by Paula Weston
Whoever he’s talking to knows me. I’m never going to get used to that.
‘I’ll come to you and Ez…No, just me. She won’t leave.’ He raises his eyebrows at me.
I shake my head. I’m curious, but not enough to risk getting stuck somewhere on the other side of the Equator.
‘Hey, Zak. Don’t tell anyone you’ve heard from me.’
Rafa ends the call and walks down the hallway. I follow. He stops before the front door and puts his hands on my shoulders. ‘Stay. Here.’
‘I’m not a dog.’
‘I mean it. I don’t care who else turns up and what they tell you. You wait for me to get back. Jason’s got my number, so call me if you get twitchy.’
‘Where are you going?’
‘Mexico.’
Mexico in the blink of an eye. He’ll be so far away. ‘But you’ll be back in a few minutes, right?’
A hint of a smile. ‘You can always come if you can’t live without me.’
‘Oh, please.’ I don’t like the idea of him not being here. But he doesn’t need to know that. And I’m not sure how I feel about meeting more Rephaim—especially Outcasts. ‘You really trust them?’
‘With my life. So did Jude.’ He looks at me. His eyes are a paler shade of green now. ‘So did you at one point.’
‘Not fair. I can’t argue with you about stuff I don’t remember.’
He grins. ‘I know.’ And then he disappears.
I stand there alone, feeling the void he’s left behind. Then I go back to the kitchen.
‘Where’s he gone?’ Jason asks.
‘To get help.’
He closes his eyes. ‘Wonderful.’
Simon tosses the pencil onto the table. ‘So I’ve got time to duck home and grab Rick’s jeep?’
‘You’re not coming with us,’ I say.
‘Do you know someone else familiar with the hinterland?’
‘We’ll make do.’
‘No, you won’t. Not if they have eyes on the road coming in. But if we go the back way—’
‘You didn’t mention a back way.’
‘I just told Jason about it.’
Jason nods. ‘It sounds like a bit of goat track. We’d need a four-wheel drive, and then we’d have to hike the rest of the way, but it could be our best option.’
‘How are we going to see what we’re doing once we’re on foot? It’ll be dark by the time we get up there.’
‘I’ve got a good torch and it’s almost a full moon,’ Simon says. ‘If it’s a clear night, it won’t be too bad.’ He digs his bike keys out of his pocket. ‘Let me help.’
I push a stray hair out of my face. ‘This isn’t a game, Simon. You could get killed—’
‘So could you.’
‘Rafa and the people he’s bringing know how to handle this kind of thing. You don’t.’
‘I’m just offering to get you up there. Your mates can knock themselves out being heroes.’ He stands up. ‘And if it goes bad, I’ll call the cops.’
I know Rafa’s not going to like the plan, but I’m tired of arguing. I step out of the way and he narrows his eyes. ‘I’m going up the mountain whether you wait for me or not.’
‘We’ll wait. Go.’
Simon looks to Jason for confirmation—apparently his word means more than mine—and leaves. As the screen door slams I slide into a chair and take off the scarf again.
‘He’ll be all right if he stays out of the way,’ Jason says. ‘And maybe the Rephaim won’t be quite so quick to shift with him there.’
‘Speaking of which…how did you learn how to do that?’
It’s a simple question, but he watches me for a long moment. ‘Why?’
‘Because I need to learn and I want to know how you worked it out on your own.’
He picks at the corner of the table. ‘Can’t this wait? Rafa will back soon.’
‘No…it can’t.’
‘You have to promise to stay calm and hear me out.’
‘Jason, we haven’t got all night! How did you work it out?’
He finally looks me in the eye. ‘I didn’t. Someone taught me.’
‘Who?’
He swallows. ‘You and Jude.’
Wait. ‘What?’
‘You and Jude taught me how to shift.’
I open my mouth. Close it. Try again. ‘When?’
‘Just before the turn of last century.’
I stare at him. ‘Are you fucking kidding?’
‘Let me explain—’
‘You’d met me before?’
