Ruthless (The Seraphim Series Book 2) Read Free

Rebecca burst out laughing but quickly stopped. Lilliah wasn’t finding this funny anymore.
    “You didn’t tell Mum, did you?”
    Lilliah had decided to drop out of college when they’d all arrived home. She had attended classes during the first few days back, but the whole idea of going to class every day, catching the tube, and acting normal seemed insane to her. She couldn’t go back to her old life and pretend like everything was normal.
    “Of course I didn’t.” Sebastian pointed at her. “But you need to.”
    “I will,” she assured him, the panic easing slightly. She was still searching for the right time to tell her mum, who placed a lot of value on education. “But right now, I want to fight and Azrael is away for the day, so I have no one to practice with.”
    “That’s great. Makes me feel real special.” Sebastian stood and walked over to the door. “I’m putting the kettle on. I need coffee before I fight.”
    Lilliah waited until he’d left to talk. “Aren’t you supposed to be at college?” she asked her friend.
    Rebecca bit her lip, trying to hide a smile. “Yeah, I’m skipping today.” She stood up from the bed, stretching her arms out. “I’m thinking about taking a year off.”
    Lilliah wasn’t surprised.
    “I was thinking me and Seb could travel for a bit.” Rebecca picked up her bag from the floor and pulled out a bright yellow T-shirt.
    “Sounds pretty cool.” Apparently, she wasn’t the only one struggling to return to her old life. “What will your parents think?”
    “Dad’s still working on his album and my mum’s following him around the world like a little dog following its owner.” Rebecca quickly changed tops, throwing Sebastian’s night T-shirt in the bag. “They wouldn’t care.”
    Lilliah didn’t say anything. Rebecca had had a very different life growing up than most, with her father a famous eighties pop idol who still had a huge following, and her mother a beautiful would-be model who had gotten pregnant with Rebecca at the age of twenty-two. Their lives had been fast and exciting, leaving little room for a child.
    Rebecca let her hair down and ran her fingers through the frizzy mess. “Everything’s just so different. I mean, magic is real. Vampires and angels are all real. The world just got a hell of a lot more exciting. I don’t want to waste it, you know? I don’t want to be like my mum, following a man around the world or even depending on a man. I want to live.”
    Lilliah smiled. “Different? Yeah, I guess that’s one word for it.”

Chapter 2
     
    “Ow!” Rebecca tensed. “That must have hurt.”
    Sebastian was lying on the matted floor, panting hard.
    “Dude”—he held up his hands in surrender—“you’ve gotten so fast. Just … just give me a second.”
    They’d been training in Azrael’s state-of-the-art gym for the past two hours. Like most of the rooms in Azrael’s apartment, it had huge glass windows that overlooked the city of London. The view alone made it one of Lilliah’s favourite places, just below Azrael’s bedroom and the living room and kitchen. So it was fourth, but in an apartment with more than twenty rooms spread over two floors, fourth wasn’t bad. Even with its killer view, Lilliah always thought it strange that he had a gym as high-tech as this one, considering she had never seen him using any of its equipment. The whole room appeared to be just for show.
    Lilliah stepped back. “I told you I had a lot of energy to burn off.”
    “No.” Sebastian sat up slowly, sweat dripping from his brow. “That’s not energy. That’s issues. You have issues.”
    “Oh, please.” She grabbed a towel from the floor and wiped her forehead. “You’re just saying that because you’re losing.”
    She loved baiting him—one of the few perks of being a sister.
    “This isn’t over.” Sebastian jumped to his feet, swinging his arms side to side. “But I do think your angel powers are coming back. I’m not