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T he sound of Roman’s phone ringing woke him from one of the most restful nights of sleep he’d had in years. He rolled over, stretching his arm out and feeling for Charlotte, only to find the other side of the bed cold and empty.

He sat up as he swiped his phone from the bedside table, glaring at the empty space Charlotte should have been curled up in.

Where the fuck is she? He scowled, answering the phone. “What?” he snapped, looking around the room. Still no Charlotte.

“Seriously? Again?” Ariel’s voice came through the phone.

She sounded exhausted. Roman winced. He hated being rude to her. She was one of his closest friends.

“I’m sorry,” he said, feeling guilty as he stalked naked from the bed, ripping open the door to his bathroom.

No Charlotte. He frowned, concerned.

“Roman, I need to speak to you about something,” Ariel told him.

He was barely paying attention as he stood back, staring around the room. Where the hell had she gone? They’d barely left his bed for the last two days. They had done nothing but have mind-blowing sex, leaving him utterly satisfied. He’d never felt this way with anyone before in his life. His mind was still reeling from their lovemaking. She had been relentless, demanding he make love to her over and over in ways that blew his mind. He had happily obliged, giving in to her every sexual whim. She drove him crazy with lust, and now that she wasn’t here, he felt as if a part of him was missing.

“It will have to wait, Ariel. I need to?—”

“Roman, it can’t wait. It’s about Charlotte.” Her tone made Roman snap to attention as he made his way over to his chest of drawers.

“What about Charlotte?” He couldn’t stop the trepidation that slithered up his spine.

Where the fuck is she? He quickly opened a drawer, pulled out some sweatpants, and dragged them on. His brow creased as he noticed some clothes were missing. He knew Charlotte had taken them. He tried to remain calm and not jump to conclusions. She was probably just downstairs, getting something to eat. She’d be starving. He noticed an empty coffee cup and a half-eaten roll sitting on a plate on the small table near the window. He stared at them, confused.

“Roman, I think you need to sit down for this conversation,” Ariel answered.

Roman slowly sunk into the chair by the table, still staring at the empty cup and the half-eaten roll. “Ariel, what the fuck is going on?” He was about to seriously lose his shit.

“I know who Charlotte’s parents are, Roman. Which angels conceived her,” she said.

Roman was shocked. So, it was true. She was part angel. “How? And you said angels, not angel. Do you mean to tell me she has two angel parents? How is that even possible without any of us knowing?” He sat back in the chair, running his hand down his face, Charlotte’s scent filling him. Flashes of her naked body hit him. Her head back as she cried out his name. Her gray eyes enthralling him as she licked his body, watching him. He grew hard for her instantly.

Focus , he thought, angry with himself. This was not the time to be daydreaming about sex.

“Yes, Roman, two angels. What I’m about to tell you isn’t easy for me…”

He could hear her voice quivering. He had only heard her voice quiver like that once before. When they were reunited after she crawled out of Hell, she’d broken down to him only that once. Then, she had picked herself up and buried whatever had happened to her deep down inside, like the rest of them, and had been nothing but a solid rock since.

“Ariel, what is it?” he asked, his worry for her taking over.

“About twenty years ago, I felt her presence. It had been so long that it took me a moment to realize it was her. It crippled me at first.”

“Who? Whose presence?” he asked impatiently.

“Arella’s,” she whispered, her voice finally cracking.

Roman was speechless. Her sister. Arella hadn’t been seen since the fall. Ariel and her sister had both fallen straight into Hell, but only Ariel had crawled out. Roman knew that the guilt of her escaping without her sister had slowly eaten away at her all this time.

“She called out to me, over and over. I could feel her terror, her confusion. Her thoughts nearly shattered my mind.”

“Which gate? Which gate did she crawl out of?” he asked her, his mind racing.

How did she not tell anyone? Where the fuck was Arella now? He had so many questions, but he could tell Ariel was hanging on by a thread.

