The Savage Grace: A Dark Divine Novel by Bree Despain

wolves.” She gave Deputy Marsh the evil eye. “They may have been removed from the endangered species list, but you still need to apply for a permit.”
    “We did, ma’am.” Deputy Marsh tipped his hat to her. “One more attack and Fish and Wildlife Services will expedite a permit—and then I’m going hunting.”
    I watched with horror as Deputy Marsh tucked the box of silver bullets into his jacket pocket and sauntered away. It took Mr. Day asking three times before I realized I was next in line. “How’s Daniel feeling?” he asked as I stepped up to the counter.
    “Still the same,” I mumbled. If only Mr. Day knew his favorite employee was the one he was endangering with those silver bullets. But Deputy Marsh had always hated Daniel, so the truth would probably put Daniel even more at risk.
    “We sure do miss him around here.”
    “Me, too,” I said.
    April was still waiting at the deli counter, so I paid for my stuff and went out in front of the store before anyone could notice just how badly my hands shook.
    Silver bullets . Hunters after Daniel was bad enough, but ones equipped with weapons that could actually kill him…
    The boys were gathered near a tree at the far end of the parking lot. Ryan and Brent were engaged in some sort of wrestling match, with Zach egging them on. Slade held a cigarette to his lips and took a deep drag. I watched as Deputy Marsh veered from heading to his patrol truck and started to make a beeline toward them. No doubt thinking he was going to bust a gang of truant kids from the public school in Oak Park. “No loitering,” he shouted.
    “They’re my cousins,” I said as I passed him. “Visiting from … Michigan. They’re on fall break. I’ll tell them to go somewhere else.”
    Marsh looked at me with narrowed eyes. “Whatever. I’m on my lunch break,” he said, and headed back toward his car.
    “Put it out,” I said to Slade as I came up to the guys. Brent dropped his sleeper hold on Ryan when he saw me.
    Slade gave me a snide look.
    “I said put it out!”
    I grabbed the cigarette from his lips and flung it to the ground, then stomped it out with my foot. Slade growled as if he wanted to lunge at me, but the other three boys stepped in between us.
    “We’ve got more important things to do than for you guys to be hanging around getting hassled by the police. That very deputy is looking to get a wolf-hunting party together—with silver bullets! That means all of you are in danger, and Daniel, too. Which means I need all of you to head over to the warehouse to help my dad look for a moonstone. Now!” I should have told Dad to take all of them in the first place, not just Marcos. But if they went quickly, they’d get there in time to help out. Dad said he and Talbot wouldn’t be able to go out there until lunchtime.
    Slade gave me an indignant sneer, but Zach and Ryan bowed their heads to acknowledge the order. Brent grabbed my arm.
    “The Shadow Kings’ warehouse? We can’t go back there!” he said, his voice sounding more urgent than I’d ever heard it. Not a hint of humor.
    “Why?”
    “Caleb’s backup plan. He always has a backup. There’s a fail-safe in case he had to abandon the building.”
    “What do you mean? Is the place being watched? Are the SKs back there?”
    “No. They wouldn’t go back there. Nobody should.
    That building is wired to explode!”
    “What?” I dropped my grocery bag. The bottle of iced tea shattered when it hit the concrete. “How do you know?”
    Brent’s face went absolutely white. “Because I built the explosives myself.”

Chapter Six
F IRESTORM
    TEN SECONDS LATER
    My cell phone was out, and I’d dialed Dad’s number faster than I thought possible. The call went straight to voice mail.
    “Ahhhh! Why do you never charge your phone?!” I shouted at the recording. But what if that wasn’t the reason his phone wasn’t working? What if…
    “What’s wrong?” April asked as she bounded up to me in the