Shimmer: The Rephaim Book 3 (13 page)

‘I have never seen that symbol on an iron wall.’

‘But you’ve seen it before.’

He fixes his attention somewhere just left of me. Doesn’t answer.

‘Rafa and Taya are trapped by that symbol. I don’t care how many secrets you’ve kept for the last hundred and forty years—we need to know what it means.’

He rises without looking at Jude or me, checks the garage, shuts the door. Jude and I stand, glance at each other. I’ve pushed him too far.

Nathaniel turns around, slowly. The calm mask has slipped from his features. He’s uncertain. Uneasy.

‘I have seen this symbol before.’ He studies it again, seems to go somewhere else.

‘Where?’

‘In heaven.’

I stare at him. Forget to breathe.

‘Those symbols were marked in the air to bind us—Semyaza and we Two Hundred—before we were cast out.’

IT’S ALWAYS BLOOD

I open my mouth. Words fail me. I try again.

‘What does that mean?’

Nathaniel blinks, as if remembering Jude and I are there. He hands me my phone and goes to the door. Opens it, closes it again with his back to us. A chill runs through me: he’s rattled. That can’t be good. His jumper is stretched tight across tense shoulders. I have a flash, a memory of giant wings unfurling in front of Bel, of demons cowering before white-blue light. My mind scrambles for traction.

‘So…’ Jude says, ‘those women in Iowa recreated a symbol last seen in heaven?’ He taps his thumb on the metal shelf.

I’m still staring at Nathaniel. Maybe the family really does receive revelation from God. Maybe we half-breeds truly are an abomination and these women have been given a holy mission to find a way to trap us. But then what? Kill us? Hand us over to someone more powerful to exterminate us? I stop those thoughts before they unravel me.

‘Could that room hold you?’ I ask Nathaniel.

He shakes his head. ‘It would take the blood of an archangel. A ward like that could not work in this realm without a blood bond.’

‘What about demons?’

‘Not without angel blood.’

‘Is it possible—’

‘No. A member of the Garrison would never have authority to shed blood on earth unless the Fallen had been found. And there is no need for them to build an earthly prison for the Fallen: the Garrison can create their own whenever and wherever they require. And they do not need a prison for demons: hell already exists.’

Jude’s tapping stops.

‘So the trap most likely only works for Rephaim? Does that mean it would take the blood of a Rephaite to trap a Rephaite?’

Something hums. Nathaniel takes out a phone—of course he has a phone—and checks the screen. He presses his lips together. ‘Thank you Gabriella, Judah,’ he nods to each of us.

‘Hang on—’

But Nathaniel has gone. Shifted.

‘Shit.’ Jude smacks his palm against the wall. ‘I hate when they do that.’

I slump against the shelves. The steel digs into my back. ‘Wait until it happens in the middle of an argument. It’ll make your head explode.’

‘Rafa?’

‘He’s a master at it.’ I feel the familiar tug in my chest. What I wouldn’t give to be arguing with him right now.

We go back to packing the remnants of my old life back into boxes. I pick up the notebook—my notebook—and flick through the pages again. My attention snags on the word
bungee
. I skim the short story. For a second my head swims and the ink bleeds together on the page. Jude stops fiddling with the box he’s trying to close.

‘What is it?’

I wait for the words to come back into focus. ‘It’s a story about jumping from a cable car in Switzerland.’

‘Show me.’ I hand it to him, my fingers numb. He skims a few pages. ‘This one’s about the Cinque Terra…’ I hold my breath while he reads on. ‘This one’s about a couple of backpackers in London.’ He keeps going, page after page. Finally, he looks up. ‘Gaby, this is our entire trip.’ He closes the notebook, hands it back to me. ‘At least now we know where those memories come from.’

‘Jude—’

‘You heard what Daisy said: I’m the only person you let read those stories.’ His voice catches and he won’t look at me.

‘It still doesn’t tell us who did this to us, or why.’

The opening drums of ‘My Hero’ interrupt that thought. I answer my phone. ‘Mags?’

‘Gaby, we’re in the library. You have to come, now.’ She’s frantic. I close my eyes to concentrate.

‘The library…
here
?’

‘Please, Gaby. We’re not alone.’

BLINDED BY THE LIGHT

We run.

There’s no sign of Daisy so we race back the way we came, boots pounding on the pavers.

Shit, shit shit. What are they doing in the library? Is Dani with them? Who else is there? Panic drives my arms and knees. My lungs burn. There’s the door…crap, that’s the library, isn’t it?

