Page 36 of The Bell’s Toll (Wanderlust Emporium Presents, Season One)

epilogue

Nasiah

R aziel lifts my hand to his mouth and places a kiss on the back.

It’s been six months since I left my mother in her home screaming at me. Since then, things have changed. I finally got the wedding of my dreams. Only my close friends and family were in attendance, and it was at a beautiful lake. Razzy even bought me a brand-new dress.

Vanessa and my father were in attendance. The couple looked happy together. Raziel kept his promise. After he finished with my daddy, Romeo begged and pleaded for his wife to take him back.

Since the day Vanessa finally said yes, he has been a doting, loyal husband. The two of them decided they needed a new start, so they packed up their things and moved two states away.

Mother is absolutely losing her shit. After everything settled and I told Tanisha the truth about the death mark, the family no longer dealt with Angelica.

Last I heard, she was hitting the bottle hard and going to every psychic and palm reader she could find, hoping to find a demon that would bring my father back to her.

They won’t. None of them would dare cross Count Raziel.

My man took to his new role like a champ. After Raziel got promoted to count, he no longer had any issues with the other fallen domini. Even Gadiel is friendlier. Razzy found out that a lot of Gadiel’s animosity was being fed and encouraged by Rojun.

Now, he and Gadiel have a very understanding relationship. It’s probably because Raziel threatened to beat Gadiel within an inch of his life and toss him into the underworld if he ever crossed him.

As far as personal changes after the promotion, he still owns and operates his casinos and clubs, but there have been a few changes on his staff.

He has a brand-new ambassador, because his old one is now dominus of the southwest. Yes, Conah is now dominus of Raziel’s old district.

Hamon has moved up to head guard, and Khiva is now his personal assistant.

Today, Khalid has summoned us. I was in no rush to see the terrifying man again, but this was a special occasion. He and Raziel have been working on one final project.

“How’re you feeling?” he asks, those dark brown eyes gazing at me.

“A little nauseous, but I’m okay.”

I found out yesterday that I’m pregnant. The news shocked me, but not Raziel. He told me he knew the moment it happened. Apparently, the fallen and forsaken control whether or not their seed takes.

“I’ll have the doctor come by the house and make sure everything is okay.”

The car pulls up to the curb. Hamon steps out of the front of the SUV and then comes to open the door to the back.

“Khiva told me to tell you she talked to Khalid’s assistant, and she will be waiting in the foyer for you two,” Hamon says with a smile.

“Tell Khiva she’s the best.” Razzy climbs out of the back seat and then turns around to help me out.

As great of a job as Khiva is doing, I know he’s still hurt over Unina. He could’ve gotten past Rojun’s betrayal, but not Unina’s.

Just then, my phone rings. Tanisha’s name appears. I pull it out of my purse as I climb out of the car.

“Hello?”

“Hey, I know you guys have to meet the big man today, but Erazel told me to tell you two congratulations on the baby.”

I smile even though she can’t see me. Raziel started the process of getting Erazel back to this realm two weeks after the fight with Rojun. If everything goes well, Erazel will be back in his new position as ambassador in under a year.

Though Erazel cannot come back to this realm yet, it doesn’t keep him and Tanisha from seeing each other. Every night and sometimes during the day, she holds a little candlelight session summoning her man.

“Tell him we said thank you, and we can’t wait for him to meet his niece or nephew.”

She laughs. “I’ll let him know. See ya.”

After hanging up the phone, Raziel slips his fingers through mine. We walk hand in hand into Khalid’s office building. The place is enormous. Sixty floors high. The inside is all chrome and glass. It looks expensive.

A woman with gorgeous red hair and bright green eyes meets us when we walk in.

“Hello, Count,” she says with a genuine smile.

“Helah,” Raziel says, dipping his chin. “This is my wife, Nasiah.”

The female shakes my hand, flashing a warm smile.

“Right this way,” she says, leading us to a fancy elevator with a computer keypad.

When the door to the elevator opens, we are in a huge office space with a receptionist’s desk. Helah leads the way to two large double doors.

The moment we walk in, all eyes are on us. The dark-skinned guy I met the day Rojun was killed is here. I think his name is Sei. Roth is here too. I know Roth because he and Raziel work closely together.

Also among us is a man so stunning he makes me question my eyesight. He looks about my age with thick brown hair, kissable full lips, and ice-blue eyes. He dips his chin at me, and I glance away.

The next guy I see is tall, like he should be on someone’s NBA team tall.

He’s built like a superhero. His dark brown eyes feel as if they can peer into my soul.

He has one of those structured, model faces that’s heavy in the jawline.

His dark brown brows slash over his eyes in a straight line.

He has a slightly crooked nose, with full pink lips, and his dusting of facial hair draws your attention straight to them. He doesn’t smile or acknowledge me.

Raziel pulls out a seat for me in the middle of the table. He takes the seat beside me.

“Thanks for joining me, Count.”

Razzy told me that Khalid didn’t like humans. He said not to take offense if the man never speaks to me. I’ve only met him twice, and so far, he barely acknowledges my existence.

“Glad to be here,” Raziel says.

