Ruined (The Seraphim Series Book 1)

by Sophia Stafford

  “No, he said to stay together . . .” she hissed. Am I really going to listen to the words of a murderer? Images of her mother were swarming her head. She could be hurt. “I’ll go.”

  “What? You can hardly move. I'll be a second, okay?”

  Before she could protest anymore, Rebecca was already tiptoeing up the stairs. The house suddenly became freakishly quiet; the only sound was Lilliah’s heavy, uneven breaths as she waited anxiously for Rebecca.

  “They’re coming back down,” Rebecca whispered, quickly running down the stairs.

  “Are you okay?” Lilliah asked a little loudly, needing her friend to actually say the words.

  “Yeah. No. I don't know.” Rebecca almost fell on the floor beside her. “I’m not sure what I’ve just seen.”

  Before Lilliah had a chance to respond, Azrael walked down the stairs, his troubled expression worrying Lilliah.

  “My mum?” she asked, fear once again gripping her as her eyes darted from Azrael to Rebecca. What is upstairs? What did they see?

  “We have to go,” he stated, ignoring her question.

  “Is my mum okay?” she demanded more forcefully.

  “Your mum isn’t here, but your brother’s badly hurt. We need to get you out of here.”

  “Sebastian?” she squealed. “How is he hurt? What happened to him?”

  Benedict walked into the room and over to the dead body lying on the floor. “He's definitely a night-walker. I’ve seen him before.” He spoke loudly, not looking the least bit affected by the dead man on the floor with blood still draining out of him.

  “Take care of this,” Azrael instructed.

  “I heard my mum scream,” Lilliah cut in, her eyes on Azrael, refusing to cower, even though every muscle in her body wanted to.

  “I will explain everything, you have my word.” He knelt to look Lilliah straight in the eyes. “But right now, we have to get out of here so I can get you to safety.”

  “No. You need to tell me what’s going on. Has someone called an ambulance for Sebastian?” Her eyes flickered from Azrael to the dead body on her kitchen floor. She could feel the hysteria building inside, increasing bit by bit until it burst through her all at once, and she was inconsolable.

  “Lilliah, breathe, try to breathe.” Azrael grabbed her tightly, holding her to his chest.

  It was no use; Lilliah couldn’t seem to hear anything, as if she were spiralling deeper and deeper into a dark pit of depression and darkness. “You're a murderer,” she choked out.

  “Benedict!” she heard Azrael command. Before she could even open her eyes, her world went dark.

  “What are you doing to my friend?” Lilliah could hear, recognising Rebecca’s voice. She sounded frantic and scared. She wanted to reply but couldn’t. She couldn’t even move.

  “She'll be fine. Benedict just put her to sleep. She was letting her emotions take over,” she heard Azrael reply softly.

  “Sleep? She just fainted. You . . .” Lilliah didn’t hear the rest as everything went dark again.

  Chapter 4

  Lilliah felt safe, well rested, and content. She didn’t want to open her eyes. She had just had a better night’s sleep than she’d had in months. So instead, she snuggled in her bed, pulling the sheets more securely around her. Then, as realization dawned and the memories came flooding back, her eyes shot open.

  “You’re awake!” The voice startled Lilliah, but she relaxed as Rebecca almost skipped across the room. “I was so worried, but Azrael promised you'd be okay.” She sighed, coming to sit on the side of the bed.

  “Where are we?” Lilliah ran her hand over her knotted hair. She expected to be sore, but she wasn't.

  “At Azrael’s house in the country. We’re about forty minutes from London. This place is huge!” Rebecca explained, still smiling, as if they had both known Azrael for years.

  “Azrael?” Lilliah repeated, her body stiffening. “The Azrael that murdered a man in my kitchen?” She shot out of the bed. “Are you kidding me? What happened to my house? My mum? Sebastian?”

  Rebecca still sat on the bed, her calm, chirpy composure annoying Lilliah. Didn't she understand they were both in danger?