“Greece. It was only a coincidence that I was in the country when it happened. By the time I made it from Athens, she had wandered her way into Delphi. I found her hiding in the church, huddled in the darkness.” She paused, and he could hear her taking a deep breath. “She was heavily pregnant, Roman.”

“What?” It was all he could say.

The shock of her words slowly sunk in. His mind finally wrapped around what she said. Arella’s image, his last one of her up in the heavens, flashed through his mind. Red hair like fire, the same as Ariel’s, then he almost stopped breathing. Arella’s deep gray eyes flashed through his mind. Just like Charlotte’s.

“She’s her mother?” he murmured, asking the question and already knowing without a doubt what the answer was.

No wonder Ariel couldn’t stop staring at her the other day with that look of surprise when Charlotte had sat at the table. It had been thousands of years since he had seen Arella, he hadn’t even seen the similarity. But now, there was no question. She looked like a blonde version of her mother.

“Yes, she’s Arella’s daughter.”

“Then who’s the father?” A shiver slowly crept up his spine.

She crawled out of Hell pregnant .

“Roman… it’s Lucifer.”

Roman nearly dropped the phone. No, no, no. It can’t be possible. That monster couldn’t be the father of someone so beautiful, so kind, the one he loved more than anything in this godforsaken world. He could feel his rage building, his eyes burning as anger consumed him.

Roman stood, dropping the phone as a deafening roar ripped from his chest, shattering the window. He kicked the table over, screaming again with fury. Fucking monster, he seethed. Lucifer’s face flashed in his mind.

His mortal enemy, the thing he wanted dead more than anything.

He smashed his drawers to pieces, then went for the wall. He could feel his last tether finally snap as he smashed his fists over and over again, plaster and concrete flying everywhere.

Memories of Maalik’s back, his wings torn from his body, of Ariel beaten to a pulp, one by one, the faces of his brethren flashed through his mind as he helped pull them out of Hell. Tortured and broken, their eyes haunted by the weight of the horrors they’d experienced.

All caused by one person, all at the hands of the most evil, vile thing to ever come into existence. All because of him.

Lucifer .

And now the person most dear to him, his reason for breathing, was tied to the monster.

Blood sprayed from his hands as he kept smashing the wall, the skin on his knuckles torn almost to the bone. But he continued to pummel the wall until he finally broke through the other side.

He vaguely heard voices behind him, but it was too late. He was too far gone. His inner demon had taken over. He spun, baring his fangs at whoever had dared come near him.

Armaros stood there, eyes glowing with magic. Maalik was by his side, hands out, his own fangs bared.

“Roman, what the fuck?” Maalik snapped as Roman stalked forward, his eyes on fire.

How could this be possible? How could he not know? The fucking monster was going to kill his own daughter. He roared again, stopping to smash the door to the bathroom to pieces, then slamming his fist into the wall next to it. More plaster, more concrete flying, his blood spraying all over his face. He didn’t care. He was rage incarnate; he would kill everyone.

“Roman, fucking stop this!” Maalik yelled from behind him.

Roman turned on his brother again and flew across the room. He was too fast for them. His fist connected with Maalik’s face as he barrelled into him, both of them hitting the ground. Maalik punched him back so hard Roman’s cheek shattered, but he didn’t care. He barely felt it as he wrapped his hands around Maalik’s throat, squeezing the life out of him.

Maalik vanished from under him, flashing away as a purple ball of light hit him, feeling like a thousand volts of electricity shocked his body. He hissed at Armaros, fangs bared, launching himself at the dark warrior and aiming to tear out his throat with his teeth. Armaros stood his ground, ducking and kicking Roman’s legs out from under him.

“Stay down,” Armaros warned, hitting him with another bolt of magic.

Roman screamed, his eardrums almost bursting from the sound. He could hear more glass shattering behind him.

Maalik stood above him, covering his ears. “Fuck me, Roman, stop! Charlotte needs your help.”

Charlotte? He stilled, her image floating through his chaotic mind. Her honey-golden hair. Her smouldering gray eyes. That heart-stopping smile. A memory of her clinging to him, the erotic way she bit her plump bottom lip in the throes of ecstasy. The way her angelic voice gasped his name as she came. He could feel himself slowly coming back from the brink.

