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

“I know.” He took a step back, forcing me to go back with him. “Chloe, listen to me. Right now they’re confused about my presence but in a few seconds they’re going to come for you and I can’t fight them off without risking killing them. You need to think.”

  “I am thinking!” I whined and shifted my weight around. “I’m not scary, what am I supposed to —”

  An idea formed in my mind. It was crazy but it just might work.

  “Give me a piece of paper and something to draw with.”

  He frowned. “I don’t have either.”

  “Summon me one,” I whispered. “I know you can.”

  He lowered one hand, then flipped his palm to face the sky. Light flashed and then a black marker appeared in his palm. A single sheet of white paper floated out of nothing into his palm. I dove for them, gripping both with my sweaty hands. I bit my bottom lip and shoved the paper onto his back, then held it there. Using my teeth, I uncapped the marker and let the top fall to the ground.

  I had no idea if these angry-bird-chicken-things were afraid of these, but as I sketched it out on the paper I just prayed my idea was going to work.

  Malachi hissed. “Hey, stay,” he yelled at the creatures in his low grumbly voice. They cocked their heads. “Chloe?”

  “One second!”

  My hand was cramping from how fast I was drawing. My fingers burned from how hard I gripped the marker. I added a few spikes and horns at the end of the tail for added fear – done. I yanked the paper off of his back and the image was already moving. Okay, okay, now step two. I summoned my magic into my right hand and held my drawing out in front of me.

  I took a deep breath and pushed with my magic. The red cloud slammed into my black and white drawing and then it came out of the paper. The black dragon I’d drawn now stood like a skyscraper between us and the angry bird chicken things. The monster-birds squawked and screamed. I pushed harder and my dragon reared its head back and then spat fire. I flicked my wrist and my red smoke covered the ground all around us, it shot up and out of my dragon’s mouth like fire.

  The monster-birds screamed and took off.

  And then we were alone.

  I sighed and sagged into Malachi.

  He chuckled and wrapped his arm around me. “Love, that was bloody brilliant.”

  “Mmmmm. I like when you say bloody.” I grinned up at him. I pushed up on my tiptoes to kiss him but just before our lips touched a low growl echoed between the trees. I froze. Both of our eyes widened. “Did you hear that?”

  “Unfortunately.”

  I spun around and pressed my back into his chest.

  “Large amounts of magic attracts predators.”

  Bloody hell.

  A pale blue fog bounced across the ground, slicing a path right through my red smoke. The growling grew stronger and closer. And then I saw them. Little fox-sized animals that were purple in color and had eyes that took up half their faces emerged from the shrubbery. Four fangs protruded from each of their mouths.

  I pushed my magic into my dragon but the monster-foxes walked right through.

  My pulse quickened. There were five of them. This reminded me of that scene in Jurassic Park and I was about to be lunch. I pushed more magic out and three more of the monster-foxes appeared. “What are these things afraid of?”

  “Well—”

  A black shadow shot up from the ground, like black flames burning through the forest. A massive creature leapt out of the black shadow as dark as the shadow itself. The animal stood as tall as me. Its tail curled up so the tip almost touched its own body. Black smoke swirled around the animal’s body like it was made of smoke itself.

  I knew this animal in an instant. My lips curved up into a smile. SPOT.

  The monster-foxes froze, their huge eyes widening.

  Spot lowered his head and the fur on his back stood tall, the smoke flickering out. He dug his claws into the dirt and growled so loud the trees trembled. Branches and leaves plummeted to the ground. Two of the monster-foxes took off running. He snarled and snapped his teeth. When he took a step forward the rest of the monster-foxes took off running.

  Spot growled until they were all gone, then he spun to face us. His red and gold eyes were shining bright. His tail swung back and forth.

  “Spot.” Malachi chuckled and embraced his hellhound. “That’s a good boy.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Chloe

  Malachi led us to a thin space between two stone cliffs. Every nerve ending in my body was begging me to sprint through the passageway. Just as I was beginning to panic, the tunnel opened up into another clearing, this one surrounded only by stone slates that were part of the mountain. The light in the clearing was darker, like the soft reddish glow of the setting sun. A soft fog lingered in the air.

