The Book of Azrael (Gods & Monsters 1)

FLAMES DANCED AND SPREAD IN EVERY DIRECTION AS A LOUD BEEPING NOISE SCREAMED IN EVERY ROOM. Black clouds of smoke rolled along the ceiling. My ears rang as I looked around at the wreckage. The room was completely demolished. Large support beams had fallen from the ceiling, and sparks popped from broken wires. Many of the mortals had been crushed beneath the debris, and the smell of blood was overwhelming. I lifted the large piece of concrete off my body, easing the pressure on my abdomen and legs. A cough to my right had me turning to see Logan pushing a large metal object off of Vincent. Logan helped Vincent up, both of them covered in a thin layer of dirt. They scanned the wreckage, looking for me. Logan’s eyes were desperate when our gazes locked.

‘Neverra,’ he said, the depth of worry in his tone nearly painful.

I waved him away. ‘Go.’

He said nothing else as he pivoted and dashed from the room. Vincent stumbled toward me.

‘Are you all right?’

‘Fine. I need you to clear the building. Get as many to safety as you can.’

He coughed once. ‘What about you?’

I ripped the burned jacket off before rolling up my sleeves. My hand flexed, and one of the silver rings vibrated on my finger. I called forth the ablazed weapon, the silver broadsword sharper than any man-made steel.

‘I’m going to find the woman.’

Smoke hung heavy in the air, casting a hazy glow. Several people ran past me, coughing as they darted toward the exit. The building shook once more, telling me she was still here and on the warpath. I pushed a stranger out of the way as large chunks of stone fell.

‘Get to the exit.’

Her eyes, large and glazed, stared at me.

‘Go!’ I commanded. She didn’t wait, mumbling her thanks as she sprinted down the hall. Another explosion shook the cavern, and I stumbled slightly. My mind reeled as memories of Rashearim tried to overcome me. But it was different. It wasn’t war. There weren’t thousands of them. There was only one, only her. It would be different.

The siren’s loud, persistent beep slowly died. The once well-lit area was now a smoky, dark hall, the lights flickering as they struggled to stay on. The hallway was soaked, water falling from tiny metal devices in the ceiling, attempting to drown the blaze she’d left behind. I heard murmurs and shouts mixed with the sloshing of wet footsteps as more people hurried out. I closed my eyes and rolled my shoulders, slowing my breathing as I tried to pinpoint her location. I needed to focus. My father’s words replayed in my mind.

‘If you focus, you can feel them. They are made from the same floating Chaos all things are.’

The screams of the mortals, scared and in pain, faded away. I cast my senses out like a net, and there, I heard the clicking of heels. A shiver ran through my entire being, causing the pit of my stomach to roll. I hated the way they felt. It reminded me of the horrors of war and ruin. I shook off the memories as awareness of her filled me. My eyes flew open, and I snapped my head back to look at the ceiling. Found you.

The silver glow of my eyes shone brightly in the dark, waterlogged space. I focused my gaze on the ceiling and crouched. With a powerful push of my legs, I shot upward at blinding speed. I smashed through several layers of stone and marble before coming to a stop several stories up. A hallway stretched before me, and large charred archways stood to my left and right. The staircase was broken, the steps leading into thin air. The woman was the definition of destruction.

I moved down the hall, keeping my steps light. I felt her before I heard her, my senses pulling me left. I crept closer, peering from behind the half singed wall, and saw her tossing things out of the room. What was she doing? I tightened my grip on the ablazed as I stalked forward, my shoes making a small squeak with every step. There was no point in hiding. There was no other way out of that room.

Something heavy hit the wall, making the pictures shake. A thunderous roar washed over me as another piece of furniture flew through the open doorway and burst into a thousand pieces. I moved quickly, afraid she would leave the room and continue her reign of destruction. That was something I could not allow.

I stopped at the entrance, shards of wood and glass crunching beneath my feet. The door lay off to the side, ripped from its hinges and discarded. ‘You seem to be in distress.’

Her head snapped toward me. She gripped the large table in the middle of the room, a deep scowl of frustration twisting her features. Books and other sacred items filled the enormous shelves lining the walls. Vincent had said that they were storing most of the relics they had collected from our other guilds. I placed one foot past the threshold, then the other. She straightened and squared her shoulders but did not move to escape. I gave her credit. Most beings who knew of me ran the second they saw me with a blade.

The flashing lights behind me lit the room, but it was not on fire or covered in water. That meant whatever she was hunting, she thought it was in here.

‘Looking for something?’ I asked, pointing my blade toward the piles of discarded books, scrolls, and papers.

Her eyes never left mine, nor did she make a move.

Interesting.

Her gaze narrowed. ‘Damn, you are durable. I really thought dropping three stories on you would buy me a little more time.’

I took another step forward, and she finally stepped back. ‘Time for what? What are you looking for?’

Her eyes flashed red as she shifted a bit, unhappy that she had given ground. ‘Loving the new outfit and hair. So fire burns you but doesn’t hurt you. Good to know.’

