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C harlotte sat in the passenger seat of Turel’s black SUV. Her mind raced as she nervously pulled at the bottom of her sweatshirt. Of Roman’s sweatshirt , she reminded herself.

Guilt ate away at her as her thoughts turned to him. He’d still been asleep when she’d crept back into the room. Thank God for that. By the time she’d returned upstairs and stood anxiously outside his door, she’d already begun to lose her nerve. If he’d been awake, she doubted she would have been able to lie to him. He would have easily talked her out of leaving.

Charlotte’s heart ached for him. Now that they had gotten out of the hills and were making their way to God knew where, she felt his loss immensely. It had been subtle and slow, so Charlotte hadn’t realized how much Roman had fused with her soul. Now, it felt like someone had ripped away a piece of it, leaving an empty, aching hole in her chest. She couldn’t believe how hard and fast she had fallen for her fiery angel. She wished she had met him earlier, that they’d been able to have a life together before all this chaos had come crashing down around her. But that just wasn’t the way things worked for Charlotte. Her life had always been a struggle. Everyone always had to leave her in the end.

Her grandmother passed, Ava was still missing, and now she had to give up Roman. It wasn’t fair, but Charlotte had learned long ago that life wasn’t fair. She needed to focus on her plan, and once it was done, she wouldn’t feel any more of this pain. Because she would be dead.

She glanced at Turel, who was driving the car and focused on the road. The sense of safety and trust she’d had with him back at the mansion had disappeared. The disorientation that had enveloped her mind had slowly lifted as they’d been driving. She frowned. Charlotte couldn’t even remember why she thought she could trust him or why it had been a good idea to go with him in the first place. The realization made her uneasy.

Maybe this wasn’t the best idea.

“Where are we going?” she asked nervously.

He turned his head slightly, his dreadlocks brushing his shoulder as he gave her a sideways glance. “You’ll see. We aren’t too far away now.”

Her chest tightened, his answer making her feel worse. Definitely not a good idea .

She’d fucked up. Something didn’t feel right. She wanted Roman. How could she have been so stupid? She had no idea what had come over her in that kitchen. She was normally smart when it came to people, so she didn’t know why the hell she’d gone with this man.

“Thank you for wanting to help me, but I, um, I think I’ve changed my mind. I want to go back. It was a stupid idea. I shouldn’t have gotten you involved.” Charlotte spoke so fast she stumbled over her words, the panic rising even more.

Turel burst out laughing. Charlotte sat staring, mouth open, surprised at his outburst.

He shook his head with a crooked smile. “Yeah, that’s out of the question. You got this ball rolling now, and nothing is going to stop it. I couldn’t go back, even if I wanted to. By now, they’d have figured out you came with me, and I’m sure they have learned a lot more about me that they won’t be too happy about.”

Charlotte didn’t understand what was happening. Where was the understanding guy she’d spoken to before? Who the hell was this guy?

“Turn around. I want to go back,” she demanded, her voice shaking. She cursed herself for being so weak all the time. Come on, Charlotte. Take control .

He turned, clearly annoyed with her. “I’m done with this bullshit. Sit there and shut up.”

Charlotte tilted her chin defiantly. “No!” she snapped, getting angry now. “If you won’t take me back, then give me your phone so I can call Roman.”

“I told you to shut up. I won’t ask you again,” Turel growled.

Charlotte finally reached her breaking point. She had been kidnapped, beaten, and held against her will countless times now. And she’d finally had enough. Anger coursed through her. She’d never been so mad in her life, and she wouldn’t have it.

“I said take me back!” Charlotte screamed, reaching over and grabbing the steering wheel, yanking with all her might.

The car jerked to the right, swerving into oncoming traffic. She held tighter, not letting go, and willing the car to crash so she might have a chance of getting away.

If you don’t die first . Two birds, one stone. The thought surprised her.

Turel cursed. She was no match for him as he easily tugged the steering wheel, pulling the car back into the right lane as a car beeped its horn, nearly sideswiping them. He turned his furious gaze on her. Charlotte shrank away from him. Before she even knew what was coming, he punched her. Her head whipped to the side, violently hitting the window, the glass cracking.

“I fucking told you to sit there and shut up,” he said in a dangerous tone.

Charlotte sat dazed. Her vision was blurry, her mind muddled. It took her a few seconds to remember she was in the car. She blinked again and again, finally starting to see clearly, wincing as she gently touched her face. Blood gushed from her nose, and her lip was numb. She could feel it swelling as blood beaded on the cut on her lip. The pain on the side of her head was terrible. She touched it, looking at the blood smeared over her fingers as she pulled them away. The window had split her head open. Warm blood dripped through her hair.

