Ruthless (The Seraphim Series Book 2) (2 page)

“I love Azrael.” Lilliah smiled. “I just don’t want him to be with anyone else.”

“Then you don’t really love him.” Lilliah was about to speak when her mother went on. “Because if you did, you’d want him to be happy, with or without you.”

“Or just with me.”

They laughed. Her mother took a final swig of her tea and placed it in the sink next to Lilliah’s old cup. She picked up a cleaning cloth and quickly wiped down the counters.

“Right, I have to get going,” Anna said, walking back over to Lilliah. “Some people to see and some things to do. Don’t be a stranger, my love.”

“I won’t, Mum.”

Anna kissed her on the cheek. “Good. I think Seb’s upstairs, but I’d knock if I were you. I think Rebecca’s with him.”

With a wink, Anna left the kitchen.

Lilliah stayed in the kitchen for a few more minutes, helping herself to a biscuit before heading upstairs. Sebastian and Rebecca were awake and laughing.

Oh,
God. Please don’t be sleeping together. Please don’t be sleeping together,
she thought and knocked once on the door.

“Shh.” Sebastian hissed, laughing. “What’s up?” he called out.

“It’s me.”

A second later, the door flew open to reveal a smiling, shirtless Sebastian, his dark hair tousled and messy.

“Hey. I’m surprised you know where we live,” he joked, pushing the door open further.

“I do still live here, you know. I’m here all the time,” Lilliah defended as she walked into the dark room. “You’re just not here when I am.”

Sebastian’s room was big. The curtains blotted out the mid-morning sun and the faint smell of greasy food hung in the air.

“Lil.” Her best friend and Sebastian’s girlfriend, Rebecca, was sitting on the bed. Her hair was tied in a messy knot on the top of her head, and Sebastian’s shirt hung off her shoulders.

“It stinks in here.” Lilliah sat on a computer chair near Sebastian’s bed.

“We ordered out yesterday.” Sebastian pointed to an empty pizza box lying open on the floor. “So, what’s up?”

“Maybe I just wanted to see my brother and my friend? Or maybe I want to go do something.”

“
Something
, huh?” Sebastian laughed, his eyes lighting up with excitement. Her twin knew what she was talking about. “Yeah, I’m down for that.”

“What?” Rebecca sat up straighter, shaking her head. “You’re not training. It’s boring as hell to watch.”

Sebastian dropped on the bed next to Rebecca, nudging her shoulder with his. “Then join in.”

“And get the shit kicked out of me?” She stared at Sebastian as if he’d lost his mind. “No, thanks.”

“Oh, come on, Becca.” Lilliah smiled a little. “We wouldn’t hurt you. I just need to hit something.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not going to be that
something.
” Rebecca swung her legs off the bed. “Can’t we just go shopping like normal people? Let’s go to Starbucks!”

Lilliah and Sebastian scrunched their faces.

“We can drink coffee downstairs,” Sebastian pointed out. “Why the hell would I pay for something I could get in my own kitchen? And I wouldn’t have to get dressed to drink that coffee.”

“It’s like ten.” Rebecca picked her phone up from the floor to check the time. “No, it’s quarter to eleven and you still don’t want to get dressed?” She shook her head but her amused smile gave her away.

“That’s actually really disturbing,” Lilliah said, straight-faced. “You’re going to grow up to be a bum, jobless and friendless.”

“Wow, that conversation got really real, really fast.” Sebastian smiled also, but then narrowed his eyes in his sister’s direction. “Besides, I’m not the one who dropped out of college.”

“Ooh, burn!” Rebecca burst out laughing but quickly stopped. Lilliah wasn’t finding this funny anymore.

“You didn’t tell Mum, did you?”

Lilliah had decided to drop out of college when they’d all arrived home. She had attended classes during the first few days back, but the whole idea of going to class every day, catching the tube, and acting normal seemed insane to her. She couldn’t go back to her old life and pretend like everything was normal.

“Of course I didn’t.” Sebastian pointed at her. “But you need to.”

“I will,” she assured him, the panic easing slightly. She was still searching for the right time to tell her mum, who placed a lot of value on education. “But right now, I want to fight and Azrael is away for the day, so I have no one to practice with.”

“That’s great. Makes me feel real special.” Sebastian stood and walked over to the door. “I’m putting the kettle on. I need coffee before I fight.”

