Ruined (The Seraphim Series Book 1) (10 page)

Lilliah slowly lifted her head, her mind unable to process the voice she had just heard. Azrael stood in the open doorway, dressed all in black and completely furious. His hands were casually in his pockets, but his stance and the deadly look in his usually clear blue eyes were anything but casual. She stared silently at him for a moment, unable to stop the intense relief that spread through her.

No! He’s the enemy!
she reminded herself.
He's not here to save you.

“Put her down and I’ll let you live.” His voice was so strong and unwavering as he made the threat that it sent shivers down Lilliah's spine. She really was trapped between two evils, she realised, looking at Rebecca, who had moved closer to Sebastian and was now kneeling by his still-unconscious body.

Lilliah could feel Luke’s grip tighten on her. He wasn’t going to back down. She braced herself, not sure what Azrael would do next.

“You think you could just come here and make threats?” Luke smirked. “I'm not here alone, angel. You’re outnumbered.”

“You mean the woman outside? Or the three men in the car down the street?” Azrael asked without flinching, his eyes solely on Luke. “They’re not going to be a problem. I'd worry more about this, now, if I were you.”

The silence hung in the air; no one was moving or speaking. Lilliah could feel Luke's heart rate pick up, and she could understand why. Azrael had at least a few inches on him. He'd be a terrifying opponent for anyone. Without another word spoken, she was flung in the air as Luke lunged towards Azrael. Before she hit the hard floor, Azrael swooped in, catching her just in time. Blinking in confusion, she looked up at him as he carefully laid her down on the floor.
Why does he keep saving me? Why is he being so nice?

“Fight me, angel,” Luke demanded, panting hard from the other side of the room, his hands fisted and ready for a fight. Raising a gentle hand, Azrael ran the back of his fingers over her injured cheek, his eyes hardening.

“I'm not going to kill you, werewolf,” he promised, standing to face Luke, his eyes narrowing. “Not at first, anyway. You’re going to tell me everything you know about this girl and why you wanted her. Then I'm going to break you down,” he moved forward like a lion stalking his prey. “I’m going to snap every single bone in your body, strip you of all your skin inch by inch, and when you think you can’t handle any more pain and you beg me for death? I'll break you all over again.” His hard jaw was set in a hard line. In one quick movement, Azrael was at the other side of the room, his hand gripping Luke’s throat as he lifted him off the ground.

“I'll never . . . tell you anything,” he stuttered, struggling for breath. “You can't fight me like a man,” he finished, somehow still able to smirk.

Azrael released his grip, letting Luke drop to the floor.

“Take your best shot,” he dared, taking a few steps back.

Not needing to be asked twice, Luke lunged with all he had, fists ready. Azrael quickly and easily deflected each hit, further angering Luke, who began hitting harder and faster. With one quick, hard punch, Azrael sent Luke flying across the room. He smashed into the wall, leaving a crack.

“Mmmmm!” The noise came from a frantic but still gagged Rebecca as she looked at the crack in her aunt and uncle’s wall.
So much for going incognito
.

Slowly and casually, Azrael walked up to Luke, who was still trying to get up off the ground. Grabbing him by the scruff of his neck, Azrael lifted a dazed Luke until they were almost eye-to-eye. “You could fight me for a thousand years and still not get ever get a hit in.” He smiled for a second before swinging another hit, this one leaving Luke unconscious on the floor.

Lilliah watched as Azrael pulled a phone from his trousers and dialled a number, turning to her as it rang.

“Benedict,” he spoke in the receiver, his eyes still on Lilliah. “He's unconscious, and so is Sebastian. I want you to check on them. Bring the dog back to the mansion.” Closing his phone, he slowly walked up to her. The fear she had temporarily forgotten crept back in.

“You’re coming with me,” he ordered.

“Unbind Rebecca,” she demanded, knowing that if he wanted her to go with him she really didn’t stand a chance, but she could at least make sure her friend and brother stood a chance. With raised eyebrows, Azrael stared at Lilliah for a long moment before turning and walking over to Rebecca to untie her.

“She's not going anywhere with you. You bastard!” Rebecca vowed the first moment she could.

“Rebecca, it’s fine,” she tried to assure her friend. It didn’t seem to work.

