The Celestial Rose BoxSet Read online

  The Celestial Rose Series

  ANNALEE ADAMS

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  The Celestial Rose series

  First edition. February 2018.

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  TO BE CONTINUED...

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER 26: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 27: LUCIAN

  CHAPTER 28: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 29: LUCIAN

  CHAPTER 30: EVE

  CHAPTER 31: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 32: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 33: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 34: LUCIAN

  CHAPTER 35: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 36: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 37: LUCIAN

  CHAPTER 38: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 39: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 40: LUCIAN

  CHAPTER 41: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 42: LUCIAN

  CHAPTER 43: LUCIAN

  CHAPTER 44: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 45: LUCIAN

  CHAPTER 46: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 47: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 48: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 49: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 50: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 51: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 52: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 53: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 54: LUCIAN

  CHAPTER 55: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 56: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 57: LUCIAN

  CHAPTER 58: TAYLOR

  TO BE CONTINUED...

  CHAPTER 59: Taylor

  CHAPTER 60: Eve

  CHAPTER 61: Adam

  CHAPTER 62: Taylor

  CHAPTER 63: Lilith

  CHAPTER 64: Gabriel

  CHAPTER 65: Taylor

  CHAPTER 66: Lilith

  CHAPTER 67: Elisha Darkwater

  CHAPTER 68: Julian

  CHAPTER 69: Lucian

  CHAPTER 70: Joey

  CHAPTER 71: Eve

  CHAPTER 72: Adam

  CHAPTER 73: Elisha

  CHAPTER 74: Taylor

  CHAPTER 75: Elisha

  CHAPTER 76: Lilith

  CHAPTER 77: Elisha

  CHAPTER 78: Lucian

  CHAPTER 79: Taylor

  CHAPTER 80: Lilith

  CHAPTER 81: Taylor

  CHAPTER 82: Taylor

  CHAPTER 83: Eve

  CHAPTER 84: Taylor

  CHAPTER 85: Taylor

  CHAPTER 86: Taylor

  CHAPTER 87: Taylor

  CHAPTER 88: Taylor

  CHAPTER 89: Taylor

  CHAPTER 90: Taylor

  ETERNAL ENDING | ANNALEE ADAMS

  CHAPTER 91: Adam

  CHAPTER 92: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 93: ADAM

  CHAPTER 94: LUCIAN

  CHAPTER 95: LILITH

  CHAPTER 96: LUCIAN

  CHAPTER 97: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 98: ADAM

  CHAPTER 99: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 100: LUCIAN

  CHAPTER 101: CAIN

  CHAPTER 102: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 103: ELISHA

  CHAPTER 104: LUCIAN

  CHAPTER 105: ADAM

  CHAPTER 106: JULIAN

  CHAPTER 107: LUCIAN

  CHAPTER 108: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 109: LUCIAN

  CHAPTER 110: GABRIEL

  CHAPTER 111: LUCIAN

  CHAPTER 112: ADAM

  CHAPTER 113: LILITH

  CHAPTER 114: EVE

  CHAPTER 115: JULIAN

  CHAPTER 116: JULIAN

  CHAPTER 117: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 118: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 119: LILITH

  CHAPTER 120: LUCIAN

  CHAPTER 121: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 122: LILITH

  CHAPTER 123: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 124: ELISHA

  CHAPTER 125: CAIN

  CHAPTER 126: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 127: LILITH

  CHAPTER 128: ADAM

  CHAPTER 129: TAYLOR

  CHAPTER 130: THE CHILDREN

  CHAPTER 131: TAYLOR

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Book One: Eternal Entity

  Book Two: Eternal Creation

  Book Three: Eternal Devastation

  Book Four: Eternal Ending

  ETERNAL ENTITY

  First edition. February 2018.

  Copyright © 2018 Annalee Adams.

