“Okay. From what the e-mails suggest, Lucifer is recruiting, which we already knew, but this is bigger. We’re talking about thousands of magical beings, not just hundreds.”
Rebecca handed Lilliah one of the mugs and settled in beside her. “So he has an army?”
Reluctantly, Benedict nodded. “People are also gathering at The Cure—people who are not siding with Lucifer. No one knows what to do or how to fight him. Iris has been trying to provoke a vision to get a glimpse of his plan or something. Nothing as of yet.”
Lilliah looked over to Iris. She was staring down at her lap, twisting her hands together. “Do you think he’s blocking your visions?”
“I don’t know. I just can’t see anything. I try so hard, but nothing.” She lifted her shoulders in a small shrug, her eyes still downcast.
“Iris said she wants to try practising again today. So I’ll help her with that,” Caleb said, speaking mainly to Lilliah and Benedict.
“Have we not found a spell yet? Is there even a spell to send Lucifer back to Hell?” Rebecca twisted in her seat, pulling her legs from under her.
“We’re looking, but at this time, no. I’ve been practicing a few spells on the Grail, trying to use its magic. I want to see if the Grail is the key, if we can pull its power and then direct it at Lucifer.”
Lilliah looked up at the sound of his name. “It won’t work.”
Everyone in the room turned to her.
“We don’t know that. We have to have faith.” His eyes were sad, sympathy was pouring from them.
She wasn’t being negative. Over the last week, while mourning Jeremy, and focusing on magic, she had been going over everything in her head—everything Lucifer had ever said, everything he’d ever done.
“If the Grail could get Azrael back, Lucifer would have made sure we couldn’t get it. We have it because he doesn’t care. It won’t make a difference.” Lilliah carried on flicking through the papers in her hands. She didn’t want to sound rude, but she also didn’t want to waste time with pointless tasks.
“Okay, so we try something else.” Sebastian rubbed his hands together. “You know what we really need?”
“A miracle?” Rebecca laughed.
“Nope. Angels. We need angels to come down from Heaven and help us. After everything that’s happened—Azrael turning, Lucifer—” He stopped, letting the word sink in. “The actual Devil is out of Hell. And what are they doing? Nothing. They’ve even stopped Iris’s visions!”
“None of this is Iris’s fault. She’s trying her hardest,” Caleb defended, putting his arm over the back of Iris’s chair.
Lilliah looked over at them. Caleb looked ready to jump at her defence. Iris was smiling shyly, her cheeks glowing pink.
When had that happened? She looked around the room to see whether anyone else had noticed. Rebecca had. She was also smiling at Iris and wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
Iris saw the gesture and covered her face with her hands, grinning and shaking her head.
Rebecca leaned over and whispered to Lilliah, “We are so going to get the dirt on that later.”
“Okay, I’ll carry on trying to use my powers as well,” Lilliah said. “Nothing really happening at the moment, but I feel like I’m getting closer.”
Benedict stared at her for a beat before he spoke. “Magic, for anyone, is hard to grasp at first. There are people at The Cure who have been trying for years, and have still not mastered it.”
“I know. But we don’t have years,” Lilliah said, voicing her thoughts from earlier.
“I just don’t want you to put too much pressure on yourself.” Benedict patted her leg and then stood, not giving Lilliah the chance to ask him for help. She watched as he picked up his phone and then a few more papers and headed off into another room. Maybe Benedict wouldn’t have time to help her; he did seem to be running the show everywhere else.
Lilliah turned her attention to Iris. Her eyes were bright. She looked light and free and a million miles apart from the Iris Lilliah had spoken to a week before, when all she was talking about was death.
Caleb had said Iris had been practising her magic too, trying to force a vision. Lilliah tipped her head to the side, maybe they could practise together? Iris had told her once that Lilliah was her hotspot. Maybe it would help them both?
While the others sounded out ideas and plans, Iris quietly excused herself and stood. Lilliah waited a few beats before following.
She caught up with Iris in the hall just outside the toilet. “Hey.”