Lilliah waited until he’d left to talk. “Aren’t you supposed to be at college?” she asked her friend.

Rebecca bit her lip, trying to hide a smile. “Yeah, I’m skipping today.” She stood up from the bed, stretching her arms out. “I’m thinking about taking a year off.”

Lilliah wasn’t surprised.

“I was thinking me and Seb could travel for a bit.” Rebecca picked up her bag from the floor and pulled out a bright yellow T-shirt.

“Sounds pretty cool.” Apparently, she wasn’t the only one struggling to return to her old life. “What will your parents think?”

“Dad’s still working on his album and my mum’s following him around the world like a little dog following its owner.” Rebecca quickly changed tops, throwing Sebastian’s night T-shirt in the bag. “They wouldn’t care.”

Lilliah didn’t say anything. Rebecca had had a very different life growing up than most, with her father a famous eighties pop idol who still had a huge following, and her mother a beautiful would-be model who had gotten pregnant with Rebecca at the age of twenty-two. Their lives had been fast and exciting, leaving little room for a child.

Rebecca let her hair down and ran her fingers through the frizzy mess. “Everything’s just so different. I mean, magic is real. Vampires and angels are all real. The world just got a hell of a lot more exciting. I don’t want to waste it, you know? I don’t want to be like my mum, following a man around the world or even depending on a man. I want to live.”

Lilliah smiled. “Different? Yeah, I guess that’s one word for it.”

Chapter 2

“Ow!” Rebecca tensed. “That must have hurt.”

Sebastian was lying on the matted floor, panting hard.

“Dude”—he held up his hands in surrender—“you’ve gotten so fast. Just … just give me a second.”

They’d been training in Azrael’s state-of-the-art gym for the past two hours. Like most of the rooms in Azrael’s apartment, it had huge glass windows that overlooked the city of London. The view alone made it one of Lilliah’s favourite places, just below Azrael’s bedroom and the living room and kitchen. So it was fourth, but in an apartment with more than twenty rooms spread over two floors, fourth wasn’t bad. Even with its killer view, Lilliah always thought it strange that he had a gym as high-tech as this one, considering she had never seen him using any of its equipment. The whole room appeared to be just for show.

Lilliah stepped back. “I told you I had a lot of energy to burn off.”

“No.” Sebastian sat up slowly, sweat dripping from his brow. “That’s not energy. That’s issues. You have issues.”

“Oh, please.” She grabbed a towel from the floor and wiped her forehead. “You’re just saying that because you’re losing.”

She loved baiting him—one of the few perks of being a sister.

“This isn’t over.” Sebastian jumped to his feet, swinging his arms side to side. “But I do think your angel powers are coming back. I’m not using it as an excuse. I’m just saying.”

Lilliah had hoped and prayed for her powers to return. She’d gotten a taste of them when the evil witch, Ada Washington, had tried to kill her, but that was all it had been: a taste. She’d concluded that they weren’t coming back and that she would never feel the blue fire come from her body again. No matter how hard she tried, that amazing experience was over. Whatever had happened to her in that cave had been a one-off.

She dropped the towel on the floor. “My powers are not back. I’m just getting better.”

“Getting better?” Sebastian repeated with raised eyebrows. “Your punch felt like a sledgehammer.”

“See!” Rebecca shrieked from her seat at the edge of the training mat. “That’s why I don’t want to fight. I bruise like a peach. I’d be black and blue before you finished.”

“She’s good, but not unbeatable.”

Lilliah’s head shot towards the voice. Azrael stood in the doorway, casually leaning against the frame. His pitch-black hair was swept away from his intense blue eyes. Lilliah’s breath caught in her throat. No matter how many times she saw him, the feeling stayed the same. The excitement, the butterflies—none of it had dulled in the months they had spent together. If anything, her feelings had gotten stronger, and she loved it.

“I thought you were gone all day,” Lilliah said and didn’t stop the goofy grin from spreading across her face.

Azrael walked farther into the room, nodding politely in Rebecca’s direction and then again in Sebastian’s—his way of greeting. His eyes returned to Lilliah’s, and he stopped walking when their feet touched. Slowly, he bent his head until his lips were hovering over her mouth.

“I changed my mind.” His lips grazed hers as he whispered the words. After a quick peck, he straightened and took one step back.

Lilliah was too dazed to move or speak; she was barely breathing on her own.
How does he do that?

