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

by Amber V. Nicole

“Look like the innocent flower but be the serpent underneath.”

“But it’s impossible. You cannot exist. The Ig’Morruthens died in the Gods War.”

When I was mad, hungry, or anything but mortal, they burned like two fiery embers—one identifier among many that proved I was no longer mortal.

We already have three of The Hand of Rashearim here. Anything that could kill them either died in the war or has been sealed away for

centuries.

Ah, yes, the book. The reason we were running all over, searching Onuna.

He had never said so, but I assumed his antipathy toward me was a result of me becoming Kaden’s second-in-command when I was made.

Kaden had promised eternal life to those that pleased him and bent to his will, but I knew they would likely be reduced to mindless beasts rather than end up as Alistair, Tobias, or I.

I donned the face of the Bloodthirsty Queen. It was who they were expecting, who they feared—and rightly so. She had earned her reputation over the centuries.

Kaden. My maker, my lover, and the only reason my sister lived. She was why I did every single thing he asked.

I was Kaden’s weapon. I was powerful. They knew it, and I knew it. I was a blade made of fire and flesh.

Don’t hesitate, don’t think, just finish it—because if he

sensed weakness in me, he would take her, too.

“The fabled World Ender. The legend. The Son of Unir. Wielder of the Blade of Oblivion. And where is he?”

Every single time I had to feed, I felt less mortal. But it was the price I paid for her life.

He used her as bait.

“You belong to me. You are mine in every way.” He kissed and nibbled every place he touched. “Do you understand?”

“But I can’t have weakness, even from you. Not now, not when we are this close. Do you understand?”

“You care for me?” “Yes.”

It wasn’t a complete lie. I had cared for Kaden in the beginning, until a few hundred years of excusing his behavior had grown old.

So, yes, I cared for

him, but it was never love.

“Let me go,”

“Never.”

One of my favorite things about being an Ig’Morruthen was the ability to shapeshift into whatever and whoever I wanted.

I was at peace. I was not Dianna, the fire-wielding death queen, or Dianna, the loving and thoughtful sister. I just was.

He hadn’t just asked me to bring him a prince’s head. No, he was asking me to kill a friend. Drake was one of the very few beings

I trusted completely. And I knew without a doubt that I had no choice.

Another perk of being an Ig’Morruthen was that our bones were thicker, meaning we were harder to knock unconscious.

“Ethan won’t follow, nor will I. He’s a tyrant, Dianna. No matter what pretty picture he paints.”

“And will you, his pretty weapon, be the one to execute me? My brother? Our family, too?”

“When he comes back, you need to make sure you’re on the right side. You think this book Kaden wants isn’t going to start another massive war?”

“Gods, he has you so fucking whipped!”

“I don’t want to do this.”

“Then don’t. You are one of my best friends, Dianna. I don’t want to fight you. You’re just as strong as him, if not more so. Stay with me, with us. We can help and protect each other.”

My hand curled around his heart, and I felt it beat. His life was in my palm. “I said I didn’t want to. Not that I wouldn’t.”

“Better to die by what you

think is right than to live u...

“You can go see your sister now.”

I scanned the ruin of the room, my gaze catching on the camera mounted high on the wall. Kaden had seen

everything. I nodded once toward it and hung up the phone before disappea...

“No. I don’t need blood, and I don’t have to eat people for power.”

Gabby was different; she was the closest thing to a mortal with an immortal life.

She wasn’t a monster like us. No, she was an angel born out of the most brutal darkness.

“Gabby, we talked about this. If you’re going to date seriously, they have to be Otherworldly. Rick is mortal. He will grow old, while you stay pretty and annoying forever. What will he do when he sees you never get wrinkles or age spots, and your hair stays perfect for eternity?”

“Well, what if I asked Drake to change him?”

“Wait—what? You would want Rick to be an Otherworld creature? Gabby, that’s permanent! You can’t just decide to make the guy you’re interested in into a vampire.” “Well…”

“I kind of want Rick to be a permanent fixture in my life. Maybe even marriage.”

Marriage wasn’t a piece of paper you got that said you were bound to one another. It was beyond permanent and meant you were one in almost every sense of the word. When you married, you became true partners, the bond that of soul mates.

“If he breaks your heart, I’ll eat his.”