Page 32 of Grave Revelations (Prophecies of Angels and Demons #3)

Chapter 31

Rebecca

Rebecca stepped inside the church, moving down a narrow stone path. With Azazel already gone, she felt no discomfort. Was it part of his plan? He’d known it was the only way for her to enter the church painlessly. It was also the safest place to wait for him to return.

Her heart constricted at the thought of all he had endured—continued to endure—for her, and it made her think of another creature who had suffered at her expense.

She was a broken thing when she met Simon all those lifetimes ago. Selfishly, she’d dragged him into her wretched life. And how he had paid for it. Guilt twisted in her stomach. No one deserved the agony that had been thrust upon him, and now she feared Azazel’s torment may be greater.

She leaned against the cool stone wall and squeezed her eyes shut, holding tears at bay as she replayed his declaration before he’d left. He would have done anything for her, had done the most unthinkable thing an angel could. All for her .

Taking several calming breaths, she continued into the darkness, running a hand along the wall. Azazel would return, and she would do better. She wouldn’t allow him to suffer for her any longer .

The hairs on her arms rose, and she spun around, senses alerting her a threat was near. Closing her eyes once more, she sent her third eyesight back down the long hall to the green door she’d come through.

A haze of jade smoke hovered at the door and trailed along the path outside.

“Sophia?” she breathed.

The girl’s hearing must have been as good as Simon’s because she began pounding on the door. “Rebecca! Rebecca, it’s me. Let me in!”

Rebecca ran to the door, unlocked it, and flung it open.

Sophia stood on the other side, red lips shining in the pre-dawn light. “I’m so glad I found you before daylight!”

Rebecca stared at her friend’s mouth, and Sophia wiped her arm across her face, looking sheepish. For a short moment, Rebecca wasn’t sure if she should trust the girl. The angel, Sariel, had warned her not to let them in. But Sophia was her sister, a member of her coven.

Rebecca stepped aside. “Get in here. You don’t have much time before daylight.”

Sophia stepped inside and followed her down the long hall. They stopped in a circular room at the end, and Sophia glanced around the space. “You picked an interesting spot to camp out.” Her gaze trailed over the dark pockets. “Where’s Az?”

“He’ll be back soon.” She trusted Sophia, but some instinct told her it would be safer to let the girl believe he would return any moment. “How did you find me?”

“I heard Az ask you to go to Patmos. On my way, I asked the ocean.”

“I’m on an island.”

“I can travel over water.”

Rebecca quirked an eyebrow. “Really? Can all night-beings with water magic do that?”

Sophia nodded, and Rebecca’s throat went dry. If Sophia could move so quickly over water, Elizabeth’s creatures could be anywhere by now. She hoped Azazel really would be back soon .

“Stay here. I’ll be right back,” she told Sophia, retracing her steps to the single door she’d seen in the church and pulling the deadbolt across it. It wouldn’t stop Elizabeth’s creatures, but the noise would give her a heads-up.

Back in their circular room, she slid down against the rock wall. Her eyelids were heavy, and the warmth of the cave soaked into her bones. Now that dawn was on the horizon, she let her lashes settle against her skin.

Sophia sat beside her and reached for Rebecca’s hand, squeezing it.

“I couldn’t find them. Any of them. We’re the only ones who can save our coven now.” The words slipped off her tongue as her body slouched into the rocks, leaving Rebecca alone again.

Rebecca peeled her eyes open as blinding light streamed in through an opening far overhead. Sophia’s limp form was in the same place as it had been when her eyes closed several hours earlier.

And now, Rebecca really had to pee.

She stumbled outside into a beautiful day, warmer by far than any she’d experienced in recent weeks. She slid her jacket off, tossed it on the ground, and staggered into some bushes just off the stone path. She pulled down her thick, lined leggings—too warm for such weather—and lacey thong underwear and squatted, the leaves and twigs poking her bare ass.

When she trudged out of the bushes and stooped to pick up her coat, her shadow slid across the ground, and she stumbled to her knees.

The sky darkened, and she looked up in time to see the sun sink behind its shadow. In moments, it was a full eclipse, and the world was dark as night. No stars twinkled in the sky, making it pitch dark and nearly impossible to see anything.

“Adelfi.”

Rebecca squinted in the darkness, climbing to her feet. “Hello? Sophia?” It was the middle of the day; Sophia couldn’t be up. But she blinked again, and a pair of glowing yellow eyes stared back at her. “Sophia! You scared me. ”

Sophia said nothing, her yellow eyes closing in.

Rebecca backed up, stumbling over something hard, but caught her balance. She raised her palm, sending a ball of blue flame up between them. Sophia’s features were illuminated in the faint light, casting eerie shadows across her skin. The strange expression on her face made Rebecca take another step back.

“Sophia, you’re freaking me out. What’s wrong?”

Sophia moved closer. “Run, Rebecca.”

Rebecca sat up, gasping for air. A dream. Just a dream. She looked over to find Sophia slumped in the same position she’d been in earlier. A shudder rolled over her as she moved away from the other girl.

On shaky legs, she went to the door at the far end of the hall and slid the lock aside, opening it. She stared up at the midday sun, holding up a hand to shield her view. Its placement was eerily similar to her dream. But instead of a temperate day, it was cold. Blistering. And the wind bit at her cheeks.

A few hours in the cave had warmed her, and her body wasn’t ready to face the chill yet. Strange that while she’d noticed the cold before, it hadn’t been so severe. It was as if she wasn’t human with Azazel by her side. It must be the magic, but she had no idea how it worked. One thing about the dream was true, though. She had to pee.

Wrapping her coat tighter around herself, she stepped out into the freezing afternoon and found the same bushes from her dream. She watched her shadow as she squatted, but it remained in place—no eclipse today. However, the leaves poked her in the same place as in her dream, sending a shiver of apprehension down her spine.

Could she have dreamed of this place but on a different day? She didn’t feel comfortable asking Sophia. How did you tell a friend you’d dreamed she might be trying to kill you?

Hairs on her neck rose, and she looked to the church door. Would Sophia walk through any moment—in full daylight ?

She stood, pulling up her pants. When the sky remained light, and no one came through the door, she pulled her sweater and jacket down and reached in her pocket for her gloves.

Something sharp stung her neck, and the world went black.