Shattered Grace (Fallen from Grace)

by K Anne Raines

Darius was.

  The feeling was back. Panic-stricken, Grace stared helplessly at Quentin’s car, because it was too far away; she couldn’t make it. Darius’ gaze followed, and when his face came back around, his eyes were narrowed and softly glowing red. Frantically, she looked around for a way out and noticed Zeke’s car parked several feet in front of Darius. Hoping he was inside it, she took off running. Déjà vu skittered across the forefront of her mind as she jumped in the passenger seat, and slammed the door. Breathing heavy, she turned to Zeke.

  “Whoa, are you okay?” Zeke asked, using the steering wheel as leverage as he craned his neck to see what was wrong.

  Immediately, Grace slammed her palm against the lock on the door, then looked at Zeke. “Can you give me a ride?” She couldn’t keep the panic from pouring out in her voice. “Pl—” Movement caught her eye before she had a chance to finish. From the passenger mirror, she saw two guys in front of Darius’ bike. A third stood to his side, talking. It was the same guys dressed in black that she’d seen in the parking lot before. Grace swiveled back to Zeke. “Please!”

  “Of course.” He put the car in gear and pushed the gas. “Where do you need to go?”

  “Anywhere, just away from here.” Just get me out of here, she screamed inside. Crap, Pandora. She chewed at her lip and tapped her foot rapidly against the floorboard. There had to be a way to get Pandora from her car. Oh, God, if they were able to find Pandora, they’d also find Amanda. Think, Grace, think. The only noise in the car was the incessant tap, tap, tap of her foot as they drove otherwise silently down the road. Grace realized where they were as familiar businesses zoomed by.

  “Is Latté Da’s okay?” Zeke asked.

  “Yes.” Latté Da’s was perfect. Robintino’s wasn’t very far from there, so she could get Pandora.

  Waiting at the stop sign for cars to pass, Grace anxiously wanted to point out the parking space further down Orchard Street. “Hey, there’s—”

  The car rocked as two guys opened the rear doors and threw themselves in the backseat. Zeke yelled as Grace scrambled for the door. One of them reached around her seat, pinning her with one arm, and covering her mouth and nose with the cloth-filled hand of the other.

  Clawing at his arms, she tried to loosen his grip. Wildly, she kicked at the dash, desperate to get away. She reached again for the door handle. The panicked adrenaline coursing through Grace’s veins had her screaming and panting against the cloth, even though in the back of her mind she knew she shouldn’t be breathing in. Zeke continued to shout, but she couldn’t make out what he was saying. There were sounds of bone hitting skin. They were hurting Zeke. Silently, she wished he’d stop fighting.

  The overwhelming smell of ether burned the back of her throat. A tacky, sweet taste stuck to her tongue. Her watery eyes were drooping, despite how hard she fought to keep them open. She knew this was the end, for her and her friend, and it was all her fault. And Amanda had Pandora. She should have listened to Quentin. All too quickly, the blackness consumed her, swallowing her whole.

  Everything … stopped.

  The point of a sharp object was hammering into Grace’s head. Moving her head slowly back and forth, she tried to get away from it. “Stop.” Her throat felt like it was full of sand, scratchy. She licked her lips. They were desert dry too.

  “Grace?” a pained voice whispered. “Jesus, you’re alive.” The voice was familiar, but her thoughts were fuzzy. Whoever it was wasn’t okay. She couldn’t open her eyes to see who said her name. She fought hard against the darkness that still had a hold of her, but her eyes wouldn’t open.

  Close sounds of trickling water worried her. Slowly the memories came flooding back, and she realized she wasn’t dead, and the person talking was probably Zeke, but it didn’t sound like him. Carefully, Grace rolled on her side, and her hand scraped along a hard, cold surface. Bracing both hands beneath her, she attempted to get up, but clanking metal echoed. Her hands were chained.

  Rapidly she blinked, knowing she had to stay calm in order to figure out where they were. Her eyes still too heavy, and her sight was too blurry to focus. There was light, but not a lot, and not from a light bulb. The ground was cold, hard, and uneven like rock. Across from her was the outline of a curled-up body. “Zeke?”

  “I’m sorry,” the voice cracked. It was Zeke, but he was hurt.

