Page 80 of Roman

Charlotte, finally clear-headed, looked around the chamber.The walls were smashed, and there were stones and debris everywhere.Armaros, a silver-haired female, and a dark, muscled male with long dreadlocks were huddled around a redhead, whom Charlotte assumed was Ariel.They all tried to put pressure on her neck as she lay in a pool of blood, her skin a deathly gray.

Armaros’s hands glowed as he moved them over her neck with a frown.Grigori lay on the ground, groaning as two other angels, a bald tattooed warrior and another with sandy-colored hair and a beard, both helped hold the gaping wound in his stomach closed.All of them sustained an injury.They all had deep cuts and slashes that covered their arms, legs, chests, and backs.The demon had gone to town on them with his daggers.Their faces were all bruised, a lot of them looking to have broken noses or shattered cheeks.

“It’s no good.I can’t heal anyone.”Armaros stood, frustrated.

“What do you mean, can’t heal them?She’s barely hanging on Armaros.The wound has nearly cut through.In case everyone forgot, decapitation is high on the how to kill an immortal list,” Sabriel snapped angrily, keeping her bloodied hands wrapped tight around Ariel’s neck.

Armaros shook his head, looking exhausted.

“It must be his daggers.They must be laced with some kind of poison or charmed with magic.I don’t know.We need to take them with us so we can study them.But for now, we need to get back to the mansion.Call the witches and get their healers over as soon as possible.Maalik, you need to flash them home.Are you strong enough?”he added, a look of shame crossing his face.

Maalik nodded, walking over to Ariel.“I will take her and come straight back for you, Sabriel, so you can keep the pressure on her wound.”

Sabriel nodded as Maalik and Ariel disappeared.

A second later, Maalik reappeared.He swayed on his feet, righting himself before placing his hand on Sabriel, both of them gone in an instant.

“You teleported before, Charlotte, when you appeared behind Azazel.Do you think you could do it again?”Roman asked her.

Charlotte had no idea how she had done it.It was a fluke on her part while she had been stuck in the bloodlust.

“I-I don’t know.I’m not even sure how I did it before,” she said nervously.

“Any place you have seen and been before in your life, you can flash to.If you haven’t been there, you won’t be able to teleport there.Those seem to be the laws Maalik is restricted by,” Roman explained to her.“You’ve been to the mansion, so you should be able to flash us there.”

“He’s right,” Maalik’s exhausted voice floated over as he staggered over to Grigori.“You just need to focus.See in your mind the place you want to go.Then you have to want to be there, and your instincts should take over.Once you have done it a couple of times, it will become second nature,” he explained as he leaned down over Grigori.“Are you ready?”

Grigori nodded with a groan.

“Keep your hands in place,” Cael told him.“We will be right behind you.”He placed Grigori’s bloodied hands over his stomach.

Blood gushed out between his fingers.Maalik leaned down, placing his hand on Grigori’s shoulder, and they disappeared.

“Practice, Charlotte.Picture the marble table in the main room and go there, then try to come back,” Roman told her with an encouraging nod.

You can do this,she told herself, not believing she could for a second.

This was all crazy.She was a vampire now.A vampire with wings!Now, she was supposed to teleport to another country.Roman looked at her with so much love and certainty that she could do this that it gave her the little faith in herself that she needed.

Maalik reappeared, collapsing on the ground at Ramiel’s feet.

“He can’t keep this up for much longer,” Roman said, concerned, and rushed over to help Cael and Ramiel pull him to his feet.

Maalik regained his footing, righting himself and assuring the others he was fine.He placed a hand on Cael, and they vanished.

Okay, time to get my shit together, Charlotte told herself.She could see the worry Roman had for his brother and wanted to help.Charlotte closed her eyes, concentrating hard.She blocked out the voices around her and focused, picturing the room back at Roman’s mansion.The giant black table, the golden veins glimmering in the light.The view of the pool and the Hills out the window.All the chairs sitting around the large table.She willed herself to be there, an odd sensation rushing through her body as she felt light as a feather like she was floating.Then, the feeling vanished, and she felt normal again.

When Charlotte opened her eyes, she found herself standing in the center of the marble table.She grinned and gave a little squeal of triumph at her accomplishment.Quickly becoming serious again, she could hear people yelling orders and rushing around the mansion.

“Right, back to Roman.”

Charlotte closed her eyes, focusing on picturing the chamber.She felt the same floating feeling, and when she opened her eyes, Roman was standing in front of her again.

She grinned at him.“I did it!”His magnificent smile nearly floored her.

“I knew you could,” he answered as Maalik appeared on the ground behind him.

Roman tried to help him up, but his head lolled forward.“I-I can’t,” he whispered as his head rolled to the side, and he passed out.

---