I nodded and tried to breathe but there was too much pressure on my chest. I looked up to try and get Malachi’s attention and my eyes widened. The forest was gone. We were walking on a beach. The white sand was soft and powdery. The water was calm, with only small waves rolling into the shore. I’d never seen the colors that vibrant. At the shore it was almost entirely transparent, with just a hint of green. There was aqua, then turquoise, then the richest blue I’d ever seen.
A white chalice floated on the ocean’s surface, blending in with the breaking waves. A chalice!
“No, Chloe.”
I opened my mouth to try and ask why there were so many chalices but then black smoke flickered in my vision. I blinked and looked around, yet no matter where I turned they filled the edges of my vision. With every step the black smoky flames danced farther into my line of view. My pulse quickened.
“Malachi,” I whispered. And then everything went black again. “MALACHI!”
“I’m here. Listen to my voice, Chloe. I’m right here,” he said calmly. “Use your magic.”
My magic. Right. I pushed it out and instantly felt that tug in my belly as it exploded around me. The coldness brushed over my face and the black faded away.
In front of us was nothing but white, puffy clouds and what appeared to be a spiral staircase, though I could only see the first few steps. The stairs were made of a light gray, smooth stone that matched the walls which closed us in. Wait, when did these walls get here? Where are we? What’s happening?
We took three steps and the black smoke shot out from the edge of my eyes like tunnel vision. I tried to shoot my magic at it again but the black smoke slipped around it and coiled around me, drenching me in darkness.
NO! SHAKE IT OFF, CHLOE!
I gasped and jumped right out of Malachi’s arms. The darkness faded. Pain burst from every spot of my body as I tumbled to the ground. Malachi’s hands gripped my waist and lifted me back up — my breath left me in a rush.
All I could see was a line of palm trees separating a beach from a forest. Behind us was utter darkness, with the exception of the moon’s glow lighting up the tops of the trees. It looked like there was fresh fallen snow. Malachi dragged me forward and the ground lit up under my feet. Instead of darkness, I found a luminescent blue. With every step I took, the light returned. A blast of light slammed into my back and I dropped to my knees. The ground beneath me surged with blue illumination. Two big splotches of blue light lit up under my hands, and it didn’t stop. It shot out from us like a wildfire, illuminating a massive oval shape. My jaw dropped.
It was a lake. “What is—"
Everything went black.
Except this time, it felt warm and inviting. All the pain in my body subsided. I sighed and sank into it, letting myself fall. It was a relief to not hurt, to not have to pretend anything. I just wanted to lay down for a few minutes…to not hurt for a minute…the black light began to fade, lightening with every second until everything was a bright white—
“CHLOE!” Malachi shouted.
I gasped and jumped – and flopped in Malachi’s arms. He leaned over me with wide, panicked eyes. He cupped my face and tipped it back. The blue glowing crescent moon was brighter than before and reflecting on Malachi’s bare chest. He looked green. His hands trembled but he pressed them to my chest and bright light poured between us.
Our soulmate glyph glowed bright red.
“Malachi…” I said as loud as I could but it was just a whisper.
“Chloe,” he said with a heavy, relieved sigh. His hands on my face tightened and then my lips were pressed against his. He pulled back far too soon. “That was too close. I can’t lose you. Stay with me. We’re here.”
Where? Where are we? I tried to say but my lips were glued shut.
“The Lake of Holy Water.”
Holy Water keeps what isn’t welcome, an unfamiliar woman’s voice said into my mind. You’re not welcome.
I glanced around but it was only us. No one else was there. It was just us and the lake.
And then Malachi’s words registered. We’re here. My heart fluttered. That meant the chalice had to be here for me to drink out of. I frowned and looked around, ignoring the sharp pains shooting into my body with every movement.
Where’s the chalice?
Malachi pointed over my shoulder. “It’s in there.”
I followed his finger and my breath left me in a rush. “…lake?”
He shook his head. “The chalice is beneath.”