  The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

  Written by Annalee Adams.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted or stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any other means, without prior written permission from the author, Annalee Adams. No part of this publication may be circulated in any form of binding or cover than that which it is published in.

  ISBN 978-1-980818-06-9

  This book has been typeset in Garamond.

  www.AnnaleeAdams.com

  For Mark, Jak, and Sophia, who inspire me each and every day.

  I love you.

  CHAPTER 1

  The carriage veered around the corner as I sat staring down at the light of a lone candle. The flame flickered, warming my face. I smiled at the anticipation that caressed each person around me.

  The sweet scent of strawberry filtered through the air.

  “Go on honey, make a wish!” She grinned, pulling me in close.

  Cheers erupted through the dank carriage as I blew out the candle; a moment which would always remain at the forefront of my memory as maturity became me and childhood disowned me.

  The desolate nature of the subway always scared me, with the shadows and darkness grinning with excitement. It wasn’t often we took this trip, but today I’d made an exception. Today I needed to act like an adult. Only kids were afraid of the dark.

  The dim-lit carriage smelt of urine and vomit as the subway railed forward in despair. With the wheels gritting the tracks, we bared around the next corner.

  “NEXT STOP: EMBANKMENT,” a robotic voice boomed through the speakers.

  “Sweet sixteen, Taylor! I’m so proud of you!” She smiled, offering me the cupcake, a family tradition.

  Every birthday at 18:13, Mum would start singing as I blew out the candle on another strawberry cupcake. I remember one year we were mid-flight to America, another year horseback riding through the peaks, and this year we happened to be caught in the chaos of rush hour on the London underground.

  We’d spent the day trailing the shops, dragging my kid brother Caleb along. He was fine once we went to Hamleys, but boy could he moan! Mum had closed her gallery for the day and taken the time off for an autumn picnic at St. James Park. It was the perfect backdrop for the cheeky glass of vino she promised me. After all, I was getting older now. It had been fun. I’m sure Dad would love his new shirt, not that he ever got out of his uniform. He ran the fire department down in Broadgate and had done so for years.

  You may be surprised to hear, considering the state of our current ride, that my parents owned a black Mercedes, with our own chau
ffeur. But Mum insisted that we take the subway. We needed the culture shock, she said. It was inspirational, the world with no frills.

  The doors opened as a few more passengers got on. I’d gained a few of the same traits as she had. I loved watching people, taking in their merits and flaws. Like the tired young mother, cuddling her toddler as she slept holding her well-loved teddy bear, and the older man who relinquished his seat for a pregnant lady. People were kind at heart, even the ‘different types’ with loopy ears and metal noses. Or the character in the corner with the black trench coat, hood up, face covered over. I could see he’d have a few stories to tell.

  Hanging onto the metal bar I stood watching, drifting into oblivion, as I took in the darkness of the tunnels outside. Juddering along, we came to a halt. Lights flickered as the robotic voice chimed “WESTMINISTER,” our stop and time to depart. Time to say goodbye to fifteen and hello to a whole new me, Little Miss Sixteen. Head held high, smiling for her fans like Oprah at a bake sale, today was my day.

  The train pushed on its brakes as the white-washed walls of Westminster merged together. The platform was teeming with a horde of citizens, people from all walks of life; rushing from work, school or perhaps a social trip, taking in the attractions. A couple of young girls looked familiar from the junior school nearby, dressed in their classic black minis with knee-high socks and pristine white shirts. Even with its pale walls, the platform appeared dark and creepy. The lights were barely functioning, and I swear I saw the shadows dancing in delight. The world was a mass of magic and mystery, so my mother said. Then again, she loved the old black and white horrors. It was no wonder her art stirred fear within me. It was deep, dark and devastatingly beautiful. Her eyes saw a universe of beauty when ours only saw in Technicolor.

  “Come on!” a man in a business suit yelled, snapping me from a delirium of thoughts. “Are you pushing the button?” He pushed his way past me to the front of the queue.

