Page 37 of Grave Revelations (Prophecies of Angels and Demons #3)

Chapter 36

Rebecca

Rebecca blinked, searing heat burning her chest. She opened her eyes, staring up at a ceiling she’d seen more than a thousand times. Home .

Was she dead?

If this was Heaven, she was going to be pissed. She’d spent her whole damn life in Bath, North Carolina. If she were stuck there for her afterlife, too, she’d be writing a letter to her nearest representative in complaint.

A dark chuckle sent a chill up her spine.

She knew that chuckle, and it wouldn’t be in Heaven. She turned her gaze to the left, a sharp pain behind her eyes pinching her eyebrows together.

Azazel’s glowering face stared back at her.

That wasn’t right. He’d just been laughing.

Not in Heaven. Never… Heaven .

Oh . She stared down at her hands. He wasn’t touching her. How was she hearing his thoughts?

Can you… hear me? he asked.

Sort of. It’s like a bad cell connection . She tried to laugh, but everything ached.

Azazel stood, coming to her bedside.

She stared up at him; memories of her fevered thoughts in the forest, him over her, flashed in her mind .

His eyes blazed with an intensity that set her on fire, but he didn’t come closer. Didn’t lean into her as he had in her daydream.

“What’s wrong?” she croaked, her voice coming out harsh and scratchy.

“Things have changed.”

Heat burned low in her belly, but his words were a bucket of ice dumped over her. What did that mean? What things? Her brain struggled to form coherent thoughts. How had they made it to her house?

Azazel leaned into her mattress, straining to be closer even as he held his hands rigidly at his sides.

Buzzing started to her right, and she glanced over at her bedside table. Her phone was ringing. Her phone ! She reached for it, snatching it off the charger, mouth twisting into a frown as Simon’s name was displayed on the screen.

She dropped it onto the bed beside her. A small smile ghosted over Azazel’s face before disappearing into his indifferent mask. That face she knew. She’d seen it many times. His smooth brows furrowed, a deep line appearing between them, slicing through swirling dark lines.

Rebecca reached for him, wanting to smooth the line away, but he backed up, giving them space. She struggled to get her elbows under her, trying to sit up.

He watched from his place midway between the bed and the chair.

Azazel wasn’t so large anymore, and his eyes were glowing. Had they always been blue? And how could his shoulders not be as broad, yet he seemed to take up so much more space in the room? What exactly was different about him?

Everything.

She wrinkled her nose. Not everything. You’re still… you.

He crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re in grave danger. The sooner you unlock your seraph side, the safer you’ll be.”

“I have you. What do I need my gifts for?” She’d meant it to sound playful, joking, but his crackling thoughts through her mind sobered her.

Not… leave.

Rebecca propped herself up, working her body into a sitting position. I thought you meant you were leaving when you said everything changed .

“I’ll never leave. I told you that. But we…” A sharp intake of breath cut off his words, and the next word was said in her mind. Can’t.

“Can’t?” She arched a brow, something in her chest spasming. “Can’t what?”

Be. He pulled his arms tighter across his chest.

Be what?

“I’ve accepted my place at Samael’s side and will now and forever be a ruler of Primoria.”

“Oh.” That spasm in her chest was a dagger lodged straight through the center of her heart. Why did that hurt so much?

Her phone buzzed again. Simon flashed on the screen. She scowled down at it.

Azazel backed up, moving to the door.

“Wait,” she said. “Don’t go.”

His gaze darted to her phone and back to her face. “You should take that. It might be important.”

“Az, wait. I don’t…”

He didn’t wait. He blinked out of the room without even bothering to open the door.

She stared at the closed door, feeling like it was a metaphor for the very real door he’d closed between them.

Inhaling slowly, Rebecca breathed through the pain. Why was she in pain? He was the one who’d left. Again .

Her phone buzzed a third time—still Simon. She picked it up.

“What.” Her words were sharp.

“Rebecca. Are you okay? I thought you were dead.”