The Rose Witch - Chandelle LaVaun Page 0,76

“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 someone 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.

He stood tall and nodded. “We must remove this before she is taken.”

“Taken? T-t-taken?”

Michael and Jophiel vanished and then reappeared a few feet away. Uriel moved to the far right and stopped.

Gabriel ran his finger over the crystal, then shook his head. “Brace yourself, child. You will need your strength.”

My eyes widened. Brace myself? For what? FOR WHAT? He reappeared over on the far-left side, opposite of Uriel.

“Chloe,” Jophiel whispered for me, her voice like a Disney Princess. When my eyes found hers, she smiled. “Turn around. Keep your eyes on Malachi. That bond will help you see this through.”

“See this through?!” I shrieked. I spun around to face my soulmate, but the haunted expression in his eyes made me want to vomit. I thought I’d been ready for anything. I’d known this was probably going to be painful because all of our attempts had been so far but when angels told you to brace yourselves that changed the whole conversation. “Malachi?”

He smiled down at me and took both of my hands. “This is going to hurt like hell, but I’m right here. You can do this.”

I shuddered. I can do this. I CAN do this. Oh God, I can’t do this. My body trembled.

He lifted my hands to his mouth and kissed my knuckles, then slowly lowered my hands to my sides. “Just breathe.”

Just breathe. Brilliant advice.

The only thing that was keeping me from curling