He pulled me to my feet and the ground rumbled. The lake surface rippled and sent little vibrations shooting up my legs. I frowned and looked down just as a black line shot through the water. The water split open, parting like the Red Sea. At first it was just a black hole, but then the blue illumination slipped over the edge and lit up a narrow staircase.
My stomach dropped like we were on a rollercoaster.
“We have to go down there,” Malachi whispered.
I let him half-carry me through the opening in the lake toward the stairs. We didn’t speak as we descended, not that there were words to say. When we got to the bottom, there was nothing but more blackness. Maybe it’s a trick? Except the stairs were still there waiting for us.
Little white beams of light shot up from the ground. The ground gave away in the shape of a flower, sinking farther and farther into darkness. The light grew brighter and thicker until we had to shield our eyes. When it suddenly vanished, I peeled my hand away. My jaw dropped. Sitting there was a chalice.
It was about a foot tall and radiated clean energy. It was bigger than I expected yet smaller at the same time. On the side of the chalice, there was a round purple crystal, and on either side of it were two purple half circles. Then two quarter circles. The moon phase. The chalice itself was a shiny, metallic color that was both gold and silver at the same time.
“This is the one,” I whispered.
“Yes.”
I nodded. I couldn’t have said how I knew exactly. It was simply being in its presence. I felt its power seeping into my bones without even touching it. Malachi dragged me over to it, then sat me down on my feet.
“I can help you hold it but you must drink, okay?”
I must have nodded because he took my hands in his and then reached us out and gripped the chalice, our fingers overlapping. My magic surged with power like I’d been plugged into an energy source. Together, we raised the cup to my face. I looked inside and wasn’t at all surprised to find that blue luminescent water shining up at us. I had no idea what was going to happen after I drank Holy Water, but I didn’t have a choice.
We tipped the chalice and let the glowing water fall into my mouth. I had no words to describe what it tasted like. It was warm and cold. Soothing and stimulating. Sweet and sour. My eyes rolled. Pain shot through my head and down my spine. It was like the worst case of brain freeze I’d ever experienced. My vision blurred until everything went white. I couldn’t see what was around us, couldn’t feel the ground under my feet. All I felt was Malachi’s hand in mine.
Stop fighting it, Chloe. It won’t hurt you, Malachi whispered into my mind.
I hadn’t realized I was fighting something. The white energy burned. I just wanted to shield my eyes from the intensity, but I couldn’t feel my body. There was a barrier between me and the white energy. I took another deep breath, then exhaled everything. Let it in, I told myself.
I felt a pop inside my chest and then blue light exploded out of me in every direction like a firework. The light formed into shapes that looked like people dancing. They moved in rushed lines like they were sprinting. Each of their forms glowed in the dark. Golden light filled the air around me — and then I was flipped onto my back.
My back arched and my breath was knocked out of me.
I lifted off the ground—
Malachi gasped. His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped.
Every ounce of pain I’d felt vanished – like it never happened. I spun in a t
ight circle like a miniature tornado. I threw my arms and legs out and the spinning stopped. Golden light poured out of me and my skin glowed. Warmth filled my veins like I’d never feel cold again. All of my strength surged and then some. I felt stronger than I ever had. I felt like I could run a marathon or walk on water. I felt like I’d got the best sleep of my life. My body thrummed with power. Dark gold lines spread from my fingers up my arms and over the rest of my body. The soulmate crystal on the back of my right hand was pulsing with lavender.
Something flashed in the corner of my eyes. I turned toward it and choked on a scream. Massive white wings stretched out behind me. I gasped and the wings fluttered. Soft, pulsing energy tingled down my spine as the white feathers swayed. I spun in a circle and the wings tucked in around me, spinning with me.
“MALACHI?” I dove for him, but he just sat there staring. “Malachi, what happened to me? Why do I have wings?”
He opened his mouth, then shut it and shook his head. A wild smile stretched his lips.
“Malachi? Talk to me. I’m freaking out right now.”
“There is nothing to fear,” a deep familiar voice said.
When I turned, I found Gabriel standing there in all his glory.
“Gabriel,” I said and dropped into an awkward, off balanced curtsey.
He smiled. “You no longer need to bow to me, child.”
