Ruined (The Seraphim Series Book 1) (15 page)

Azrael didn’t even stop to acknowledge her, swiftly walking past to the double doors and swinging them open. He still kept Lilliah close.

“Sir, you need an appointment,” she shouted behind them.

The man sitting behind the desk shot up when he saw Azrael.

“It’s okay, Judith,” he assured her, nervously running a hand down his tie. “I was expecting them,” he lied, trying to hide his fear with a smile.

“Hello, Damon.” All traces of humour had left Azrael’s face. His features were now hard.

“Azrael.” Damon walked around the desk, his hand outstretched for Azrael to shake. “I wasn’t expecting you; otherwise I would have—”

“Run away?” Azrael took his arm from around Lilliah and stepped forward, ignoring Damon’s outstretched hand.

“Run away? No, of course not.” Damon shook his head. “Why? Should I run?” He laughed nervously, his eyes finally landing on Lilliah. 

Lilliah had been expecting Damon to be an older gentleman, not the stylish thirty-something who stood in front of her now.

“Where are my manners?” He walked towards her. “I’m Damon Blake.”

Lilliah extended her hand, ready for him to shake it. Instead, he brought it to his lips, gently kissing her knuckles.

“Lilliah Daniels.” She pried her hand away, getting the creeps.

“Of course, Lilliah.” He didn’t move from in front of her; he just casually put his hands in his trouser pockets. “With a face like that you couldn’t be anything else apart from an angel.”

She wanted to gag at his corny response, but Azrael was already in front of her, standing between them.

“I’ve not come here for small talk. Where is her mother?”

“Her mother?” he repeated, completely aghast. “Azrael, I swear I have no idea—”

Azrael grabbed him by the throat, dragging him closer. “I’d think very carefully about what I would say next if I were you,” he warned. “I’m not in the mood to play games.”

“I don’t . . . I don’t know what . . .” he tried to stutter out.

Finally, Azrael released him, letting him drop to the floor.  Lilliah watched Azrael kneel so he was looking Damon in the eyes.

“You don’t know anything?” he asked, to which Damon quickly nodded. “Now you must see why I find that so hard to believe.”

“Lilliah.” Damon looked past Azrael and up at her. “I swear I don’t know who took your mother. I have no idea.”

Azrael roughly grabbed his face. “I didn’t say you could speak to her,” he warned before throwing him back on the floor.

Azrael turned to Lilliah, trying to gauge how she was feeling. She smiled back, trying to get across that she was okay. She wasn’t afraid.

She watched him for a moment as he slowly stood and then walked around the office, completely ignoring the fully grown man on the floor, on the verge of tears. Everything Azrael did screamed power and raw, uncontrolled energy. Even when he stood still with his arms casually folded, the energy just rolled off him. It was a beacon, flashing to everyone that he was dangerous and to stay away. But he didn’t have that effect on her; he drew her in.

She stared at the man on the floor. “All we want is a name,” she said softly, trying to play good cop/bad cop. “I swear, we’ll both walk right out of here if you give it. No one will get hurt.”

His eyes widened
.
“But I don’t have a name,” he sobbed out. “I’m not lying. I don’t know anything. But I’ll ask around, see if I can find out.”  He looked hopeful, his eyes darting from her to Azrael, who was now leaning on his desk, smirking.

“Fine. But if I find out you’re lying to me”—he pushed down on the glass desk with little effort, shattering it and sending pieces of glass flying all over the room— “I’ll come back.”

Damon still sat on the floor, staring at his now broken desk in complete shock.

“Do you understand?” Azrael asked a little louder.

“Ye-yes, I do,” he finally finished.

“I’m glad we understand each other.” Azrael walked over to Lilliah and grabbed her hand. “Don’t let me down, Damon,” he said, already walking out the door.

Lilliah looked over her shoulder. She had to give it to Azrael. He really did know how to put the fear of God into people.

“You kicked ass back there!” She laughed once they were safely in the car and on their way back to the mansion. “He looked so scared.”

