how to protect themselves from being forced to shift? They get floorplans of the Sanctuary, have someone take photos of all us and suddenly know how to build a room to trap us?’ He pushes Jason’s notes away. ‘There’s a leak at the Sanctuary.’
I wait for Jason to argue but he looks thoughtful. ‘That would make sense. How else would they know I’d never been there?’
‘But can’t Nathaniel see into people’s thoughts?’ I ask. ‘Wouldn’t he know if someone was betraying him? Wouldn’t he know about the women?’
Rafa shrugs. ‘Maybe someone found a way to hide it from him.’
I remember waking on the cold bed in the Sanctuary infirmary. Nathaniel’s voice: soothing, promising answers. The memory he found of Jude, so beautiful it hurt. And then the angel’s unmistakable confusion.
We sit in silence for a moment.
Finally, Rafa points to Maggie’s pendant. ‘Did you try it out?’ He looks at Jason and then answers his own question: ‘Of course not. Wouldn’t want to frighten any more pretty blondes today, would we? Well, someone has to. No point going through all this crap if it doesn’t work.’
‘Do we have to?’ Maggie asks. ‘I’d rather not throw up today.’
‘The plan is for you not to shift,’ I say.
Rafa moves around the bench. ‘Come on. I promise I’ll be gentle.’ Maggie manages a lopsided smile. ‘Don’t look so worried, Goldilocks.’
Rafa doesn’t have to hold Maggie close to shift with her, but for a second I think he will, to annoy Jason. Instead, he stands in front of her and holds out his palms.
She takes a deep breath, puts her hands in his and closes her eyes. Her skirt flutters as if there’s a breeze.
Rafa disappears.
Maggie shudders but stays.
She opens one eye. ‘Was that it? I could feel the pulling but then…It worked!’ She claps her hands and turns to Jason. He looks as though he wants to hug her. He doesn’t. I guess there’s still some hesitancy between them.
Rafa materialises next to me. ‘It’s nowhere near as effective as the room,’ he says, ‘but it’s strong enough that I couldn’t take her with me.’
‘So Jason was telling the truth?’ I give him a pointed look.
‘Jury’s still out. But the urge to punch him has eased a little. A drink would help.’
‘That’s fine,’ Jason says. ‘Talk about me as though I’m not here.’
Maggie half-skips over to the fridge. There’s a lonely beer on the top shelf. ‘Maybe it’ll have to be Rick’s.’ She pauses then turns to Jason. ‘Do you want to come?’
He smiles at her.
‘Sounds like a plan,’ I say. ‘Just let me get changed.’
‘I thought we already had plans,’ Rafa says to me, and I can see Maggie watching his reaction. Jason studies me with kind eyes. I look away. I don’t want his pity.
‘We do,’ I say to Rafa and head down the hallway to get changed. ‘Melbourne will still be there in an hour. A quick drink isn’t going to hurt.’
I close my bedroom door before I hear his response.
WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME
Maggie and I share the mirror in the bathroom. I’ve changed into a silk t-shirt—a Christmas gift from her—and skinny jeans. She’s wearing a little black dress and wedges, her hair straightened and falling softly past her shoulders.
I give up trying to get my hair to sit properly, and tie it back, then try to reposition my top so it covers more of the hellion scar. Maggie is biting her tongue. I know what she wants to say and I know she’ll say it, eventually.
She takes over doing my hair, pulls it out of the ponytail and ties another one at the curve of my neck so my hair falls over the scar.
‘So are you and Rafa fighting or flirting at the moment?’
‘A little bit of both.’ I turn away from the mirror so I can’t see my skin flush. I keep getting flashbacks to the beach earlier.
‘You could go south tonight if you wanted,’ she says. ‘You don’t have to come out if it’s going to cause more drama
I wait for Jason to argue but he looks thoughtful. ‘That would make sense. How else would they know I’d never been there?’
‘But can’t Nathaniel see into people’s thoughts?’ I ask. ‘Wouldn’t he know if someone was betraying him? Wouldn’t he know about the women?’
Rafa shrugs. ‘Maybe someone found a way to hide it from him.’
I remember waking on the cold bed in the Sanctuary infirmary. Nathaniel’s voice: soothing, promising answers. The memory he found of Jude, so beautiful it hurt. And then the angel’s unmistakable confusion.
We sit in silence for a moment.
Finally, Rafa points to Maggie’s pendant. ‘Did you try it out?’ He looks at Jason and then answers his own question: ‘Of course not. Wouldn’t want to frighten any more pretty blondes today, would we? Well, someone has to. No point going through all this crap if it doesn’t work.’
‘Do we have to?’ Maggie asks. ‘I’d rather not throw up today.’
‘The plan is for you not to shift,’ I say.
Rafa moves around the bench. ‘Come on. I promise I’ll be gentle.’ Maggie manages a lopsided smile. ‘Don’t look so worried, Goldilocks.’
Rafa doesn’t have to hold Maggie close to shift with her, but for a second I think he will, to annoy Jason. Instead, he stands in front of her and holds out his palms.
She takes a deep breath, puts her hands in his and closes her eyes. Her skirt flutters as if there’s a breeze.
Rafa disappears.
Maggie shudders but stays.
She opens one eye. ‘Was that it? I could feel the pulling but then…It worked!’ She claps her hands and turns to Jason. He looks as though he wants to hug her. He doesn’t. I guess there’s still some hesitancy between them.
Rafa materialises next to me. ‘It’s nowhere near as effective as the room,’ he says, ‘but it’s strong enough that I couldn’t take her with me.’
‘So Jason was telling the truth?’ I give him a pointed look.
‘Jury’s still out. But the urge to punch him has eased a little. A drink would help.’
‘That’s fine,’ Jason says. ‘Talk about me as though I’m not here.’
Maggie half-skips over to the fridge. There’s a lonely beer on the top shelf. ‘Maybe it’ll have to be Rick’s.’ She pauses then turns to Jason. ‘Do you want to come?’
He smiles at her.
‘Sounds like a plan,’ I say. ‘Just let me get changed.’
‘I thought we already had plans,’ Rafa says to me, and I can see Maggie watching his reaction. Jason studies me with kind eyes. I look away. I don’t want his pity.
‘We do,’ I say to Rafa and head down the hallway to get changed. ‘Melbourne will still be there in an hour. A quick drink isn’t going to hurt.’
I close my bedroom door before I hear his response.
WHERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME
Maggie and I share the mirror in the bathroom. I’ve changed into a silk t-shirt—a Christmas gift from her—and skinny jeans. She’s wearing a little black dress and wedges, her hair straightened and falling softly past her shoulders.
I give up trying to get my hair to sit properly, and tie it back, then try to reposition my top so it covers more of the hellion scar. Maggie is biting her tongue. I know what she wants to say and I know she’ll say it, eventually.
She takes over doing my hair, pulls it out of the ponytail and ties another one at the curve of my neck so my hair falls over the scar.
‘So are you and Rafa fighting or flirting at the moment?’
‘A little bit of both.’ I turn away from the mirror so I can’t see my skin flush. I keep getting flashbacks to the beach earlier.
‘You could go south tonight if you wanted,’ she says. ‘You don’t have to come out if it’s going to cause more drama
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