Page 72 of Roman

“Hurry up, we haven’t got all night.”

Charlotte threw a glare over her shoulder.Her whole body ached, and her head was killing her.She was over people pushing her, shoving her, hitting her.

The demon gave her a wink as he walked by, getting into the front passenger seat of the car.She cringed and opened the back door, a small feeling of triumph bursting through her chest as she slid into the car, only for the feeling to deflate quickly as Turel shoved her into the middle of the back seat, sliding in beside her.Tora opened the other door, sitting next to her.

Shit, now what?

Charlotte sat in the middle with her arms crossed, irritated that her plan had been foiled before it even began.Her mind raced as she franticly tried to figure out what else she could do to slow them down.

A tanned, bald Spanish man sat behind the wheel of the car.He turned, looking Charlotte over, his eyes flashing yellow for a second before he faced forward again and drove the car out of the airport.Her blood ran cold.

The sky was fading from dark to light as the car wound its way through the busy city.There were people everywhere—cars and motorbikes beeping their horns, pedestrians walking the streets and alleys.The buildings would alternate between Spanish colonial style and more modern ones.As they drove further out, and the sky grew to a light blue, she could make out colorful shanty shacks and buildings built into a mountain looking down on them.She even caught a glimpse of the vast ocean to their left.

In another life, it would have been a beautiful city to visit.To stroll and explore like a real tourist.Experience the culture of life in Peru.Taste the food, try the local drinks, and immerse herself in everything to do with their country.

Charlotte fidgeted in her seat, becoming restless.“Get comfortable.It’s a three-hour drive to Caral,” Tora told her as she texted someone on her phone.

Charlotte stared at the phone like it was a lifeline.If she could get hold of it, she could call for help.It dawned on her she didn’t know Roman’s number or any of the fallen’s phone numbers.Hell, she didn’t even know what the equivalent of 911 was in this godforsaken country.Still, she could get hold of someone to help her.

Tora squinted at her, watching Charlotte stare at the phone.“Don’t be stupid, girl.You will only cause yourself more suffering.”Her eyes flashed purple as a warning.

Charlotte sat back, defeated.She couldn’t throw herself from the car, and there was no way she could steal the witch’s phone.She was trapped, with no way out.Exhaustion finally caught up with her, the swaying movement of the car lulling her, causing her eyes to drop.Charlotte snapped them back open, forcing herself to stay awake.But the harder she tried, the more her eyes closed.

So tired.Maybe just rest my eyes for a few minutes.Just a few,she told herself as she slipped into a deep sleep.

24

Roman raged as he sat in the front passenger seat of one of the two Jeeps Cael had arranged to be waiting for them at the airport.Phoenix sat beside him in the driver’s seat, pedal to the metal as he flew down the road outside of Lima, getting them closer to Caral.Closer to Charlotte.

Armaros, Grigori, and Lucian sat in the back.Cael drove Ariel, Marius, Ramiel, and Sabriel in the Jeep behind them.

Maalik was somewhere ahead of them, flashing from location to location.His brother’s teleportation power was limited only to places he had been before.And, of course, with Roman’s bad luck, Caral was one of the gates his brother had never been to.He made a mental note to make sure that when this was all over, Maalik visited every single goddamn gate on the planet.

Maalik was currently teleporting as far as his eye could see, flashing as fast as he could across Peru.Once he made it to Caral, he’d be able to come back and flash each of them to the ruins so they stopped wasting so much time.

The flight had been torture.They owned the fastest private jet on the planet, but it still wasn’t quick enough.It had taken every ounce of willpower not to lose his shit on the plane and tear the whole thing apart.The only thing keeping him halfway sane was the beautiful image of Charlotte.Her angelic memory floated in his mind, those spellbinding eyes and sinful lips.The memory of her heavenly scent.It kept his wrath at bay.

He needed to get to her before it was too late.Maalik had read the pilot’s mind, the one from the jet Charlotte had flown in on, and they’d discovered Turel had taken Charlotte to Tora and Azazel.Roman’s blood had boiled once he’d learned she was with the Archdemon.Azazel concerned him.It had taken five of them to take him down at the warehouse, and he’d still gotten free and kicked their asses.This wouldn’t be an easy fight, not with the witch there as well.They would all have to work together, with no fuck ups, to get Charlotte out of this.

From what Maalik could tell, they were maybe two hours behind them.With the sun up, Maalik should be able to flash across the countryside faster and make up for lost time once he flashed all of them there.

“Okay, so how is this going to work now that we know the Archdemon is there?”Phoenix piped up from the driver’s seat.

“The plan went out the window the minute he was mentioned,” Lucian added from the back.

“First things first.Once we get there, we’ll have to take whatever guards they have out.I can’t see them performing the ritual without someone guarding the area to keep civilians at bay.”Roman frowned.“Armaros, can you handle the witch?”he added, turning to look at the tattooed giant swallowing the back of the Jeep.

Armaros simply nodded.He’d been oddly quiet the whole flight, lost in his own thoughts.Roman couldn’t put his finger on it, but something was going on with him, and he was certain the witch had something to do with it.

Roman looked Armaros dead in the eyes.“Are you sure you can handle her?”he asked again.

“Yes, I will take care of her,” he answered quietly.

Roman stared at him a moment longer, then turned back, scanning the horizon for his brother.

“With Armaros keeping the witch occupied, it will give the rest of us time to take down Azazel.It’s going to take all of us, and we need to work together.”

This has to work.

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