Page 77 of Roman

But Roman ignored him, blocking out his voice.He raised his right fist.“This is for taking her from me.”He smashed his fist into his brother’s face.He did it again and again, no longer able to control himself.Maalik was no longer recognizable, his face a bloodied, crushed mess.Roman opened his mouth, fangs bared; he would rip his head off.

Roman leaned in, ready to tear at his brother’s throat.As he pierced Maalik’s neck, blood filled his mouth, and a bright purple light blinded him before agonizing pain surged through his body.Every muscle tensed, locking in place.His teeth smashed together as he clenched his jaw, his whole body jolting.It felt like lightning had struck him.His body continued to jerk as he fell backward, grimacing through the pain.Armaros stood over him, eyes glowing bright, with a savage look on his face as he continued to hit him with bolts of magic.

“I told you to stop!”he yelled at Roman.“You’ve nearly killed him.”

Roman glared back through the pain, jerking back and forth on the ground.It felt like acid was pumping through his veins, burning him slowly from the inside out.“Good,” he snapped back at Armaros with no remorse.“He will die for what he did,” Roman managed to grit out through the pain.

“I won’t let you kill him,” Armaros calmly told him, finally lowering his hands.“I won’t let you do this, Roman.”

Roman slowly pulled himself to his feet, swaying a little, his body still reeling from the pain.“You won’t be able to stop me.No one will.”

“Then, you leave me with no choice but to put you to sleep,” Armaros told him, eyes glowing again.

“You can try.”Roman grinned back at him, his own eyes glowing just as bright.

“Roman, please,” Maalik’s raspy voice came from behind him.His healing must have kicked in, his vocal cords working again.

Not for long,Roman thought, anger filling him again as he turned to face Maalik.

“So hungry,” a beautiful voice whispered.

The sound of the chaos erupting behind him as his brethren fought for their lives against Azazel echoed loudly through the cave, as well as the noise from the portal.But there was nothing on Earth that could make him miss the female whisper that he had just heard.

He froze.It wasn’t real.He had finally gone crazy.That was the only explanation for it.He swore he’d heard Charlotte.She was haunting him from the grave already.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” Maalik told him, exhausted, face almost unrecognizable from the beating Roman had just given him.

“Why am I so hungry?”

There it was again.That angelic voice.Tears welled in his eyes as he slowly turned around, facing the portal.Armaros stood behind him, a look of shock passing over his features as he glanced at Roman.Armaros was speechless.

Roman gazed past him, his heart skipping a beat at the sight before him.He fell to his knees as his legs gave out.“What magic is this?”he whispered.

“It’s not me, I swear,” Armaros whispered back.

Charlotte stood by the portal, the golden light illuminating her.Her blood-stained golden hair whipped around her beautiful face.A face that was no longer bruised and broken.A face that was perfect in every way.Her eyes were pitch black, the beautiful stormy gray gone.Her mouth hung open, showing fangs.Flowing out either side of her, spread wide, were stunning, shimmering black wings.She was magnificent.She looked like a dark angel fallen straight from heaven.A mythical goddess risen from the dead.

Roman blinked.This can’t be real.“Charlotte?”he whispered, shaking his head.

She heard his whisper as if he were standing next to her, her obsidian eyes finding him.She smiled a brilliant smile, showing off her fangs even more.“Roman,” she beamed as she took a step in his direction, only to falter as a small frown creased her brow.“Why am I so hungry?”she asked no one in particular.

Maalik was suddenly in front of him, robbing Roman of his beautiful view.“Roman, listen to me,” he pleaded, as Roman kept trying to peer around his brother.

He was in shock; he didn’t know what to think.It was Charlotte, alive, standing right in front of him, but it wasn’t her at the same time.She was altered.Confusion overwhelmed him.

“Roman,” Maalik snapped.

Roman finally looked at his brother’s battered face for the first time, feeling guilt at the sight.

“I gave her my blood.”

Roman frowned.“What?”

“Back at the mansion before Turel took her, I had a bad feeling.I put my blood in her coffee.It was a backup plan,” Maalik told him, his voice trailing off.

Maalik’s words finally sunk in.He looked at his brother, eyes wide.

“She’s a vampire, Roman.I think when she died, it broke the witch’s spell.Her wings…” Maalik said quickly.“She’s a vampire angel, I think,” he added with a frown.

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