‘Gabe!’ It’s Daisy, somewhere behind us. We keep running.

Jude and I hit the door together, sprint across the portico and burst into the library.

Oh fuck.

Jason has his back to us, facing down Nathaniel, Daniel and Calista, his shoulder-length curls still wild from the shift. Calista is barely a metre from him, focused on the woman and child pressed against the bookshelves behind him. The girl is thin-boned, her skin alabaster. Blonde curls hang past her shoulders, damp like they’re freshly washed. Her mother is shorter than everyone else in the room. Dark hair cropped to a pixie cut, practical, her face clear of make-up. She’s wearing an oversized knitted jumper, leggings and boots.

And Maggie.

She’s pale—she always is after shifting. I’ve told her about Nathaniel, but she’s still not prepared for him. She sees me, closes her eyes in relief. My heart gives a painful thump.

‘What the hell is going on?’ I demand and drag everyone’s attention to me. The air in here is colder now, the mustiness heavier.

‘Your friend brought uninvited guests,’ Calista says. ‘And the child tells us she can
see
Rephaim.’

‘Gabe!’

Dani breaks free from her mother and runs to me. Maria makes a grab for her but Dani’s too quick. She flings her arm around my waist, buries her head against my chest. I freeze. Maria falters. The library is blanketed in silence. The small stranger pressed against me is all elbows, and smells of pears and honey. I put my arms around her, squeeze tight. Her pink parka rustles.

The door opens and Daisy rushes in. ‘What’s going on—’ She falters when she sees Dani wrapped around me.

‘Daisy,’ Daniel says. ‘Guard the doors. Nobody else is to set foot in here.
Daisy
.’

She’s watching me with a strange expression. Not accusing…confused. She registers Daniel is speaking and finally nods, heads for the door. The door clicks shut behind her.

‘You know this child?’ It’s Daniel who asks.

I ignore him, bend my head closer to Dani. ‘Are you okay?’

She peers up at me through curls even fairer than Jason’s. Eyes startlingly blue. Nods. ‘Mom didn’t want to come but I said we had to.’ Her accent is American—the faintest hint of uptown New York. She gives Jude a nervous smile.

‘Gabe, answer Daniel,’ Calista says.

What the hell am I supposed to say? ‘Give me a minute.’

But Calista’s not in the mood for waiting. She looks from Jude to me, narrows her eyes as if she’s measuring the distance. She lunges. I push Dani to Jude and block Calista with my hip. She recovers, swings her fist. I duck, punch her in the stomach, and then slam my elbow into the side of her head. She staggers sideways and I kick her hard in the hip. She grabs a chair on the way down; it’s on castors, so it only speeds her fall. Calista’s leg twists as she lands and her trackpants hitch up. I catch a flash of something—dull grey, metallic; all wrong—and then Daniel shoves me aside. By the time I get my balance, Jude has slammed Daniel into the bookshelf, a hand tight around his throat.

‘I warned you about touching my sister again,’ Jude says.

Daniel swings an elbow at Jude. Jude blocks it, keeps his grip on Daniel’s throat. They eyeball each other.

‘Stand down!’ Calista is on her feet, eyes blazing. I get between her and Jude and Daniel. Dani’s back with her mother now. Maria’s eyes are wide, her breathing shallow, arms clamped around her daughter. Jason is in front of them and Maggie, arms out, protective.

‘You first.’ Jude leans into Daniel. Daniel could shift but doesn’t. Pride?

‘Judah,’ Nathaniel says. ‘If you expect this child to stay here, she must first be tested. She may be under the influence of the demon realm.’

I glance at Dani, heart in my mouth. ‘She made it through the wards, so you know she’s not—’

I don’t finish because I’m blinded by white-blue light. It’s so fierce I have to shield my closed eyes, and even then it forces its way under my lids. I step back, involuntarily. There’s an odd sound, like a crisp linen sheet being snapped out. Is he…? Has he…?

Next to me, Jude sucks in his breath. ‘Fuck. Me.’

The light eases enough for me to peer through my fingers. Nathaniel’s wings are unfurled, radiating light. They are breathtaking. Luminous. Massive. Every feather perfect. The tip of each wing touches the bookshelves either side of the library. Almost like the symbol in the iron room, except those wings weren’t attached to a fallen angel. I can’t take my eyes from Nathaniel, not even to check on Dani and Maria. I’ve seen his wings before—for a blinding moment on the mountain when he drove back the Gatekeepers—but not up close like this.

