The Savage Grace
Page 63

“Brent’s right on both accounts,” Daniel said. “During my time with Sirhan’s pack, they always wore the robes when they thought a fight might break out. And they wore their brightly colored ceremonial robes to impress us.”
“I’m always right,” Brent said, flexing his muscles; I’m not sure how that had anything to do with being smart. “Which is why,” he pointed at Ryan, “you should totally pick those blisters, like I said.”
Ryan lifted his fingers toward the blistered spearhead-shaped wound on his face. “Are you sure?”
I swatted Ryan’s hand away from his face. “Don’t touch it. You don’t want it to scar. Brent’s just being … well, Brent.”
“Can’t you work your healing magic on it?” Ryan asked me, and then shot a glare at Brent. “It burns like a mother—”
“Watch your language,” I snapped. “We’re in a church.” Bleh. I sounded way too much like my mom. I was glad she, April, and my siblings—the humans other than Dad, who had insisted on coming along—had been allowed to stay at the house. “It’s caused by silver, which means I can’t do much to heal it.”
“I told you,” Zach said to Ryan. “That’s why nothing happened when you tried to heal it yourself.”
“Pick at it,” Brent said, a little too much glee mixed in with his sarcasm. “You know what a cool scar that would be?”
I rolled my eyes.
“Hey, freak!” someone shouted in our direction. I looked up just in time to see the young, green-robed woman come bounding up to Daniel and me. She stopped just before colliding with Daniel’s chest—and punched him in the arm.
Daniel winced. She’d smacked him just below his still-healing bullet wound. But the wince quickly turned into a smile. “Jordan!” he exclaimed.
She laughed and jumped at him. Daniel caught her in a hug, gave her a quick squeeze, and then set her on her feet.
Both of my eyebrows went up in arches. So Daniel did know her?
Daniel looked at me and indicated the young woman. “Grace, this is Lisa Jordan. We met during my brief stay with the pack last year.”
“The Divine One!” she practically squealed. She grabbed my hand and shook it with gusto. “I have to admit, I thought you’d be bigger or something.” She shrugged. “But whatever. Thanks for saving my ear! Sweet, I think my superhearing is even a little better.” As she pointed at her ear, I noticed that her dangling black teardrop earrings were actually made of moonstones.
“No problem,” I said.
Lisa squeezed my hands and let go, then wrapped her hands around Daniel’s wrists, bouncing his arms up and down with excitement. “I’ve missed you, freak. But I can see why you wanted to come back here. She’s almost as pretty as I am.”
I couldn’t help staring at this Lisa Jordan. Not only was she still the only other female Urbat I’d ever met, but she was also gorgeous, with hair the color of candied walnuts and eyes a clear lake green. Her arms were toned, and her body was tall and slender like a runner’s. She looked like she was in her early twenties, and I couldn’t help wondering—if only for a fleeting moment—just how well she and Daniel had gotten to know each other before.
Lisa gave me a playful smile, as if she could read my thoughts. “Don’t worry,” she said, leaning toward me and still hanging on to Daniel’s wrists. “Daniel is way too young for me.”
I blinked.
“I turned twenty-one in 1985,” she said, even though she still looked that age. “I don’t go for teenagers. That’d be creepy.”
“Oh.” I laughed.
All the newcomers in the room looked like they were in their twenties, but some of them had more age behind their eyes.
Lisa leaned in closer to Daniel and took in a deep breath, as if drinking in his scent. “Yowza, but I do have to say, he’s even more appealing now that he’s got his true alpha on. Nothing quite like the smell of power to get my blood boiling.” She smiled at Daniel. “I knew you had it in you. And you wear it well.”
Daniel blushed. A full-on, red-in-the-face blush.
“Tell you what.” She lowered her voice so it was barely a whisper—kind of pointless in a room full of people with superhearing, but whatever. “That was so darn cool how you got two of Sirhan’s men to bow to you. Geez, I’m surprised Sirhan didn’t take off your head right there and then for it. Even despite all this ‘cure’ stuff.”
“What’s up with Sirhan, anyway?” I asked. “Why does he look the way he does? All man-wolfy?”
Lisa shrugged and swept her long bangs out of her eyes. “That’s what happens when the Urbat hit their nine-hundred-and-ninetieth year. Not only do they suddenly age rapidly—their body changes in other ways, too. It’s like the wolf manifests outwardly even when they’re in human form. One of the other Elders said he thinks that’s why some human myths portray werewolves as anamorphic wolf men. Someone must have once found the body of a newly deceased ancient one.” Lisa made a pouty face. “It’s too bad, too. Sirhan used to be such a hotty. Looked almost just like his grandson, here.” She squeezed Daniel’s arm.
Daniel looked down at her with a little shake of his head, confusion marring his perfect face. “What did you just say?”
“I think she just called you Sirhan’s grandson,” I said, her comment just now clicking in my brain.
“Ah crap.” Lisa put her hand over her lips. “I forgot that you’re not supposed to know that,” she said through her fingers. She looked across the room at the group of green-robed men. Two of them glared at her. They’d apparently been listening, and I wondered just how much trouble she’d be in for spilling this secret. But then she turned back to us. “But since that cat’s out of the bag”—she winked at Daniel—“I might as well tell you that your last name isn’t really Kalbi. It’s Etlu. Like Sirhan Etlu of the Etlu Clan.”
“It is?” Daniel’s voice was barely audible. He’d always despised his last name. Kalbi meant dog. Kalbi connected him to Caleb. Reminded him of everything he didn’t want to be.
“Etlu means warrior,” Lisa said. “Caleb must have changed his last name when he was banished by Sirhan—by his own father.”