Ruthless (The Seraphim Series Book 2) (19 page)

“You didn’t feel that.” She pointed to Iris. “It was like everything I ever loved died. It was the worst feeling you could ever feel, multiplied by ten.”

Everyone turned to Iris, but no one said anything.

“It just is what it is.” Iris wet her lips and smiled. “I’m used to it.”

Lilliah was speechless. How could Iris smile after going through something like that? How could she even think about doing it again?

“We’ll find another way to speak with angels.” Lilliah turned and headed into the kitchen. She needed water. What she really wanted was alcohol, but she felt uneasy searching through a stranger’s cupboards. 

“I want to do this.” Iris stood in the doorway. “I don’t mind. Really.”

“You should mind.” Lilliah poured herself a glass of water and took a sip. “Why would you choose to go through with that?”

She leaned on the doorframe. “I’m going to go through it anyway. Why not help someone while I’m at it?”

To look at her, Lilliah would never have guessed that she’d just been through something so traumatic. Rebecca and Sebastian both walked past Iris and into the kitchen.

“So, what? You don’t want to find out what happened to Azrael?” Sebastian crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the kitchen worktop.

If Lilliah had had something in her hand, she would have thrown it at Sebastian. She knew what he was doing; he was baiting her into letting Iris have a vision. If he understood the feelings and emotions that had just been thrust at Iris, he wouldn’t be pushing her to accept Iris’s offer.

“Don’t do that,” she warned, empting her glass in the sink. “I’d do anything for Azrael, anything to get him back, but I refuse to trample over others. I won’t let Iris torture herself because I want my boyfriend back.”

“But I want to do it,” Iris said. “You’re not trampling over me. I’ve had these stupid visions for so long and they’ve ruined my life, but this is my chance to do something good with them.”

“We’ll find a different way.”

“How?” Iris stood in the doorway, hands on her hips. She wasn’t smiling anymore. She was angry. “The only chance you have of talking to angels is with me.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Lilliah saw Rebecca and Sebastian standing back, watching the show with interest. She knew they were in agreement with Iris. To her, right now, they were both traitors.

“I don’t know yet. I don’t have all the answers.” All Lilliah wanted to do was curl up and sleep. She didn’t want to be standing in a kitchen in the early hours of the morning arguing. “I need rest. We’ll call Benedict tomorrow and figure something out.”

She passed Iris and went into the living room, and the others followed her.

“What are you going to do tomorrow night when I have another dream?” Iris wasn’t done arguing. “What are you going to do the next time I have a vision? It happens in the day too, you know?”

“Well, the next time it happens, it won’t be my fault. I wouldn’t have asked you to do it.”

“You know what, guys? We’re going back to bed. You fight it out amongst yourselves and tell me who wins in the morning.” Rebecca patted Iris on the back and mouthed, “Stop being a bitch,” to Lilliah before she and Sebastian left the room.

Lilliah lay on the floor and pulled her covers up. “I just want to sleep.”

At first, she wasn’t sure whether Iris had heard her—the girl still hadn’t moved—but then she walked over to the light switch and turned off the lights.

“You’re trying to take the decision away from me,” Iris grumbled as she stomped across the room and almost jumped on the sofa.

“Talk about it tomorrow.” Lilliah yawned. “I just want to sleep and dream of Azrael.”

Iris laughed. “Eww.”

Lilliah smiled. “Not that kind of dream.” She turned to look at Iris in the darkness. “It’s a normal, non-sexy dream.”

“What’s it about then?”

Lilliah made a sound she had never made before. A sound that she could only describe as a wishful sigh. She could only be thankful Rebecca or Sebastian wasn’t there to take the mickey out of her. “They’re normally memories. Tonight, we were in his kitchen talking and playing around. Last night, it was our first date.”

“You sound like you really love him.”

“I do love him.” She wanted to cringe at how she sounded. “I sound corny as hell.”

“A little bit, but it’s also really sweet.”

“I really do need sleep, though.” She closed her eyes and immediately drifted to sleep.

At some point, Lilliah could have sworn she’d seen Iris standing, the early morning lightly filtering in through the window. Lilliah wanted to speak and move, but her body felt too heavy with sleep. It was still too early to move or speak. She drifted back off before she could even think about getting up.

“Lilliah. Lilliah, wake up.” Iris was shaking her.

“Oh, God. What time is it?” Whatever time it was, it was bright. She covered her eyes and turned away. “No. Not yet. I need more sleep.”

“I did it.”

Slowly, Lilliah opened her eyes. Iris was looming over her. Her face, chest, and arms were dripping with sweat, her hair was damp and her pupils were fully dilated. “I know what Lucifer did to Azrael.”

Chapter 16

It was eight in the morning, and they had barely gotten any sleep. They sat around the kitchen table, nursing hot cups of coffee.

“I don’t get it.” Sebastian rested his head on his hand. “Did it just come? Or did you try for it?”

Iris pulled her quilt around her. She’d showered and was ready to tell everyone about her vision.

“I tried.” She looked at everyone but Lilliah. “I went into the kitchen so no one would hear me.” Embarrassment flashed in her eyes, but as quickly as it had come, it was gone. She continued, “But it didn’t work. I think my visions are better when Lilliah’s close.”

Rebecca snorted. “Lilliah’s like your Wi-Fi hotspot.”

Iris was thoughtful for a second. “In a way, I guess she is, yeah. I came and sat next to her.” She turned to Lilliah. “You were asleep.”

