Ruthless (The Seraphim Series Book 2)

by Sophia Stafford

“Yep. We did that instead of going to class. It’s why we both have crap grades,” Rebecca told her honestly.

  Lilliah leant over and tapped Iris’s knee. “Have a go. It’s fun.”

  “I don’t really care.” She looked confused by the whole conversation. “Benedict’s really hot, though.”

  Lilliah and Rebecca straightened.

  “Oh, you fancy him,” Rebecca sang, wiggling in her seat.

  “I agree. He is hot.” Lilliah laughed, resting her back against the door.

  “Like ridiculously hot. Azrael is too.” Iris then looked at Lilliah. “He looks like a model.”

  “You should see him in black.” Lilliah raised her eyebrows suggestively. “Grey just isn’t his colour.”

  “Lilliah’s right.” Rebecca shook her head. “We should think of another name for him.”

  Lilliah tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

  “He’s not Azrael, is he? He’s this other guy with red eyes who likes the colour grey. The normal Azrael has blue eyes, wears black, and would never leave you.”

  She liked the sound of that—a new name for a new guy. “It has to be a horrible name.”

  “Yeah, like Keith.” Iris smiled. “I hate the name Keith.”

  “We can do better than Keith.” Before any of them could decide, the car pulled to a stop.

  “Are we here?” Lilliah looked out the window. They were outside an apartment block. It looked nice, but very normal. Sebastian, Benedict, and Derek were already out of their car.

  Opening her door, Lilliah called out, “Is this it?”

  “Think so.” Sebastian walked over and helped her out of the car, and then helped Iris and Rebecca out. His bruises were fully on show and his eye was still swollen. “I have no idea what either of them are talking about.”

  “It’s okay, baby.” Rebecca linked her arm through Sebastian’s. “You can hang with the girls next time.”

  “I think I might have to,” Sebastian said, his face very serious looking.

  “So what’s the deal?” Lilliah leaned against the cream-painted wall of the apartment building. “I thought you said you have this Keeper guy.”

  Derek pulled a pair of glasses from his pocket. “I think Benedict’s got this one. Right?”

  Benedict didn’t answer but went straight through the door, everyone following behind. He was on a mission, taking the steps two at a time and checking the room numbers as he went. He stopped at the last door, Room Sixty.

  “Let me do the talking.” He looked between Lilliah, Rebecca, and Sebastian. “Okay?”

  They all nodded and he knocked. The door swung open, and a young, messy-haired guy stood in the doorway, shirtless.

  “What do you wa—Oh,” he said, looking at Benedict. “Sorry, not today.”

  He slammed the door shut.

  “Was that the Keeper? Well, he was not what I was expecting.” Lilliah folded her arms. “Maybe I should try talking to him?”

  Benedict looked as if he were thinking the idea through—for about a second—then he kicked the door in.

  The Keeper was standing on the other side with a gun pointed at them. “When I say no, I mean no.”

  Benedict dug his hands into his pockets, completely unfazed. “You’re not going to shoot me.”

  “Want to bet?” The guy tiled his head to the side. “If there is anyone on this earth I would shoot, it would be you.”

  Everyone stood away from Benedict, watching the exchange. Tension filled the room, everyone unsure whether the guy with the gun would really pull the trigger. Benedict clearly didn’t think so.

  “Okay.” Lilliah held up her hands in surrender. “Please don’t shoot anyone.” She stepped forward, but Benedict stopped her from getting too close. “We just need your help,” she said.

  The Keeper looked surprised, though he kept the gun aimed at Benedict. “You need my help, huh? Is that why I was kidnapped out of Istanbul and dropped off at this shitty apartment?”

  “Yes, although I don’t remember giving anyone the order to give you a gun.” Benedict gritted out the words, his jaw tense. “You have something we need.”

  “I have connections in London. I could have been out of this hellhole within hours of your boys leaving me here.”

  “Then why didn’t you go?” Benedict challenged.

