“Dena. How did you get in here?” she asked, staring around the dark room. She couldn’t see anything. Slowly, she made her way to the bedside where she had put her stake before going to sleep.
“Oh, please. You seriously underestimate me.” Dena laughed, rounding the corner. “You really didn’t think I’d just disappear, did you?”
Lilliah’s eyes were beginning to adjust to the dark. She could see Dena leaning on the wall, arms folded. “Honestly, I haven’t thought of you at all.” As crazy as it was, it was the truth. Lilliah hadn’t spared Dena one thought since she had set Azrael’s house on fire before disappearing. Her hand clasped around the solid silver stake, holding it close.
“Well, now I am pissed.”
“Are you here to kill me?” Lilliah was stalling, trying to think of a plan.
“I wish I could just kill you,” Dena purred, her accent getting thicker. “But I can't. You’re needed for another purpose.”
“What?” Lilliah asked, confused. “What purpose? You’re a crazy psychopath that can’t get over your old boyfriend.”
“You know nothing, you little bitch!” Dena screamed, running towards her.
Lilliah moved quickly. When Dena was close enough, she lunged, stabbing the stake into her shoulder before pulling it out again. Dena cursed, surprised, and fell back, her hand going to her wounded shoulder.
Holding her arms up, ready to fight, Lilliah stared at Dena. She wasn’t afraid; she was ready.
“If you come with me now, you'll get your mother back,” Dena blurted out.
“No.” She shook her head. “Azrael has gone to get my mum. They—”
“Had a phone call?” Dena cut in, panting. “It was me. Azrael and Benedict are currently far away, chasing a non-existent lead. By the time they realise it's a lie, we'll be gone.”
“What makes you think I'll come with you? I could just try and kill you now.”
“If you could.” She laughed weakly. She wasn’t as confident as she normally was. “But then we'll just kill your mother.”
Lilliah's whole body shook at the statement. “How do I know you have her?”
“Look. I don't care about your goddamned mother,” Dena hissed, getting tired of all the questions. “It's a risk you'll have to take. But trust me when I say if you don't come back with me, she'll be dead within the hour.”
Could she take that chance? The answer was simple: no, she couldn’t.
“Fine. I'll come with you,” she said quickly, dropping her guard. “I just need to change,” she said, looking down at her small shorts and tank top.
“No, there’s no time. Come on. And leave the stake.”
Azrael and Benedict had been driving for hours when they came across the empty building, and it was clear no one had been there for years, apart from the odd graffiti artist and the occasional drug addict.
“He said this address,” Benedict stressed. “It must have been a fake lead.”
They had searched the entire premises and had found nothing. They were alone.
“This was a waste of time,” Azrael fumed, the ringing of Benedict’s phone cutting him off. “Is it the same number?” he demanded, breathing deeply.
“No, it's Maliki.” Benedict frowned. “What’s wrong?” he asked, putting the phone on loudspeaker.
“Hi to you too, Benedict. It really is lovely to speak to you.”
“Maliki . . .” Benedict stressed, not in the mood for games.
“I’ve just heard some information I think you might find helpful.”
“Well?” Azrael demanded, getting more and more frustrated with every second Maliki didn’t speak.
“Apparently, this new group that has formed is headed by someone at The Cure. Witch or warlock, I don't know.”
Azrael froze. “Someone at The Cure?”
“That's what I’ve heard. This one guy was drunk and rattling off about how he knows someone who knows someone who works for them. At first I brushed it off, thinking of him as a drunken fool. But then he spoke about The Cure.“
“I need to know exactly what he said.” Azrael moved, grabbing the phone from Benedict. “Don't leave anything out.”
Dena kept a tight hold of Lilliah as she led her through the corridors of The Cure, making sure she couldn’t get away. Not that she would run away, Lilliah realised, as there was the tiniest chance they had her mum, and she had to take it.