“He should have been.” Azrael smirked, looking at the road. “So, you weren’t scared?”

“Scared?” She scrunched her nose at the memory of Damon on the floor, crying. “He really wasn’t that scary.”

“Not of him.” He laughed, shaking his head. “Of
me
?”

“You? I’m not afraid of you, Azrael,” she assured him. “Not anymore anyway.”

“Not even after that?” He motioned back to where they had just come from.

“Especially not after that. It was actually kind of hot,” she admitted.

“Hot?” His smile was big and bright. He shook his head. “You did get into it with your little role play.”

“I was going for the whole good cop/bad cop thing,” she confirmed. “I think it worked.”

“You were amazing.” He grabbed her hand and brought it to his mouth, pressing a soft kiss on her knuckles, just as Damon had. “Didn’t think much of him hitting on you though.” She rolled her eyes. “But I should probably get used to it.”

“Oh, please.” She laughed. “Did you see the receptionist? She was practically falling over herself for you. She could have been sacked over you.”

“Oh, angel, you really have nothing to worry about. They’re nothing compared to you.”

Lilliah didn't say anything, but inside, she was dancing. She loved that Azrael looked at her that way. She loved that she got to see the kind, loving man that lay beneath the predator.

“I was thinking tonight we could go somewhere,” Azrael suggested, his eyes still on the road.

“Another lead to chase down?” She turned to look at him.

“No, not another lead.” His eyes quickly flicked to her before focusing back on the road. “I was thinking I could take you out. For something to eat.”

Lilliah didn’t say anything for a minute as she tried to understand what Azrael was suggesting. He wanted to take her out, for food. Was that a date?

“Just you and me?” she asked.

“Just you and me,” he confirmed, clearly amused.

“So, it’ll be like a date?” She turned to him, smiling, silently praying that she was on the right track and that she hadn’t just made a huge ass of herself.

“Baby, I have lived a hell of a long time, and I have never been on a date,” he said, ignoring Lilliah’s wide-eyed expression. “But,” he continued, “if that’s what you want to call it, that’s fine.”

“This is our first date!” Lilliah declared, trying not to smile too hard. “So after all this time, you've never been on a date before?” she asked, not fully believing him. Azrael might be an angel, but Lilliah knew he hadn’t been a saint.

“Yeah, first date,” he confirmed. “And who would I have gone on a date with anyway?”

“I'm sure you could have found someone,” she muttered, raising her eyebrows. “Where are we going?” she pressed, not wanting to ruin her happy vibes with thoughts of Azrael’s past. That was somewhere she hoped she’d never have to go.

“It’s a surprise. Just be ready.” He smiled, knowing she really did hate surprises.

“Then how do I know if what I’m wearing is right? What if I wear jeans and a hoodie and we go to a nice meal?”

“Anything you wear will be perfect,” he assured her easily.

“Right,” she drawled out. “But the thing is, it really won’t be.”

“Wear whatever you want. Meet me in the hall at seven.”

He was being too sweet for her to press any further, she decided, and then wondered whether he was doing it on purpose so she wouldn’t ask him any more questions.

“Meet you in the hall?” she repeated, dismayed. “No, you’re supposed to collect me from my door, like they do in the movies.” This was going to be her first date, and by God, she was going to milk it.

“You can't actually be serious?”

Lilliah had never been so serious in her life. “Yes. So knock on my door at seven. If we're going to do this, it’s going to be done right.” She smiled sweetly.

They drove in silence the rest of the way; Lilliah was too preoccupied with her thoughts. As soon as the car pulled to a stop, she was out the door and running up the stairs.

She practically ran to Sebastian’s room, where she knew Rebecca would be. She needed help.

“Rebecca!” she almost screamed, bursting through the door.

“Fuck!” Rebecca flew off the bed, pushing Sebastian on the floor behind the bed, where Lilliah couldn’t see him. “What's wrong, Lil?” Rebecca asked anxiously.

“What were you just doing?” Lilliah frowned, noticing Rebecca's scrunched-up clothes.