  Spot skipped along after Malachi, acting every bit the playful puppy and not a terrorizing hellhound.

  I smiled and stepped forward, and something cracked under my boots. The ground was littered with dead leaves and human bones. I gasped and spun in circles. “Bloody hell, this is it. This is the place—”

  “From the red drawing—”

  “—where mum and I hid!” My jaw dropped as the memories rushed through my mind. “When we ran from the chicken bird thing…we came here. We sat here for a little while, then we left — wait. The last time I was here we – we – it was six centuries later. How much time is passing as we stand here now? Could it be another six centuries?”

  He grimaced and scratched the back of his neck. “Technically, yes. But no.”

  “What does that mean?” Because I didn’t say bye to my mother or Granny. Or Edith. I can’t just disappear on them. Not on mum. Not after what she’s been through. I can’t leave her now.

  “I was born to protect this realm from Lilith, to defeat her. To meet her in war and take her down.” He turned to face me, his eyes hard as stone. “Earth cannot win without the power of darkness on its side, and that means me. So whereas I am confident that time is passing while we stand here, I am more than confident we will return at the exact right time we are needed.”

  “I envy your faith in things,” I wrapped my arms around myself and stared at the rock we’d hid behind. “So tell me, angel boy, where are we?

  “This is the entrance to the Garden of Eden.” Malachi gestured ahead of us. “It’s right through there.”

  I followed his point, and my jaw dropped. It was the waterfall I remembered, the one the red drawing at the colosseum showed us. It was about ten feet wide and fell straight out of the sky. There was no pool at the bottom, though. There wasn’t even water. It just disappeared into the ground. I moved forward until it was right in front of me, but even with squinting my eyes, I couldn’t see beyond it.

  But then I registered what he’d just said. “Did you just – did you just say that’s the entrance to the Garden of Eden?”

  He nodded.

  “Are we going in there?”

  “Only the worthy may enter…and only with permission.”

  “That didn’t answer my question, Malachi,” I said through clenched teeth. My heart pounded in my chest. That was the Garden of Eden, he couldn’t be so blasé about it. “That look on your face isn’t making me feel better.”

  A soft blush covered his cheeks. “I do not know that we’re going in there, but I have...it’s an angel thing, okay?”

  “Okay.” I stomped over and stopped right in front of him. With my heart in my throat and far too many emotions to process, I yanked on his shirt. “We’re here. The unexpected stop. This must be where we can get the locket off, right?”

  “I don’t think—” he sighed and cupped my face in his big hands. He dragged me to him, then pressed a kiss to my forehead. He rained kisses down the side of my face as his warm fingers grazed my neck at the nape of my neck. I felt the chain tug on my skin, then he cursed and stepped back. “It still won’t come off.”

  “Bloody buggery bollocks.” I reached for the clasp behind my neck.


  The metal chain was cold to the touch. I just needed it off. We’d followed all the clues to get here. It would make sense if this was how it happened. My father hadn’t expected me to deal with it being stuck, but I vividly recalled him giving the locket to me, hooking it over my head and letting it hang on my chest. It’d been a special moment between us. I tugged and yanked on the chain yet found no relief.

  He reached out and tried again to unhook it. I felt his finger pull and tug. His warm breath brushed over my face and through my hair.

  “It’s not coming off. It’s going to take more than just being here.”

  I opened my mouth to say something when the ground rumbled under my feet, sending hot energy vibrating up my legs. I frowned, glanced up, and found Malachi’s eyes closed. All around me, leaves and broken bones rose from the ground. The crystals on the Garden’s side pulsed and glowed within from where they hovered a foot off the ground. The earth warmed, burning like hot summer beach sand through my Uggs. The crystals, leaves, and bone particles spun in tight circles so fast they were a blur of color.