You’d think I’d be used to being hit by now.

She bit back the tears. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She wiped her hand across her mouth and then used the sleeve of the jumper to wipe the blood away from her nose, trying not to wince. The left side of her face throbbed, and her head began to pound. She hoped when Roman caught up with them—she had no doubt he would come for her—he made Turel suffer. Charlotte was so sick of being the weak little mortal girl. She’d give anything to have powers, to be strong like all these immortals around her. Then, she could fight back and keep herself safe. Maybe Ava would still be home in their little apartment if Charlotte wasn’t so helpless all the time.

Charlotte sat in silence, trying to block out her pounding headache and the painful throbbing of her face. Turel didn’t speak another word to her for the rest of the drive. It felt like it was dragging on forever when she started seeing planes.

Turel pulled the car into a private airport, driving the car over to a small jet. After how hard he hit her, she was too scared to ask what was going on. She remained silent as he got out of the car and stalked around to her side, opening the door. Charlotte sat there, arms crossed over her chest defiantly. The asshole will have to drag me out.

And that was exactly what he did. He leaned over, quickly released her seat belt, grabbed her by the arm, and dragged her out of the car.

“You’re hurting me,” she snapped, trying to rip her arm out of his vice grip as he pulled her toward the plane.

“Good.” He glared back, squeezing her arm harder, yanking her again.

She gritted her teeth against the pain. If he squeezed any harder, he would break her arm. “Where are you taking me? I’m not getting on that plane,” she yelled, hitting him in the arm with her free hand as he started pulling her up the stairs.

Charlotte had a horrible feeling. Something bad was waiting for her on that plane. Her struggles grew frantic as he yanked her closer to the door. She knew if she got on there, there was no coming back.

Roman will never find me. The panicked thought had her screaming for help. Surely, the pilots will help me. She was punching and kicking like a wild animal, but it was no use. She may as well have been a fly annoying a dog as Turel finally dragged her through the door of the jet and threw her into the plane.

Charlotte landed face down on the floor, grimacing as her already bruised face hit the ground hard.

“Well, hello again, Charlotte. It’s so nice of you to finally join us.”

She froze, recognizing the voice. No, no, no, no, this isn’t happening , she thought. Defeated, she pulled herself up off the floor.

Tora sat looking relaxed in the chair in front of Charlotte. Her stunning white-blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders, the lights in the plane catching the beads and ribbons weaved throughout a braid here and there. She looked at Charlotte with a small smirk, her emerald eyes serious.

Sitting on the other side of the aisle, next to the opposite window, sat a dark man. He looked suave in his expensive pinstripe suit and crisp white dress shirt. He sat back, relaxed, sipping a glass of whiskey as he lazily looked her up and down with his yellow eyes.

Demon.

Charlotte shivered. The evil in him seeped across the space like an invisible fog, weighing her down. Never had she feared someone more in her life than this demonic being sitting in front of her.

This is no normal demon. She was in the presence of pure evil. What have I done? She’d messed up big time and ruined everything. There would be no escaping this time, no Roman, no Armaros to sweep in, no fallen to save her from the fate that awaited her.

“Where are you taking me?” She didn’t know why she bothered asking. She already knew the answer.

Everything had been leading to this. Her future had been written long ago.

You can’t fight fate, Charlotte.

“Peru. There are ancient ruins of a once-great city. A city built around one of the gates to Hell. It is called Caral. We are taking you there, Charlotte.” Tora’s smile disappeared.

“You’re taking me to my death,” Charlotte answered in a low voice.

Tora’s stony expression faltered for a second, and she looked away, leaning forward and pointing to Turel, who was standing behind her. “From what I heard, you were looking for death. So, I am here to grant your wish.”

“You really want the world to end?” Charlotte snapped angrily. “You want to watch it all burn, the world to be filled with demons? Is there nothing on Earth that you love? That you would want to save from that kind of evil?” She dared a glance at the demon.

He simply watched the two, a small smile on his lips as he took another sip.

Tora sat back in her chair, sadness in her eyes. “There is nothing left for me here. What makes you think I even have a say in the matter?” she said, the stony expression settling back over her beautiful features. “I’m following orders, like everyone else here.”

“There are some fates worse than death, Charlotte,” the demon finally spoke, looking at her, his vile grin getting bigger. “You should think yourself lucky that you will never have to know what they are. If I had it my way, sweet, you’d be coming with me for a one-on-one tour of the pit.” His gaze became hungry, and leisurely, he raked his foul yellow eyes over every inch of her body. He licked his lips slowly before he took another sip of his drink.

