Ruined (The Seraphim Series Book 1) (21 page)

“Jealous?” he repeated the word, laughing. “Jealous,” he said again, smiling. “I guess I am.”

“You don’t need to be.” She turned to him, smiling. She couldn't blame him for being jealous. She had been feeling that exact way about Dena, and Dena hadn't been texting him constantly like Jeremy was texting her.  

“So how do you know Edna?” She’d been trying to figure out their relationship all night, and since they were in a sharing mood, now seemed like a good time to ask. She could tell it had never been a sexual relationship, but he was close to her, which she found strange.

“I've been working with Edna's family for years now. I’ve known her since she was a little girl. And when her mother was a little girl and so on,” Azrael told her, quickly changing lanes.

“That must be so strange,” Lilliah replied, “seeing her grow up and her seeing you as she grew up, but you not changing at all.”

“Her family knows what I am,” Azrael told her, smiling. “Her great-grandfather, Andrew, was a struggling farmer. He got into some trouble with the man who owned the land his house was built on. Well, long story short, the man was a vampire—a vampire who tried to cross me. I killed him, thus saving Andrew,” he explained.

“So you've known the family ever since?”

“Yes. Andrew was very grateful. I didn't do it for him, but he came in handy. I gave them a house on my land, and in return, they worked for me, doing odd jobs and garden work mostly,” he explained. “They have always known about our world but stayed out of it as much as possible. I respected that. But when Edna's mother fell in love with a warlock, a very powerful warlock, they blamed me.”

“They blamed you?” Lilliah asked, confused.

“Because I introduced them. Edmund was at the house one day, and they met and fell instantly in love.”

“That's very romantic.”

“Her family didn't see it that way. They saw me as a child from their God and him as a child of Satan.” He let out a little laugh while keeping his eyes on the road as he changed lanes. “If they only knew.”

“So what happened? Did her family forbid her to see him? Like Romeo and Juliet?”

“You really do like your tragic love stories, don't you?” He laughed, glancing over to see her nod. She had always been a sucker for a sad love story.

“They tried to forbid them, but Edmund wasn’t the type of man you could tell what to do. They married in the chapel on my estate.”

“I'm glad they didn’t listen. In stories like that, the parents never know what's good for their children. They never understand.”

“Well, her parents left, refusing to even look at her. They never spoke again.”

“It’s a little dramatic.” She rolled her eyes as she turned more to look at him.

“She didn’t mind. All she cared about was being with Edmund, and he with her.”

“So they lived happily ever after?” She knew there wasn’t such a thing in real life, but surely their love story deserved it?

“No,” he replied, giving her a sad smile. “Edmund was in The Cure at the time. He wanted to change it. He said it was becoming too much about the mortal world and not enough about the magical one. A lot of people disagreed. He came to me when his wife was pregnant, asking for my protection.”

Azrael was looking straight ahead, his eyes turning cold at the memory.

“So you protected them?” Lilliah hedged softly, putting her hand on top of his.

“Yes. Edmund had been helping me track you for years, so I owed him that much. But just his wife and unborn child.” He sighed. “Edmund was too proud a man to be under another man's protection. Plus, it would have been of no use. We both saw it coming. He had too many enemies.”

“But surely they could have run away?” Lilliah suggested, frowning.

“The people who were after him would never have stopped. They saw him as a major threat. A threat they didn’t like. And Edmund understood that as long as his wife and child were with him, they'd be in danger too.”

“So what did he do?” she pressed.

“I took his family far away. He stayed and died.” They both sat in silence for a moment.

Lilliah quickly wiped a stray tear that had leaked down her cheek. “That's really sad,” she muttered after a moment.

“Not for him,” Azrael told her, turning his hand to hold hers. “For his family, he'd have done anything. It was a sacrifice he gladly made.” They had pulled up outside a row of shops, just behind Benedict's Range Rover. She hadn’t even realised where they were.

“So he died,” she stated simply. It really was a tragic love story.

“Yes. But his family lived. I provided for his wife and child, just as I will for his grandchildren.” He slowly brought her hand to his lips, gently kissing her knuckles. “Dry your eyes, beautiful. We have shopping to do.”

They had been shopping all morning, and Lilliah was well and truly exhausted. She stood in front of a mirror, examining herself as she tried on another pair of jeans. Shopping for clothes had never been her thing; she just didn’t see the point. Rebecca, however, was having the time of her life.

“Oooh,” Rebecca squealed, flinging the curtain of the dressing room open. “Have you seen these shoes?” she asked, pointing her foot down to give Lilliah a better view. The blue heels were gorgeous, and very high.

