Read Chaos Broken for Free Online Page A

kill me.’
    â€˜No.’ His smile dropped and he pulled a silver cigarette case out of a pocket, carefully selecting one and lighting it. ‘I would never have done that. At least, not intentionally.’ He blew out a long stream of smoke. ‘Lora, forgive me for asking, but do you remember anything about your mother?’
    I blinked a few times, momentarily disorientated by the change of direction. ‘No. She left me on a doorstep of Blackgoat Watch when I was a baby.’
    â€˜Yes. That is what I heard. And your father?’
    I thought of the angel Sariel, who haunted my dreams, and his insistence that he was my father. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe his claim, it was more that I didn’t care. Gideon was the closest thing I had to a father, and that was fine by me.
    â€˜I didn’t know my biological father,’ I said. After all, this was technically the truth. Even if Sariel was my father, I still knew nothing about him and even less about his biology; besides, I only had his word for it. All I knew for sure was he wanted me to be in a seat of power and to be worshipping him. Since I’d called him on it, I’d slept like a baby.
    â€˜I know something of my father,’ Gorath said softly, tapping ash on the floor. ‘He would appear to me in dreams, asking for my fealty.’
    I shifted on the chair, struggling to keep my face still. What Gorath was suggesting was more than unsettling. Was it possible his dreams were tormented in a similar fashion to mine?
    Gorath’s eyes were bright as they watched me. ‘He was called Sariel, one of the four guardians of The Weald. He said I was destined to fulfil the prophecy of the Dreadwitch and the Howling King. Said I was made for it. Said I was to walk the path I —’
    â€˜â€” was created for.’ I finished his sentence without thinking, quoting a mantra Sariel had repeated often enough.
    Gorath smiled as he dropped his cigarette and ran a boot toe over it. With an effort, I kept my mouth shut. Nice to know I could manage self-control at my age. But there was no way was I going to start comparing daddy issues here. And there was no way I was going to admit I knew Sariel as well, or that he had been spouting the same rhetoric to me. I wanted to leave. Now. But I stayed sitting, because I’d promised Roman I’d behave.
    â€˜There are some who would still believe you are the Dreadwitch,’ Gorath continued. ‘But I know that you do not embrace this idea. Could you tell me what it is you believe in?’
    â€˜Me?’ I touched my chest. ‘I believe in a cold beer. I believe in a good game of dice. What I don’t believe in, is being someone’s puppet. Especially when it’s probably going to result in my death.’
    â€˜A sensible notion,’ Gorath said.
    â€˜Thank you. I thought so.’
    â€˜In times past, I believed my father. Until I saw his lies, laid bare before me. Shall I share with you how I reached my own revelation?’
    I shrugged, realising I was curious. ‘Why not?’
    Gorath gave me a broad smile. ‘I’d known Manika for some time before I realised I was in love with her. Her influence was calming and I found myself seeking her presence more and more. She stilled the sense of emptiness I had in my heart. Then, when Roman appeared, you might say it was something of a shock.’ His smile slipped. ‘A nephilim with wings the colour of snow? There have been fanciful tales that the nephilim weren’t bred by celestials, as the Grigori claimed, but by the Unclean Ones, the angels cast from the heavens for the sin of pride. But white wings?’ Gorath shook his head. ‘That is the colour of the celestial’s wings. To me, it was a sign. That perhaps there was goodness in me after all. And after Seth reached out, seeking to arrange peace between Casper and myself, I knew it was time for things to