“What?” she screeched as Azrael ignored everything Rebecca had just said, walking over to pick Lilliah up. “Do not touch her,” Rebecca warned, trying to stand to stop Azrael. “If you hurt one hair on her head, I swear to God, Azrael, I will search this earth for you and when I find you, I’ll find a way to send you straight to Hell.” The room fell silent as Azrael stared, shocked, at Rebecca’s passionate outburst, yet she refused to back down, even under Azrael’s terrifying gaze.

“I want to talk to her for a second,” Lilliah interjected, scared for her friend’s safety.

“Fine,” Azrael spat out, obviously unimpressed. “You have two minutes.”

Lilliah watched silently as he walked out, closing the door behind him.

“Jesus, Lilliah!” Rebecca stressed, walking over to her injured friend. “Have you forgotten something? He wanted to kill you. We were running from him!” she reminded, tears forming in her eyes. “This is real, Lil. He could easily kill you. He’s dangerous!”

“No one would have guessed with the way you just spoke to him,” she said, trying to lighten the mood. “I either go with him willingly, or he will force me.” They both knew it was the truth. “He won’t just kill me. It can’t be as simple as that. Surely if he kills me, I’ll just be reborn again? There’s got to be more to it. There must be.” She shrugged. It was the only theory she had. “But if things do go bad, at least you and Seb will have a chance to get away.”

“You can’t take that chance,” Rebecca whispered.

“What's our other choice?” Rebecca’s shoulders sagged in defeat. “I’ll go with him. You stay here with Seb,” she suggested as Benedict opened the front the door, followed closely by Azrael.

“Time’s up.” He walked up to Lilliah, easily lifting her in his arms, bridal style.

“Sebastian . . .”

“Will follow in another car with Benedict and Rebecca,” he assured her, already walking out the door.

Looking over his shoulder, Lilliah tried to smile reassuringly at a teary-eyed Rebecca, hoping she looked a lot stronger than she felt, because, being in such a vulnerable position with a man who just happened to want kill her, she had never felt so weak in her life.

Chapter 8

They had been driving in silence for about an hour. While Azrael drove, Lilliah looked out the window, wishing she were anywhere else. She wanted to hit, kick, and scream at him; she hated him for his betrayal.
But is it really a betrayal?
He had never promised to look after her or to keep her safe. She had been the fool who had stayed with a complete stranger at a mansion in the middle of nowhere. He had never promised her anything, and yet Lilliah had formed a stupid schoolgirl crush on him. He'd had a plan all along; she was the one who had walked perfectly into it.

“Why did you leave?” After being so long in silence, his voice sounded strange to her.

“You know why,” she replied, gritting her teeth. He obviously didn’t realise she had heard his conversation with Dena.

“If I knew why, I wouldn’t have asked,” he scolded like a teacher would a naughty school child.

“I heard you,” she began, anger coursing through every vein in her body. “I heard you talking to Dena in the hallway,” she finished, turning to look at him, getting even angrier when she saw his blank expression. He didn’t even have the decency to look ashamed or even embarrassed! “I trusted you!” she screamed, almost hysterically, her fear replaced by anger. “I trusted you and you betrayed me. You’re no better than those bloodsucking monsters that took my mum!”

“I am not like them!” he stressed, his jaw locked and his eyes on fire. She had hit a nerve, but she was glad.

“All this time you've been acting the hero, here to help me, and yet you've been planning on killing me all along. I can’t believe I made it so easy for you!” she goaded, her breathing getting faster and faster. “I might as well have walked straight into your house! No questions asked.” She shook her head. “If you want to kill me, just do it! No more of these stupid fucking games!”

“You don't know what you’re talking about.”

Lilliah stared at him, shocked for a moment. Still breathing heavily, she laughed without humour.
“No, Azrael,” she said, wildly shaking her head. “For the first time in two weeks, I know what I’m talking about, and I know what I see.”

Slowly, he turned his head to look at her, his face still unreadable.

“A monster,” she finished. 

The car swerved left, throwing Lilliah against the door.

“You know nothing of monsters!” Azrael roared, his eyes blazing with fury. Losing all the confidence she had just possessed, Lilliah tried frantically to push herself at the car door to be as far away from Azrael as possible. She had seen him fighting earlier; he had been scary then, but now, he was petrifying.

“You think you know everything after hearing one conversation?” he demanded, his eyes focused on her and not on the road. “You know nothing!” he seethed. The car began to slow as they hit the traffic. Seeing her chance, Lilliah opened her door and fell out, hitting the concrete hard.

“Hhhhff,” she moaned, trying desperately to get up despite her injured leg.

