Ungifted (36 page)

The interviews lasted another ten minutes or so before Andrew begged my release, declaring that I needed to rest my leg. My dad happily surrendered me and was promptly whisked off. When the crowd of reporters went scrambling after him, Andrew and I were left standing there with only one other person—Ethan, and he looked beyond pissed.

My night had just done the impossible. It got worse.

Andrew pulled at my waist, attaching me to his side possessively, and smiled politely at Ethan.

“Ethan! W-what are you doing here?” I stammered nervously.

“You called me.”

Andrew slid a glance at me and I blanched. “No!” I assured him. “I didn’t!”

After a second of me shaking my head frantically, Andrew chuckled. “It’s all right, love, calm down,” he said, pressing a quick kiss on my lips.

I heard Ethan suck in a breath. I snuck a glance at his face and my stomach turned inside out. He looked murderous. When Andrew laughed and said, “She’s so high strung tonight from all the excitement,” I thought Ethan was going to lose it and lay some angel smackdown right there in front of the whole room.

Please don’t cause a scene
, I begged him silently.

I flinched when I felt his reply enter my mind.
What the hell is going on, Grace?
Even mentally he managed to sound angry.

I ignored Ethan’s question and turned to Andrew. “I’m sorry, I’m just tired. It’s been a long night. That’s all.”

Please just go home, Ethan.

Ethan narrowed his eyes at me, and then he said, “If you aren’t feeling well, I’ll tell your father and take you home. You really shouldn’t be out for so many hours on that leg, anyway.”

I felt Andrew’s grip on me tighten the tiniest bit. “It’s okay,” I said, pleading with Ethan now. “I’m all right. I’ve been off my foot most of the night.” I swallowed back bile and then forced myself to add, “Andrew’s taken very good care of me.”

Andrew was so completely psycho that he considered my compliment sincere. He relaxed instantly and sighed happily. “And I always will,” he muttered into my hair.

He kissed my temple and then, after appraising Ethan’s state of temper, sighed again. It was clear Ethan wasn’t going to be able to take much more of this. “Perhaps it is time for you to go home and get some rest,” he agreed reluctantly. “I have other things I need to attend to tonight, but I will come to you as soon as I can, love. I promise.”

Andrew handed me over to Ethan then, shocking both of us. “I know you’ll take very good care of her,
warrior
,” he said.

Ethan sucked in another breath.

“I didn’t tell him,” I promised when Ethan shot me a betrayed look. “He was watching us when you told Cynthia in my room that morning.”

“You needn’t worry about me revealing your true nature,” Andrew said to Ethan. “Exposing the truth of Grace’s importance to the Creator would make her a target. I would never endanger her like that. I couldn’t bear it if anything at all ever happened to her.” He brushed the back of his hand down the side of my face and added, “She is my everything now. Good night, love. I’ll come to you as soon as I can.”

When he was finally gone, my adrenaline crashed immediately and I sagged. Ethan had to scramble to catch me before I fell to the floor. “Grace!” he hissed.

I was too exhausted to explain myself. “I’d like to go home now. Please, Ethan.”

Ethan bit back whatever nasty criticism he wanted to spew at me and set me down in the nearest chair he could find. “Don’t move!” he ordered.

While I was waiting, my phone rang. I answered it numbly. It didn’t really matter who was calling to yell at me now. None of them could change anything. “Hello?”

“What the hell!” Cynthia screeched. “I just saw you on CNN!”

Ethan came back with my coat. He started to say something, then waited when he realized I was talking to Cynthia. He probably hoped she’d get more explanation out of me than he did. She wouldn’t.

“Are they saying nice things or blasting me?” I asked. “Did I look too stupid?”

“You
looked
like you were very comfortable with Andrew De La Cote.”

“You’re always saying I need a boyfriend. Now I have one. What’s the big deal?”

“What’s the big deal?
What’s the big deal?
”

I forced myself to get angry so that I wouldn’t burst into tears and tell her everything. “He’s good-looking, my dad likes him, and he wants me. So what if he’s a little intense? At least he honestly cares about me. He’s probably the only person in the whole world who does.”

“How can you say that?” Cynthia screamed. “I care about you! Why do you think I’m so upset right now?”

“You don’t care about me! You were ordered by the resistance to be my friend!” I shouted, finally losing control of myself.

“Grace,” Ethan warned. “Keep it down.”

I lowered my voice, but I was crying now and couldn’t stop no matter how many people were watching. “Weren’t you?” I demanded to the silence on the other end of the phone. “You and your brothers actually transferred schools when my dad announced his candidacy just so that you could gain my trust, and the resistance could have a connection in the White House if we won.”

“That’s ridiculous, Grace,” Ethan said. “That’s Andrew filling your head with lies to get you to turn on the people you love.”

“If it’s a lie, then let her deny it!” I was shouting again. “Deny it, Cynthia!”

Instead of a denial, I only heard crying. It was the truth. The one person in my life I thought I could trust. The only person I thought really cared about me. The betrayal was too much for me on top of everything else that had happened tonight. A piece of me died, and I began to sob.

“Grace,” Ethan whispered, sitting down next to me. He put his arm around me and muttered, “Try to get hold of yourself. You said you didn’t want a scene, and people are starting to stare.”

I took a deep breath and tried to make the tears stop.

