Free Shimmer: The Rephaim Book 3 by Paula Weston Page A

questioning.
    ‘When we were there, Rafa shifted as far as the wall. He’d disappear until he hit it.’ I try not to think about how many times he slammed back into the floor. How his rage filled that tiny room.
    ‘That’s good,’ Malachi says, eyes distant. ‘It means he and Taya can heal each other. Theoretically.’
    A tiny spark of hope. ‘Could they keep shifting—not stay still long enough to be pinned down?’
    ‘Not indefinitely.’
    Ez pours herself half a glass of wine. ‘Those women must have factored that in when they built the room. What would be the point of trapping us if we could escape the second the seal on the door was broken? They’d need to incapacitate us.’
    ‘Maybe it wasn’t set up properly. It’s not like the kid was expecting you,’ Zak says.
    The kid. Sophie. Dead after something far worse than us turned up at the farmhouse. The goat ragu sits heavy in my stomach.
    ‘So Rafa and Taya might not be conscious?’ Jude looks from Ez to Malachi.
    Malachi lowers his fork, pushes his plate away. ‘That’s about the best we can hope for at this point.’

TIME TO SMELL THE ROSES
    Jude nudges my foot.
    ‘Daisy, you got a second?’ he asks.
    Her head comes up. She blinks at Jude and nods. He stands and I follow. I don’t look at Micah—he must know what we’re doing. Mya starts to rise too but Jude shakes his head. The skin around her eyes tightens but she doesn’t leave the table.
    Daisy waits until we’re out in the hallway. ‘What’s up?’
    ‘We need to talk to Virginia,’ Jude says.
    ‘Good luck with that.’
    ‘I’m serious. She knows how that room works. We need information.’
    ‘What do you think Nathaniel and the Five have been trying to get out of her since she got here? You think either of you will be more persuasive than him?’
    ‘I can guarantee I’m more charming,’ Jude says.
    She studies him for a long moment, his eyes, his hair, but when her gaze drops to his mouth she shakes her head as if annoyed with herself. ‘You’ve been back here five minutes and you want to pull a stunt like that?’
    ‘Daisy,’ Jude says quietly. ‘Do you know where she is?’
    ‘Wow. It’s a been a while since you used that look on me.’
    ‘What look?’
    ‘The one that says, “Daisy, don’t let me down. ” That stopped working the day you followed Mya out the door.’ She doesn’t look away and neither does Jude. I shift my weight, force myself to stay out of it.
    ‘This is about getting to Rafa and Taya, not who I used to be or how I used to look at you,’ Jude says.
    A faint flush creeps above the neckline of her jumper.
    ‘Hey.’ I touch her arm. She jerks away and then looks embarrassed. I guess the old Gabe wasn’t much of a toucher. ‘You don’t have to be involved,’ I say. ‘Just tell us where to find her.’
    ‘You can’t shift. What are you going to do if someone finds you?’ Her eyes narrow. ‘Or is someone else coming along?’ She doesn’t mention Mya but that’s obviously who she means.
    ‘No, just us. And if you want to keep it that way we should move now.’ I give the commissary doors a meaningful look. The hum of conversation continues on the other side. I pick at the hem of my t-shirt, impatient.
    Daisy runs her tongue across her teeth, stares past me for a second, and then turns and walks down the hallway. Jude and I exchange a quick look and follow. She doesn’t speak as she leads us through more buildings and then outside. Water splashes in a fountain under the muted sky; the breeze carries hints of lavender and rosemary. We’re back in the main piazza. I step out beyond the cloister and look up, try to get my bearings. We’re surrounded by three-storey buildings on all sides—our rooms are somewhere above us to the left. I think.
    ‘As far as I know, Virginia’s in guest quarters in Nathaniel’s compound.’ She scans the cloisters as she speaks, her voice quiet. Jaw tense.
    ‘And that’s in which direction?’