  “Of course, I’m pushing it,” the tired young mother snapped back.

  “Here.” He pushed her hand away.

  “See, it doesn’t work!” she huffed.

  “WE APOLOGISE FOR THE DELAY. WE ARE EXPERIENCING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES,” the tannoy boomed.

  “Great, just great!” the businessman moaned, looking at his watch.

  In amongst the commotion, the pregnant lady sat rubbing her tummy, the businessman whined to all who would listen, and the older lady had fallen asleep on her handbag in the corner of the train. However, the hooded guy stood tall and poised for action.

  “Taylor, are you okay?” Mum asked.

  “Yeah, just feel a bit strange.”

  “No more wine for the birthday girl!” She laughed, ruffling my hair.

  “How long is this going to take?” the businessman boomed.

  “Quiet, man, they’re doing their best!” a loopy eared youth yelled.

  Phasing out of the rest of the argument, I stood watching the angry commuters outside. It wasn’t like banging on the door would open the damn thing! People lose themselves in chaos, it’s just best to stand and watch, take it all in. I turned to see Mum doing just the same. People are an inspiration, she’d said.

  People, perhaps, but then what were those things up there on the steel girders? Perhaps the security crew was trying to work out the problem. There did appear to be wiring up there, as sparks fell to the ground. That couldn't be a good sign. It was hard to make them out, the ceiling was clammed up in darkness. They didn’t look like people; the perspective was all wrong. They must have only been two feet high.

  What the hell is it? Is that a tail? It was swinging from the girders. Did the zoo lose a few monkeys?

  “Mum! Do you see them?”

  “What? Where are you pointing, Taylor?”

  “Up there.”

  “Yeah, it’s sparking. That’s not good honey, they must be going up to fix it.”

  “So, you see them?”

  “See what?”

  “The creatures.”

  “What creatures?”

  “Creatures? Where are the creatures?” the tired young mother asked, eavesdropping.

  “Up there. I saw about five of them playing with the electrics.”

  “I can’t see up there, Taylor.”

  “It’s your mind playing tricks on you,” the tired young mum smiled.

  “It’s okay, Taylor, there’s nothing there, honey. Don’t worry, we'll be out soon.”

  Why couldn’t she see them? They were as plain as day, not that you could see it was day outside. I’d say it was too much wine, but surely one small glass of the red stuff doesn’t make you hallucinate. They were still there, scampering along. I thought of monkeys earlier, but they weren’t monkeys. They bore no resemblance to anything in the animal kingdom, and nothing I’ve seen on the Discovery Channel either. If people could have heard my thoughts they would have laughed, but they did look like Gremlins. Seriously, they did. I know, it was a film, one which I hasten to add, was quite the experience. But also, a classic I hadn’t seen in years. You know the evil looking one that destroys everything? Yeah, him... they looked like him. Him and his kid brothers, the freaky looking things.

  Damn, the world went dark. Where were they? I couldn't see a damn thing.

  “Mum?”

  “I’m here. Stay where you are.”

  A child’s scream shrilled through the air.

  “Shush, Kenny, it’s just a power cut.”

  “That’s the lights gone then!” the business man’s voice trailed through the carriage.

  “Mum!” Caleb whined.

  “It’s okay, Caleb. Stay where you are. The lights will be back on it a minute.” Mum attempted to soothe him.

  Okay, don’t panic. Don’t think about the Gremlins or the freakish wires they’re playing with. It was like something out of The Twilight Zone, with the creatures on the wings of the plane. You know they’re there, you can see them breaking the safety net around you, but not one person believes you. No matter what you say, they will just think you’re hysterical, you’re afraid of the dark. Or it’ll be the wine. "Too much vino," she’ll say. "No more wine for you, birthday girl." It was one damn glass! It wasn’t the wine, it wasn’t the dark, well, not completely. It was something more, something deeper. A dreadful sickness brewing in the pit of your stomach, and ghostly shivers running up your spine. You shudder, clam up, eyes wide, breathing heavy. If I can see the creatures, can they see me too?