“They are nice.” Lilliah smiled, turning back to her reflection. “But when would you wear them?”

“When wouldn’t I wear them, more like?” She laughed, sitting on the small stool in the corner of the dressing room. “I mean, just look at them,” she exclaimed. “It’s times like these I know there's a God.” She giggled.

“Please. You have enough high-heeled shoes back at home. What do you think of these jeans?”

“Another pair of jeans?” Rebecca asked, rolling her eyes as she looked at the other three pairs on the floor. “Azrael has basically given us free reign over his credit card and all you've chosen so far are two pairs of jeans, a few hoodies, plain tops, and a load of underwear? Not even sexy underwear, but plain cotton underwear?”

“I'm just picking the stuff I’ll need. I don't want to spend too much of his money.” She shrugged. “And we need underwear!” she justified, mortified that Rebecca was even commenting on them.

“Yeah, I know.” Rebecca laughed. “It was that time of month the other day, and well, let's just say Benedict wasn't too happy about going to the shop.” Both girls giggled.

“I know.” Lilliah laughed. “I used yours. I'm so glad I didn't have to ask.” They broke out into a fit of laughter.

“But honestly, I will repay him. I already told him I’ll pay him back when I get my credit card.” Lilliah told her friend once the laugher had died down.

“The man has too much money.” Rebecca shrugged, still smiling. “I offered to buy my own too, but he just wouldn’t hear any of it and basically thrust his credit card into my hand.”

Being given a credit card with an unlimited balance wasn’t anything new for Rebecca. It’s what her parents had been giving her since she was old enough to know how to use it. It was their way of making up for all the time they spent away. A complete contrast to Lilliah’s life, as her mother kept a tight rein on all her money, refusing to give her and Sebastian too much in case they spent it all.

“Do you still have your credit card?” Lilliah asked. She wasn’t sure what Rebecca had managed to save from the burning house.

“Yeah.” She nodded easily. “Did I tell you my dad called because I hadn't used it in a while?” She smirked, shaking her head. “I guess that's how they'd find out if I were ever murdered or something. My credit card wouldn’t be used.”

Lilliah smiled down at her friend. It would have been so easy for Rebecca to have turned into a pampered princess with all the money her parents threw at her. But instead, she had learnt to look after herself from a young age, not depending on anyone and ignoring the constant stream of nannies who came to look after her. “I told them we'd gone away for a few weeks on a girly holiday. They hope we're having a lovely time in France.”

“They'd know if something had happened to you, though.” Lilliah frowned, but honestly, she wasn’t so sure. Rebecca barely spoke to her parents when they were on tour. Her dad claimed it made him lose his concentration.

“Maybe, maybe not,” she said, looking up. “So are you going to get more than just those jeans and plain tops?”

 Eventually, Lilliah gave up and let Rebecca choose a few clothes for her, deciding it was better than constantly arguing with her.

“See,” Rebecca said, walking in with yet another pile of clothes, “that dress looks amazing on you. Your legs look drop-dead gorgeous.”

Lilliah had to agree. She did look amazing in the red skater dress that Rebecca had picked for her.

“But when will I wear it?” she asked, standing on her tiptoes to get a better look in the mirror.

“Sleep in it if you have to.” They both giggled as Lilliah got undressed to try on the new clothes. “What are the boys doing?” she asked as she tried to squeeze her head into a small top, already deciding she didn’t like it.

“Benedict and Seb are sitting down, and Azrael is getting chatted up by the sales lady.”

“What?” Lilliah squealed, almost losing her balance as she pulled the top over her head.

“Jesus.” Rebecca laughed, steadying her friend. “Calm down. He's not paying her any attention. It's kind of funny really.”

Lilliah carefully peered out from behind the curtain. Rebecca was right; the brunette saleswoman was practically falling over herself to get Azrael’s attentions, twirling her hair around her fingers. “Oh, please. Look at her. I hate it when girls do that.” She smirked bitterly. “She’s so obvious.” She was very beautiful, Lilliah acknowledged, trying to get a better look.

“Yeah, I know. But he's so not interested.” Rebecca shrugged, confidently sitting on her seat.

“Mm-hmm,” Lilliah murmured, deciding now was probably a good time to make an appearance. “I'm ready. Let’s go.”

“Finally!” Sebastian exclaimed when she pulled the curtain back. “How long does it take to try on clothes?”

“You can’t rush these things,” Rebecca replied, smiling sweetly while walking towards the counter, all her purchases in hand. “It really does take time to look this good,” she joked.