“How you feeling? I was actually about to come in and see you. You know, to see if you needed anything or wanted something to drink. I don’t want you to feel like you have to rush back into everything. I mean, it’s only been a week. I told Rebecca the same thing too.” Iris reached out and rubbed Lilliah’s arm affectionately.
Lilliah leaned on the wall, folding her arms around her midriff. Normally, Iris wasn’t one for touching or affection or anything, really. Lilliah tilted her head to the side. What had happened during the past week?
“We need to get back into things. We need to stop Lucifer before he kills anyone else.”
Iris nodded slowly.
“Are you okay now?”
Iris stared at her, looking puzzled for a second before realisation dawned. “I’ve actually been meaning to talk to you about that. I was so stupid before. What I said to you about death and all of that? I had no idea what came over me. I was kind of depressed, I guess. I didn’t know Jeremy was going to die.”
“I didn’t think you did. But you seem better now. Lighter, maybe?” Lilliah had no idea how to describe the difference in Iris. She looked brighter and healthier. The guard she always seemed to have up had dropped.
“Lilliah, it’s amazing. I can’t explain it, but I do feel lighter. The visions stopped, and I can sleep peacefully at night for the first time in forever.” Iris was almost jumping on the spot.
“Then it’s a good thing. Someone here deserves a happy ever after.” Lilliah pushed off the wall and held out her arms to hug Iris.
They hugged and Lilliah pulled back a little. “So you don’t want to get your visions back?” Losing Iris’s psychic ability would be a big blow for them. Their one link, however small it might be, to the angels would be cut off. But looking down at Iris now, her bright eyes and glowing skin—it would be worth it.
Iris looked thoughtful for a second. “This feels a little bit like a vacation. But it’s not my reality. I want my visions back.”
Lilliah nodded and waited for a beat before she asked her next question. “So what’s happening with you and Caleb?”
Iris grinned. “Nothing’s happening. We’re just friends. We’re just, you know, hanging out. He’s helping me practise using my powers.”
Lilliah took another step back. She’d seen everything she’d needed to on Iris’s face. She liked Caleb. “Hanging out? That’s such an American thing to say. What does it even mean?” She laughed; the feeling was nice after so many days of sadness.
Iris was about to answer when Rebecca walked into the corridor with a phone to her ear.
“Hey Dad, it’s me. Can you talk?”
Neither moved as Rebecca rushed past them with her head down, not making eye contact.
“That doesn’t look good,” Iris whispered as they watched Rebecca slip into a nearby room. “I should go wait in the living room.”
Lilliah nodded and Iris walked around her, heading back into the main room. Why was Rebecca calling her parents? Lilliah knew she’d spoken to them when Jeremy had died. They had been invited to the funeral but hadn’t been able to make it. Rebecca had pretended not to be crushed, but Lilliah had seen straight through her façade.
“Are you okay?” Lilliah had asked her when they’d had a moment alone.
“My dad hired out private planes to go to Paris for the day. He hires them so they can just sit there in case he wants to go somewhere. So why can’t they come to the funeral? They
know how important Jeremy was to me,” Rebecca had told Lilliah after she’d first contacted them.
“Did they say why they couldn’t come?” Lilliah had sat next to her. Rebecca’s parents always let her down. According to Rebecca, it was the only way they were consistent.
“Dad said he had an important meeting. Mum didn’t say anything, as per usual.” Rebecca had wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. “I was so scared, you know, when we found out about Jeremy. I was so scared Lucifer would go after them next. So when I finally got through to them and heard their voices, I was so happy. Ecstatic even. I can’t even describe the feeling I had when I knew they were alive and okay. You should have heard them, Lil. They couldn’t get off the phone fast enough.” Tears had been running freely down Rebecca’s cheeks. Her eyes were red and her mascara was smeared.
“They didn’t know how you felt, though. They had no idea they were in danger.”
Rebecca had looked at her, her eyes hard. “My best friend had just died. How could they have not known how I was feeling?”