  She pulled desperately from her thoughts for something she could say to reassure him, but came up empty. “Don’t talk. I’m going to get us out of here.” Her sight slowly cleared. She was chained to a rock wall, but Zeke wasn’t. The slow trickles of water she heard ran down the rock wall behind him.

  “This is my fault,” Zeke croaked. Grace could hear the pain in his voice. His breathing was labored, and his arm cradled his middle.

  “No, it’s my fault, but don’t worry.” Grace looked around and realized they were in a cave. Grace tried to get to him by pulling away from the wall, but could only move a couple of feet. Not enough to reach Zeke, or to feel around for something to help get the shackles off.

  “I couldn’t protect you.” Zeke coughed, as his breath whistled in and out.

  Grace quit breathing. She couldn’t let him believe this was his fault. Zeke sucked in a sharp breath when he tried to turn to her. He couldn’t move. “I tried fighting them off you, Grace.”

  Her mind flashed back to the sounds in the car. “I know. Please stop talking,” Grace said, pleading with him. Hearing the noises come up his throat rendered her as immobile as the shackles.

  “When they dumped you on the ground—” He coughed again, his clothing scratched against the rock beneath him as he heaved.

  “Zeke.”

  “They will pay for hurting you, I can promise—”

  His coughing fit continued, only this time it was wet. It gurgled in the back of his throat, like he was trying to breathe underwater. The sound scared the hell out of Grace. She didn’t know what to do, or how to get out. “It’s gonna be okay,” she tried saying reassuringly. She needed to get them out of there before the Fallen came back.

  “I’m so sorry.” His breath hissed and bubbled between each word he spoke. She wasn’t sure what a punctured lung sounded like, but she hoped and prayed the sound coming from him wasn’t from that.

  “I know, Zeke. We’re going to get out of here.” Frantically, she looked around for a way out.

  “They won’t let us leave, they’re monsters.” He didn’t sound afraid. He hurt, that was obvious; he sounded hopeless.

  Grace didn’t speak any more. She didn’t want Zeke to exhaust himself further. She was comforted when his breathing evened out. For the time being, his mind was elsewhere.

  The sides of her hands were raw from trying to pull free from the shackles. With one foot braced against the wall and the other on the ground, she pulled as hard as she could. It was no use. Despite her Chosen blood, she wasn’t strong enough to break the chains from the wall. She gave up, and let her arms fall to her sides. Her tired body shivered from the cold. Feeling hopeless now herself, Grace slipped to the ground, and held her face in her hands.

  Long strides of movement sounded from the darkness. Someone was coming. She snapped her head up, and waited. Two glowing eyes appeared, hovering in the distance. The owner of the red orbs materialized out of the darkness as he drew closer. It was the guy from the parking lot yesterday, the one who was in the very front. “You’re finally awake.” He smiled. It was anything but friendly.

  “What do you want?” Hundreds of years of Chosen ancestry reverberated strong in her voice. She steadied herself on the ground.

  “Little girl, don’t play stupid. You know what I want.” Although he spoke softly, menace lurked behind his words. Hope flickered back to life within her at his demand. They were still looking for something, which meant Pandora was safe.

  A stirring moved deep within her—a joining of mind, body, and soul as she found her center, her purpose. She no longer felt fear, in fact felt incredibly strong as ev
ery fiber in her being readied, calculating an attack. Quentin had trained her for this very moment. The just-in-case time he wasn’t around. Grace kept her eyes on the Fallen, studying how he moved, as she played for time. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  The chuckle that spilled from his lips should have frightened her, but it didn’t. “Tell you what, Grace. This is how we’re going to play. I’m going to use Zeke to get what I want from you, and I’m going to use you to get what I want from Quentin.”

  She didn’t like being threatened, but glancing at Zeke almost made her resolve waver. No matter what, Grace couldn’t give the Fallen what they wanted. She lowered her gaze. “Like I said, I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

  The Fallen kept his eyes trained on Grace while he walked backward. Disgust moved across his features when he glanced down at Zeke’s sleeping form. “Maybe Zeke wants to play?” When he kicked Zeke in the back, he barely groaned. Zeke was in trouble.

  Fear gripped Grace. “Stop! Please.”

  “Please what?” He lifted his foot again.

