Emily’s shining lips curved up in response. “Okay, I can do that. She gave Grace a hug, promising to talk more later, and hurried off to class.
Grace kept her gaze on the floor as she walked through the hall, too lost in thoughts of her conversation with Emily to look up. She rounded the corner to her next class, glancing up only slightly to make sure no one was around the bend, and was surprised to find Darius leaning against the wall, Latté Da’s coffee in hand. “I thought this would help you wake up.”
She was so happy to see him, she almost cried. Grace took it from his hand, leaned against him, and kissed his lips softly. “I’m awake now,” she said against his mouth.
Darius chuckled quietly. “Good, get to class.” She never wanted to skip class more in her life. He must have sensed it because he grabbed her hand and put it on the door handle of the classroom. “I’ll call you later, angel.” He kissed her on the corner of her mouth and disappeared around the corner.
The rest of Grace’s day went by at a snail’s pace, mirroring History.
Thankful she didn’t have any homework for the night, she hung her backpack inside her locker and waited for Amanda.
When she showed up a few minutes later, Amanda dug through her locker for books she needed overnight and tossed them into her backpack. As she slammed her locker, she said, “I forgot I have a biology test I have to make up. Leah has a lab she’s making up, and said she’d give me a ride.”
Grace frowned and tilted her head, eyeing her suspiciously. Usually Amanda couldn’t stand Leah. “Oh… okay. Good luck. See you at home,” Grace said. They quickly hugged. “Be nice,” Grace whispered in her ear.
“
Always.” Amanda winked at her and hurried to the biology room. Grace watched her leave.
While pulling her phone from her pocket, she shouldered the school door open. An odd, almost ethereal wind blew over her as soon as she stepped outside, and time itself seemed to lag. Every fine hair on her body stood on end, and adrenaline kicked in her veins. Panicking, she swiveled her head around, trying to find the source of what she was feeling. Everything and everyone seemed to suddenly click into slow motion. Sticky black shadows crawled out from a jagged crevice in the ground several feet away, moaning and growling as they coiled toward her. At first, she thought each was one large shadow, but she was wrong. Inside each inky void, thousands of tiny claw-like hands reached for her, while their heads jerked and teeth gnashed. Paralyzed with fear, she couldn’t tear her eyes from the wraiths. Her breath was coming in and out so fast, small white spots shot like stars all throughout her peripheral vision.
In the distance, she heard the familiar throttle of a motorcycle. Darius’ motorcycle. He was parked at the curb, shouting at her and waving his arms to get her attention. She thought he’d left a couple of hours ago. She couldn’t hear over the swooshing in her ears, or the growling and snapping of the Shadow Hounds slowly moving close—hunting her.
Suddenly, the squeal of tires brought her attention to the other side of the parking lot. Smoke billowed and the smell of burning rubber stung her nose as Quentin skidded the Jag to a stop, separating Grace from five guys dressed in black she hadn’t noticed who had appeared out of nowhere. They moved purposefully together in a
V
formation, its apex directed straight at her. All their attention zeroed in on Grace, as if Quentin wasn’t even there. The eyes they fixed on her burned red—reflecting pure evil. She shuddered, horrified that she could actually feel the tendrils of their hatred that licked at her skin from clear across the parking lot.
Without warning, everything around her slammed back into normal time, and Grace lurched into action. The close gnashing of teeth had her moving in Chosen speed to Darius’ bike. She didn’t think about who might see her. Nor did she care. She threw her arms around Darius, clinging to him for dear life as soon as she jumped on the back of his bike, hoping and praying he would just get them out of there. As the bike rocketed out of the parking lot, Grace’s hair whipped painfully at her face, almost cutting her skin, as she desperately looked around for Quentin. She was relieved to see him following not too far behind, and eased into Darius’ back.
Moments later, they came to an abrupt halt in front of her old house. Grace stared at the house, but Darius was quiet and didn’t move, so she jumped off. She searched his face, but it offered her no answers. “Why are we here?” she asked, pointing to the house.
Darius’ expression turned rueful, but he remained quiet. “Darius?”
She pleaded for answers with her eyes, and instinctively reached for his arm. As soon as her fingers touched him, she remembered she wouldn’t be able to know what was going on by touching him, and let her hand fall to her side. Maybe he saw the Shadow Hounds and he’s just in shock, she reasoned, and reached for his arm again, hoping to calm his fears. “It’s going to be okay, Darius.”
His eyes widened slightly, and he leaned a little toward her, still on the bike. “I—”
“
What’s going on?” Richard bellowed from the porch. Grace whipped her head and body in his direction just as his eyes fell on Darius. Fear filled Richard’s eyes, and a second later he was at her side, pulling her toward the house by her arm. Confusion kept her from responding to Darius’ disquiet, and to her father’s angry reaction. Her feet stumbled in the grass as she tried to peer over her shoulder for Darius. Although he held her gaze, he didn’t offer any explanation, and let her be pulled away without protest.
Tearing her eyes away, she watched Quentin rounding the corner lightning fast and screeching to a stop. “Get out of here!” he screamed at Darius as he ran past him. With Richard on one side and Quentin on the other, they rapidly muscled her through the front door. Grace still couldn’t take her eyes away from Darius and watched him drive away from over her shoulder. What just happened? her mind screamed.
“
How strong are the wards here?” Quentin asked, his eyes wide as his grip tightened around Grace’s arm.
