The Book of Azrael (Gods & Monsters 1)

THE CRACKLING OF FIRE WAS THE FIRST THING I HEARD AS THE WORLD STARTED TO COME BACK. Then searing heat spread through my entire being. Warm liquid coated the back of my throat. It was pure ecstasy, but it was too much too fast, and I sat up coughing. I immediately regretted the jerky movement as agony burst to life along my side. My eyes shot open as Tobias moved the half –drained corpse away from me and carelessly dropped it to the ground.

‘Tobias?’ It came out as a question as I tried to remember where I was. I felt like I was losing my mind. He looked at me with pure contempt as he reached over and yanked a sharp piece of metal from my side. I screamed as crimson warmth poured from the wound. Yeah, I was definitely awake.

‘You waited too long to eat. You were nearly desiccated.’

I looked down at the slash in my side, watching as it healed completely, leaving only a torn hole in the dirty tank top I wore. I leaned my head back, my voice filled with exhaustion. ‘Didn’t know you cared.’

‘Oh, trust me, I don’t, but Kaden would be upset if he lost his favorite pet.’

I rested my hand against my forehead as memories that were not my own flashed through my brain. Not one or two celestials, but several. How many people had Tobias fed me? Was I that far gone? After a few minutes of concentration, the noises stopped. I’d spent years training myself to compartmentalize and lock away the unpleasant memories I’d collected over the centuries.

After several deep breaths, I lowered my hand and looked around. Tobias and I were still near the turned –over truck. The back door was gone, and I had no idea what had happened to Logan. I sat up a bit more and saw the other two vehicles lying crumpled nearby, metal pieces sticking out in every direction as if a meteor had crashed into them. The trees surrounding the road were ablaze, branches cracking and breaking as they burned. Tobias stood, and I struggled to my feet, wincing as I swayed. No matter how much he’d fed me, the pain still radiated.

‘Your healing is still slow? What did he do to you?’ I knew he wasn’t asking because he cared, but because he feared it could be done to him or Alistair as well.

I waved his concern aside and looked around. ‘I would have already healed if not for these damned cuffs. They drain my strength and leave me with nothing.’

He tilted his head, his red eyes matching the fire that danced around us. ‘Very well.’

He grabbed me by my arm, dragging me with him as he strode through the wreckage. I hissed in pain, my abdomen throbbing. Given I still had the restraints around my ankles and wrists, I struggled to keep up. The road was cracked and burned as if something or someone had fallen from the sky. In my mind’s eye, I could see what had happened. Tobias wasn’t by himself. Alistair had come, too.

I didn’t think they would come for me. I would be lying if I said a part of me wasn’t relieved to be free, but I would have preferred not to have been in the damn vehicle when it flipped. The ringing in my ears subsided enough that I could hear a gurgling scream and a crunch. I could make out a dark figure moving with a slow, predatory stride toward one of the crushed vehicles. Alistair.

He had a larger version of one of the forsaken blades and was twirling it in his hand as I heard him say, ‘You know, I am so glad my little trick worked. I whispered a little convincing among your troops, and it got back to the right ears that Dianna only needed one member of The Hand to escort her. I figured Tobias and I could take one of you. It still took a bit of effort, but better to separate the herd. You know what I mean?’

Alistair was looking down at someone I couldn’t see, one of the destroyed vehicles blocking my line of sight. Even with my superhuman hearing on the fritz, I heard a distinct clink as he drove the dagger down and hit metal. I heard a pained groan and knew it was Logan. He had fought back and was still alive. That’s why the surrounding area was on fire, and there was so much destruction. He’d held his own, but by the sound of his rattling gasps for air, I didn’t think he had much time left.

Alistair pulled his arm back, punching the dagger into Logan several more times. His eyes were awash in red, and his grin grew with every grunt of pain from Logan.

‘Don’t kill him, you dumbass,’ Tobias said as we rounded the crushed vehicles.

Alistair had his arm raised, preparing to stab Logan again. The forsaken blade was long, and where one blade should be, this one was split in half. The entire sword was covered in Logan’s blood, including the blackened, carved bone hilt. Blood splattered Alistair’s arms, hands, and face. He slung the gore from the blade and took a step back, his burning eyes glazed with battle lust.

Logan was lying propped up against one of the crumpled trucks, clutching at his side as blood poured from between his fingers. Damn, Alistair really did a number on him. He had a slash on his forehead, blood dripping down his face, and one eye was swollen almost shut. The protective vest he’d worn had been ripped away, revealing a bloody shirt. His body was riddled with stab wounds and deep gashes. His eyes and tattoos were alight with that blue shine I detested, but the glow dimmed and flickered with every labored breath he took. Five more minutes, and he would be dead, just like Zekiel.

