Crown of roses, p.1
Crown of Roses, page 1
Crown of Roses
E.M. Snow
Copyright © 2021 by E.M. Snow
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo copying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher in writing.
For information, message:
EMSnowRomance@gmail.com
Contents
Note from the Author
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
Chapter 26
Saint
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Also by E.M. Snow
About the Author
Note from the Author
CROWN OF ROSES is a dark high school romance with enemies-to-lovers and bullying themes. It is not recommended for readers under 17 as it contains dubious situations and triggers that some readers may find offensive. It ends in a cliffhanger.
As this book is book 2 in a series, it is recommended you read CROWN OF THORNS first.
1
Reina’s missing.
My phone continues to buzz relentlessly in my hand, and I stare down at the screen, the words blurring as I read and re-read Gideon’s text.
Reina’s missing. How is that even possible when I just saw her?
This information is more than I could handle on a normal day, let alone the same day I discover Angelview Academy’s crowned prince is still alive and kicking and is sitting right. Next. To. Me.
As if he’s aware of my thoughts, Saint leans forward on the couch, resting his elbows on his knees. He intertwines his fingers, and lifts his light brown eyebrows expectantly, like he’s waiting for answers.
“You’re staring at your phone like it’s a grenade,” he clips out. “I’m gonna assume you’re more fucked up by whatever that text says than seeing me.”
Or both.
Definitely both.
I tighten my grip around the phone. “I-I just got a text. From Gideon Townsend.”
“And…” Saint urges, this time nodding his blond head toward my phone. It doesn’t matter that it’s on silent, the sound of it vibrating wildly still fills the air of Mallory’s cottage. When I don’t answer him, he rolls his eyes dramatically. “Fuck, we don’t have time for this shit.”
“Seriously, Saint?” Mallory snaps, though it’s clear with the way she’s staring at me with wide blue eyes that she’s just as eager to know what’s going on.
“It’s okay.” But since my voice wobbles a little, I take a few cleansing breaths before explaining, “Reina’s missing.”
Saint’s features crease into a frown. “Who the fuck is—”
“Alaric Hartley’s twin sister,” I interrupt. “Phoenix’s first cousin.”
“Fuck.” Mallory puffs out a heavy breath and links her fingers behind her back as she starts pacing. “Another girl just … gone. Is this just more of the same shit, or are they starting with something else now?”
God, I don’t even know if I can handle something else.
“Calm down,” Saint tells her before turning his attention back to me. I can’t help it, I scoot away from him, eager to put as much space between us as possible. He doesn’t seem to notice or care, though, as he says, “So what else is the motherfucker saying? The way your phone’s going off, you’ve got to have a fucking novel by now.”
I scroll through my phone, wincing at all the missed calls and unanswered texts. “Just the same thing over and over.” They want to know where I am. They want me to call now. Phoenix wants to know how dare I ignore him.
“It’s both Gideon and Phoenix,” I say.
Mallory pauses mid-stride and jabs a finger toward my phone. “Like I said before, it would be better if you just got rid of that thing before they track it and come looking for you. I’m not exactly in the mood to deal with entitled pricks tonight.”
“I don’t know, little masochist,” Saint drawls with a waggle of his eyebrows that makes Mallory snort. “It could be fun.”
From what I’ve heard from Reina, the last time Saint dealt with Phoenix, a car went up in flames and someone from team Townsend was stabbed. Not that I’m entirely sure that’s how it happened. Phoenix throws a fit every time Saint Angelle is mentioned, plus it was several months before I came into the picture.
No, that’s not right.
Before I was manipulated into the picture.
“Look,” I say at last. “Tracking my phone is putting a lot of faith in what Phoenix is capable of.” Still, I have to lower my eyes to my lap when I say that because it’s difficult to deliver such a blatant lie with a straight face. Phoenix has already gone to extremes to convince me my brother wanted me to sacrifice myself to him. Tracking my phone is tame.
At Mallory’s laugh, I glance up.
“Trust me, boys like him are capable of a lot.” She side-eyes Saint, and he sits upright and gives her a look that makes me uncomfortable, especially since he just called her little masochist. Whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean. “You don’t have to pretend with me, Josslyn. I know all too well how fucked their world is.”
“I—” I start, but I swallow the words because I can’t even argue with her. How can I after everything she’s told me about the Townsend family and Jameson Angelle and that list of names. Trafficking victims. The most terrifying part? That I don’t even doubt her story.
That it’s the first thing that’s made any real sense in a long ass time, and that’s why I’m still here, sitting next to a guy who’s supposed to be dead.