Richard continued pulling Grace along. “I just had them reinforced, but they sure as hell are nothing like the wards over at the other house,” Richard replied.
Rushing through the bathroom doors, Grace watched Richard open the linen closet and carefully slide the towels over. With a click, the secret door slid open, the cool air wrapping around Grace’s ankles. The angel torch sconces lit up in welcome, or in urgency, Grace didn’t know which. Quentin rushed in first, pulling her by the hand to ensure she was close behind.
As the door hissed and slid shut, Grace peered over her shoulder for Richard. His stare was intense and the slight smile he offered was trying. The relief that washed over her from seeing him still with them shocked her.
So much whirled around inside Grace’s head—Darius waiting for her at the school, his knowing where she used to live, his unusual silence, the Shadow Hounds, the Fallen—all of it was running circles in her mind as she dashed through the underground. A sudden realization halted her in her tracks. “What about Amanda?” Her question bounced back and forth against the walls.
Quentin stopped and came back to her. Holding her face in his hands, he held her gaze. “She’ll be fine, I promise. The Fallen are no longer at the school, they’re searching for us. And I lost them on the way here. It’s going to be okay.” The only thing she could do was nod an okay, and continue to follow Quentin through the passageways to the manor. She couldn’t respond in any other way, because she was still trying to process what had just happened. Her mouth and body were numb, but the trust she had in Quentin kept her feet moving forward.
Outside the linen closet of her grandfather’s house stood Laney and Limye. “Oh, thank God you’re okay,” Laney cried, scooping Grace up into a hug.
“
Mom, I’m fine, let go.” Grace felt the reluctance in her mother’s arms as Laney released her. Laney wiped a few tears from her eyes and stepped back.
While the others interacted, mobilizing against the threat, Grace stood in the center of the chaos, watching, and trying to breathe. From the corner of her eye she saw Limye and Quentin whispering. To the side, her parents embracing. And she still stood in the center of it, almost passing out from the lack of oxygen not making it to her brain, because she still hadn’t taken a breath since she walked out of the closet.
The walls of the larger than average bathroom felt like they were closing in on her and she had to get out. With her arm stretched in front of her, she felt her way out into the office.
Quentin and Limye were there still whispering. Tired of being in the dark, her panic raked irritatingly on her nerves. “Why was Darius still at my school?”
Quentin’s gaze met Limye’s before returning to Grace. He shrugged. “Dumb luck.”
Grace stared at him in disbelief. Is he serious, she mentally shouted. She threw a clenched hand on her hip. “Okay, what about my house? How’d he know about that?” Her toe tapped in rhythm to her fastpaced heart.
Again, Quentin didn’t immediately give her his attention. Instead, he seemed put out and somewhat irritated. “I don’t know, Grace, maybe you told him and forgot, or maybe he has a friend that lives in the neighborhood that said something to him.”
She was so done with this cryptic bullshit. Briskly, she walked past them, and reached for the office door handle. With a slight turn, she faced Limye. “Why the hell are you here? Did you get a call?”
Limye held up her hands, and backed away from Grace. “Not from you, I didn’t. He called me.” Limye pointed a finger at Quentin.
Grace let go of the handle, and turned completely around. She took in a large breath, breathing in through her nose and out her mouth before speaking. “I’m sorry. Um… hi, then.” Grace waved apprehensive fingers.
The corners of Limye’s lips turned up. “Hi, Grace.” Still irritated, Grace managed to give her a sheepish smile back. Her smile broadened as she realized that Limye didn’t call her “child” this time.
“
One more thing,” Grace said, looking pointedly at Quentin. “What are ‘wards’?”
The obvious tension Quentin felt held his shoulders high as he stood with his hands on his hips. He forced a breath through his nose. “It’s like an invisible cloak over an area, placed there for the protection of the people under it. Anyone with bad intentions can’t find the people the ward is protecting, so long as they stay where the wards are placed. Understand?”
“
Yeah.” Grace understood and thought it was pretty cool, actually. “Like a protective bubble. Who places the wards? You?” she asked Limye.
The ropes of Limye’s hair ticktocked back and forth as she shook her head. “No.”
Grace turned her attention back to Quentin. “You?”
Quentin shook his head. “No, an Archangel.”
Surprised by his answer, Grace’s eyes went wide. “Seriously? Who?”
Quentin’s arms fell to his sides. “Gabriel.” Clearly, he didn’t want to talk specifics with her anymore. He and Limye went back to their private conversation. Gabriel, she thought with amazement, leaving the office. How freaking cool is that?
When her fingers brushed over her pocket, Grace was glad through all the chaos she’d managed to get her phone back in there before climbing on the back of Darius’ bike. Swiping her thumb across the screen, she went to the text app.
Grace:
What was that?
Confusion still warred in her head, but the fact an Archangel had set a ward over her house managed to calm her nerves somewhat. She just hoped Darius would be willing to answer her questions from the safety of his smart phone screen. She didn’t expect him to reply very fast, but a second later her phone buzzed.
Darius:
U okay?
Grace:
Yeah. Howd u know where my dad lives?
Darius:
I didn’t. Tommy said u used to live there. I took a chance since it was closer.
Plausible, she guessed.
Grace:
Why’d u seem so panicked to get me out of there?
Darius:
Idk. A feeling I needed 2. N the look on ur face I guess.
Grace:
K
Darius:
Im @ wrk now. I’ll call l8r.