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H unger consumed her. Charlotte’s mind screamed at her. Food. Her mouth watered. She could smell blood all around her. It was intoxicating. The smell was sweet and alluring. It filled her senses like a pheromone-laced drug she couldn’t ignore. She was hyperaware of everything around her.

Hungry , her mind growled again.

Everything had been dark before. Cold, dark, and lonely. Then, it felt like a fire burning slowly through her veins, like her body was waking up from a cold sleep. It had grown more intense, spreading fast throughout her until she actually felt her heart start again.

The first beat had been so loud she thought her eardrums would explode. But the hunger was overwhelming. It blocked out everything else. She couldn’t think straight. She had been so happy when she spotted Roman. The love she had felt for him in that moment when they had locked eyes had nearly made her heart burst. She’d wanted to kiss him, to hug him, to consume him . But the hunger was stronger.

She covered her ears, the sound of a hundred drums beating was deafening. As Charlotte tried to calm her mind, she realized it wasn’t drums. She looked around the chamber, remembering she was in a temple. She glanced at the golden portal to Hell, then past it, where people were fighting. Wait, no, not people, angels, fallen angels. Memories started to flood her mind. Images of her life, her grandmother, her friends, the demons. She was to be sacrificed. To be killed.

Charlotte frowned, confused. She didn’t feel the same. Nothing was the same. All her senses were heightened. Her smell, hearing, and even the colors of the world seemed brighter, clearer. It was as if she was seeing everything properly for the first time. Hearing the roar of the world as it should have always been heard. Her emotions were stronger. The passion and love for Roman before had nearly paralyzed her, but now they were all-consuming.

Her throat burned with so much intensity, she wanted to rip it out. That goddamn drumming was driving her insane, she thought angrily, shaking her head as she pressed her hands over her ears harder, trying to block it out.

As she focused on the fallen angels fighting, she realized the sound was coming from them. It was their pulses, their beating hearts thumping away. Their blood pumping through their warm, lush bodies.

Hungry.

Charlotte straightened, tilting her head to the side, watching them be beaten down by a tall, dark man in a suit. She licked her lips as her eyes locked on the open wounds. Time slowed as she focused on the deep red blood dripping from their bodies. The scent of it filled the room, blocking out every other sense. Her own heartbeat quickened, drowning out the beating hearts of everyone else in the room.

Charlotte flinched as her tongue pricked on a fang, the taste of her own blood making her close her eyes in delight. Wait, fangs? Her hands flew to her mouth in confusion and felt two long fangs. They throbbed as she touched them.

She felt a heavy weight between her shoulders. With a frown, she turned her head to find… wings. Beautiful black wings. They shimmered in the light, and there was no other word for them but magnificent.

Charlotte raised a hand to touch one when a scream erupted from the fight across from her. She looked over to see a tanned, dark-haired warrior being lifted off the ground by the dark man in the suit. Memories rushed forward. Demon . Disgust filled her, the memories of the evil being rushing through her. She recognized the warrior he was holding, a friendly face. Grigori.

She watched in horror as Azazel flexed his other hand, black claws lengthening from his fingertips and curving into sharp razors. He stabbed Grigori in the stomach, his clawed hand digging deep, then he sliced upwards.

He’s trying to gut him. Dread filled her. Then, the smell of Grigori’s blood hypnotized her. She was thirsty, so thirsty. She wanted to drink his blood, she realized, the thought not even disturbing her. Instead, it excited her.

Charlotte took a few dazed steps toward Grigori and the demon. It was beyond her control. She was so hungry she had to feed, needed to feed. She licked her lips as she watched the blood gush from Grigori’s body. She felt angry seeing her friend in pain, rage at seeing the demon hurt him, yet at the same time, intoxicating excitement for what was to come—the taste of Grigori’s blood.

She faltered with a frown. No, no, not Grigori.

I can’t hurt the people I care about.

Then, her gaze settled on the demon. Her eyes narrowed, head tilting once again to the side like a hungry cat watching a mouse. In a split second, her new instincts took over. She wanted to be behind Azazel with every ounce of her being.