Jason nods, slowly. Wary. ‘Our mothers were cousins.’
WE’RE NOT ALL THE SAME
‘Just hear me out,’ Jason says.
I sit back and gesture for him to go on.
‘I had no idea there was anyone else like me until I met you and Jude.’ He talks quickly. ‘It wasn’t long after I’d turned eighteen. I was mending nets on our jetty and you appeared in the shallows. I nearly fell in the water. You didn’t even look around; you just started laughing and roughhousing each other. And then you saw me. I asked who you were and you said you were descended from angels and I shouldn’t look upon you.’
‘We told you what we were?’
‘You were trying to scare me. It was your first shift outside the Sanctuary and you didn’t mean to end up in the same place together. You wanted to enjoy the moment on your own. But then I blabbed my story—or at least the story my mother told me. Jude thought I was making it up to impress you. It was your idea to check the mark on my neck.’ He pauses. ‘I took you to meet Mamma. She lost her mind when she saw you. She threw herself at your feet, begging for forgiveness. She called you Ariela.’
I’m holding my breath. I let it out.
‘I’d never heard of her—or you—before then. Ariela was her cousin. Your mother.’
I draw my knees up under my chin. Breathe.
‘My mother wasn’t alone when the Fallen came. Ariela was with her when two angels found them on the beach. Ariela came from another village, and when her father found out she was pregnant, he threw her out. Our village had already shunned Mamma for being pregnant without a husband, so Nonno, my grandfather, took in Ariela. Nobody knew he had two pregnant girls under his roof. He was a good man, but he never believed their story about angels. Until Nathaniel turned up.’
He breaks the moment and goes to the sink, pours a glass of water.
‘We were about a month old then. Nonno said Nathaniel was dressed as a monk, asking at churches about unwed mothers needing absolution—’
I hold up a hand and he looks at me. ‘Ariela didn’t die giving birth?’
‘No.’ He drops his gaze. ‘Nathaniel came looking for a mother and child. He found Ariela and her twins. By the time Nonno got to the room, Nathaniel had the babies and Ariela was dead. As soon as Nonno walked in, he vanished. Nathaniel never knew there was another woman and child.’
‘Where were you?’
‘My mother had taken me with her to pick lemons. She didn’t know who Nathaniel was or why he came. Not until the two of you turned up eighteen years later and told us about the Sanctuary.’
Water drips from the tap into the sink. I watch the water gathering into droplets, then falling. Falling.
Nathaniel killed our mother. He stole us.
‘The first time you shifted, you went back to where your life started. It was probably the same for everyone, it’s just the others wouldn’t have known it.’
His words finally register. ‘Where were we born?’
‘Monterosso al Mare.’
Italy.
I close my eyes. The memory of the day we ran up the hill in the vineyard, the day Jude told me he’d always look out for me. Whoever altered my memory wanted me to feel connected to the place where I was born.
‘When we shift, I think we’re drawn to locations where there are others like us. That’s why you arrived near the jetty where I was, rather than in our house.’
I
hug my shins. ‘And we went back to Nathaniel? Even knowing he’d…’ I can’t say it.
‘The Sanctuary was your home,’ Jason says softly. ‘And I’m not sure you really believed Mamma the first time. But you never told him about us.’
‘How do you know?’
‘Because he never came for me.’ Jason gives me a small smile. ‘You both kept coming back over the next few months. You were always supposed to be doing something else—you never told me what, and I never asked. I was just happy you came. It took a while, but you taught me to shift.’
I rest my chin on my knee. Jude and I were defying the Sanctuary a century ago. Why did we stay so long if we knew what Nathaniel had done? And why didn’t I leave with Jude when he finally walked away all those years later?
Jason moves his glass on the table, smudging the ring of condensation. He sighs. ‘It didn’t last long. Mamma panicked. She trusted you and Jude, but she was terrified of Nathaniel. There was every chance he would find us one day if you kept coming, and she was afraid of what would happen to us when he did. So we got on a ship and went to New York.’
‘Did we know where you went?’
‘We were still a century or so away from mobile phones.’