“Lil, what happened?” Sebastian stood up from the floor, his hair wild and crazy. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, my God. What were you just doing on the bed?” she asked, freaked out. Knowing her brother and best friend liked each other was one thing, but possibly walking in on them getting down and dirty on the bed was a completely different story.

“Nothing,” Rebecca quickly denied, her face heating.

“Ew, this is gross! Rebecca, meet me in my room.” Lilliah really couldn’t handle that situation right now.

Chapter 13

“Lilliah, I promise nothing happened,” Rebecca swore as she entered Lilliah's room five minutes later.

“I'm really not blind.”

“Fine. You caught us. We were kissing. And maybe a little heavy touching, but nothing more!” she stressed, sitting at the end of Lilliah’s bed. “But on a serious note, you should probably start knocking.”

“Noted,” Lilliah replied. She'd do anything not to see that sight again. She knew Sebastian had been with girls, but she had never met any of them, let alone walked in on them! And the fact that the girl was Rebecca just made everything ten times worse.

“So what’s wrong?”

“Azrael’s taking me out”—she smiled, liking the words—“on a date.”

Before Lilliah had time to explain any further, Rebecca was up and off the bed, frantically going through the clothes in Lilliah's wardrobe. “This is big. Jeans and top will not do for this date. It has to be amazing!” she stressed, randomly pulling out dresses and throwing them on the bed.

“You don't even know where we're going,” Lilliah pointed out, picking up a dress that Rebecca had just put on the bed. “I haven’t even seen this before.” She held up the black dress.

“Lilliah, concentrate.” Lilliah flinched as Rebecca clapped her hands loudly.

“What?” she asked, confused.

“Tell me everything. Where are you going? What time? I need details if I’m going to help you.”

“Oh, okay. Well, we're leaving at seven.”

“Seven?” Rebecca screeched, pulling her phone out of her pocket. “It’s five, Lilliah!” she shouted, pointing to her phone. “Five. That only gives us two hours!”

“You need more than two hours to get ready?” Lilliah asked, horrified. She knew her friend took way too long to get ready—it was why she refused to get ready at her house when they went out—but two hours was just crazy.

“It is when I don't have any of my stuff. All my good make-up and hair products are at home. But it’s fine. We'll get through this. Deep breaths.” Lilliah watched Rebecca close her eyes, dragging in one deep breath and then exhaling. “Now,” she said, opening her eyes and seeming calmer, “where are you going?”

“I don't know.”

“You have got to be kidding me!” Rebecca roared back to life.

Lilliah didn't speak. She decided to just let Rebecca burn herself out.

“How the hell do I know what to put you in?”

“He said I’ll look perfect no matter what I wear.” Lilliah couldn’t help the goofy smile that crossed her face. 

“That’s sweet, but it’s not true.” Rebecca shrugged, not looking happy.

“Well, thank you for that,” she said sarcastically.

“It’s the truth. You won’t look right if you wear a dress and he takes you bowling. But this is Azrael we're talking about, so I highly doubt it is bowling,” Rebecca continued, mostly talking to herself. “If he does take you anywhere like that, he will seriously go down in my eyes.”

“He could take me anywhere and I’d love it.” Lilliah knew what she sounded like. She sounded like one of those girly girls at her old school who lived and breathed boys. But she just couldn't help it. She silently promised herself that she'd stop before she started to refer to herself and Azrael as a
“we.”
She hated that.

“You two really are sweet together. I love the way he looks at you, like you’re the only person in the room.” Lilliah looked up, surprised. Could people actually see that? And if so, she must look crazily needy with the way she looked at Azrael. “At first, he was so scary, but now he's with you . . .” Rebecca paused. “You’re the only thing he looks at. It kind of makes him a little more normal.”

“I really like him,” Lilliah stated seriously.

“Well, yeah. Just look at the guy. You'd be mad if you didn’t like him!” Rebecca laughed, turning back to the wardrobe.

