“Are you alright?” he has an unusual, deep voice.
“Yes,” I say, but I’m not sure.
What sounds like a dog’s cry has me turning back to the creature. Raziel crushes the monster’s ribs until the beast stops moving.
When it’s dead, he drops it to the ground. Right before my eyes, he seems to pull something out of thin air. It looks like a simple stick. He flicks the stick, and it turns into a scythe. He slashes the blade through the air. A black hole opens. The screams coming from that hole are deafening, and the stench is unbearable.
Raziel picks the monster up and tosses its body through the hole before running the blade back through it to seal it up.
I watch in complete shock as the scythe disappears back into thin air. He walks up to me, his eyes pitch black.
“Are you hurt?” he asks.
I can’t speak. The adrenaline and the fear are waning, causing me to feel lightheaded. I nod my head. He looks me over as if he doesn’t believe me.
“Where the fuck is Erazel?” he shouts the question.
“I don’t know.” The black guy says beside me. “I’ll find him.”
Raziel nods. “I’m taking her home. As soon as you find Erazel, bring him to my office.”
“I’ll have a knight bring her car back to the house.”
“Thanks,” Razzy says, before lifting me into his arms like a bride.
I bury my face in his shoulder. My heart is still racing. What the hell was that, and why did it come after me?
“Close your eyes, Beauty. I’ll take you home.”
I follow his orders. I wasn’t going to argue with him about his condo not being my home. Because in this moment, it was the only place I wanted to be.
chapter fifteen
The Changes
Raziel
Ipace back and forth in my office. My fury has not dissipated. The darkness still hasn’t settled. It floats around me like steam from a geyser.
A fucking drudge tried to kill Nasiah. Drudges are not allowed in this realm. They are level five demons. They are mindless killing machines with an appetite for flesh. How the fuck did a drudge get into my district? I know damn well it didn’t come through one of my portals.
A waver in the void lets me know someone was about to enter my home office. And it had to be someone I trusted, because the void into my home is protected. Only people I know and have approved can enter my domicile.
Conah appears in my office. Erazel steps out of the void right behind him. I turn to glare at him.
“I know you’re pissed, but listen to him,” Conah suggests.
Erazel looks away nervously. “I remained right by her side the entire day, never leaving my spot. I sensed the drudge before it made itself known—”
“Then where the fuck were you when it tried to kill her?”
“Trapped,” Conah answers for him. “Someone locked the void. He couldn’t get through.”
My eyes widen. The darkness ripples under my skin like an infestation. My true form fights to come out.
“I fought against that void for fifteen minutes. Hearing her call my name.....” Erazel pauses and shakes his head. “I wouldn’t have left her like that.”
Part of me knew Erazel wouldn’t abandon his post. He has been with me since I crossed the portals to take this job, but I’m at the point of not trusting anyone.
