by Paula Weston
‘I thought all the women died.’
‘Not true.’ He pauses. He’s struggling with something. ‘I grew up in Italy in a tiny fishing village. When I was five, I climbed the tallest sycamore tree in our garden, and got stuck. Mamma stood underneath for hours, trying to talk me down. She finally lost her patience and yelled at me. I lost my grip and fell. I landed on my feet without a scratch, let alone a sprained ankle. I wanted to tell everyone I could fly, so she had to tell me the truth about who I was.’ Jason taps the table. ‘She said an angel appeared to her when she was walking along the beach at dusk. Mamma was the daughter of a fisherman—a good Catholic girl. She figured it wasn’t a sin if she gave herself to an angel, and she didn’t plan on telling anyone about him. But then a month later she found out she was pregnant.’ The cracking of thunder booms above us. ‘She said I couldn’t tell anyone because there were other angels who would find me and hurt me.’
There’s a knock at the front door.
‘Gaby, please,’ Jason whispers. ‘Don’t say a word to anyone.’
It’s dark on the front deck and the breeze coming through the screen door is stronger now, and cooler. I flick on the front light and find myself staring at the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.
I open the door, utterly distracted. He’s got the cheekbones of a model, soft lips and short, dark, styled hair. In the dim light, he looks like he’s come from a photo shoot. I’m taking all this in, which is my excuse for staring. I don’t know what his excuse is because he’s just as fixated by me.
‘Gabriella.’ His voice is deep, and breaks a little as he says my name.
I shouldn’t be surprised he knows who I am, but it still rocks me. I rest a hand on the doorframe.
‘And you are?’
Something passes across his face. Disappointment?
‘Daniel.’
I close my mouth. The guy Rafa hates. Another Rephaite.
‘Do you know where Maggie is?’
‘Yes.’
‘Is she all right?’
‘She’s unharmed.’
‘Bring her back. Now.’
‘We need to talk.’
‘Make it quick.’
I step back and direct him down the hall. He hesitates, and then moves ahead of me. He smells woodsy, musky. Like Rafa, he looks about twenty. He’s dressed like he’s on his way to dinner: expensive jeans, collared shirt and square-toed boots. He’s not as tall as Rafa, or as broadshouldered, but he walks like he doesn’t expect to fail. He falters, though, when he sees Jason.
I introduce them. ‘Jason is Maggie’s boyfriend.’
Their handshake is brief. Daniel turns his back to Jason. ‘Is there somewhere we can talk in private?’
Another crack of thunder. The sky lights up.
‘This is as private as it’s going to get.’
‘But—’
‘Jason knows about the Rephaim.’
Daniel’s cool expression doesn’t change. ‘How is that possible?’
I move around him, forcing Daniel to face both of us. ‘Taya and her idiot mate weren’t very subtle. She threw me into a tree with inhuman strength, broke my ribs. Mentioned someone called Semyaza—so we did some research. And then she showed up at a party, snatched up Mags, and disappeared into thin air. All in front of Jason.’
Daniel is watching me with unnerving intensity. ‘But who told you about the Rephaim?’
When I don’t answer, he twists his lips. ‘Rafael. And where is he now?’
‘Looking for Maggie,’ I say. ‘Is she at the Sanctuary?’
‘You remember it?’
I pick up a damp tea towel and hang it on the hook over the bench. ‘Until two days ago, I thought I was a backpacker, so, no, I don’t remember it.’
‘Can you still shift?’
‘I wouldn’t know how.’
‘But you have shifted recently?’
‘I had to, after Taya worked me over the other night.’
He waits.
‘I was in bad shape. Rafa took me.’
‘Where?
I shrug. ‘I passed out.’
I don’t tell him about the second trip. I don’t know him and he doesn’t fit the picture I’ve been putting together of the Rephaim. He’s more controlled than Rafa and Taya, guarded.
‘Do you know where Maggie is or not?’
He nods. ‘You have to come with me.’
‘Why not bring her here?’ Jason says.