‘Having fun?’ I asked, looking at Alistair.

‘Dianna, you look terrible,’ Alistair said, not missing a beat.

‘Oh yeah? It probably has to do with the weeks of torture and the fact you idiots flipped a vehicle with me in it!’ I yelled the last part as I stared at him.

‘Oh, please, as if that did any damage to you,’ he said before stopping and looking at me. ‘Why are you still limping and holding your side? Didn’t you feed her?’

Tobias held up one of my wrists, and I winced at the stretch it caused on my wound. ‘These. We need them off of her because I am not carrying her ass all the way back.’

Alistair raised a brow and nodded. ‘Yeah, fuck that. I’m not carrying her either.’

‘Sweet, guys, seriously, so caring. Now can we get these off, please? Check his pockets. He and the other annoying one put these on me when I first arrived.’

Alistair turned back, and Logan met his stare defiantly. Alistair hissed insults at Logan as he dug around in his pockets for the key, but Logan just grinned and snapped his teeth at him. A few seconds later, Alistair stood and strode toward Tobias and me. Several keys jangled on the ring he carried. I snatched my wrist away from Tobias and held my hands out, desperate to have the cuffs off.

‘I thought you weren’t coming?’ I said. Alistair met my gaze as he tried several keys. He glanced toward Tobias and then focused again on the cuffs. ‘I didn’t think Kaden would come for me.’

‘Well, Kaden wants his bitch back,’ Tobias said from behind me. ‘After Alistair heard they were transporting you with a member of The Hand, he formed a plan.’

Logan coughed. ‘How did you hear that?’

Alistair grinned, still working on the cuffs. ‘Oh, we have spies everywhere in your little establishment. I guess you can know now since you will be dead soon.’

‘No,’ Tobias snapped, ‘he wants him back alive. He may know where the book is.’

There was a soft clink, and I felt my power rush back tenfold as the cuffs on my wrists fell away. They hit the concrete, that damned blue light of the runes blinking out. I took the key from Alistair and unlocked the ones on my ankles. I let out a loud sigh as if I’d slipped into a warm bath after a long day. The surge of energy was almost orgasmic. The wound on my abdomen healed instantly, and the broken bones I had ignored popped back into place. I stretched my body and neck like an athlete preparing for a match. The color returned to my skin, and my body filled out now that the cuffs weren’t suppressing the absorption of the fresh blood. It felt so good to feel like myself again. I hadn’t realized how draining the enchantments were. I felt my eyes light up as I narrowed my gaze at Tobias and Alistair.

‘Now I feel better.’ My voice was my own again, no longer the raspy, hoarse sound.

‘You almost look pretty again except for the massive, tangled mess on your head,’ Alistair said. I flipped him off as we turned toward Logan. He saw me healed and tried and failed to sit up.

‘You won’t win. No matter how many of us you kill.’ I could have sworn I saw tears forming in his eyes, the shine reflecting the flickering flames.

‘The light is fading fast, and we need to move quick if we are going to get any answers,’ I said.

Alistair moved in to finish the kill, and I saw regret soften Logan’s eyes. He knew what fate awaited him. Alistair crouched beside Logan. ‘Look, Dianna, he wears the mark of Dhihsin on his finger.’ Logan groaned in pain as Alistair lifted his hand to show me.

‘Yes, I know. He’s married to another member of The Hand,’ I said, raising my brow.

Alistair whistled under his breath. ‘That’s a big step, my dying friend. I heard the mark seals your life to theirs. Your power becomes their power and vice versa. I always wondered if one died, if the other would soon follow. What does she look like? Shall we pay her a visit next?’ He grinned at Tobias and laughed as Logan tried to move, desperate to defend his precious wife. He screamed with the pain, but I couldn’t tell if it was from the physical or emotional torment. ‘So tell me, do you love her?’

It was a stupid question and nothing more than a taunt. He knew the answer just as I did, but Alistair was a pure sadist, and he had found a raw nerve in this topic. Logan’s eyes burned with desperate rage as he spat, ‘Fuck you!’

Alistair’s laugh was pure menace. ‘I hope for her sake that she does die with you because what Kaden has planned is going to shake this entire realm.’

Planned? What did he mean? Did he know something I didn’t? Was Kaden keeping more secrets from me? My irritation grew as I felt Tobias look at me and smirk as if he could read my mind.

