Shattered Grace (Fallen from Grace) (43 page)

Darius slid in next to her. Without skipping a beat, he laced his fingers with hers and brought their joined hands to his mouth. The brush of his lips across her knuckles was like the air her lungs desperately gasped for. It loosened the sad shackles concerning Quentin. Grace melted into the side of Darius’ body, hungry for more reprieve from emotion.

Darius wrapped a protective arm around her, pulling her tighter into his warmth. Grace took in a cleansing breath, and laid her head on his shoulder.

All the way to Robintino’s, Ari and Darius talked about…well, Grace wasn’t actually sure. Darius never stopped talking. Instead, his smile crinkled the edges of his eyes as he’d wink and kiss her hair, then squeeze her tighter while trailing a finger along the outside of her thigh. The trail burned, leaving goose bumps in its path. It’s a good thing others are in the car, Grace thought.

One thing Grace and Darius had in common was their love for mushroom and sausage pizza. And no one did it like Robintino’s. As she finished her third piece of pizza, Grace listened as Darius and his friends went back and forth.

“
So,” Lux said. “It looks like this one’s going to be around a little longer than the rest.” Lux couldn’t even be decent enough to give Grace a vicious glare when she was putting her down. Instead, Grace was a “this”
and got a sideways nod of the head in the general vicinity of where she sat. If Grace didn’t have any reason for not liking her before, Lux was easily helping her tally reasons every time she saw her. “Hey, Lux?” Grace said from across the table. “This
one’s got a name. It’s Grace.”

From the corner of Grace’s eye, she saw the edge of Darius’ lip turn up before he said, “I was just going to say that. Lux, stop being you.”

Lux took a drink of her soda and talked from around her straw, completely unfazed. “Whatever.”

A news flash came over the flat screens scattered along the walls of Robintino’s, silencing the chatter of the employees and patrons. Like everyone else, Grace’s attention was trained on the TV. A woman in a yellow slicker was shouting into a mic, trying to overcome the noise from the torrential rains, howling wind, and crashing debris. “…As you can see behind me, the city’s drainage system is already compromised and overflowing…” She nodded her head to the right, but the camera stayed on her. “…Main Street is already flooding. Flash flooding across Woods Cross is a big possibility as the city works hard to clear the drainage system.” Dumbstruck, Grace stared at the screen. Quentin was right. Darius and Ari shot out of their seats, rushing Grace and Lux to the truck.

Grace thought she got a peek of Quentin’s car, but by the time she was in the truck and took a better look, it was gone. To her relief, Lux stared out the window all the way to Grace’s house as Ari focused on the road. Every so often from the corner of her eye, she could see Darius watching her.

Darius promised he’d call her later, kissing her quickly before leaving her at the door. Grace leaned against the door after shutting it, and counted in her head, waiting to see how long until Quentin came inside. Almost a minute and a half later, Quentin walked through the utility room door. “Quentin?”

Quentin hit the stairs. “Night, Grace.” The ice in his voice cut into her, running cold through her system. Her shoulders slumped forward, and she walked somberly to the kitchen.

Junk food was a cure-all, and Grace knew there was a new container of mint chocolate chip ice cream in the freezer. She pulled a bowl from the cabinet and the ice cream scoop from the drawer, and placed both on the counter. A knock sounded at the door and Grace sighed, snagged the ice cream from the counter, and tossed it back into the freezer. “Got it!” she hollered to anyone who cared as she ran through the foyer. She hoped it was Darius … by himself.

Her smile beamed from ear to ear as she opened the door. Only, it wasn’t Darius, it was Amanda. Amanda shivered as every part of her dripped with rainwater. The eyes staring back at Grace were dark and hollow, while mascara streamed black trails down Amanda’s face.

“
Amanda?” Her friend stood there, not moving, not speaking, just trembling. “Amanda, what’s wrong?”

Amanda let loose with a keening wail that dropped her to her knees outside the door. It was the most heartbreaking sound Grace had ever heard. Grace stepped outside and knelt next to her, wrapping her arms around her friend, holding on tight as Amanda cried uncontrollably into her shoulder.

