Ruined (The Seraphim Series Book 1) (24 page)

“I'll have to wake you up every morning then,” Azrael replied, still leaning over her. “You have to get up. I’ve got your breakfast ready.”

“No. I need more sleep,” she moaned, slowly opening her eyes to see Azrael’s face hovering over her. He was already dressed, wearing his usual black. “Why are you ready? What time is it?”

“It's six in the morning. Come on, get up,” he said, pulling the quilt off her and throwing it to the floor.

“No. It’s cold,” she whined, curling into a ball and opening one eye to see him leaving. He had turned on the lamp at the side of the bed and laid out her clothes on the nearby chair. With one last sigh of defeat, she got up, sleepily walking over to the chair where her clothes were laid out.
This really is too early to be called morning,
she decided, yawning. She picked up the top, running her fingers over the soft material. The clothes were all black. According to Benedict, it was a requirement of the spell: black clothes made of natural fabrics. She smiled. Azrael had remembered while she had completely forgotten.

Azrael was sitting at one of the dining tables, reading one of the newspapers, when she walked in.

“Look, we're matching. We're both wearing black. We're not turning into one of those couples that dress alike all the time, are we?” she joked. “That would just be strange.”

Although his black jumper was perfectly fitted, showcasing every muscle, and hers was a bit too big, hanging off her.

“I wear black to blend in,” he pointed out, standing up to get a better look at her. “You couldn’t blend in if you tried.”

“Oh, please. Before you came along, all I did was blend in.” Standing on her tiptoes, she pressed a quick kiss to his lips

“You might have thought you were blending in, but I can assure you, it’s simply impossible. You should wear your hair down,” he said, pulling out a seat for her and taking his.

“Why? Is it a requirement? I thought that it'd be more practical tying it back.” She frowned, playing with the ends of her hair.

“It’s not. I just like it down.”

“Oh. Then no!” She laughed, reaching for a croissant in the middle of the table. “My hair’s too long. Plus I don't know what I’ll have to do. It might get in the way.”

“Get in the way? You won’t have to do anything.” He frowned. “They’ll do everything. You'll just have to lie there while they perform the spell.”

“That's good. I'm too tired to actually do anything,” she said, chewing on the pastry, when a soft knock came from the door.

“I’ll get it.” She was up and the across the room before Azrael could protest.

“Morning, sunshine.” Rebecca and Sebastian stood on the other side, both looking tired.

“You didn’t have to get up this early,” Lilliah said with a smile, letting them in.

“We wanted to come along, but Benedict said we couldn’t.” Rebecca reached up to hug Lilliah. “So we had to see you before you left.”

“But he said you’ll be back tonight,” Sebastian cut in, walking over to the breakfast table. “You’ll still be back, right?”

“If everything goes okay, then we’ll both be back tonight, yes,” Azrael confirmed, sitting back in his seat so Lilliah could sit on his lap.

“Yeah, I’ll be back in no time,” she said, trying to stifle a yawn.

“Are you nervous?” Rebecca asked, taking a seat at the table.

“Not really. More anxious. I just want it to be over and done with.”

“You should eat. We have to get going,” Azrael suggested.

“I’m not really that hungry.” She just wanted to get going.

“Right, come on then.” Lilliah and Azrael both stood.

“Oh, Lil.” Rebecca stood, panicked. “What if this doesn’t work? Have you really thought about it? Me and Seb spoke about this last night. You make this sound so easy, but what if it's not? How can such a huge spell be that easy?”

“It'll be fine. I swear,” she tried to reassure her friend, even though she wasn't one hundred percent sure herself. “Benedict and Azrael will be there if anything goes wrong. And you heard him. I’ll be back tonight.”

“I know, I know.” Rebecca tried to smile. “I’m just afraid for you.”

“I’m going to be fine,” she reassured, again turning towards her brother. “And when I come back, I’m going to be amazing.”

“You’re amazing now.” He pulled her to him in a tight, quick hug. “Please don’t do this just because you feel like you have something to prove.”

“I’m not. I promise.”

