The Book of Azrael (Gods & Monsters 1)

“YOU SON OF A BITCH.” I stomped forward, my hands clenched into fists. The smoke alarm continued to blare, and water from the sprinklers soaked us.

‘I told you to take me with you. I swear to any gods that are left, I will decapitate you if she is so much as—’ I stopped as Gabby’s head poked out from behind Liam’s massive frame. My heart stuttered with relief. The last time I had seen her played over in my mind, and my gut ached. I knew she hated me and was probably beyond pissed, but I didn’t care. As soon as I’d felt that sting on my palm, I knew she was hurt or worse, and I’d lost it.

Gabby pushed past Liam and ran at me as her face crumpled. Her body collided with mine, almost knocking me off my feet. I stood there in shock as she squeezed me tighter, her head nestled in the crook of my shoulder.

‘I’m so sorry for what I said.’ Her voice was a mix of whisper and sob. ‘I haven’t heard from you in weeks, and then he shows up and not you, and I was so worried the last thing you would hear me say was those words, and I’m so sorry.’ She pulled back. ‘I didn’t mean it. I’m just so scared and—’

‘Gabby.’ I reached up, cupping her face. The sprinklers above us died, and I gently wiped the water and tears from her cheeks. My eyes burned, her words meaning more than she knew, but I hadn’t forgotten we were not alone or safe. ‘I know. It’s okay. I love you. I’m just glad you are okay. We will talk about it later,’ I said, glancing at Liam.

Gabby nodded, remembering where we were. She tightened her hold on me, and I hugged her back before stepping away. Her body continued to tremble as she wiped her nose on her soaked sleeve and took a deep, jerky breath.

Liam was staring at us with the strangest expression on his face. I stepped in front of Gabby as she tried to compose herself and glared at him. He ran his hand through his hair, slicking back the dark wet strands. His biceps bulged with the movement, and his drenched shirt clung to him, revealing muscles I didn’t know he had. Gods, he was beautiful, but he was a complete and utter dick, and I was over beautiful but cruel men. So I did what I did best and poked at the beast.

‘You look like a drowned rat. Oh, and Vincent is downstairs and pissed. He is a terrible bodyguard, by the way.’

Anger replaced whatever emotion had caused that look on his face. He took a few steps forward, stopping a few inches from me. Gabby shifted so that she stood next to me, her gaze wary. ‘How did you escape?’

‘Escape?’ Gabby asked, but neither of us responded.

I shrugged. ‘Oh, I broke my wrists to get those damned cuffs off. Vincent became concerned, so he rushed in to stop me, and well, here we are.’

‘It seems I will have to try something else, then.’

I lashed out, pushing at that thick chest. Liam barely moved. ‘No, you’re not locking me up again!’

He looked from his chest to my hand, the corner of his lips tilting. ‘Did you just strike me?’

‘Lock her up?’ Gabby questioned, holding up her hands and looking at us.

Liam ignored her, glaring at me. ‘I cannot trust you.’

‘Well, you need to learn, and quick. I didn’t make a blood bond with you to have you keep me in a damned cell while you try to do everything yourself. Especially when it puts my sister at risk.’

He finally glanced at Gabby and then back at me. ‘She was fine.’

‘Oh, yeah? Then you guys didn’t just get attacked by shades?’ He didn’t respond. ‘Exactly. So I say you needed me, and you will need me even more if we are to look for this book. You don’t know my world.’

His lips formed into a thin line as his hands went to his hips. The white, wet shirt strained over his chest and shoulders, momentarily distracting me. I watched a single muscle tick in his jaw before he sighed. ‘We cannot work together if you do not listen to orders.’

‘I am not yours to order around,’ I scoffed.

‘Isn’t that what you said with that deal we made? For your sister’s life, you are mine.’

‘The fuck I am!’ The way he said it made me want to light him on fire. I opened my mouth to set him straight but stopped when Gabby slapped my arm.

‘Seriously, D? Again? Another deal?’

I turned toward her, rubbing my arm. ‘Ouch! It’s different this time. It is nothing like Kaden’s deal.’

Liam didn’t say anything else as he stepped past us. Gabby glared at me, shaking her head as we both turned to follow him. Liam stopped, standing over the hole I’d made in the floor. It was one more reason he would hunt me. I watched as he held his hand out, his power dancing along his fingertips. The hallway shook as pieces of wood, brick, and metal came forward, sealing the massive hole as if nothing had happened.