“They’re horrible people,” Mallory says.
Dropping my phone to my lap, I cover my face with both hands, shaking my head. “I-it’s just that with the way they’re blowing up the phone, I think they just found out about Reina. They want to make sure I’m not too far away from the house.”
Though I doubt they actually give a shit about me. Phoenix just wants to make sure his leverage is safe.
When I uncover my face, I realize Mallory has started pacing again, but she keeps glancing my way, worry furrowing her forehead. “Well, you can’t go back there, so they’re wasting their time—” she finally starts in a flat voice just as Saint growls, “They won’t stop, so call them back.”
Her head whips toward him, and she just stares at him in shock, but he’s right. And I hate that. Grabbing my phone off my lap, I open Gideon’s last text, my fingers hovering over the screen. Saint stops me with a jerk of his head.
“Were you not just listening to me?” He grinds out each word. “Fuck texting and just call them.”
“That’s like the worst thing she could do!” Mallory huffs, but he gives her a so-fucking-what look. “Are you crazy, Angelle? You realize who she is to you, right? What might happen to her if they—”
“I need to talk to them,” I cut in before she has the chance to finish, but what she said loops around my brain. You realize who she is to you, right? Which, of course, draws my focus back to what Saint called me when he made his grand entrance tonight.
Sister.
He had called me his little sister.
And something tells me that’s not just some weird nickname.
Still, as much as I want to demand answers, I focus on what’s most important right now. Not the possibility of sharing DNA with Saint or that Phoenix has deceived me, but Reina.
“I have to talk to them,” I say, “because Reina has been one of my only friends for the last couple months. I owe it to her to at least call and find out what I can about this situation.”
“They’re probably lying.”
I lift my chin slightly at Mallory. “If she’s in trouble, I have to try to help.”
She shakes her head incredulously but doesn’t argue the point further. I can tell it’s killing her that she’s in this situation, and I’m sure she regrets ever bringing me here.
I switch from the text screen to Gideon’s contact information before putting the phone to my ear. I don’t exactly want to talk to anyone that lives in that house, but I don’t have much choice. If I want to know what’s going on with Reina, this is the only way.
“Where the fuck are you, Joss?” Gideon growls after the phone rings just a single time, and my pulse jumps with fear. Other than that day when he pulled Phoenix off me in their dad’s office, he’s never yelled at me. “Phoenix is freaking the fuck out that you’re ignoring him, and—”
“What’s going on with Reina?” I ask breathlessly, my heart sinking because I just know that Mallory was wrong, and Reina really is missing. “Where
“If we knew, she wouldn’t be missing now, would she?”
“Are you sure she’s even gone? I mean, Reina’s always leaving or staying somewhere else.” To get away from you people, I almost add, but I swallow those words down. “Maybe—”
“There’s no maybe to it. She’s gone. Aric’s already called the fucking cops,” he bites out.
Suddenly, there’s an angry conversation on his end of the line, but the voices are garbled. I can’t make out what Gideon is saying, and though I recognize Phoenix’s voice, I can’t hear him clearly either. He sounds furious, though. Gideon wasn’t lying, but besides that, I don’t trust a thing that comes out of his mouth either.
I glance over at Mallory. She’s on edge, that’s obvious with the way she’s returned to pacing. Saint, on the other hand, has his blue-gray eyes glued to my face, and I don’t even try holding eye contact. There will be plenty of time for that once I’m off the phone because I already know he’s going to ask a million questions.
“Phoenix! Fuck off!” Gideon says, though his voice is still muffled. “Stop.”
His protests aren’t enough. A second later, Phoenix takes control of the conversation, his rage palpable.
“Where the fuck are you, Luna?” he demands, growling out my last name like I’m his subordinate. “I’m not playing games here. You better give me a location in ten seconds or else.”
“Or else? You’re going to threaten me now? Is that what we’ve come to?”
“Tick tock.”
I blow out a shallow breath. “The library.”
“We have a library here. In this fucking house. Where you agreed you’d be every day or are you forgetting the arrangement you made to save your brother’s ass?”
My teeth clench. I would almost be impressed by his dedication to this elaborate charade if I weren’t being royally fucked by it. “The school library. I’m working on homework. Just like I told Gideon before you showed your ass and took his phone from him.”
“Funny, I don’t remember giving you permission to…”
As I tune him out, I accidentally make eye contact with Mallory. My phone volume is on high and Phoenix is speaking loud enough that she and Saint are both able to hear him. While Saint’s brow is knitted in concentration, her full lips are curled back in disdain.