“Oh, my gosh.” Rebecca fanned herself with her hand. “That was frigging hot.”

Lilliah’s cheeks heated.

“That was way too intimate for my liking.” Sebastian looked horrified. “No brother needs to see his sister like that.”

Lilliah assumed he was looking at Azrael, but she wouldn’t know; she was too busy staring at the floor, hiding her embarrassment and her smile.

“Want to train with us?” she asked, ignoring her brother. “I’m kicking Seb’s ass.”

Azrael grinned at her. He didn’t get embarrassed like her. No matter where they were or what they were doing, if Azrael wanted to kiss her or hold her hand, he would. Though she loved it now, she’d found it strange at first. Azrael hadn’t struck her as the affectionate type, especially not while in public.

“I lived without you for centuries,” he had explained when Lilliah had brought it up. “If I want to kiss you or touch you, I will.”

She had liked his explanation—a lot.

“I can see that.” Azrael was still smiling at Lilliah when his eyes flicked to Sebastian. “You think you can beat her?”

Sebastian pursed his lips as if mulling the question over. “Hell yeah, I can beat her.”

Azrael laughed. “Okay. I want to see it. We’ve been training for a while now. I want to see how well she’s doing.”

He walked off the mat and stood next to Rebecca, clearly enjoying himself. Lilliah loved how relaxed he was in front of her family and friends. He’d been so uptight when they’d first met.

“You and I have also trained a few times together,” Sebastian reminded him. “Remember those?”

Lilliah chuckled at Sebastian’s joke.

“I remember, but you only turned up twice,” Azrael shot back playfully.

“I might come back after this.” Sebastian jerked his head in Lilliah’s direction. “She’s in the zone today.”

Lilliah was still buzzing. It took a lot more to tire her out these days and she was ready for round two.

“Are you guys going to stand there and talk all day, or are we going to fight?” She took a few steps back. “I’m getting old over here.”

“Ooh.” Sebastian widened his eyes in mock horror. “Okay then, Scarface. Keep it together. I’m ready.”

Lilliah got into her fighting stance. Sebastian jumped around for a minute or two, either joking around or just wasting time. Her eyes flashed to Azrael. His arms were folded over his broad chest, a small smile playing on his lips. Just like every other day, he was wearing all black—his signature style, which suited him perfectly.

Sebastian finally stopped bouncing around. “Ready. Let’s do this.”

He didn’t wait for the count in; he pounced, his fist poised to slam into Lilliah’s face. Lilliah fell back, caught off guard by the sudden attack. She quickly regained her footing and dodged Sebastian’s punch. She deflected his second hit, then his third, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. That’s what Azrael had taught her: don’t rush it, study your opponent and stay alert. They’ll show you their weakness soon enough. She moved quickly, getting the occasional hit in, but mainly stayed on the defensive.

He wasn’t protecting his right side properly. She deflected his attack, moved around him, and threw a hook to his side. He curled over in pain. She moved in again and wrestled him to the floor. Sitting on top of him with her legs locked around his waist, she trapped his head under her arm and applied pressure to his throat. Sebastian would lose consciousness in seconds. She looked up at Azrael. He was watching intently, almost scrutinising her every move, but his eyes were twinkling.

Sebastian flapped his arms around, trying to get out of the hold. Lilliah loosened her grip a little; she honestly didn’t want him to black out.

“What the hell?” Sebastian thrashed again. “Okay, I give up.”

Lilliah released him instantly. “I love beating you.”

Azrael walked over to her and offered her his hand.

“You did well.” He helped her off the floor. “You took your time and waited for the perfect moment. Your strike was strong.”

Lilliah listen and nodded, trying not to smile too hard. That compliment, coming from him, was huge to her. Azrael knew how to fight; he’d been doing it for centuries. Plus, he never said anything he didn’t mean. So that fact that he thought she fought well made Lilliah want to fist-pump the air and then run around and high-five everyone. She didn’t, though; she held it back.

“I wasn’t in the mood to fight,” Sebastian said, going to stand with Rebecca. “You know what I mean?” He looked to Azrael for confirmation and got none. “I feel like you have to be in the zone. I just wasn’t today.”

Lilliah held back her laughter. “Whatever.”

“You’ve gotten good, Lilliah. I bet you’d even give Azrael a run for his money.”

Lilliah whirled around, her mouth agape. “Benedict.”