  “Don’t worry. Azrael will explain everything. I would try, but I wouldn't even know where to begin.” She stood up. “Seb's next door, recovering. Your mum wasn’t at the house.” She stopped to gauge Lilliah's reaction. “Benedict mentioned that he thought they had already taken her, and that they were going to find her. But I haven’t seen either of them since yesterday. You've been out cold for like four days.”

  “Recovering?” Lilliah shrieked. “Recovering from what?” Her instincts kicked in. She needed to get her friend and her brother out of this house and away from Azrael.

  “Please, stop and breathe,” Rebecca said, running to stand in front of Lilliah before her hand reached the doorknob. “Calm down. You can’t get yourself worked up again.”

  “Rebecca, we are in a stranger’s house. My mum is missing and my brother is hurt and a few days ago we witnessed a murder. But for some reason, you’re fine with that?” she questioned, staring at her friend. Had she lost her mind? Had she been drugged? Why wasn't she panicking?

  “Look, everything will be explained, I swear. Seb's recovering. He is. I’ve seen him. They'll find your mum. These guys don’t mess about. And the guy they killed, well, I don't think it actually classifies as murder if the person’s already dead,” she finished, frowning slightly.

  “Already dead?” she repeated, her mouth agape. “Listen to me. They are not good guys. I heard them talking about me. Something about Azrael wanting my blood,” she stressed, begging for Rebecca to believe her, or even acknowledge what she was saying.

  “I trust them. Honestly, I do,” Rebecca said, taking Lilliah’s hands in hers, the same pleasant smile still plastered on her face. “Please, just listen to what they have to say. Benedict has explained everything to me and trust me, when you hear it all . . .” She broke off, trying to find the right word. “It’s just amazing.” She sighed.

  “I want to see Seb,” Lilliah demanded, realising there was just no getting through to her friend and getting more irritated by the second.

  “Yeah, that’s cool. I'll take you there now,” Rebecca chirped. “But first, you might wanna get dressed.” Puzzled, Lilliah looked down at the old-fashioned nightdress she was wearing. “What the hell?” she muttered, scrunching her face in distaste. “I look like Wendy from Peter Pan!” She looked to her friend for an explanation.

  “I know. It’s the only thing they had.” Rebecca chuckled. “But someone went out and picked up a load of clothes for us. They’re over there.” Walking over to the pile of brand-new clothes, Lilliah couldn’t help but be a little bit impressed.

  “Who brought these?” She pulled on a pair of skinny black jeans. Whoever it was had style.

  “I don’t know, but they rock!”

  Lilliah followed Rebecca out of the room, watching her closely. “Aren’t your mum and dad worried about you?”

  “They’re going to be away for a few months. Dad’s recording a new album and all that,” she said, waving her hands dismissively. “No one knows I’m gone,” she finished lightly, too lightly for Lilliah's liking.

  “What about us?” she asked. “People are going to notice my family has suddenly disappeared, and my house? It was completely destroyed!”

  “Benedict made it look like a gas explosion,” Rebecca informed her. “I’ve texted Jeremy and told him we're going away for a few weeks. I was pretty vague, but he bought it.” She smiled to herself for a minute. “I think they have it all covered. They even called your mum’s work.”

  “How do they know where she works?” Lilliah asked, confused. Or where I live? she added silently. She had so many more questions but decided to hold on to them. She could bombard Rebecca later and get real answers. Once they’d reached a large wooden door, Rebecca stopped, turning to face her.

  “He's just in here
.”

  Lilliah pushed the door open, needing to see her brother.

  “Hey, there, sleepyhead.” Sebastian tried to sit up, his face scrunching up in pain, the phrase instantly reminding her of their mum.

  “You’re awake,” Lilliah stated, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

  “Yeah, woke up this morning.” He tried to smile, but the pain was easy to read on his face. “But then again, a stab wound knocks you out cold,” he joked.

  “You got stabbed?” Lilliah shrieked, moving closer to the bed. Why hadn't Rebecca mentioned that before? “What the hell happened in that house?” she demanded, eyes darting over every bruise and scrape on Sebastian’s body.

  “Okay, well, I’ll leave you guys alone for a little bit,” Rebecca suggested, already heading out the door.

  Lilliah just smiled thankfully and sat on the side of the bed, bringing her legs up as Sebastian began to explain.