  “As you said, I have something you need. I always have something that someone needs. I was curious as to what it was.” He finally lowered the gun. “Doesn’t mean I’ll give it to you, though.” He turned his back to them and walked into the small apartment.

  They all hung back, unsure whether he wanted them to follow him or not. Benedict looked bored.

  “Why were you in Istanbul?” Benedict walked into the small space, somehow already filling it with his size. “Doesn’t really seem like your kind of place.”

  “My house was ransacked.” The Keeper reached for a T-shirt on the floor and pulled it on. “A lot of people are after me. Been on the run, staying in different places. How did you find me?”

  “I asked around.” Benedict crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “Did a few spells, but in the end, I called Katy.”

  Lilliah was so busy watching the exchange that she hadn’t noticed Rebecca standing beside her. “We were both wrong,” she said. “He isn’t a chick and he’s not old.”

  “I have no idea who they are, but I want to know so badly,” she whispered back without taking her eyes off the two men in front of her. The more they talked, the more unanswered questions she had.

  The apartment wasn’t much. A worn sofa took up most of the room. The walls and the sofa were all bare. The carpet looked as if it hadn’t been cleaned in years, as did the walls, which were dirty white. It looked more like a doctor’s waiting room than a living area. But of course, the Keeper didn’t live there. What else had the apartment been used for?

  “Katy.” The Keeper laughed. “And what did she say? Too busy getting ready for her wedding to care about anything else?”

  “She’s worried about you. Said you called before you headed off?”

  “I had to call someone. Hers was the first number I could think of.” He looked at the others who were still standing by the door. “You can all sit down, you know. I mean, it’s not like this is my apartment or anything, but sure, take a seat.”

  Sebastian moved first, plopping down on the sofa. “I’m aching all over. My ribs, my nose. I think I need a break.”

  Lilliah smiled. Only her brother could totally dismiss the tension in the room.

  The Keeper stared at him funny. “Okay …” he drawled out, turning back to Benedict. “What do you need from me?”

  Benedict pushed off the wall and sat on the sofa.

  The Keeper leaned against a chair. “Just spit it out.”

  “Was anything taken when your house was ransacked?”

  The Keeper shrugged. “Some stuff. Nothing for you to concern yourself with, though.”

  “Is the Holy Grail still safe?”

  And there it was. The Keeper now knew why they were there.

  “The Holy Grail.” Shock crossed his face, but just as quickly vanished. “Now why would you need such a powerful artefact?”

  “It really is the longest story,” Lilliah said, hoping they wouldn’t have to explain everything from the beginning. She was bored of telling the story.

  “So it has nothing to do with the Devil coming back then?” He raised an eyebrow and tapped his foot on the floor.

  “So you know?” Benedict asked, his voice somehow getting colder.

  “Of course I know. It’s my job to know.” He ran his hands through his hair and started pacing. “Why do you need it? What are you going to do with it?”

  “Do you have it?” Benedict pressed, ignoring his questions. “Caleb, this is important. Do you still have it? The guys who picked you up checked in Istanbul, and it wasn’t there.”

  “I don’t have it, but I know who does.” He turned to Lilliah, his ey
es trailing her up and down. “I take it you’re Lilliah Daniels?”

  “Yeah. How did you know?” Her eyes narrowed.

  He smirked. “Looking the way you do? You couldn’t be anything else.”

  “Thank you,” she managed to say, unsure how to respond to that, and looked anywhere but at the Keeper—Caleb.

  No one else knew what to say either. Rebecca caught her eye and fanned her face with her hand. Sebastian didn’t look impressed; he was staring intensely at Caleb, who either didn’t notice or just didn’t care. Iris looked as uncomfortable as Lilliah felt, and Derek looked politely bored.

  “Who has the Grail?” Benedict finally asked, breaking the silence.

  “A friend.” Caleb rubbed his jaw. “She’s right here in London, actually.”

  Sebastian rested his head back. “Thank God we won’t have to travel.”

  Everyone looked at him—apart from Caleb and Benedict, who were still staring at each other.

