Ruthless (The Seraphim Series Book 2)

by Sophia Stafford

  “It’s because you don’t know me.” Lilliah hated that he was this close to her but so far away. Apart from the red eyes and grey suit, he looked the same. He wasn’t the same though, and she knew that. She saw it, and she heard it in his voice; it sounded strange and deep—too deep.

  “I know you, Lilliah.” Even his smile was different.

  Lilliah fought the urge to turn and run. Her heart was pounding and her hands were clammy. The man standing in front of her was by no means the man she had fallen in love with. They just looked the same.

  “I know everything about you.”

  She shook her head. “No, you don’t.”

  He closed the space between them. “I’m still the same Azrael.”

  “When is my birthday?”

  “August the 26th.”

  She held up her hand, her palm facing him. Another test. His smirk was so cocky. With his pointer finger, he traced small circles on her palm the way he had a million times before. Whatever it was she felt when he did this—the tingles, the spark, the butterflies in her stomach—she didn’t feel it with him. He wasn’t doing it right; his finger was too rough.

  “See.” He smiled, dropping his finger. “I’m still me.”

  As hard and as fast as she could, Lilliah punched him in the face. For the first time, he didn’t dodge the attack. He fell back. She dropped to the floor and swept her leg around, knocking him off balance. He hit the ground and she jumped on top of him, getting one hit in after another, just like he had taught her.

  He regained his composure and defended himself almost as soon as she had started punching him. He flipped her over so he was back on top and then grabbed her wrists, pinning her down.

  “You can fight it, but you know you want to join us. Join Lucifer.”

  “You’re crazy,” she spat, bringing her knee up and jamming him hard between his legs. His body tensed, but he didn’t move.

  “Think about it,” he said once his face had lost its pained look.

  Lilliah looked to the side, refusing to meet his eyes this close up.

  “Think about me.” He pressed a sloppy kiss on her cheek and then was gone, leaving her on the floor.

  Having had his lips on her felt dirty and cheap, like somehow it went against Azrael. A few seconds later, she crawled to the wardrobe and let Rebecca out. She was dazed and mad as hell, but otherwise fine. Lilliah was mad too.

  Chapter 9

  Lilliah and Rebecca stood on the street, neither saying anything. Benedict had just dropped them off outside a small hotel in central New York. He’d already explained that he couldn’t stay, but Lilliah had expected more than a drop-off. He’d been on edge since they’d told him about Azrael’s little visit.

  “This can’t happen anymore,” he had repeated so many times that she had lost count. “What did he say? How did he get in here?”

  Lilliah didn’t have all the answers, but she’d shared the ones she did have. Benedict had looked baffled.

  “Just one more reason to get you out of here and hidden away,” he had told her. “Go to the top floor. Zena will meet you there. Give her this.” He had handed over a large bag before speeding off.

  They both turned to face the hotel. It wasn’t posh or even clean. Paint was peeling off the walls, revealing the red brick. Lilliah squinted at the hotel sign, trying to read what the faded yellow paint said.

  “This is going swimmingly so far,” Rebecca said before heading into the hotel lobby, leaving Lilliah to drag the bag inside.

  Her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was most likely Sebastian. Like Rebecca, he had agreed almost immediately to the spell. He’d sworn, like Rebecca, that he understood the risks and wanted to do it anyway. They had decided to include their mother, albeit secretly. She had been used against them before, and they refused to let it happen again.

  They made their way through the lobby area; just like its exterior, it looked old and worn. A large, dark, wooden reception desk sat in the middle of the room with a young man standing behind it. He didn’t look up when they entered or when they walked past.

  “Nice security they have here,” Rebecca whispered.

  Lilliah dropped the bags when she reached the elevator and dug out her phone. “It’s Seb,” she muttered, quickly typing a reply.

  “What’s he saying?” Rebecca asked as the lift dinged to a stop and the doors opened. She reached down to help Lilliah carry the bag inside.

  “Two seconds.” Lilliah typed another reply as the elevator moved upward, promising Seb that she’d text him as soon as the spell was over.

  She looked up, putting her phone away as the doors opened. “Seb said to be safe and that he talked Mum into staying in with him in case anything does happen.”

  “Your brother sounds very smart.” Zena was standing in the hallway, her light ginger hair hanging loosely around her shoulders. She wore a pair of tight, black jeans and a mint green cardigan. She looked completely casual and at ease, nothing like any of the other witches and warlocks they’d met.

  Lilliah stepped out of the lift first, dragging the bag behind her. “I don’t think anyone has ever described Sebastian as smart.”

  Rebecca reached up and grabbed Lilliah’s arm.