Everything Amanda felt seeped through Grace’s fingers and shot straight through her heart, splitting it in two. Amanda’s muffled cries were of utter desperation. The tears of Amanda’s broken heart spilled helplessly from Grace’s eyes. No matter how much of her pain Grace absorbed, sharing it wouldn’t lessen Amanda’s. Instinct told Grace to step back in order to alleviate the emotions about to short-circuit her own system. But she held on even tighter to Amanda, refusing to give in to the urge. One arm wrapped around Amanda’s body, the other gently caressed the back of her head, Grace gently rocked back and forth, holding her friend up. “Shh … shh … I’m here, Amanda. I’m here.”

Grace didn’t move when she heard the front door open, nor when she felt a hand press lightly against her shoulder. “Come on, Grace, let me get her.” Quentin coaxed Grace out of the way and picked Amanda up off the ground, cradling her against his body. Grace was moved by his tenderness, and equally caught off guard by his wet lashes. Quietly, she followed them up the stairs. Quentin glanced at Grace for guidance, so she nodded toward her own room, walking ahead of him so she could pull the blankets back on her bed. Quentin laid Amanda down, then removed Amanda’s socks and shoes before pulling the covers back up and over her.

Grace furrowed her brow and gnawed on her lower lip, frantically searching for reasons her friend had crumbled before her eyes. The soft click of her door drawing closed brought her out of her head, and turning toward Quentin. But he was gone. Grace walked to the side of the bed and placed a hand on Amanda’s arm. “Amanda, I’m going to go out for a minute, but I’ll be right back.”

“
Okay.” Amanda’s voice quivered and tears slowly trickled down her cheeks, leaving inky splotches where they fell on the white pillowcase.

Graced rushed out of her room, shutting the door quietly behind her. Quentin was about to close his own as she softly called out his name. “Quentin?”

He stepped back into the hallway. “Quentin, I—” Before she could finish her sentence, Quentin had pulled Grace to him and pressed her body against his, holding her tight. She relaxed into him and accepted his solace as unwelcome tears fell onto his shirt. Quentin cupped the back of her head and pulled away. For a few moments they said nothing, only stared at each other. Grace tried to read what was in his eyes, but couldn’t. “Thank you,” she said softly.

When Quentin smiled, it didn’t touch his eyes. The pain behind his stare had her reaching to caress his face, but he grabbed her hand and held it over his heart. Quietly, they continued to gaze at each other, but when Quentin’s smile faded and sadness took over his face, tears pooled again in Grace’s eyes. She didn’t know what this silent exchange was about, but it felt like he was saying good-bye. An overwhelming sadness enveloped her, as her quickening breaths cut like teeth on a saw up and down her throat. Oh God, she mentally cried. He can’t leave. What would she do? She couldn’t do any of this without him. Her hands tugged on his shirt, pulling him closer. “I’m sorry, Quentin,” she whispered, hoping her apology would be enough to keep him there. The thought of losing Quentin frightened her.

Laying his hand against hers, he pressed it flat against his heart. He smiled again, still not uttering a word. He leaned down and kissed the edge of her hairline just above her forehead, pressing her hand even harder against his chest. Suddenly, he let go and walked away, leaving her cold. Grace stood frozen in the empty hallway, unable to move until Quentin’s door shut behind him.

Quentin stared unseeing on the other side of the bedroom door. The burn of the seneschal band was so hot, it almost matched the searing of his rage. Overcome, he wanted to destroy everything around him. Anger consumed him. Instead, he stalked the length of his room and back again. He hoped he was doing the right thing by pulling away. Hurting her over and over again was ripping him to shreds. She didn’t deserve it. He knew that. He didn’t know what else to do.

And crying? What a damn wuss. The moment Grace felt Amanda’s pain, he was overcome with a grief so profound, he couldn’t control his own tears from falling. That was when he had to find her. He didn’t expect to see her in a crying heap over her distraught friend. Through Grace, he could feel the tremendous anguish Amanda was experiencing, and his heart broke for her. For them both.

Reaching in his pocket, he pulled out his cell. “Laney, can you get home?”

“
What’s going on?” He could hear the panic in her voice.

What
was
going on? He had no idea what the hell was happening, but he knew he couldn’t be the one to handle it. “I’m not exactly sure. Grace’s friend Amanda is here and they’re both crying. They need a woman, not me.”

“
I’ll be there in a little bit.”