The cars on the road beeped and swerved around her. She saw Azrael’s car screech to a stop as she began limping away, realising this probably wasn’t her best idea, but thankful there were so many cars on the road at this time of morning. She scanned the road, praying to see the car Rebecca and Sebastian were in, but she couldn't. With a quick glance back, she saw Azrael walking towards her, looking pissed.

“Help me!” she screamed, completely out of ideas. “Please, he's after me!” she sobbed, trying to recreate her favourite horror movie scene.

“Are you okay?” a guy asked, stepping out of his car, his eyes widening when he saw her leg.

“No. Please, that man, he's trying to kill me,” she almost fell on the stranger when she reached him.

“Lilliah,” Azrael commanded. “Stop this. Come here.”

“Look, fella, the lady doesn’t want to go with you. She's injured. Just leave her alone, okay?” The stranger put a protective arm around her. Lilliah could tell he was scared, and one look at the seething Azrael told her why. “I'll call the police,” he warned when Azrael carried on walking forward.

Did I put this poor man's life in danger?
Lilliah panicked. Surely Azrael wouldn’t kill an innocent man, would he? She closed her eyes tightly, knowing that if Azrael came any closer, she'd have to go to him; she couldn’t put an innocent man's life at risk.

“Look, mate . . .”

Lilliah was suddenly jolted, and when she opened her eyes, all she could see was Azrael.

“What the hell?” she whispered almost to herself, frantically looking around. They weren’t on the road anymore, but surrounded by trees. Just the two of them.

“Did you hurt him?” she demanded, trying to hobble backwards.

“No. Just stop moving. You’re going to hurt your leg.” He took a small step towards her.

“Get away from me!” she screamed, losing her balance and falling to the ground.

“Did he see you?” she asked, remembering what Benedict had told her about the magical world being kept secret.

“No,” he assured her. “It was too fast.”

“How did you even find us so fast?”

“You insult me.” He smiled, taking a step towards her once more.

“Stay away from me,” she warned, trying to shuffle away.

“I'm not going to kill you.” He was holding his hands up and crouching down so he was eye-to-eye with her.

“Don't lie to me. I heard what you said to Dena. I heard every word.” It hurt her to see him this close, for him to be pretending that he cared.

“Just stop for a moment. I promise you, I will not hurt you.” His eyes were wide and unsure, the normally clear blue turning a darker shade. “Please,” he begged. Even now Lilliah still found him attractive and hated herself for it. “I have been searching for you for years,” he told her. “I was trying to find you”—he breathed in deep, watching her face closely—“so I could use your blood to open Heaven.”

His words shook her, feeling like a knife to her heart.

“Oh, my God! It’s true. You really want to kill me.” She began to panic again.

“Calm down.” Azrael tried moving towards her, but she kicked his hand away with her good leg.

“Why don’t you just do it?” she yelled. “Why don’t you just kill me already? What are you waiting for?”

“I don’t know,” he yelled, shooting back to his feet and taking a few steps away from her. “You think I have all the answers?” he asked, still yelling, his eyes glued to her face. “I don't know what’s happening to me.”

“Well, you know more than me!” she cut in.

He didn’t answer, just stared.

“For years, all I have ever wanted was to kill you,” he said bluntly, the words hitting her hard, like a physical blow. “Then when I caught you, when you fell in the road, everything changed.”

She scowled. “You’re just telling me what I want to hear!”

“You think this is easy for me?” he asked, his anger still visible. “I have done nothing but hunt you for years, centuries even!” he fumed. “Now suddenly, after one touch, I change my mind? For a reason even I don’t understand?” he asked, raising his voice. “Everyone knew what I wanted, what I was after you for. Do you think I want to look this weak?” he asked, not really expecting an answer. “Everyone now knows that the girl I was planning on killing is now living in my mansion and under my protection!”

“That’s all you care about?” she asked, astonished. “What people think of you?”

“No,” he gritted out

“Then what?” she demanded. 

“In my head, I know what I need to do. I know the plan was to kill you. In my head, I know that,” he said, pointing to his head. “But my body?” He shook his head. “My body wants to protect you. My body”—he slammed his hand into his chest, just about where his heart was; she wasn’t sure whether the action was deliberate—“wants to protect you from everything. Even if it means protecting you from
me
.”

She didn’t say anything. She couldn’t. Instead, she just watched as Azrael started again.

