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R oman moodily stalked up the stairs leading to the office at his club. A place where most women came to dance the night away or look for the occasional one-night stand. Then, there were the women who came for a purpose. Roman’s club had the most beautiful dancers in the world. They put on regular shows every night and private shows in the VIP rooms for the rich and famous who frequented his club. They liked the fact that he had a discreet side entrance for high-profile or married men to enter. He had security posted everywhere to make sure the regular patrons did not take photos or try to approach them as they made their way to and from the VIP areas and private rooms. These men were what the other type of women came to the club for, all of them with hopes and dreams that one of the wealthy men might take a liking to them and either take them on as a mistress—or, if they were lucky enough—future brides.

Every day around three p.m., unless he had prior engagements, Roman came to his club to make sure everything was running smoothly before they opened for the night. He opened the door to his office and walked into the giant room. He noticed the cleaning staff had recently vacuumed the gray carpet, and someone had made sure the windows overlooking the club were squeaky clean, revealing the soundproof wall separating the front of the club from the back.

Roman walked over to the inbuilt bar, spotting a full pot of brewed coffee. He pulled out his phone, glancing at the screen. Three missed calls from Ariel. He sighed, scrubbing his hand down his face.

Roman was exhausted. He had struggled with what to do with Charlotte. He knew the best thing to do for everyone—hell, for the entire world—was to kill her. But this morning at breakfast, the moment she had turned to him looking utterly defeated and whispered, But I don’t want to die, he’d felt his chest tighten, and everything inside him screamed at him to protect her.

He couldn’t think straight when Charlotte was near him. Killing her shouldn’t even be a question, but there was something about her. The more he was around her, the harder it was to control himself. He’d decided there was no point anymore in trying to tell himself he didn’t want her. The second his mouth had taken hers that night in the club, it was all over. He had to possess her, was overwhelmed with this feeling of needing to completely consume her. Perhaps if he just gave in to his urges and brought her into his bed, he could rid himself of her presence and then proceed with what was necessary: killing her. Monster, his mind whispered as he poured himself a cup of coffee, the soothing aroma filling his office.

Roxy must have been in here. He moved to the window, swallowing a mouthful of the decadent drink. Roxy was the half-human, half-witch he’d hired to be the manager of his bar. She was a tall, sassy, sexy, dark-skinned woman with big green eyes and deep brown dreadlocks filled with gems, beads, and crystals that cascaded down her back to her waist. If it wasn’t for her, Roman wouldn’t even have this club up and running. Roxy did everything from opening and closing shifts, book work, hiring and firing, and taking care of all the stock and orders coming in. She was a godsend, especially in times like these, when Roman was tired and had too much going on to give the club his full attention.

He’d known Roxy her whole life. Years ago, Roman had saved her pregnant mother from a demon attack and took it upon himself to care for her, and then Roxy, once she was born. He’d even helped her mother put Roxy through college. She was the only one he would ever entrust with something as important as his business. The fact she was supernatural herself also helped, as she could handle both the mortal and the supernatural customers.

He looked down, inspecting both halves of the club. On the supernatural side, Phoenix and Lucian stood at the bar discussing something with Roxy. A few cleaners moved around, making sure everything was spotless. Most of the deliveries would have already been dropped off, so the club staff should have already prepared everything for the night.

Roxy noticed him in the window, giving him a smile and a wave, which he returned with a nod. The angels turned, giving him a nod themselves. Phoenix and Lucian gave Roxy a hug and a kiss on the cheek before making their way up to his office.

Roman sank into the comfort of his chair as the two angels entered. Phoenix made himself comfortable on one of the leather couches against the wall while Lucian headed to the bar, pouring himself a coffee.

“How did the delivery go this morning?” Roman asked, looking at Phoenix.

The angel sat back, stretching out his long legs. It was hard not to notice the scars on his face. They were another reminder of how Roman had failed them all so long ago. The image of Phoenix trying to drag himself out of the opening to Hell, his whole body engulfed in fire, flashed through his already troubled mind. It made Roman shiver to think of the horrors they had seen and endured. The thought that some of his friends were still trapped down there, possibly still alive, kept him up at night. The guilt and worry were too much for him to bear. All he could do now was try to get them home to Heaven and make up for his mistake.

“It went well. The Lycan, true to their word, had five enchanted guns hidden in the crates of the Jameson Vintage Whiskey they delivered.”

Roman raised his eyebrows. “True to their word again. So, are they really enchanted? Do they kill a demon with any bullet like they say?” If these guns were what the Lycan claimed they were, it could be a game changer in the war between the demons and the fallen.

Lucian sat on the leather couch closest to Roman’s desk. “We don’t know. Looks like we will have to test one out, maybe on the demon we have locked up at home?”

“As another show of good faith and their allegiance to us, under Lucian’s command, of course, they said they would be willing to have their enchantress teach the spell to Armaros if we find the guns to our liking,” Phoenix added.

“Now, that is a surprise. The Lycan are very secretive with their ways. Tonight, then, we will see if these guns work. I also need to call Ariel. She and the others should fly back from Rome tomorrow.”

Lucian raised an eyebrow. “Has there been any news on how her meeting with The Order went?”

Roman shook his head. “No. I haven’t spoken to her yet, not with everything we have been dealing with here.” He couldn’t stand The Order, a group of humans who had taken a sacred oath long ago to protect mortals from demons and any other evil creatures. They trained themselves as skilled fighters, passing their knowledge down from father to son, and serving as a secret guard for the pope. Many times in the past, the humans had gotten in the way, and it always ended with the demons getting away while he and his men had to protect and take the injured humans back to safety.