  Rebecca reached over and took Sebastian’s hand in hers. “Don’t you think you should go home and get some rest? You took a real bad beating yesterday.”

  He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. The romantic gesture immediately reminded Lilliah of Azrael. Pressing her lips together, she looked away, suddenly finding a small plant on the floor very interesting. In truth, she did find it kind of interesting. It was the only homely object in the room.

  “I’ll be fine,” her brother assured Rebecca. “I just need some rest.”

  Benedict stood, speaking to Caleb. “Of course you do. We all need rest. Stay here and be ready for tomorrow. We head out early.”

  Caleb rubbed his jaw. “Let me get this straight. You hired some gang to break into my apartment in Istanbul and drag me all the way to London, all because you need my help? Why not meet me there? Hmm?”

  Benedict shook his head and opened the door, stopping in the doorway. “They knew where you were. They were coming for you.”

  “So you dropped me off in some crappy apartment? How is this any safer?”

  Lilliah watched as Benedict stormed out of the apartment and banged on the door opposite. Everyone moved so they could get a better look.

  A man in a black suit answered. He stood straight, his hands behind his back. “Yes, Benedict?”

  “How many agents are in this building?” Benedict stepped aside so everyone could see the new guy.

  “On an average day, sir, one hundred. But on a day like today, two hundred.” His clear British accent rang loud and clear.

  “Thank you.” Benedict turned to face them, but he spoke only to Caleb. “You are in the safest place in London.”

  Without another word, Benedict headed down the corridor, and everyone followed. “You’re all staying here.” He motioned to the door next to Caleb’s apartment. “Your belongings are already in there. Be ready for tomorrow.”

  Knowing Benedict wasn’t in the mood to talk, Lilliah let him go. She could ask her questions tomorrow.

  The apartment they were staying in wasn’t much nicer than the one next door. It was old and everything in it was worn. Lilliah and Iris slept on the sofas while Rebecca and Sebastian took the bedroom.

  “What do you think’s going to happen tomorrow?” Iris asked in the darkness.

  Lilliah lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling. “Get the Holy Grail I guess?” She twisted on her side, pulling the quilt up to her chin.

  “We saw the Devil yesterday, Lilliah,” Iris said with awe and fear in her voice. “And he wasn’t red with horns.”

  “I know. He looks human.” She wasn’t sure whether her words would scare Iris more or comfort her.

  “I think that makes it better, because humans can be killed. So I think the Devil can be killed.” She snorted. “Weird logic, I know, but it makes it easier.”

  Lilliah had no idea how true that was, but like Iris had said, in a weird way, it made coping easier.

  Chapter 19

  “It is way too early for this,” Sebastian rested his head on the wall and closed his still swollen eyes.

  They were all standing in the living room, dressed and ready for orders. Lilliah had no idea what the plan was, or even where they were going.

  Benedict came in and out of the apartment, talking on the phone, with the occasional word to Derek.

  Lilliah and Rebecca were on the sofa, watching everyone work. The apartment was filled with armed men, as if they were preparing for war.

  Rebecca tucked her legs under her. “Do you think they’ll let me shoot a gun?”

  “Probably not.” Lilliah watched as a man entered the room, carrying a huge black gun.

  “It’s an AK-37.” She hadn’t been aware that Caleb was in the room until he sat on the sofa opposite her.

  “What?” Lilliah muttered, looking away from the terrifying hunk of black metal. Caleb looked fresh and clean, his brown hair damp and pushed away from his face.

  He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “The gun you were looking at. It’s called an AK-37.”

  “Oh, that’s great.” Lilliah shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

  “Not big on guns?”

  “Not big on violence, actually.” She looked around the room, avoiding his piercing eyes. She felt as though he were assessing her, taking her answers and cross-examining them.

  “That’s strange. From what I hear, you’re a fighter.” A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

  “I fight when I have to. I like training—that part’s fun. But hurting people, killing them …” She shuddered and shook her head.

  Just as Caleb opened his mouth to speak, Derek walked into the room.