“Lilliah,” Azrael cut in, already standing by the door, ready to leave.

“Okay. I’ll be back before you know it,” she told them, walking to the door, trying not to let her nerves show.

“I love you, Lil,” Sebastian all but whispered, tightly wrapping his arms over his chest.

“Love you too, Seb.” She smiled before following Azrael out the room. She had been completely calm up until now, but the closer they got to the main entrance, the more nervous she became.

They went down on the elevator and walked through the lobby in silence. A few members of the staff tried to speak to Azrael as they passed, but he ignored all of them and headed right to the door.

“Sir.” The chauffeur nodded, opening the door for them.

“Those people really wanted to talk to you,” Lilliah said once they were both in the car and moving. “It was kind of rude to ignore them like that.”

“I have more important things on my mind, Lilliah,” he shot back, not even looking at her.

Talk about doing a one-eighty.
Lilliah frowned, silently turning to look out the window, watching New York pass them by.

Chapter 20

It wasn’t long before they pulled up in front of an old building.

“This is it?” she asked, her face scrunched up in disbelief. The building was clearly old and very beautiful. She tried to peer out the car window to get a better look; it was just very small. Not what she had expected at all.

“It’s bigger than it looks,” Azrael said simply, getting out of the car and holding out his hand for her.

“Right,” she replied with a nod, trying to see whether the building went any farther back. The large wooden door flew open and a middle-aged man came running out to meet them on street.

“Sir, it’s very good to have you here. Is there anything I can take for you?” he rushed out, staring at the pavement, his face a little flushed.

“No.” Azrael didn’t bother to look at the man as he walked straight past him and into the building.

“Thank you, though,” Lilliah quickly added before following him inside.

Azrael had been right when he’d said it was bigger inside. The place was huge! A large, sprawling staircase met them as they walked in; it was dark but not scary.

“How is this possible?” she whispered, almost to herself.

“It’s a spell,” Azrael said, not looking back. “It hides the majority of the building.”

“Magic is awesome.”

She followed Azrael as he stalked down the hall, completely ignoring everyone they passed. He obviously knew where he was going.

“So who are these people?” Lilliah asked, jogging to keep up with him. “Are they all part of The Cure?” She looked at all the people lining the hallways. She could feel their eyes on them as they walked past.

“Some of them. The others are mortals—people who, for some reason or another, are aware of the magical beings on this planet. The Cure likes to keep them close.”

Lilliah had heard a little about The Cure before, but they had still remained very elusive.

“Like Edna then?” she asked, confused by how withdrawn he had become. He had been fine when they were in the hotel.
He has more mood swings than a woman!
she thought.

“Yes, like Edna. Everyone else will be preparing for the spell. It'll take a lot of magic for Ada to perform it. Benedict will help her, of course, but still.”

“Why are you suddenly mad at me?” she finally asked once they were around the corner and away from prying eyes. She was getting annoyed. She was nervous about what she was about to do and really needed his support. Dealing with his PMS was something she shouldn't have to be doing.

“Yes, I’m mad.” He whirled around to face her. “There is no need for you to do this. This is a difficult spell, even for Benedict and Ada!”

Lilliah stared, too shocked to respond.

“And yet here we are! You’re just walking into this like it’s nothing!” he finished, almost shouting.

“Where is all of this coming from?” she asked, her own anger simmering. Could he not just help her through this? Couldn’t he just hold her hand and tell her everything was going to be all right?

“We've been through this. I need to know my past,” she answered, wanting his support more than anything, but she refused to beg for it. “How can I do any of this without remembering who I am or what I’m capable of?” she asked him, trying to make him understand. “I can’t save my mum or protect myself as boring, old Lilliah Daniels. And you being like this”—she waved her hand in front of him—“isn't helping. It's actually making it worse.”

The only sound in the hallway was Lilliah's soft panting. They stood there, looking at each other, both breathing heavily but not speaking. What made it worse was that everyone had probably heard them. 

“You are the same person,” he finally said, coming to stand in front of her, their noses just touching.

Closing her eyes and breathing him in, Lilliah felt more relaxed and confident all at the same time.