“You do realise that Azrael will kill you,” Lilliah said, trying to work out where Dena was taking her. She hadn’t been at The Cure long, and it still didn’t make sense to her, but she was sure Dena was leading her farther in and not heading for the door. She wasn’t about to point that out though.
“If he can.” Dena laughed knowingly, her confidence back in full force. It was her confidence that bothered Lilliah the most.
“So what then? You kill me? I'll just be reincarnated, and Azrael will kill you. This doesn’t end happily for you in any outcome. Azrael will find you, and he will kill you, then he’ll come looking for me again.”
Dena spun around, her hand gripping Lilliah's throat. “After all of this is over, Azrael will be powerless to stop me. You'll be drained of every single drop of blood, and I will be unstoppable.” Lilliah's eyes widened as Dena tightened her grip. “Azrael will regret the day he didn’t choose me. He'll beg me to take him back.”
“You’re deluded,” Lilliah choked out, her air supply almost non-existent. With one more quick squeeze, Dena released her hand. Lilliah gasped for air.
“I could have snapped your neck like a twig.”
Lilliah looked up at the woman she once thought was beautiful, and now all she saw was hatred and bitterness. “Then why didn’t you? What's with all these games? If you want to kill me, do it already!”
“Oh, believe me, I want to, but you're going to suffer first. So for that, I think I'll just hold off for a little while longer.” She dragged Lilliah down another corridor but didn’t stop at any of the doors.
Does she know it’s a dead end? Lilliah thought, staring at the wall in front of them.
“Aperi,” Dena spoke the word loudly as they walked slowly towards the wall.
“Dena, what are you doing?” Lilliah panicked, trying to stop them, but it was no use. Dena was on a mission and wouldn’t let go of her. “Dena!” she squeaked, bracing for an impact that didn't come. “What the hell?”
They had walked straight through it. Magic shouldn’t keep surprising her, but somehow, it did. Were there underground corridors that led outside? Was this how Dena had got in? The darkness began to slowly lighten as small beads of fire began to form near the wall, starting small but getting bigger and bigger until the whole corridor was alight. They were standing at the top of a staircase.
“This is how you got in,” Lilliah guessed.
“I'm sick of you talking, so shut the hell up.” Dena grabbed Lilliah again, pulling her down the stairs. The faint sound of chanting could be heard in the distance.
“Who’s that?” Lilliah asked, trying not to miss a step and end up falling. “Who else is here?”
“Didn't I tell you to shut the fuck up?” Dena snapped.
Please, Azrael. Please find me. Lilliah silently prayed before they came to the bottom of the stairs and rounded the corner.
“She's not answering her phone.” Azrael pressed redial straight away. “Something’s wrong.”
“It's just gone on one in the morning,” Benedict tried to reason, while at the same time pressing his foot harder on the accelerator. “She could be asleep.”
“It might be easier if I ran,” Azrael suggested, looking out the window and ignoring Benedict. The roads were clear at the moment, but who knew what would happen once they hit New York.
“There are so many people at The Cure who want change, it could be anyone,” Benedict spoke out loud, mentally going over what Maliki had told them.
“We only know someone from The Cure runs it. It could be one person, or for all we know, it
could be all of them. And now Lilliah is there, alone, unprotected.”
“No.” Benedict shook his head. “This is extreme. Only a few would go to these lengths.”
“If anyone is involved, even just one person, I’ll burn the entire place to the ground, locking them all in.”
“Try and call Sebastian or Rebecca. Tell them to go check on her.”
Azrael dialled the number. “Sebastian,” he spoke into the phone. “I need you to go and check on Lilliah now. Let me know if she's in her room.”
They both waited in silence. Benedict didn’t have to be told when Sebastian was back on the other end; he could hear his panicked screams. Lilliah wasn’t there.
There was a cave under The Cure, Lilliah discovered as they rounded the corner. It was huge, dark, and damp.
“A cave under New York City,” she mused, staring around. Surely this wasn’t where they were headed. She was literally under The Cure.