Gabby sucked in a deep breath, slapping my arm. ‘He can do that?’

‘Apparently.’ I rolled my eyes, shaking my head as I extended my hand in a wave. ‘Gabby, this is Liam, or as the old word knew him, Samkiel, ruler of Rashearim. You know, when it was still around.’

He whipped around, his silver gaze so intense that I thought he would incinerate me on the spot. But he only glowered as he lowered his hands and headed for the elevator. ‘We are leaving,’ he said, his voice a deep growl.

Gabby walked ahead of me, our soaked shoes squeaking with every step. She stopped near Liam and pressed the button to call the elevator.

‘I am so sorry for stabbing you.’

That got my attention. ‘You stabbed him? Gabby, I am so proud!’

They both shot me a glare as I held my hand up for a high five. I shrugged and lowered it as Gabby shook her head.

‘Thank you for saving me. Dianna told me to protect myself if she didn’t come for me herself. As you can tell, she has a lot of bad people after her, and they often try to use me to get to her. So, I am sorry.’ She smiled up at him as I rolled my eyes again.

He looked down at her with no contempt or ill will. ‘You’re welcome. You should be trained to defend yourself properly, especially given your situation. And although it is unnecessary, I do appreciate your apology. Maybe you can teach your sister some manners.’ He looked back at me, his scowl returning tenfold.

I pushed past Liam as the elevator opened, stepping in first. ‘Excuse me. I have manners.’

Gabby and Liam looked at me as if I had lost my mind before joining me in the elevator. I pressed the button for the lobby and leaned against the wall, watching as my sister continued to smile up at Liam.

‘So you’re the one they are all fear? You’re a god?’

He started to respond, but I cut him off.

‘Oh, he is, and you should see the way they all cater to him. Pretentious is an understatement.’

He gave me his death glare again, and I grinned at him, accustomed to the look.

Gabby’s mouth fell open. ‘Dianna! Be respectful.’

‘Gabby, no.’

‘He saved me.’

‘Oh, did he? That’s nice. He tortured me.’

‘What?’ Her head snapped toward him as she shifted closer to me.

‘And why did I do that, Miss Martinez?’ he asked, tilting his head toward me and raising a single brow. ‘Do you think it had anything to do with you killing a member of The Hand? Or maybe it was your assassination of mortal ambassadors and celestials? Or it could have been that you attempted to fight and kill me, all while burning down one of my Guilds in Arariel?’

Gabby gasped. ‘Dianna. Tell me you didn’t.’

‘Oh, you just had to say something, didn’t you?’ I pushed off the wall, my temper getting the better of me.

‘I apologize, but I do not see the point of hiding behind lies.’

‘You are an arrogant asshole.’ I took a step closer. ‘You know, I know a man like that, and I betrayed him, too.’

He pushed up from his leaning position. ‘Is that what you would like? You want to betray me? Go back on the blood deal you and I made?’

‘Oh, now you care about the deal? I begged you to take me with you to get her. But no, you want to act like some big tough, macho leader who can do everything by himself. Well, guess what? You can’t. If that were the case, your world would still be whole and not shards shoved into ours.’

Liam was in my space before the words had fully left my lips. His face was inches from mine, his eyes molten silver. ‘If you mention Rashearim with such disrespect one more time—’

Gabby’s small frame pushed between us. ‘Hey, let’s all calm down. Please.’ She turned toward me, and I took a deep breath before spinning and heading back to the other side of the elevator. ‘Okay, tensions are just running high right now. All of us are filled with adrenaline and so forth. Let’s just take a breath and try not to break the elevator.’

I looked around, not having realized it had stopped. The lights flickered as Liam seemed to notice, too. He moved as far away from me as possible. His eyes slowly returned to normal, but Gabby stayed between us.

‘Dianna.’

I looked at her, my arms folded.

‘Apologize.’

‘Over my dead body.’

‘Dianna. That was harsh, especially if you did everything he said you did. Plus, he saved me. Twice. You are not this vile, mean person.’

‘Last I checked, you said I was a monster.’ I didn’t mean for the words to come out as quick as they did or around Liam, but I couldn’t help it.

‘You know I was just upset. You have never been a monster. Not to me.’

