The Rose Witch (The Coven: Old Magic Stand-Alone Novel Book 1) Read online

  My cheeks burned so I knew was blushing yet again. We needed to change the subject. Fast. I looked over my right shoulder at his book floating in the air, but the second I did, golden light spilled from within the pages. Dark objects shot up and began to swirl.

  Malachi pressed his finger under my chin and turned my face back to his. He shook his head. “Your magic is strong, I do not recommend looking in my books. You may not like what you see.”

  I swallowed and nodded. I pressed my hand to my chest and felt the energy radiating within my pendant - Lilith’s pendant – and the whole reason for why we were even here rushed back to me. “Does it say how to get this off of me?”

  He opened his mouth, then shut it and shrugged. “I’ve found something we can try.”

  My pulse quickened. “What do you need me to do?”

  He smiled. “Just stand there and look pretty.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Chloe

  “Just stand there and look pretty.”

  Heat rushed to my face. Just a figure of speech, he doesn’t think you’re pretty.

  He walked to stand behind me and then his book floated to him. I felt the heat of his breath sweep across my neck. He reached up and brushed the strands of my hair aside, his fingertips burning a path over my skin. I shivered under his touch and prayed he didn’t notice. Not that he couldn’t hear the pounding of my heart or see my pulse ticking in my throat. I held my hands together to try and hide their trembling.

  “Do you mind if— I need to unfasten your dress at the neck so I can get to the lock. Is that…is that all right?”

  I nodded. Part of me wanted to laugh at how much of a gentleman he was when I’d thought he was a literal incubus…but as he unbuttoned my dress and the front pieces slid down, all the humor in me vanished.

  I heard pages flipping and bright golden light shined over my shoulders. His fingers gripped the lock on the necklace at the back of my neck and then he chanted in a strange language. I took a deep breath — sharp pain shot right into my spine.

  It cracked and burned like being struck by lightning. My feet were swept out from under me and I fell back, crashing into his chest. He reached out and caught me in the cradle of his arms just as my feet stepped down on my skirt and the front of my dress dropped down – all the way down. Cold air rushed over my bare chest but everything was happening too fast. My Ugg boots had no traction so my feet slipped on the silk material and I slid down his chest…and his hands landed right on my breasts. I squealed as my nipples pressed into his palms.

  He cursed and yanked his hands back. Then suddenly I was airborne and back on my feet. I grabbed the top of my dress while wanting to bloody die. I groaned and buried my face in my palms. My skin was on fire.

  Malachi cursed behind me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean — I hadn’t expected— shit, sorry.”

  I inhaled sharply through my nose and looked up, but I refused to make eye contact. I nodded and wrapped my arms around my chest. “No, no, it’s fine. It was an accident.”

  He cursed again and then charged away from me down a hallway I hadn’t seen before. “Come with me.”

  I exhaled and shook my arms out. It’s fine. He’s now touched your boobs. No big deal. Can’t get any worse, right? Right. I pushed my shoulders back and held my chin high, then followed him down the hall. My mind was looping over the breasts-in-his-hands rubbish that I hadn’t realized we’d walked into his bedroom until my shins slammed into the wooden frame. I hissed and bent down to rub my legs—

  Malachi gasped through clenched teeth.

  I looked up and found him staring at the ceiling, his cheeks flushed. I frowned and glanced down…and found myself pouring out of the top of my dress. I cursed and stood up straight, yanking the silk back in place. There was enough heat coming off my cheeks to start a bloody forest fire.

  “Sorry,” I whispered. “I’m…I’m decent.”

  His eyes met mine and then he cleared his throat and looked away. “I…um…here. You can put this on if you’d like so you’re not cold.”

  My eyes widened.

  “I mean, it’s cold outside. You’re…you’re probably cold—” He sighed and hung his head and threw his arm out in front of him. Some kind of black material hung in his hand.

  I reached out and grabbed it. The material was the softest cotton I’d ever felt. I held it up to my nose and sniffed. His smoky scent burned a path down to my lungs. I sighed and then froze and glanced up at him over the top of the material…and found his eyes locked on me.