Daniel doesn’t take his eyes from me. ‘Because it’s up to Gabriella to secure her freedom.’
‘Why?’
‘Because this is all about her.’
Of course it is. My stomach flips.
‘Why should I trust you?’
‘You used to, with your life.’
Heat flares in my chest. ‘Did I? So you must know what Jude and I were doing when we went missing.’
‘You remember him?’
‘Answer the question.’
Daniel takes a step closer. ‘Do you remember what happened with your brother?’
‘All I remember is a car accident, which apparently never happened. So, again, no, I don’t remember. Now answer my question. Did I tell you what Jude and I were planning to do?’
He watches me, impassive. ‘No.’
‘Then I couldn’t have trusted you that much.’
We eyeball each other. He wins.
‘I want my friend safe and sound.’
‘Then come with me.’
Jason touches my arm. ‘Maybe you should wait for Rafa.’
I frown at him. A minute ago, he was in Rafa’s face, and now he thinks Rafa’s our best option? Rafa had his chance to take me.
‘I don’t have time to wait.’
‘Make sure you tell him she’s with me,’ Daniel says.
I have a blinding urge to punch his perfect nose.
‘Gaby, don’t go. We’ve got more to talk about.’
‘I’m coming back.’ I want to sound confident, but my throat is already closing up.
Daniel waits for me to look at him. ‘Come to me,’ he says.
It’s an order. I don’t move.
He sighs, and it’s the first sign of real emotion since his brief lapse at the front door. ‘Please.’ He holds out a hand.
I take it, surprised to find his fingers a little clammy. Did I do that, or is it just the storm?
He laces his fingers through mine. ‘Don’t let go.’
‘This is it?’ I panic, remembering the wild sensation of shifting with Rafa.
‘As long as we’re in contact, I won’t lose you.’
I close my eyes. So, no need for intimate embraces then? Rafa’s really been having fun with me. I grip Daniel’s hand as huge rain hits the tin roof, drowning out everything else.
PLEASED TO MEET YOU. NOT.
Shifting with Daniel is nothing like shifting with Rafa. It’s less extreme for starters, no worse than being on a rollercoaster. Then there’s a change in the temperature. It’s still warm, but the air feels more artificial.
I’m in what looks like a pricey hotel room, everything stainless steel and polished timber. The carpet and walls are beige, soulless. There’s a bed, a desk, and a flat-screen TV on the wall. But no Maggie.
‘Where is she?’
Daniel lets my hand go. ‘In a moment.’
‘Let me see her.’
He walks to the door and I follow.
‘I need to speak to some people first. Be patient.’
‘This is me being patient.’
He turns to me. ‘I need you to wait here.’
‘Why?’
‘We’re at the Sanctuary. There are rules.’
‘Didn’t I used to live here?’
‘And now you’re a guest.’
I know the door is locked before I turn the handle, but I try anyway, then press my ear against the cool timber. Faint voices. I can’t make out words but Daniel is talking to at least one other person. Male. The voices fade. Tell me I haven
’t done something incredibly stupid.
The windows are the oldest things in the room, three of them, rectangular with timber frames. A white muslin curtain obscures a bleak sky outside. I pull it back and draw in my breath. It’s not the sky that’s grey. It’s the side of a mountain. There are snow-covered peaks high above. Three storeys below is a wide piazza with a fountain in the middle and, beyond that, a church with a domed roof.
Rafa said the Sanctuary was an old monastery. I’m in the right place. I push open a window and a cold blast drives me back. Much colder than Pan Beach. I slam it and rub my bare arms to warm up.
Fuck. I’m in Italy.
I pull my phone out, thinking I’ll call Daisy again. But there’s nothing where the signal bars should be. Which is when I remember I stopped paying for international roaming six months ago. Shit.
A bell tolls. Monks in dark robes move along a cloister on the far side of the piazza, towards the church. I’m trying to figure out why monks live with the Rephaim when the door opens behind me.
Daniel places a top on the bed, black, a light knit.
