The Rephaim: Burn Part 20

We have to get back to Pan Beach, but I'm still rattled. I check the doorway where the barman disappeared. 'Any chance of some service out here?'

He creeps into view, grips the doorjamb like he's ready to run. 'What can I get you?'

'Whatever you've got on tap. Ez?'

She shakes her head.

I take the rum bottle and Mya's empty gla.s.s and slide them up the bar away from us. 'We're done with this. She'll have a club soda.'

Mya lowers herself onto the stool between Ez and me. 'And a beer.'

We sit in silence while the barman shuffles to the tap and pours two gla.s.ses with trembling fingers. He spills some of mine when he puts it in front of me. It barely has a head on it. Simon and Taya would be appalled. I pull out some crumpled bank notes and realise they're Australian. Mya snorts.

'I should've known it was too much to think you'd be paying.'

The beer is weak and watery, but by the third mouthful I feel the tension ebb from my shoulders. Mya wraps her fingers around the gla.s.s, her chipped black nails stark against the pallid ale. She hasn't touched the soda water. Ez picks up a coaster, folds a corner over and then presses it out flat on the bar. On the screen above us, someone scores a home run.

'Ez...' Mya falters, seems to change her mind about whatever she was going to say. 'Is Brother Stephen okay?'

Ez puts down the coaster and meets her eyes. 'I don't know. A lot has happened since you took Virginia.' She waits for the barman to go down the other end of the bar and then gives Mya the short version: about Zarael blowing up the commissary, Dani's vision of the Gatekeepers attacking Pan Beach and the latest walkout from the Sanctuary.

'The other guys left...knowing who I was?'

'It wasn't about you,' I say. 'It was about protecting a town.'

'Even Malachi?'

Ez glances at me. 'The farmhouse changed a few things.'

Mya sips her beer, watches me over the rim of the gla.s.s. 'This girl, Dani. If she can see the Rephaim, how come she didn't know the truth about me?'

'She can't see you,' I say. 'We think it's because of the ink over your Rephaim mark.'

Mya reaches for the crescent moon scar on the nape of her neck, hidden by a Celtic cross in faded ink.

'She hasn't been able to see Jude and me since last year either-not since our marks were scarred.'

'I suppose it's pointless asking if I can meet her.'

I tap the base of my gla.s.s on the bar, watch sluggish bubbles rise to the surface. I know how curious Dani is to talk to her. 'That depends.'

'On what?'

'If you come to Pan Beach and help us stop Zarael.'

Mya narrows her eyes. I see uncertainty-and guarded hope. Just like Jason, sitting in a rickety old farmhouse ripe with chicken s.h.i.+t and wet feathers. Beating himself up over his inability to protect Virginia and her family from demons and the Rephaim. Rafa-in a rare moment of charity-threw him a lifeline. Told him we needed his help to find Jude. Told him to get over himself.

We've all f.u.c.ked up at one point or another. You can't live as long as we have and not make mistakes.

The memory pulls at me. I knew at the time Rafa was talking about himself, but now...Now, I think he was talking about me too. Was that his way of apologising for the past and letting me know I was off the hook for what happened between us? I tip my gla.s.s away from me. What's left of the foam clings to the sides. I need to talk to Rafa about the last two weeks. And the last eleven years. I feel myself dismantling just thinking about it. I take a steadying breath and focus back on the bar, on Mya. She's staring into her beer again, her grip tightening on the gla.s.s. 'Do the others want my help?'

'You'll have to ask them.' Ez leans forward and touches her wrist. 'Mya, this is the showdown with the Gatekeepers we've been talking about since we left the Sanctuary. We need every fighter we can get.'

'Do you have a strategy?'

'The Butlers want to use explosives. Needless to say, I'm not a fan.'

Mya's eyebrows go up. 'Use explosives how?'

I'm about to explain Mick's crazy-a.r.s.e plan when my insides lurch like I've stepped out of a plane.

Demons.

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT.

Two Gatekeepers: bazooka-convert Leon is closest to me. Both are wearing trench coats and carrying broadswords.

I s.h.i.+ft-s.n.a.t.c.h up my sword from the crusty carpet-and s.h.i.+ft again, already swinging at Leon's neck as I materialise. His reaction is sluggish but he manages to block the blade centimetres from his throat. I kick him in the sternum, drive him backwards, swing again. My muscles hum with adrenaline. The other Gatekeeper-it's Agiel, I remember now-ducks past us and I hear steel clash behind me.