‘You’ll lose,’ Logan rasped. He grimaced, looking between us. ‘You all will.’

Alistair lifted the forsaken blade again. ‘After all of my kin you have killed, I’m going to enjoy this.’ He pressed the sword to a leaking wound, allowing the blood to pool on the tip of it. Alistair stood and walked over to me, the blade dripping.

‘Let’s make sure he is even worth it before we bring him in.’ Alistair held the blade toward me. ‘Come now. Give it a taste.’

I scowled at his double meaning before grabbing his wrist and bringing the sword closer. I ran my tongue over the flat of the blade, the sweet blood of the celestial filling my mouth.

Logan’s blood was like drinking straight sugar. My cheeks tightened as my jaw clenched, and I shut my eyes hard enough to scrunch my nose. Several images flashed through my mind all at once. Logan was surrounded by Liam and The Hand. I recognized Vincent and Zekiel, but not the two other men. Their hair was long and in an assortment of braids and twists. They wore silver battle armor that clung to their muscular frames, and their helmets rested near their feet.

They stood around three massive golden statues in a large well-manicured garden and laughed. I knew instantly that this was not Onuna. Their surroundings were foreign and breathtaking. Mountains higher than I had ever seen rose in the distance, clouds thick and opaque, crowning the tops. Large, double-winged birds in an array of colors flew overhead, chirping actual melodies that filled the air. It seemed as if they had all snuck away from something important and were hiding out.

Liam looked younger, healthier, and happier. He smiled, proving that the rumors of his beauty were true. They were joking and goading each other. Liam chuckled and slapped a blonde man on the arm for some remark he’d made. In that memory, he was not the cold, hard torturer I had known the last few weeks.

A flash and another image invaded my mind. A battlefield appeared. Men fought sword against sword all around me. The ground shook as blue and silver beams of light shot into the sky. Horrifying screams rent the air, sounding like the pits of the Otherworld were being ripped open. Someone yelled, and I turned as several armor-clad soldiers rushed forward, gold spears and blades in hand. I ducked out of sheer habit, hitting the ground hard. Only this floor was not a rocky battlefield but cold marble tile. I looked up to find I was in a white and black kitchen. I heard a feminine laugh and jumped to my feet. It was her, his wife, Neverra.

‘We wouldn’t have to order take out if you learned how to use an oven,’ she called out toward an open living room area. I heard Logan’s response on the wind of a laugh before the kitchen melted away.

Music blasted my ears as I was dropped into the middle of a large ceremony. I spun as couples around me dressed in suits and gowns laughed and danced. Twin chandeliers hung above my head, the lights on them seeming to flicker with a mind of their own. Logan’s voice had me turning, and I watched as he lifted her and spun. It was their bonding day. The crowd cheered as Logan set her back on her feet, but the happy couple were completely oblivious to the world around them.

My head began to throb, his memories coming too fast. He was dying, and I needed to hurry this up. I closed my eyes and focused until a more intimate moment played inside the memory. I was back in their home, only this time I was in their room. Neverra ran in, giggling like a child as she jumped on the bed, Logan close behind her. They played and rolled as he whispered love words between kisses. Her laugh was joyful, her eyes filled with a love that defied words as she wrapped her arms and legs around him.

Neverra. That was his last thought? He was facing certain death, and still, his mind drifted to her, his friends, and his family.

‘Anything?’ Alistair asked, snapping me back to a reality filled with blood. The fire still blazed, and a nearby tree snapped, sending sparks floating through the thick haze of smoke. Tobias raised a brow, waiting for my response.

I shook my head, coming out of my fugue state. ‘No book. Not even a mention.’

Alistair shrugged and turned back to Logan. He knelt before him, waving the blade at his face. ‘Well, bad news, buddy. We are going to take you with us. Then I’m going to dive into that brain of yours and sift through every corner of your mind. I am going to examine each memory you have, including the ones of your friends and that wife you love so much. Then I am going to turn you into my mindless puppet. I always wanted a member of The Hand as a pet.’

‘I won’t help you destroy my family,’ Logan sneered. I saw the silver blade form in his hand. It was smaller than the others, a dagger, and I knew what he was about to do. ‘Forgive me, Neverra. I love you.’

Something snapped in me. I had never experienced the kind of love he had with Neverra, but I knew if I were dying, my last thought would be of Gabby. She was the only constant in my life, and I’d give up everything for her. Memories from the hot, burning desert flooded my mind. The empty hollow ache of starvation and the chill of an incurable illness made my stomach clench. I would never forget how I held onto her, feeling her slip further away with each labored breath. Her body had been giving out as I’d pleaded with her to stay, knowing there was nothing I could do to help her.

