The Rephaim: Burn Part 8

'Even now?' Jason gestures to the s.p.a.ce between Jude and me. The thing in my chest slams into my ribs.

'Yes, you can trust us,' Jude says, his voice tighter. 'Even now.'

We fall into a tense silence. On Ocean Avenue, a car blasts its horn. The seagull on the rail loses interest in us and starts to preen itself. What must Jason think of us- 'Hang on,' I say. 'How did you know Jude wasn't at the Sanctuary?'

'Dani knew where he was,' Jason says.

'But how did you know one of us didn't tell someone about you after you disappeared?'

His hesitation only lasts a second. 'She'd know if you did. Dani.'

'Okay,' Jude says, 'so you know all this stuff about us-'

'But I don't know what she's going to tell you or what that might mean for either of you.'

Jude sits back on the bench, stretches out his legs. His boots are scuffed, the laces loose. 'Sounds like she's telling us, whether you like it or not. So what's the plan? When do we meet her?'

Jason takes a deep breath. 'Dani wants you two to...' He exhales loudly.

'To what?'

A pause. 'Spend more time together first. She wants you to not be fighting when she meets you.'

I slide my eyes in Jude's direction. Catch him doing the same. 'We're not fighting right now,' Jude says carefully.

'I don't think that's what she means.'

'I thought this was urgent.'

'Apparently this bit's important enough to wait for.' Jason pushes up the sleeves on his body shirt. 'Right, then, I've played my part. Jude has my number.'

'Hang on,' I say. 'What is it you're asking us to do?'

Jason looks from me to Jude and back again. For the first time since he arrived, he's comfortable with the question. It strikes me then that he's come a long way from the teenager we found mending nets in Monterosso over a century ago. 'Having a conversation would be a good start.'

'That's a bit rich coming from you,' I say. 'You haven't told us what you've been doing all these years.' And that's a much easier conversation than the one he's suggesting.

'We'll get to that. It's more important that you two talk.' And then he turns and jogs down the stairs out of sight, leaving Jude and me.

Alone.

For the first time in ten years.

The seagull pokes up its head from under a wing, eyeb.a.l.l.s us again. Neither of us speaks or moves. The gull blinks, digs its beak back into his feathers.

'So, Jason just stepped out of an alley somewhere?' The question comes out forced, awkward. G.o.d, it's ridiculous. He's my twin brother. But I see him pick at his thumbnail and I know it's just as weird for him, us not knowing how to be around each other.

'Yeah, in Ho Chi Minh City. Not a job'-he says it quickly-'I was in the mood for a bowl of pho. Jason waited until I was on my own before he showed himself.'

Jude doesn't mention who was in Vietnam with him and I don't ask. 'It was a bit of a shock to see him after all this time.'

'I bet.' I realise I'm tapping my foot again. I stop. 'And this girl, Dani...'

'I know. Crazy.'

'What do you think she's seen?'

'No idea, but I'd like to understand where her visions come from before we put too much stock in them.'

'There's obviously something to what she sees: she found you.'

Jude glances at his watch. 'I need to check my books, see if there's any precedent for it.'

'Yeah,' I say. 'I need to get back too.'

'I didn't mean right now.'

Oh. I run my palms over my jeans. 'How's Ez?'

A shadow pa.s.ses over his face and he doesn't answer right away. I'm not surprised he doesn't want to talk about the nightclub ambush. It was a debacle.

'She's tough.'

'That's not what I asked.'

He closes his eyes for a second. 'The scarring is pretty bad. She says she can live with it...'

This is the moment I could go for the jugular, point out that Mya's recklessness is responsible for Ez being mauled by a h.e.l.lion in LA. That sooner or later she's going to get one of them killed. But I can see from the fold of his shoulders that he doesn't need to hear it. And it's not the conversation Jason had in mind for us. But what else have we got to talk about? Aside from our last conversation at the Sanctuary, and I need way more time to prepare for that.

It's my turn to check my watch. c.r.a.p. I've been here too long. 'I really do need to get back.'

He studies me, rubs a palm across his jaw. 'Can we meet up again in a couple of days?'

A couple of days? 'What's wrong with tomorrow?'

'We've got a job.' He levels his gaze, waits for me to bite. It's an effort, but I resist the urge. It shouldn't surprise me that he puts the Outcasts first, even after what we've just heard. He shakes his head like he can read my thoughts. 'It would raise questions if I was a no-show, especially after disappearing today.'

'You didn't tell anyone you were coming to see me?'

'No. You?'

