Page 27 of Roman

Charlotte stared at the man.“Um, thank you?I think.”

What the hell was she supposed to think?A fallen angel wanted to use her to get out of Hell and do pretty bad things, she guessed.It was reasonable for these men—no, not men,angels—to conclude that killing her was the best choice.

“But I don’t want to die,” she whispered.

Roman looked at her, a fleeting expression of anguish passing over his face.“You’re not going to die, Charlotte.We will protect you, keep the demons away.But…”

“I need to stay here, don’t I?”

“Yes.It’s the only way to keep you safe.”

“If I decide to stay, and that’s a bigif, no more cells?”

Roman shook his head.“No more cells, I promise.”

“Eccellente, then it’s settled.”Grigori clapped his hands, smiling.

“What’s settled?”Charlotte turned to find Armaros standing there, swallowing up the doorway.

His hair tied back made those odd violet eyes stand out more.She looked the giant man up and down, taking in his all-black outfit—leather pants, combat boots,of course, and a plain T-shirt.His giant tattooed arms looked like they’d split the seams of his shirt at any moment.

He must be nearly seven feet tall,she realized.She’d never had time to take his appearance in properly in her dreams.They were always running or hiding, or he was fighting off the demons.Not liking the way he was looking at her, Charlotte put her head down, stuffing some more pancakes into her mouth, just in case it ended up being her last meal.

9

Roman moodily stalked up the stairs leading to the office at his club.A place where most women came to dance the night away or look for the occasional one-night stand.Then, there were the women who came for a purpose.Roman’s club had the most beautiful dancers in the world.They put on regular shows every night and private shows in the VIP rooms for the rich and famous who frequented his club.They liked the fact that he had a discreet side entrance for high-profile or married men to enter.He had security posted everywhere to make sure the regular patrons did not take photos or try to approach them as they made their way to and from the VIP areas and private rooms.These men were what the other type of women came to the club for, all of them with hopes and dreams that one of the wealthy men might take a liking to them and either take them on as a mistress—or, if they were lucky enough—future brides.

Every day around three p.m., unless he had prior engagements, Roman came to his club to make sure everything was running smoothly before they opened for the night.He opened the door to his office and walked into the giant room.He noticed the cleaning staff had recently vacuumed the gray carpet, and someone had made sure the windows overlooking the club were squeaky clean, revealing the soundproof wall separating the front of the club from the back.

Roman walked over to the inbuilt bar, spotting a full pot of brewed coffee.He pulled out his phone, glancing at the screen.Three missed calls from Ariel.He sighed, scrubbing his hand down his face.

Roman was exhausted.He had struggled with what to do with Charlotte.He knew the best thing to do for everyone—hell, for the entire world—was to kill her.But this morning at breakfast, the moment she had turned to him looking utterly defeated and whispered,But I don’twant to die,he’d felt his chest tighten, and everything inside him screamed at him to protect her.

He couldn’t think straight when Charlotte was near him.Killing her shouldn’t even be a question, but there was something about her.The more he was around her, the harder it was to control himself.He’d decided there was no point anymore in trying to tell himself he didn’t want her.The second his mouth had taken hers that night in the club, it was all over.He had to possess her, was overwhelmed with this feeling of needing to completely consume her.Perhaps if he just gave in to his urges and brought her into his bed, he could rid himself of her presence and then proceed with what was necessary: killing her.Monster,his mind whispered as he poured himself a cup of coffee, the soothing aroma filling his office.

Roxy must have been in here.He moved to the window, swallowing a mouthful of the decadent drink.Roxy was the half-human, half-witch he’d hired to be the manager of his bar.She was a tall, sassy, sexy, dark-skinned woman with big green eyes and deep brown dreadlocks filled with gems, beads, and crystals that cascaded down her back to her waist.If it wasn’t for her, Roman wouldn’t even have this club up and running.Roxy did everything from opening and closing shifts, book work, hiring and firing, and taking care of all the stock and orders coming in.She was a godsend, especially in times like these, when Roman was tired and had too much going on to give the club his full attention.

He’d known Roxy her whole life.Years ago, Roman had saved her pregnant mother from a demon attack and took it upon himself to care for her, and then Roxy, once she was born.He’d even helped her mother put Roxy through college.She was the only one he would ever entrust with something as important as his business.The fact she was supernatural herself also helped, as she could handle both the mortal and the supernatural customers.

He looked down, inspecting both halves of the club.On the supernatural side, Phoenix and Lucian stood at the bar discussing something with Roxy.A few cleaners moved around, making sure everything was spotless.Most of the deliveries would have already been dropped off, so the club staff should have already prepared everything for the night.

Roxy noticed him in the window, giving him a smile and a wave, which he returned with a nod.The angels turned, giving him a nod themselves.Phoenix and Lucian gave Roxy a hug and a kiss on the cheek before making their way up to his office.

Roman sank into the comfort of his chair as the two angels entered.Phoenix made himself comfortable on one of the leather couches against the wall while Lucian headed to the bar, pouring himself a coffee.

“How did the delivery go this morning?”Roman asked, looking at Phoenix.

The angel sat back, stretching out his long legs.It was hard not to notice the scars on his face.They were another reminder of how Roman had failed them all so long ago.The image of Phoenix trying to drag himself out of the opening to Hell, his whole body engulfed in fire, flashed through his already troubled mind.It made Roman shiver to think of the horrors they had seen and endured.The thought that some of his friends were still trapped down there, possibly still alive, kept him up at night.The guilt and worry were too much for him to bear.All he could do now was try to get them home to Heaven and make up for his mistake.

“It went well.The Lycan, true to their word, had five enchanted guns hidden in the crates of the Jameson Vintage Whiskey they delivered.”

Roman raised his eyebrows.“True to their word again.So, are they really enchanted?Do they kill a demon with any bullet like they say?”If these guns were what the Lycan claimed they were, it could be a game changer in the war between the demons and the fallen.

Lucian sat on the leather couch closest to Roman’s desk.“We don’t know.Looks like we will have to test one out, maybe on the demon we have locked up at home?”

“As another show of good faith and their allegiance to us, under Lucian’s command, of course, they said they would be willing to have their enchantress teach the spell to Armaros if we find the guns to our liking,” Phoenix added.

“Now, that is a surprise.The Lycan are very secretive with their ways.Tonight, then, we will see if these guns work.I also need to call Ariel.She and the others should fly back from Rome tomorrow.”