“You don't need to know your past. It doesn’t dictate your future. Whoever that girl was, it doesn’t matter now. She lived and breathed a long time ago.”

Lilliah could feel herself getting more and more deflated as he spoke. She knew the words he was saying were true, but she wanted this, even if it was for crazy reasons. She wanted to remember.

“You promised to take care of me, and I know you will. But I have to take care of my family. I can't do that like this,” she explained.

“Fine, if this is what you truly want. I'll come and hold your hand and be by your side. I just want you to know that you don’t have to do this.” Azrael caught Lilliah as she threw herself at him, finally letting go of the breath she had been holding when his arms tightened around her.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “I want to do this, for me. I can’t do this without you.”

Slowly releasing her, Azrael reached for her hand. “You can do anything you want,” he told her, his face serious. “But I’ll be here anyway. I won’t let go of your hand.”

Feeling invincible, Lilliah followed him through the door and up the narrow stairs. The dark hallway they entered led to an even darker stone stairway, as if they had just walked into a castle.

“This is the older part of the building,” Azrael explained, walking ahead. “It's more than five hundred years old.”

“Azrael, it's been a very long time. But you haven’t changed a bit,” a female voice spoke. Stretching so she was on her tiptoes, Lilliah looked past Azrael. She could see an older woman waiting for them at the top of the stairs. She was at least fifty years old, and the cape she was wearing hung loosely around her. Everyone’s waiting for you.”

Lilliah watched her turn and walk away, her long blonde hair swaying behind her.

“You ready?” Azrael asked, turning slightly to see Lilliah nod.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied, letting Azrael lead her.

The cold air hit her instantly; the room was freezing and dimly lit by candles, taking Lilliah a couple of seconds to adjust.

“There you are, Azrael. I presume you are Lilliah, yes?” an older, shorter gentleman asked, coming to stand in front of them. The black cloak he was wearing flowed behind him, giving her a glimpse of his black jeans underneath.

Even warlocks wear denim.
Lilliah silently giggled.

His smile was kind, but his eyes were hard. She couldn’t help but feel on edge.

She noticed that six other people were in the room, all wearing the same black cape but with their hoods up so she couldn’t see their faces. The woman who had led them in stood near the wall, observing everything.

“You are quite a rarity, my dear,” said the warlock. “I'm Christopher. It is my pleasure to meet you.” He smiled, holding out his hand in such a theatrical way that she couldn’t help but smile weakly. He reminded her of an old drama teacher she’d had at school; she had never liked him either.

“If we could just get this moving, Christopher; we don't have all day,” Azrael cut in, making it clear he didn’t like this man either. Knowing she wasn’t the only one getting bad vibes put her at ease.

“Azrael, my old friend.” Christopher laughed, sounding overly friendly as his eyes finally left Lilliah to look up at Azrael. “You have eternity.” With one more glance in Lilliah's direction, Christopher turned, walking back to the six others who hadn’t talked or moved.

“He does know that I’m not immortal, right?” Moving so she was closer to Azrael, Lilliah leant in as close as she could possibly get.

“Yes, he knows that,” Azrael replied, his eyes staring straight ahead at Christopher, who was talking with another caped figure.

“Was the woman who met us Ada?” She had never met Ada Washington in person. She felt that was a little unnerving since her life would shortly be in Ada’s hands.

“No. Her name’s Megan.”

Lilliah looked up, annoyed with his short answers. Hadn’t they already decided not five minutes ago that he'd put his opinion aside and just help her through this? What could have possibly changed from then to now?

“Right,” she answered, still looking at his face. He was staring ahead still, his eyes narrowing on Christopher. “Is Christopher like Ada? Looks young but is actually two hundred years old or something?” she pressed, wanting him to talk. When she was nervous she tended to ramble, talking about nothing for the sake of talking. Her mum had always teased her about it.

“No. Christopher's just another warlock. He won’t even be in the room when the spell is performed. He's just getting the preparations ready. Are you okay?” Azrael finally looked down at her, his brow creasing.