‘That won’t be enough to keep you warm,’ he says, gesturing to my t-shirt. He seems to be making an effort not to look at my breasts. I make it easier for him by folding my arms.
‘I don’t want hand-me-downs. I want Maggie.’
His mouth quirks a little, but it’s far from a smile. ‘It’s your jumper. You left most of your things behind when you went.’
‘Where. Is. Maggie?’
‘I told you, she’s safe. As soon as you tell me what happened with you and Jude, she’ll go home.’ He could easily pass for an Italian with his dark hair and brown eyes. There’s even a hint of an accent.
‘Is she here?’
‘She’s safe.’
For a second I can’t feel my legs.
She’s not here.
I’ve given myself over to them for nothing. I knew this was a trap, but I still thought I’d find Maggie in it somewhere. ‘You lied to me… I trusted you and you lied to me.’ I lower myself onto the edge of the bed. The mattress is hard.
‘I never said she was here.’
‘You’re an arsehole.’
‘I didn’t lie.’ It seems important to Daniel that I believe him.
‘No, you just let me believe a lie.’
‘Your friend is safe, and your cooperation will keep her that way. That’s not a lie.’
I focus on the thick beige carpet, blood throbbing at my temples. I may be caught here, but that doesn’t mean I have to play nice. I get up and move towards the desk, my eyes still down.
‘Gabriella.’ Daniel’s voice is soft. ‘You have to prove your loyalty. You’ve been hiding on the other side of the world with Rafael. You have to understand how that looks. Taya is not your enemy. Neither am I—’
I grab the chair and swing it at his head, hard and fast. But he’s faster. He dodges sideways, barely making a sound as he blocks the strike. Before I can turn to swing again, the air beside me shimmers. I have time to recognise Goatee before he knocks me onto the bed and straddles me. I thrash wildly. He shifts his knees until they’re on my shoulders, and pins my wrists over my head with one hand. His other is around my throat.
‘Malachi, enough!’
The pressure immediately eases.
‘Get off her.’
He does as he’s ordered. I spring to my feet, backing away until I hit the wall beside the bed, all the while dragging in oxygen. Daniel is by the window, straightening his clothes. He’s not calm anymore. ‘I told you to stay out of this.’
‘But she attacked you—’
‘You don’t think I can look after myself?’ Daniel’s tone is dangerous, and Goatee lowers his eyes.
‘Of course, Daniel. I’m sorry.’
How did he know what was going on in here? I scan the room and see a small black dome over the door. Like the ones you see in supermarkets and service stations.
The door opens. Taya. Her black hair is tied back and she’s still wearing the dark jeans and shirt she’s had on both times I’ve seen her.
‘Look who’s come home,’ she says, walking calmly into the room.
Bitch.
I leap on the bed and launch myself at her.
‘Taya, no—’ Daniel says. But her fist catches me while I’m still in the air. I have no idea how hard I hit the floor because the world goes black before I get there.
END OVER END
When I come to, there is blood in my mouth and ropes cutting into my skin.
I’m still in the beige room, but now I’m tied to a chair. Not the flimsy wooden one I tried to break open Daniel’s head with, but something sturdier. Antique, by the feel of it. What is it with the Rephaim and old furniture?
My tongue finds split flesh inside my cheek. My face aches. I’m wearing the jumper Daniel brought for me; it’s a good fit, so maybe he wasn’t lying about it being mine.
My back is to the door. Like I’m not vulnerable enough strapped to a chair.
‘Arseholes,’ I say, and wish it didn’t come out as a croak. There’s no response but I know I’m not alone. ‘I’m thirsty.’
There’s movement behind me, followed by clinking glass and the sound of liquid pouring. Daniel steps in front of me, holding a heavy tumbler.
‘Are you going to sit still?’ he asks.
I give him a black look.
He puts one hand behind my head and lifts the glass to my mouth. I part my lips, and he cradles my head while I drink. When I’m finished, his hand lingers under my ponytail, and then his fingers trail down to the thick scar.
I jerk out of his reach and his fingers don’t follow. He sits on the edge of the bed, which was remade while I was out cold.
