Ruthless (The Seraphim Series Book 2) (13 page)

Lilliah dropped the flower and reached out to steady her. The uneven ground didn’t seem to bother Benedict. He clearly had a destination in mind.

“They’re so Lucifer and Azrael can’t find you.”

“I thought that was what the spell was for?” Rebecca asked the question Lilliah had been thinking.

“They can’t find you magically, but you still have to be careful. We don’t know who’s working for them, how many there are, or where they are.”

Lilliah understood that Lucifer’s minions could be everywhere and anywhere. She didn’t want to point out that Benedict was still recognisable with his beard. Few people had a beard like his.

“The spell won’t work if they can see you with their own eyes. Remember that.”

Finally, they came to a stop at the highest point in the garden—a flat, grassy area surrounded by small flowers.

“This is where we’ll do the spell.” Benedict took off his cap and ran his hands through his hair and then jammed it back on his head. “It’ll be a simple tracking spell. But it could not be done at The Cure. It needed to be here.”

Nervousness and excitement started building up in Lilliah’s stomach. Benedict pulled a map from his jacket pocket and laid it on the ground. “Sit.”

They all sat around it, patting down the grass.

“From here on out, we have to be careful. They can’t track you magically, but this is a modern world, so that means no cell phones.” He looked pointedly at them.

“Why no mobiles?” Rebecca sounded shocked. “What’s my phone got to do with anything?”

“They might be able to track your phones. From now on, we will only talk through disposables or pay phones.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small, very basic mobile phone. “As soon as you call Seb to check on him and your mother, I’ll have to take your normal phones. We’ll turn them off and leave them at The Cure.”

Rebecca handed her phone over. “I have no one to call. My parents told me that they didn’t want to be disturbed for a few weeks.” Benedict took the phone with a sympathetic look, then looked at Lilliah expectedly. 

Lilliah hesitated. “What if my mum needs to get in touch?”

“Your mum will be fine, I’ll make sure of it, but you have to be careful. No phone and no airplanes. They can track your passports. Talk to her when you can, explain you won’t be able to talk again for a little while.”

“Then what about Seb?” Rebecca asked, her voice edgy. “And what about this Keeper guy? Is he close by?”

Benedict shook his head. “I highly doubt it. My guess is that he isn’t in America.”

“Of course. Because it couldn’t be that easy, could it? So, if mobiles and aeroplanes are out of the question, how do we get to this Keeper guy?”

“Private planes. They’re harder to trace, and if we get the right guy to help us out, we can get away with not showing our passports. A plane’s already on standby for Sebastian.” Benedict looked at Lilliah. “Azrael’s jet is, of course, off limits, as is The Cure’s private plane.”

Slowly, Benedict rubbed his hands together and closed his eyes. “I’m going to begin.” He held his hand out and wiggled his fingers. “You need to be quiet while I concentrate.”

Lilliah watched closely. After he told her about the spell in the car she hadn’t expected it would be this fast. Benedict didn’t use candles or lotions. He was muttering words, but so quickly and quietly that she had no idea what he was saying. The wind picked up, the trees around them rustling and drowning out the noise of nearby traffic. Rebecca reached over and grabbed Lilliah’s hand, her foot nervously twitching.

“You okay?”
Lilliah mouthed to Rebecca, not wanting to disturb Benedict.

With one nod of Lilliah’s head, Rebecca focused on Benedict for a second before looking back at Lilliah.

“Lots of magic today,”
she mouthed back.

Lilliah understood her friend completely. A lot had happened in the last few hours.

Benedict had always been bit of an enigma to Lilliah. He was powerful, yet followed Azrael with a sort of devotion that she couldn’t grasp. He could take charge of any situation and people listened to him. Seeing him here, with his eyes closed as he muttered powerful words, she couldn’t have been more thankful to have him helping her.

The map on the floor crumpled as if it were being burnt, until only a small piece remained visible. The outside of the paper had turned black.