  “I…uh…” I swallowed the lump of nerves in my throat. “You smell good.”

  “Thank you.” His face turned an adorable shade of pink. He scratched the back of his neck and chuckled. “There’s a bathroom right behind me here, if you need it…”

  I smiled and hurried to the door behind him, desperate for a moment away from him and whatever this was between us. Although I was positive it was just me and I was making him super uncomfortable. I didn’t look up at him as I sped toward the door, but as I crossed the threshold I froze. My mother had helped me into this dress, because of the corset lacing on the back. My stomach turned and flipped.

  “Are you all right?”

  I squeezed my eyes shut. “Can you…can you untie my dress?”

  There was a moment of silence. I didn’t look back at him. I’d embarrassed myself enough in the last few minutes. But then he cleared his throat and his breath swept over my shoulder. I felt the laces being tugged and then the bodice of my dress loosened inch by inch. If I hadn’t just assaulted him with my breasts, this might have been a flirty moment with his fingertips brushing up my spine as he undressed me.

  Instead I wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

  Cold air washed over me and then he whispered, “You should be good now.”

  “Thank you,” I whispered back, then leapt inside the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

  I didn’t look at myself in the mirror. I didn’t want to see the shame or the attraction in my face. I saw a giant tub and a glass shower and inappropriate thoughts and images rushed to my mind. I cursed and spun to face the plain stone wall as I pulled my gown down my body. Of all the nights to not bloody wear knickers, Chloe. I just wasn’t the kind of girl who wore gowns often and therefore I hadn’t had the appropriate kind of knickers for the night. I hadn’t thought it’d be a big deal. We were home, surrounded by only family.

  Oh, how wrong I was.

  Malachi’s shirt turned out to be long-sleeved, which made his comment about being cold make more sense. I slid the soft cotton over my head and stuffed my arms into the sleeves – and sighed. The material was warmer than I expected. It felt like I was wearing a fleece coat. I chuckled. Angel magic. How sneaky. With a smile, I looked down and found the hem of the shirt went all the way down to mid-thigh – which was good, given the no knickers problem.

  I picked up my gown and hung it on the hook on the wall so it wouldn’t get messed up. Then I turned, opened the door, and walked back into his bedroom.

  He did a double take, then froze. His gaze slid down my body, over every inch of my bare legs and down to my feet. He frowned but his lips curved. “Were you wearing those boots under your dress?”

  I glanced down at my Uggs, then shrugged. “I hate heels and it was cold.”

  He grinned and shook his head. “Let’s try again?”

  I nodded and hurried over to stand in front of him, then I spun around. “I’m ready.”

  He chuckled and it was a deep, throaty kind of laugh that sent butterflies to my stomach and heat to my face. Insert foot in mouth again, Chloe.

  “So, does Spot sleep in bed with you?”

  “No—”

  On cue, like I’d summoned him, Spot flew through the room and leapt onto Malachi’s bed. He immediately flopped over and sprawled out.

  “Fine. Yes.”

  I snorted.

  He sighed behind me and mumbled, “traitor dog.”

  Then he t
ossed a book onto the foot of his bed and reached for the pendant still hanging from my neck. He counted down from three — pain laced through my back, twisted the muscles in my shoulder blades. I hissed through clenched teeth but then it was over. I exhaled and wiped my brow.

  “You all right?”

  “I’m fine. Hurt but it was bearable.”

  “Chloe.”

  “It was no worse than cramps on day two, okay?” I shrugged and shook my arms out. “We need to get that damn necklace off of me. So let’s just keep trying. I don’t want a soul sucking crystal on my bloody chest.”

  “Okay, okay.” He pressed both hands on my shoulders and his thumbs hooked through the necklace. “In three…two…one…”

  Bright light flashed and a sharp pain like nothing I’d ever felt ripped through my body, like I was being torn in half. I screamed. My back arched and my toes curled — and then everything went black.