“I just feel amazing when he’s around. I feel stronger, prettier, just better!” she exclaimed.

“That’s good. That’s how you’re supposed to feel,” Rebecca replied. “Okay. I’m going to pick something amazing for you,” Rebecca promised. “It all has to be perfect. This is your first date—ever.” She snickered.

Lilliah just smiled and let Rebecca do whatever she wanted.

“Don't worry, you look great. Have a good time and tell me all about it when you get in!” Lilliah watched Rebecca leave.

That was ten minutes ago, and she'd been nervously pacing since. Butterflies were dancing in her stomach. She stopped when she saw her reflection in the mirror. Even without all her normal make-up and clothing, Rebecca really had done an amazing job. Her normally long, straight hair was curled with the front pulled back. Her make-up was simple and minimalistic with a little bit of blush and mascara, but for someone who didn’t normally wear make-up, it was just enough. She nervously ran her hands over the black dress they had found in the wardrobe. The tight black dress stopped mid-thigh and was covered in lace. It wasn’t something Lilliah would normally buy, but she had to admit, she looked good. The dress seemed to hug her in all the right places, giving the illusion that she had curves. All in all, Lilliah couldn’t complain.

“Lilliah?” she heard Azrael ask before he knocked on her door.

This is it.
With one quick glance in the mirror, Lilliah grabbed her bag from the side table and walked over to open the door, taking two deep breaths to calm her nerves.

“Hey,” she said with a smile, opening the door.

Azrael looked perfect as always, and she let her eyes greedily drink him in. He was still wearing his usual black, but on top, he wore a deep blue coat. It was the first time she had ever seen him wear colour.

“You look great,” she breathed. She could feel his eyes roaming over her body too, taking everything in.

“Exquisite,” he murmured, stepping forward and taking her hand in his.

“Thank you,” she replied, suddenly shy.

“Come on.”

She let him lead her down the hall and down the stairs.

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going yet?” she asked.

“Not yet. But don't worry, you’ll find out soon enough.” He glanced at her out the corner of his eye. “You really hate surprises, don’t you?” He laughed, noticing her expression.

“I hate them,” she agreed.

He just smiled back as he opened the front door. A black Bentley waited for them outside.

“Nice car,” she acknowledged with raised eyebrows.

“Thank you,” Azrael replied with a smile, opening the door for her. “It’s not my favourite, but it suits the purpose of tonight.”

Lilliah watched him carefully as she got in on the passenger side.

“Which is . . .?” she tried.

“Nice try,” he replied with a smile before closing the door and running around to the driver’s side.

“What?” she asked, faking innocence when he got in.

He turned the key and the car purred to life. “Just try and relax,” he suggested as they drove down the drive.

“Okay, fine.” She gave up. “So if this isn’t your favourite car, what is?” She ran her hands over the dashboard, taking in all the high-tech equipment. Why would anyone need so much technology in a car? Surely a car was just to drive?

“Probably the Bugatti,” he decided. “It’s the fastest.”

Lilliah raised her brows, impressed. Even she, who knew nothing about cars,knew what a Bugatti was
.
“Isn’t that really expensive?”

“Very.” He laughed, keeping his eyes on the road.

Lilliah didn’t say anything else; instead, she looked out the window and read the road signs, trying to figure out where they were heading. She knew there was a small village near the house. She hadn’t been to it, but Benedict had mentioned it a few times. Maybe they were going there? She had always loved small English villages. Her grandmother used to live in one, and her dad would take her and Sebastian to visit on the weekends. It was a million miles away from the business of London, but she had loved it just as much.

They had only been driving a short time when they started to slow down. Looking out of the window, Lilliah saw nothing but darkness; they were in the middle of nowhere.

“Why are we stopping?” she asked, still looking out the window.

“Over here.”

Looking through the driver’s side window, Lilliah squinted. She could vaguely make out an old barn in the darkness, with a hint of yellow light escaping. “I know you don’t do the whole date thing. And neither do I really, but I don't think going to a cold, abandoned barn is a date. More like the opening to a horror movie,” she joked as Azrael got out the car and walked round to open her door, the cold wind hitting her immediately.