Lilliah had had no words. She had called her mother, and by the time she’d hung up, Anna Daniels had already booked her flight home, effectively cutting short her romantic holiday. They had all gone to the funeral together, and afterwards, they had gone back to Jeremy’s mother’s house, where Anna had taken charge, serving drinks, making sure there was enough food, and more importantly, talking to Michelle, Jeremy’s mother, whenever she needed to talk.
“I just hate talking to my parents, and that is not a normal way to feel.” Those had been Rebecca’s parting words, which was why Lilliah found it so strange that she would call them now, so soon after their last conversation.
Moving to stand closer to the door Rebecca had disappeared behind, Lilliah listened in.
“I know you’re busy, Dad. I just need to know if you’re coming home any time soon.” There was silence for a second. “I get that it’s about your creativity, but a timeline would be nice.”
Rebecca wasn’t even trying to hide the sarcasm from her voice. Lilliah seriously thought about going into the room to calm Rebecca down, but she stopped herself.
“I just need to know if you’re going to be back in London within the next few weeks, that’s all, Dad … You’re not? Okay, that’s all I wanted to know. Bye.”
Gently, Lilliah pushed the door open a little so she could peek inside. “You okay?”
Rebecca stood, holding the phone to her lips, her eyes shining with tears. She stared down at the floor. “They’re not coming back anytime soon.”
“Okay.” Lilliah pushed the door open further. She didn’t know whether that was a good thing or not.
“I don’t want them to come back. It’s too dangerous here. God knows why, but it seems like London is the epicentre of this entire mess.” She threw the phone on the bed and ran her hands over her face.
“As terrible as it is, it’s because we’re here. The club burning down, Jeremy. It’s because I’m here.” Lilliah pressed her lips tightly together and stared down at the floor, rubbing her feet over the rough carpet. Just another reminder that people could get hurt, just because they were around her.
“Maybe. But he’s not just killing people in London, is he? You saw Benedict’s file: Africa, France. I just know that I don’t want my parents anywhere near it. Even though they are complete and utter morons sometimes who I genuinely believe kidnapped me from a hospital, I still don’t want them near Lucifer.” Rebecca walked over to Lilliah and was just about to leave the room when Lilliah spoke.
“Did Benedict say the line was safe?” Lilliah pointed to the discarded phone.
“Yeah. You going to call your mum?”
Lilliah nodded, already reaching for the phone.
“Okay. I’ll send Seb in.”
Rebecca left and Lilliah dialled her mother’s number. They hadn’t spoken much since Jeremy’s funeral. Lilliah had decided to stay in the safe house instead of going home. She wanted to be around people she could talk to about Jeremy, and she wanted to be able to cry about how he’d died without worrying that her mother would overhear. Plus she didn’t want to practice magic around her mum. One thing Lilliah had learnt in the last few days, was that she needed to protect the people around her. And in her mother’s case, that meant shielding her from the magic world. Benedict had assured her that her mum was safe. Apparently, he had put a spell around her house that would protect her and alert them if dark magic was nearby. Benedict knew what he was doing, and Lilliah felt safer knowing that.
Placing the phone to her ear, Lilliah waited for her mum to answer.
“Hello?”
Lilliah’s shoulders sagged at the sound of her mother’s voice, a sound that was so familiar and so like home. “Hey, Mum. It’s me.”
“Oh, hello, sweetie. How are you?” Her mother sighed out the words, sounding sympathetic and sad.
“I’m doing fine.” Lilliah chose her words carefully. She wasn’t doing great or even okay, but she was fine.
“Coping with this loss will take time, you know. But you will get through it, just like you did with your father.”
Lilliah could hear movement on her mother’s end. She could imagine her moving around the kitchen, wiping surfaces or putting mugs away. “I’ll get there, Mum. We all will.”
“I spoke with Jeremy’s mum today. I nipped around to see if she needed anything. I couldn’t imagine she’d feel like shopping at a time like this, so I’m going to pick her up some things.”
“That’s nice.” Lilliah’s lips turned up at the corners.
Sebastian walked in and pointed to the phone and then to himself.
“Seb’s here. He wants to talk to you.”