  “So, you just came home and they were there?” Lilliah asked after Sebastian had finished. Those people, or things, whatever they were called, had been waiting in their house. The thought was petrifying.

  “Yeah, all three of them. And I still don't understand what happened to Mum, but it was as if she was in a deep sleep.” He shook his head, trying to find a better way to explain it. “It was so strange. They attacked us both. I heard her scream, and then I looked over. She was breathing and moving, but she was oblivious to everything around her.”

  “Was she okay?” Lilliah asked, feeling sick. “The last time you saw her, was she unharmed?”

  “Yeah, they didn’t hurt her in front of me.” He breathed in deep. “I tried to fight them off. I swear I did, but they were just so fast.” He stopped talking, trying to get his breathing under control. “I only got a few hits in, and when I did, he said the strangest thing,” he mused, looking to Lilliah, frowning. “He said, ‘Oh, I'm not surprised one of you is already here,’” he finished, looking worried and expecting Lilliah to have answers. “What does that mean?”

  “I don't know.” She shrugged honestly. “I literally have no idea what's happening. I just woke up to this fucked-up mess. I mean, Rebecca was acting like she was high or something.” They both smiled. “Have you seen Azrael or that other guy? Benedict?”

  “Yeah. Benedict seems like a cool guy. I’ve only seen Azrael once.” He paused. “Who the hell are they, Lilliah?”

  She didn't know how to answer. She didn't know who they were.

  They sat in silence for a few minutes, both deep in thought. Sebastian leant to get his glass of water from the bedside table.

  “I’ll get it!” Lilliah stressed, jumping off the bed to reach the drink first.

  “Oh, that was weird.” He took the drink as she passed it. “You being this nice and attentive, it's weird. I'm not sure I like it.”

  “Fine.” She held up her hands defensively while trying not to smile. “I won't help again.”

  No sooner had the words left Lilliah’s mouth than the door opened.

  “Rebecca said you were awake.” Benedict smiled, walking farther into the room.

  She smiled back, trying to study the man for the first time. Although his beard was thick and long, it looked well kept, like that was the exact length he wanted it to be. His hair was still swept back from his handsome face. He wasn’t much shorter than Azrael, but he looked a little older, possibly late twenties to early thirties.

  “I don't think we've been formally introduced.” He turned so he was fully facing her. “I'm Benedict Ravensmith.” He extended a hand for her to shake.

  “Hello.” She nodded, taking his much larger hand in hers, trying not to wince at his tight grip. Is he one of the bad guys or one of the good guys?

  “I want to check Sebastian over for a second. To make sure he's healing correctly.” The soft way he spoke made her want to smile. She didn’t. “Why don't you go downstairs and eat? You’ve got to be hungry.”

  As if on cue, Lilliah's stomach growled, confirming that she was in fact starving. She was still about to protest when Sebastian cut in.

  “Yeah, Lil. You go and eat. We'll talk later, okay?”

  Nodding, Lilliah reluctantly left the room, only realising she didn’t know her way when she was already in the hall. Refusing to go back and ask for directions, she started walking, hoping to seize the opportunity to try and snoop. One thing that became apparent very quickly was how huge the place was. She stopped to examine a large painting that was leaning against the wall, as if ready to be hung. Her eyes widened. It was Azrael staring back at her.

  “It’s amazing,” she whispered, carefully running her fingers over the paint. From his pitch-black hair to his hard, crystal-blue eyes, the painting looked exactly like him. She stepped back to get a better view. It looked old, like something she’d see on the wall of a stately home. But honestly, she had no idea. She wasn’t exactly an art major.

  “I want you to look after the running of the club for a while. I’m not sure how long for.” Azrael’s voice echoed in the distance, making Lilliah leap out of her skin and twirl around.

  “No, I’ll send Dena to help,” Azrael continued.

  Realising he wasn’t going to round the corner, Lilliah followed the sound of his voice.

  “So what have you heard?” she heard Azrael demand, getting goose bumps from his voice.