Then those words. They were so similar to what I had spoken. What was this feeling? Was I sad for him? Sad for the love he would never again see? Or was it pain? Pain for the woman he was leaving behind. Would she feel lost and abandoned, too? Like I did at the mere thought of losing my sister.

Fight back! Fight for something! Gabby’s voice from our fight echoed in my head.

I didn’t have time to process whatever emotions I was feeling, and I took no time to think. I grabbed the blade from Logan as he tried to drive it into his heart. His eyes widened with despair, realizing he would not get the death he wanted. Alistair chuckled and said, ‘Good job—’ His words ended on a gasp as I yanked the blade from Logan’s hand and spun, shoving it up through Alistair’s chin. His eyes rolled back, the tip of the blade protruding from the top of his head. His limbs went limp, and his body stayed upright for a second longer before going up in flames, hot, bright, and burning. It took mere seconds, and he was ash, the fire inside of him turning on him like an abused pet let off its leash.

As the dust settled, I spun the blade and shifted my stance, putting myself between Tobias and Logan. The hilt of the dagger burned in my palm as I faced Tobias, preparing to fight him. Shock and rage distorted his features, and his eyes burned with hatred.

‘You traitorous bitch!‘ His eyes raked over me as he stalked forward. I lifted the burning silver blade in front of me and shifted into a defensive stance. A blue beam shot past me, hitting Tobias hard enough to send him into the burning foliage. His scream was not of death but hate and anger. I felt the compression of the air as he shifted, the trees rustling as he took off, wings beating against the inky, black sky.

I looked back at Logan. He stared at me and dropped his hand, the light running up his arm slowly disappearing. My heart hammered in my chest as I dropped the silver blade. I didn’t move and didn’t speak, my ears ringing.

What had I done?

My gaze shot up, searching the night sky where Tobias had fled. He would tell Kaden. Kaden would come for me. Fuck. He would go after Gabby. I’d never be safe. She would never be safe.

I spun on my heel, needing to move fast. The dusty remains of Alistair rose around my feet as I hurried to Logan’s side. He leaned his head against the destroyed vehicle behind him, the glow of his tattoos fading. His hand hung loosely at his side, his wounds still open.

‘You’re bleeding out, Logan,’ I said, crouching in front of him. I wiped what was left of Alistair from my hands. My voice was calm, in direct contrast to the panic screaming inside me. ‘I need to cauterize the wound before it’s too late.’

‘What—what did you do?’ he stammered in disbelief, looking at the ashes on himself and back at me. A part of me couldn’t believe it either. Not only had I just slaughtered Alistair, but I was also about to save a member of The Hand.

I was so fucked.

‘Do you want to see her again?’ I asked, cocking my head to one side.

He tipped his head in a slight nod, grimacing with pain even with that small movement.

‘Okay then, shut up and try not to scream too much.’ I lifted my hand and concentrated, needing it hot enough to cauterize. The veins in my palm and fingers lit a golden orange. I laid my palm over the worst of the damage, trying to stop the bleeding from shredded arteries. He howled in pain, gritting his teeth hard enough to break them.

‘That should hold until we get you some help.’ I stood, wiping my hands on my sweats. My head turned to that burned spot on the concrete. One decision and I’d sealed my fate. Logan grunted as he tried to stand, and I reached out to help him. He jerked back for a second before realizing what he was doing and stopped. I didn’t blame him for still being fearful of me. We did not trust each other, but maybe we could reach some common ground.

‘Let me help you.’

His mouth formed into a thin line, but he nodded. I grabbed his arm and wrapped it around the back of my neck. He grimaced and kept his right hand on his midsection. I put my arm around his waist, trying to give him the leverage he would need to stand. He pushed to his feet and swore, hopping on his left leg, trying to keep pressure off of his badly twisted right leg.

‘So, Silver City, right?’ I said as if the last few minutes hadn’t happened.

He spoke through gritted teeth. ‘Yeah, the Grand Estate in Boel,’ was his mangled response. ‘It will be a full house, though.’

‘Grand Estate?’ I sighed, mostly to myself. ‘Oh, fancy. I guess it’s a good thing we brought our party clothes.’

He made a noise that resembled a snort, and I could tell he immediately regretted even that minute movement. I pulled him tighter against me and focused. Power surged through me from the celestials Tobias had fed me and the brief taste of Logan. I felt the familiar heat right before I disappeared from the site of my betrayal.