Ruined (The Seraphim Series Book 1) (3 page)

“What the hell is your problem?” she snapped. “I came over here to thank you for saving my life, and you’re just being an ass!” she huffed, ready to leave the room when he grabbed her arm, pulling her back and slamming the door behind him.

“Where is your necklace?” he demanded through gritted teeth. Instinctively, Lilliah’s hand went to her throat where the necklace normally hung.

“It’s here,” she explained, confused, pulling out the chain that was hidden by her coat. “Why do you care about my necklace so much?” she asked, realising this was the second time he had noticed it.

“I don’t.” He lifted his broad shoulders in a casual shrug, a complete one-eighty from the raging bull that had been standing in front of her not seconds before.

“Are you bipolar?” she pressed, frowning. He had to be the strangest person she had ever met.

“No.” He smiled, moving back to the door and opening it. “I’ll arrange a car to take you home.”

Walking back into the club, Lilliah’s eyes darted to the bar. A wave of relief hit her when she saw Rebecca still there, with a nervous-looking Jeremy at her side.

“No, it’s okay,” she shouted above the noise, already walking in the direction of her friends. “I have a lift.” With one last look at the beautiful stranger, Lilliah raced to the bar, wanting to get out of the club as soon as possible.

“Where have you been?” a distressed Rebecca demanded once she reached them.

“Nowhere. Let’s go!” she shouted, motioning to the door. They didn’t have to be told twice.
As they made their way to the door, Lilliah looked back to see if the guy, Mike, was still there. He wasn’t. She didn’t believe that was his name. She didn’t know why she didn’t believe him, she just didn’t. Even after everything that had happened, Lilliah had to admit that he was the oddest, most beautiful person she had ever met in her life.

“So, who was the guy?” Jeremy asked once they were in the car and on their way home.

“Just a guy,” she mumbled, preoccupied. Even as she said the words, Lilliah knew he wasn’t just some guy.

 Azrael sat in the office, leaning back in his chair and trying to drown out the pound of the music.

“She was right here. Why didn’t you do anything?” He looked up as Dena stormed in, slamming the door behind her. He had been waiting for this since Lilliah and her friend had left. But he wasn't in the mood right now.

“Go and get Benedict,” he commanded, ignoring her question.

“Well now, the little girly better watch her back. Everyone in this place could feel her when she walked in.” Dena laughed without any humour. “You know that pure, untapped—” Before she could finish, he was out of his chair and in front of her, his face inches away from hers.

“I said,” he seethed through clenched teeth, “get Benedict.” She nodded jerkily as she backed away. He turned, facing the opposite wall, and ran his hand over his face. Despite all the years he had been preparing for this night, he had let her slip through his fingers. Not even slip.
Walk away
. Hell, he had even offered her a goddamned lift!

“You asked for me?” Benedict asked, walking into his office and taking the seat behind the desk.

“Yes. I want someone to keep an eye on her.” He turned, his face returning to an emotionless mask.

“So, now we’re protecting her?” Benedict asked, confused but instantly understanding whom Azrael was talking about.

“For the time being.” Azrael shrugged, acting as if this was completely normal for him. “Make sure she doesn't die.” 

Chapter 3

She had a different dream that night, but just as vivid. This time she was falling. The panic hit her fast, and she tried frantically to grab hold of anything, but there was nothing there. Even if there were, thick black smoke made it nearly impossible to see anything. Then came the burning. It started in the pit of her stomach, spreading slowly and burning hotter the faster she fell. Within seconds, it felt as if her entire body was engulfed in flames, the pain quickly becoming too intense. Lilliah couldn’t handle it anymore and let out a glass-shattering scream.

“Lilliah. Wake up!” Sebastian’s face was the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes, and she had never been so happy to see it in all her life.

“Are you . . . are you okay?” he stuttered, his eyes wide and panicked.
Not sure if she could actually speak, Lilliah just nodded her head and tried to get her breathing under control. It was then that she realised she was on her floor and not in her bed, with Sebastian kneeling next to her.

“Why am I on the floor?” she asked after a moment. The husky voice that came out sounded nothing like her own.

“You passed out!” Sebastian stressed, still panicked. “I just got in, and I heard you screaming from downstairs, like really screaming. Lil, I thought someone was fucking attacking you or something. Mum’s still out and—” He broke off, his eyes wide. “I woke you. You seemed fine, but like out of breath and like you were in physical pain, and then you just passed out!”

I passed out?
She had never passed out before in her life. Looking down at her pyjamas, Lilliah noticed how damp they were from her sweat, and grimaced.

“I need a shower,” she said, trying to stand. “And don’t tell Mum about this. Please?” she begged, wobbling slightly when she got to her still unsteady feet.

With his arms still outstretched in case she needed catching, Sebastian looked doubtful. “You’re not telling Mum?” he clarified, following Lilliah into the hall. “You need to tell someone about this, Lil.” He sighed, still unsure of what to do. “This isn’t normal. And I’m worried about you.”

