“So do you know where I might find him?” Her cheeks went almost as bright as her pink tights. Obviously, Slade had made quite the impression on her when he saved her from that Akh at the party.

“My guess is in the garage. He’s been working on the Aston Martin.”

“The Rapide?” Her eyes grew wide. “You know, I’ve got a thing for automotive design? I have got to sit in that car.”

“Be my guest,” I said, and gestured her inside the house to join the rest of the town. My heart felt a little lighter, knowing that Slade had met his match. Even on a sad day, people should still be allowed to find some happiness. I wondered if Slade would come with us when Daniel and I left with the Etlu Clan, or if this meant he was planning on staying here.

About a minute later, I heard the front door open, and Daniel came to sit with me on the porch swing.

“I brought you something to eat.” He placed a paper plate piled high with honey-glazed ham and a concoction of cheesy shredded potatoes with cornflakes on the top, which my mom had always called funeral potatoes. The name felt a little too poignant at the moment.

“Thanks,” I said, and Daniel wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

We sat in comfortable silence. I picked at my food while Daniel used his feet to rock the swing back and forth. Beyond the squeaks of the metal chains as we swayed in the swing, I listened to the noises of the gathering inside the house. As much as I’d needed a few minutes away from the crowd, I didn’t know how I was going to handle leaving any of them behind in a few short days.

Since Sunday we’d been locked in debate with both my parents and the Elders as to when and how to facilitate Daniel and me moving to the mountains of Pennsylvania in order to lead our new pack. Many of the Elders wanted to whisk us away immediately, but Dad wanted to keep us until Christmas at least. Mom made an unwavering argument that the pack should allow us at least to finish high school before taking us away.

I could tell she was desperate not to lose another child so soon. I didn’t want to go, either. Didn’t want to leave my family, or my town, or the things I wanted out of my future behind. How could I live with the pack in seclusion in the mountains and still use my powers to help the rest of the world? But what else could we do?

Daniel and I had won the responsibility for the pack, and it’s not like I could expect them, more than thirty strong, to keep sleeping on the floor of the parish’s social hall indefinitely.

I heard a guffaw of laughter from inside the house. It sounded like a mixture of Bellamy, Gabriel, Jack Headrick, and Mr. Day’s voices. Last I’d seen them, they’d been exchanging travel stories over the refreshment table. I thought about Katie and Slade probably in the garage together. And I’d seen Ryan and Zach discussing hockey with a couple of guys from my school. I watched now as Jarem and Lisa came around the house from the backyard. They walked close together, their hands not quite touching, but almost.

And that’s when the idea came to me, forming in my mind the way I could see a painting coming together in my head before I’d even touched my brush to canvas.

I pushed myself up from the swing, careful not to put too much pressure on my still-healing leg, and called to Lisa and Jarem, who stood near the driveway: “How do you think the pack would feel about relocating permanently?”

Lisa, Jarem, and Daniel all looked at me.

“How so?” Lisa asked, approaching the porch with Jarem.

“We—the pack anyway—own a sixty-acre plot of land outside town now. Do you think the pack would be willing to move? Start over there with us? We could build whatever kind of estate we want on the grounds. It’s far enough outside town for privacy, but close enough that we could still have a relatively…”

“Normal life?” Daniel asked, with a wry smile.

“As normal as a couple of teenage alphas of a werewolf pack can get.” I smiled back at him. “But I think it’d be good for the pack, too. They’ve lived cloistered away for so long, they’ve forgotten about the good they can do for the rest of the world with their powers. I think it would be good for them to start living a little more.” I nodded to Jarem, who had a slightly skeptical look in his eyes. “We’d put the decision to a vote, of course. I mean, it’s their lives, too, we’re talking about.”

Lisa popped up on to the porch and hugged me. “Well, I, for one, welcome a change in scenery. Oh, and cable TV.” She looked at Jarem. “And a movie theater. I haven’t been on a date since 1986, you know?”

“Date?” Jarem spoke the word like it was completely foreign to him.

“You’ll see,” she said. “And you’ll like it.”

“Moving the pack to the farm?” Gabriel asked. He stood in the open doorway, looking out at us. “It is a good idea. I have grown a bit fond of Rose Crest myself. I think I would like to stay on as your father’s junior pastor, if he will let me. And I have a feeling the rest of the pack will follow the two of you anywhere.”

Daniel squeezed my hand with approval. We discussed logistics for a while, and then I excused myself and went back into the house to find April. She sat alone in the dining room next to the display of pictures of Jude that Mom had put out on the table. I could tell that not getting a chance to say good-bye to Jude had hit her hard, and I hoped not having to say good-bye to me soon might help lift her spirits.

“When you’re up for it, I’d like to see more of your costume designs,” I said as I sat next to her, holding her hand. “I think we’re going to be sticking around, and I’m going to need my Alfred.”

She nodded. After a minute she whispered, “Do you think we’ll find Talbot? Stop him from hurting anyone else like he did Jude?” She wiped at her eyes. “Do you think we’ll ever even hear from him again?”

“Yes,” I said. If there was one thing I was sure of in this world, other than the love Daniel and I shared, it was that Nathan Talbot would try to find a way to be a part of my life.…

A conclusion that was confirmed later that night when I crawled into my bed and heard my phone buzz with a text. I knew it was from Talbot, even though the number was blocked, because it read: You want to be a superhero still, grace? Well, every hero has a nemesis. And I’m yours.

Chapter Thirty-nine

RENEWAL

A WEEK AND A HALF LATER