Gods & Monsters, #1
The Book of Azrael
by Amber V. Nicole
Contents
Chapter 13 – Dianna
Overview
Dianna endures weeks of torture without revealing Gabby’s location, showing that protecting Gabby remains Dianna’s last unbroken loyalty. Flashbacks reveal the emotional fallout of Dianna’s clash with Zekiel: Kaden’s manipulation, Gabby’s rejection of Dianna’s violent life, and the mission that led to Dianna’s capture.
The chapter ends with Kaden, speaking through Peter, abandoning Dianna and making clear that the book is more valuable to him than Dianna’s survival. This deepens Dianna’s isolation and exposes how little Kaden’s alliance resembles protection.
Summary
Dianna remains imprisoned and tortured, unable to tell how much time has passed. Liam repeats the same questions, and each refusal brings burning pain through Dianna’s body. Dianna’s hatred grows, but Dianna refuses to reveal anything about Gabby because Liam wants leverage, and Dianna will not exchange Kaden’s control for another master’s.
As Dianna loses consciousness, Dianna remembers the days before capture. After a bloody confrontation involving Zekiel, Dianna goes to Gabby’s apartment, compels Rick to leave, and begins packing Gabby’s belongings. Dianna recalls arguing with Kaden, who admits The Hand will seek vengeance after Dianna killed one of its members and dismisses Gabby as unimportant, prompting Dianna to vow that Dianna would kill a god to protect Gabby.
Dianna tells Gabby that a powerful being has returned and orders Gabby to go to their secret safe house, the one Kaden does not know about. Gabby agrees but confronts Dianna about the cost of their life together: constant movement, secrets, monsters, and Dianna’s servitude to Kaden. Gabby says Dianna cannot protect Gabby forever and that Dianna’s choices have turned Dianna into a monster, wounding Dianna deeply.
Dianna gives Gabby a forsaken blade and instructions for using it if Dianna does not return. After leaving, Dianna receives Tobias’s call that they have found a way into Novas. Dianna then joins Tobias and Alistair in an Arariel hotel suite, where they have killed and impersonated ambassadors to infiltrate an important meeting attended by mortal council members, The Hand, and Liam. Their plan is for Dianna to create a distraction while Tobias and Alistair search for the book.
Dianna wakes back in the cell, weakened by chains, torture, and hunger but still determined not to break. Peter arrives, though Alistair is controlling Peter’s body, and reveals the book has not been found. Kaden then takes over the body and coldly tells Dianna that Dianna’s capture was Dianna’s own fault for not following the plan. Kaden refuses to risk rescuing Dianna, says Elijah is now well positioned beside the World Ender, and declares that the book matters more than Dianna.
Who Appears
- DiannaImprisoned narrator; endures torture, recalls protecting Gabby, and faces Kaden’s abandonment.
- GabbyDianna’s sister; sent to a safe house and confronts Dianna’s violent, controlled life.
- KadenDianna’s master; manipulates her loyalty, withholds rescue, and prioritizes finding the book.
- AlistairKaden’s ally; impersonates others, visits through Peter, and reports the book remains missing.
- TobiasKaden’s operative; helps plan the infiltration and calls Dianna back to Novas.
- LiamDianna’s captor and torturer; repeatedly questions her while seeking leverage over Gabby.
- PeterBody used by Alistair and Kaden to speak with Dianna in the cell.
- RickGabby’s lover; compelled by Dianna to leave and forget what he saw.
- ZekielPowerful figure from Dianna’s recent fight; his apparent death triggers The Hand’s vengeance.