That comment caught me off guard. My hair was singed, but that wasn’t what caused me to pause. She was testing me as I was her.

‘The Ig’Morruthens are an arrogant species, but they are not ignorant. They are smart and calculated, which makes them more than a normal threat.’

I wanted to continue this small game and find out exactly what she knew of me. Maybe she would give me a hint of who the two men in the photos were.

‘It is true. Fire, while a nuisance, cannot kill me. Nothing can.’

A small quirk of her lips was the only indicator that my words had any effect on her. She stepped away from the table. It was a small move, but I saw her place one foot behind the other. It was not much to the untrained eye, but I knew she was preparing for an attack.

‘I’ve heard that. They say you can’t be killed, but I don’t think that’s true. Everything has a weakness, even you. I mean, if that were the case, then where are the rest of the gods?’

Her smile returned, the one that made me clench my teeth. She was all poison and acid with her words, throwing them as weapons. It was a way to distract your enemy and a smart tactic. If your opponent allowed their emotions to override their senses, it gave you a huge advantage.

I would be a liar if I said it did not sting. That topic was an open bleeding wound for me, one that refused to heal. The only problem was that it only fueled my anger and resolve. What she assumed would weaken me only made me stronger.

Her smile lingered, her arrogance showing its face as she raised a single painted nail and tapped her cheek before pointing it at me.

‘You see, I think you can be killed. I just think I need to try a little harder.’

My grip tightened on the hilt of the blade. ‘Many thought the same. Many are dead.’

Her smile remained in place as she charged at me. She was quicker than I expected, a dark dagger flashing toward me. I tilted my body to the side as she drove the blade toward my throat. She paused, her eyes going wide with frustrated anger as she realized I stood there no longer. Her irises pulsed with a crimson glow as she struck at me again. I raised my blade, the dagger connecting with my sword. I held her there, studying the knife.

‘A forsaken blade,’ I hissed. ‘How do you have that?’

The blade was made by the Primordials and had been handed down to the four kings eons ago. They were weapons made of bone and blood, made to destroy gods. Her smile turned lethal as she tried to force it closer to me, but to no avail. Was she really going to try to fight me? Kill me? After everything she knew. Here, of all places, while Vincent or Logan could come at any second?

‘I cannot tell if it is ignorance or stupidity that has driven your decisions today.’

She hopped backward, flipping the blade to her other hand and whipping it toward me. I sighed and blocked it. She threw a kick, but I knocked her foot away, sending her off balance for a mere second. She corrected herself, flipping her hair from her face as she held the blade in front of her.

‘Oh, don’t pretend to want to understand me. You and I are nothing alike,’ she snapped, launching at me once more. She did not stop, no matter how many times I blocked her or sent her flying off her feet. She was fierce, using any object around her to her advantage. I had lost count of how many tables and chairs I had cut in half after she had used them as both weapons and shields.

We went blade to blade again and again, but she gave no quarter. She was quick, and I realized I recognized her style of fighting. ‘You fight like one of The Hand.’

She used a backflip to correct herself from her fallen position and raised the blade to attack once more. ‘You like that? I’m a quick learner, and Zekiel was so kind as to show me a few things before he turned to ash.’

‘I am not impressed. You’re slow, ineffective. A dull comparison to what they are.’ The energy in the room charged, the papers and scattered debris hovering just off the floor. I felt my eyes change and knew silver burned in them. ‘And besides, I taught them everything they know.’

She smirked and shrugged but did not show an ounce of fear. ‘Didn’t do Zekiel much good. Are you used to always failing?’

I moved without realizing it. Emotion drowned out logic, which was ignorant on my part and a win on hers.

My blade swiped where she had stood. Only she was not there anymore. I had only a moment to realize she’d baited me before I felt her blade ram itself into my back. If it was meant to be painful, I did not feel it.

Her painted nails grasped my upper arm as she stood on her tiptoes to whisper in my ear. ‘You know, I thought you didn’t even exist. It wasn’t until Zekiel exploded into ash and light that I knew he was right. His death would bring you back.’ I felt her twist the dagger in a tight jerk as she spoke. ‘Do you burst into light when you die, too?’ She yanked back, ripping the blade free.

I turned my head and saw her eyes widen in confusion. Anger flashed across her face, and she actually growled.

‘I cannot die,’ I said as the skin on my back healed.

Her throat bobbed once, and her grip on the blade tightened. ‘That’s impossible.’

‘So is the power you possess.’ I turned fully, and she took a step back. She realized what she’d done and stopped short. ‘I hope you know that you will not be leaving this building.’

Her face scrunched. ‘We’ll see about that.’ She charged again, her arrogance and anger outweighing the sane part of her brain. I needed to immobilize her, and she’d given me the perfect opportunity to damage her without killing her. She was the closest we’d gotten to any lead, and she was not leaving. I would not allow it.

I swiped my blade upward as she passed me. She took one step, then another, before stopping. I turned and flicked the blood from my blade as her arm fell to the floor with a thud. She hissed and grabbed where it had once been.