“Did you get everything?” Azrael smiled, walking towards her, leaving the saleswoman confused and annoyed.

“I think so,” she replied, smiling back and getting to her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss, spying the fuming saleswoman out the corner of her eye. “But I will pay you back,” she whispered as she put the clothes down.  She hated people buying stuff for her; it just didn’t seem right when she had the money to buy it herself. As soon as she got her bankcards back, she’d repay him.

“I'm insulted.” He smirked, handing the cashier his card without even looking at the amount. “Do you think I can’t afford to buy you clothes?” he asked, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“No. It’s not that,” she quickly explained. “It doesn’t matter how much money you have, you still shouldn’t have to buy me, my brother, or my friend clothes. That's crazy.”

“Oh,
sir
,” the brunette shop assistant said with a smile, swaying her hips as Azrael finished paying.

“Yes?” Azrael sighed impatiently as everyone stood to leave.

“Please take my card,” she said, biting her lip and not even looking in Lilliah's direction, “in case you need anything else from the store.”

With a quick jerk of his head, Azrael grabbed Lilliah's hand, leading her out of the shop before she could combust with rage.

“She actually wrote her number down for you!” Lilliah realised, noticing the number written down in blue ink.

“Who cares?” He shrugged, dropping it on the floor.

“I can’t believe that just happened!” Lilliah fumed. “That was so unprofessional.”

“Baby,” he replied, pulling her to him, smirking, “you really have no need to be jealous.” He had repeated the words she had said to him earlier.

She knew he was laughing at her, but she just couldn’t help it. This wasn’t like the Jeremy situation. Why did every woman have to find him so attractive? Why did really attractive women have to find him so attractive?

“She's nothing compared to you,” Azrael murmured into her hair.

She smiled and hugged him tightly.

Chapter 18

“So where are we meeting that guy tonight?” Rebecca asked, putting the last touches of her make-up on while looking in the mirror.

“Just some club I guess. Azrael never really said,” Lilliah said, putting on her new leather jacket. They had travelled back to London after their shopping trip and were now staying at Azrael’s Mayfair apartment. It was a complete contrast to the old-fashioned mansion they had been staying at before. The apartment was sleek and new, very modern and huge.

“Do you think what I'm wearing is okay then?” Rebecca asked, turning. They had both decided to dress in black to blend in a little more. Rebecca had chosen a pair of black leggings and a dark printed top, with black ankle boots. “I want to be able to blend in anywhere, you know. Be one of the people,” she said.

“Yeah. I think you look great,” Lilliah replied, grabbing her shoulder bag. She glanced in the mirror; the pair of skinny black jeans she had chosen did look good on her, and paired with the simple leather jacket, she had to admit, for once in her life, that she looked cool.

“Okay, let’s go.”

Sebastian was waiting for them outside their bedroom, looking smart in a black dress shirt.

“Why are we all wearing black?” Lilliah smirked playfully.

“I look great in black.” He scowled lightly, taking a beaming Rebecca's hand in his. “Does it make me look like Azrael?” he asked, playfully wiggling his eyebrows.

“No.” She shook her head, walking into the dining room where she could hear Azrael talking.

“We’re ready,” Lilliah announced with a smile, holding her arms out so he could get a better view of what she was wearing. He had paid for it, after all.

“You realise we're not going tonight to party, don't you?” Azrael asked as they all piled into the small elevator.

“Yeah, I know.”

The truth was, getting ready had taken her mind off what they were about to do. The werewolf they were about to meet, Maliki, knew where her mother was. What if they got her back tonight? What if she was close? All the questions spinning through her mind would drive her crazy if she let them.

Azrael led them to a sleek, black Range Rover. “The club will be mostly full of vampires and werewolves,” he explained as he got in the driver’s side, with Benedict getting in on the passenger’s side. “None of them will bother any of you. But you have to stay with Benedict while I go and speak to him, okay?”

“Why did he want to meet there?” Sebastian asked, deliberately not agreeing to stay with Benedict. “You would have thought he'd want to meet somewhere a little more private.”

“It is a little strange. I think he has ulterior motives. He's a gambler, and from what I hear, he owes a lot of money to a lot of people.”

A gambler?
Lilliah frowned as Benedict talked. Was he really trustworthy enough to help them find her mother?

“Do you think he's telling the truth?” Lilliah asked. “Do you think he actually knows where Mum is?”

“He knows something,” Azrael told her confidently. “He wouldn’t dare lie.”