“Yeah. Just suddenly nervous.”

“You'll be fine. I won’t leave the room at all. And if you want to stop it any time, all you'll have to do is say so,” he said with a smile, taking her hand.

“I know, I know. I'm just being silly. Where’s Benedict?” She looked around, not sure whether he was one of the hooded figures. They really did all look the same.

“He's probably preparing. They have to perform certain rituals before they undertake a big spell like this.”

“Oh. That's good then,” she said, quickly looking around the room. It was small and dark, the stone walls making it even darker. And there was nothing in it except for a chair and a set of drawers that held a few candles.

“It'll be performed in the next room,” Azrael leant in and whispered in her ear, correctly guessing what she was thinking, as if he could read her mind. “There should be a door somewhere around here, and through that, there'll be an altar.”

“An altar?”

“Yes. It’s a very powerful place for witches and warlocks. It’s where their magic is the most powerful. Every witch or warlock will have one. The one we're about to go to is their most sacred,” he informed, still whispering.

“If you'd like to follow me, we can begin.”

Lilliah looked up, startled. She hadn’t even realised Megan was standing in front of them, smiling politely with her hands folded formally in front of her. Lilliah watched her turn and walk across the room to the far wall. Megan raised her hand and muttered a few words, and a large wooden door appeared.

Lilliah smiled. “Well, that’s pretty cool,” she said, leaning into Azrael.

“You’re impressed very easily. Are you ready?” Azrael asked, smiling down at her, his hands still gripping hers. Following all the hooded men and women, Azrael led her through the door and into the altar room. It looked more like a dungeon than a sacred altar, Lilliah decided, taking a good look around. The stone walls were high, leading up to a small window at the top that was the room’s only source of natural light, but it also gave a nice view of the coming sunrise.

“What do the symbols mean?” she asked, pointing to the markings that were carved into the walls, as well as to another large one on the floor. In the middle of that symbol sat a stone block.
Well, I know where I'll be,
she thought, looking at the uncomfortable piece of stone.

“They’re just magical symbols. That one,” he said, pointing to the symbol on the far wall, “means life. It’s very powerful, and it’s even on the Holy Grail.”

“That's amazing,” she whispered in wonder. “Wait, the Holy Grail actually exists?”

“I'll tell you everything about it when you’re finished, okay?”

She smiled, liking the way he was trying to take her mind off what she was about to do. This was the Azrael she needed.

“Promise?” she asked, looking up at him.

His blue eyes stared back at her. “I promise. Go on, I’ll be right here.”

Taking in a shaky breath, Lilliah let go of Azrael and walked over to Megan, who was patiently waiting for her. The others in the room were calmly waiting too.

“Okay, darling. If you just want to jump on here and lie back,” Megan instructed, helping Lilliah lift her legs so her whole body was on the rock.

The coldness of the stone sent shivers through her body.
What have I got myself into?
she thought, staring up at the ceiling and at the small window where oranges were mixing with yellows as the day began.

“I need to secure your arms and legs. You might thrash around, and it will keep you safe,” Megan informed Lilliah while already securing her wrists with rope that was attached to the stone beneath her.

She could almost feel the tension rolling off Azrael, and a quick look in his direction proved her right. He stood near the door they had just come through, his arms folded across his chest, and his unwavering eyes solely on her. She tried to smile reassuringly at him, to show that she was all right, but she wasn’t sure it came off that way. Instead of a nice smile, she almost whimpered when she saw him. She could see his whole body tense. It probably hadn’t made him feel better.

“When's Benedict coming in?” she asked, turning to Megan. She didn’t want to make Azrael more nervous than he already was.

“He'll be in shortly. He's preparing,” Megan answered, focusing on tying Lilliah’s feet.

“Okay,” she whispered, trying to relax by focusing on her breathing
. In and out, in and out,
she silently chanted.
Everything is going to be fine. You asked for this,
she reminded herself, twisting her bound arms. The rough material burned her skin.
Azrael is here. He will keep you safe,
she chanted silently, closing her eyes.
He will step in if anything goes wrong. You’re safe.