Ruthless (The Seraphim Series Book 2)

by Sophia Stafford

  Iris’s head tipped to the side, clearly waiting for Lilliah to continue.

  “As I said, it happened twice. The first time was when my mother was stabbed. I thought she was going to die. I was chained to the floor and couldn’t do anything about it.” It had been the worst day of her life. Even talking about it months later was difficult. “The second time was a few days ago. Lucifer popped up in The Cure’s building. He was taunting me over Azrael, and I just got so mad that I grabbed his face. Both times I was either really upset, or so crazily mad I couldn’t see straight.”

  “You grabbed Lucifer’s face?” Iris sounded astonished.

  “Yeah. It was a stupid thing to do, but Lucifer saying his name had made me mad.” Lilliah stood and turned on the lights. “Maybe we should let it come naturally.”

  Iris looked up from the floor. “Yeah, that’s fine. There are only two bedrooms and one of them doesn’t have a bed in it.”

  Lilliah leaned down and picked up a pillow from the sofa. “You can sleep on the sofa. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

  Iris opened her mouth to protest, but Lilliah held up her hand. “Just sleep on the sofa. Please.”

  Iris didn’t say anything as she got up and arranged her bed.

  Lilliah did the same. It took only seconds for her to drift off to sleep, and just like the night before and the night before that, she saw Azrael’s face.

  “I need to go shopping.” Lilliah opened another cupboard door and found there was nothing to eat. Azrael was sitting at the kitchen island, reading his newspaper.

  “What do you want to eat?” he asked without looking up.

  “I don’t know.” She sighed and jumped up to sit on the counter. “Have you ever been food shopping?”

  He shook his head.

  “Then who buys your food?”

  Finally he put down his paper and crossed his arms. “I have a company deliver food every Monday. If you want something specific, let me know. I’ll add it to the list.”

  Lilliah mentally added up the items in her head. Azrael’s choice of food was very rich and very healthy. She wanted chocolate, lots of cheese, and white bread. All these things, for some reason, Azrael seemed against. Then her eyes trailed around the kitchen and to the living room. Everything was always spotless, without a single cushion out of place.

  “Who cleans?”

  Azrael smirked. “I clean.”

  Very sceptical, Lilliah turned to look at him. “What? You don’t clean.”

  They had been back from New York for two weeks and she hadn’t seen him clean once.

  “I knew you were going to say that.” He leaned forward. “I don’t like the thought of other people in my stuff, and I’m not a messy person. I just clean up after myself.”

  Lilliah didn’t believe it for a second. This house wasn’t just someone picking up after themselves clean. This was someone who had pride in his home, someone who liked cleaning. She eyed him. On the outside, he was a warrior, but on the inside, he was a housewife. Lilliah smiled at her own joke. In the blink of an eye, Azrael was around the island and in front of her as if he knew what she’d been thinking.

  “I didn’t say anything,” she squealed, turning and trying to run. Azrael’s arm snaked around her waist and pulled her back.

  “You didn’t need to.” He leaned down and bit her neck.

  “Ouch!” She laughed, kicking her feet and grabbing at the counter. He rounded the kitchen and carried her into the living room.

  “Tell me what you were thinking.” He threw her on the couch, placing his knee between her legs.

  “I wasn’t thinking anything,” she lied.

  “Lilliah,” he mock-warned, putting on his best scary face, though he couldn’t help but smile.

  “You know what? You’re losing your scary.” She trailed her fingers across his broad chest.

  He arched an eyebrow. “Losing my what?”

  “You know, your scary. That thing that makes you terrifying.” She sat up, resting on her elbows. “It’s okay, though. I like you all meek and—”

  She didn’t get the chance to finish her sentence. All she had time to do was scream. Azrael had thrown her into the air. She didn’t know what was happening, but he caught her just before she hit the ground.

  “I don’t know about losing my scary. You screamed pretty loudly.”

  Lilliah stared at him, her heart hammering in her chest and her hands shaking. “What the hell was that?”

  She tried to push against his chest, but he didn’t move.

  “That was me proving you wrong.” He smirked.

  She was still shaking. “How far up did you throw me? I could have hit the ceiling.”

  The ceiling in Azrael’s apartment was extremely high, but with the way he’d thrown her, she could have hit it.

  “I’d never hurt you.” He was still holding her close. “But sometimes, a little scary is good.”

  “I was scared just then, but that was because you threw me in the air, but I don’t find you scary, not at all.”

  Finally, Azrael let go and sat her on the floor. She had been close to the floor, so close her head must have missed it by inches.

  “I don’t want you to be afraid of me. I might throw you in the air now and then, but I’ll always catch you.” He winked and Lilliah melted.

