“But doesn’t that mean he’s basically throwing the rest to the wolves?” I asked.
Dad sighed. “It’s what I did for Daniel—helped him no matter what. It’s what you did for him. Now we owe that to your brother, too.”
I couldn’t argue with that.
Dad squeezed my fingers. “Besides, I’m leaving the rest of the family in capable hands,” he’d said, then he got up and left.
But I didn’t feel very capable right now. I mean, what was I supposed to do when the lost sheep found us and the Good Shepherd wasn’t here? And what if the sheep wasn’t a sheep at all?
What if he was the wolf?
LATER
I’d almost emptied the sink when Daniel came into the kitchen. “James is finally down.” He brushed my arm and then picked up a towel and dried a saucepot.
“Thanks,” I said, and handed him a newly washed cup.
He frowned at my reddened skin. “You should take better care of yourself.”
I looked at my hand and then closed my eyes, concentrating on erasing the pain. I waited a few seconds, but when I opened my eyes, my skin was just as red and tender. I wasn’t surprised.
“I should get my mom to bed,” I said, and dried my hands on my pants.
“Do you want me to stay here? Just in case Jude … comes back. I can sleep on the couch.”
As much as the idea of Daniel’s spending the night made me feel better, almost as if my dad were here, I knew it couldn’t happen. “That might push my mom over the edge,” I said.
“Hmm. Good point.”
“Then again, maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Getting a reaction out of her would be almost worth it.” I was glad I wasn’t going to be grounded for coming in after the ten o’clock news had started, but as much as I hated Mom hovering over my every move when she was in a Crazed Mother Bear manic state, it was still preferable to the zombie zone she was in now.
Daniel’s devious grin slid across his face. He took my hand gently in his and brought it up to his lips. The look in his eyes as he kissed my reddened knuckles made my knees ache, and for a moment I wished we were still lying in the grass together.
“Not a good idea,” I whispered, and pulled my hand out of his. If Mom did come to her senses, I’d be grounded for the rest of my life.
“As you wish,” Daniel said, and picked up another cup to dry. “I’ll help you finish this up before I go.”
I sighed. I knew the house would feel empty and cold the moment he left. Every sound would make me jump. Every minute would drag on for a year until I finally fell asleep. “I wish my dad were here at least … but I doubt he’d be able to protect us, either.”
Daniel frowned and put down the cup. He shifted his weight from his bad leg to his good one.
A wave of guilt washed through me. “I didn’t mean you.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “I didn’t mean to say that you couldn’t protect us anymore. I was talking about me, I swear.”
“It’s okay. I know I can’t, Grace. It’s kind of a side effect of losing my powers.”
“But you’re still strong. You could—”
“No.” Daniel finally looked back at me. “But you can … someday. I promise. You’ll get the hang of it.…”
“I have a feeling someday isn’t going to be soon enough. I think Jude called me because he needs my help.” I looked down at my stupid red hands that refused to heal. “But I’m not strong enough to do anything.”