The door to the conference room opens, and a woman walks in. She has long brown hair that hangs to mid-back. She holds her head high. Her narrow blue eyes sweep across the room in disgust.

She stands in the middle of the floor with her arms across her chest.

“What is the meaning of this meeting, Amir?” she says the name as if the letters leave an unpleasant taste in her mouth.

Khalid’s jaw tenses as he stares at her. The entire room is silent. I hold my breath.

Finally, Khalid speaks. “Have a seat, Uriah.”

“No thank you,” she spits out. “Besides, I don’t plan to be here long. Don’t want the filth of these creatures to rub off on me.”

I wait to see if that black smoke will rise from anyone, but everyone looks unbothered by the female’s words.

“Very well,” Khalid says. “You sought a human and coerced them to order a death mark on my count’s mate.”

Uriah scoffs, rolling her eyes. “He wasn’t a count at the time. And what a depressed, angry human did has nothing to do with me.” Her grin is so evil.

I fault my mother for her own actions. But this woman manipulated a broken and mentally weak woman. She’s just as much to blame.

“But bribing a lower caste forsaken to do your bidding has everything to do with you.”

Uriah turns away from Khalid and glares at Raziel. “Oh, I see. The little worthless orphan boy ran to his daddy to tell on me, is that right?”

She turns back to Khalid. “Did he tell you how all this started? How he was going to kill you.”

“I was never going to kill him, and you know it,” Raziel snarls, leaning up in his seat.

Khalid, however, doesn’t even flinch. “I knew of the mate-bond with Abrigia and her plans before I offered him the job.”

Raziel swings his head toward Khalid. I don’t think he knew that part.

“Nothing happens in my realm or the underworld that I don’t know about,” Khalid says to Raziel before turning back to Uriah.

“You used your power and status to trap him into a contract, and once the contract was served, you tried to force him back into it. Your crimes can not go unpunished.”

She’s silent for a moment, her chin up and her gaze narrowed at Khalid. She glares for a long moment before she tosses her head back and laughs.

“This is cute, Amir. Bringing me in front of your little followers to scold me. But let’s be real. Even if I am guilty, you have no authority over me. You are the king of the fallen. Never forget your place. You are beneath me. You have no power over me.”

“But I do,” a male voice says from the door. I turn to look at the newcomer.

He has curly dark blonde hair that falls to his neck and the kindest eyes I’ve ever seen. Although just as attractive as all the other men in the room, he has a much softer look to his face.

“Hello, Uri,” Khalid greets the newcomer with a dip of his chin. I notice that the others in the room hold up their hands as if they are shielding their eyes from a bright light.

“Amir, I see you have the gang here.” Uri walks further into the room and takes a seat at the other end of the table. “I’m sorry I’m late. Michael wanted to be here, but he wasn’t sure he’d be welcome.”

“He’s not,” Khalid says dismissively, rolling his eyes.

Uri chuckles before turning his attention back to Uriah. “You’ve been a naughty angel, Uriah.”

For the first time, Uriah seems shaken up. She glances around the room before turning back to Uri.

“I can explain—”

“They all say that,” Raziel chuckles.

Khalid tugs at his sleeve before leaning back in his seat. “You are right, Uriah. I don’t have the authority to punish you, but I have friends in high places.”

“That you do,” Uri adds. “But I think considering the crime. I will give permission to your count to hand out her punishment.”

“What?” Uriah’s blue eyes widen.

Uri holds up a hand, and right before my eyes, Uriah changes into an angel. Her brown hair looks as if it has gold strings streaked through it. It blows in the wind despite there not being any open windows.

Over her head is a halo of bright light. Her red dress turns into white robes that pool to the ground, turning into white smoke. Her large white wings spring from her back.

“You will no longer need these.” Uri balls his hand into a fist.

Uriah screams as her wings shrivel until only nubs remain. The bright halo around her head shrinks until it blinks out. Her robes shift into tattered rags that hang off her body. She falls to the floor sobbing.

“You are being punished for the crimes you committed against mankind through the acts of an unlawful contract,” Uri says. “How do you rule, Count Raziel?”

Razzy smiles as he pulls something out of the void. He places it on the table. It’s a small bronze bell with a crack down the side.

“I sentence her to a life of servitude. Every time the bell rings, she will be required to grant one request.”

Uriah cries louder. “Please. Don’t do this.” Her words went unheeded.

“I like that,” Uri says. “So shall it be.”

The bell on the table floats into the air. The color goes from bronze to bright gold. It spins in a circle. Uriah screams as the bell spins faster. Suddenly the scream stops, Uriah disappears, and the bell drops back onto the table, no longer broken.

“That was dramatic,” Khalid says, rolling his eyes.

“You know I like the theatrics.” Uri chuckles as he gets to his feet.

“Is that it?” I ask lowly. “Is it over?”

Even though we had dealt with Rojun and my mother, the angel was still always a problem. As long as she was out there, we knew we would never find peace. Knowing it’s over now makes me feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

“Yeah, baby. It’s done.” Raziel pulls me to his side and places a kiss on my forehead. Uri picks up the bell off the table and looks at it.

“What are you going to do with that?” Khalid asks.

“I know just the place for it,” Uri says. Right before our eyes, the bell disappears.