  Grace threw her hand out, motioning for him to stop. “I’ll give you what you want, just don’t hurt him anymore.”

  He put his foot down, and smiled. “Good girl.”

  But all she was doing was stalling for more time. Zeke still slept, she hoped. The Fallen sneered, then looked back down to Zeke, raising his foot. “No,” Grace screamed, pulling away from the wall, hands reaching for Zeke.

  A sudden explosion shook the earth beneath them, almost knocking the Fallen off his feet. He jerked his head toward the darkness behind him, and swore under his breath. His red eyes cut back to Grace, making her insides melt with fear, but she wouldn’t cower. She steeled her expression, and waited for him to attack. The yelling and commotion started as soon as the earth stopped shaking. Grace braced herself on the floor, trying to see a rise and fall in an unmoving Zeke. She thought she saw some movement, but wasn’t sure.

  Sounds of fighting ricocheted off the walls. Grace strained against the chains, trying to find a voice she recognized. Hope swelled in her chest, imagining it was Quentin despite not hearing him. The Fallen looked from Zeke to Grace, and swore again before retreating into the darkness. The Fallen was gone for not even five seconds before the sounds of grunts and bodies hitting rock split through the silence of the cavern. Feet hitting the ground seconds later had Grace’s heart racing. Her attention went from the darkness to Zeke and back to the dark. She prepared herself to defend them both against whatever was coming, because she wasn’t going to let Zeke die.

  Coiled tightly, she crouched over the ground in a defensive pose. She saw a flash of color in the darkness—red?—and was surprised when the red became distinguishable as a flurry of flaming red hair she quickly recognized. You’ve got to be kidding me, was all she could think. A moment later, Lux grabbed hold of the chains against the wall and yanked. They snapped away as easily as thread. Grace gawked at the chains lying in a heap on the ground, and dragged a disbelieving gaze to her improbable rescuer. “What are you?”

  Lux came to a halt, thrusting her hip out and resting her hand on it. “Really? I’m here to get you outta here. Does it really matter?”

  Put like that, Grace couldn’t agree more. “No, I guess not.” Grace watched as Lux carefully picked Zeke up as if he weighed no more than a child. Holding him against her body, she turned to Grace. “You moving in or coming with me?”

  Still shocked Lux was her unlikely savior, she stuttered, “N-no. I don’t know the way.” Even though she was weighed down with Zeke, Lux easily ran past Grace.

  “Come on.” She definitely sounded like Lux. Grace wouldn’t hold it against her today.

  Lux stayed close to the darkest part of the shadows, and Grace mimicked her moves as she followed close behind her. Fighting still ensued in the cave, the whoosh of movement stirred strands of Grace’s hair. Lux quit moving, and Grace could see a red glow in her profile. She couldn’t tell if it was coming from Lux’s eyes, or from a Fallen in front of her. Slowly, she knelt and carefully laid Zeke on the ground. From over her shoulder, she whispered, “If I don’t come back, you have to find a way out.”

  Grace’s lips didn’t move. She was screaming in her head for them both to run, but she couldn’t make her lips work as Lux whispered at her harshly, “Grace! You’re Chosen, for Christ’s sake, grow a pair.” Lux was right. Grace nodded.

  Kneeling in front of Zeke, she put a hand on his chest. A heartbeat. She let out a quiet breath. Grace knew she was faster than regular humans, but wasn’t sure if she were stronger. Carefully, she placed her hands under Zeke, and attempted to lift him. Suddenly, she felt a strong yank and was flying backward, landing hard on her back, the sting of rock scraping against her skin made her wince. It felt like her arms were almost pulled from their sockets, and her wrists were on fire.

  Someone pulled on the chains again, yanking her further back. Flipping around on her knees, all she could see was the glowing red eyes of the Fallen. But it was enough. Grace ran as fast as she could, climbing up his chest and swinging her legs around the back of his neck, then sat on his shoulders. Before she could think about what she was doing, she whipped the chains of her shackles around his neck like she was roping a calf.

  He slammed them backward against the rocks, trying to knock her off. Sharp points cut into her back, warm trickles of blood ran down her shoulder blades. She twisted the chains harder. Muscle popped and bones cracked until he buckled beneath her, and they crashed to the floor. Quickly, she scrambled along the ground, trying to distance herself from her attacker, and hoped she was moving in the right direction to Zeke.

