Page 48 of Roman

“She’s mine, brother.”

They both stilled.The voice came from the pool of light, goosebumps breaking out over her whole body.She knew that voice.It was the man that had stepped out of the flames… It was Lucifer.

Charlotte looked up at Armaros, stepping closer to him and grabbing his arm, fear running through her.

“It’s him.He’s here.It’s Lucifer.”She could barely get the words out, her eyes wide.Her body froze, the feeling beyond fear.It was soul-consuming terror.

What if he comes out of the portal and takes me?

Armaros was squinting into the pool of light, his eyes searching for something.Then he stopped, his eyes going wide.Charlotte slowly turned her head, her gaze falling on the pool at her feet, her grip tightening on Armaros’s arm as a feeling of horror hit her.

They could just make out his image under the red swirling mist.He grinned at them.His eyes glowed red as they locked onto Charlotte, raking over her.

Armaros grabbed Charlotte’s face, forcing her to look at him and focus.“Time to go now!”

He took one last look at the shimmering red gate, his violet eyes glowing more intensely.He faced her again.Then, gently, he touched her forehead, darkness taking over.

* * *

Charlotte shotup in bed with a scream, pain coursing through her right arm.Her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark room, her fear slowly subsiding as she remembered she was in the mansion, safe from the creatures.Safe from… him.

Roman sat up instantly, wrapping his warm arms around her.She buried her face against his chest, his rhythmic heartbeat comforting as he hugged her tighter.The warm embrace and the soothing beating coming from his chest chased away any thoughts of Lucifer pulling her through the portal.

“What’s wrong?You’re safe with me.”

She could hear the concern in his voice.

“You’re shivering.”He ran his big, warm hands up and down her bare back, then trailed them down her arms.A whimper escaped as she flinched away from his touch.

Flashes of the hideous creature attacking her flooded her mind.“Roman, something happened.”

He froze.Charlotte could just make out his eyes, staring at her arm in the darkness of the room.He shot out of bed, making it to the door in three long strides and turning on the light.His tanned, muscled body caused her to lose her train of thought as he marched back to the bed, gently taking her arm, tilting it from left to right to examine the five deep slashes running from her elbow to her wrist.Blood was still seeping out of the cuts, running down her arm and all over his bed, staining the sheets deep red.

“My god, the bed!I’m so sorry.”She leaped up out of bed in a panic, trying to decide how to clean the blood off.She stilled, her cheeks heating as she realized she was still naked.Charlotte wrenched the bloodied sheet up to cover her body.

Roman shook his head with a frown.“I don’t give a shit about the sheets, Charlotte.I care about you.What the hell happened?”He reached for her arm again with a pained look.

Charlotte was fixated on theI care about youcomment as the door flew open, and Armaros burst into the room.“Roman, we have a big problem.”The giant warrior didn’t even flinch at Roman’s lack of clothes.

Mortification washed over Charlotte as she pulled her arm from Roman’s grasp, hugging the bloodied sheet tighter.

“She has had another vision.”Armaros’s brow creased with worry.

“Did you see who did this to her?”Roman growled, stalking to the other side of the room and ripping a pair of black jeans out of the drawers, dragging them on.

“It was a demon.I got there just in time.But the creature is not the problem, Roman.It’s what the creature was doing with her and where he was doing it.”

“Well, fucking enlighten me, Armaros!I don’t have all night,” Roman snapped, pulling on a black shirt.He yanked out a pair of black sweatpants and a zip-up hoodie, striding back over to Charlotte.“Fix her arm first.She’s losing too much blood.”

Armaros’s eyes swirled with magic as he stepped over to her and gently lifted her arm.A small frown etched across his face as Charlotte lost herself in the glow of his magic.She could feel a tingling sensation crawling across her arm.She looked down, eyes wide as the wounds slowly closed, leaving five long, nasty scars running down her arm.Armaros stared at her, then glanced at Roman, letting her go and taking a step back.

“What are you doing?You’re not finished.Why did you leave the scar?”Roman asked.

Armaros shook his head.“It won’t let me fully heal it.It’s like the scar is a brand of sorts.A magical brand.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”Roman scowled, grabbing Charlotte’s arm and gently running his fingers over the raised scars.

The movement sent shivers through her body, heating her blood.Roman’s eyes quickly snapped to hers, noticing her body’s reaction to him.His eyes flashed red.

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