“Shit, this is cool.” Just like Lilliah, Rebecca was transfixed.

They had seen spells and had participated in them, but seeing Benedict perform magic was something else. His hair flowed in the breeze and his hands were still stretched out, steady and strong. This was where he belonged, doing magic. He was in his element.

His eyes shot open. Lilliah was shocked to see that his irises had turned a stone-grey colour.

“Benedict?” She waved her hand in front of his face, slightly panicked. Maybe the wind and the burning paper hadn’t been part of the plan. But then he smiled.

“I’m fine.” Slowly, his eyes returned to their normal brown shade.

“That was crazy,” Rebecca said, waving her hands in the air. “The wind was going crazy. You went weird. And it only lasted for like, two minutes.” She held up her fingers. “You’re good.”

“Thank you.” He appeared amused. “I try.”

Benedict gathered the crumpled bit of paper from the floor and blew the dust away. “Good news. She’s in America.”

Lilliah sat forward. “She?”

“It seems there is only one Delphine left—a girl. Her name is Iris and she lives in Las Vegas.” He looked down at what was left of the map. “It’s on Central Drive. I’ll write down the address for you. You’ll need to drive.”

Lilliah was playing with some dirt on the ground as she spoke. “We’d need to drive? So we’re doing the whole road trip thing?”

She finally looked up to a smiling Rebecca.

“I’m cool with the road trip. You sure you don’t want to come, Benedict?” Rebecca leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees.

Benedict’s eyebrows were raised. “I think I’m going to pass on the road trip. Now Lilliah, what else did Azrael tell you? Try and think—there could be a clue in his words.”

Lilliah went over everything Azrael had said and done in her head, trying to pick apart his sentences to see if there was a hidden meaning behind his words.

“He knew something was going to happen to him. He said if he wanted to take down two angels, he’d take down the strongest one first.” She took a deep breath. God, how she wished it hadn’t have been a dream or a spell or whatever it was. She wished Azrael had come back to her. “He said that if there was no way for us to save him, that I should ask Michael to take me to Heaven. He said I wouldn’t be safe with Lucifer around.”

Rebecca gasped. “Does he think that’s a possibility?”

Lilliah shrugged. “I don’t know what he thought, but I’m not asking Michael for anything.”

“Was that all?” Benedict gently probed.

Lilliah nodded.

Benedict stood and brushed the dirt from his trousers. “Okay, we’ll see if the Keeper will really be able to help you or not.”

Lilliah and Rebecca stood as well. She watched as Benedict started walking away.

“He said the Keeper will have anything I need,” she called after him, trying to catch up with him without falling over.

“The Keeper will have the items you need, I don’t doubt that. Whether he’ll give them to you, however, is a completely different matter.”

Lilliah had no idea who this guy was, but Azrael trusted him, so he must at least be worth a shot.

“Wait. That’s it?” Rebecca called out. “Haven’t these people been in hiding for like, ever? I mean, don’t get me wrong; what happened up there”—she pointed back up the hill—“was mind-blowingly cool. But it didn’t seem that difficult for you. How well were they hidden?”

“Only I could do the spell.” Benedict finally stopped walking and turned to face them. “My grandfather created the spell, so only I could break it.”

Rebecca gave out a little laugh. “You, Benedict, are full of secrets. And you’re the bomb.”

“Thank you.”

Lilliah found that Benedict had a certain look he reserved only for her and Rebecca. It was a mix between amusement and laughter and a little bit of disbelief.

“I need to make a stop at The Cure. Call your brother and make sure your mother is safe. We’ve set up a fake competition. She thinks she’s won a three-week holiday to the Maldives.”

Lilliah was impressed. “How did you do that?”

He winked at her. “I have my ways. I’ll be back soon. Call whoever you need to call. I’ll talk to your brother and give him the details. Just don’t leave this place, okay?” 

He waited for Lilliah and Rebecca to agree before leaving.

The first thing Lilliah did was call her brother.

