đЏđЏTHE ROSE COVENANTđЏđЏ
đšđšđšđšđšđš
CHAPTER 1
(Dark Romance)
The moment I opened my eyes, I already knew tonight would ruin something inside me.
The hall smelled like dying roses and danger. Candles flickered everywhere, making the whole room look like a confession someone should never hear. And me? I was lying on that ancient stone table in a silk-red dress that felt too soft for the kind of wickedness happening around me.
Six men stood over me like a curse someone spoke with their whole chest.
They werenât strangers.
They were my guardians.
The Six Vows.
And I swear the air shifted when the one closest to my legs whispered,
âSeraphine⌠donât look at any of them tonight. Just look at me.â
I laughed. Quiet, shaky, stubborn.
âCassian, donât start,â I muttered, pushing my hair out of my face.
âIâm the one being sacrificed...â
âItâs not a sacrifice,â another cut in sharply.
Dorian. Cold eyes. Cold voice. Cold everything except the way he looked at me like he'd burn the temple down if I blinked wrong.
âItâs a Binding,â he continued. âYou awaken power. We guide it. No one dies.â
Cassian scoffed. âYouâve never seen her visions, Dorian. Someone always dies.â
Dorian stepped closer, jaw clenching. âNot her.â
And boom...fight number one for the night.
Typical.
I shifted uncomfortably, my dress sliding against the cold marble. The table was older than our kingdom; carved with symbols that glowed faintly every time my skin touched them. I didnât need anyone to remind me what they meant: duty, bloodline, destiny, obedience.
Obedience.
That one always annoyed me.
Rylan, the quiet one, softly placed roses near my arm. âJust breathe, Sera. If you panic, the magic reacts.â
âFunny,â I snapped. âIâm more scared of the six of you than the magic.â
The room fell silent.
Kai cracked his knuckles. âThen maybe you should be.â
I turned my head sharply. âWow. And here I thought youâd at least pretend to like me tonight.â
âOh, I donât pretend,â he said. âI want you alive. I just donât think you understand what these powers will do to you.â
âOr what theyâll do to us,â whispered Rylan.
The tension was so thick I swear I could taste it.
Then Lucien, the oldest, stepped closer like he owned the air itself. His voice was soft, too soft.
âSeraphine. Look at me.â
I didnât want to.
But I did.
âYou trust me, donât you?â he asked.
âNo,â I said immediately.
He smiled. âGood girl.â
My stomach twisted.
Not because I liked it...
But because I hated that it affected me.
Lucien placed an herb on my stomach, his fingertips brushing my skin deliberately slow. Cassian hissed immediately.
âBro, what was that?â he snapped.
âWhy are you touching her like that?â
Lucien didnât even blink. âIâm performing the ritual.â
âYouâre flirting.â
âAnd youâre loud,â Lucien replied.
Cassian stepped forward, but Dorian blocked him with one arm.
âNo one fights tonight,â Dorian growled. âWeâre here for one thing.â
âAnd if she gets hurt?â Cassian shot back. âIf she screams again like last time? If she...â
My voice cracked. âStop arguing over me. Iâm literally right here.â
They all turned.
Strong men.
Hard eyes.
Sworn protectors.
Yet Iâd never felt more like prey in my life.
Lucien leaned down beside my ear. His breath ghosted my skin.
âSeraphine⌠the ritual begins when you stop pretending you arenât terrified.â
I swallowed hard. âIâm not pretending.â
He smirked.
âGood. Then youâre finally honest.â
He nodded at the others, and they formed a circle around the table. The sunset seeped through the cracked windows, hitting my body like a spotlight. For a moment, none of them moved. They just looked at me.
Too long.
Too intensely.
Too possessively.
âWhy are you staring?â I snapped.
Kai answered first.
âBecause this is the last time youâll be⌠just you.â
Dorianâs voice followed, low and dangerous.
âAfter tonight, everything changes.â
Rylan whispered, âAfter tonight, you belong to the magic.â
Cassian snarled, âShe belongs to nobody.â
âCassian,â Lucien warned, âdonât start.â
But Cassian didnât care. He grabbed my hand suddenly, holding it to his chest.
âI donât care what the prophecy says,â he breathed. âI donât care what destiny wants. Sera, you hear me? If anything goes wrong. ..Iâm stopping the ritual.â
Lucien stepped forward. âYou will not.â
Cassian pushed him back. âTouch her again like that and see what happens.â
âBoth of you shut up,â Dorian snapped. âWeâre not doing this.â
I groaned loudly. âI swear, being kidnapped by actual demons would be less stressful than you six.â
Lucien smirked.