‘So, what? You haven’t seen me since then?’
He straightens. ‘Not exactly.’
‘Don’t fuck around, Jason—’ I’m reaching to grab the front of his shirt when there’s a gentle gust of air behind me and my stomach twists.
We’re not alone anymore.
SKELETONS
Rafa is flanked by a huge guy and a caramel-skinned woman. They glance at each other, drop their duffel bags, and shift into fighter stances. Both are in loose black pants and t-shirts.
My brain is slow to change gears, still preoccupied with Jason. I get to my feet. I have no idea what history I have with these two. A heads-up from Rafa would have been nice.
‘This is Zak and Ez.’ Rafa glances at Jason and me then back at Jason. He raises his eyebrows at me in a silent question, which I ignore. ‘And that,’ he says, gesturing to Jason, ‘is the most elusive bastard on the planet.’
Zak and Ez give Jason a quick once-over but are more interested in me for the moment. Zak is at least half a head taller than Rafa, with shoulders almost as wide as a hellion’s and skin so dark it shines. Unnerving pale blue eyes look out at me through a shock of curly black hair.
Ez is tall and slim with brown eyes and full lips. Silken hair hangs over one shoulder in a thick plait. She hasn’t got a trace of make-up on, and still her skin is flawless—except for the four thick scars that start halfway down her left cheek and run the length of her neck to her collarbone.
‘Hey,’ I say, trying not to stare.
She tilts her head. ‘You don’t know us?’ Her voice is beautiful.
I look from one to the other. ‘No.’
‘But you remember Jude?’
‘Yeah.’ I pause. ‘Well, a version of him, anyway.’
Ez’s eyes fall to the new scar on my neck. ‘Can I see?’
I glance at Rafa, and he nods. She comes over, smelling like oranges and flowers. She keeps checking my face, like I might change my mind and take a swing at her.
‘Daniel let a hellion drink from you?’
I nod.
She lets her breath out. ‘What does that mean?’
‘That he’s a prick?’ I say.
‘You know you were once in love with him?’
‘I think it’s safe to say the love’s gone.’
She turns to Rafa. ‘Did you do this?’
‘No, Ez, I really didn’t.’ He’s still watching me closely, a slight frown creasing his forehead. When Ez looks away, he mouths, ‘What’s going on?’ I shake my head and that telltale muscle twitches in his jaw.
‘Well, whoever did,’ Ez says to Rafa, ‘you’re in their debt. And you.’ She holds out her hand to Jason. ‘Welcome to the circus, ah…?’
‘Jason.’ He shakes her hand once, and lets go.
She offers him a slow smile. She is beautiful, scars or no scars.
‘Was that always your name?’
‘No.’
‘Jason means healer, doesn’t it? In the Greek—or is it Hebrew?’
‘Both. How did you know Simon wasn’t still here?’
Her smile falters. ‘Who?’
‘The barman,’ Rafa says. ‘We called in to my place on the way here, saw him ride past.’
Zak picks up the duffel bags and throws them on the table. They clatter. He unzips them and pulls out swords and knives, laying them side by side. ‘You know how to use any of these?’ he asks Jason. His voice is deep and gruff.
‘No,’ Jason says.
‘We’re not really using swords on each other, are we?’ Ez asks Rafa.
He shrugs. ‘Depends what they bring to the party. We’re not going in unarmed.’
Zak grabs a curved sword like the one I used at the Sanctuary, only this one’s in a leather scabbard. He makes sure I’m paying attention, and then tosses it to me. I catch it by the hilt. I slip the blade out and test its weight, again surprised by its familiarity.
‘That was Jude’s training katana,’ Zak says.
The black leather straps around the hilt are scuffed, but the blade gleams so that I can see my face in it. I can’t imagine my brother using it to slice someone open. I can’t imagine using it against a person.
‘Who do you fight with these?’
‘Hellions, demons…the humans who worship them.’ Rafa’s not looking at me when he speaks. He knows something happened while he was gone. He rummages around in the bag and pulls out a hunting knife.
