Page 2 of Grave Revelations (Prophecies of Angels and Demons #3)
Chapter 1
Rebecca
“Gabriel, please. We have to go back.”
“I don’t care about them. You are all that matters to me.”
“She’ll kill them.”
“They are nothing.”
“What do you mean? Please, stop. Simon is back there, and Sophia. All the witches who helped me.”
“Your dog is not with them.”
Rebecca dug her nails into his shifting flesh. “What does that mean? Gabriel, please!”
“Don’t call me by that name. Gabriel died in the icy pits of Hell. My name is Azazel.”
Rebecca dug her nails in deeper, but each time she tried to tear through skin, it dissolved only to reform.
He chuckled, a deep rumble vibrating through her. “You cannot harm me, Light. You were made for me.”
Was that a challenge? She’d weighed the consequences of using magic on him a dozen times. At this height, if he fell, she would die.
But Rebecca was never one to back down .
She spread her fingers, calling fire into her palm from the place deep within her chest. As before, it exploded from her fingertips, tenfold the power she’d ever known. Gabriel—Azazel, according to him—didn’t flinch.
She pressed both hands against his bare flesh, staring in horror as his swirling black skin absorbed the cerulean flame, and a thin blue line erupted along the arm wrapped around her.
“No,” she breathed.
Terror shot through her when the ember in her chest flared to life, and memories of the night she’d used too much magic resurfaced. Flames evaporated under her palm, and a sweat broke out on her brow.
“As I said, you cannot harm me. You are a part of me.”
An image of her dream flashed in her mind: the dark shadow who shared her fire and his wispy black wings. “No,” she whispered again.
Azazel dropped heavily onto a white, glimmering patio high above a small village, their view overlooking a sparkling blue sea.
“Where are we?” Her voice was a whisper against the pounding of her heart.
“Stay here while I deal with the necromancer. When I’ve taken care of her, I’ll be back for you.”
“You can’t keep me here. I have to help my friends. Wait... When did you learn she was a necromancer?” The words died as he set her down on ivory cobbled stones. She looked up at him, seeing him in full daylight for the first time.
Her mouth fell slack as her gaze traveled down the length of him. In her sister’s dark dungeon, she hadn’t noticed how naked he was. She swallowed. How had she missed that ?
Azazel’s red and black swirling eyes glinted in amusement. “Like what you see?”
Her gaze shot up to his face, red staining her cheeks. “I… No. Where are your clothes?”
“They’re an unnecessary obstruction. Stay here. I’ll return.”
Rebecca closed her mouth. If he were dumb enough to leave her, she wouldn’t object. He turned, flapping shadowy wings, and gave her a full view of his bare ass as he flew away .
Why was she still looking?
When he was a speck in the sky, she darted for the stairs. Her foot hit the first step, and a sharp ache tore through her. She fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around her middle as it seared her insides. Breathing shallowly, she got to her feet, taking another step down. White hot pain stabbed her chest as her vision darkened at the edges.
What kind of vile magic was this?
She crawled backward, praying she wouldn’t black out and tumble down the stairs. As she reached the patio deck, the pain receded until it was only a lacerating memory. She gasped in lungfuls of air, lay on her back, and stared up at the night sky.
Had he chosen that spot because he knew she would be trapped there, or had he somehow done it himself? What dark, twisted gifts did Gabriel have now that he was a demon? And what did it mean that her flames could not harm him? She’d taken out more than one demon with her fire magic.
Sliding to a sitting position, Rebecca rested her back against the cool stone lining the patio deck and craned her head to the sky. From this remote mountaintop, the stars nearly drowned out the dark with their flickering light.
As her breathing steadied and the remnants of pain faded, she gazed at the interconnected patterns between stars. A bright light streaked across her vision. She followed its trail, silently wishing that Simon and the other witches were okay and that Gabriel—Azazel—would save them.
Another star streaked by. She smiled; seeing two falling stars so close together was rare. She chewed her bottom lip, thinking of her wish. Another orb dashed across the sky, then another.
Rebecca sat up, rubbing her eyes.
A massive ball of flame hurtled toward her. She slid backward, ducking under the edge of the roof. Bright light filled her vision as the projectile crashed into the ocean, followed by several others.
Jumping to her feet, she wrapped sweat-slicked fingers around the handle of the sliding glass door and tugged at it. Locked. Damn. She wedged herself into the wall of the house, knowing it would do no good if any of the meteors landed too close.
Loud whizzing noises followed by splashes surrounded her, and when she dared to peek at the sky once more, it was ablaze.
The soft patter of rain began to fall, and Rebecca gasped as red streaked over ivory stone and slid toward her, pooling at her feet.
“What the hell,” she breathed. Thick drops of red splashed her, staining her clothes. She pressed herself back against the wall of the building. It would be awfully convenient for Ga— Azazel to show up just then.
A tremor rocked the earth, making Rebecca stumble forward. Another rolling tremble shook the foundation, and she fell to her knees, the bite of rough stone slicing her skin.
When the ground shuddered for a third time, an enormous fissure opened before her, spider-veining across the patio and disappearing into the ocean.
“Gabriel!” she cried, scrambling back from the gaping chasm stretching wider before her eyes. “Gabriel!”
She wedged herself against the wall and screamed as a wall of sea foam green blotted the sky, barreling toward her.