The light fades but the wings stay outstretched. Jude is so distracted he lets go of Daniel’s throat. Daniel pushes past him, straightens his shirt and walks over to Nathaniel. It’s only then I see Jason has Maggie in the corner, shielding her with his body.

‘It is remarkable,’ Nathaniel says. ‘This child is worthy to be in my presence. As is her mother.’

It takes me a second to grasp the significance of his words and when it does, it’s like a kick in the chest. ‘You arsehole.’

‘Gabe,’ Daniel snaps. ‘Watch your mouth.’

‘That could’ve killed them, couldn’t it?’

Nathaniel doesn’t blink. ‘You brought unsanctified humans into our Sanctuary. Did you not think I would test their worthiness?’

It never occurred to me Nathaniel might show his true form to Dani and Maria. They’re probably only still alive because of their fallen angel heritage. Does he now suspect that connection? And what would’ve happened to Maggie if Jason hadn’t been so quick on his feet? He’s still covering her protectively, whispering reassurances. ‘Is my friend safe?’ I ask. It’s a struggle to keep my voice steady.

Nathaniel glances over at Maggie, almost as if he’d forgotten there was another human in the room. ‘Of course.’

Jason glares at him and then helps Maggie to her feet. She’s shaking and a little wobbly, but she stands on her own. ‘I’m okay.’

Dani is still staring at Nathaniel. ‘Your wings are beautiful,’ she whispers. ‘Would you flap them?’

‘Baby, no.’ Maria holds her daughter tight, every muscle rigid.

‘Please?’ Dani asks, tentative.

Nathaniel’s eyebrows lift a fraction. And then he beats his wings, slowly. Once, twice. Cool air rushes over me, the smell of dry leather and old paper. The gust lifts my hair from my forehead, stirs dust and cobwebs along the bookshelves. And then Nathaniel folds his wings behind him until they disappear completely. His irises flicker, slower now.

Dani’s eyes widen. ‘Where do they go?’

‘They are still with me. They exist on a lower plane until I manifest in glory in this one.’ Vaguely, I wonder if that plane is like the one we’re dragged through when we shift.

The tension in the room eases a fraction. Calista touches her head where I hit her. My eyes drop to the cuff of her trackpants. The fabric is back in place but I know what I saw: a titanium prosthesis where her shin and ankle should’ve been.

‘Lose the pity. It’s been gone a long time.’

‘How?’ The question’s out before I realise I have no right to ask.

‘Zarael.’ Calista makes a chopping motion in the middle of her right thigh. ‘He put his sword clean through the bone. He took what he cut as a trophy.’

‘But…’ I frown. ‘What about shifting?’

‘It doesn’t regrow limbs.’

Oh.

‘Does Mya know about this girl?’ Daniel asks.

‘No,’ I say. ‘Nobody else does.’

‘What about Rafa?’

‘Yeah, okay. But only because he throttled it out of Jason.’

A short, unimpressed noise escapes Daniel. ‘And you are critical of our methods.’

‘We shall return to the child in a moment.’ Nathaniel walks over to Jason.

Jason stiffens, positions Maggie so she’s behind him.

‘For the moment, let us talk about you, and why you have hidden from me all these years.’

THE ITALIAN INQUISITION

The pulse in Jason’s throat jumps. He’s not ready for this moment; not ready for Nathaniel. After a lifetime of knowing the fallen angel killed his aunt—my mother. After decades of hearing propaganda from the women in Iowa. After seeing what happened to me here last week. He’s heard about the Fallen, but until today he’s never been near one of them.

‘I understand this is not your first visit to our Sanctuary.’

Jason is not short, but he has to crane his neck to hold Nathaniel’s gaze. ‘I didn’t want to be here last week and I certainly don’t want to be here now.’

Nathaniel waits for him to elaborate. He doesn’t.

‘Did you know what you were before the women from Iowa found you?’

The fallen angel sounds calm but the air around him is charged.

‘I knew I was the bastard child of a fallen angel.’

‘How?’

‘How does a child learn anything? There were stories in my village about my mother being seduced by a “shining one”, an old wives tale that I assumed was village gossip. And then one day two cousins came to the village and told me the truth: that my father was a fallen angel.’

It’s a clever half-truth.

‘How did these cousins know?’

‘Our mothers were close; they kept no secrets from each other.’

Nathaniel shifts his weight. It’s such a human thing to do. Is he uncomfortable or uncertain?

‘And what did your mother tell you?’