Cassian tensed.
Kai looked offended on behalf of demons.
And then⌠the table woke up.
A ripple of light crawled along the carvings beneath me, humming like a warning. Every symbol flared gold. The air grew hotter, thicker, uncomfortably intimate.
Rylan breathed, âItâs starting. Lucien, the herbs.â
Lucien placed the ritual herbs along my legs and stomach, his touch deliberate but professional...until Cassian slapped his hand away.
âBro. Go slower.â
âCassian.â
Lucienâs voice was pure ice.
âIt has to be placed quickly. Unless you want her to burn internally.â
Cassian froze.
I didnât.
âWait..WHAT?â I yelped.
Kai sighed dramatically. âRelax. Only your blood heats. Not your organs.â
âOh. Nice. Very comforting. Thank you,â I deadpanned.
The glow intensified, and the carvings began to pulse. My chest tightened as heat rushed up my spine.
My heartbeat echoed like a drum.
Something inside me snapped, unlocking like a door that had been waiting centuries. I gasped, arching involuntarily as light surged through my veins.
Rylan grabbed my wrist. âSera...stay with me.â
Dorian pressed his palm to my ankle, grounding me. âBreathe. Iâm right here.â
Lucien placed his hand on my stomach. âLet it in, Seraphine.â
And Cassian..
Cassian grabbed my face gently, eyes burning.
âLook at me. Not them. Just me. Stay with me.â
But the visions came.
Thick, violent waves of futures I didnât want to see
A kingdom burning.
A crown collapsing.
Me? Standing in the center of it like a curse wearing skin.
And then..
A hand around my throat.
A whisper in my ear.
One of them beside me.
But I couldnât see which one.
I jerked violently. âStop....stop....make it stop!â
The glow exploded.
The table shook.
Candles blew out.
The guardians staggered.
And then everything went dead silent.
My breath was ragged. My hands trembled. Something hot streamed down my nose.
âIs that blood?â Rylan whispered.
Kai cursed. âShe pushed too hard.â
Lucien stepped close, wiping the blood from my lip with his thumb. His voice was low.
âWhat did you see?â
I shook my head. âNothing.â
âYouâre lying,â Dorian said immediately. âYour heartbeat jumped. Your eyes dilated. What did you see, Seraphine?â
Cassian held me tighter. âShe said nothing. Back off.â
âCassian...â Lucien warned.
âNo.â Cassian pulled me upright, shielding me. âYou people want control. I want her alive.â
Dorian scoffed. âAlive is useless if sheâs unbound.â
Kai stepped forward, smirking darkly. âMaybe she doesnât trust any of you. Maybe thatâs the problem.â
Lucien lifted my chin, forcing me to look at him. âSeraphine. Tell us what you saw.â
I jerked away. âI said nothing.â
He narrowed his eyes. âThen why are you shaking?â
I didnât want to answer.
Couldnât.
Because the truth was suffocating:
In every future I saw
...every single one...
someone I loved died.
And one of these men was the cause.
Kai watched me too closely. âSomeone dies, right?â
I froze.
Cassian tensed. âDonât scare her...â
âSheâs already scared,â Kai cut in.
Rylan whispered, âTell us. Whose death did you see?â
My throat tightened.
Lucien stepped forward again, voice low, almost tender.
âSeraphine⌠tell us who kills you.â
The whole room inhaled sharply.
âWait.â Cassian grabbed me. âKills her? Thatâs not what the prophecy saysâ
Dorian corrected him quietly.
âNo⌠thatâs exactly what it says. âBy her death the power awakens.ââ
Silence.
The kind you feel in your bones.
Cassianâs voice broke. âNo. No, absolutely not...Sera is not dying.â
Kai looked away. âProphecies donât care about your feelings.â
Rylan whispered, âMaybe thereâs a way around it.â
Lucien stared at me like he already knew the truth.
âSeraphine. Tell us the vision.â
I closed my eyes.
Then I whispered the words I knew would destroy everything:
âI saw one of you standing over my body.â
The room erupted.
Cassian: âWHO?!â
Dorian: âTell us.â
Kai: âSay it.â
Lucien leaned in slowly, dangerously calm.
âWhich one of us kills you, Seraphine?â
My voice cracked.
âI⌠I didnât see the face.â
But I saw the hand.
And the hand had a ring.
A ring only one of them wore.
Lucienâs ring.
He stared at me, unblinking.
Expression unreadable.
Voice soft enough to freeze my soul.
âThen, little rose,â he murmured, âI suppose the real question isâŚ
Will you let me kill you if it saves the kingdom?â
My heart stopped.
Literally stopped.