  Light flashed. I gasped and jumped back. A man shimmered into existence right in front of me. He was taller than Malachi’s six foot three. His eyes were white and surrounded by gold irises. He had some kind of metallic material wrapped around his hips. Just like when I saw Malachi in his angel form, this one was completely covered in the same vine-like tattoo. Over his bald head and down all of his limbs. My eyes widened. While I watched, the vines changed colors and moved like they were alive. Directly over his heart on his chest was a huge crystal-looking mark that sparkled like it was three dimensional.

  Just like our soulmate glyph.

  He cocked his head to the side and arched one eyebrow. Wings as white as snow shot out from his back. They had to be six feet long. They looked soft. I had the ridiculous urge to touch them even though I knew how soft Malachi’s wings were.

  “You are an angel,” I heard myself say.

  “Yes. I am Gabriel.” He smiled, and it seemed genuinely kind. “The messenger.”

  I bowed my head. It seemed the appropriate way to greet an Angel. Though not at all how I’d greeted Malachi. “It is an honor to meet you, Gabriel. I am —”

  “Chloe Lancaster,” a deep voice boomed from behind me, echoing off the tall slates.

  I blinked and turned toward his voice – and my jaw dropped. The man was huge. He had to be eight feet tall. I bowed again, this time a little deeper. “H-h-h-h-ello—”

  “Michael,” Malachi breathed the archangel’s name. My soulmate walked up to him and exchanged a strange secret handshake looking thing, then they embraced.

  Michael stepped back and patted Malachi’s shoulder. He glanced left and right…then he turned, and his white and gold eyes found me in an instant. From a distance, he looked almost human. His hair was black as night and fell in loose waves down to his shoulders. Black runes covered his body, from the tip of his forehead, down to his toes, and out to each of his fingers. He wore no shirt, and his pants were a golden material that glistened like metal as he moved. Thick muscles wrapped around his entire form. He was the warrior angel, and he looked every bit the part. Even with the wings.

  His gaze was piercing. I squirmed and tried to blend into the boulders.

  “Stop traumatizing the poor girl, Michael.” Another angel appeared right behind him. “She’s got the necklace on, that’s enough.”

  Malachi stepped out to this angel and the two embraced quickly before stepping back.

  The angel cleared his throat. He looked to me with silver eyes that flashed. “I am Uriel.”

  Uriel looked a lot like Michael except shorter and leaner – but not by much. His long black hair hung straight down to his hips.

  Light flashed again but this time a woman appeared. She was beautiful, with long golden hair and a dress made of white. Her entire body seemed to be glowing. When she opened her eyes again they’d changed from blue to white with shiny gold rims. Her hair turned snow white as it whipped through the breeze behind her like a cape. Light flashed and massive wings made of white feathers flapped from her back, standing taller than even she was.

  She arched one eyebrow at the group then walked straight up to me and took my hands in hers. “I am Jophiel.”

  “I saw you in a painting—” I blurted before I could stop myself.

  Angels. I’m surrounded by ANGELS. I was struck stupid, incapable of functioning.

  “Yes, you did.” She grinned. “I tried to warn you for what was coming but I don’t think you caught on.”

  Bugger me.

  Four angels just showed up. I knew that wasn’t a good thing. And one was apparently trying to warn me…of what, I had no idea. I turned to Malachi and my eyes widened. He stood there in his true form, his angel form. With his white feather wings and the full body golden vines, he perfectly fit in with the other angels. The only thing that set him apart from them were the red lines of our soulmate glyph and the big purple crystal. But If I hadn’t known any better, I would have thought he was as old as them.

  Jophiel was suddenly right in front of Malachi. She tapped on the crystal heart on his chest and grinned.

  Michael growled.

  Malachi’s face fell. His skin turned pale and he suddenly would not look at me.

  My stomach turned and knotted. My heart was pounding so hard against my chest it drowned out the sound of the waterfall. What’s going on? They’re talking. I know it. Not that I could ask.

  Uriel, the angel with hip-length black hair and bright silver eyes, stepped in front of me and gave me a wonky smile. “So, Chloe, you met Michael’s granddaughter. What did you think of her?”