In a flash, she stood behind the demon. Charlotte could see Grigori’s eyes widen, staring at her, confused and in pain, as the demon held him in the air, slowly slicing his stomach.

She was baffled by what had just happened, but not for long. She grinned, excitement flooding her body. Charlotte was almost drooling as she leaped onto Azazel’s back, savagely biting into his neck. She tore through skin, muscle, and tendons, blood flooding her mouth. Her eyes rolled back into her head in ecstasy as she pulled deeply, sucking and drinking the demon’s blood. She moaned and held on tight as the demon screamed in fright, dropping Grigori. The angel, falling limp on the ground, weakly tried to hold in his organs protruding from his stomach.

Others rushed to Grigori’s side to help him, staring at her with fear in their eyes. Charlotte ignored them, wrapping her legs around the demon’s waist, her arms tightening around his chest and neck. She started ripping his throat savagely as she drank faster and deeper. Her vision went red. All sounds fell away except for the sound of the demon’s blood pumping through his veins.

The demon spun, still screaming and trying to shake her off. There was no moving her. She would empty his body, she would suck every last drop of this heavenly liquid from him, and nothing would stop her. He ran backward, smashing her into a wall. Dust and debris fell over her, but she didn’t budge. She drank deeper. She was lost.

Charlotte could hear his heartbeat slowing down. She drank in a frenzy, gulping, sucking, and licking like a starved, crazed animal, wrapping her body tighter around his. He took a few staggered steps forward, falling to his knees. Still, Charlotte did not stop. She was in heaven; nothing would sate her. Once she finished this demon, she would move on to someone else.

I’m going to drink them all , she thought, crazed and excited.

Although she could hear his heart coming to a stop, she didn’t want it to end. Charlotte wanted more. The intoxicating rapture of the blood lust consumed her. Biting harder, she drew deeper than ever before until she heard a pop and a snap of bones breaking and ripping. Enslaved by thirst, she kept tearing with her teeth until the demon’s head ripped straight off his body.

Landing perfectly on her feet, she let go as the demon’s head rolled one way, and his limp, headless body fell the other. Charlotte raised her head to the ceiling of the cavern, smiling in ecstasy, licking the blood from her lips. The world had fallen away, and she felt like she was flying as total euphoria possessed her.

Charlotte gazed down at the demon’s head, then looked around. Everyone was gaping at her, eyes wide in shock. All she saw were their open wounds, blood dripping and flowing down their battered bodies.

“I want more,” Charlotte hissed.

She stepped toward two of them, and they both took a step back, one’s eyes glowing green, the others with yellow fire. She grinned at them, taking another step before Roman landed in front of them, his dark wings folding in behind him.

“Charlotte, you don’t want to hurt them,” he told her, his piercing blue eyes raking over her body.

Heat flooded her. Her desire for Roman stopped her, but only for a second, as she licked more blood off her lips. She closed her eyes, relishing in the taste.

As she opened her eyes once more, she squared her shoulders, narrowing her gaze at the handsome angel.

“I want more,” she said again, starting forward. She wondered what he would taste like. He’d be exquisite , she decided. Like a fine wine .

She smiled as she walked closer to Roman, stalking him, excited.

Maalik flashed in front of her, face battered, one eye swollen shut.

“No,” Maalik told her sternly, as a parent would scold their child.

Charlotte froze, frowning at him. She felt compelled to obey him. It was an odd feeling. She wanted to… please him.

“But I want more,” she whined, annoyed with him. “I’m still hungry.”

Maalik nodded, walking up to her and placing his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eyes. “I understand that. But you will never, I repeat, never drink or feed from any of the people in this room. Do you understand me, Charlotte?” His tone was stern but soft as he spoke to her.

Charlotte looked over her shoulder, eyeing Roman hungrily.

She pouted like a scolded schoolgirl. “What about Roman?”

Maalik looked over his shoulder at his brother, then turned back, the side of his mouth tilting in a slight grin.

“You will only ever bite or feed from Roman if he allows you to. You are never to do it without his permission.” His face became serious as he spoke the last part.

Charlotte nodded. She glanced around the chamber, stopping and staring at each of the fallen. The urge to feed off them was gone, but her hunger was still unsated. “But I’m still hungry. Why am I still hungry? Why am I hungry for blood?”