Her words eased some of my tension, and my shoulders relaxed as I glanced at Liam. Maybe I was a little high –strung because I was so worried about her. I had felt my hand burn and had thought the absolute worst. Liam’s expression seemed to soften at Gabby’s words. Well, it was soft for him. He always seemed annoyed or pissed.

The quiet beep let us know we had made it to the lobby. The doors opened, but I made no move to leave. ‘Listen, I get that you’re some leader of the universe, but that means nothing to me. Nothing. Her,’ I stopped and pointed at Gabby, who gulped, ‘she is it. I don’t care about Kaden’s plan to end the world or yours to save it. It’s all just one giant cock measuring contest, anyway.’

The doors opened and closed as I continued to talk, neither of us breaking eye contact.

‘But if you can promise that whatever you do, she can at least have a happy, normal life after this, then I,’ I stopped and sighed loudly as I rolled my eyes, ‘I am yours. We have to work together and find some common ground, or regardless of who is stronger or meaner, we will lose. So, can you at least agree to listen to me, let me help, and not just order me around?’

He stared at me for a long moment as the doors opened again. The air felt thick, charged, and I knew we had gathered a bit of an audience.

He released a breath. ‘I accept your terms.’

‘Fine,’ I snapped.

‘Fine,’ he said, pushing away from the wall and exiting the elevator.

Gabby and I stepped into the lobby and were stopped short by several celestials. I heard Vincent directing people to the spots that had sustained the most damage and sending others to check on the mortals.

Liam had closed the hole in the floors and ceiling, but from the flashing lights, it looked like emergency services had been called. A crowd had gathered beyond a barricade the rescue teams had erected outside the main entrance. I watched as several celestials urged the growing crowd away from the scene.

‘Vincent, what about my order to keep Miss Martinez at the Guild, did you not understand?’ Liam snapped as he strode toward Vincent. Well, at least he had a new target for his anger.

Vincent’s voice was distressed as he pointed to where Gabby and I stood. ‘I can’t control her. She brought us here with a thought. I had no time to stop her.’

I laughed, covering it up with my hand as I caught Gabby staring at me, her gaze holding a hint of sadness.

‘What? I did what you said. I fought back, and now I have a way for this to all be over. You will finally have a semi-normal life.’

She reached out, lightly squeezing my arms. ‘Oh, D, trading one powerful man for another isn’t a way out.’

“So, this is where I’ll be staying?’ Gabby asked, spinning around in the huge living room. The setting sun peeked through the large windows overlooking the busy city of Boel. The cream and white furniture in the living room surrounded a glass table littered with several magazines. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, dripping with small clear jewels. A kitchen took up the right corner of the apartment, and there were two bedrooms on the opposite side.

‘Do you like it?’ Neverra asked.

‘Hey, at least it’s not a cell,’ I said, trailing the two of them as she showed Gabby around. Gabby’s smile faded, and Neverra glared at me. Oh, look, they were all like their boss. Goody. I was still wary of her, of all of them, despite the deal I had made.

Neverra smiled at Gabby and redirected her attention. ‘The fridge is already stocked, and if you need anything else, all you have to do is ask.’

‘Thank you,’ Gabby said before she turned and looked at me. She gave me a once over and caught my gaze. Without looking away, she said to Neverra, ‘May I speak to my sister alone, please?’

Neverra’s smile dropped as she looked at me. ‘Absolutely. I will be just outside the door.’ I heard her shoes click against the floor as she exited.

As soon as the door closed, Gabby whispered, ‘I’m in the freaking Silver City. It’s too fancy. This is too much. And she is so nice.’

‘I find her a right bitch, but then again, I did bring her husband back to her half dead.’

‘Umm, what?’

I waved my hand. ‘Another story, for another time.’

I stepped forward and flipped one of the magazines over before walking to the window. ‘Anyway, this is only temporary,’ I said with a shrug.

She flopped on the couch with a huff. ‘How long is temporary?’

‘Until I find this damned book or kill Kaden. Both would be preferable.’

I sat next to her and rested my elbow on the back of the couch, propping my head on my palm. She leaned her head back, staring at the ceiling.

‘I can’t believe you are actually going to do it now.’

‘Well, you told me I needed to stand up, and I guess I finally listened.’

She turned to me, folding her legs beneath her body. ‘But at what cost? What happens to you once this is over?’