And the glow returned, stronger than before.
đšđšđšđšđšđš
CHAPTER 1
(Dark Romance)
The moment I opened my eyes, I already knew tonight would ruin something inside me.
The hall smelled like dying roses and danger. Candles flickered everywhere, making the whole room look like a confession someone should never hear. And me? I was lying on that ancient stone table in a silk-red dress that felt too soft for the kind of wickedness happening around me.
Six men stood over me like a curse someone spoke with their whole chest.
They werenât strangers.
They were my guardians.
The Six Vows.
And I swear the air shifted when the one closest to my legs whispered,
âSeraphine⌠donât look at any of them tonight. Just look at me.â
I laughed. Quiet, shaky, stubborn.
âCassian, donât start,â I muttered, pushing my hair out of my face.
âIâm the one being sacrificed...â
âItâs not a sacrifice,â another cut in sharply.
Dorian. Cold eyes. Cold voice. Cold everything except the way he looked at me like he'd burn the temple down if I blinked wrong.
âItâs a Binding,â he continued. âYou awaken power. We guide it. No one dies.â
Cassian scoffed. âYouâve never seen her visions, Dorian. Someone always dies.â
Dorian stepped closer, jaw clenching. âNot her.â
And boom...fight number one for the night.
Typical.
I shifted uncomfortably, my dress sliding against the cold marble. The table was older than our kingdom; carved with symbols that glowed faintly every time my skin touched them. I didnât need anyone to remind me what they meant: duty, bloodline, destiny, obedience.
Obedience.
That one always annoyed me.
Rylan, the quiet one, softly placed roses near my arm. âJust breathe, Sera. If you panic, the magic reacts.â
âFunny,â I snapped. âIâm more scared of the six of you than the magic.â
The room fell silent.
Kai cracked his knuckles. âThen maybe you should be.â
I turned my head sharply. âWow. And here I thought youâd at least pretend to like me tonight.â
âOh, I donât pretend,â he said. âI want you alive. I just donât think you understand what these powers will do to you.â
âOr what theyâll do to us,â whispered Rylan.
The tension was so thick I swear I could taste it.
Then Lucien, the oldest, stepped closer like he owned the air itself. His voice was soft, too soft.
âSeraphine. Look at me.â
I didnât want to.
But I did.
âYou trust me, donât you?â he asked.
âNo,â I said immediately.
He smiled. âGood girl.â
My stomach twisted.
Not because I liked it...
But because I hated that it affected me.
Lucien placed an herb on my stomach, his fingertips brushing my skin deliberately slow. Cassian hissed immediately.
âBro, what was that?â he snapped.
âWhy are you touching her like that?â
Lucien didnât even blink. âIâm performing the ritual.â
âYouâre flirting.â
âAnd youâre loud,â Lucien replied.
Cassian stepped forward, but Dorian blocked him with one arm.
âNo one fights tonight,â Dorian growled. âWeâre here for one thing.â
âAnd if she gets hurt?â Cassian shot back. âIf she screams again like last time? If she...â
My voice cracked. âStop arguing over me. Iâm literally right here.â
They all turned.
Strong men.
Hard eyes.
Sworn protectors.
Yet Iâd never felt more like prey in my life.
Lucien leaned down beside my ear. His breath ghosted my skin.
âSeraphine⌠the ritual begins when you stop pretending you arenât terrified.â
I swallowed hard. âIâm not pretending.â
He smirked.
âGood. Then youâre finally honest.â
He nodded at the others, and they formed a circle around the table. The sunset seeped through the cracked windows, hitting my body like a spotlight. For a moment, none of them moved. They just looked at me.
Too long.
Too intensely.
Too possessively.
âWhy are you staring?â I snapped.
Kai answered first.
âBecause this is the last time youâll be⌠just you.â
Dorianâs voice followed, low and dangerous.
âAfter tonight, everything changes.â
Rylan whispered, âAfter tonight, you belong to the magic.â
Cassian snarled, âShe belongs to nobody.â
âCassian,â Lucien warned, âdonât start.â
But Cassian didnât care. He grabbed my hand suddenly, holding it to his chest.
âI donât care what the prophecy says,â he breathed. âI donât care what destiny wants. Sera, you hear me? If anything goes wrong. ..Iâm stopping the ritual.â
Lucien stepped forward. âYou will not.â
Cassian pushed him back. âTouch her again like that and see what happens.â
âBoth of you shut up,â Dorian snapped. âWeâre not doing this.â
I groaned loudly. âI swear, being kidnapped by actual demons would be less stressful than you six.â
Lucien smirked.
Cassian tensed.
Kai looked offended on behalf of demons.