  “Grace!” Quentin’s voice yelling her name spiked her emotions. A flurry of slumbering butterflies came to life in her chest.

  His voice brought tears to her eyes. He found me, she rejoiced silently, as she tentatively called out, “Here!” She didn’t want to attract anyone else by yelling more.

  A moment later, someone brushed the side of her body when they crouched next to her. He grabbed her hand in his and cupped the side of her face. It was Quentin, his touch telling her that he was just as relieved to see her as she was him. Earlier, she wasn’t sure if she was ever going to see him, or anyone else again. She let out a bark that sounded like a mixture of crying and laughter. He kissed the top of her head.

  “We have to get Zeke,” she whispered.

  “I know,” Quentin whispered back.

  They scurried on the ground, stopping only long enough for Quentin to grab Zeke. The fighting and shouting continued behind them as they made their way to the cave’s entrance.

  When they came out the other end of the cave, Grace hoped they were safe, and tried hurrying Quentin. Quentin laid Zeke in the back of his car that waited outside, and covered him with a blanket. The tires of the Jag threw up a spray of dirt and gravel as they drove away. Grace glanced back. The cave was no cave at all. It was a canyon…split in the middle, concave at the center, and bowed out like penciled birds flying in the background of a painting. The edges resembled feathers of a bird, appearing somewhat wing-like. She knew where they were—Angel’s Landing.

  Grace gasped with a sudden thought and snaked out a hand to grasp Quentin’s arm. “Quentin, wait, we need to help Lux.”

  Driving faster, Quentin put a hand on her knee. “Lux is fine. She’s Fallen.” That couldn’t be, Grace’s mind raged. Lux had helped her.

  Zeke moaned from the backseat, his breathing becoming more labored by the minute. Grace prayed he’d hang on, as she repeated, “Please let him be okay,” over and over in her head.

  She was a monster. It was that simple. How or why Grace had let Quentin and Zeke talk her into this, she’d never know. “You have my word,” Quentin insisted. “Ari and Lux will stay with him until paramedics arrive. It seems cruel, but this is the only way. We have no reasonable explanation we can give for what happened to him.”

  “It’ll be okay—” Zeke’s wor
ds gurgled in the back of his throat before he blacked out again.

  Scowling and fighting back tears, Grace folded her chained arms across her chest. More serious than she’d ever been, Grace pinned Quentin with a fierce glare. “If Zeke doesn’t make it, I will never, ever forgive you.” Moreover, she would never forgive herself.

  Grace watched Ari and Lux set the scene for Zeke’s accident. Skid marks ran off the road and through the guardrail. Not far below, Zeke’s car perched precariously, crashed into a tree. The airbags were blown out and the windshield was spiderwebbed from one side to the other. The front end was smashed in several feet, and fluids ran freely under the car.

  In the blink of an eye, Lux was topside again. “The paramedics are on their way. We need to get him down there.” Grace refused to look at any of them, most of all Quentin. Lux promised to hold Zeke until the paramedics were almost there. Grace nodded and completed the walk of shame back to the passenger side of the car. Silent tears fell from her eyes all the way home.

  Quentin parked the car in the driveway, but Grace was too numb to move. When she noticed the Shelby wasn’t parked there as well, she raced so fast to the garage she almost got caught up on the chains clanking around her. The car wasn’t in there either. Panicked, she tore through the front door. “Amanda!”

  “Grace?” Laney came running from the kitchen, her eyes all puffy and red. “Oh God, you’re okay.” Her mom gaped at the chains. More tears welled in her eyes, but then her gaze flew behind Grace. “Where’s—”

  Someone walked through the front door and they both turned expectantly. Grace’s legs almost buckled when Quentin walked in, devastated that it wasn’t Amanda. She turned back to her mother, but Laney’s wide eyes stayed on Quentin. “Where is he?”

  Grace frowned in confusion. “Where’s who?”

  Laney ignored her. “Quentin, where is he? Where’s Richard?”

  Oh no. A rush of panic jolted her. First Amanda, and now her dad. Grace fixed her eyes on Quentin’s, searching for what she and her mother both needed to know. The look he gave her scorched her heart.