“I didn’t have a choice,” Cynthia blubbered. “It’s a pack thing. When the alpha gives an order, I literally have to obey. He sent us to Atherton, but I am really, truly your friend, Grace. I swear it. I’ve hated myself for it forever, and I hate the pack for making me do it. You know I hate the pack!”

“Your brothers?” I asked.

“Preston was only instructed to be a friend and keep an eye on you, like me, but Caleb’s orders were…more specific.”

“How specific?” I asked.

Cynthia started bawling again.

“How specific?” I demanded.

“When the pack learned you were different, that day in the cafeteria, Caleb was asked to claim you as a mate.”

I gasped, but this time so did Ethan.

“He was going to turn me?
Before
what happened with Andrew?”

“I didn’t know!” Cynthia cried. “They kept it from me because they knew I would never let him! They were angry with me for keeping you secret for so long. I got in a lot of trouble, Grace. I was forced to bring Caleb with me to your house that night, but I didn’t know what his orders had been until after you didn’t turn. I swear, Gracie, if I’d known I would have done something! I would have died rather than let anyone claim you! You have to believe me!”

“How can I?” I asked. “Maybe you’re acting under orders right now—use Grace’s feelings against her. Make her believe you always cared.”

“No!”

“Grace,” Ethan said heavily. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Don’t ever talk to me again,” I said into the phone. “Tell your brothers that if they even so much as
look
at me again I will go straight to the council and tell them everything I know about the resistance.”

“Grace, please don’t do this. You’re my best friend.”

“Not anymore.” My voice was dead as I whispered, “Good-bye, Cynthia.”

I hung up the phone and Ethan started to open his mouth, but I stopped him with just a look. I shrugged out from under his arm and got to my feet.

There had only been one person in my entire life that really loved me unconditionally. I needed her desperately, but my mother was gone, so I had to settle for the only parent I had left. Actually, the only
person
I had left in the whole world.

I found my father laughing with a group of guys I didn’t recognize. When they saw me, my dad’s face lit up and he waved me over for introductions. “I’m sorry,” I told them, “It’s very nice to meet you, but may I please steal my father away for just a second?”

The men took in my puffy eyes and looked alarmed. When my annoyed-looking father noticed my face, he was startled. “Excuse me, gentlemen. A father’s duty…”

The guys all laughed and as soon as they were gone my dad said, “This had better be important, Grace. Do you know who you just interrupted?”

I’d planned on holding myself together, but once he was standing there I threw myself into his arms and started sobbing all over again. “Daddy,” I cried. “Will you please take me home?”

My dad’s whole demeanor softened, and his tight grip became a sincere, fatherly hug. “What’s wrong, Gracie?”

“I’ve just had a really bad day, and I really don’t feel well, and I had a big fight with Cynthia, and I just want to go home.”

“Of course, Grace. You can go if you need to. That’s why Ethan’s here. I’m sure he won’t mind staying with you until I get there. Why don’t you find Andrew and invite him to go with you, too? You seemed to be enjoying yourself earlier when he was with you.”

The mention of Andrew set me off in another hysterical round of sobs. “I don’t want Ethan or Andrew! Can’t
you
come home with me? Just for one night?”

“I’m sorry, Grace. You know I have obligations.”

“
I
should be your obligation! Please, Daddy?” I begged pathetically. “Can’t we just go home and watch a movie? We could make popcorn and eat Junior Mints just like we used to before…”

Before Mom died.
I couldn’t say it out loud, but it didn’t matter. Dad understood what I meant. “Oh, Gracie,” he said, squeezing me in another fierce hug. “Is that what the matter is? I miss her so much tonight, too. But try not to be upset, okay? Go home and get some rest and you’ll feel better. I would take you home, but I just can’t skip out tonight.”

I saw the look in his eyes change. It was a look I’d seen so many times before. His mind was made up. I’d just lost this argument. I still gave it one last try anyway. “It’s just a party, Dad,” I whispered. “I really need you tonight.”

To his credit, he looked as if he wanted to say yes.

“I’m sorry, Grace,” he said. He’d taken on his stern father voice again. “I understand, but things are different now. You’re not the only one who needs me anymore. You’re going to have to get used to sharing.”

As if I’d ever had him all to myself. Ever! Here I was, falling apart in front of him, admitting I needed him, begging him to take care of me, to love me and do the right thing for once in his life, and he was turning me down for a party.

Andrew was right. I had no one.

My heart splintered into a million pieces. There was officially nothing left of it. I stopped crying. I stopped feeling. I just went numb. I was completely dead inside.

“Tell you what,” Dad said when he saw the fight leave me. “I’ll have your schedule cleared tomorrow. You can’t be doing interviews like this anyway, so take the day off and have Ethan take you on a picnic or something. Some fresh air and some peace and quiet will do you good.”

“Sure,” I said, and then left without another word.

I think Ethan tried to convince
me to get in his car, but to be honest, I wasn’t really thinking straight that night. He could have been doing a song and dance about cupcakes and I wouldn’t have known the difference.

I walked, crutches and all, down street after street. It didn’t matter where I was going, as long as it was anywhere but home. I had no reason to go there. What was waiting for me there? A TV? Some books? There was not one single person in my life who really cared about me. Sure, Andrew said he did, but psycho-obsession doesn’t count. In no way does blackmailing someone into a relationship count as love.