Page 24 of Roman

“My vision,” he told Roman, putting his arm back down.“A demon gave it to me, and I don’t mean the weak demons that possess the mortals.I mean a proper demon hound in its original form.I fought it… and killed it.”

“What do you mean killed it?”Roman asked, chills snaking down his spine.

“Just like I said.I killed him.Something is very wrong, Roman.These visions are unique.They are very real, and they will kill me if I’m not careful.”He fell silent, and Roman could tell there was something more, something he wasn’t telling him.

“What is it?Armaros, now is not the time for secrets.Something bad is coming.I can feel it in my very soul.If we are all to survive whatever it is, we need to find answers, and we need to tell each other everything.”

Armaros gave him a single nod.He was undoubtedly the most secretive out of all the fallen, but besides his brother Maalik, Armaros was one of the few angels Roman trusted completely.“Charlotte.She’s in my visions as well.She has been for many years, since she was young.She is always running; they are always chasing her.I do my best to protect her.I always have.Just this night, she was in my dream.I was flying above her, trying to keep her safe.Now you understand what I mean when I say I don’t take the decision to kill her lightly.”

Roman couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but it all made sense, considering the marks Charlotte had.

A filthy demon had touched her… hurt her.Anger seethed through him, his mind screaming in rage.

“Roman…” Armaros’s uneasy voice brought him out of the angry haze, and from the look on his friend’s face, his eyes were clearly glowing again.

What is it with this woman?he thought,frustration taking over for the hundredth time.

“Are you good?”Armaros asked.

Roman nodded.“I’m good.”He focused on his eyes returning to normal.“Charlotte.I woke her from what I thought was a nightmare tonight.She has a claw mark on her arm, like yours, and another on her leg.It’s what I was coming to speak with you about.How is this possible?What would be powerful enough to do something like this?A dream demon, maybe?”

Armaros shook his head.“No, their power only goes as far as causing people to have nightmares, and in some cases, if they are very powerful, projecting themselves into the nightmare.This dream differed from the others.It was powerful magic.When I was in the dream, I could feel it… the magic all around me.It must be some kind of witch or warlock.I will need time to find out.”

“How about the coven?Can’t you question them?Maybe they know of someone capable of doing something like this?”

Roman knew damn well Armaros hated having anything to do with the coven.He didn’t know why, but the witches loathed him, and Armaros hated them just as much.

Armaros stilled at the mention of the witches.They had a coven here in Los Angeles, and much to Armaros’s disdain, they also lived here in the Hills, only a few streets away.In the first few centuries after Roman and the others had first fallen, they had gotten off to a rocky start with the witches.To this day, no one knew what had gone on between the witches and Armaros, but it had been bad enough that Armaros started hunting and killing them.He was still known today throughout the supernatural world asthe Witch Hunter.

It didn’t help that after the fall, the other angels, as well as himself, had had trouble adjusting to life on Earth and the new feelings and emotions that came with it.They had caused all kinds of chaos.

It ended with the fallen and the witches going to war.After losses on both sides, Roman and the queen of the witches, Medea, met in the center of the bloodied battlefield and came to a truce.The angels stayed out of their way, and the witches offered the same courtesy.From then on, they had both co-existed in peace.Every so often, they hired the witches for certain spells, and sometimes, the witches came to them for information.Most of these exchanges happened in Roman’s nightclub down on the Sunset Strip.

“This is important, Armaros.”

The tattooed man sighed as if the weight of the world were resting on his shoulders.“Alright, I will meet with them.”

Roman nodded, satisfied, sitting back and resting his head against the black leather couch as he gazed out at the city, the sky starting to light up.“I have a bad feeling about what’s coming, Armaros.”

“You and me both,” he answered in a quiet voice, both of them silently watching the city, lost in their own thoughts.

8

Charlotte was finally feeling more herself than she had in the past two days, which she only knew because Grigori had told her.

Two days!She still couldn’t believe that she had gone missing forty-eight hours ago and had experienced two kidnappings during that time.The sad thing was that besides Ava—if she was okay—and Kate, no one would really miss her.She’d always worked too much to have any time for socializing.

The minute Roman had walked away from her, leaving her in quite a state, Grigori had strolled over to her, shirtless.

Does anybody wear shirts around here?Wearing black leather pants and combat boots, his black shoulder-length hair hung in waves around his handsome, boyish face, lit up by his cheeky smile.He’d stood there, his deep brown eyes looking her up and down with a hint of mischief sparkling in them.

I bet he’s an absolute panty-dropper with the ladies,she’d thought.Charlotte had still been reeling from her behavior.She couldn’t believe how much Roman had affected her.

“I am Grigori, and it is an absolute pleasure to meet you.”He’d bowed, taking her hand and giving it a gentle kiss.“Now come, let’s get you cleaned up.”

He completely ignored what Roman had ordered him to do and ushered her up the most stunning black marble stairs she’d ever seen, leading her into a beautiful room.The view of the city was just as spectacular as it had been down in the dining room.

I’m in the Hills.

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