The bar is so narrow there's hardly room to swing a sword without burying it in furniture or the wall. My blade locks with Leon's above our heads, we strain against each other. Long white hair hangs over one eye.

'You will pay for Bel,' he snarls, and spittle lands on my cheek. Up close, I see his eyes are more yellow than orange today, barely flickering. In a flash, I understand: he and Agiel are only here because they thought Mya was alone and easy prey. Neither has fully recovered from being blinded by Nathaniel at the Sanctuary last night.

I shove the demon away, grab a gla.s.s with my free hand and fling it at him. He's still quick enough to block the missile with his sword-gla.s.s shatters, beer and shards spray everywhere-but he leaves himself exposed for a split second. I strike hard and fast at his ribs. My blade slices through Leon's coat, s.h.i.+rt and flesh. He grunts and twists away. I wrench the sword free, risk a quick look over my shoulder.

Ez has drawn both knives and is keeping Agiel busy as he fends off her precision attacks. Mya wouldn't have stood a chance against one Gatekeeper, let alone two. Not on her best day, and certainly not with the amount of rum she's got on board. Even now, tag-teaming with Ez, she's barely moving half speed.

We don't need to be here doing this right now. Even if we manage to kill Leon and Agiel, it won't stop what's coming. Won't change the fact we've got a bigger battle looming on the other side of the planet. But when I look at Leon, all I see is Rafa lying in a pool of his own blood, sliced up so badly that even s.h.i.+fting couldn't heal him. I imagine Leon watching Bel go to work on him, goading and laughing.

'Say when,' Ez says and kicks Agiel's thigh.

He staggers back into the bar, grabs a stool and flings it. She ducks and it crashes into the wall behind her. Leon backs away, pressing fingers against his wound. Bares his teeth at me.

'You will beg for death before we are done with you.'

I lunge at Leon-and meet nothing but air. I stumble against the bar and I spin around, expecting an attack from behind but the worthless piece of s.h.i.+t has s.h.i.+fted out of the room. Abandoned Agiel to fend for himself. Frustration grips me. I want to fight Leon. I know what I'm doing now-no more second-guessing, no more hoping my instincts kick in. I feel it in my bones, in every joint and muscle: I'm good at this. I toss my katana from hand to hand, wait for an opening to help Ez and Mya, but Agiel notices Leon's absence and s.h.i.+fts mid-swing.

Pathetic.

Ez, Mya and I instinctively draw together, backs to each other while we catch our breaths. Leon's blood drips from the tip of my sword onto the carpet. I doubt anyone will notice a new stain. The old guy and the barman have made themselves scarce.

'We need to go,' Ez says.

'I know.' I glance over my shoulder at Mya. 'You coming?'

She chews on her lip. 'Does Jude remember everything too?'

'Yep.'

She falls quiet and I break formation to look at her. 'Are you in love with him?'

'Not like that.'

'Like how?'

Ez has turned too. Mya checks her sword, even though it's clean. 'Jess was the first person ever to treat me like I mattered. Jude was the second, and not because he wanted to get in my pants. He was actually interested in what I thought.'

'What about Malachi? Maybe you weren't paying attention, but he had feelings for you before you humiliated him.'

She doesn't meet my eyes. 'I don't do relations.h.i.+ps.'

I glance at the clock on the wall. We've been here too long. 'Are you coming with us or not?'

'I need to talk to Jess first.'

'You worried you'll upset Virginia if you come back to us now the truth's out?'

Her laugh is sharp, bitter. 'I've been disappointing Virginia for decades, one more black mark won't make a difference. No, I want to see Jess.'

'Are Virginia and Debra still here in LA?'

'That's not your problem.'

A p.r.i.c.k of annoyance. 'You need to make sure they're safe. If Zarael thinks they can design another iron room-'

'I'm not an idiot, Gabe.' She takes a steadying breath. 'They're safe for now, from Zarael and Nathaniel. Don't be getting any ideas about taking Virginia back to the Sanctuary so they can keep questioning her.'

'Are you f.u.c.king kidding? You honestly think I want Nathaniel to know how Virginia built that iron trap? I never want to see a room like that again, I don't care who has control of it.'

Mya narrows her eyes. Clearly she can't reconcile the fact that I remember my old life and I'm willing to defy Nathaniel. Old habits die hard for her too.

