Page 41 of Roman

The demon slashed Ramiel across the face with his claws before punching the angel across the room.He managed to kick Roman and Lucian off as he whipped out another dagger, embedding it deep into Maalik’s neck, spinning and kicking his brother across the warehouse.

The demon rose, casually smoothed out his suit, and locked eyes with Roman, an evil grin creeping over his face.

“Like I said.You angels are no match for me.”

And with that, he snapped his fingers, and he and the witch were gone.

Roman stared, dumbfounded, at the place the Archdemon had just stood.A mixture of shock and rage flowed through him as he stared around in disbelief at the fight they’d just had with the creature.Then, his gaze stopped on Sabriel and Ariel, both lying on the ground injured.

Roman quickly moved to Sabriel as she lay on her back, coughing and struggling to breathe, her neck black and purple and her windpipe half crushed.“Are you okay?”he asked her.Her deep emerald eyes watered in pain; the whites of her eyes were red from burst blood vessels.She simply nodded, unable to speak.

Maalik flashed to Ariel’s side, blood dripping from the wound in his neck.He pulled the dagger out, flinging it to the ground, then yanked the dagger out of Ariel’s chest, helping her sit up.Roman glanced around the room and noticed that everyone had some kind of injury.He spotted Lucian kneeling next to Armaros, the angel not moving.

“He’s out cold but alive.I wonder what she hit him with,” Lucian said, his brow furrowed with concern.

“What the actual fuck just happened?”Ramiel walked back over, wiping blood from his face.“How was that demon so strong?”

“He’s an Archdemon,” Roman answered, getting to his feet.

“This is going to make things interesting,” Maalik muttered, helping Ariel and Sabriel to their feet.

“His strength is a great concern, Roman.We were no match for him.”Ariel winced, rubbing her chest.Blood spattered across her pale face.

Roman agreed.If they were going to take the demon down, they would need another approach.He rubbed his ribs, feeling his age for the first time in a long time.His whole body ached, and as he looked around and took in his bruised and broken brethren, he realized how much damage the Archdemon had caused.

“I swear my jaw is cracked,” Lucian mumbled, his bottom jaw black and purple.

“I think we all have something broken,” Ramiel grumbled, rubbing his side, his face a mess.

“Lucian, go get the SUV.It’s time to get out of here,” Roman said, looking around at the carnage of the warehouse.

Dead bodies littered the floor.Phoenix, Cael, and Marius were killing the last few demons, while Grigori had two tied up in the back.Half the warehouse was on fire or blown up.

Roman frowned, scanning the warehouse again.“Where’s Turel?”

As if in answer, the tall, dark angel came strolling into the warehouse, blood splattered all over his clothes and his long brown dreadlocks tied up.He strolled in with a smile, a dagger in each hand, his smile fading as he looked around, taking in his brothers.

“What the hell happened in here?”he asked, shocked.

“An Archdemon happened,” Ramiel answered dryly.

Turel frowned.“A fucking what?”he asked, confused.

“We will explain on the way home,” Roman told him as the sound of sirens echoed in the distance.

Definitely time to go,he thought, holding his aching ribs.His thoughts turned to Charlotte.His body craved her.He needed to see her and make sure she wasn’t hurt.The image of her bleeding ears popped into his mind.

“Let’s get the hell out of here,” he ordered.

14

The car ride back to the mansion was taking forever.The ringing in Charlotte’s ears had dulled by the time Declan had gotten her to the SUV, which had been sitting behind an old petrol station, just as Roman promised.But her head had started pounding, the pain almost unbearable.On the drive back, Declan had stopped at a 7-Eleven, his concern for Charlotte making him ignore Roman’s orders to take her directly to his home.

“You can’t go in there.You’re covered in blood,” Charlotte said, looking him over.

Dry blood and dust from the exploding wall caked his hair, and he had no shoes or shirt.His bare chest had a coating of blood, dirt, and God knows what else.

“People will stare at you,” she added.

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