Charlotte wanted to vomit. She crossed her arms over her chest as if it would keep her safe. She didn’t want this thing anywhere near her. The demon was right. She’d rather die a horrible death than suffer the same fate of the poor souls in the pit of Hell.

“Turel, take her to her seat,” Tora ordered, noticing the way the demon had been eyeing her.

* * *

The next eight hours passed slowly. Charlotte sat alone at the back of the plane, too scared to move or draw attention to herself. Every now and then, she would catch the yellow-eyed demon watching her as he moved about. The same smirk and hungry gaze that made her shiver in disgust plastered on his face.

She napped, but only ten minutes at a time. Charlotte didn’t trust she would be safe if she fell into a deep sleep, the fear of what would happen to her keeping her on edge for the entire flight.

She was starving, exhausted, and missing Roman. She thought of him constantly, the way his voice aroused her, the warmth of his muscled body that she longed to have wrapped around her at this very moment to help her feel safe.

Silly girl , she thought to herself.

Her story was never going to end with her living happily ever after with him. She longed for it, though. Longed for a life of happiness, where the person she loved wouldn’t leave her or disappear. Maybe in a different life, things could have been better. Maybe she wouldn’t have been Lucifer’s sacrifice, and she could have been just a normal girl and lived a normal life.

“Seatbelt,” Turel’s harsh order pulled her from her daydream.

Charlotte blinked up at him, quickly glancing around the plane.

“Hurry up, seatbelt now. We are about to land.”

Charlotte obeyed, buckling her seatbelt as he stalked back to his seat, doing the same. She peered around the seat in front of her, daring a quick look down the front of the plane. Tora was talking quietly to the demon, occasionally glancing back in Charlotte’s direction. Charlotte sighed, leaning back in her chair and looking out her window over whatever city they were flying into.

Where had they said we were going? Peru? Charlotte always dreamed of traveling. She never thought it would be as a prisoner used as a human sacrifice to end the world, though.

It was still dark, and the twinkling lights of the city blinked back at her as the plane flew lower. Charlotte could see the lights running along the edge of the runway, like little beacons leading the way to her death.

From the bits of conversation she had managed to overhear on the long flight, they were expecting someone to meet them, and they would then drive nearly three hours to Caral, where the sacrifice would take place.

Charlotte didn’t want to think about that part. She would need her wits about her. If she could somehow escape the car on the drive and find somewhere to hide or someone to help her, then maybe she could bide some time.

She knew Roman was on his way to save her. Nothing on the planet would keep him from her. He had made that very clear. The thought of her giant, angry angel coming to rescue her gave Charlotte renewed hope. When they dragged her onto this goddam plane, and she saw Tora and the demon, she felt defeated, accepting her fate, her death. But as the flight dragged on, no matter how hard she had tried to think of other things, Roman kept forcing his way back into her mind. Her knight in shining armor, her deepest, darkest desire, the one she loved above all others.

There was no fighting it. Charlotte had let the memories of him flood her like a calming blanket. His sandy blond hair messy from their lovemaking. The way his blue eyes seemed to see deep down to her soul. His smile, his lips, and the gentle touch of them when he would kiss her. The warmth of his hands as he would leave a burning trail over her body as he caressed her.

He was hers, and she was his.

I don’t want to die. The thought had hit her hard during the night. Charlotte wouldn’t give up. He was coming for her, and she would make sure she did everything she could to help him get to her. She wanted to live. She wanted the life she deserved, a life with love and happiness, a life with Roman.

The plane landed, jostling her in her seat.

Okay, Charlotte, show time. First things first, get a seat by the door.

She had it all planned out. Well, sort of. Once they approached the outskirts of the city, she’d throw herself from the car, run as fast as she could, and hide. She figured if she made her way back to wherever this airport was, surely Roman and the others would fly into the same place. Charlotte knew it was a shit plan, but it was all she could come up with.

“Alright, let’s get this show on the road,” Turel muttered as he pulled her out of her seat by her arm. He pushed her along in front of him, down the aisle, and out the door of the plane.

A cool breeze swept over her, gently blowing her hair from her face. The humid air was thick with moisture. She could see the main airport building off to her right in the distance—giant planes parked and the little lights from carts and cars buzzing around like bright little ants as people did their jobs.

The pilot had landed their jet far away from the hustle and bustle of the main building. The only thing around was a lonely hanger and a 4WD vehicle parked with its lights on, waiting for them. Tora and the demon were already waiting by the car, watching Turel force her down the stairs.

“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.