Ruthless (The Seraphim Series Book 2) Read Free Page A

using it as an excuse. I’m just saying.”
    Lilliah had hoped and prayed for her powers to return. She’d gotten a taste of them when the evil witch, Ada Washington, had tried to kill her, but that was all it had been: a taste. She’d concluded that they weren’t coming back and that she would never feel the blue fire come from her body again. No matter how hard she tried, that amazing experience was over. Whatever had happened to her in that cave had been a one-off.
    She dropped the towel on the floor. “My powers are not back. I’m just getting better.”
    “Getting better?” Sebastian repeated with raised eyebrows. “Your punch felt like a sledgehammer.”
    “See!” Rebecca shrieked from her seat at the edge of the training mat. “That’s why I don’t want to fight. I bruise like a peach. I’d be black and blue before you finished.”
    “She’s good, but not unbeatable.”
    Lilliah’s head shot towards the voice. Azrael stood in the doorway, casually leaning against the frame. His pitch-black hair was swept away from his intense blue eyes. Lilliah’s breath caught in her throat. No matter how many times she saw him, the feeling stayed the same. The excitement, the butterflies—none of it had dulled in the months they had spent together. If anything, her feelings had gotten stronger, and she loved it.
    “I thought you were gone all day,” Lilliah said and didn’t stop the goofy grin from spreading across her face.
    Azrael walked farther into the room, nodding politely in Rebecca’s direction and then again in Sebastian’s—his way of greeting. His eyes returned to Lilliah’s, and he stopped walking when their feet touched. Slowly, he bent his head until his lips were hovering over her mouth.
    “I changed my mind.” His lips grazed hers as he whispered the words. After a quick peck, he straightened and took one step back.
    Lilliah was too dazed to move or speak; she was barely breathing on her own. How does he do that?
    “Oh, my gosh.” Rebecca fanned herself with her hand. “That was frigging hot.”
    Lilliah’s cheeks heated.
    “That was way too intimate for my liking.” Sebastian looked horrified. “No brother needs to see his sister like that.”
    Lilliah assumed he was looking at Azrael, but she wouldn’t know; she was too busy staring at the floor, hiding her embarrassment and her smile.
    “Want to train with us?” she asked, ignoring her brother. “I’m kicking Seb’s ass.”
    Azrael grinned at her. He didn’t get embarrassed like her. No matter where they were or what they were doing, if Azrael wanted to kiss her or hold her hand, he would. Though she loved it now, she’d found it strange at first. Azrael hadn’t struck her as the affectionate type, especially not while in public.
    “I lived without you for centuries,” he had explained when Lilliah had brought it up. “If I want to kiss you or touch you, I will.”
    She had liked his explanation—a lot.
    “I can see that.” Azrael was still smiling at Lilliah when his eyes flicked to Sebastian. “You think you can beat her?”
    Sebastian pursed his lips as if mulling the question over. “Hell yeah, I can beat her.”
    Azrael laughed. “Okay. I want to see it. We’ve been training for a while now. I want to see how well she’s doing.”
    He walked off the mat and stood next to Rebecca, clearly enjoying himself. Lilliah loved how relaxed he was in front of her family and friends. He’d been so uptight when they’d first met.
    “You and I have also trained a few times together,” Sebastian reminded him. “Remember those?”
    Lilliah chuckled at Sebastian’s joke.
    “I remember, but you only turned up twice,” Azrael shot back playfully.
    “I might come back after this.” Sebastian jerked his head in Lilliah’s direction. “She’s in the zone today.”
    Lilliah was still buzzing. It took a lot more to tire her out these days and she was ready for round two.
    “Are you guys going to stand there and