That, I didn’t know. In my head, I had assumed jail or some weird godly prison. But in my heart, I felt that once this was over, I would be executed after everything I had done. I was well aware that Liam and his celestial entourage didn’t like me, but none of it mattered as long as Gabby was safe.

‘Honestly, I don’t know.’

‘Did you even ask before you entered into another wager?’

‘No.’

She rolled her eyes, the act so familiar it was soothing. ‘I hate that you do that self-sacrificing bullshit. You’re not Mom or Dad, Dianna. You don’t have to take care of us like that anymore.’

I twirled a piece of my hair, avoiding her gaze. ‘We have been doing this for how long now?’ I dropped my hand. ‘Fighting, protecting, hiding? I just want it to end.’ I placed my hands in my lap and looked down before confessing, ‘I killed Alistair.’

Gabby sat up so suddenly that she almost fell off the couch. ‘What?’

‘They were transporting me to a different location. Tobias and Alistair showed up and almost killed Logan, one of Liam’s men and Neverra’s mate. Anyway, I saw his dying thoughts through his blood, and they were all of her.’ I stopped, pointing toward the door Neverra had left through. ‘That was it, no malice or cruelty. Everything he felt was just love and happiness, and I couldn’t do it. So when Alistair moved in to finish Logan, I killed Alistair.’

My vision became blurry, and I tipped my head back, trying to stop my emotions from overwhelming me. I took a deep breath, but when I met her gaze again, I knew my attempts had been futile as tears filled my eyes.

‘You were right. I haven’t been happy for a long time. I am not happy with Kaden, and I have been faking it for so long. These last few weeks have been terrible.’ I sobbed, and I couldn’t seem to stop.

Gabby gathered me into a hug, and I wrapped my arms around her. She ran her hands through my hair as I quietly cried. I could always confide in Gabby. Sure, we fought over everything. What sisters didn’t? But we always had each other’s back. She was the part of me that kept me mortal and sane.

She patted my back. ‘D. You are my sister, and I love you. What he had you doing was wrong. You didn’t have a choice, but now you do. If you can save a few people or make it right with the littlest of things, try, okay?’

I leaned up, looking at her as I patted my face dry. ‘I’ll try.’

She smiled and nodded. ‘And be nicer to Liam.’

I scoffed, reeling back. ‘Now you’re asking too much.’

‘He saved my life, and it was so cool. You should have seen how fast he moved when he was cutting those shadow guys in half.’

‘He is not cool or anything pleasant, Gabby.’

‘I didn’t mean it like that.’ She looked back down at the pillow she was holding.

‘You always try to see the good in people. It’s a terrible flaw.’

I grinned at her and hopped off the couch, running away before she could retaliate. I’d made it across the room when I heard Gabby yell, ‘Hey!’ The pillow hit my back just as I opened the door. Neverra raised an eyebrow as the pillow bounced off of me and out into the hallway.

‘Don’t worry about it, just some sisterly bonding,’ I said, waving my hand. Her expression was familiar, but I was used to being judged.

A shimmer appeared on my left, and I spun toward it to see Vincent there. I growled, adrenaline pounding through me. ‘I will never get used to that.’

‘Hopefully, you won’t be here long enough to,’ he said, giving me a once over.

Okay, I deserved that. Neverra nodded at him. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Liam has summoned her.’ The word her dripped with acid, and a chill ran up my spine. My fists clenched at my sides, and I closed my eyes, feeling for the unrelenting static-like power. As soon as I tapped into it, I opened my eyes and grinned at Vincent. ‘Tell my sister I will be back later.’ He reached out to grab me just as I disappeared from the hallway.

‘Summon me? I am not yours to be summoned!’ I snapped after forming before Liam.

‘Are you sure?’ Liam titled his head to the side, watching me as he relaxed at the end of a long table in what appeared to be a meeting room. He folded his hands atop the papers he had been reading as he met my gaze. ‘I recall you telling me twice now that was not the case.’

My eyes narrowed, and I took a step forward. He watched me as if daring me to try it. I felt the flame in my hand before I realized I’d summoned it.

The door behind me burst open, Vincent and Neverra rushing in. I quickly extinguished the flame in my hand.

‘Vincent said you summoned me. Kaden did that, and I hate it.’

Liam glanced at Vincent, then back toward the stack of papers in front of him. He waved a hand as if he did not care in the slightest. ‘I merely asked for your presence. If that is not the correct terminology, I apologize.’

‘Are you saying you’re sorry?’ I was genuinely shocked.

