ground’s too uncomfortable.”

Pathetically, she crawled on hands and knees, lying diagonally on the spot where he patted. The stars continued to swirl and streak across the sky, causing her stomach to twist with the sickening movement. Her eyes closed, but in the back of her mind she reminded herself to stay awake.

“
Grace?”

“
Mm-hmm,” she mumbled, not daring to open her eyes.

“
Happy birthday.”

Despite the beer, she felt the pangs she had earlier, which meant the coming day was going to be rough. “Yeah,” she whispered.

In her delirium, she was still aware enough to realize she’d drank another beer, laughed, cried, and spilled her life’s story in less than fifty minutes. Poor Darius
,
she thought, before passing out cold.

She barely came to when he picked her up and carried her to the car, and then again later when he carried her to the front door. She opened her eyes briefly to see Quentin was waiting in the doorway. Surprise, surprise!

Something was said between them. Grace was too out of it to understand and, thank her lucky stars, too out of it to care. Apparently, they didn’t trust her ability to walk, because Darius passed her mumbling self to Quentin like she was some baby needing coddling. She didn’t care about that either.

“
Night, Darius!” she slurred, dragging her fingers through his as she lay her head against Quentin’s shoulder.

“
Night,” a gruff voice said.

“
He’s a really nice guy, such a good
friend.
” Unfortunately for Quentin, the beer didn’t wash away her sarcasm. He didn’t say a word. “Are you going to undress me again under the sheets? I’m sure I’ll be passed out again in a couple of minutes if you can hold on.” Still, nothing. “Ooh, do I get a good night kiss? I was pretty upset earlier … perfect reason to give me one. No, wait, I already got one.” Quentin’s jaw tightened, but he still didn’t say a word. She giggled, knowing she was pissing him off. True to her word, she was out seconds later.

Struggling with anger and relief, Quentin chose to lay Grace down on her bed instead of throwing her in a cold shower like she deserved. He watched her sleep, pacing at the foot of her bed.

At some point in the evening, he had no longer sensed her. It drove him to an irrational craziness. He was preparing to leave to look for her when the seneschal band began to tingle and Grace pulled up minutes later in the driveway. Passed out. Quentin was so angry about numb-nuts bringing her home hammered that he could barely see past the red haze of his sight. The guy was lucky he didn’t touch her, or he would be leaving an appendage or two short.

Quentin crouched down, pulled off her shoes and socks, then put her legs under the blanket. He stood over her, listening as she breathed in and out, guilt washing over him for the part he had played in how the night went down. Grace was right. He was
supposed to protect her and
be her friend. Somewhere between the blurring lines of Guardian and Chosen, he knew he’d storm the gates of hell, no questions asked, to protect her from anything… including himself. Damn it!

He walked into her bathroom, grabbed two Tylenol and a glass of water, and left them on the nightstand. He leaned over Grace and brushed a light kiss on her forehead. “I’m sorry.” He tried whispering quietly enough so she wouldn’t wake.

A tiny smile lightened her features as she whispered dreamily, “I know.”

The two little words filled him with more rage and determination to get rid of all threats, including the douche bag waiting outside. Quentin glanced at Grace once more, caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, then left the room.

Wasting no time with stairs, he jumped over the banister, landing on his feet with a thud on the foyer’s wood flooring below. He had to pull himself together before reaching for the front door, otherwise he would have ripped it clean off its hinges.

Quentin found Darius waiting outside, leaning casually against Grace’s car. With a few strides, Quentin stood about a foot away from him.

“
I stayed, now what do you want?” Darius asked.

Quentin crossed his arms over his chest, hoping it would help him keep his hands to himself. “You need to stay the hell away from Grace.”

“
What the hell for?” he spat back.

“
We both know that you’ve got one thing on your mind, and I won’t let you hurt her.”

The guy’s amused chuckle reverberated off the house. “That’s rich, coming from you. You’re the only one between the two of us hurting her.”

Quentin’s eye twitched and the muscle in his jaw jumped. Before he knew what he was doing, he leaped the distance separating them, slamming Darius against the car by the throat. “I’m only going to tell you this once more. Stay away from her!”

Darius shoved back at Quentin’s chest, pushing him far enough away his fingers slipped from his throat. “And I’m only going to tell
you
this once. Don’t ever touch me again, or next time I won’t play so nice.” Getting up from the car, he started walking down the driveway. “Besides,” he said, turning back to Quentin. “Grace is a big girl and I don’t think she’d appreciate you making more decisions for her without her knowing.”