Page 38 of Grave Revelations

“Careful, brother,youare my kind.”

Azazel bit down on his tongue, tasting blood. His words must be prudently chosen to ensure no lies were told while guaranteeing nothing he might not be willing to part with was offered.

“The deal must include her soul’s eternal exclusion from Primoria.”

“I’ll make no such deal,” Samael waved a hand dismissively.

“I will willingly—”

“Lies.” Samael cast a glance at the empty chair to his right. “I have a deal for you. And it doesn’t involve yoursoulmate. Fetch Sariel for me, and I’ll give you another month with your human before you must decide.”

“If I choose not to rule at your side?”

“Then she’s mine.”

Chapter 24

Rebecca

“If only we had a map or a phone,” Rebecca grumbled as she pulled the collar of her coat up to cover her neck, suddenly thankful she’d been letting her hair grow out. Sophia had apologized a dozen times and promised it would never happen again, but leaving herself exposed seemed like it was inviting trouble.

“There are only so many underground cities. Think of the places she’s been. First Bermuda, then Ibiza, the Aeolians, and now Crete. She’s making her way to Turkey,” Sophia said.

“How can you be so sure?”

Sophia held up a hand, twisting her wrist, and snow whipped from nearby tree branches, floating lazily to the ground to form a map of their part of the Earth. She searched around them for a stick. “She was here,” she stabbed her stick into the ground, “then here.” She trailed her stick through the snow, connecting the locations. “Greece is over here, but she didn’t go that way. She went right past the Greek Islands to Crete.”

“What about all these islands?” Rebecca pointed to a dusting of circles above Crete.

“Yes, but there are no underground cave systems on those islands. Every time I woke, it was in a cave.”

Rebecca wrinkled her nose. “Why can’t we just go back to the last place you were?”

“They moved on from that place. Everyone was already gone when I woke.” Sophia’s stomach grumbled loudly.

“Are you hungry? I have power bars.” Rebecca dug into her bag, pulling out a pile of them in various flavors. “I don’t have any cash or credit cards, so we’ve been stealing what we eat.”

Her chest gave a sharp twinge of pain at the wordwe. Would Azazel return? Certainly, he would try; he wouldn’t leave her unless he had no choice. Damn Jophiel. When she saw the angel, she would give her a piece of her mind.

Sophia picked up two bars and peeled them open, biting into the first one. Talking around a mouthful, she said: “Okay, we’re here in Tropea. If we go by land to Roccella Ionica, we can steal a boat and sail to Greece. From there, we continue to Athens, where we will meet up with my family. Whoever is left.” Her brows dipped.

Rebecca grabbed Sophia’s hand, squeezing. “We’ll find them. They’ll be there. But I’m not sure I should leave yet. Azazel won’t know where we are.”

Sophia looked dubious. “You want to wait for the demon? Our sisters could be dying.”

“He’s not a demon.”

Sophia said nothing, chewing her power bar.

“But, you’re right. I have no idea how long it will take him to return.” The tiny ember at the center of her chest pulsed, giving her some reassurance he was okay, even if he was in Hell. “Do you have any money? If not, it’s going to be a long trek.”

“Elizabeth’s creatures took all our belongings when she captured us, but we don’t need money. You’ll ride on my back.”

Rebecca looked up, swallowing.

Sophia’s yellow eyes glowed in the inky darkness, reminding her painfully of Simon. But unlike Simon, Sophia had bitten her. Goosebumps ran down her arms, and she rubbed her coat sleeves. Her heart thrummed. She’d seen Simondesperately hungry more than once—knew how wild it had made him—but she’d never feared him.

“Rebecca, I’m so sorry about before,” Sophia began for at least the tenth time.

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