Fortress

Chapter 15

Rome

It felt like someone was plunging a knife into my stomach over and over again every fifteen minutes. I connected the physical and emotional pain together an hour ago and it all went back to the mate union. The further away Mina and I were from each other the more intense the cramps were. All because I hadn’t completed the union. It’s going to be the first thing I do once I had her in my arms again that’s for damn sure. Another cramp shot through my body again causing me to lose my balance on my motorcycle. s**t! I flipped in the air four times before smacking against a tree. I groaned in pain as I tried to catch my breath, that had to be the worse cramp so far.

“Rome!”, Iris yelled as he turned me over with a concerned expression on his face.

“I’m fine”, I grunted pulling myself into a seated position right when Jared and June caught up to us.

“That’s it, just get in the car”, Jared said firmly pulling me to my feet. I struggled to breathe and prayed Mina wasn’t experiencing anything like this. The cramps started last night and it only intensified into the morning. My mate was pulling me forward and I didn’t have time for this. The number the Helios guard gave us was a dead end and it was his dead end as well. We wasted too much time on the asshole and our only lead now was Mina herself. Mina’s phone had to had been out of her possession when the tracker was placed in it. Most likely it took place within those two weeks the Elliotts were preparing for my arrival. Mina was targeted and placed in that room beside me on purpose. They had no idea what she was to me they just wanted to keep tabs on me. It had all been fate that she was brought to me in such a way.

“No, that one just caught me off guard”, I protested to Jared.

“Rome, I know you need to get to her but let us get there safely”, Jared said close behind me as I walked back onto the road to pick up my bike. I scanned the numerous vehicles behind Jared’s and felt a sense of gratitude. These vampires didn't know me or Mina personally but they all came out to help me find her. Jared said that's what family is for but I couldn't bare the thought of anyone else dying while helping me.

“I know what to expect now I have it under control. Let’s ride”, I said my senses focusing back in on Mina. I felt like I was close but I couldn't know for sure yet. What I did know was she was leading us back to New York. Jared grunted before turning away to motion cars that weren't with our group to go around us before getting back in his car.

“Mina came to you in a dream ten years ago but how did you know it was your mate and not a figment of your imagination?”, Iris asked looking away from me. I studied him for a minute before responding.

“I knew when it became a constant thing when I dreamt of her the second night I thought okay maybe it was because she stayed on my mind all day. After dreaming of her for a week I talked to Jared about it and he told me about mates.”

I said remembering the conversation vividly.

“Are you seeing someone in your dreams?”, I asked.

“No, but I feel something I can’t explain, I feel a pull but that’s it there is no direction. What is it like for you?”, he asked finally turning to look at me.

“It’s like a GPS in my head with a lot of route changes, very frustrating”, I told him shaking my head.

“If it is your mate you will get directions soon that is how it started with me but I also had a face and facts to go off. You are kind of walking in the dark,” I said.

“What about the cramps have you experienced that before?”, Iris asked further.

“No, this is a new development”, I said looking over at him, “I hope Mina isn’t feeling anything like this”. I said looking at the road ahead.

“You love her,” Iris said strongly. I looked over at my brother before speaking.

“I do, more strongly than I could have ever imagined”, I said.

“Then let's ride”, Iris said with a smile.

Mina

I awoke to loud voices around me and something rubbing against my neck.

“It’s not coming off it’s real”, a female voice said. I opened my eyes to find myself crowded around vampires. Their red eyes gave them away instantly, I couldn’t help but feel at ease as they allowed me to sit up. The fact that I felt more safe around vampires than I did humans was insane. This was Rome’s clan I knew it, the few that were captured when his family came to free him.

“Move aside”, a strong voice said, and then a beautiful woman stepped forward with long red hair that almost matched her red eyes. Her face looked more mature than the rest of them surrounding me. She held her hand out to me and helped me up from the ground.

“I’m Rain, the leader of this small clan. Helios only brings in humans as meals every once in a while but by the looks of you that isn’t why you’re here”, Rain said eyeing me suspiciously. I should have been alarmed by her words but I wasn’t I understood her life. I looked around the room and counted twelve vampires there were white cots around the small room and hardly any room to walk from one wall to the other. I looked up at the high ceiling and shielded my eyes from the bright light.

“No, I killed one of their guards”, I said in a raspy voice. I needed water desperately and looked around for some.

“What?”, Rain said pulling me to a stop. The silence was so loud as every eyeball focused on me.

“My mate taught me how to defend myself before they took me”, I explained to the room.

“You have a mate?”, a voice said from behind me, and serval questions followed all at the same time.

“Enough!”, Rain yelled and they all stopped at once.

“My mate's name is Rome his brothers are Jared, June, and Iris. I don’t know how long it’s been since they took me. Rome was set up and that’s how we became separated. Rome can track me they should be on the way here”. I spoke confidently but my body felt so weak.

“I’m sorry to inform you that this room has some type of shield around it I don’t think he’ll be able to track you here”, Rain said sadly. My heart dropped as a cramp took me to my knees I cried out in pain.

“She’s heartbroken good job Rain!”, a soft voice said, and then arms wrapped around me tightly.

“How would you have told her Stella?”, Rain asked harshly as the cramp was finally passing.

“No, it’s not that it’s the cramps,” I said breathing heavily.

“Have you eaten anything?”, Rain asked kneeling to look at me.

“No, I was afraid it was poisoned,” I said dryly.

“I’ll signal a guard”, Stella said and disappeared.

“I think the cramps have something to do with the mate bond if I remember correctly. The union has to be completed soon or it’ll only get worse”, Rain stated.

“How do you know there's a shield?”, I asked looking up at Rain.

“I can feel it, it suppresses our abilities”, Rain said looking up at the ceiling. I remember Rome saying Jared can control minds.

“You have a gift?”, I asked.

“The worst of them all, fire”, Rain said with a grin and her hair color now made sense I had never seen hair change shades like that without the help of heat. It had tips were changing between a burnt orange to a bright read and other burnt shades.

“Have you tried breaking out of here?”, I asked looking around the room again, there were no windows.

“Yes and that’s how we ended up here, but one of the guards has a thing for Stella. If everything goes as planned we’ll be fighting our way out in two days.” Rain said and smiled.

“We have a shower and a change of clothes for you let’s get you taken care of”, Rain announced as she stood. Everything happened so fast that one minute I was being helped to my feet and the next I was being shielded as the ceiling exploded.

“s**t! It’s happening now! Here-“, Rain bit into her wrist and held it out to me, “Drink, it will give you enough strength to fight!”, she said. I brought her wrist to my mouth and hesitantly drank the thick liquid. My body felt like it was hit with a thousand electric shocks when I finally pulled my mouth away from Rain’s wrist.

“How do you feel?”, Rain asked turning her wrist over and I watched as small flames flickered to life over her fingertips.

“I feel amazing”, I said right when the alarm went off in the small room.

“Then let’s kick some ass, vampire lover”, Rain said pulling me to my feet as guards spilled into the small space. The all-women vampire clan sprung into action and I was happy to help.