Shattered Grace (Fallen from Grace) (45 page)

“
Stay here,” he said, grabbing the pizza and a blanket from the backseat. Staring out the windshield, she wondered what he was doing. The loud clanking and fall of the tailgate made the truck shake. Grace turned in her seat, looking out the back. He spread the blanket on the tailgate, put the pizza down, and came back around to her side of the truck. When he opened her door, Darius offered his hand and helped Grace down.

The warmth of his fingers seeped through the cloth of her shirt, searing her skin when he wrapped his hands around her waist. Grace grabbed his arms and felt the muscles of his biceps bulge as he lifted her onto the tailgate. Flustered, they both looked away. He jumped into the back of the truck and pulled out some paper plates.

Twilight deepened as they talked and ate. Darius slid open the back windows of the truck and turned the music up. “Need It” by Half Moon Run was playing, one of Grace’s recent favorites. Darius stood behind her, offering an outstretched hand. “What?” she asked.

“
Dance with me.”

Taking his hand, she stood with him. She still couldn’t get over not being able to feel anything from his touch. It was a welcome respite from the overload she’d been feeling the last week. The breath she let out felt like one she’d been holding in for far too long. When she rested her head against his chest, Darius held her close as they swayed to the music. Too lost in the soft echo of his breathing and the rhythmic drumming of his heart, Grace didn’t hear the song end. Darius still moved with her, humming the song that came on next as he lightly played with the tips of her hair. She lifted her head from his chest, and glanced at him from under her lashes.

Darius stopped swaying and quit humming, gazing down at her. His stare alone caused a restless stirring within. Her breath hitched when he cupped her face in his hands. It was sweet torture waiting for his slowly lowering lips to reach hers. When his tongue slid along the edge of her lower lip, the quiver running through her body frightened her. She knew that she’d surrender anything to him tonight. As his kiss became more urgent, needing, her very being came alive in a way it never had before.

Breathless, he ran gentle kisses over her face, eyes, and the tip of her nose, then wrapped his arms more tightly around her, cradling her head against his chest. His breathing was labored. The sound of his beating heart was a song to her own, which fluttered inside her chest in response. Here with him, Grace felt shut off from the stress of her life. She wanted to stay. But eventually, life would find her there too.

They left a few short hours later.

Darius kissed her softly at the front door, and said he’d call her later. Inside, the house was lonely and quiet. Amanda was already in bed and Laney was too, if she was home. Quentin came in a couple of minutes after Grace. Without saying a word, they walked up the stairs, exchanging a simple good night before closing their doors.

Grace opened her eyes to the gaze of a bright full moon above, as she and Darius lay on a soft blanket while large blades of hip-high grass swayed around them, waving to their own songs of love and solace. The night sky above was a deep indigo, cloudless and star-filled. Grace snuggled into the crook of his arm and shoulder, sighing with contentment. It was like earlier, but better. She didn’t know where they were, but loved it more than the lake. It was perfect.

Cupping her jaw, Darius pressed his lips to Grace’s hair. Her tummy rolled as if on a roller coaster. “I love it when you find me.” She kissed the edge of his jaw and lay back down. “I feel like we’re in our own world here.”

Darius held her tighter. “We are.”

Darius had yet to give her a note reading, “Will you go out with me, check yes or no.” But when she wasn’t in school and Darius wasn’t working at The Board Shop, they were together. The rest of the time they were talking or texting.

Things felt like they were starting to settle. Other than the couple of times she’d gone to The Board Shop with Darius the last few weeks, she hadn’t sensed anything strange. The only out-of-the-ordinary thing
she sensed each time was Mathias, who was also Nephilim, and seemed harmless enough. Other than him and Grace, there was no one else like them at his shop … ever.

Amanda cried less frequently while locked in the guest room they’d moved her in to, and at times Grace would see glimpses of her trying to smile here and there. However, a hollowness remained in Amanda’s eyes. She seemed to be getting something out of her therapy sessions, at least. She never offered what was said during the appointments, and Grace didn’t ask. Regardless, the scars on Amanda’s hips haunted Grace. So did her eyes. She hoped Amanda was talking to the therapist about everything. Worried, she often knocked on closed doors whenever Amanda was too quiet for too long. She probably would for a while.

Sadly, time did little for Grace and Quentin, who still remained in the shadows. When he did decide to come out, he offered a half grin, but not often. And those times were only during training. He still wasn’t talking. Grace was okay with that. To her, the slight smile was progress and she’d take it. The kiss they’d shared was almost a distant memory now. Almost
.