The club was a complete contrast to Purgatory. It was darker, dirtier, and jam-packed with people. But no one seemed to mind as they danced, grinding themselves against each other to the beat of the music. She kept a tight hold of Azrael’s hand as he led them through the throng of people. She could feel their eyes on her, curious and watching. They could tell she was fallen; Azrael had told her they could sense their power. They knew who she was. They all recognised Azrael immediately; she could hear their excited whispers as they made way to let him pass.

He really is a legend in this world,
she thought as she felt Rebecca reach to hold her hand, not wanting to lose her in the crowd. Lilliah saw that a few people had stopped dancing when they saw Sebastian and Rebecca; their shocked expressions were almost comical. Most of them had probably never seen a demon before, as most of them were securely locked away in hell. But to see a demon with not one but two angels and a human? It must have been unheard of.

“It can’t be,” she could lip-read people saying.

She almost stopped breathing as she saw a man heading in Sebastian’s direction. Benedict stepped forward before he could get too close; a warning look was all it took for him to turn on his heels and head in the opposite direction. Sebastian, however, was completely oblivious to what had happened. He was more interested in the club and the music.

“Azrael,” a voice boomed over the music.

Lilliah looked as a light-haired man walked towards them, a drink in hand. He looked completely out of place in his smart, dark blue, three-piece suit against the dirty backdrop of the club. It didn’t seem to bother him though, as he walked up to meet them, a huge grin on his face, either completely oblivious to the stares they were receiving or just plainly ignoring them.

“For a moment there, I thought you weren’t coming,” he said, his eyes drifting to Lilliah and then on to Sebastian behind her. “And you brought her, and a demon,” he said, sounding a little perplexed. “That’s a little strange,” he stated, frowning. “But then again, what business is it of mine what company you keep?” He shrugged, turning back to Azrael, who didn’t look happy.

“Exactly. Now do you have a private booth we can go in?” Azrael asked, getting straight to the point. Even with the noise of the music, Azrael’s voice rang crystal clear.

“Yes, of course.” Maliki led the way, leaving the rest of the club patrons to their whispering about why the angel Azrael would want to talk to the werewolf Maliki.

“What do you know about her mother?” Azrael asked simply once they were all seated. “Who has her?”

“Hello.” Maliki turned to Lilliah, stretching out his hand and completely ignoring Azrael’s question. “I’m Maliki. You must be Lilliah.”

She nodded mutely as she shook his hand.

“It really is an honour to meet you. You are just as beautiful as they say.” His smile wasn’t creepy. Rather, it was more comforting.

“Thank you,” she replied, blushing slightly.
He looks sincere
, she thought, watching as his attentions then went to Sebastian.

“And a demon.”

“Yes, I’m a demon,” Sebastian told him plainly, sitting back confidently in his chair. “What about it?”

Maliki laughed as he took another sip of his drink. “There is nothing about it.” He smiled. “You’re just a rarity. In all my years, I’ve never met a demon such as yourself.”

Sebastian relaxed slightly, no longer feeling like he was being judged.

“Maliki,” Azrael cut in sternly. “I’m not here to play games. What do you know?”

“In about”—he paused, looking past all of them and into the crowd—“thirty seconds, two men will walk up and ask me to leave with them. The bigger one is the guy who took your mother,” he said, glancing at Lilliah. “So meet us outside,” he quickly finished, taking another sip of his drink.

Before anyone could answer him, two men walked up to the table.

“Hello there, Maliki.” The smaller man spoke first, his eyes nervously glancing in Azrael and Benedict’s directions as the bigger man, the man they had just been speaking about, stepped forward.

“Hello there, chaps,” Maliki chirped. “What can I do you for?”

“We need to have a private word with you. Outside,” the larger man spoke, his cockney accent clear.

“Well,” he sighed, “as you gentlemen can see, I have guests. I couldn’t possibly leave when they’ve just arrived.”

Azrael looked at the two men, his eyes scanning them over. It could have looked casual, but Lilliah knew he was assessing them. Benedict was scanning the room. They were both alert and ready for anything.

“They’ll be fine. Meet us outside. Now!” Both men left the table. Lilliah watched as they walked out through a fire exit.

“Meet me outside,” Maliki instructed, downing the rest of his drink. “As quickly as possible would be great. This is a new suit.” He smiled while heading in the same direction as the two other men.

“What do you think?” Benedict spoke first. “Was he telling the truth?”

“For his sake, he better be.” Lilliah couldn’t help the shudder that ran through her. Azrael meant business. “Stay here with Benedict,” he instructed her. She was already getting up to leave.