“It's the last place Azrael would ever think to look,” Dena said with a proud smile. “You'll be right under his feet, and he'll never know.” She turned her head, still smiling. “Oh, look who joined the party.”
Lilliah followed her gaze. She squinted at first, trying to see who it was lying on the floor, and her blood ran cold at the realisation.
“Mum!” she tried to run to her.
“Not so fast.” Dena yanked her back, pushing her in the other direction.
She was here; she was really here. Lilliah was almost dizzy with relief but petrified at the same time. To her, it really didn’t matter what happened next; her mum would be safe. “What’s wrong with her?” Lilliah demanded, still looking back. “Why isn’t she awake? What have you done to her?”
“What did I say about all these questions?” Dena snapped.
“Lilliah?” The voice was small and mumbled, but she could hear it. “Lilliah, is that you?”
“Who . . . who is that?”
Dena moved, allowing Lilliah to see Christopher rocking on his knees, still wearing the black cloak. “Christopher.” She gasped. What was going on?
“Lilliah,” he said again. “Run. Run. Run,” he repeated, rocking faster and faster as if he were in a trance.
“I know what you’re thinking.” Dena smirked. “It really is a party now.”
“Dena.” Another voice rang, freezing Lilliah down to her bones. “Let go of her. She has to be unharmed.” Ada walked round the corner, her black cloak almost floating behind her.
“I didn’t harm her, I swear.” Dena held her hands up innocently.
“What happened to your shoulder?” Ada zeroed in on Dena’s bloodstained top.
“Things got a little messy, but I sorted it,” she claimed.
“Ada! What are you doing?” Lilliah's eyes darted to Christopher, who was on the floor next to her mum. Everything had been a lie, just a ruse to get her here.
“Dena, tie her up. We don't have that much time, and I need to prepare.”
“No,” Lilliah protested, trying to dig her heels in to stop from being pulled. “You said you'd let my mum go. Let her go!”
“In time, your mother's soul will be free,” Ada said, turning, her features cold. This wasn’t the kind woman she had met before. They were going to kill her; they were going to kill her mother.
“No. No!” Her screams and protests were useless as Dena pulled her to the centre of the room, where chains were already waiting.
“Please don't do this. She doesn’t know anything. Just let her go,” she begged as Dena pushed her to her knees, fastening the black chains to her wrists.
“Not a chance.” She watched Dena turn and walk away.
“Was the spell all a lie?”
Ada stood a few meters away, looking down at her, emotionless. “No. We needed you to remember your past. But the spell wasn't the beginning. I have been working towards this for years. You’re a little part in a big plan,” she started proudly. “For years, I have slowly been setting Lucifer free, little by little. You, my dear, are the last step.”
“Working towards what? You’re the head of The Cure. What more do you want?”
“I want more,” Ada seethed, little pieces of her long, black hair coming loose around her face. “My power is running out. My time is running out,” she almost shouted, holding her hand over her heart. “I want unlimited power, unlimited life. And I can have it all.”
“How?” Lilliah asked, afraid of the answer.
“He came to me in a dream at first, telling me it was possible to have everything I ever wanted. I'd never spoken about my desires out loud before, but he knew.”
“Lucifer?”
“Yes,” Ada replied with a greedy smile, her eyes glazing over as she spoke. “He showed me the way to make it all happen. For years we have been planning this. For years I have been craving this moment, and now it's almost here. He will be released into the world again, and I will have everything I ever wanted.”
“Lucifer? You think Lucifer will let you live? He'll kill you the moment he's back. You’re a fool if you think anything else,” Lilliah spat, desperately trying to pull at the chains.
“You know nothing!” Ada screamed. “Nothing.” She stood taller, breathing heavily. “The plan started with the demon. It was a tricky spell.” She nodded as if she were letting Lilliah in on a big secret. “But I managed it. I managed to get a demon out of Hell and close to you. Although of course, I didn’t expect for him to be pulled into your reincarnation spell.” She laughed as if she had not been shouting just a moment before. “But it all worked out. Lucifer knew where you were your entire life. That little necklace of yours is no good now. He's been getting stronger, coming through more and more. But after tonight, he won't be leaving.”