Ez puts a hand on Mya's shoulder. 'Promise me you're right behind us.'

Mya uses the neckline of her t-s.h.i.+rt to wipe the kohl streaks from her cheeks. 'I can't promise much, Ez, but I'll show.'

Ez and I s.h.i.+ft into the top of the gully and hike down to the campsite. The familiar tang of eucalypt is a subtle comfort, until I hear sounds of flesh smacking on flesh beyond the trees. It's not an attack-there's no ringing steel, no shouting. But there's no chatter either. No trash talking, no Zak barking orders at someone to watch their footwork. No, this is the sound of Rephaim working out their tension.

We clear a patch of ferns-and I almost walk into the business end of a double-barrel shotgun.

'What the-' I s.n.a.t.c.h the gun and duck sideways, stopping short of pistol-whipping the idiot pointing it.

'f.u.c.k, sorry!' Woosha staggers back into a palm tree, one hand up and blood draining from his face. His left hand-the one missing a thumb-is strapped to his shoulder.

'What the h.e.l.l are you doing?' I snap.

'Keeping watch.' His bottom lip has three st.i.tches where a ring used to be. He still has the row of studs over his right eyebrow.

'On your own?'

'I was taking a slash.'

I hand Woosha the shotgun. 'You don't have enough injuries?'

He gives me a filthy look and falls into step with us. We clear the trees and I see Mick, Rusty, Joffa and the blond mullet perched on vehicles, supposedly keeping watch. Their rifles and shotguns are trained on the forest but their attention is mostly behind them, on the frenetic hand-to-hand combat in the centre of the camp.

Woosha struggles with his good hand to climb onto the ute with Mick. He takes a quick look over his shoulder and then makes a show of scanning the forest.

The campsite has been cleared of chairs and swags to make room for sparring. Even Taya is at it, figuring out how to block kicks and punches without using her bad hand, telling Daisy to go harder on her. Zak and Seth have teamed up. Jude is putting Micah under pressure. I can't tell who's more pumped: Micah, being able to spar with Jude again, or my brother, finally back at full strength and speed.

I shake out my arms, the adrenaline still thrumming.

The only person not striking, dodging and blocking is Rafa. He's on the sedan, watching Micah and Jude in silence. I've never known him not to offer a running commentary on Jude's technique.

'Heads up,' Rafa says when he sees Ez and me.

Jude immediately steps back from Micah. Rafa gives me a quick once-over and his eyes drop to the stain on my sword.

'Leon made an appearance,' I say before he can ask. 'He left with his head, unfortunately.'

'And Mya?' Jude wipes sweat from his forehead on his t-s.h.i.+rt sleeve.

'She says she'll be here shortly.'

He pauses, mid-wipe. 'How badly did you hurt her?'

Ez and I exchange a quick glance. 'I didn't. Just her pride.' I move past him to put my sword on the car. 'Have we progressed beyond explosives yet?'

Jude shakes his head. He steps back into a fighter's stance, gestures for Micah to come at him again. I watch them trade blows. In the corner of my eye I see Rafa reach around through the sedan's open window and rummage in the glove box. He finds an old chamois and wipes down my sword. I roll my shoulders. Watch Taya and Daisy spar. Daisy's still holding back; maybe I should step in and- 'You want to go a few rounds?'

I look sideways at Rafa. My sword is beside him on the bonnet now, clean. 'With you?'

'Yeah.'

I feel a strange quiver of antic.i.p.ation. 'Are you up for it?' I make a point of looking over his chest and ribs. I can tell there's no bandage under his t-s.h.i.+rt, but that doesn't mean he's not sore where Bel carved a crescent moon into his chest-or where he was repeatedly stabbed in the gut.

'I am if you are.'

The way he says it, I know he's talking about more than my fitness. I can't pick his mood, and this isn't the conversation I had in mind. But...'Okay.'

He slides from the car and heads to an area of gra.s.s away from everyone else. He stretches out his arms and cracks a knuckle on each hand. I take up a position opposite and s.h.i.+ft my weight so I'm balanced and ready. Rafa does the same and we watch each other, uncertain. It's like when we faced each other to spar on the mats in Dubai...

Ah.

I finally understand his reaction when he pinned me in that training room. It was a little too reminiscent of our last brawl at the Sanctuary, which ended when I put us both through a plate gla.s.s window.

If you ever touch me again, I will end you.

That's what he's waiting for now. The explosion of anger. Payback.