Charlotte needs my help. The thought brought him crashing back to reality.

He blinked, shaking his head. Maalik was staring at him, panting. Blood ran out of his ears, his throat purple. Realization hit. It was because of him, because… I’d tried to kill my brother.

Shame hit him, guilt and remorse flowing through him like a harsh river. Armaros stood to the side, eyes bright and swirling with magic, his hands glowing purple and at the ready. He was eyeing Roman wearily like he was a beast.

Because I am , he thought, ashamed.

“Roman, you good?” Maalik asked hoarsely, his windpipe damaged.

Roman sat up, looking round the room, then down at his mutilated hands, the bones visible as blood poured out of them. He’d flayed most of the skin from his knuckles and fingers. Splattered blood covered the walls, and half of his room was destroyed. One wall had a gaping hole he could see straight through into Maalik’s room.

“I’m good,” he whispered, standing up, catching his breath.

Armaros was still ready to take him out. Roman looked at him, his fangs retracted and his eyes no longer burning with hellfire.

“I’m good,” he said to the dark angel. “Where’s Charlotte?”

They both stared at him, confused. “She’s gone. Isn’t that why you’re doing… this?” Maalik said, waving his hand to all the destruction in the room.

“What the fuck do you mean gone ?” Roman snapped. “Shit, Ariel.” He ran over, sifting through the smashed glass and lifting the table to find his phone. “Ariel, you still there?”

“Roman, what the hell happened?” she yelled through the phone.

“I-I wasn’t myself for a moment. Maalik and Armaros are here, and they said Charlotte’s missing.”

“Where’s Turel?” she asked quickly.

Roman frowned, looking at the two angels. “She wants to know where Turel is.”

“That’s what we came to tell you before we found this shit show,” Maalik said, rubbing his throat and glaring at him.

Guilt overwhelmed Roman once more.

“He’s gone, Roman. Charlotte left with him willingly,” Armaros told him, looking worried.

None of it made sense. Charlotte didn’t even know him. Ariel must have heard them.

“Roman, she’s in danger. I’m on my way to the mansion. Get everyone you can together.”

“Ariel, what the hell is going on?” Roman demanded. This whole situation didn’t feel right.

“He can’t be trusted. That’s what I couldn’t tell you on the phone in Rome. He’s a traitor. He’s the one who let the demons into the Vatican. I didn’t have any proof at the time, but he would go missing at the wrong times and began acting weird a few months ago. This has just confirmed everything I was thinking. He’s taking Charlotte to the gate. I’m nearly there, so get everyone ready, and I will tell you everything.” Ariel hung up.

Roman’s heart sank. Turel, someone he trusted, his brother for thousands of years, was a traitor. Why would he turn on them all like this? He couldn’t think of that now. He had Charlotte. Was taking her to Caral to her death? He could feel his eyes slowly glowing again and noticed Maalik and Armaros backing away from him.

“Get everyone here now. Turel is working with Lucifer, and he’s taking Charlotte to the gate,” he said in a low, dangerous voice.

“Roman, your eyes. Are you going to keep your shit together? Or do we have to lock you up?” Maalik asked him, the healing process kicking in, his voice sounding a little better.

The thought of Charlotte in danger made his demon side start to rise, but every time he roused her image in his mind, he managed to keep it in check. For the first time since the fall and changing into this being, he felt like he may have a way of controlling it. Charlotte was the way of keeping him in check.

He needed to stay focused. If he didn’t get his ass on a plane soon, he would lose her forever, and there was no doubt in his mind that if he lost her, he would lose himself.

“I’ve got it under control, brother. It won’t happen again,” he said, hoping it wasn’t a lie.

Armaros finally relaxed, his magic disappearing and his hands falling to his side.

“Ariel’s on her way. She has information she needs to share with us, and once done, we are out of here. I want everyone armed and ready to go within the hour. Armaros, send Cael ahead to fire up the jet.”