“Wait. He said I could go with him,” Lilliah protested.

“You are. You’re at the club,” Benedict reminded. “He didn’t want to bring you this close. Be thankful.”

“So we're just going to wait here? What's the point in that?” Sebastian asked, clearly annoyed. He was itching for action; Lilliah knew he was dying to fight someone, to show off his newly found skills. She wanted to help too. She didn’t want to be sitting on the sidelines while everyone else saved her over and over again; it was getting a little pathetic. Not giving herself a minute to second-guess herself, she shot up from her seat and ran to the fire exit.

“Lilliah!” Benedict’s protests were drowned out by the music as she pushed the door open.

“Please,” the larger man begged on all fours on the floor, blood dripping from his mouth. “I told you I don't know anything.”

“You must know something,” Maliki said, pushing his hair back from his face. His perfectly tailored suit was a little dirty, his hair now ruffled, and a little drip of blood sat in the corner of his mouth. He was right when he’d told Azrael to hurry.

“Lilliah,” Benedict seethed, grabbing her arm. Rebecca and Sebastian were close on his heels.

Azrael looked up, not at all surprised to see she was there.

“Oh,” Rebecca muttered, staring at the man on the floor and then to the unconscious man a few feet away, whom Lilliah had missed. “I guess he's not the ‘let's talk about this’ kinda guy then?” she asked, using her fingers to make air quotes. Lilliah shook her head, amused.

“Close the door,” he commanded before turning back to his victim on the ground. “I don't have time to play your games,” Azrael said, crossing his arms over his chest. “What's your name?”

“My name’s Jonathan,” he said, spitting out more blood. “I told you everything I know.”

“You've told me nothing,” he said, crouching down so he was now at eye level with him. “I can tell you what I’m going to do. I'll give you a minute to gather your thoughts. You think about this very carefully. If you still don't remember, well . . .” He shrugged, looking around the dark alley. “Well then, I’ll have to make you remember.” He got up, leaving the man staring at his back with a look of pure horror.

“I'd think of something very quickly if I were you,” Maliki suggested, following Azrael.

“Why do you never listen to me?” Azrael asked Lilliah.

“When are you going to realise you can’t tell me what to do?” she shot back smugly. “So, he's not telling you anything?” she asked, nodding towards the man named Jonathan.

“I like her,” Maliki said, smiling. “You stand up to him. No one else does.”

Lilliah smiled back.

“He's saying he was hired. He doesn’t know who hired him or why. But someone hired him to take your mother,” Azrael told her, his attention switching from Lilliah to Sebastian.

“Do you believe him?” Sebastian asked, watching the man slowly stand, his legs shaky.

“He knows more than he's letting on,” Azrael said confidently. “I wouldn’t try and run if I were you, Jonathan,” he said a little louder, his back still to the man who now swallowed nervously.

“You will never be able to outrun me,” Azrael continued, turning around to face him. The unconscious man groaned.

Lilliah watched as Azrael walked towards him, slowly. Then, before Lilliah could realise what was happening, Azrael was over the man whose name she didn’t know, his hands on his head.

“This is what happens to people who are no longer of any use to me,” he said through gritted teeth, staring Jonathan in the eye. With one powerful thrust, he pulled the man's head off his shoulders, the now lifeless body twitching on the ground.

“Oh!” Rebecca gagged, covering her mouth in shock; Sebastian pulled her to him, trying to shield her. Lilliah didn’t look away. She couldn’t.

“So make up your mind now, Jonathan,” he told him, still holding the head in his hands. “Are you going to be of use to me, or not?”

“I'll tell you everything I know. I–I . . .” he stammered. “I just don't know a whole lot.”

“Good.” Azrael smiled, throwing the man's head to the floor. “Benedict.” He motioned, walking over to Lilliah.

With a quick nod of his head, Benedict muttered a few words, making Jonathan fall to the ground in an unconscious heap.

“Not that this wasn’t fun,” Maliki said, smirking, “but I assume that I am no longer needed?”

“No. You'll come with us,” Azrael shot back. “We still have a few things to talk about. You can ride with Benedict and help him with this,” he said, motioning to the unconscious man. “I'll take him, Sebastian and Rebecca. We’ll meet you there.”

“Oh, okay,” Maliki agreed, uncertainty written all over his face.

“What did Benedict do to Jonathan?” Lilliah asked as Azrael took her hand and pulled her back into the club. “Did he kill him too?” she quickly asked before the loud music made it impossible to hear or speak to each other.