‘And hellions are different to demons?’
‘Your dreams were short on detail.’ He slips the knife out of its sheath and checks one side then the other. ‘Hellions are the attack dogs and demons are their masters.’
‘Demons used to be angels, so they can take human form, like angels can,’ Ez says. ‘Hellions always look like hellions.’
I remember something from when I was in the cage.
‘Who’s Zarael?’
‘Where’d you hear that name?’ Rafa asks.
‘The Sanctuary. Daisy mentioned him.’
‘Zarael was hell’s gatekeeper until the Fallen escaped. Then he was torn apart by his demon brothers, put back together and banished to the fringes of hell, along with his inner circle and pack of hell-turds. The only way they can get back in is if they deliver Semyaza and the two hundred in chains.’ He glances down at my bare legs. ‘You need to change.’
‘Hang on, I’m not finished—’
‘Do you want a crash course on demonology, or do you want to get your friend back?’ Rafa repacks the weapons.
‘Don’t start acting like an arsehole again now you’ve got an audience.’
‘Did you or did you not ask for my help?’
‘I didn’t realise it was a choice between saving Mags and understanding what’s going on. Maybe if I’d known a little more, I would have made sure Maggie wasn’t in danger in the first place.’
‘Maybe she wouldn’t have been in danger if you hadn’t had your tongue down the barman’s throat.’
‘Oh, for fuck’s sake, get over it.’
Ez smiles. ‘This is just like the old days. I’ve actually missed this.’
Jason clears his throat. ‘Speaking of Mags…’ He gives me a meaningful look and then says to Rafa, ‘Simon’s gone to get maps and a four-wheel drive. He knows a back way—’
‘I bet he does.’
I can’t be bothered arguing with Rafa about Simon’s involvement. I’m halfway across the kitchen when I remember I’m still holding the katana. I offer the hilt to Zak. He shakes his head, making his curls sway across his forehead.
‘Keep it until we find yours.’ Like we’re talking about a tennis racquet.
‘Could you look after it for now?’ I hand it to him again, and this time he takes it.
In my room, I close the
door and lean against it, waiting for the churning in my stomach to stop. Why didn’t Jason tell me the whole story the night he dropped the bombshell? I can’t stand that he knows more about my family history than I do. Or that Rafa was right about him hiding something. What else hasn’t he told me?
There’s a soft knock on my door.
‘Gabe. Can I come in?’ It’s Ez.
‘Sure.’ I cross the room and sit on the bed, needing space for whatever this conversation is going to be.
Ez closes the door behind her, and spends a good minute checking out my room. I can’t tell what she’s thinking. I lean over and flick on the bedside lamp. Darkness isn’t far away now.
Ez finishes her inventory of the room. ‘You look… different.’
‘How?’ I’m still trying not to stare at her scar, although I’m sure mine’s just as distracting.
‘I don’t know,’ she says. ‘Softer. It suits you.’
‘I don’t feel softer.’
She straightens the pile of books on my desk. ‘Rafa says you’ve been here nearly a year? What’s it like?’
‘What’s what like?’
‘Living a normal life.’
‘I wouldn’t know. Nothing’s felt normal since the accident.’
‘But until we all showed up…You were happy, right?’
‘You mean apart from the grief eating me from the inside out?’
She nods.
I think about it—about running on the beach, and Rick’s, and laughing with Maggie. ‘There have been moments. But only a year of my memory was actually real. The rest of my so-called normal life never happened.’
Ez sits down next to me. ‘But what a gift.’
‘I don’t consider watching my brother lose his head in a car accident a gift.’ I grab a pair of jeans from the pile on the desk and start to change. ‘Whether it was real or not, I’ve had to get through every day since without him.’ My voice cracks a little. ‘And I know that in the real world we were apart for a decade, but that’s not the life I remember. How could you call any of that a gift?’
She shifts on the bed so she can face me. ‘It’s a gift because you don’t remember what it’s like to be part of the Rephaim. To always have some demon or hell-spawn to fight. To be immortal but to never have a life of your own.’