Armaros nodded, already dialing as he went to leave the room, halting at the door. He slowly turned around, head tilted to the side, his gaze surveying the area.

“What is it?” Roman asked impatiently. They needed to get moving.

Armaros slowly made his way over to the shattered windows, kicking debris out of the way. He bent down, shoving a chair to the side, and simply stared long and hard at a piece of the half-eaten roll that had originally been on the table before Roman had sent it flying.

“Armaros, what are you doing?” Roman snapped, frustrated.

The dark angel looked at him. “There’s magic, Roman. I can feel it. There is some sort of magic infused into this food.

“What the fuck?” Roman and Maalik both made their way to Armaros as he waved his glowing hand over it.

“It’s an enchanting spell. It makes the person it’s used on trust whoever gives it to them. The spell controls how the person thinks and feels. You could easily make the person submit to you and feel a sense of safety and trust. It’s Tora’s magic. Turel must have planted it in the fridge. We’ve all watched Charlotte eat fresh sandwiches and such for the last few days. That’s not something the rest of us typically eat. He knew she’d take it, or you would give it to her, thinking Grigori had made it for her.”

Roman’s blood boiled. He would flay the skin from Turel’s body, slowly, painfully. He poisoned her with magic. Tricked her. How dare he! There was no scenario where Turel would live once Roman caught up with them. He would suffer a fate worse than the bowels of Hell.

“He’s a fucking dead man,” he gritted through clenched teeth.

Armaros rose, looking at Roman. “It won’t last long. The spell will wear off soon. By the looks of it, she has only eaten enough for it to affect her for an hour, maybe two,” Armaros reassured him. “I will ring Cael and get the others ready. We need to get to them before the ritual is done.”

Maalik approached Roman as Armaros left the room, placing his hand on his shoulder in concern. “We will get her back, brother.”

“What if we don’t make it in time? Maalik, if she dies, you will have to take care of me. Do you understand?” Roman searched his brother’s face.

Maalik’s brow creased as he frowned.

“If Charlotte dies, I think whatever this demon is inside of me will finally take over. There will be no coming back for me. You will have to take me out, or I will kill everyone. Hell, I think I would rip the entire world apart.”

Maalik let go of his shoulder, eyes going wide. He shook his head, his face darkening. “Not an option. I’m going to take care of this. Lucifer isn’t getting out. He needs a woman with angel blood in her veins. He won’t be getting one, and Lucifer’s little lap dogs won’t be killing Charlotte. Now, let’s go get your girl.” He slapped him on the back. “You owe me a new fucking wall,” he snapped as he stalked out of Roman’s room.

* * *

Roman and the rest of the fallen stood around the marble table. They were all dressed for combat, heavily armed with knives, guns, swords, whatever their choice of weapon.

Ariel sat down, others choosing to follow suit. Roman was impatient, stalking from one end of the room to the other. He wanted to get the fuck out of there and get on the jet. Turel already had an almost two-hour head start on them, so they couldn’t sit there wasting time.

What if he was hurting her? Roman stilled. What if the bastard was touching her? His eyes burned at the thought of any male placing their hands on her. He shook himself, reining his temper. Focus, Roman.

“Okay, can someone please finally fill us in on what the hell is happening?” Phoenix asked, taking a seat next to Ariel.

Roman owed him and Lucian big time. They had been taking care of the club and all the deliveries while Roman had locked himself away in his room to make love to Charlotte. He’d yelled, Go away! to anyone who’d dared come near the bedroom door.

“Turel has taken Charlotte, that you all already know,” Roman told them, forcing himself to sit in his chair and remain calm.

“Why would he do something like this? How did none of us know he was working with Lucifer?” Marius asked, leaning against the wall, arms folded, his dark-brown dreadlocks hanging down past his waist. He looked menacing in his black camo pants with guns strapped to his legs, a black army vest covering his chest, his dark-skinned tattooed arms bulging with blades strapped to them. The hilt of his prized scimitar sword stuck out over his left shoulder. His dark-brown eyes were almost black from across the room.