‘That was a hundred dollar jacket, you asshole!’ she spat, looking at her ruined clothes, unconcerned with the missing limb.

‘Excuse me?’

Her lip curled upward as she took the ruined jacket off and threw it to the side. Her crimson eyes seemed to glow a shade brighter as her lips formed a thin line. Veins protruded upon her neck from strain, and a small crack echoed through the room. I watched in shock as her arm grew back, tissue and muscle forming from the stump of her missing limb.

‘Regeneration,’ I whispered in disbelief, but my eyes did not lie. ‘No living creature should have that power.’

She snarled again as she flexed her hand. ‘Funny, that’s exactly what your boy said. Actually, it was—’

Her words died in her throat as a sharp whistle rang out. She glanced at me, and my stomach rolled. She was a distraction, and she was not alone.

‘Sorry, lover, playtime is over.’

The gleam of her teeth as she smiled was the last thing I saw before black smoke encompassed her. Her shape grew, and massive black wings emerged from the cloud. They were no fragile appendages but thick and powerful, with tips as sharp and lethal as any blade. She slammed them against the floor, bracing them against the stone for support. I took a step back as a long spiked tail whipped out, shattering the nearby table and sending paper and priceless artifacts in every direction. A large taloned foot stepped out of the darkness, and then the smoke completely cleared, revealing the beast from my night terrors.

My heart stilled. I could not deny or question it. The pictures were true. Imogen’s message, the reports, the urgency, everything Logan and Vincent had suspected. The Ig’Morruthens were alive, and they were in the Etherworld. They were on Onuna.

She looked at me, and if monsters could smile, I swear she did. She winked one massive glowing eye and went airborne. The ceiling exploded under her massive strength, rubble raining from the hole she made. Her black wings beat once, the downdraft sending debris spinning around the ruined room as she rose toward the sky and away.

No. I would not lose. Not again.

I took a deep breath and tapped the power my father had passed down to me. I had locked it away, the feel of it too painful and reminding me too much of him. The books, broken tables and chairs, the discarded glass rose, every object near me levitated. I lifted my hand and grappled, trying to get a hold of the invisible force that allowed me to connect with any living or inanimate object. I hissed in victory, my teeth bared in a feral smile as my fingers found purchase. Then, using every bit of my will and raw strength, I braced my feet and pulled hard.

Her scream nearly shattered the sky as she stopped mid -flight. Her head whipped back, the look of shock on her reptilian features nearly comical as I forced her descent. I stepped to the side, continuing to pull at her massive form. She beat her wings and clawed at the air as I pulled her back, forcing her through several layers of the building.

I let up, everything near me dropping to the floor. The beast’s outraged shrieks drowned out the crash as it all fell. I paused for a second, taking a breath as my headache reformed tenfold. A wave of dizziness washed over me before I steadied myself. I’d expended too much power way too fast, and I had not been training or eating properly. I took a shuddering breath and jumped into the massive hole, passing through several floors. Rubble made up of concrete, stone, and wires surrounded me as I landed, the impact reverberating through every nerve and exploding in my head.

She lay crumpled on the floor. Her body shuddered before returning to her mortal form. Her clothes were still present but dirty. So it was not a full transformation like other beasts of legend. Interesting. I lowered into a half squat, preparing to pick her up. Her red eyes snapped open, and she glared at me. Smoke curled out of her nose as her lips pulled back, and a soft orange glow formed behind her teeth. She was going to spit fire at me.

I clamped my palm over her mouth, my fingers wrapping around her jaw, holding it closed. Her eyes bulged, and she grabbed my wrist, talons digging into my skin. Silver light ran down my arm, and I sent a blast of energy into her. Her body jolted, and her eyes rolled back before she went limp.

I leaned forward, studying her. The glossy, dark strands of her hair covered half of her face. In sleep, she looked normal and not the destructive creature that showed up only an hour prior. But that power I’d witnessed, the strength she had, was not normal, not at all. There were only four Ig’Morruthens I knew of that could assume the form she’d taken. That made her an important factor in what had been happening in my absence. I slid my hands beneath her and stood, hoisting her into my arms. I cradled her against my chest and walked down the destroyed hall. Several celestials stood around the main entrance, forming a small circle. Some were covered in debris, others had parts of their clothes burned off, while a few looked to have just arrived. Vincent saw me first and pushed through the group, Logan at his side.

‘You got her,’ Vincent said, flicking his wrist and returning his blade to his ring.

I nodded. ‘Neverra?’

Logan swallowed. ‘She is a little dizzy but fine. She got knocked out when she,’ he pointed to the woman in my arms, ‘first showed up.’

‘What about the mortals? Celestials? A lot of casualties?’

They both looked at me and shook their heads.

‘I assumed.’

Several of those metal boxes with wheels were parked nearby, lights flashing and sirens screaming. Celestials formed a line as they helped who they could and ran back into the building for any survivors.

‘What are we going to do with her?’ Logan asked, nodding at the sleeping creature in my arms.

‘Get answers.’