Ruthless (The Seraphim Series Book 2) (26 page)

Chapter 22

A week had passed since Lilliah had had her dream. An entire week since Jeremy had died. They’d gone to his funeral and had cried with his family. Benedict hadn’t wanted them to go, saying it could have been a trap.

“He’s our best friend. We need to be there. We need to say goodbye,” Rebecca had told him. She had looked so determined and so heartbroken that even Benedict couldn’t refuse her.

Jeremy’s sister and his older brother had had to hold up their mother at the gravesite. Rebecca and Lilliah had held each other up. Rebecca had been Lilliah’s rock, constantly by her side. They’d cried together when Lilliah had told her about Jeremy’s last moments.

“It’s my fault,” she’d sobbed. “He killed Jeremy because of me. He was teaching me a lesson.”      

Rebecca had wiped away her own tears while holding Lilliah’s hand. “It’s not your fault. You have to listen to me. Lucifer did this. He killed Jeremy. He didn’t do it because of you. He did it because he’s evil.”

Lilliah had heard what Rebecca was saying, but she still couldn’t shake the guilt. Lucifer had chosen Jeremy because he could find him, because she hadn’t thought of putting him under the spell. She’d left him wide open for the most evil man in existence to find. No matter which way she looked at it, his death had been her fault.

Lilliah stood in front of her mirror, out of bed and dressed, with dark circles below her eyes. She couldn’t sleep, and when she did, it was only for an hour at a time. She was too afraid Lucifer would return, because she knew he would. She knew Jeremy’s death wasn’t the end.

So after what felt like days of crying, Lilliah turned her anger to something else. Something more productive.

Each day she sat on the floor of her room and practised using her powers. She closed her eyes and remembered the feeling in her stomach, the pressure building bit by bit. Then it would vanish. And she’d start again. Each time she did it, the feeling of power lasted that little bit longer. Lilliah knew she was getting close, but it needed to be faster.

People had come in to check on her, everyone asking her how she was, and she replied to them all the same way.

“I’m fine. Any news on Lucifer?”

And each answer was the same. “Not that I know of.” They either didn’t want to tell her, or Lucifer had gone into hiding. Then they would leave. Sebastian had tried to sit with her for a while, just like he had done when she had been crying.

“I don’t want you to overdo it,” he had said, grabbing her hand and holding it tightly as they both sat on the floor, their backs resting on the side of the bed.

“I’m not,” she had told him honestly. To her, it felt like she was doing nothing while everyone worked around her. “I thought I’d have them back by now. Why is this taking so long?”

“Your powers are coming back,” he reminded her gently. “I was talking to Benedict and Caleb, and they said trying to control your powers could take years.”

Years. Lilliah shuddered at the word. She didn’t have years. She barely had days.

Sebastian had decided to leave her to it, as he put it. But he came in to check on her with food every few hours. Just like everyone else.

The only other person who stayed in the room with Lilliah was Rebecca. She would lie on the bed and not speak as Lilliah practised. Lilliah didn’t find her presence annoying or off-putting; instead, it helped. It was as if she could draw from Rebecca’s sadness as well as her own.

But Rebecca wasn’t with Lilliah now; Lilliah was alone and her powers still weren’t working. She stood up and stretched her legs. She could hear the others in the living room. Benedict’s voice boomed over everyone else’s.
Benedict
. That was who she needed.

Taking a deep breath, she walked out of the room for the first time in days. Nobody stopped talking, but they all acknowledged she was there with a single nod or a look. Caleb and Iris were sitting on the sofa, and Benedict was walking around, papers in hand. Rebecca was in the kitchen, leaning on the counter and staring off into space, with Sebastian by her side and the kettle boiling in the background.

Lilliah walked over to sit on the sofa. “Benedict? Any news?”

“He’s been busy, all right.” Benedict handed her a pile of papers.

Lilliah flicked through them, just reading the names at the top.

“They’re all e-mails I’ve received over the past week from werewolves, vampires, witches, and warlocks. They all want protection from Lucifer.” Benedict crouched down in front of her until they were at eye level. “If you’re not ready for this, then just let me know. I told Rebecca the same. We can do this without you for a little while longer.”

Lilliah shook her head. She needed to know more—maybe it would help with her own training? Lucifer had to be found and sent back to Hell before he could kill anyone else.

“I told you, we’re both ready,” Rebecca answered for her. She walked from the kitchen carrying two cups of tea. “We just need to know what to do.”

“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.