red journal out in front of me. “Start with this, Chloe. And then you’ll need to meet Lucifer.”
My hands shook as I took the journal. Warm energy poured out of the book, the edges of the pages glistened with metallic gold. I looked down at the cover and my jaw dropped. Red roses were embossed on the front…and in the center sat a glowing blue crescent moon. I flipped the front cover open and my breath hitched. The first page read The All Souls Angel.
All Souls Angel.
All Souls.
All Souls College.
The world rocked and I swayed to the side. Malachi caught me.
“Did my father know my fate? Know about…this?”
“Your father was Coven Hierophant,” Malachi whispered and squeezed my hip. “He was shown visions from the future often—”
“Henry knew this was where her path ended, though he did not know how she would get here.”
I leaned into Malachi. “My father knew I’d become an angel. He named All Souls College after me, didn’t he?”
Gabriel smiled and nodded.
A weird strangled kind of cry came out of me. “I don’t understand…how…how am I an angel? Am I…can I go evil like Lilith?”
“No,” Malachi answered without hesitation. “The locket was fused to you, so it will follow the light of your soul. And your soul is lightness incarnate. You could never be her.”
“The ritual we performed on you severed the bond between locket and power, allowing it to only be connected to you.” Gabriel gestured around us but I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. “We then purified you so that you could enter the Garden of Eden.”
A strange warmth filled me. “Why did I have to come in here?”
“No mortal could have survived the power of Lilith’s locket.”
“Then how did I?”
“Because of me,” Malachi whispered and his breath swept through my hair.
I peeked up at him then back to Gabriel. “What do you mean?”
“Being a Lancaster gave you the ability to wear the locket without instant death.” Gabriel tapped on the center of his chest. “But the only reason you survived both it and the removal ritual is because your soulmate is the son of Lucifer.”
“Gabriel…” Malachi blinked and shook his head. His gold eyes were locked on me.
The angel, the other angel, chuckled and held his hands out to his side. He shrugged. “I told you long ago your destiny was coming for you. Now she is here. You must help her. Teach her. For your mandates on Earth are not yet fulfilled.”
I shivered and wrapped my arm around Malachi’s waist and hugged my new journal to my chest.
“Chloe?” Gabriel ducked his head to get my attention. When our gazes met, he nodded once. “Prepare yourself, for you will be needed in the war against darkness.”
“Gabriel…”
“Lilith is coming. We must all prepare.” He squeezed Malachi’s shoulder again and smiled. “For now, I leave you.”
And then we were alone.
Just me…Malachi…and the big pearly white wings hanging from my back.
My heart soared. I pushed my hair back off my face. I couldn’t believe this. I’m an angel. I’m an ANGEL. I spun in his arms and looked up at his face, my heart pounding. “It’s true? I’m an angel? Just like you?”
He grinned so wide his jaw popped. “Yes, my love, you are an angel of Heaven just like me.”
“So I’m immortal right? I can’t die? Right? Right?”
He chuckled and took my journal out of my hands then stuffed it in his back pocket. “You are immortal, yes. You shall live for eternity as an angel—"
“I don’t have to be turned by a vampire now!”
Malachi frowned and cocked his head to the side. “Excuse me?”
I giggled and bounced on my toes. All of my fears and panic were gone. Giddiness rushed through my veins. I pressed my palms flat to his chest and stared into his gold eyes. “I wanted to be immortal so we could always be together, but I was mortal…the only answer I knew of was to become a vampire.”
“You were going to…to…” He shuddered and cupped my jaw with both hands. Emotions swam in his eyes and his cheeks flushed. “Just to be with me?”
“To be with you forever.”
His eyes watered. He pulled my face up to his and our eyes locked. “I love you.”
I didn’t know how to put all of these emotions inside of me into words. Then I realized I didn’t really have to. We were soulmates…and we were both angels. He felt what I felt, just as I felt his happiness radiating out of him. I