'No, but I ran into Daisy before I left. She knows something's up.'

'Which means Jones will by now.'

I can't hide my surprise.

'What, you think I didn't know they've been in contact with each other?' Jude asks.

'When did you find out?'

'Three years ago.' About the same time Daisy told me Jones had reached out to her.

'So who's playing who for information in that arrangement?'

Jude shrugs, unconcerned. 'I think they're working each other as an excuse to keep talking. They miss hanging out.'

'More like Daisy misses sparring with him. n.o.body moves like Jones.'

His eyes flit to mine. 'Jones isn't the only one who misses people at the Sanctuary.'

I can't hold his gaze. Too much pain and regret there.

Down on the beach, a lone jogger appears out of the fog. If I had time I'd go for a run myself, but not on the path; I'd run barefoot down by the water where the sand is firm and cool, feel the pull of that great expanse of ocean.

'I like it.' Jude gestures to my hair. 'The new length, I like it.'

'Oh. Thanks.' G.o.d, this is like making small talk at a party. Sober. I clear my throat. 'So where do you want to meet?'

Jude's mouth twitches the tiniest bit, as if he's fighting a smile. 'Give me your phone. I'll put in the coordinates.'

I check the screen when he hands it back. 'Is that somewhere in the Aegean Sea?'

'Patmos.'

I almost laugh at the irony. He wants to meet on an island famous as a place of exile.

'The coordinates are for the church down the road. It's empty by five o'clock every day. Our place is four houses up on the bend: the one with the orange tree by the front door.'

'Our place?'

'Mine and Rafa's.'

A flare of anger. Faint, but still there. 'You two dating now?'

He measures me for a moment. 'I don't know about you, but I still need time out occasionally. So does Rafa.'

'Who else knows about that place?'

'n.o.body.' He gives me a moment to let that sink in. That means no Mya.

'Will Rafa be there?'

A tight smile. 'I probably won't mention it to him.'

NOTHING IS SIMPLE.

Daniel is in the library when I get back. It's humming with activity despite the chill in the air. He taps his watch as I walk in; I pretend not to notice.

'Are Taya and Malachi back from Oslo?' I ask.

Daniel's standing behind a bank of screens, looking over Magda's shoulder. She glances up at me, gives me a nervous smile. Everyone else in the room stays busy shuffling papers or tapping keyboards.

'You missed their call by a few minutes,' Daniel says. The tiny inflection in his voice is the only hint he's unimpressed that I'm late.

'And?'

'Zarael was in Norway this morning.'

I join him behind the desk, focus on the screen. Magda has highlighted half a dozen locations on a city map. I recognise one as the University of Oslo.

'Doing what?'

'Stealing research on the aurora borealis.'

'The northern lights, again? I thought he'd given up on that?'

'Apparently he's still interested, which means we need to find out why.' I can feel Daniel watching me, measuring me. 'We need further reconnaissance. Greenland, Iceland, Canada. Maybe even Alaska and Siberia.'

Awesome. I miss Santa Monica already-marine layer and all. Thinking of the pier reminds me of Jude, which brings a storm of emotion and a stab of guilt. Daniel, of course, sees it all play out across my face.

'Gabriella, may I have a moment?'

Magda gives me another nervous smile and her fingers stray to the prayer beads beside her mouse. I guess Daniel's been uptight over my absence-at least, enough for someone as observant as Magda to pick up on it.

I follow Daniel past the shelves and into the Council of Five's antechamber. Warmth instantly wraps around me: the fire in the corner is down to coals but the room is still toasty. I've always felt at home in here: the pressed metal ceiling, mismatched antique chairs and shelves crammed with hard covers frayed at the corners. The air is musty, but in the best kind of way. I head for the fireplace, stretch out my cold fingers.

Daniel kneels next to me. He removes the screen, takes a poker and breaks up the coals. Then he adds another log, sending a shower of sparks up the chimney.

'What is it you're not telling me?' he says, stoking the fire.

I take a slow breath. I don't particularly want to lie to him. We might not be sleeping together anymore, but I value his friendship.

'Jude called.'

He goes still. Doesn't look up. 'Why?'

'He wanted to see me.'

'And you went to him?'

I shift my weight. 'He's my brother, Daniel.'

Daniel rises to his feet, his expression neutral. 'What did he want?'

'It's been ten years. He wanted to talk.' I may not want to lie, but there's only so much Daniel needs to know. He studies me, standing close enough for me to catch a hint of spearmint on his breath.

'I know things have changed between us-'