“You didn’t scream this time,” Lilliah pointed out. The thought of Iris having another vision so close to her didn’t sit well with Lilliah. What was her body going through? What must her mind have gone through? But the Iris sitting in front of her was on a high, smiling and joking and wanting to tell everyone what she’d seen so badly, like a child on Christmas morning. As mad as she was, Lilliah held her questions back. She really didn’t want to rain on Iris’s parade.

“Nope.” She put down her mug and clapped. “This time was completely different. I saw this old guy in a robe. He was talking with a woman, and they both saw me. They turned when I walked in.”

“And that doesn’t normally happen?” Sebastian asked.

“No.” Iris drummed her fingers against her mug, her whole body bouncing with energy. “That’s never happened before. The old guy put his hand on my head and gave me another vision.”

“A vision within a vision?” Lilliah clarified. She was still trying to understand how these visions worked. This world of angels was a completely different one from that of the vampires and werewolves she had finally come to understand.

“Kind of.” Iris scrunched up her nose. “I’m probably not explaining this right, but I saw them—Lucifer and Azrael—and I think it was connected to how Lucifer’s controlling Azrael now.”

“Well it’s about time the angels started helping.” Sebastian stood and walked over to the counter. “Carry on. I need more coffee.”

“Everyone who’s fighting with Lucifer has made a pledge to him—an oath,” she corrected. “Whatever the oath was must have had something to do with what was in the cup. They were all staring at it, and holding it high in the air. It seemed pretty important. Azrael went up first and took a sip. It was a clear liquid, kind of looked like water.”

Lilliah nodded as she listened intently. This could be what they needed to get Azrael back and get one over on Lucifer, who always seemed to be one step ahead of them. This could be what they needed to send him back to Hell. Her skin started tingling.

“Azrael cut his hand, poured his blood into the cup, and said a few words.” Iris rubbed her hands together. “And that was it.”

“Why do you think that has anything to do with Azrael now?” Sebastian was still standing by the counter, holding a steaming cup of coffee.

“Because it was an
oath.
A blood oath. I’ve heard angels talk about blood oaths before. You can call on a blood oath at any time. The other person wouldn’t have a choice but to obey.”

Lilliah was up and grabbing her clothes off the floor. She grabbed one of her shoes and tried to shove it on her foot while still walking around the room.

All three pairs of eyes followed her, and Rebecca asked, “Going somewhere?”

“I need to buy a new phone. We have to tell Benedict about this.” She headed into the powder room to change. When she emerged, Rebecca was waiting, already dressed and ready to go.

“New rule. No one goes out alone.”

“Do you have any idea where the nearest shop is?” Rebecca asked once they were on the road.

“No.” Lilliah chuckled and kept an eye out for any road signs. “I got a little carried away.”

“It’s understandable. This is huge news.” Rebecca put her seat back and rested her legs on the dashboard. “I have a good feeling about this. Things are going to go our way from now on.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Rebecca dropped her feet and reached over and turned up the radio. “I should call my mum and dad.”

Lilliah eyed her friend out of the corner of her eye. Rebecca was still looking down at the radio as she flicked through the channels.

“Yeah, you should. When was the last time you spoke to them?”

Lilliah knew Rebecca didn’t like talking about her parents. Ever since Rebecca had been old enough to look after herself, she had. When she’d started her first day as a senior at school, or when she’d taken her final exams, her parents had been off travelling or partying somewhere exotic. Rebecca had never missed out on family activities, though. Lilliah’s family had made sure of that. Rebecca had celebrated every Christmas, birthday, and New Year with the Daniels.

“Just before we left for New York.” Rebecca sat back and stared out of the window. “Dad was recording his new album, and I told them I wouldn’t be able to talk to them for a while. I said we were going on a girly holiday.”

“What did they say to that?” Lilliah gently pressed. She kept her eyes on the road, watching for any sign of a supermarket or department store.

“They just told me to have fun and be safe.” Rebecca pointed out of Lilliah’s window. “It looks like there are a bunch of shops over there.”

“Oh yeah,” Lilliah muttered as she indicated left. “Do you miss your parents?”

They sat in silence as Lilliah turned into the car park and searched for a parking space. It had just occurred to her that after all these years, she had never asked her that question before. To her, Rebecca had always been strong and independent. The fact that her family was never around had never seemed to bother her, until now.

“Sometimes I miss them,” Rebecca finally said as Lilliah pulled into a parking space. “But most of the time, I’m fine.”

“It’s because you have me,” Lilliah joked and got out of the car.

“You’re kidding, but it’s the truth.” Rebecca walked around the car and weaved her arm through Lilliah’s. “Come on. I need to shop.”

“So how much for these three phones?” Lilliah held up a box to the sales assistant. Luckily for them, the store they’d found sold everything, including very basic phones they could throw away after one use. 

“They’re twenty dollars each.” The young assistant walked around the counter so he was standing beside her. His long, shaggy hair reminded Lilliah of a surfer. “But they last for a really long time. You shouldn’t need three.”

Carrying a bunch of beauty products in her arms, Rebecca walked over to join them. “I think we should get four.”

“You think?” Lilliah reached down and picked up the boxes.

“Totally. We might not get the chance to buy more.”

The sales assistant looked between the two of them as if they were crazy. “So, four?”

“Yes, please.” She handed over the boxes, then looked down at the products in Rebecca’s arms. “What are these for?”

“For us. Don’t worry. I didn’t go overboard. I just got the basics like body wash and deodorant.” They followed the guy to the counter and Rebecca unloaded the products.