“I don’t know the timeline exactly, but I think it happened around six months ago. That’s when his behavior changed, but only in small, seemingly insignificant ways. I just figured he was having one of his brooding moments and put little thought into it. But I have it confirmed from Rome now that it was definitely Turel who let the demons into the Vatican. We had thought all the cardinals to be slain, but they found one hiding, barely alive. Before his death, he identified Turel as being among the attackers and leading them to the vault where the scroll was taken,” Ariel told them all.

“Then, it is done. He has betrayed us and taken Roman’s woman, the key to opening Hell. If that bastardo hurts Charlotte, then he needs to lose his head!” Grigori snapped angrily, tossing his dagger in the air.

Roman watched the blade spinning as it came back down, Grigori effortlessly catching it by the hilt. Roman gave Grigori an evil smile. “Finally, something we can both agree on.”

Grigori sat forward, resting his elbows on the table. “I am fond of your little half-breed, Roman. She has a kind heart and a pure soul, and that is something I have not seen in a long time. Not to mention she loves my cooking,” he added with a sly smile.

“Look, we are running out of time, and there’s something you all need to know about Charlotte,” Ariel cut in, staring at Roman. “You going to keep your cool this time?” she added.

Everyone looked at him like he was a ticking time bomb. “I will be fine. That was a once-off,” he said, waving his hand and brushing off the shit show of a hissy fit he’d had upstairs.

Maalik rolled his eyes, throwing a glance over at Armaros with a shake of his head. Roman chose to ignore them, nodding for Ariel to proceed so they could get out of there.

“Long story short, twenty years ago, my sister Arella crawled out of Hell.” There she was again, that rock. No emotion whatsoever, the opposite of the vulnerable woman he’d heard on the phone only an hour before.

Lucian leaned forward, his ice-blue eyes wide. “You didn’t tell us?” He sounded angry.

Roman vaguely remembered them being close before the fall. It had been so long that the memories seemed to fade.

Everyone around him erupted into chaos, speaking at once, all of them stunned. Arella had been close to every one of them. Not only had she been Ariel’s little sister, but they had all treated her that way. She’d only just started her training back then to join Roman’s elite. She had desperately wanted to be by Ariel’s side. Had begged Ariel and Roman to let her start her training, as they both thought Arella was too soft and timid to be a soldier. They both felt she was better suited as a Joy Spreader, an angel who helped humans feel happiness. But in the end, they had given in to her.

Flashes of old memories long forgotten clouded his mind. They were all hammering Ariel with questions, demanding answers to things he knew would be hard for her to answer. He could see her resolve cracking as the hard wall she had put up to block out the pain of what had happened slowly started to crumble.

“Let her speak!” Roman yelled, the room falling silent.

She gave Roman a small nod. “She was bordering on crazed and delusional when I found her. During her time in Hell, they subjected her to torture intermittently for thousands of years, occasionally leaving her alone for thousands more.” Ariel stopped to take a shaky breath before looking back around the table, then, in a whisper, she said, “When she crawled out of Hell, she was heavily pregnant.”

Gasps and shocked mummers broke out around the room. Lucian slammed his fist down on the table, causing everyone to fall silent.

“Who got her pregnant?” Lucian demanded, his tone dangerous.

Roman watched him carefully. He wasn’t the only one with a beast inside of him. Lucian was one of the calmest of them all, but once in a while, when something truly upset him, he transformed. No one liked it when his beast came to visit, and from what Roman could tell, Lucian seemed to be having an inner fight with it at that very moment.

Ariel watched him closely, also aware of his inner turmoil. “Lucifer raped her.” Her voice wavered so slightly that he was sure he was the only one to notice.

Roman was blown away. Raped. Ariel hadn’t been able to tell him that part.

Monster , his mind whispered, horrified.

How could he? Arella had been one of the most beautiful, kind, and generous of them all. Her smile had been contagious. More memories overwhelmed him. She used to love to watch the animals on Earth; he remembered how they would have to console her when Mother Nature had taken its course and a creature would die.