“I have killed anything and anyone who has stood in my way for centuries. Yet for some reason, I can’t bring myself to kill the one person who I’ve wanted to kill above everyone else. I don’t understand what this is. I don’t understand it, and I can’t control it,” he said, moving so he was standing in front of her again. “I fought for no one but myself until I saw that mark on your skin.” He slowly kneeled again, his eyes scanning her bruised cheek. “Even when I was in the war, I never wanted to hurt anyone as badly as I wanted to hurt him,” he said, referring to Luke. “I will make him pay for this.”

Lilliah wasn’t sure who moved first, but before she knew it, they were kissing. What started off sweet quickly grew heated, with Azrael pulling her close to him. She wasn’t sure if she should be enjoying it as much as she was, but Lilliah couldn’t control herself. His hot mouth against hers and the pressing of his hard, muscled body against her softer curves was enough to drive her crazy. Slowly, she snaked her hands through his hair, knotting her hands in it and pulling. 

After another deep kiss, Azrael pulled away but still kept her tight against his body. “That was a long time coming.” He smirked.

“Yeah,” she agreed, trying to get her heavy breathing under control as her eyes stayed on his lips. They were red and swollen. Did hers look the same?

“I don’t think it’s possible for me to hurt you,” he shared quickly, moving a stray piece of hair from her face. They stayed that for way for a few more minutes, kissing and holding onto each other.

“We need to get back to the house,” Azrael finally said, tightening his grip around her as he stood.

“Are we going back to the mansion?” she asked, locking her arms around his neck.

“Yes. Now close your eyes.”

Lilliah closed her eyes, feeling the cold wind hit her as he ran; it took less than a second before he stopped and they were back at his abandoned car.

“Why do you even drive when you can move that fast?” she asked as he helped her into the passenger’s seat, minding her injured leg.

“I like driving.” He shrugged, getting into the driver’s seat.

“You know”—she turned to look at him—“just because I kissed you, doesn’t mean I trust you.”

“I hear that’s how girls are nowadays. Just kissing any old guy.” He smirked. “But you will trust me. Over time.” He winked as the car purred to life.

“Maybe.” She yawned, sitting back and letting the rocking of the car lull her to sleep.

                                                             ************

“What are you doing?” After watching Benedict for almost an hour, Lilliah couldn’t hold her curiosity in any more. He'd been attending to her injured leg, using different creams and lotions before wrapping it in white cloths. “Are you using magic?”

“No. Your body’s healing so quickly on its own that I don’t need to,” he told her, not looking up from her leg. “I’ve never seen Azrael injured before, so I’ve never had the opportunity to examine him. It’s amazing. Does it hurt?” he asked, his eyes gleaming.

“No,” she answered honestly. “It hurt last night, but not now.” Her hand slowly rose to her cheek. The bruise had completely vanished.

“Have you always healed this quickly?” he asked, taking one last look at her leg.

“I guess so.” She thought for a moment. “But I guess I've never really been injured before.”

“Right.” Benedict nodded. “You should be all healed and back on your feet in the next couple of hours.” He stood and started gathering all his things that were spread out all over the room.

“Can Azrael even get hurt?” She sat up, tying her hair back into a loose bun.

“Yes. But not by anything on this earth. The only thing that could kill or hurt an angel is another angel.”

“I’m an angel, but I still get hurt,” she pointed out.

“But you can’t remember being an angel.” He turned to look at her. “Your body’s starting to remember, though.” He pointed to her leg. “Rest, Lilliah. You’re safe here.” He ran his hands over his face, rubbing his beard.

Lilliah had never been a fan of man hair, on the chest or face; she had always thought it made guys look scruffy and homeless. But on Benedict, it looked groomed and clean. His eyes were a deep shade of brown, his skin a few shades lighter than Azrael’s. Was it okay for her to like him? Could he have known about Azrael’s plans to kill her? Had he been in on them?

“I wouldn’t call it safe,” she said. “But I guess it’ll have to do.” She watched for his reaction.

“He won’t hurt you, Lilliah.” A guilty look crossed his face, but he recovered quickly. “He would have at one point, but not now.” With a quick, sincere smile, he headed out the room.

“Why do you look so sad? What did he say to you?” Rebecca demanded, standing in the doorway that Benedict had just walked out of. She was still furious.

“Nothing. I like Benedict.” She flung her legs off the side of the bed and stood, stretching.

“Yeah, he’s pretty cool. I like his beard. You can tell he puts a lot of time into it. I respect that.” Lilliah laughed as Rebecca jumped on the bed where she had been sitting. “But you’re okay, though, right?”