  “Okay, people. We have the location. We will split up into two groups,” Derek shouted. More military-looking guys walked into the room, all carrying guns. “One group will go into the premises with Benedict and Caleb. The other will man the outside with me.”

  Caleb scanned the room, running his palms on his thighs. “This really isn’t necessary. We’re not going to war. ”

  Derek smiled at Caleb and put on his sunglasses. “I hope you’re right.”

  As quickly as they’d entered, the room emptied, leaving Lilliah, Rebecca, Iris, and Sebastian alone with Caleb.

  Benedict walked in, dressed all in black, looking as if he were ready for business. “Lilliah, Caleb, and Iris. You’re with me.”

  “What about us?” Sebastian pushed off the wall.

  “You’ll be outside with Derek.”

  They all nodded and stood. Iris nervously twisted her hands together and moved next to Lilliah.

  Caleb rubbed his shoulder. “This is way over the top, man. It’s just an ordinary house in London, not goddamn Buckingham Palace. She did me a favour and now I’m bringing a bloody army to her door.”

  “The mission should be simple: get the Grail and leave. But we can’t be too sure. Let’s go.”

  They followed Benedict out of the flats and onto the crowded streets. Blacked-out vans and cars had pulled up. Men were everywhere. It looked more like a scene from an action movie than real life.

  “Well, I know what I want to be when I grow up.” Sebastian grinned and took Rebecca’s hand, pulling her towards a waiting car.

  “Guess we’re in this one.” Caleb pushed past Lilliah and got in another blacked-out car. “Are you coming or not?”

  Iris jumped and scurried over to the car. Lilliah took one big, deep breath and followed, praying no one would need to use their guns.

  “This is it.” Caleb pointed out of his window. “Number three, over there.”

  “Right. Derek’s men are getting into position.” Benedict looked back from the front seat. “You all need to stay with me. Caleb will talk to his friend and get the Grail. Iris, you will confirm it is the cup you saw in your vision.”

  Everyone nodded.

  “So why am I here?” Lilliah asked, sitting forward.

  “Iris might have another vision. They come easier when
you’re around,” Benedict said simply.

  Iris took Lilliah’s hand in hers. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

  Her breathing picked up and she closed her eyes, resting her head back.

  “Are you having a vision?” Benedict asked apprehensively, his eyes darting from Lilliah to Iris.

  “No, I’m just scared.”

  Lilliah squeezed her hand tightly. “No need to be. Everything’s going to be okay.”

  “Derek’s given me the signal. Let’s go.”

  Benedict was out of the car and opening their door before Lilliah had time to think. He looked so at ease as they crossed the road that Lilliah couldn’t help but wonder whether he had some kind of military background. Or had he been born a badass?

  Caleb walked ahead of them and pressed the buzzer next to the door.

  “Hello?” a female voice rang out from the speaker.

  “Hey, Jean. It’s me.” Caleb crossed his arms, nervously moving from one foot to the other.

  The door buzzed and they all walked in.

  “There really was no need for this GI Joe crap.” Caleb headed straight for the stairs. “She’ll give us the Grail and then you can leave me alone again.”

  “We need to talk after this is over.” Benedict waited for Iris and Lilliah to walk through the door before he followed.

  “What in the world do we need to talk about? We haven’t seen each other in years. Why change that habit?”

  A woman met them at the top of the stairs. She was small, with short brown hair and a big smile.

  “And here I thought I’d misheard you.” She reached up and hugged Caleb. “I’ve been trying to call you like crazy. Why did you leave Istanbul?”

  He shot an annoyed look back at Benedict before turning back to Jean. “I need something from you.”

  Jean glanced at Benedict, looking thoughtful for a moment, before turning back to Caleb. “Okay, come in.”

  They followed her down a hall and into a large, bright, open-plan living room. Everything was white and clean. Jean, Caleb, and Benedict all headed towards the white sofas and chairs.

  “Lilliah.” Iris grabbed her arm and pulled her to a stop. “I don’t feel too good.”

  Lilliah turned, making sure the others, namely Jean, couldn’t see Iris’s face.