Page 95 of Grave Revelations

Rebecca moved, towering over the creature he had just turned to dust, but before he could shout for her to stop, a woman moaned, appearing from the smoke. She gazed up at Rebecca, yellow eyes pleading.

Rebecca conjured a spear, calling it from the earth, and crushed the woman, burying her as she called on vines and roots to pull her under.

When a hand shot from the ground, Rebecca called on her flame. It came, but it was a flicker of her usual power.

Azazel searched frantically for a way to feed her energy, to make her strong again when Rebecca scanned the trees forming her half of the perimeter and called on them for aid. The wind carried petals to her, feeding her flame until it raged. It ran down her arm, leaping to her leg, growing in size and intensity.

As the woman broke free, Rebecca sent her flames to meet her. The creature hurtled forward, and as sparks reached her, she was engulfed in a blaze.

Rebecca raised a second hand, calling on the trees. Another breeze sent petals into her palm, and she pointed one finger at the woman, strengthening the flames.

The yellow-eyed being staggered, pressing forward. One foot pushed into the ground and broke free as she tried to step again. The second leg broke off at the knee as her charred black limbs remained fused to earth. She tumbled forward, crumbling to dust.

Rebecca raised her arms to the sky, calling rain down upon them. It pelted the creature, washing away the charred remains to nothing.

Thick black smoke rose from the ashes as a red-eyed demon formed in the mist.

Azazel lunged for it, but Rebecca threw up her hands, trapping the demon in a cyclone of air. It beat against its cage, roaring.

He beamed, pride radiating from him as she mastered her gift, but she staggered backward under the weight of it. Vines reached for her, holding her up. Rough bark brushed her calves and thighs as the vegetation surrounding her leaned in, offering support.

Her back bent unnaturally as the demon pressed against her magic. Wind whipped at her shoulders, pushing her upright. A tear slid down her cheek as she gritted her teeth.Her arms fell, and she gasped, stumbling to her knees.

The cyclone dissipated, and the demon lunged.

Azazel met it, blocking its path, but it was faster, wrapping frigid fingers around his neck, choking the energy from him.

He gasped as he dug taloned nails into the vice-like arms of the creature. It was their bond breaking, not his neck, but try as he might, he couldn’t free himself. His chest constricted painfully as the piece of his soul he’d fought to reunite for more than a century tore free and launched into the abyss.

Azazel sat forward, clutching his chest as he gasped.

Sanura.

It couldn’t be their future. It was a nightmare, a memory of a past he worked to block from his mind every day. Sanura was long gone. She could never harm his mate again. Still, thoughts of her earlier comments circled his mind. Why would Elizabeth want Sanura’s necklace? What did she hope to do with it?

He stood, drawn by the need to seek comfort in her touch.

As he leaned into the bed, she rolled toward him, her hand running over the blanket.

Eyes closed in sleep, she patted the empty space, searching for something, or someone.

He stretched his fingers toward hers.

“Simon.”

If Azazel had a heart, it would have shattered. He snatched his hand back before they made contact, stumbling away from the bed and pressing it to his chest. For a moment, he gasped around the pain before winking out of the room.

He became dust and hovered over the roof. Not far enough that he wouldn’t know if she were in danger, but far enough that he wouldn’t hear her words should any more daggers spill from her lips.

But it wasn’t far enough. She pictured Simon’s face, and the image was thrust into his mind.

He raced higher, desperate to escape her thoughts.

He had foolishly assumed she was finally free of him when she learned of Valentina.

Simon had found Rebecca in all her lives and Gabriel had resolved to leave her mortal form to take what comfort she could in another human.

In Rebecca’s first life, he had hardly dared believe his soul was not lost for eternity. When he felt the pulse of that missing part of him, a long-dead hope was revived. He found her, watched her from a distance, and promised himself he would not make the same mistakes he’d made the first time.

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