“There is a lot I will have to explain to you. There will also be a lot I need to teach you. You are a vampire of sorts. I gave you my blood. When you died, it turned you, so you are my sired now. I will find you some blood to drink to help with the cravings till we get back to Los Angeles, where I can teach you how to control yourself properly and safely so you don’t hurt people.”

“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” Charlotte told him, panicking as she looked at the dead body of the demon. She backed away from Maalik. “My god, I did that?” I’m a vampire? her mind whispered in horror.

Roman quickly rushed over, the warmth of his arms surrounding her as he embraced her.

“It’s okay, Charlotte, it’s all going to be okay. I promise.” His deep voice calmed her as she buried her head in his chest. “I’m going to make sure you’re safe, that you will be okay.” He placed his hand under her chin so he could tilt her head up to face him.

Her eyes welled with tears. “I didn’t mean to kill him. I wasn’t myself,” she whispered.

Roman grinned at her. “Are you kidding me, angel? You were magnificent! Charlotte, you saved Grigori. You saved us all.” His eyes went hard as tears welled up in them, mirroring hers.

“I thought I’d lost you. I watched you die.” He gently rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip. “You cannot ever leave me again. Promise me?”

Her heart melted for him. “I promise,” she whispered back as he dipped his head, taking her lips hungrily.

She kissed him back with so much passion she was worried she would hurt him. Her fear faded when he matched her ferocity, groaning as she dipped her tongue into his mouth.

“Are you two fucking serious right now?”

Charlotte broke away, her cheeks heating. It was going to take her a while to learn how to handle the intensity of her emotions.

Phoenix was standing there with a what the fuck expression.

“Grigori has been gutted; Ariel nearly decapitated. The rest of us can barely move, and you two are going to have sex right in front of us, are you? Not to mention how the hell your little mortal girlfriend has suddenly morphed into a badass vamp angel that just ripped an Archdemon’s head off? With her mouth, mind you!” he snapped, arms spread wide.

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.

Roman’s panicked expression broke Charlotte’s heart.

“I will do it. Let me help,” she told Roman. There were seven of them left. Charlotte looked around the chamber with a frown. “Where’s Tora?” she asked.

“She’s long gone,” Armaros answered. “We will deal with her another time. Please take me first so I can contact the witches for help.”

Charlotte glanced at Roman. He gave her a nod.

“Okay,” Charlotte told the giant warrior. “Bear with me, big guy. I’m kind of new at this.”

Armaros surprised her with a tiny smirk as he nodded.

Charlotte placed her hands on his arms, closed her eyes, and envisioned the room and the table as before. In a second, she and Armaros were standing in the center of the table.

“Thank you,” he told her as he jumped down, leaning against the wall for a moment to gather himself.

Charlotte wasted no time closing her eyes and flashing back to the chamber. Maalik had been right. Each time she teleported, it became easier, and she became better and faster at it. She flashed each one back to the mansion, all of them thanking her. Phoenix laughed when they flashed onto the table, telling her Roman would kick all their asses for standing on his four-thousand-year-old pride and joy.

She flashed back to the chamber again. Only Maalik and Roman remained. “Take my brother,” Roman said.

She nodded, flashing Maalik back to the mansion. Phoenix and Lucian were waiting to carry Maalik away. She returned to the chamber one final time. Her handsome angel was standing there waiting for her.

“Are you ready?” she asked him.

“One moment.”

He walked over to the wall where Azazel had tried to smash her off his back. His two daggers lay on the ground in the dirt. Roman picked them up, walking back over to her.

“We need to see what the demon has done to these blades.”

Charlotte nodded, gazing around the chamber one last time. She never wanted to come here again. The place where she had died. But also a place where she had been reborn. There was so much for her to go over in her head about what had happened to her here. They brought her here forcefully, intending to kill her and sacrifice her to the devil himself. Yet here she stood, with the man she loved, a whole different being than when she had entered. It would be a long road ahead of her. She turned back, looking up at Roman as he took her hand.

But I’m not alone.

She smiled up at him as she flashed them home.