“Speaking of what’s been happening around here… What exactly are we going to do with the girl?” Phoenix asked.

Roman sighed. “We keep her alive. Safe.”

“May I ask why we aren’t going to kill her?” Lucian asked.

“We don’t kill innocents. Plus, maybe we could use her to our advantage. If it’s true and she somehow is the key to getting Lucifer out of Hell, then he will stop at nothing to get her.”

“Maybe even send his best, say these Archdemons we’ve heard about?” Phoenix smiled evilly.

Roman looked back and forth between them, a smile of his own creeping across his face. “Exactly. It will give us a chance to kill them, maybe even trap one, and find out what has been going on down there.”

Phoenix rose from his seat. “I will get hold of the others and tell them to meet us all back at the mansion tonight. We should talk to everyone and make sure we all agree before we make a plan. I think it is best if you keep someone with the girl at all times. The last thing we want is to lose her, and some demon grabs her.”

“Grigori is with her now. I have given him strict instructions not to leave her side.”

Lucian burst out laughing, spilling some of his coffee. “Grigori? He will either try to bed her or kill the girl by overfeeding her.”

Roman’s blood boiled at the thought of Grigori trying to sleep with her. His fists clenched in anger, and this time, he could feel his eyes flickering as he struggled to control how he felt.

Lucian rose, placing his cup on the table. “I think Phoenix and I will swing by the house to check on things.”

Roman simply nodded and barely noticed the two angels silently leaving his office. Get a grip. Roman needed to pull his head out of the clouds. Too much was at stake, and he had to rid himself of these thoughts.

Tonight, she is mine . After the meeting with the others and testing the guns, he would have Charlotte and rid himself once and for all of these desires.

His mobile ringing snapped him back to reality. He picked it up, Ariel’s name flashing on the screen. “Ariel, what have you got for me?”

“Well, hello to you too, Roman,” a soft female voice came through the speaker.

He smirked at her sarcastic tone. Ariel was a red-haired, green-eyed beauty. She could outwit almost anyone and was one of the best fighters in hand-to-hand combat to ever walk the Earth. Trained in every martial art fighting style known to man, she was a force to be reckoned with.

Before the fall, she did nothing but smile and laugh, her lust for life endless. Now was a different story. She had fallen into the depths of Hell and remained imprisoned for a year before she escaped by crawling out of one of the gates. The horrors she suffered, he could only guess. The monster had ripped out her beautiful wings, but they all knew Lucifer had done something else terrible to her. They just didn’t know what. To this day, she was an utter mystery, but her love for Roman and the others still shone through, no matter how broken she was.

“Sorry, Ariel. Hello, how is everything?”

“That’s better.” She laughed. “We are getting ready to get on the jet soon, and we will be back early tomorrow.”

“Good, we need you all back here. We have a lot to fill you in on.”

“So do I. I met with the leader of The Order and?—”

“Wait, what? Why did the pope himself not meet with you?”

“You’re not going to believe this, Roman. Demons somehow snuck into the Vatican. It’s chaos there now. The Order has moved the pope to a secret location for protection. There is more, but I won’t tell you on the phone. I’m troubled, Roman.” She almost whispered the last words to him.

Something was not right. “How the fuck did demons get into the Vatican? What do you mean troubled? Ariel, what’s wrong?”

“I think we have a breach. Someone close to us is spying and helping the demons. Helping Lucifer. Look, I’ve said too much on the phone. I will speak to you all once I’m safely back home in the mansion. Just be careful.”

Breach? Just what I need. “I will, and you be safe as well.” Roman hung up, angrily throwing his phone on his desk. What the hell else could go wrong? Demons had never been able to get into the Vatican. It was a major problem, not just for humans but for the fallen as well. Once he figured out how to fix the Lucifer problem, he would have to make sure that The Order had the pope and the Vatican safe and secure.

His phone rang again, the sound annoying the hell out of him. Grigori’s name flashed on the screen. He groaned, having no patience at the moment for the annoying angel.

“What?” he answered, irritated.

“Um… we have a bit of a problem.”

“Problem? What now?” he snapped.

“It’s Charlotte. She’s… gone,” Grigori said quietly.

“What the fuck do you mean gone ?” Roman almost screamed down the phone. He stood up, rushing out of his office, making it to the bottom of the stairs in a flash.

“I mean, she’s fucking gone. I was making her lunch, and she said she needed to use the bathroom, then she was gone. And that’s not all.”

“What else?” he snapped, making his way through the club, nodding to Roxy as he slipped out the back door to get into his car.

“She took one of your cars.”

“Which one?”

“The Bugatti.”

“No, idiot. I’ve got the Bugatti. I’m getting into it right now,” he told him, sliding into the leather seats.

“No, Roman, not the Veyron… the La Voiture Noire.”

“ What!” Roman yelled at the top of his lungs, almost dropping his phone.

The car was one of a kind, the only one in the world, and had cost him millions of dollars. Now, a mortal girl, who was wanted by his enemy, had stolen it.

Hell, does she even know how to fucking drive!?

Roman hung up the phone, furious. He flung it onto the passenger seat, gripping the steering wheel so hard it crushed in his grip. He swore, getting angry all over again. Now, he had to replace the goddamn steering wheel, which would probably cost the price of a small house. God help him when he finally caught up with Charlotte. His patience had finally run out.