Grace’s parents were seeing a lot more of each other. Laney stayed in the house with Grace at night, and Richard moved in to the other house. It was stupid really, him staying there and Laney here. She understood her parents had a lot of time to make up for, but Grace would never get used to him being around if they always stayed away.

Every morning was the same. Grace was up and ready to go, and waiting on Amanda. A couple of weeks into this routine and Grace was still surprised by the bomb that went off in Amanda’s bedroom and bathroom every single morning. Grace blinked in disbelief at the explosion of makeup and hair products in Amanda’s bathroom, not to mention the scattered clothes in the bedroom. “Ready to go?”

“
Almost!” Amanda shrieked from behind her closet doors, balancing on one leg as she pulled the other leg of her pants on.

Graced shook her head, glancing again at her watch. “We have to be in first period in fifteen minutes.”

“
I know, I know. I’m almost done!”

“
I’ll be in the car.”

Amanda and Grace walked into class just as the bell rang. Last quarter they only had first period together. Ironically, fourth quarter they had four classes together, and lunch again. Grace was excited that Emily and Leah were in a couple more of her classes too.

“
Finally,” Emily said from the desk next to Grace.

Grace’s gaze first went to Emily’s lips, but she couldn’t tell what flavor she was wearing. She couldn’t really tell a color either. Grace let out a breath. “I know, Amanda was getting ready.”

Emily’s head jerked in Grace’s direction. “Maybe Amanda should get her own car.” Emily’s voice cut sharp through Grace’s ears.

Grace stared at Emily for a second, surprised by Emily’s animosity. She then shot her a warning look, and urged, “Ease up,” in a low voice. Even though she’d always been best friends with Emily, she couldn’t help feeling rather protective of Amanda.

Mr. Daniel stood in front of the class and began speaking, forestalling the snappy reply Emily was about to throw back at Grace. She dared another sideways glance at Emily, who was fiddling rather roughly with the edge of her notebook, clearly lost in thought. As the teacher droned on, she tried paying attention. No matter how you sliced it, there was nothing exciting about History. The only history Grace found remotely interesting was the history you won’t find in the history books, the history of her kind. That fascinated her. When her purse buzzed, she reached for her cell, and tried to be inconspicuous.

Darius:
Howz ur day?

Grace:
History. Yuck! Cant stay awake :(

Darius:
I can help w/that.

She didn’t doubt his ability.

Grace:
Oh I know u can.

Darius:
Not like that, perv. C U l8r.

Snickering under her breath, she put the phone back in her purse and tried to get into Utah state history.

Grace breathed a sigh of relief at the sound of the bell. Lately Grace and Amanda walked to second period together, but she needed to talk to Emily alone. Before Emily could escape, Grace focused on putting up a mental block and grabbed her elbow. “Uh, Amanda, I’ll see you in class. I need to talk to Em.”

One of Amanda’s eyebrows hitched up, regarding Grace questioningly. “Okay. See ya.”

Grace made sure Amanda was far enough away before hissing, “What’s going on?”

Emily leaned against the wall, cradling her books against her chest, her eyes narrowing as she watched students walk up and down the halls. “What do you mean, what’s going on?”

Grace let out a breath, not wanting to fight. “I’m talking about the welcome wagon this morning. What was that all about?”

Emily’s stare cut to Grace. “You mean like how welcoming you’ve been the last couple of weeks?” She squeezed her books tighter to her chest, taking in a large breath.

Grace took a step back, and felt her eyebrows raise toward her hairline. “What are you
talking
about?” In her mind, Grace went over the last few weeks, trying to recall anything that might have happened. She couldn’t remember anything.

A familiar glistening washed over Emily’s eyes, as Grace watched emotion move across her face. “If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then forget it.” At this, she pushed off the wall.

“
Em, wait,” Grace said. “What did I do?”

Before Emily spoke, a few tears escaped her eyes. “Amanda? Really, Grace?” Angrily she swiped at them, her bangle bracelets rattling around her wrist.

Inside, Grace fought with her own emotion. Obviously, Emily was jealous about Amanda, but she didn’t know what she had been through. Or what Grace was going through while Emily only had time for Tommy. Her shoulders heaved upward with her intake of air and then said, “I can’t tell you about Amanda, and please don’t ask her anything. Trust me when I say she needs me.”

Emily’s dark eyes softened a little. “Is she alright?”

Her gaze moved from Emily to the floor. Grace’s chest felt tight at the thought of Amanda’s scars. “I hope so, Em.”

A light brush on her arm had her looking up again. Emily stood directly in front of her. “How can I help?”

A smile tugged on Grace’s mouth. “Just be her friend.”