“It’s not as bad as you think.” He took her hand and led the way towards the creaky barn. It really did look like a scene from a horror movie, Lilliah realised, looking around. It definitely wasn’t how she had imagined her first date going, and her black dress definitely looked out of place. With one hand, Azrael opened the barn door, a warm glow flowing out. She sucked in a deep breath. The whole place was lit with little candles and the roof was adorned with little fairy lights. It looked warm and inviting, a complete contrast to the outside. It was beautiful.

“Wow,” Lilliah breathed, leaning closer to Azrael. “How is all of this possible?”

“I own the barn.” He led her to a blanket laid out on the floor with a basket next to it.

“You did all this?” she asked, kneeling down and running her hands over the rough blanket.

“Yes. You don't need to look so shocked, you know.” Azrael sat opposite her, undoing the top few buttons on his shirt. “Benedict dropped it all off earlier.”

“Well, it’s really beautiful. Although I don't think I’m dressed right.” She pulled her short dress down her thighs, trying to cover more of herself. No, she definitely wasn’t dressed right.

“Here,” Azrael took off his long blue coat and handed it to her. Lilliah took it from him gratefully.

He opened a picnic basket, taking out the sandwiches that were inside. “Ham salad’s your favourite, right?” he asked, passing it to her.

“How did you know that?” She gratefully took it. Ham salad wasn’t just her favourite sandwich, but her favourite meal in general. There was nothing better than a ham salad sandwich on thick white bread. And that just happened to be what she had in her hand right now.

“Believe it or not, you've done this whole thing before,” Azrael informed her after she took a huge bite from the sandwich.

“I did?” she asked with a mouthful of food.
Whoever made this sandwich is a sandwich god!
she silently praised while taking another bite. She knew it wasn’t sexy, but she really didn’t have it in her to care; the sandwich was just that good.

“Yes. I was going to lie and say this whole thing was my idea, but it wasn't,” he told her, piquing Lilliah's interest. “Back in the eighteenth century, your family owned this land.”

Lilliah’s eyes shot up
.
“What?” she asked, still wide-eyed.

“You and your family owned the land,” he explained again. “When I found you, you were fifteen. And you were being courted by a young farmer.” He laughed at the memory. “And he brought you here for a picnic. You really loved it.”

“Wow. It's so strange that I did so many things, but I can’t remember anything about any of it.” Her imagination went wild with images of her in old-fashioned clothing, being courted by a young, dashing boy. “I must have died pretty soon after that,” she realised. “It’s kind of sad that so many lives have ended so young. I know I got reborn again, but what about all the families? They lost a daughter or a sister so young.” She shrugged, knowing it was silly to mourn a life she couldn’t remember, but she did. “Like the young farmer. He wanted to marry me, but I died too soon. It’s tragic, really.” She took another huge bite of her sandwich. “I wonder what happened to him,” she pondered, looking around the old barn, trying to imagine herself playing in it.

“He married your younger sister six months after you died,” Azrael said without hesitation.

“Oh, my God. How gross is that?” She laughed. “Oh, well, now I don't feel sad at all.” She shuddered, taking another bite.

“It was a different time,” Azrael tried to explain through his laughter. “Stuff like that happened back then.”

“It still doesn’t make it right,” she told him sternly. “So when did you buy it?”

“About a week ago, actually.” He frowned. “I had completely forgotten about it until a couple of weeks ago. I remembered you that day. The picnic in the barn was the simplest thing, yet it’s the happiest I’d ever seen you. I wanted you to feel like that again, so I bought it and tried to recreate it, with a little added extra.” He gestured to the fairy lights above them.

“It's amazing,” she said, unable to find the right words. “It's the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me.” She couldn’t speak for any other life but this one. This date was the best moment of her life. It was the kind of thing she had read about in romance novels. “Although I think all these little candles are serious fire hazards.” She laughed.