Page 8 of Grave Revelations

“Here.” Azazel’s mouth quirked up on one side, a sharp dimple appearing on his cheek.

He turned away from her, wispy feathers tickling her nose as they swayed behind him. He lifted his arms, and dirt rose from the ground, following the pattern he wove. It split, forming three solid walls around them.

Trees stretched, reaching for one another until they formed a thatched ceiling overhead. He beckoned to vines creeping along the forest floor, and they swam toward him, weaving together until they formed a single rectangular object in the center of the makeshift home.

He swung his arms once more, and the branches pulled more tightly together, plunging the room into darkness.

“I can’t see,” Rebecca said.

Something featherlight brushed her cheek, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when breath ruffled her hair and a voice said, “I can.”

Chapter 5

Rebecca

“Don’t do that, Gabriel! Make a window or something.”

His rumbling growl sent a chill down Rebecca’s spine, and she backed up, tripping on some invisible object and landing on a bed of vines.

“My name is Azazel.”

His voice was close, too close, and she scooted back on the bed. She held her breath, listening for any sound that might give away his location.

Piercing light momentarily blinded her as it shot into the room. She blinked a few times, letting her eyes adjust. Her gaze fell on the dark object hovering in the corner.

“Was it hard for you to be in the light for so long?” She genuinely wondered if it affected him as it seemed to other demons.

He winced, the most human emotion she’d seen on his face. “It’s bearable when you’re close.” He cleared his throat. “But it’s a reminder of what I’ve lost.”

Was that regret in his voice? Once, before recent events, she’d been concerned for him, worried about what was happening to him in Primoria, even if she was loath to admit it to herself. Seeing him now, she knew it was worse than she’d imagined.

“Come here.” She beckoned him forward, and he came, blending with the shadows as he crossed the room in their small space. Azazel stood, towering over her before she patted the vines beside her. “Sit.”

He did, his wings evaporating as he sat. Rebecca marveled at the convenience of wings that took up no space when he didn’t want them to.

The thought brought a memory bubbling to the surface of her mind: Gabriel, in a cramped apartment, curling shimmering white wings behind his back as he sat at her tiny kitchen table and delivered the news that she would soon lose all her memories and return to a normal life.

Rebecca ran a finger over the smooth skin on his back where wings had been moments before. He shuddered. “You said you were prepared to walk away from me before. What’s changed?”

He grabbed her fingers, stopping her perusal. “The nasdaqu-ush is up to something that involves you. She’s thwarted the angels far too well to be working alone. There is a bigger plan. I cannot see what it is, but somehow, you’re a part of it.”

Rebecca tugged her hand from his grasp. He let her, trailing his gaze down the length of her body, then back up.

She wrapped her arms around herself. “What are you looking at?”

“You’ll freeze in those clothes, and a fire would give our location away. We will need to go into town for supplies. You must be hungry as well.”

As if on cue, her stomach growled. She had lost count of the days since she ate an actual meal.

Azazel flashed that lopsided smile. “We should go now. Before dark. We must be prepared before night falls.”

“Why can’t we stay in town?”

His brows dipped. “That’s exactly where she would look for you. You’re safer here, far from any other people or creatures.”

Rebecca considered his words. “I should probably go by myself. You can’t just walk into town in daylight. You’re a demon.”

“I’m not a demon, but I’ll keep to the shadows. No one will see me. Humans are blind.”

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