Benedict Ravensmith was a powerful warlock and the closest thing Azrael had to a friend. Lilliah hadn’t seen him in a month. He’d been away in New York, looking after The Cure. Following Ada Washington’s betrayal, everything had fallen into chaos, and Benedict was trying to set things right.

He moved from the doorway and walked farther into the room. In a pair of dark blue jeans and a black shirt, he was dressed more casually than usual. He looked very relaxed. His beard, however, remained in immaculate condition, as always.

“You look great.” Lilliah walked towards him and reached out to hug him, but stopped. Benedict didn’t seem like the hugging type, so she waved instead.

“Benedict,” Sebastian greeted. Standing next to him, Rebecca gave a wave and a small smile. “About time you got back. Must be boring as hell at The Cure.”

“Sebastian,” Benedict greeted formally. “The Cure isn’t so bad.”

“The people are dicks, though.” Rebecca crossed her arms and snickered at her own joke.

Lilliah felt it when Azrael moved to stand behind her, and turned to look at him. Back in business mode, he wasn’t smiling anymore.

Lilliah turned back to Benedict. “Why are you back?”

Azrael snaked a hand around her waist and pulled her to his chest. Being so close to him normally calmed her nerves, but not this time. She felt on edge; something was wrong. Benedict kept smiling, but his eyes were no longer bright and happy.

“There’s some business I need to take care of,” Benedict replied smoothly.

“Right. I don’t believe you.” She stepped away from Azrael and angled herself to get a better look at their faces. “What’s going on?”

Her eyes bounced between Azrael and Benedict. Sebastian and Rebecca stood silently behind her, eyes glued on the exchange.

“Well, we don’t know wha—”

“Then tell me what you do know,” she said, interrupting Azrael.

Benedict wouldn’t have travelled all the way back from New York for any old
business
. He could say the word and hundreds of young witches and warlocks would fall over themselves to carry out his commands.

“You’ve changed, Lilliah. I like that.” He nodded in Azrael’s direction. “I think he needs someone who can stand up to him.”

Azrael looked amused for a moment but quickly returned to full seriousness. “We’ll talk about this later.”

His eyes flashed over to Sebastian and Rebecca.

“Oh, I saw that,” Sebastian said, pointing at Azrael. “I’m staying right here until you tell me what’s going on. You have me curious. I want to know.”

Rebecca nodded next to him.

“Okay.” Azrael sighed. “There was a fire at a club.”

He studied Lilliah’s face.

She inhaled sharply, eyes widening. The fire from her dream.

“Oh.” Rebecca sounded almost disappointed. Lilliah had told no one about her dreams—no one apart from Azrael. She hadn’t wanted to worry them if it turned out to be nothing. “Was anyone hurt?”

“Yes,” Azrael answered Rebecca but kept looking at Lilliah, his eyes burning into her soul. He knew what this meant, as did she.
Lucifer.

“That’s really sad, but what’s that got to do with you?” Sebastian asked.

“The club was full of vampires and werewolves, even some witches and warlocks.” Benedict cleared his throat before continuing. “I thought it would be best for me to check it out.”

Sebastian still looked apprehensive.

Lilliah didn’t want to worry Sebastian and Rebecca with what she feared might be true and somehow conjured up a fake smile. “I’ll be ready to go in a few minutes.”

                                                          ********

Lilliah stayed back with Sebastian and Rebecca while Benedict and Azrael scoured the burned building. The club was definitely the one from her dreams, and it was located close to Azrael’s apartment, right in the centre of London, which meant one thing: Lucifer knew where they were. Pedestrians walked past her, completely unaware of all the lives that had been lost in the burnt-out building just meters away. A few policemen were still hanging around outside the two main doors, making sure no one went inside. Benedict and Azrael had managed to enter through the back pretty easily. Benedict had told her on the way over that the police had ruled it a technical fault with no injuries. Apparently, when vampires and werewolves burnt, they left no remains. Lilliah shuddered as she looked at the front door. The woman’s face was still so clear in her mind. She had been petrified, and now she was dead.

“How many do you think died in there?” Sebastian dug his hands into his pockets. “It’s so freaky and dark.”

“Yeah.” Lilliah pulled her coat tight around her body. If he only knew of the horrors that had gone on in that club.

Rebecca turned to Lilliah, squinting her eyes at her. “The vampires and werewolves we’ve met were all strong. It’s a little strange that they all died. Couldn’t they have broken out?”