“Good. You two have no idea how much I miss talking to you. You are my life.” Her voice broke at the end.
“We know, Mum. And we love you too.”
Sebastian fell on the bed next to her and took her hand in his, giving it a tight squeeze.
“Good. I wish you would just come and stay here. Rebecca can come too.”
Lilliah nodded. “Soon, Mum. We’ll both come home soon.”
After we send Lucifer back to Hell.
“Good.” Her mother sniffed. “And I’ve been thinking. You know that statue I had in our old garden? The one for your dad?”
“Yes.” Of course she remembered. After their dad died, her mother had bought a small statue of an angel that they’d placed in the garden. She’d even put a small table and chairs next to it, so just in case either of them felt sad, they could go and sit by it.
“It’s your father,” she had told her and Seb after planting small flowers around it. As silly or small as the gesture had seemed, Lilliah had loved that statue.
“Well, I think we should get one for Jeremy too. We can put it next to your father’s once the new house is built.”
“A small angel statue would be nice.” As soon as the words left Lilliah’s mouth, she froze, everything hitting her at once. Angel statues. How had she not thought about it before? “I-I have to go.” She almost threw the phone at Seb and ran out of the room.
Benedict, she needed Benedict.
“Lilliah, are you okay?” Iris asked as she walked over to her.
“Angel statues,” Lilliah repeated like a mad woman.
Benedict walked into the room, his phone in one hand and a bunch of papers in another. His eyes landed straight on Lilliah. “Lilliah, are you okay? What are you talking about?”
“I know how we can defeat Lucifer.”
Chapter 23
How had she forgotten about something like that? Something so amazing? Magic wouldn’t send Lucifer back to Hell, so they would have to send him back by force. For that, they’d need an army, but they couldn’t recruit just any army. They needed strong, resilient, magical beings that weren’t afraid of Lucifer. They needed an army that would never back down or cower in fear.
“The original werewolves and vampires?” Benedict asked, saying t
he words as if trying them out to see how they sounded.
Lilliah nodded, hope building in her stomach. This was it, what they needed. She could feel it. “Azrael once told me all the fallen angels were cursed by the Earth. He said that they were the original vampires and werewolves.” She explained what she guessed Benedict already knew, but she wanted the others to understand. She wanted them to know that there was hope after all.
“Cursed to the moon and enslaved to blood. Yes, I know the tale. But Lilliah, they aren’t alive anymore. They turned to stone long ago.” Benedict reached out to her, but she stepped back.
“Don’t you think that’s strange? That the originals turn to stone while their descendants just die? I have never seen a vampire, werewolf, or warlock turn to stone when they die, so why did the originals?” She looked around the room. Everyone had gathered around her. “Because they’re not dead! They’re just sleeping.”
Lilliah had no idea whether that was true. All of them could have died a long time ago, just like Benedict believed. But something was nagging at her deep in her gut. Those werewolves she’d seen at Martin’s warehouse couldn’t simply be stone statues. Why would they be looking after them so diligently? Why would they protect them if they meant nothing?
“So let me get this straight.” Rebecca placed her hand below her chin, one finger tapping her lip. “There is an army of fallen angels turned werewolves out there, just sleeping?”
“Yes,” Lilliah answered matter-of-factly.
“We don’t know that they’re ‘just sleeping,’” Benedict cut in, his features tense. “They’re believed to be dead and just statues now.”
Rebecca turned to Lilliah, clearly needing more information before jumping on board. “Then why do you think they’re alive?”
Lilliah had already convinced herself that the plan would work. She didn’t know where her optimism was coming from, but she was certain, more than anything else in the world, that this plan would work. But how could she convince the others?
“I just know,” she tried, slowly sitting in the chair behind her. She knew this was her one chance to convince everyone. If they didn’t believe her now, they wouldn’t listen to her again. “Azrael took me to see them just before Lucifer changed him.” Lilliah hadn’t meant to use that card, but she was thankful when no one spoke and they all took seats. “Do you remember Maliki?”
Ruthless (The Seraphim Series Book 2) Page 23