I froze. My eyes widened. “Why? Did I…am I…dead?”
He pursed his lips and cocked his head to the side. “No…but kind of yes, wouldn’t you say, Malachi?”
Malachi opened his mouth then shut it. He shook his head again. “Is this…can this…am I…” He let his words drift off as he stared at me.
My pulse quickened. Something in the back of my mind was telling me exactly what had happened to me but I didn’t dare to think it…my heart was too fragile. Butterflies filled my stomach. My white wings fluttered and the new sensation tickled.
“Chloe.” Gabriel grinned. “You are an angel now.”
“No, no. That can’t be, right?” It is. You know it is. You were just thinking it, even when you wouldn’t say it. Why else do you have WINGS?
“You are an angel of Heaven, Chloe Lancaster,” Gabriel repeated with a warm smile.
“B-b-b-ut…h-h-h-ow?”
“The Lancasters were the first witch children of angels, children of Jophiel. The Lancasters have always been the keepers of the light…” He reached out and tapped on my chest. “But now, Chloe Lancaster, you are the keeper of the light.”
I looked down and gasped. There on my chest, nestled between my collar bones and above my lavender soulmate mark, was a crescent moon…and it glowed a bright sky blue. My breath left me in a rush. I leapt back, like I could somehow get away from it. I swatted at it and golden light shot out of my palms, slamming into my own chest. The crescent moon glowed brighter and brighter.
“I thought we got it off! I thought it was gone!” Yet that mark from Lilith’s locket was still there.
“It is…and it isn’t.” Gabriel arched his eyebrow and turned to my soulmate. “Malachi? Would you care to elaborate?”
I turned to Malachi and found his face pale. His eyes glistened like he was trying not to cry. But then he stepped forward, stopping right in front of me. He reached up with his left hand traced the crescent moon with his fingertips. Goosebumps spread across my skin and I shivered.
“Malachi.”
His lips quivered and then he smirked. “Lilith’s locket…the power from it is now a part of you. You have absorbed it—”
“WHAT?”
“The power and magic Lilith wielded into her locket was absorbed by your body as a result of being in the Old Lands when the Lancaster magic was taken. More specifically, you were on Holy Ground when your magic was lost. That combination sealed your fate.” Gabriel eyed the crescent moon on my chest. “You have been fated for this for a long time. This has always been your destiny. You are the All Souls angel.”
“I’m a soul sucking angel?” I hissed.
Gabriel chuckled and lifted his hand — a red leather-bound book appear in his hand. “There is more to your power than you, or Lilith, ever realized. This should help you learn your abilities and your place among us.”
“I have to take her to my father…” Malachi said in a low, rough voice. “He needs to teach her…to show her…I could but I know she needs to meet him.”
“Your brother’s time is upon him. Gather him before returning to your father.” Gabriel looked off in the distance and frowned, then turned back to us and smiled at Malachi. “Your waiting is over, nephew.”
I felt Malachi’s relief like it was my own and it brought tears to my eyes.
Malachi nodded, his eyes shimmering.
Gabriel reached out and squeezed his shoulder. Without looking, he held the 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 felt the pride and joy coursing through his veins. So I knew he felt the relief and happiness in me. He felt the fullness in my heart as I felt it in his.
He was mine and I was his. For all of eternity. We would never be parted.
“I love you. Forever.”
He brushed his thumb along my jawline then pulled me close. He leaned down and pressed his forehead to mine, our noses brushed. His warm breath washed over my face. That burning embers scent filled my lungs and it soothed my soul. I wrapped my hands around his wrists then pushed up on my toes and pressed my lips to his.
As our lips crashed together I couldn’t believe how my life had changed in just a day. I’d gone from catching my boyfriend in bed with another woman to having a soulmate. The love of my life. I went from questioning my relationship with Rolland to questioning how I ever lived without Malachi. I’d gone from being a fellow at All Souls College to being the All Souls Angel. From student and researcher…to an actual angel.
The Rose Witch (The Coven: Old Magic Stand-Alone Novel Book 1) Page 20