‘So, Taya’s not my enemy?’ I find the cut in my cheek again.
Daniel rests his elbows on his knees, watching me through thick eyelashes.
‘How many days was Rafael with you?’
This is what he wants to know?
‘I don’t know. A couple.’
‘Did you sleep with him?’
‘What the hell would that have to do with you?’
‘Nothing at all.’ He’s as unreadable as ever. ‘But Gabriella would never forgive you.’
My hands ball into fists. ‘Stop talking like there are two different people involved here.’
‘All right. You won’t forgive yourself.’
‘And why is that?’
‘Didn’t he tell you?’
‘All he told me was that I broke his nose the last time I saw him.’
He pauses. ‘Well, that’s something.’
I can’t tell if he means the fact Rafa told me, or that I broke his nose.
‘Did he tell you you’re the only Rephaite woman he hasn’t been with? No?’ A pitying smile. ‘He’s seduced all of them except you, Gabriella. And before he left here, he was obsessed with having you, so I find it hard to believe he hasn’t taken advantage of the current situation.’
My smile is bitter. ‘You’ll be happy to hear my record is untarnished.’ He can thank Maggie for that.
His shoulders relax a fraction. How important was that answer?
‘You need to remember, lust is what made our fathers fall,’ he says. ‘Lust is part of our nature. Even when you didn’t know what you were, you must have felt it?’
Heat spreads across my cheeks and I turn my face away. I actually hadn’t felt it until Rafa walked out of my dreams and into Rick’s that afternoon. Correction: until Rafa ran his hands through my hair and kissed my neck…
‘Nathaniel has taught us control. It’s what separates us from those like Mya and Rafael.’
‘And Jude?’
He nods. ‘It’s why you didn’t follow him, no matter how much he wanted you to turn your back on the Sanctuary. You understood the need for discipline and restraint.’
‘Who’s Mya?’
Daniel’s lips harden. ‘The worst example of what we can be. Obsessed with sex and
power and incapable of respecting authority.’
‘And she left with Jude?’
‘She manipulated him beautifully.’
I can’t imagine my brother being manipulated by anyone. ‘Was he in love with her?’
Daniel lets out a low laugh. ‘No. Rafael was.’
I ignore the faint sting behind my ribs. ‘So, why did Jude leave?’
‘For the same reason the other twenty-one did. To do as they pleased. And because your brother and Rafael were incapable of independent thought. Whatever one did, the other followed. Your brother chose him over you. You owe him no loyalty.’
‘I’m not protecting him. The brother I remember was a high school drop-out who loved tequila and surfing—not the guy you’re talking about.’ The ropes are biting into my wrists. I can move my arms a little, but there’s no relief. ‘Help me understand this. Jude, Rafa and the others—they left here, but they still fight demons?’
Daniel laces his fingers together. ‘It’s not the same. We fight demons to keep them from the Fallen. The Outcasts provide a mercenary service. They track and kill demons with no regard for human collateral damage. They hire themselves out to the highest bidder to solve problems.’ He regards me for a moment. ‘But you already know that. You wrote about it. And that particular bit of recklessness cost sixteen human lives.’
‘I dreamed it. I had no idea it was real.’
‘You dreamed about fighting with Rafael?’
I grit my teeth. ‘When I wrote about it, I had no idea he was a real person.’
Daniel takes a slow breath. Good to know I’m getting under his skin. ‘Please, Gabriella, tell me what you remember.’
‘Will you let me out of these ropes then?’
‘Perhaps.’
I don’t believe him, but I’ve got nothing to lose.
So I tell him what I told Rafa: about backpacking with Jude, the crash, and what happened when I was in hospital. I don’t get choked up talking about it this time—either because I’ve said the words out loud before, or because I’m starting to believe they might not be true—but it still drains me.
‘And you knew nothing about the Fallen or the Rephaim until a few days ago?’
‘No.’
He rolls his shirtsleeves up over his toned forearms. He doesn’t dress like he’s about to commit violence, but I get the feeling he’s capable of it.