That’s where Charlotte gets her heart from. As memories of his friend flooded him, the connection and similarities were too many to ignore. Charlotte was all Arella. All heart and soul, just like her beautiful mother. She had nothing of the evil, vile filth that was her father.

“I’m going to rip his fucking heart out.” Lucian’s roar ripped Roman from his thoughts.

Phoenix was trying to talk him down. Lucian’s eyes were glowing a luminous green, the beast looking out, his teeth changing to long fangs as his rage started taking over.

“Lucian, calm down, man. We don’t have time for this.” Phoenix was trying to push him back down into his seat so he didn’t storm out of the room.

“I’m going to Hell, Phoenix! Do you fucking hear me?” Lucian screamed, shoving Phoenix with so much force he flew back, landing on Ariel’s lap. The chair flipped over, and both of them rolled across the floor. Lucian rose out of his seat. “I’m going to Hell, and I’m going to sever that fucking monster’s head from his body,” he roared, but it wasn’t his voice. It was the beast’s guttural, deep growl as Lucian began to lose control.

Roman jumped over the table, landing in front of Lucian just as Maalik appeared out of thin air, placing a hand on Lucian’s chest.

“Be calm, brother. We will avenge Arella in due time. But first, we must save her daughter,” Maalik spoke, trying to get through to him.

“Lucian, I need you to pull yourself together,” Roman said calmly.

Lucian whipped his head around to face him, his breathing hoarse, teeth still bared, his glowing green eyes filled with pain as Lucian stared at Roman.

“I need your help. Do you hear me?”

Never had he asked any of them for help. He’d never felt he had the right to after what had happened in the heavens. He could feel the others watching him, everyone in the room realizing exactly what Charlotte meant to him, knowing the significance of the words he had just spoken to Lucian.

Lucian continued staring at Roman, his breathing returning to normal, his fangs slowly receding. His eyes never wavered. Roman could almost see the beast within him, looking back through the eerie green glow.

“He can’t live after what he’s done,” Lucian said, his jaw clenched.

Roman could hear the torment in his voice. “He won’t, Lucian. Once we save Charlotte, I swear to you, we will kill him. He will pay for what he has done,” Roman promised.

There was no stopping them all now. From this moment, he knew they would all tear the world apart to find a way to kill him. Lucifer was a dead man walking, and the confines of Hell wouldn’t be able to save him from their wrath.

Lucian’s eyes slowly returned to their normal blue as he calmed himself. Phoenix had helped Ariel up and was righting the chair so she could sit back down.

“I have questions.” It was Sabriel’s voice from the other side of the room.

“Me too,” Ramiel added, his arms crossed over his chest, leaning back in his chair like a disappointed father watching his kids act out.

“What do you need to know?” Ariel asked as Roman returned to his seat.

Sabriel tilted her head to the side in thought, her silver-blonde hair shining in the light. Phoenix and Lucian always liked to joke she was an ice queen. The way she was always so calm, and they could rarely tell what she was thinking. The fact that with a mere touch, she could feel people’s emotions if she chose always made Roman wonder if that was why she always had her own wall up, guarding herself. A stark contrast to the carefree, fun-loving angel she had been back before the fall. Back before she’d landed in hell and whatever horrors had occurred down there had changed her. She’d had dark raven black hair before she’d climbed out of one of the gates to hell dragging a beaten blood splattered Marius with her, the same raven black hair as her beautiful twin sister Seline. But only Sabriel had managed to crawl her way out. None of them knew what fate had befallen Seline down in hell along with so many other of their brethren

“How has Charlotte remained hidden? Were you not in and out of her life as she grew?”

Ramiel leaned forward, his muscular arms still folded. “And where is Arella now? Why has she not come to the safety of us? Why can we not feel her presence?”

Roman’s mind raced with the same questions as well, impatient for her to give them the answers.

