The Book of Azrael

At the festival where they are supposed to meet their contact, Liam struggles with the overwhelming noise, and Dianna comforts him, promising to stay by his side. Dianna encourages Liam to enjoy the festival games and rides, as their contact is delayed. Despite still sensing the hostile energy, she cannot pinpoint its source. To pass the time, Liam explains the concept of “amata”—a soulmate and reflection of the soul in his culture. He confesses that he never found his amata but would want them to be an equal partner. When Dianna receives a text from their contact, they head to the Ferris wheel.

They meet their contact, a disheveled man who informs them that Kaden has blacklisted Dianna, placing a bounty on her—dead or alive. He offers passage on a friend’s plane, and they drive to the airport. During the ride, Dianna grows somber and asks Liam to care for Gabby if Kaden captures her. Liam promises to protect them both and, in that moment, realizes his growing feelings for Dianna.

Liam has an intimate dream about Dianna that turns into a nightmare of her dying. The dream then shifts to a memory of a dinner with The Hand, where they boast about killing Ig’Morruthens. Dianna appears in the dream, teasing Liam before revealing that she represents his higher self, warning him of destruction. The nightmare ends with an image of a bloodied Dianna and Kaden on a throne as a crowd chants, “This is how the world ends” (286).

Dianna wakes Liam from his nightmare. As they fly to Zarall, Liam remains withdrawn. After teleporting closer to their destination, they walk through the jungle toward a castle, where Drake, the vampire prince, ambushes them. Drake greets Dianna with an overly affectionate hug. Mistaking this for an attack, Liam reacts defensively. Drake leads them to the castle, flirting with Dianna to provoke Liam.

Later, Drake warns Dianna against aligning with another powerful figure who does not care about her; the conversation leaves her in tears. Liam comforts her, and despite the tension, they prepare for dinner with Ethan, the vampire king.

Dinner with Ethan is tense. Although Liam claims that he wants to prevent another war, Ethan doubts his sincerity. Ethan and Drake inform them of Kaden’s extreme efforts to retrieve Dianna and the Book of Azrael. Liam reveals that there is no book, as he saw Azrael’s body turn to ash on Rashearim.

Ethan mentions Camilla, who allegedly has information about the book and is auctioning it. Liam requests a meeting with Camilla, but Ethan insists that Dianna cannot attend. Afterward, Dianna considers a plan to strong-arm Camilla, but Liam advises against it.

During a castle stroll, Liam explains how gods “calcify”—growing cold and emotionless over time or in response to trauma—which he fears is happening to him. Dianna opens up about her family’s death from a plague caused by shards of Rashearim. Liam shares about his mother, whose favorite flower, orneliamus (“liam” for short) symbolizes strength and protection. After the destruction of Rashearim, Liam adopted the name of this flower as his own. Liam and Dianna’s deepening bond is apparent, even as Dianna admits that her greatest fear is Gabby dying.

While Dianna sleeps, Liam sneaks out to meet Ethan and Drake. They reveal that they can read minds and warn Liam against encouraging Dianna’s growing attachment to him. Logan and Vincent portal in, and Liam gives them a map that the vampires stole from Kaden that outlines his minions’ movements, as well as a dossier on Kaden himself. The meeting ends sourly after Drake brings up the Oblivion blade, stressing Liam further.

Liam attempts to sleep alone, but his nightmares become increasingly destructive. His dreams shift from the fall of Rashearim to haunting visions of Dianna’s lifeless body and the ominous whispers of “This is how the world ends” (286). Unable to endure the torment, Liam stops sleeping and begins avoiding Dianna.

Logan contacts Liam with updates, noting that most of the books that Kaden stole focus on the gods’ weapons—useless, Logan argues, since no gods are left to forge them. Their conversation turns to Azrael, a celestial under the god Xeohr, as they speculate whether Xeohr ordered Azrael to create and hide the book. The discussion also touches on Dianna, with Logan mistakenly assuming that Liam and Dianna are romantically involved. The two argue about Dianna’s role in their lives and her importance. Liam eventually confesses that Dianna helped him cope with his nightmares about Rashearim. He also admits that he has begun developing the foresight ability that runs in his family.

Dianna interrupts Liam in the library, pointing out that he has not slept for two weeks. She forces him to eat and confronts him about his behavior. Dianna shares more about Camilla, revealing that she was once her lover. However, when Camilla began to genuinely care for Dianna, Kaden exiled her after Dianna begged for her life. This led Camilla to believe that Dianna had betrayed her.

Later, Dianna confronts Liam about avoiding her. Liam explains that spending time with her sparks judgment and lectures from those around them. Dianna grows furious, misinterpreting his reasoning as disdain for her. She accuses Liam of finding her so repulsive that he would risk their mission’s safety to avoid any rumors about them. Declaring the end of their fragile friendship, Dianna storms out.

Riddled with guilt and shame, Liam seeks out Dianna and finds her sparring in the gym. He replaces Drake as her partner, using the session to apologize while dodging her attacks. Although Dianna reluctantly forgives him, she remains distant. Liam agrees to help her train, and the two develop a daily routine, though their bond remains strained.

Finally, Camilla accepts their invitation. As Dianna and Liam prepare for the meeting, Drake provides them with Bracelets of Ophelia, magical artifacts that suppress their powers and allow them to pose as mortals.

Liam collaborates with Drake to finalize their plan. During their discussion, Drake reveals that he was the one who originally discovered Dianna and Gabby and brought them to Kaden. Drake assures Liam that while he and Dianna are close friends, there is no romantic or sexual interest between them. Despite this, Drake warns Liam that Kaden’s obsession with Dianna is unwavering and that he will stop at nothing to reclaim her.

Dianna interrupts their conversation, disguised as Ethan to test her ability to blend in. She and Liam try on the enchanted bracelets that Drake provided, which suppress their powers and allow them to masquerade as mortals.

In disguise, Dianna and Liam travel to Camilla’s mansion, where a party is in full swing. Camilla takes them into a separate room to negotiate for the book, which she reveals she has. Liam demonstrates his powers, and Dianna grows increasingly frustrated at their closeness. Camilla demands payment and protection but changes her terms, asking for a kiss from Liam. Dianna is visibly irritated. After the kiss, Camilla summons Santiago, a witch allied with Kaden, revealing that the meeting was a trap.

Camilla traps Dianna and Liam with magic as Santiago threatens to incapacitate Dianna and deliver her to Kaden. Santiago also unleashes an army of Irvikuva, emotionless monsters that Kaden created in his attempts to replicate Ig’Morruthen like Dianna.

Through the kiss, Camilla conveyed past events and urged Liam to play along to avoid endangering Dianna further. Despite this, Santiago shoots Dianna several times, and Liam swears retribution. Black smoke fills the floor, and Dianna becomes a monster, attacking Camilla. As the bonds holding Liam dissipate, he battles the Irvikuva, heals Camilla, and demands that Camilla leave. Dianna takes off without him.

Liam searches for Dianna amid the chaos and tries to pull her away, but she rebukes him. They argue, with Dianna admitting that she felt jealous and unappreciated. While Dianna is distracted, an Irvikuva impales her and drags her into the bushes.