  He's still the enemy. He's a bad guy. She chanted the mantra to herself as she peered through the door. The man in that room was such a mystery to her. On one hand, she had heard him talking about wanting her blood, and he had killed a man in her kitchen! But on the other, he had saved her, her brother, and her best friend. She wasn’t sure why he’d saved her, or even how he’d known she was in trouble, but he had.

  Rebecca’s words from earlier came rushing back: “You can’t kill someone who's already dead.” It just doesn’t make any sense, Lilliah thought, peering through the open door again, trying not to be seen. She saw Azrael pacing, phone in hand.

  “Well, find out!” he roared. “I need more information, so get it for me.” Ending the conversation, he threw the phone on the nearby sofa.

  With no one else around to judge her, she let herself shamelessly gawk at him. She took in his full six-foot-two height; he truly was like no one else she had ever seen. He was built like a swimmer and looked like a frigging god. How could someone be so good-looking? She saw how he could look scary; he had this untamed look about him that screamed, “Wild and uncontrollable!” Is this wrong? she wondered for no more than a second.

  “Are you going to come in?” Lilliah bent slightly, trying to find who he was talking to, and jumped when the door flew open and Azrael stared down at her. “Were you going to stand out there all day, or were you eventually going to come in?” he asked, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

  For a moment, Lilliah was taken aback. She couldn't speak.

  “Lilliah?” he asked again when she didn't get up from her crouching position.

  “You look less scary when you smile.” She hadn't realised she'd spoken the words out loud until it was too late.

  “Really?” He looked bewildered for a second before composing himself.

  “Yeah. I just thought you would like to know,” she finished lamely as she stood.

  “Oh, well, I’ll try and smile more then.” He stood back, motioning for her to walk into the room.

  She took a shaky breath and followed him. “I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop . . .” she began to explain, but stopped when she saw his raised eyebrows. “Okay, maybe I was,” she said, deciding to come clean. There really was no way to deny it; she’d been caught red-handed.

  ”I didn’t know you were awake. I would have come in and seen you.”

  She watched as he walked around his desk, gathering some papers. “I wouldn't have expected you to be there.” She paused. “But I guess it was good that Rebecca was. I mean, after everything that happened the other day.” She tried to gauge his reaction.

  “Yes, of c
ourse.” Azrael nodded, losing his smile. “We have a lot to talk about.”

  “I'm just so confused,” Lilliah began, trying to find the right words to explain the turmoil happening inside her. “And scared.” She tried again. “I don’t know where my mum is, or what the hell happened in my house.”

  “I know.” He walked around the desk so he was standing in front of her. She took a step back.

  “Who are you?”

  “I’m going to tell you everything.” He looked grim at the thought. “Come on.”

  Taking her hand, he led her out of the room. Instead of trying to figure out where they were going, Lilliah just let him lead her, too busy concentrating on the feeling of his hand holding hers. Was it normal for complete strangers to hold hands? Was it normal that she liked it so much? Should she be putting up more of a fight? She didn't know, but she was scared and excited all at the same time.

  “I’ve been collecting for years now,” he explained, stopping outside a large wooden door.

  “Wow.” She breathed slowly, walking farther into the room. The walls were all covered by paintings. There were so many of them. Her eyes darted from one to the next. “They’re beautiful.” It’s more a museum than a house, she thought.

  “I have more in my house in New York.” She could feel his eyes on her, watching her closely as she walked around the room. “I thought it might help with what I’m about to tell you.” He walked up to a particular painting.

  “War of the Heavens,” Lilliah read out loud, moving so she was standing beside him. It really is stunning, she thought. The painting was big and bright, covered with angels in Heaven surrounded by white and gold. On a closer look, she realised the angels were fighting. “It’s beautiful,” she whispered, still taking in the small details, not really sure what it had to do with what he was going to tell her. Was he an art thief?

  “The world isn’t as simple as you once thought,” he started. “And people like you, and me, are part of a much bigger picture.”

  Lilliah didn’t speak at first; she just followed Azrael as he walked around the room, stopping at another picture of angels. This one was a beautiful angel falling through the sky. He definitely has a theme, she thought with a smirk whilst looking at the second painting. It was just as beautiful as the first.