“It’s kind of strange. I fell asleep and so did Mum. We woke up about half an hour later and that was it. I woke up really thirsty, though,” Sebastian said, explaining the effects of the spell.

Thankfully, it had gone just as smoothly for them. Lilliah didn’t tell him about her dream/memory of Azrael. He’d ask too many questions, and she didn’t want to go through it all again.

“Dry mouth, huh?” She looked over at Rebecca, who looked smug. “Rebecca brought some water just in case that happened to us.”

“My girlfriend’s a smart girl.” She heard Sebastian take a sip of his drink. “So what now? Benedict said I’m coming to meet you, but he didn’t say where we were going.”

“Vegas.”

Sebastian laughed. “This is the kind of mission I can get on board with.”

Lilliah could almost imagine her brother fist pumping the air. Vegas was every boy’s dream. The only problem was that the legal age to gamble and drink in America was twenty-one, not eighteen like it was back home, and she took great pride in telling him this.

“Lil, I’m a demon. If I want to, I can get into a casino.”

She really doubted it, but didn’t comment. “So when’s your flight?”

“In a few days.”

Lilliah’s face scrunched up. “Why not sooner?”

“Benedict said he wanted me to leave after Mum and Tom left.” She heard muffled sounds and imagined him walking around his room.

“Oh yes, the holiday. Have you met him yet?”

“Nope.” Sebastian popped the
p
. “But she’s crazy excited about this trip. I’m telling you, it’s pure genius to send her away.”

With her mother safe from Lucifer, it was the other part that had her worried: the questions. If she hadn’t turned up for a few weeks, her mother would have demanded answers, so sending her away was the perfect solution.

“She deserves a break.” Lilliah leaned against the wall of Benedict’s old house and peered through the dusty windows. She wanted to go inside and look around.

“Do you want to speak to Mum? She’s downstairs.”

“Yes, please.” She heard her brother walking down the stairs. “Seb? So we’ll see you in a few days at the airport in Vegas, but I won’t be able to talk to you on this phone from now on.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve been told. I’ll talk to Benedict about the details. Here’s Mum.” Clearly, Sebastian couldn’t talk with their mum around.

“Lilliah?” Her mother’s overly excited voice rang through the phone’s speaker. “Did Seb tell you? I won a holiday!”

“I know.” Lilliah laughed. “He told me everything. Pretty amazing.”

“They sent over a package and the hotel looks fabulous. We’ll be staying in a beachfront suite. Oh, you should see it!” her mother gushed.

Lilliah smiled. “It sounds beautiful. I can’t believe you won it.”

“Me neither!” She was practically squealing. “Tom’s excited too. He’s gone off to pack.”

“A romantic getaway. You deserve this, Mum. You really do.”

“I’m not sure about deserving it, but I definitely want it.” She snickered. “But what’s wrong, baby? You don’t sound too great.”

“No, I’m perfect.” Lilliah made an effort to sound happier, though even to her it sounded false.

“Right.” Her mother knew her too well. “Did you and Azrael have a falling out?”

“Something like that.” Lilliah stood straight, wanting to end the conversation as soon as possible before she caved and told her mum everything.

“You’ll make up soon. Sebastian said he took you to Rome? Your dad and I went to Rome once.”

This was news to her. “You did?”

“Oh yeah. Just before I got pregnant with you, actually.”

“Mum, do—do you ever miss Dad?” She wasn’t sure what had made her ask the question. Her mother had sounded excited and she didn’t want to put a damper on her mood.

“All the time, baby.” Her mother sounded just as cheerful. “I even talk to him, you know. I bet it sounds crazy, but I pretend he can hear me.”

“I bet he can hear you, Mum.” 

“Yeah, I know he can. He wants me to be happy. He wants us all to be happy. Why do you ask?”

“I was just curious. I’ll tell you all about Rome when I get back. We’ll have dinner if you want. We could meet Tom?” Lilliah tried not to laugh at her mother’s sharp intake of breath.