“Stay there,” Phoenix is ordering when I concentrate again on what he’s saying. “I’m coming to pick you up.”
“Don’t bother.” I keep my voice calm, annoyed even. The last thing I want is to give away that I’m miles away from Thornwood and keeping company with his formerly dead enemy. “I’ll leave in a few minutes and catch an Uber home. You should be there in case the cops—”
“I wasn’t asking, Luna. I told you to stay where you are. Be a good girl and just listen for once, okay?”
I hate him. I hate him so much it hurts right now, and I’m trembling when I draw in a deep breath that scorches my lungs.
“Josslyn?” Phoenix says.
“Fine!” I snap back at him, squeezing my eyes shut because I refuse to look at the pity on Mallory’s face while he talks to me like I’m his pet. “You’re the boss, aren’t you?”
He says something else before hanging up, though I’m not sure what it is. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. The only thing that does is that he’s on his way to pick me up from Thornwood and I’m not there.
Slamming my phone down beside me, I drag my hands through my black hair and take a few breaths before I open my eyes to glance between Mallory and Saint. “We should go.”
Wringing her hands, Mallory shakes her head. “He threatened you twice. What the hell makes you think you’re safe? What makes you think his cousin is actually even missing and this isn’t just another bullshit power play?”
“It’s not.” Saint’s words surprise us both, and Mallory and I are staring at him when he rises from the couch, gathering her hands in his. It’s striking how beautiful they are together. How, despite the fact he used to be considered a cruel monster, he stares down at her like she’s a goddess when he says, “I know that motherfucker, and he’s scared out of his fucking mind. This shit with his cousin? It’s a warning.”
He’s right. I think—no, I know—it has something to do with the list Jasper stole, so I ask them if we can just give them a copy to save Reina. To get Phoenix’s parents back.
“Ghost has it.” Scorn drips from Saint’s voice at the mention of my brother, and he meets my gaze over Mallory’s shoulder. “The last time we heard from him was a few weeks ago. He was more interested in making sure we checked on you than giving up the fucking list so we can end this.”
I pray he means by contacting the actual authorities, but I don’t have a chance to ask before Mallory softly says, “Saint, don’t…”
He’s still staring at me, even though she pulls away from him.
Since I already know where this is going, I speak first. “Phoenix won’t hurt me,” I say with more confidence than I feel. “And I think that if I don’t go back…”
“Of course, you do.” Mallory looks at me like I’m an idiot. I mean, I feel like an idiot, and sure enough, she mutters, “And guess what? I think this is a stupid, bad idea. Just because Ghost is MIA doesn’t mean that—”
Saint pulls her close again and whispers something in her ear. She squeezes her eyes shut for a long pause, then massages her fingers over the bridge of her nose. “You can’t tell him you were here, or anything I’ve told you.”
But she still sounds angry. And disappointed. So disappointed my heart lurches.
“I know what I’m doing.” I don’t, but this is also the only option I have if I want things to go back to normal.
She opens her eyes and gives me a sad smile before she disappears into the next room. She re-emerges a second later with her keys. When Saint takes a step toward her, reaching for the keys, she lays her hand on his chest.
“He won’t remember me. If for some reason he sees you, though…” It’s obvious he’s ready to argue with her—that he doesn’t give a damn who sees him when it comes to keeping her safe—but she’s already dragging me toward the door.
“Thanks,” I say, though I can’t exactly claim to be grateful.
There’s still so much going through my mind, I’m not sure what to think about anything right now. But I told Phoenix I was at the school. I have to be there by the time he shows up, there’s no other option.
I follow Mallory through the doorway, shooting one final look at Saint.
His hands are clenched by his sides and his mouth is set in a tight line.
“It was nice…”
But I can’t even finish that sentence because nothing about this night has been nice.
So, I just nod at the resurrected god who just ripped seventeen years of reality apart in a handful of minutes and follow Mallory out the door.
“You know you can slow down.” I glance at the speedometer as Mallory tears up the road toward campus. “Arrive alive, right?”
Besides, the Townsends mansion in Bel Air is further from Thornwood than her beach cottage.
“Sorry.” She slows down, clenching the steering wheel as she looks in the rearview mirror—I assume to see if any cops are around. “I still don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go back there. I feel like I’m driving you to your doom or something.”
“I’ll be fine.” But I’m glad it’s dark inside her Range Rover so she can’t see right through my bullshit. I even sound like I’m trying to convince myself when I keep talking. “Until Jasper comes through, this is really the only option I have unless I just stop going to school and hide out, and that’s not an option because Phoenix knows where my grandma is.”