  I froze. The smile on Uriel’s face looked friendly but I did not get the impression I could speak freely. Or maybe that was coming from the glaring Michael right behind him. But I had to say something. They were all watching me. I bit my lip and shrugged. “Um…I did? W-who was she?”

  “Hope,” Michael growled and crossed his arms over his chest.

  Uriel shook his head. “You met her as Bettina.”

  My eyes widened. Bettina? Bettina is Michael’s granddaughter? Bloody hell. I cleared my throat. “All I learned of her was that she’s particularly infatuated with my cousin Jackson.”

  Uriel, Gabriel, and Jophiel all glanced back at Michael.

  He narrowed his eyes and growled, balling his hands into fists.

  “She is too preoccupied,” Uriel said with a shake of his head. “My bloodline is never that emotionally charged.”

  Jophiel cocked her head to the side and her long hair fell over her shoulder. “Who would have known archangel Michael’s daughter and grandchildren would be so passionate?”

  Malachi scoffed.

  Michael turned on him, his eyes flaring with rage.

  Malachi rocked back on his heels and arched one eyebrow.

  Michael glared at him for a long moment, then growled and shrugged. “When their memory is back, you will see. My children will win this war.”

  Uriel sighed. “That was my point. The block. Ruth—”

  “And Micah,” Michael growled and the whole world trembled.

  Angels are arguing. What do I do?

  Gabriel appeared between them, shaking his head. He shoved them apart. “We all have pieces in this war, but they have no chance of winning while that is on her.”

  Malachi was suddenly by my side, his hand in mine. “It won’t come off. I’ve tried—”

  “Yes, we saw.” Uriel moved to stand right in front of me, his hands still clasped behind his back. He leaned down and narrowed his eyes on the crystal pendant. “Impressive choices, nephew.”

  Nephew? Wait, so Lucifer is their brother?

  “I had hoped they would work. I am not accustomed to not having answers,” Malachi grumbled.

  I was growing more terrified with every second. They were talking about me but not talking to me. I was nothing, no one. Just a mortal whose father was once s
omeone important. If not for Lilith’s pendant stuck on my neck, they would not pay me any mind.

  “Tis the price you pay for the gift of a soulmate,” Jophiel said in her sultry voice. She walked over to Michael and pressed her right hand to his chest. Light flashed from the back of her hand and then a pink heart shaped crystal appeared. Under her hand, the same pink crystal glistened from his chest. She beamed up at him. “The time to prepare for war has passed. It is already upon them. Lilith has already sank her fangs into the willing. She will come for Chloe and the locket next. The only reason she has not already is Malachi’s presence, but she will plan and make her move.”

  I gasped.

  I felt Malachi’s pulse quicken like it was my own. I glanced over and found the crystal on his hand, our soulmate glyph, was an emerald green. A quick glance at my own showed the same. What does that mean?

  “Leyka is already in motion,” Uriel said softly, his eyes still latched on the locket. “We could send her to him for now.”

  Leyka? Who the bloody fuck is Leyka? No. No, no. I’m not – no. I WANT THIS OFF NOW PLEASE.

  “How long does she have with this on, Malachi?” Gabriel ran his hand over his bald head.

  Malachi’s hand tightened on mine and his shoulders fell. He looked down at me with sadness in his beautiful gold eyes and my heart stopped. He closed his eyes and hung his head, then pushed his shoulders back and turned to Gabriel. But then he spoke and his voice was soft, the words short and tense like it hurt him to say. “Her death grows nearer with every demon assault. The Lancaster line gives her strength, but she will not survive a third altercation.”

  “Wait, what?” I glanced up at his face but it gave nothing away. “Malachi. Malachi? What did you just say?”

  “Michael,” Gabriel said softly and gestured to me. “The pieces have been set. Jophiel is right. The war has begun.”

  Michael took Jophiel’s hand and walked over to me. I did my best not to squirm under his direct attention. He reached out and took the crystal locket between two fingers and then lifted it off my chest. I gasped as oxygen rushed to my lungs, oxygen I hadn’t even realized I was lacking.