Page 96 of Grave Revelations

When she died, he held her hand, even as terror tore through him, unsure of what would happen to her soul.

But she didn’t go to Alaxia. Instead, her half of his soul settled into a new body—one he’d hardly noticed before—but at that moment, he realized, even from birth, a fraction of his tattered soul had been parceled into a new life, waiting until it could be restored.

It happened again, and he thought he would go mad, but Dina was there, reminding him that nothing had gone right when he inserted himself into her first life.

Then, Claire. He raged at the memory of Claire, dead by Simon’s hand, her supposed protector, and knew the beast didn’t deserve to live. But Rachel had already absorbed her soul, and she clung to the creature, even in childhood. It would have been worse to leave her with only Alexander.

Gabriel had wanted to go to her then, to take her far away from the life she’d been thrust into, but in the end, he’d taken his sister’s advice and left her to suffer whatever human fate awaited her.

Even as it chipped away at his soul.

He had thrown himself into the affairs of other men, coming to the aid of his siblings to reduce the demon population.

When her soul cried out for him, drawing him to the cold gymnasium floor, Gabriel had acted selfishly for the first time, unable to bear the thought of his other half leaving him once more, possibly forever this time.

Gabriel was a fool.Gabrielwas dead.

Chapter 63

Rebecca

Rebecca stirred, a deep ache settling in her chest. When she blinked, opening her eyes, it was night. She couldn’t have slept more than a few hours, but it was enough to restore her. She stretched her arms overhead, yawning.

Sitting up, she glanced around the still-dark room, searching the corners for one shadow in particular.Her shadow.

The thought made her smile before she wiped the grin from her face. She wasn’t sure what they were. Comfortable in each other’s company, drawn to one another, but…

The ache in her chest intensified.

“Az,” she whispered in the dark. The silence that followed sliced through her.

He wasn’t there. Not that he owed her all his time, but she had fallen asleep in his arms as he carried her up the stairs. Somehow, she’d expected him to stay. After another dream about Elizabeth and the shadow she now knew must be Azazel, she longed even more for his comforting touch. She felt safer there, like nothing could harm her.

Sliding her legs over the side of the bed, Rebecca noticed she’d slept in her shoes. She must have been truly exhausted… or just that content. She scrubbed a hand over her face. At present, her life was too complicated to worry about her growing feelings for Azazel.

She stopped at her bathroom door. It had been days since she’d bathed and brushed her teeth. Yet she wasn’t dirty. Perhaps her seraphim abilities were to thank for that. Still, the human comforts of a hot shower and clean teeth sang to her soul, beckoning her forward.

Heading into the room, Rebecca peeled off her clothes and let them drop to the floor as she hummed to herself and turned the shower on with a sigh.

She stepped in, letting scalding water dampen her hair, and closed her eyes as it ran in fat rivulets over her face. Reaching for her shampoo, she squeezed drops of viscous liquid into her palm. The scent of lavender and eucalyptus assaulted her, and icy fingers brushed along the back of her neck, prickling the hairs there.

Her eyes flew open as she peered through the steam in the small space. It was a daydream or a premonition. A warning of something to do with Simon. But what?

Az, she said in her mind.

The shower curtain ripped aside, and he was there, glaring down at her.

“Hey! I’m naked!” she protested.

“As am I,” he countered. “What happened?”

She wrapped an arm over her breasts and another across the apex of her thighs. “Close the curtain.”

His brows dipped low, but he let the curtain fall back. “I’m not offended by your nudity, Rebecca.”

The words tasted sour in her mouth. They weren’t a lie, but he wasn’t being honest. “Something offends you.”

A growl came from the other side of the curtain.Simon.

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