“I'm fine. Promise,” she assured him, already heading into the bathroom.
Everyone who didn't know Sebastian thought he was a dick. He was the kind of guy you wouldn't want your daughter dating or your son hanging out with. Lilliah could see where this perception came from, and sometimes she agreed. But to her, Sebastian was solid and reliable. No matter what she did or where she went, Sebastian would be there for her. Possibly with a sarcastic comment, but he'd be there.

Lilliah stood in the shower, silently begging the water to wash away the memory of the dream. She could almost feel the pain still burning her skin. Whatever was happening to her was getting dangerous, she acknowledged, climbing out of the shower and wrapping herself in a big fluffy towel. Was it her? Was she getting dangerous? Or going crazy? Did she just hallucinate the dark figure from yesterday? She knew deep down she hadn’t, that it had been real, just unexplainable. And the guy who had saved her? Mike? She knew that wasn’t his name, but why would he lie?
She threw on a warm pair of pyjamas and grabbed her laptop from under her bed and fired it up. Mike was young. He couldn’t be any older than twenty-four, and yet he owned the club. There had to be something about him on Google. Typing the words “Purgatory club” into the search bar, nothing came up apart from another club in Spain with the same name. Frowning, she started typing again, this time more slowly to make sure she didn’t misspell anything. She added “London” after it, trying to broaden her search. Still nothing.

“Who the hell doesn’t have a website?” she asked herself, rubbing her temples.
Unless it’s super-exclusive?
Switching to Google Maps, she tried to zoom in on the area, but according to the page, there was nothing there, just an old derelict shop and warehouse. It seemed the closer she looked, the more questions she had.

Standing in front of a closed Purgatory, Lilliah wanted to cry with happiness. She wasn’t crazy! She wanted to scream it at the top of her lungs, and then ring Rebecca and Jeremy and scream it at them. Following her friends' sudden amnesia, she had worried she was going crazy and had dreamed the entire nigh
t
,
although her friends’ sudden amnesia did bother he
r
.

“What the hell do you mean you don’t remember?” Lilliah had demanded of her friends that morning, oblivious to the people staring at her.

“I remember everything,” Rebecca whispered, dragging Lilliah by the arm, out of everyone's earshot. “I told you: we went to the poetry reading then walked to that coffee shop I like, and that’s it,” she stressed, looking worried. “We didn’t go to some club called Purgatory. There was no woman with red hair called Dena. And you didn’t see the guy who saved you. I’ve never even
heard
of the club.” She stressed the last part, begging with her eyes for Lilliah to just believe her and drop it.

“It happened!” Lilliah shouted, finally losing it. “I'm not crazy.”

“I know you’re not crazy. But I do think you hit your head yesterday when you fell . . .”

“I'm not making this up.” Lilliah turned, already walking in the opposite direction. She knew she wasn’t crazy, and she was going to prove it.

“Where are you going?” Rebecca shouted after her.

“Home,” she had lied. Instead, she had hopped on the tube with only one destination in mind.
Now standing in front of the closed club, the relief was amazing.

The two front doors were closed. Refusing to give up, she walked around to the side alley and tried the door there. She wanted to fist pump the air when it opened into an empty back room full of boxes and crates of beer.
Okay, now what?
She walked into the room, carefully holding the door open with a box.
There must be someone here,
she assumed, not a hundred percent sure what she'd actually say to the person once she found them.
Could they get me arrested for trespassing?
Shaking her head, she carried on walking through another set of doors. She had come too far to turn back now. Looking around, Lilliah realised she was at the main dance floor, where she and Rebecca had been the night before. It looked different empty, and the eerie silence was giving her the creeps. She jumped when she heard the sudden bang of doors and two men talking. Panicking, she dropped to her knees, crawling on the dirty, sticky floor to hide behind the bar.

“Have you spoken to anyone from The Cure?” the voice asked and Lilliah froze, recognising it straight away.

“Yes. They want to have a meeting in New York about me re-joining. I haven’t decided yet.”
She turned, trying to get a look over the bar to see the two men as they walked across the room.
“Besides, I think we have enough here to keep me busy.”

Sneaking a look at the two men as they passed, she confirmed one of them was Mike. Just like the night before, he was dressed all in black, his pitch-black hair curling slightly at his nape. She watched as they both walked into the office. Keeping low, she ran to the door that was slightly ajar.

“They won’t wait forever, you know.” Mike smiled, sitting in the same chair she had last night.

“So, what is the new plan, Azrael?” the guy she didn’t know asked from behind the desk, pushing his dark-blond hair back from his face and then running his hand down his thick beard.

Azrael?
Lilliah smiled triumphantly; she’d known his name wasn’t
Mike
!

“I swore to follow you, and I will, but not if you don’t give me my instructions!”