  I gasped and opened my eyes — and found myself looking up at Malachi’s face. He hung his head and sighed. Spot leaned over his shoulder and cocked his head to the side and whined.

  “What happened?” I started to get up and then discovered I was lying across Malachi’s lap. On his bed. “Did I pass out?”

  He cringed and nodded. He opened his mouth, then shut it and shook his head.

  “Malachi? What happened?”

  He stood with me in the cradle of his arms and then sat me on my feet.

  “Malachi?”

  But he just spun and stormed back into the first room. I looked down to Spot and found him watching the hallway, too. A second later, Malachi stomped back into the room carrying a large, four-inch-thick leather-bound book that looked positively ancient. Energy radiated off of it in waves.

  My stomach tightened into knots. I didn’t like the look of that book, not after that last attempt had hurt so much and knocked me unconscious. But I had to try anything, I knew that. Lilith’s pendant could not stay on me. It had to come off. There was no question about it.

  “What’s that book?”

  He scowled and flipped the pages carefully. “It is not safe for you to know that answer.”

  My eyes widened. “And you think the answer we need is in there?”

  He sighed and flipped more pages. “If there’s a book in this world that can tell us how, it will be this one…though I’d been hoping to avoid it.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel better.”

  His face fell. Wide, tortured looking eyes met mine.

  “It’s fine. Doesn’t matter. Let’s just do it. Third time’s a charm, right?”

  “Let me just find it.”

  I watched as he flipped through the pages, his gaze scanning every inch. “Do you know what you’re looking for? You seem to be scanning rather quick.”

  “Certain key words will identify it for me.” He glanced up at me from the book, then back down. “May I ask you a question?”

  I laughed. “I think it’s your turn to ask.” Ask me anything. Distract me. Please.

  He chuckled and then sobered. “Why were you crying when you walked into the bookstore this morning?”

  My eyes widened. “You saw me crying?”

  “I admit, seeing you like that…” He looked up and shook his head. “Distracted me. Which is how you saw me before I was able to speak to you calmly.”

  “Oh…”

  He cursed. “I apologize. I did not mean to place blame on you for my shortcomings. I just was being honest on what distracted me, and it’s been bothering me…that you were so upset.”

  That made me smile, which was a dangerous reaction. “I got home from a work trip and surprised my boyfriend…and found him in bed with another girl.”

  He cursed violently. “And you loved him?”

  If I felt even a fraction of this kind of attraction for him…I might have. “No. I mean, yes I loved him but I wasn’t in love with him. I just always assumed that was because I didn’t give our relationship enough time to grow.” Now I know it just was never there.

  He looked up at me with sharp eyes. “But you were very upset. How are you now?”

  I exhaled and threw my arms up, then sat down on the bed beside Spot. “Well, I got attacked by a demon-dog and a terrifying man with wings made of smoke who seemed to move in ways that defied the laws of physics…and then I had magic. Books and paintings came to life. I was suddenly walking through pictures and magical doorways…”

  He sat the book down on a table against the wall, then turned to me with a grimace. “Sorry about that.”

  I shrugged and ran my hand over Spot’s soft black fur. “Well it made me forget all about Rolland, made me realize he meant nothing to me.”

  He smiled. “I suppose that is the silver lining. You have had quite a day.”

  “Yes. I have – hey, wait. Tonight, Tegan the High Priestess summoned you—"

  “That is a wild one.” He chuckled. “But no, she didn’t actually summon me. I was watching you from the shadows, making sure that pendant didn’t attract any demons. Her ritual was fake, just a sort of prop.”

  “WHAT? I don’t – how did – but you showed up after—”

  “She’s telepathic.” He tapped on his temple and stopped in front of me. “She told Spot and I to come.”

  My jaw dropped. “After you took me, I thought The Coven couldn’t be trusted because she fed me to you. Do you know her?”

  “Never met her.” He scratched his jaw and shrugged. “Tegan is the High Priestess and the Aether Witch. She’s the most powerful witch this realm has seen in at least a millennia, if not longer. She knows practically everything, without being told.”