  Static hissed over the tannoy, emergency lights spark on, and a sigh of relief filtered through the carriage. The guy in the black trench coat gripped two silvered blades. With his face shrouded in darkness, he kicked open the back door with such a force it barely remained on its hinges. Abruptly closing it, he broke the handle, preventing us from escaping the clutches of our darkened cage.

  “Oh my god! Martha did you see that?”

  “Shit, man! What was he carrying?”

  “The door won’t budge,” the businessman yelled as he hammered on the broken back door.

  “What’s happening, Mum?” I asked.

  “I... I don’t know honey. We're safer in here now that he’s gone.” She shuddered.

  Yeah but out there, there were those weird looking creatures. Where were they? Where did that guy go and what’s with all the screaming outside?

  “Kids, stay back away from the windows,” Mum yelled.

  “What’s he doing?”

  “It’s not just him, there’s a group of people attacking something!”

  “Attacking what?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t see it, it’s too dark out there.”

  Heading over to the window, I looked out. The black trench coat guy was fighting a humongous monster. No, I’m not joking. Even my mind couldn't cope with it. The ground was seriously rumbled, opened, and a beast with the likes of the Devil's nightmares was attacking the platform's commuters. But no one could see it. No one was bothered by it. They were more concerned with the bla
ck trench coat guy and his band of merry men. They saw him as a villain, thinking he was causing the raucous. If only they could see the hellish creature before them, they would see he was trying to end its miserable life, save our lives, and perhaps even scarper with his own.

  Blood drained from my face. I must be hallucinating, this can’t be happening. I cocooned myself, leaving clammy prints on the window. Gripping my knees, my body tensed. No one could see it. I daren’t look, daren’t open my eyes. My heart thumped. Breath faltered. Hairs stood on end. The cold shrill of their screams warped through me. This can’t be real, can’t be happening. Mum, where’s Mum? I must get up. Must find my family. What’s happening?

  “Taylor! Taylor!! STOP!” Mum yelled, shaking me.

  Swallowing back the tears, I opened my eyes.

  “It’s okay honey, you’re panicking. Calm your breathing, count to ten, remember?”

  My breathing eased as I stared into her eyes counting.

  “It’s okay, it’ll be okay,” she said, hugging me and Caleb. “Those youths are just playing a Halloween prank. Don’t worry, it’ll be over soon, and we can enjoy the rest of your special day.” She smiled as the whole carriage illuminated.

  A blinding light filled the space between us; crimson reds, burnt orange, and crispy yellow flooded the carriage. The train shone with an intense heat as the walls of the station blistered. A powerful bolt of fire shrieked across the walls, hues of red, yellow, and orange intertwined as it scorched the air in such an angry, yet triumphant, way. The face of fire screamed, leaping across each person on the platform. It showed no mercy. The station turned into a scene from an old zombie film, half scorched corpses scratching around trying to get into the carriage, to escape the blazing inferno.

  Paralysis is something that happens amidst all the panic. Frantic mothers screaming for their children, fearful children screeching in anxiety, and me. I stood there frozen in the moment, petrified to the spot. My heart beating out of my chest as salty tears streamed down my face. Fingernails cut into my palms and I couldn’t hear my own breath as it leaped out of me.

  If I had needed the toilet, I would have wet myself. Caleb did. He was frozen to the spot, gut-wrenching howls fled through the station. We both stood unmoving as their screams blared out in anguish. Our frantic mother stood shaking us both, pulling us down to the floor for cover.

  The carriage blistered in the heat. Outside the screams began to die out. Low to the ground, hazed by smoke, gasping for breath, the inevitable happened. Our safe cocoon died around us. The station's ceiling had begun to collapse. Gripping my chest, I wheezed for air, body tense and braced for impact.