Lilliah looked down at the stone hanging around her neck. It had protected her, keeping her hidden for centuries, but in this lifetime, it was just a stone.
“What was the spell? Why?”
“I didn’t completely lie about that. I couldn’t.” She huffed. “Benedict was so thorough. It was impossible to get anything past him. But I tweaked it a little, using the opportunity to bring him closer.”
“Why is Christopher here?” She looked over to the man as he rocked back and forth.
“The blood of a warlock or witch is part of the spell.” Her face hardened as she looked at Dena, who was leaning against the wall. “As is the blood of a vampire or werewolf.”
“What?” Dena pushed herself off the wall, confusion written on her face.
Ada twisted her hand, muttering a few words Lilliah couldn’t understand. Dena dropped to the floor, lifeless.
“Oh,” Lilliah gasped. “Please, Ada, you have to listen to me,” she begged, fear almost consuming her. “He will kill us all if you do this. You can't do this!”
“I can and I will. You better say goodbye, Lilliah. Because this will be your last life.”
Chapter 25
“No one could have got in here. It had to be an inside job,” Benedict decided, rolling out the old blueprints for The Cure on the table. “Simon was on the door all night. He said no one left or came in apart from us.”
“Is Simon trustworthy?” Azrael demanded. “We don't know who we can trust. Everyone is a suspect.”
“No. I trained Simon,” Benedict said adamantly. “We can trust him.”
“She didn’t get dressed.” Rebecca rushed into the room, Sebastian close behind. “The clothes she wore today are still on the floor. She's not even wearing shoes. And her stake, it’s on the floor, covered in blood.”
No one spoke, letting the meaning of what Rebecca was saying sink in.
“She was attacked,” Azrael finally acknowledged, lips set in a tight, grim line. “Someone attacked her while she was sleeping.”
“There was no other blood,” Rebecca quickly added.
“If she was hurt, there’d be more blood. I think it was Lilliah who was the attacker,” Benedict suggested, rubbing his chin. “She’ll be okay,” he added
, keeping his eyes on Azrael.
“She better be,” he muttered, staring down at the table.
“She’s okay,” Sebastian confirmed. “But she left quickly.” He tried to piece together what little information they had. “What about people from The Cure? Can’t we ask any of them for help?”
“No.” Azrael shook his head strongly.
“Not even that old lady Lilliah was talking about?” Sebastian paused, trying to remember her name. “Ada,” he said, clicking his fingers. “She's good, isn’t she?”
“We need to tell people. We won’t be able to cover The Cure with just us,” Benedict suggested.
“Fine,” Azrael said with a sigh, resting his hands on the table. “But only tell the ones that you can swear you can trust,” he repeated.
“Of course,” he agreed. “I’ll go and find Ada. She could help.” Benedict left the room.
“So she never left through the front door,” Azrael said out loud, moving to look at the blueprints. “How did she leave?”
“It's a big building. There must be more than one door.” Sebastian frowned, doing his best to look at the prints upside down. “Isn’t it a fire hazard to have only one door?”
“The building’s old. It was designed so it could be easily protected if it was ever under attack.” Azrael ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He had to be missing something. “Another door.” He nodded, staring at the plans.
“She's not there!” Benedict shouted, running through the door. “Ada isn’t in her room, but I have two small groups searching this entire place. We’ll know momentarily if there’s anything suspicious.”
Azrael’s head shot up as Benedict entered. “Where’s Ada?” he demanded, frowning.
“I don’t know. Everyone’s keeping their eyes out for her.”
“Why wouldn’t she be in her room?” Azrael stared at Benedict, trying to communicate with his eyes. “Surely it couldn’t be?”
“Benedict?” Everyone turned their heads as the young warlock, Nathan, stood in the doorway, nervously twisting his hands together.
Ruined (The Seraphim Series Book 1) Page 29