Ruthless (The Seraphim Series Book 2) (12 page)

Tears now ran freely down her cheeks. “That’s what they did.”

He wiped her tears with his thumb. “Yes, but they don’t know, Lilliah. They don’t know that
you’re
the stronger one.”

She shook her head and sniffed. “I’m not the strong one. You’re not here and everything turned into a huge mess.”

“Lilliah, no.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met. Not just magically but”—he pulled away and put his hand over his chest—“in here too.”

Lilliah tried to get her breathing under control. In the moment, she really didn’t feel strong.

“If I’m not there, you need to be kept safe. Ask Benedict to hide you or something.” He was breathing heavily and his hands had moved to her shoulders. “I want you to hide away and be safe, but I know you won’t listen.”

Lilliah laughed a little through her sobs.

“So you must listen to me very carefully. You need to find a man called the Keeper.”

She frowned. She’d never heard this name before. “Who’s the Keeper?”

“He should have items that will help you.”

“What items?” she asked.

“Anything you need. He will have all kinds of religious artefacts from the last millennium. If he doesn’t have what you need, he will find it. If you can ask Benedict to help you, do it. ”

Azrael pulled her against him and held her tightly. She wrapped her arms around him as if he were her lifeline.

“No, please don’t go. I don’t want you to leave,” she cried into his chest.

Azrael stroked her hair. “Once you’ve met the Keeper, try and find a family called the Delphines. They’re a family of psychics. They should be able to speak to Michael for you.”

Lilliah frowned in his chest but didn’t say anything.

“Your father will help you. He loved you so much.” He pressed a kiss on the top of her head. “If it’s Lucifer, they will be able to help you send him back to Hell. If it’s anyone else, well, they will help with that too.”

“It’s Lucifer.” Lilliah mumbled into his chest.

“Okay, so once you’ve met the Keeper and spoken to the Delphines, and if I’m still not back …” Azrael breathed in. “If you’ve tried everything and I’m lost, I want you to ask Michael to let you into Heaven.”

Lilliah shot backward. Azrael had said they’d spoken about this message, but she knew she wouldn’t have agreed to that. She shook her head adamantly. “No, I’m not leaving, Azrael. I won’t leave you or my family. I can’t just leave Earth; Lucifer will kill everyone.”

That he would even suggest something like this shocked her.

“Michael might make a deal with you and agree to let your family into Heaven too. You have to understand that if I’m gone, truly gone and past the point of no return, you’ll be in danger. The whole world will be in danger. Killing me could be an act of war against Michael and against Heaven. Lucifer knows I’m with you; Michael will take it as a personal insult against him and against you. I need you to be safe.”

Lilliah was about to speak when Azrael continued, “Do you remember our first kiss?”

Of course she remembered their first kiss. It had been in a forest just after she’d been attacked by a group of werewolves. She had been so afraid of Azrael at the time, so unsure if she could trust him or not. It had been dark and she had been so afraid, but as soon as his lips had touched hers, she’d almost forgotten about everything.

“That kiss”—he breathed in—“was everything to me. I’d kissed others before, but it was like you breathed life into me, a life I thought I’d never have. For weeks, I only thought of your lips. Even now that we’re together, all I can think about is kissing you. That’s why I want you to be safe. You’re my life, Lilliah.”

Lilliah touched his jaw, hesitantly. “I know I’m not really talking to you. I understand that this is some kind of spell or a memory or whatever.” She dropped her hands and moved closer to him. “I’m not sure if the Azrael of today can even hear me when I speak to you, but I want you to know that I’m coming for you. I won’t run away and hide. I will find you and bring you back.”

Her tears started flowing again. “You wouldn’t stop looking for me. You would find me no matter where I was or what I’d done.”

She leaned in and kissed him, not softly or delicately, but rough and hard. Finally, she pulled back. “He really hurt me, you know. Lucifer.”

Of course he didn’t speak. Azrael from the past couldn’t have prepared himself for this conversation. Even Azrael, who was prepared for anything, wouldn’t have guessed what Lucifer was capable of. What he could truly do to them.

“People know what happened and what he did to me.” She tried to swallow, her throat suddenly dry. “I see them staring at me, all the witches and warlocks whispering behind my back. They feel sorry for me because the man I love couldn’t help me when I was hurt so badly. But the thing is, I don’t want their pity. I don’t need it. What I need is help to find you, and then kill Lucifer. And I will. Because I can’t live without you. I won’t.”

“I love you, Lilliah.”

“I know, and that’s why I’m coming for you.”

Chapter 10

“You know she always does this? Faints. She never used to. It must be all the magic.” She heard Rebecca’s voice first.

“She didn’t faint,” Zena replied. “She just hasn’t woken up yet.”

Lilliah’s eyes slowly opened into a squint.

“I’m okay,” she croaked and tried to sit up. Rebecca and Zena helped her. “How long have I been out?”

Her head felt heavy and her neck was stiff, but other than that, she felt great. She had gotten to spend time with Azrael,
her
Azrael.

“About two hours.” Rebecca cocked her head as she assessed Lilliah’s face. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Lilliah tilted her head to the side, massaging her neck. “Perfectly fine. I spoke to Azrael.”

Rebecca jolted at the sound of his name, and Zena moved away, her face paling to an ashen white.

“That’s … that’s impossible!” Zena breathed, placing her hands over her face. “The spell … it went perfectly. How did this happen? How could he find you?”

Lilliah leaned forward and grabbed Zena’s hand, squeezing it tightly. “It’s fine. It was sort of a message.” She stared at the two blank faces looking back at her. “Help me up.”

She held out her hands, and Rebecca and Zena helped her to her feet.