‘Yes, Miss Martinez. Not all of us are beasts,’ he said, turning a page.

‘Did you just call me a beast?!’ I roared, the flame tickling my palms again.

He ignored my outburst as he looked back up. ‘Now that we are all here, there are some things we need to discuss. Miss Martinez has made it very clear she refuses to be left out, so that is why she is here. If she would kindly extinguish the ball of fire in her palm.’ He looked toward my hand, and I rolled my eyes before calling back the power. ‘Perfect. Now, any questions?’ he asked.

‘No, sir,’ Vincent and Neverra responded.

‘Excellent. Let’s begin.’ He waved his hand toward the seats. I took the chair at the other end of the table while Vincent and Neverra sat on either side of Liam. As if I didn’t feel alone enough already. Just to be obnoxious, I got up and sat right next to Vincent. He glared at me but said nothing. Liam ignored the byplay.

‘As you said, several of the celestials Alistair had control over have died. He had completely destroyed their minds. I have funerals to prepare and staff unavailable as they mourn. Thanks to your efforts, Logan is going to live, but he will remain in the med wing until the end of the week.’

I felt Neverra’s eyes boring into my skull, and I swallowed a growing lump in my throat.

‘Vincent, the leads you had have run cold. Movement has increased, but not by much. They are no longer actively coming after us, and I assume it is because Kaden has lost most of his muscle.’

‘Aw, you think I’m muscle.’

They all glared at me, and I mouthed sorry before sitting back in my seat.

‘When retrieving Miss Martinez’s sister, I was attacked by a creature that looked like this.’ He slid a paper forward. He had drawn several of the shades, and the likeness was impressive.

‘You can draw?’

They all just stared at me. ‘Okay, not the point. Tough crowd.’

His eyebrow quirked. ‘I can find no records of these beings in this world, and I don’t recall them from Rashearim. As I was saying, I don’t know what they are called, but they seem to follow and respond to a conjuror of sorts. If you—’

‘They’re called shades.’ Everyone looked at me. ‘They are a large clan led by Hillmun, and they are not morally good or evil. The ones we fought work for Kaden, or well, they did. You won’t have to worry about seeing them anymore, at least not that clan. Just add that to the growing list of reasons Kaden will want me dead.’

They all seemed taken aback and stared at me in shock.

I smiled like it was no big deal. ‘Sorry for interrupting.’

‘No, that information is relevant,’ Liam said and started writing everything down. When he finished, he turned toward Vincent, sliding him the pages. ‘Add that to the bestiary, please.’ He looked back at me and folded his hands. ‘Do you have any idea where or when his next move may occur?’

I bit my bottom lip, thinking. ‘I don’t, but,’ I paused, knowing the next words out of my mouth would probably result in either his death or mine, ‘I know people who might.’

‘There are others that would betray your maker?’

I nodded. ‘Not everyone was keen on Kaden’s latest obsession, and he has been brutal in his search. As a result, he has made enemies that have chosen to bide their time.’

Liam steepled his fingers, studying me across the table. ‘And who are these people?’

‘Let’s just say I have connections.’

‘I would assume your connections are the same as his. So tell me how you perceive them helping us if you, his consort, killed one of his generals in cold blood.’

I didn’t bother to correct him. ‘Simple. Kaden’s ego is almost as big as yours, if not more so. He won’t tell anyone about me killing Alistair because it would make him seem weak. He will not advertise that he couldn’t control the woman he created. I would bet he is already weaving a story about how the great World Ender overpowered Alistair and took his favorite toy.’

I hated referring to myself as such, but I did so, nonetheless. None of them moved as I leaned back in my chair, folding my arms. ‘So you figure out what you are willing to do while I go pack and say goodbye to my sister. Again.’

I pushed away from the table and stood. Vincent’s and Neverra’s chairs went tumbling as they jumped to their feet, blades appearing in their hands. I smirked and pushed my chair in.

Liam held up his hand, and they moved to his side in unison.

‘Forgive them. You remain a threat, no matter how much you help. You have one hour to prepare and say your goodbyes. Then we are leaving.’

I looked at him sitting at the head of the desk with Vincent and Neverra flanking him. Their eyes were glowing blue, and their weapons were drawn, ready to kill me at his word. I knew it wasn’t the same, but I had the sense that Gabby had been right. I had traded one powerful master for another.