“Benedict.” Azrael sighed. “I trust you above everyone else. I just don't know how to proceed.”

“Well, you had her, in this very club, completely at your mercy, and yet you let her walk away,” Benedict said, frowning.

Were they talking about her?
Lilliah leant on the outside wall, a sick feeling forming in the pit of her stomach.

“I know. I know. I guess she caught me off guard.” He shrugged, looking almost bored with the conversation.

“I wouldn’t blame you if you have developed feelings for her, you know,” Benedict said, watching Azrael closely for his reaction. “You have been following her for more lifetimes than I can count. And she is very beautiful. I guess being the daughter—”

“Enough!” Azrael roared, springing off his chair and startling Lilliah, but Benedict didn’t look fazed. “The plan has changed. But the outcome remains the same,” he seethed, standing to his full six-foot-two height. “I will get Lilliah’s blood. One way or another.”

Lilliah listened to the men's exchange, fear paralysing her. Slowly backing away from the door, she turned and ran.

Who the hell are these guys?
she thought, frantically running into the storage room and falling over a crate of beer on the floor.

“Oh, God,” she whispered, limping up and panicking when she heard voices following her.
Running out the exit and into the alley, Lilliah had never been so pleased to see daylight. Knowing they would follow her, she carried on running until she was on the street, looking back when she heard Azrael shout at her from the exit.

“Lilliah!” he shouted, starting to run after her. Ignoring the pain in her knee, Lilliah carried on running, out into the busy street, her tears burning her eyes as she slammed into the pedestrians in her path.
The words “I will get Lilliah's blood” swirled around and around in her head.

“Lilliah?” Turning, startled, Lilliah stared numbly as Rebecca ran up the street towards her. “Where have you been?” She frowned, noticing Lilliah's tear-streaked face. “Have you been crying?”

 Not even sure where to begin, Lilliah just shook her head, knowing that if she spoke, she'd cry. She didn’t remember taking the train home or even walking from the train station, but somehow, she was outside her house, and she had never been more grateful to be home in all her life.

“You cut your leg?” Rebecca asked, snaking her arm around Lilliah's waist. “What the hell happened?”

How can I ever describe what just happened?
Lilliah thought, letting Rebecca lead her to the front door.
No one will believe me
. She would have fallen into the house had Rebecca not been holding her up. It wasn’t until she was inside that she noticed the door had already been opened.

“Wait, why was the door . . . ?” Her mother’s high-pitched scream ringing from up the stairs stopped anything Lilliah was about to say.
Without thinking, Lilliah turned and ran into the kitchen, ignoring the pain in her leg, and grabbed the sharpest knife from one of the drawers.

Rebecca followed, shaking. “I'll call the police!” With clumsy hands she reached for her phone.
Knife in hand, Lilliah turned, ready to face whoever was in her house, a small part of her guessing it was Azrael. Was he here to kill her? To take her blood like some psychotic killer she had read about in books.

“There's someone in my friend’s house. The door was open and her mum just screamed!” The words spilled out of Rebecca's mouth in such a rush, the person on the other end did well to understand her. “Please hurry,” she stressed, squealing loudly when the phone was knocked out of her hand.

“What was that?” Lilliah's eyes darted around the empty kitchen before something hit her so hard that she flew across the room, crashing into the wall and dropping the knife.

“Lilliah!” Rebecca screamed, running towards her as she lay semi-conscious on the floor. “Are you . . . ?”
Lilliah watched from the floor in a daze as Rebecca was lifted as though someone were holding her by the throat. Her feet no longer touched the ground.

“Help,” Rebecca choked out, running out of oxygen as she tried to claw at the thin air in front of her.

Reaching for the knife on the floor, Lilliah blinked, trying to focus her blurred vision. Slowly, the figure of a man appeared to her. He was tall, with his nails biting into Rebecca's throat. A sick smile lit up his face; he was enjoying every minute of it.

Taking a deep breath and using all her strength, Lilliah pushed herself off the ground and lunged at the man, plunging the knife into the side of his neck. The shock made him release Rebecca, dropping her to the floor in a heap. She gasped for air. The man turned around to face her, his purple eyes darting over her features, not looking like the knife in his throat affected him at all. She watched the small smirk cross his pale features as he reached up and pulled the knife out, not even flinching as blood squirted out of the wound. He threw the blade across the room, the sound making her flinch.

“Big mistake, darlin’,” he drawled, slowly raising his hand to stroke her blonde hair. “So you can see me?” he asked, a wicked smile slowly crawling over his mouth. “Well, I guess you’re the one I’m looking for.”
Frozen in fear, Lilliah stood there, staring at his purple eyes.
Can this be possible?
He moved so quickly that Lilliah hardly noticed he had hit her until she was flying through the air and had landed hard on the hall floor. She tried to drag herself towards the stairs.