  “This is Rebecca.”

  Zena gave Rebecca a quick once-over before settling on her face. “Nice to meet you, Rebecca.”

  “Likewise.”

  They all stood in the hallway smiling politely, but none of them moving.

  “So,” Lilliah said, “are we going to get this show on the road?”

  Zena motioned to the door on the left and opened it. “Please, this way.”

  Lilliah and Rebecca followed as quickly as they could, dragging the bag behind them.

  “Has Benedict told you about the spell?” Zena asked once they were all inside the small apartment.

  Lilliah and Rebecca nodded in unison.

  “And you fully understand what could happen and what will happen?”

  “Dry mouth, death, bleeding from every orifice,” Rebecca said, reeling off just a few of the possibilities. “Yes, we know.” She opened her shoulder bag and pulled out a bottle of water. “Don’t you worry about us. We’ve come prepared. I have a bottle of water ready for dry mouth and a whole bunch of tablets in here, you know, just in case. Plus a change of clothes.”

  Zena looked amused. “Well, I’m glad you’re taking this seriously.”

  “When someone starts talking about death, I think you need to be serious. Plus, this spell is forbidden.”

  Zena tipped her head back and laughed. “Come here, you two.” She walked up to Lilliah and Rebecca and pulled them into a three-way hug. “You’re peaches, the both of you!”

  “Oh … kay.” Rebecca stood frozen while Lilliah stifled her laughter. Everything was just so strange.

  Zena pulled back while still touching Lilliah and Rebecca on their arms. “Don’t you listen to those fools at The Cure. They’re all so old, I’m surprised they haven’t turned to stone. This spell is just like any other.”

  They walked into a small, open kitchen and living area.

  “Mind the hotel.” Zena walked over to the kitchen counter and lit a candle. “New York is so expensive, and I’m on a budget.”

  Candles covered every surface. The blinds were closed and the lights were turned off. A thin, old-looking rug had been laid out on the floor, with a few pillows neatly arranged together.

  “I’m sorry about Azrael.” Lilliah’s head shot up as Zena walked over to her. “I didn’t really know him, but I met him a few times.”

  Lilliah had no idea what to say, so she nodded. Zena made it sound as though Azrael had died. He wasn’t dead.

  “He was always so intimidating. Strong and, well, scary.”

  Rebecca agreed. “That’s what I thought when we first met him. But once he got with Lilliah, he wasn’t that scary.”

  Zena breathed out dreamily, suddenly turning into a fifteen-year-old girl. “How many women can
say they’ve wanted to tame the great Azrael? Thousands, that’s how many. Millions even!”

  “Yeah, probably,” Lilliah muttered, getting a little uncomfortable.

  “I really should be worshiping at your feet and asking what your secret is.” Zena snorted.

  “No secret,” Lilliah answered curtly.

  Rebecca clapped her hands together. “So, the spell?”

  “Oh yes, the spell.” As if coming out of a daze, Zena picked up a roll of string from the sideboard. She handed the string to Lilliah. “I would like you to tie your hands together and then lie on the floor. I can’t touch either of you now.”

  Rebecca took the string from Lilliah and got to work unwinding it.

  “This spell will shield you from Lucifer and his followers.” Gone was the starry-eyed girl from seconds ago; Zena was all business again. “Have you brought the items?”

  Lilliah looked down at the bag Benedict had given her while Zena bent down and emptied it: Azrael’s laptop, a large book Lilliah had never seen before, a few candles, and an old tinny-looking ring. She squinted to get a better look, but Zena turned away.

  “What are you looking at?” Rebecca was already tying the string around her arm and then to Lilliah’s.

  “That’s Azrael’s laptop,” Lilliah spoke quietly. She’d been trying to look more at the ring than at anything else.

  “And Lucifer’s ring.” Zena turned and held the tinny ring to the light. “We have everything we need.”

  Lilliah was still fascinated by the ring in Zena’s hand. “That’s Lucifer’s? How do you know? How did Benedict get it?”

  Zena gestured at the rug with the pillows scattered around. “Lie on the floor, both of you.”

  Rebecca led the way, and Lilliah allowed herself to be pulled along as she waited for Zena to answer.

  “It was one of the many artefacts that fell from Heaven. Azrael was the one who told us who it belonged to.” Zena kneeled on the floor and placed her hands over her thighs.

  “So we just lie here?” Rebecca asked as they both stretched out on the floor, facing the cracked ceiling of the hotel room.

  They watched as Zena lit two more candles and put them down. She then lightly sprinkled oil over both of them.

  “Eww,” Rebecca spluttered. “Some went in my mouth.”