And then⌠the table woke up.
A ripple of light crawled along the carvings beneath me, humming like a warning. Every symbol flared gold. The air grew hotter, thicker, uncomfortably intimate.
Rylan breathed, âItâs starting. Lucien, the herbs.â
Lucien placed the ritual herbs along my legs and stomach, his touch deliberate but professional...until Cassian slapped his hand away.
âBro. Go slower.â
âCassian.â
Lucienâs voice was pure ice.
âIt has to be placed quickly. Unless you want her to burn internally.â
Cassian froze.
I didnât.
âWait..WHAT?â I yelped.
Kai sighed dramatically. âRelax. Only your blood heats. Not your organs.â
âOh. Nice. Very comforting. Thank you,â I deadpanned.
The glow intensified, and the carvings began to pulse. My chest tightened as heat rushed up my spine.
My heartbeat echoed like a drum.
Something inside me snapped, unlocking like a door that had been waiting centuries. I gasped, arching involuntarily as light surged through my veins.
Rylan grabbed my wrist. âSera...stay with me.â
Dorian pressed his palm to my ankle, grounding me. âBreathe. Iâm right here.â
Lucien placed his hand on my stomach. âLet it in, Seraphine.â
And Cassian..
Cassian grabbed my face gently, eyes burning.
âLook at me. Not them. Just me. Stay with me.â
But the visions came.
Thick, violent waves of futures I didnât want to see
A kingdom burning.
A crown collapsing.
Me? Standing in the center of it like a curse wearing skin.
And then..
A hand around my throat.
A whisper in my ear.
One of them beside me.
But I couldnât see which one.
I jerked violently. âStop....stop....make it stop!â
The glow exploded.
The table shook.
Candles blew out.
The guardians staggered.
And then everything went dead silent.
My breath was ragged. My hands trembled. Something hot streamed down my nose.
âIs that blood?â Rylan whispered.
Kai cursed. âShe pushed too hard.â
Lucien stepped close, wiping the blood from my lip with his thumb. His voice was low.
âWhat did you see?â
I shook my head. âNothing.â
âYouâre lying,â Dorian said immediately. âYour heartbeat jumped. Your eyes dilated. What did you see, Seraphine?â
Cassian held me tighter. âShe said nothing. Back off.â
âCassian...â Lucien warned.
âNo.â Cassian pulled me upright, shielding me. âYou people want control. I want her alive.â
Dorian scoffed. âAlive is useless if sheâs unbound.â
Kai stepped forward, smirking darkly. âMaybe she doesnât trust any of you. Maybe thatâs the problem.â
Lucien lifted my chin, forcing me to look at him. âSeraphine. Tell us what you saw.â
I jerked away. âI said nothing.â
He narrowed his eyes. âThen why are you shaking?â
I didnât want to answer.
Couldnât.
Because the truth was suffocating:
In every future I saw
...every single one...
someone I loved died.
And one of these men was the cause.
Kai watched me too closely. âSomeone dies, right?â
I froze.
Cassian tensed. âDonât scare her...â
âSheâs already scared,â Kai cut in.
Rylan whispered, âTell us. Whose death did you see?â
My throat tightened.
Lucien stepped forward again, voice low, almost tender.
âSeraphine⌠tell us who kills you.â
The whole room inhaled sharply.
âWait.â Cassian grabbed me. âKills her? Thatâs not what the prophecy saysâ
Dorian corrected him quietly.
âNo⌠thatâs exactly what it says. âBy her death the power awakens.ââ
Silence.
The kind you feel in your bones.
Cassianâs voice broke. âNo. No, absolutely not...Sera is not dying.â
Kai looked away. âProphecies donât care about your feelings.â
Rylan whispered, âMaybe thereâs a way around it.â
Lucien stared at me like he already knew the truth.
âSeraphine. Tell us the vision.â
I closed my eyes.
Then I whispered the words I knew would destroy everything:
âI saw one of you standing over my body.â
The room erupted.
Cassian: âWHO?!â
Dorian: âTell us.â
Kai: âSay it.â
Lucien leaned in slowly, dangerously calm.
âWhich one of us kills you, Seraphine?â
My voice cracked.
âI⌠I didnât see the face.â
But I saw the hand.
And the hand had a ring.
A ring only one of them wore.
Lucienâs ring.
He stared at me, unblinking.
Expression unreadable.
Voice soft enough to freeze my soul.
âThen, little rose,â he murmured, âI suppose the real question isâŚ
Will you let me kill you if it saves the kingdom?â
My heart stopped.
Literally stopped.
And the glow returned, stronger than before.
Topic Live






