Ruthless (The Seraphim Series Book 2) (27 page)

“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 the 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?”

She knew the others had met him briefly. He’d helped them in his own drunken way when Ada had tried to kill everyone. That seemed so long ago, even though in reality, it had only been a few months.

“The werewolf? Of course. That guy is a living, breathing Captain Jack Sparrow, but better dressed.” Sebastian rubbed his chin and smiled. 

“Yeah, him.” Lilliah smiled too. “Well, his uncle kind of runs the werewolves.”

“Martin. I know him. Good man. He and Azrael have done business for years,” Benedict said. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

“I met him at his offices. It was so freaky, but they had all the werewolves in the back. They were all boxed up and safe. He said he was moving them or something.” Lilliah waved it off. The finer details were slipping her mind, and she didn’t want the others to be put off by it. “You should have seen the way he cared for them and protected them. They aren’t just stone. I really think that with the right spell, we could bring them back.”

Once again, the room fell silent. Lilliah watched everyone closely as they processed the implications of what she had said. Bringing the statutes back to life could change everything.

Caleb surprised Lilliah by speaking first. “I say we give it a shot.”

“Me too. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?” Iris agreed, lightly clapping her hands together.

“Yeah, we say go for it. What other choice do we really have?” Rebecca said, speaking for her and Sebastian. He didn’t seem to mind, and he pulled her closer to his side.

Lilliah turned to look at Benedict, begging him with her eyes to give it a try.

“How do you propose we go about waking these statues?” he asked, his eyes trained solely on her.

“I don’t know. With magic? I mean we do have the Holy Grail, after all.” She pointed to the table where the Grail had once sat.

Benedict had had it hidden away safely, probably to stop it from getting broken or lost or used as a mug, because that was all it had been good for so far.

Benedict gave in. “We could give it a try. I’ll make some calls.”

Lilliah wanted to squeal with delight. He trusted her. He believed in what she was saying enough to really give it a go. She stopped herself from hugging him as he stood. It had happened once, and she really didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable.

“How long will that take? What do we do now?” Sebastian’s gaze bounced from person to person. Even though the bruises on his face had barely healed, he was craving more action.

“It will take a few days. I suggest everyone rests, and go and see your families. Just be safe and stay low. The odds of Lucifer attacking are minimal. There are reports of him in Africa, recruiting more souls for his army. I doubt he will have time to come back to taunt Lilliah.”

“What about Azrael?” Rebecca winced and looked over at Lilliah. “Sorry, Lil, but it’s true. What do we do if he comes back?”

“If you see Azrael, run. None of you can fight him and win. Just get out of there as fast as you can.” Those were Benedict’s parting words as he left the room, already pulling his phone from his trouser pocket.

“I don’t know. The way Lilliah’s been fighting, I’d say she has a shot.” Sebastian winked at her.

“Maybe.” Lilliah stood, suddenly dog-tired.

Just hearing Azrael’s name reminded her that he wasn’t here helping. It reminded her that he was the enemy—her enemy. Even after all these weeks, it still didn’t sound right.

“I’m going to get some sleep.” She lifted her hand in a half wave and headed down the hall to her small bedroom.

The room wasn’t even really hers. They’d all been sharing it and taking turns sleeping on the bed. Since losing Jeremy, everyone had let Lilliah and Rebecca have the bed, most likely so they wouldn’t have to hear them crying at night.

Lilliah fell on the bed and immediately drifted off to dream of her favourite memory of Azrael.

The creak of her door opening woke Lilliah. She shot up in the bed, squinting at the light.

“Hey, chill out. It’s just me.” Rebecca held up her hands.

Lilliah stretched out, twisting her neck side to side. “How long have I been asleep for?”

“Hours. You slept all night. Dude, you were like the living dead or something.” Rebecca sat beside her on the bed. “I slept here last night, and I bet you didn’t even notice.”

Lilliah shook her head. She’d had no clue. But she felt good. Better than she had in days. “I must have needed it.” She threw back the covers and started getting ready. After everything that had happened yesterday, she knew there had to be a lot to do today.

A loud male voice boomed from outside and Lilliah stopped. “Who else is here?”

“It seems like everyone is. I have no idea how he does it without getting dark circles under his eyes, but Benedict didn’t sleep last night. He was busy.” Rebecca stretched out on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

Lilliah tiptoed over to the door, as if they could hear her footsteps, and opened the door a crack. “Who’s
everyone
?” she whispered while listening in on the loud conversation outside.