  Lilliah’s body shook with her silent laughter.

  “Please,” Zena stressed. “I need silence for the spell.”

  “Sorry,” they both muttered like naughty schoolchildren.

  “Right.” Zena reached for the large book and flicked through the pages. Lilliah watched her as best as she could. “I’m normally more prepared.”

  “It’s fine,” Lilliah said, still suppressing her giggles, and tried to ignore the doubt that had started creeping up from her stomach.

  No, she silently reprehended herself. Zena knows what she’s doing. Benedict wouldn’t have let us do this if Zena didn’t know what she was doing.

  Zena looked up, placing the book on a small table by her legs, and stood up straighter. “Okay, here we go. Ex quibus patet ad sensum in ser.”

  Zena held her hands out as she read the words. “Et ipse nobias obiect. Et lux in tenebris velle colid, nos celare hide.” One by one, Zena read out the names of Lilliah, Rebecca, her mother, and Sebastian. A small burning sensation started in the pit of Lilliah’s stomach. Not painful, but uncomfortable. Lilliah turned her head slightly to look at Rebecca; she looked at ease and peaceful. Pressing her mouth shut Lilliah closed her eyes, trying to ignore the ache. As the final word left Zena’s mouth, Lilliah convulsed. Then everything went dark.

  Her body didn’t hurt the way it had during Ada’s spell. She wasn’t on fire or thrashing around, but she felt different. The feeling was more like an out-of-body experience than anything else. Slowly, she opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling. She was no longer in the old hotel room, but in a beautiful barn illuminated by fairy lights and candles. She recognised it immediately and her heart nearly stopped beating in her chest.

  “You’re here.” She squeezed her eyes shut at the sound of his voice. She had been half expecting it. After all, this place only meant something to the two of them.

  Her body tensed as she turned to face Azrael. He was standing only a few meters away, wearing his signature black, his soft smile a complete contrast to the last time she had seen him.

  This is where they had gone on their first real date. It had been a picnic he had arranged in a barn that had meant something in a past life. It had been special and romantic and one of the best days of Lilliah’s life.

  “Is this a trick? Another one of Lucifer’s games?” She wanted to believe it was real so badly, that somehow the spell had broken whatever trance Azrael had been put under, returning him to her, but she knew better.

  “This isn’t a trick.” He walked towards her and she sat up, her hands trembling. “This is a precaution.”

  “Precaution?” She tried to sound strong, but her voice broke. He was so close, but she didn’t dare reach out to touch him. Would he even want her to?

  “I feared this would happen, that one day you’d be in trouble and I wouldn’t be there. I don’t know when you’re seeing this or what’s happened, but I know I’m not there to help you.”

  He sat beside her on the blanket and took her hands in his. The familiar feeling sent thrills up her arms like little bolts of lightning. She squeezed them, memorising the feeling just in case this was the last time.

  “What do you mean when I’m seeing this?” She brought his knuckles up and pressed her lips against them. Whatever this was, a dream or a spell, she didn’t want it to end.

  “We spoke about this. You can’t remember, but we did.”

  Lilliah had no idea what he was talking about.

  “I wanted to leave a message that only you could understand and hear. That’s why I brought you here, to this place.”

  Lilliah’s back straightened. This wasn’t what she’d been expecting. “A message?”

  She wanted to laugh. Somehow Azrael had left her a message in her own head—something only he would do.

  “I didn’t want anyone to know about this—not even Benedict—so we used the remaining magic from your necklace.”

  Instantly, Lilliah’s hand went to her throat, where her old necklace used to hang. “How long will this last? When did we do this?” She rose to her knees, her tongue darting out to moisten her dry lips. “Do you remember anything about us?”

  Azrael laughed. “So many questions.” He reached up and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “Your mother had been released from the hospital and had moved into her new house. She was already redecorating.”

  Lilliah did a quick date check in her head. It must have been just a few weeks after Ada and Lucifer’s first attack. It had only been a few months away but it seemed like a lifetime now; everything had settled down into a strange normality that they had somehow created after all the madness Ada and Lucifer had put them through.

  “And I probably can’t answer most of your questions, but I do have something to tell you.” Azrael shifted into a kneeling position and grabbed her head with both hands. Intensity had replaced his smile. “You need to listen to me.”

  She nodded.

  “Something is coming. I'm not sure if it will be the Devil, or something new. But I feel it, Lilliah. Something is going to happen.”

  She put her hands over his, tears burning her eyes. Azrael had seen this coming. “How do you know?”

  “Because, beautiful, if I wanted to take two angels down, I’d separate them and take out the strongest one first.”

  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.”