“When I found her, I contacted an old friend of mine, a very powerful solitary witch. She owed me a favor. Arella went into labor not long after I found her, and we helped deliver the baby. I was cutting the umbilical cord when the demons attacked. They were there for the baby and to drag Arella back to Hell. I barely made it out. One of the demons, he wasn’t normal. He was so strong I couldn’t defeat him by myself. Arella tried to help, but she was weak, and he flung her across the church. The witch cloaked Charlotte, hiding her before performing one of the most powerful spells I’ve ever felt. I do not know what it was. All I know is she made the demon disappear right before he took my head. After eliminating the other demons, we found that Arella had been hurt. The demons broke her neck and then had been attempting to decapitate her.” Ariel’s voice broke, her face haunted.

No one spoke a word as a tear rolled down her cheek.

She took a deep breath and continued. “The witch enchanted Charlotte with an ancient spell, hiding any angel trace from her. She appeared as a regular human baby. I made sure she hid her. I was terrified Lucifer would send more demons for the baby and Arella. She assured me that the spell she cast would suppress any powers the baby may have from her human parents until it was lifted. These visions she has must be too powerful for the spell to stop. We knew more demons were coming, though. We could both feel their presence flooding the town. The witch told me to take the baby and flee, keep her safe, keep her hidden. I didn’t know if Arella was dead or alive when I left, but she promised to take care of her. That she would keep her hidden by casting a powerful spell that would conceal Arella, hiding her from Lucifer or anyone searching for her. It was the last time I ever saw her. Looking back now and knowing what we know about the witches and their prophecy, she had to have known Charlotte was the child the prophecy spoke of. The fear in the witch’s face when she had seen Arella pregnant all makes sense now.”

Ariel slowly looked around at each of them. The anguish in her eyes was too much to bear.

“Charlotte was hidden in a convent. I stayed away. I was too scared to ever see her, in case I was followed and someone uncovered her secret. The other day, I was stunned when Charlotte walked into this room. It was like my sister was sitting across from me; I couldn’t breathe. I thought it had to be a coincidence that she looked like Arella, but I had to be certain. So, I left and contacted my friends in Greece, asking them to check on the convent and ensure that everyone was okay.” She looked over at Roman. “Only one remained. While we were in Greece, Turel went there and slaughtered them like cattle, demanding to know where the child was. None of them would answer him, so he tortured and killed them all. The older women had hidden a young nun in training in the floorboards under the altar. He had no idea she was there.”

“That doesn’t answer why Charlotte is here. Why was she not at the convent?” Sabriel asked with a frown.

“My contact said about fifteen years ago, someone came to the small town near where the convent was, asking questions about a baby. From the description, it sounded like it might have been Tora. The nuns panicked, and one of them took Charlotte and came here to America. They lost contact with the lady five or six years ago.”

“Did you know about this prophecy? Did you know her baby could release Lucifer?” Ramiel asked her carefully.

Ariel shook her head. “I didn’t know. I found out at the same time you all did.”

“You mentioned that Arella had been hurt, not killed. Where is she now?” Lucian sounded on edge again.

“She is dead,” she whispered. “Not long after I fled Delphi with the baby, our connection was broken. Her presence was gone, empty.”

“Where is this witch, Ariel? Just because you can’t feel her doesn’t mean she isn’t alive.” Lucian said with a hopeful voice.

Roman could see Lucian’s mind churning.

“I don’t know, Lucian. She disappeared that night as well. I’ve never been able to find her. I searched all of Greece, spent years looking. There were no leads, no evidence of her anywhere. She disappeared.”

Lucian stared at Ariel, his eyes flickering green for a second before returning to normal. Roman knew what Lucian was thinking. He wouldn’t accept Arella’s death until he found that witch. But now was not the time. It would have to wait. The longer they sat there talking, the further away from him Charlotte was getting.

“Okay, story time is over. Any more questions you have, either do it on the plane or after we complete this mission. We’ve wasted too much time already, and we need to get to Caral and fast,” Roman snapped, turning and leaving.

It was time to get to the jet. Roman prayed they would make it in time. God help everyone if they were too late.