“Maliki, his uncle, and a few of their guys, as well as some vampire chick. She arrived in a blacked-out limo and all the curtains are closed.” Rebecca snorted. “A few of her guys are here too.”

“What?” Lilliah spun around and grabbed a pair of discarded jeans from the floor. How had she missed so much? “Has Benedict told them about the spell? What do they think?”

Rebecca sat up on her elbows and watched Lilliah rushing around the room. “From what I can tell, they like it, but the vampires and werewolves are arguing about which one should go first. I think they’re afraid the spell will backfire and accidentally kill their loved ones instead of resurrecting them.”

Lilliah shoved on a creased top and pushed her hair back. She didn’t care that she looked a mess. She needed to be part of this conversation as soon as possible.

“Has Benedict found a spell that could work?” Lilliah walked towards the door. Why hadn’t anyone woken her sooner? But she didn’t voice that question. She was awake now, and she had way more important questions to ask.

“You’ll have to ask him.” Rebecca pushed herself off the bed. “Come on then. Let’s go to the madhouse.”

They left the room and walked down the corridor, the voices getting louder with every step they took.

A woman’s high-pitched voice rang out above the rest. “I refuse to put our elders in that situation. This spell is new and unclear.”

“But you expect me to put my elders in danger? I don’t think so, Amelia. That is not how compromising works.” Martin stood up and Lilliah saw that he was wearing the same light brown trousers she remembered so well from their first meeting. His jacket was sprawled over a nearby chair.

Maliki was standing just behind him, arms folded and watching the argument with a bored but amused look on his face. His eyes lit up when they fell on Lilliah.

“Well, look who it is. Even with your hair like that, you are still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” He walked over to her, his trademark three-piece suit in immaculate condition.

“Hello, Maliki,” she greeted, holding back her smile.

“It’s terrible about Azrael. The worst. But don’t worry, we’ll get him back.” He winked, casually putting a hand in his pocket. He looked calmer than Lilliah remembered, more in control. But then the soft smell of whiskey drifted to her nostrils, reminding her that Maliki was still Maliki.

“I know we will.”

He then looked at Rebecca. “And of course, you look divine. And colourful, as always.”

Rebecca pulled at her bright orange top. “Not a lot of people could pull this off,” she joked.

Lilliah moved past him to greet the others. Martin nodded his greeting. The vampire woman, Amelia, looked her up and down before giving her a small nod.

“Glad you could join us, Lilliah.” Benedict gestured to a seat next to him. “We were trying to iron out the smaller details of your idea.”

“And what an amazing idea it is too,” Martin cut in.

“We all agree it is our best chance at defeating Lucifer and his pathetic followers. But we have yet to agree which race will go first.” Amelia’s voice was clear and crisp, her posh English accent reminding everyone that she was above them.

“As I said, we’ll try the spell on one group consisting of both werewolves and vampires, and I assure you, no one will die.”

Amelia tut-tutted. “You should know by now not to promise such things, Benedict. But if those are the terms, then I agree. The vampires will take part.”

Lilliah turned to Martin, who was rubbing his sweaty cheek. “If those are the terms, then I also agree. The werewolves will take part.”

Amelia stood. Two men Lilliah hadn’t seen until now stepped forward to meet her. “Then it is settled. The spell will take place on neutral ground, which Benedict will choose. And I swear my kind will not attack your dogs.”

With one more glance in Lilliah’s direction, Amelia walked out of the room, leaving everyone in stunned silence.

“Dogs?” Martin repeated.

“Leave it, Uncle. She’s gone now, and she’s agreed to take part.”

Despite Maliki’s reassurances, Martin was growing redder in the face by the minute. “That vile woman makes it sound as if she’s doing us a favour,” he spat, still staring at the closed door.

Maliki moved around the room, opening the closed curtains. “I hear her time is nearly up and the vampires are already looking for her replacement.”

Martin chuckled and rubbed his stomach through his off-white shirt. “Good. I’ve had enough of that woman to last me two lifetimes.”

“So that’s it?” Lilliah asked Benedict, while still watching and smiling at Martin and Maliki. The room slowly began to fill with natural light again as Maliki open the curtains.

Benedict breathed in. “I’ve been working on the spell all night. I know what we need to do.” Lilliah watched him stand up and walk over to a nearby cupboard. He knelt down and opened it. “I’ve been harnessing the magic from The Grail, but I actually think you are the key to the spell, Lilliah.”

Maliki and Martin both sucked in air as Benedict turned around.

“Please, lord, tell me that isn’t what I think it is?” Martin took a small step forward, his arm stretched out slightly and his eyes wide with wonder.