  “Do you care what everyone else thinks?” She tipped her head to the side. He didn’t seem like the type of guy who cared what others thought.

  “No,” he answered immediately, confirming her thoughts. “They can think what they want. I’ll do what I do regardless.”

  Lilliah leaned up and kissed him. Azrael grabbed her head and kissed her back.

  A scream shook her, jolting her out of her dream. She squinted in the dark and patted around the floor, remembering where she was. Iris’s body was twisting on the sofa, her legs kicking and her arms lashing out. She sounded as if she were in pain. Lilliah got up on her knees.

  “Iris.” She grabbed the girl’s shoulder and shook her. “Iris, wake up.”

  Iris’s eyes shot open. She grabbed Lilliah’s wrist and gasped for air. Lilliah was about to scream—she had no idea what to do or say—but then Iris’s eyes changed. Lilliah watched in fear and a little in amazement as Iris’s eyes turned green. Bright green. She couldn’t look away. Even when the lights were turned on, she couldn’t look away. Her body was getting warmer. She felt safe.

  “What the hell happened?” Rebecca shrieked and fell to her knees next to Lilliah.

  “Is she okay?” Sebastian asked from behind.

  Lilliah still couldn’t speak or move. Iris’s eyes were pulling her in, paralysing her, but in the best way. The feeling was euphoric. For the first time in days, she wasn’t afraid of anything.

  Sebastian grabbed Lilliah by the arms and pulled her back, away from Iris’s eyes and out of the daze.

  Her body turned cold instantly. Lilliah couldn’t focus on her brother’s face as he sat in front of her. She could see his mouth moving, but she couldn’t hear him. All she could focus on was the painful sensation of fear consuming her body. Wanting to get it out, not to feel it anymore, she screamed as loudly as she could. Her body shook and her muscles hurt. Then it was gone.

  “What do we do? Should we call Benedict?” Rebecca was on the verge of tears.

  Sebastian grabbed Lilliah’s head. “Snap out of it, Lilliah. Please.”

  She grabbed his hands. “I’m okay.”

  Her voice didn’t sound okay. It sounded faint and weak. She pointed to Iris. Her eyes were still green, and she hadn’t moved. Lilliah crawled on the floor as soon as she could, and she grabbed Iris’s hand.

  “Wake up, Iris!” She shook her shoulder. “Iris, wake up!”

  Iris blinked, her eyes no longer green but back to their normal brown colour. Sweat was dripping off her face and her breathing sounded laboured, but she was awake. Lilliah squeezed her eyes shut. Was that one of Iris’s visions? Was that what she went through every time
she had a vision?

  Slowly, Iris sat up and scanned the room. “What are you all doing?”

  “You were having a dream, and you were screaming.” Lilliah’s heart was still pounding in her chest, and her hands were clammy. Did Iris not remember any of it?

  “Did I scream?” Iris almost looked apologetic.

  Lilliah sat back, shocked. “Was that a vision?”

  Iris smiled.

  “Oh.” Lilliah pulled her into a tight hug.

  “That wasn’t like any psychic I’ve ever seen,” Rebecca mumbled.

  Lilliah released Iris and turned, arching her eyebrow. “And how many psychics have you seen?”

  “I’ve seen a few. They do the whole tarot card thing.” She shrugged it off with her hand. Iris laughed. “What they didn’t do is have a fit, and their eyes definitely didn’t turn green.”

  Iris’s face fell, and she started fidgeting in her seat.

  “No, it was cool,” Rebecca said, backtracking. “It was mysterious and a little scary.”

  “It was scary.” Lilliah moved to look at Iris, before Rebecca upset her further. “When I touched you, I felt it.”

  She didn’t have to say what it was. Iris knew what she was talking about.

  “You felt that?” Iris asked.

  “Yeah. It was …” Her hand went to her throat. She didn’t know how to describe the bleakness she’d felt, a bleakness that Iris lived in. “It was horrible.”

  “You’re okay now, right?” Sebastian slumped on the sofa, looking exhausted.

  Iris nodded.

  “Does that happen all the time?” Rebecca sat back down on the floor and rubbed her eyes.

  Again, Iris nodded, then looked at Lilliah. “I saw something. People.” She stopped and giggled. “I mean angels. They were talking. I heard it all. I think if I try again, I could get some answers.”

  Lilliah shot up and said adamantly, “No. I can’t ask you to do that.”

  “What?” Rebecca’s voice raised and she laughed at the same time. She looked at Lilliah as if she had lost her mind. “This is why we’re here, to speak with angels and get answers.”

  “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 f
lashed 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.”