  That made my stomach turn. “What do you mean?”

  “I can guarantee that she knew exactly who you were, what that locket on your neck is, and who I am. She also knows the situation we’re in and was trying to help speed things along.”

  “Situation we’re in?”

  “There are many, many things at work right now. A new war with Lilith is on the horizon. Danger is imminent on many fronts.”

  “What —"

  He pressed his finger to my lips. “Don’t overwhelm yourself with all these details just yet.”

  “But Lilith is going to come for me—"

  He slid his finger over my bottom lip, then tipped my chin up so I met his gaze. “I will not let her get to you. That I can promise. I will protect you. For now, all you need to worry about is us getting that locket off of you.”

  I licked my lips and swallowed roughly. “You’ll stay with me while I have this on?”

  “I will not leave your side,” he said softly in that velvety voice of his.

  I relaxed a little at that, and that terrified me almost as much as Lilith did. Almost. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” He held his hand out in front of me. “Now, shall we try again?”

  I nodded and placed my hand in his, then let him pull me to my feet. I started to turn around but he stopped me.

  “For this one, I need you to face me. I need to see you.”

  My pulse skipped beats. I didn’t like the sound of that one bit. But I wasn’t going to admit it out loud. I nodded and looked up into his eyes, letting myself get lost in the gorgeous gold color. “Ready.”

  He pressed his hands to my chest, circling his fingers around my throat. Those golden angel lines of his shot up his arms and his body began to glow. His eyes shined bright like spotlights. He took a deep breath and chanted words in a language that felt wrong to listen to.

  And then the world stopped. Pain shot through every inch of my body. It pulsed and quivered. My muscles twitched and spasmed. All of them at the same time. My lungs seized up, the air cut off. And then his room tilted. I heard him calling my name but it was too far away. I was dying. Falling. This was it. This was the end. My bones rattled. My teeth chattered. The muscles in my face contracted, squeezing my eyes and making them twitch.

  Spot barked and growled somewhere nearby.
>
  Malachi’s face came into view but he was shaking – or maybe that was me. I couldn’t breathe. I was drowning on air. I tried to reach for him but I had no strength. My fingers were curled and locked up.

  And then bright white light flashed around me.

  “Chloe?”

  I gasped and choked.

  “CHLOE!”

  I rolled over onto my stomach and coughed. My whole body trembled as I struggled to get air into my lungs.

  “Chloe…” Malachi groaned and picked me up off the floor.

  How’d I get on the floor?

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He laid me on his bed and then darted across the room.

  I reached up to my chest with a shaking hand — and found Lilith’s pendant still right where we didn’t want it. I groaned and pressed my face into the soft blanket.

  “Here, drink this,” he whispered, his voice raw.

  I glanced up and my heart stopped. He looked green, like he was going to vomit.

  “Drink this, Chloe,” he urged and knelt down in front of me, holding a clear vial up to my face. “Trust me.”

  I did, so I leaned forward and put my mouth to the opening. He tilted it back and warm, sweet liquid ran into my mouth . When it hit my throat, all the tension in my muscles vanished. I gasped. The pain was gone. The shaking was gone. I pushed myself up…and felt fine. Like nothing had happened.

  I blinked and exhaled. “Holy bloody hell what was that?”

  He scowled. “Holy water…from the Garden of Eden.”

  “WHAT?” I jumped up and off the bed. “What’s it going to do to me?”

  “It already has, Chloe.” He cupped my jaw and smiled. “I told you that book was dangerous. But I knew the holy water would heal you if we needed it.”

  I sighed. “Wow. Okay. Right. Cool, so um…bollocks. Let’s go again then? It’s okay, try again. I felt like it was going to work, I can handle it. Couldn’t have hurt that much if it wasn’t going to work, right?”

  Malachi shook his head. “I will not hurt you. I can’t…I can’t hurt you.” He cringed and scrubbed his face with his hands and I noticed his fingers were trembling ever so slightly.