The Book of Azrael (Gods & Monsters, #1)

by Amber V. Nicole

Ig’Morruthens were strong and almost impossible to kill—almost. We all had a weakness, one thing that would destroy us. The trick was trying to figure it out before we ripped you to pieces. I had been decapitated, lost limbs that grew back, and even had my neck snapped, but none of it had killed me. The only thing that had not been destroyed was my heart. So, through the process of elimination, we had deduced that I would die if my heart were removed from my body. My stupid mortal heart was my weakness.

I began, and on three, we ripped them open and broke them in half. I took the paper out of mine and read, “A big change is coming your way.” “Well, that’s stupid.” I sighed and popped the candy into my mouth. I looked up at Gabby. “What does yours say?” She shrugged and handed it to me. “Well, it didn’t tell me I won a large lump sum of money, so that’s a bummer.” I giggled and took the small paper, reading out loud, “A single act can change the world.” I shrugged, handing it back to her. “Either I’m old, or these fortunes don’t make sense anymore.”

I sense a little foreshadowing here.

“What? It’s probably strange for you to hear someone care.” He smirked. “I doubt anyone loves you,” he said, folding his arms. Ouch. Logan was right. Kaden didn’t love me. I doubt he’d ever used the word. What would it be like to truly be loved? I wondered what it would be like to be wanted for me and not my powers of destruction. I gave Gabby a hard time about the silly movies she loved so much, but I think a part of me craved it deep down.

Everyone deserves to be loved Dianna😭

He merely shrugged as he leaned back, all power and arrogance. Most women would want to climb him like a tree in that position, but I was imagining stabbing him again.

Dianna was forbidden, but no one needed to know. It was something to consider. Wait—no. What was wrong with me? Why was I thinking such things? It was Dianna, not some consort begging to fulfill my desires. I thought about moving away, telling her this wasn’t working, but discarded the idea when I felt her fingers comb through my hair. My eyes flew open, and she gave me a small, gentle smile.

For the second time, he smiled. It was just a brief flash of his stupid perfect teeth, but it undid me. It was the simplest thing, and I hated it. He smiled, and gravity shifted, pulling me toward him as if he were my anchor.

He was so wrapped in sadness that I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it before. When I’d first met him, the shell of what I thought a god would be, I’d only seen arrogance, hatred, and contempt in his gaze. But there was so much more than that. I’d thought maybe it was a result of containing too much power, or maybe he had just grown tired of living. But when I looked at him through the lens of last night, I saw grief, sadness, anxiety, and pain. He was in so much pure, raw pain.

“I do not know. I suppose I feel as if they can see everything I have done. Every mistake, every wrong decision—and they blame me for it.”

I didn’t remember how long we talked, but somewhere amidst her laughter and smiles, I decided I would rip the world apart for her.

Yesss😍😍😍

“You already consume my every waking thought. Must you consume my dreams as well?”

“There is a saying in my language, on my world. It doesn’t truly translate, but it means ‘to calcify.’ Gods are at risk of reaching a certain point in their lives where emotions dissipate. It often happens after what you would consider a traumatic event. They lose a part of themselves and cease to care about anyone or anything. It is as if the very light inside of us goes out, and we turn to stone.”

It was called orneliamus, or liam for short. They were my mother’s favorite, and a symbol of strength and protection. They could adapt to any climate and were so sturdy, they were nearly impossible to kill. It took the death of the planet to eradicate them.” His eyes flickered to mine before he strode over and sat beside me. He angled the stem of the flower toward me, offering it to me. I felt my heart skip as I reached out to accept it. He gave me a small smile before he rested his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together in front of him. “I wanted to be that.”

“A word of advice then, World Ender. Do not fill her head with pretty words. Do not make her beautiful gowns. Do not take her on midnight strolls through a garden or give her handpicked flowers. Kaden has fed her scraps for years to keep her in line. She is a woman who craves love, no matter what she says. If you have no intention of staying or being with her, don’t court her and make her care. Don’t be the one to make her fall if you have no intention of catching her.”

She had become a balm to my soul, but Ethan’s words rang in my head. “Don’t be the one to make her fall if you have no intention of catching her.” I leaned my forehead against that perfectly ordinary door and knew the woman beyond it was more precious to me than I wanted to admit to anyone, let alone myself.

“But you have seen it, yes? It must be massive and overwhelming, almost too much for one person to contain, much less handle.” My head reeled back, and my body suddenly ran hot. “What? No!” I snapped, avoiding Liam’s gaze completely. “Well, I mean, once, but it was a weird dream thing.” I closed my eyes, waving my hands in the air slightly. “Wait—why are we talking about his penis?” Camilla cocked her head, one brow raised. “I’m talking about his power.” “Oh.” I dropped my hands to my sides, my face feeling as if it were on fire.

😂😂

“Open your mouth, Dianna. I need you to eat this. It’s dissolvable, like that colored candy cloud creation you gave me. It will help with the pain.”

I just love that’s how he refers to cotton candy😂

With the right person, a kiss was so much more than a kiss. It was pure, unfiltered ecstasy.

“Oh, yeah? You want to use me?” I meant it as more of a suggestive joke, but I think the humor was lost on Liam. “Never,” he said, his voice pained. “I would never even suggest such a thing. I appreciate you. Truly.”