“How could he have left you a message?” Rebecca asked, still holding on to Lilliah’s hand.

“It was a spell he—we did.” She was still trying to understand it herself. “About a month and a half ago, I think.”

Zena had fetched Lilliah a drink of water. “So the spell didn’t go wrong?” she asked, handing her the glass. Her eyes still looked panicked.

“No,” Lilliah reassured her and took a sip. “He was my Azrael.”

She felt amazing. She could still feel his hands on hers, and she could even smell him. His scent was a reminder that her Azrael was real, and that the guy with the red eyes wasn’t him.

Rebecca was smiling too. “So what did he say?”

“That he loved me.”

Rebecca narrowed her eyes as Lilliah blushed, but to her relief, Rebecca didn’t push it. Lilliah had no doubt they’d have that conversation when they were alone.

“He gave me a few names in case anything happened to him. I think the magic you used was what triggered the spell.” She was talking more to Zena than to Rebecca.

“
Nuntius perierat
,” Zena shared, her whole body relaxing. “It’s a lost message spell. A spell that, until triggered, will sit there like a forgotten memory.”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

Zena knelt down and started clearing the candles and pillows. “This, I’m afraid, is where I leave you.” She motioned with her head at the bag on the floor. “Don’t forget your stuff.”

Lilliah reached over and grabbed it. She spied inside, checking that everything was in it.

“The ring’s missing,” she said as Zena ushered them to the door.

“It’s my payment for the spell.” Zena hugged Rebecca and then turned to Lilliah. “Don’t worry. Benedict knows.”

Zena placed her hands on the sides of Lilliah’s face. “You’re very brave.” Zena’s eyes flickered to Rebecca. “Both of you are. Going against Lucifer.” She stepped back and folded her arms. “Please be careful and look after each other.”

Lilliah and Rebecca agreed.

Zena stood in the doorway as they made their way into the hall. “And remember: not everything is as final as it seems. Sometimes not even death.”

Benedict was already waiting for them outside. He’d changed cars and was wearing a dark blue baseball cap. Instead of a greeting, he handed a cap to Rebecca and then one to Lilliah.

“Get in quick,” he ordered, taking the bag from Lilliah. He went around to the back of the car and threw the bag inside the boot. When they were on the road, he asked, “How did it go? Are you both feeling okay?”

“Lilliah received a message from Azrael.” Rebecca clapped her hands excitedly. “Tell me everything!”

Benedict tensed.

“It wasn’t like that.” Lilliah turned to face Rebecca and pulled a face. “It was the normal Azrael. It was good, more than good. It was amazing. Zena called it something, but I have no idea what she said. Something like a lost memory spell.”

Benedict’s body relaxed, but he still didn’t seem satisfied. “How did he do the spell? I didn’t know about it.”

“Well maybe you’re not his only warlock friend,” Rebecca joked, earning a stern look from Benedict in the rear-view mirror.

“He did it himself, or we did it ourselves. I’m not sure.” She waved her hand, not wanting to get bogged down by all the details. “We used my old necklace. There was some magic still left inside. The message was a warning. He knew something bad was going to happen.”

“How did he know?” Benedict pressed.

“He didn’t; I think the spell was more of a precaution than anything else. He told me to trust you, and if need be, ask the angels for help.”

No one spoke for a few seconds as they let Lilliah’s information settle in.

“I know both of you have been through a lot today, but I need to perform another spell. It needs to be done as soon as possible. We’re going to track down The Delphines.” Benedict returned his concentration to the road, leaving Lilliah to think.

“He talked about The Delphines; he said we should find them. He also spoke about a guy called the Keeper?”

Benedict’s large body tensed in the front seat.

“So you’ve heard of the guy? You know what he does or where he is?” Lilliah pressed. In all the research she and Rebecca had been doing, Lilliah had never come across someone called the Keeper.

“I’ve heard of him, yes. Did Azrael say why you should go looking for him?” Benedict still stared at the road, but Lilliah could see the muscle flex in his jaw.

“No, he just said if we needed anything, like an artefact or something, that he’d have it. Or if not, he’d find it for us.”

Benedict nodded once. Lilliah settled in her seat and finally let herself think. Given the crappiness of the situation, she was the happiest she could have been. She had been so deep in her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed where they were going until they’d stopped. They were outside a derelict building. Steps led up to two large wooden doors, and the windows peered into darkness.

“Where are we?” she asked.

Lilliah exited the car and Benedict motioned for Lilliah to put the cap on. She jammed it tightly on her head as Benedict exited the car. She followed him around the building and into the garden behind it. Considering they were in the middle of New York City, the house was very big. The only indication that they were still in the city was the smell of pollution and the constant hum that seemed to follow them everywhere.

“My old family house,” Benedict finally answered. “There’s a lot of magic in these walls and on these grounds.”

When Benedict had said
old,
he’d meant it
.
The house was pretty much in ruins. Lilliah wanted to go inside and have a real look, but he kept walking up the slight hill.

Old garden furniture lay abandoned on the cracked paving, unused and rusted. The grass was overgrown and the bushes surrounding the garden had been left to grow wild. The place was eerie, yet magical, like a forgotten secret garden in New York City. They passed an old swing set that creaked in the breeze, its green paint just visible amongst the rust.

Small flowers peeked out of the grass in little spots of blue and yellow. Lilliah reached down and plucked one of the flowers. Twirling the stem between her fingers, she leaned down to smell it. The aroma was fresh, a contrast to the dirtiness of the city around her. She kept hold of the flower as she jogged to catch up with Benedict and Rebecca. The garden just kept going.

“What’s with the baseball caps?” Rebecca asked and then lost her footing.