Fortress

Chapter 8

Rome

“We are checking the bodies now”, Jared said before yelling at someone in the background. An abandoned semi-truck was called in a few blocks down from the Elliott's mansion. Jared was just arriving in New York when the intel team was notified. Jared sent me a picture of two well-dressed people on top of a pile of dead bodies. I was able to identify my former adoptive parents and the other bodies belonged to their employees. Mina was a bundle of nerves as she paced the floor in front of me. It had been four days with no word from her best friend Aniyah whose picture Mina sent to me and I forwarded to Jared. It was decided that it was safer to wait for Jared and his team instead of traveling solo. I thought about how Mina and I had made a breakthrough while I waited for Jared to come back over the line. After three nights of me sleeping in the chair, I was done with it. Our new sleeping arrangement included me sleeping at the bottom of the bed and I was thankful this would be our last day in this motel room. The s****l tension was undeniable but neither one of us acknowledged it. I eyed Mina as she turned away from me I just wanted to hold her but I gave her some space.

“Rome, I’m afraid it’s bad news she’s amongst the bodies. Helios is getting messy, we should be at your location in less than an hour.” Jared said before hanging up. I took a deep breath before setting the phone down beside me on the bed. I couldn’t help but feel like all this was my fault. No, it’s not my fault this is on Helios but what if she blamed me? Mina's head snapped in my direction when she noticed I was no longer on the phone. My eyes must have held the truth because she dropped to the floor with a loud cry.

“No! This can’t be happening!” She screamed with sobs. My instinct was to comfort her and I did just that. I lifted Mina from the floor and held her in my arms as I sat on the bed.

“I’m sorry”, I whispered while kissing the top of her head. Mina continued to cry as I tried my best to soothe her. I realized I had never held someone like this before or tried to comfort another but this came naturally. This was my mate and I would be whatever she needed me to be for her. The past few days had felt like heaven to me I had finally found my mate. During our time here Mina questioned me more about my dreams of her throughout the years and I told her everything she wanted to know. Things such as her favorite color is black and her hamster died when she was twelve, she forgot to feed it but claimed it died from lack of attention. The first time she scraped her knee on roller skates. The accident that took her mother’s life the day before her high school graduation. The time she slept in her car when she had nowhere else to go. Her journal entry on September 21, 2016, which was about her fear of dying and what came after. The beauty mark on her left ass cheek, I regret admitting that I knew what her ass looked like. Mina felt as if her privacy was violated and I could see why but I couldn’t control the dreams. We talked about my time in Helios's custody and some of the experiments they performed on me. I kept a lot of things from my mate to protect her from Helios but it was too late now.

“I have to see her,” Mina said in a small voice while looking up at me. Her tearful eyes were so sad and it hurt my heart to see her this way.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I said while rubbing her back I could tell my words meant nothing before she even spoke.

“I have to Rome” She was so broken it angered me. Helios would pay with their lives for f*****g with my mate.

“I’ll speak with Jared,” I said and pressed her tighter against my body I wish I could keep her right here away from all the dangers in the world.

Mina

I felt so small in Rome's arms I could stay here forever and pretend the world never existed, but it did exist and horrible things were taking place. I held my breath to try to stop the sob from working its way up my throat but failed.

Aniyah.

I couldn’t believe my best friend was ripped from me when she had nothing to do with any of this. I was so hurt but more than anything I was angry. The past few days were as if Rome and I were in our own world and I felt a sense of protection and peace. I found out that this stranger was no stranger at all. I felt comfortable with him although I had just met him, he had known me for the better half of his life. I didn’t have to tell him things I liked he knew everything even the pieces of my life I preferred no one to know. I no longer felt stuck I felt understood I felt cherished and wanted, a feeling so foreign to me. I looked up to find Rome already watching me his eyes shifted to that red hue I was starting to know so well. I felt something was wrong other than the tragic situation already at hand.

“What is it?” I asked hating how I sounded. He shook his head before kissing my forehead. I closed my eyes and took in the feel of his lips. Rome hadn’t kissed me since the first night we met, I however had kissed him in a haze of lust. I didn’t feel out of control around him anymore I was very aware of how he made me feel and enjoyed this feeling too much.

“It’s nothing don’t worry” he reassured but I felt that wasn’t true. I pulled back far enough to see his whole face.

“Something is wrong I don’t know how I know but I do,” I said looking into his eyes.

“I must feed,” he said before looking away. His words caused my body to warm instantly. I looked at the wall behind him.

“I can help,” I said in a whisper.

“No, it can wait,” he said calmly but I felt that was a lie as well.

“Will it make me feel out of control like before?” I asked because that was highly annoying although I liked Rome I didn’t like feeling unlike myself.

“No, that part is over it’s just with the first bite, it’s meant to draw you to me and I will say it’s unfair for you.” He said and I could hear the smile on his lips.

“Then bite me,” I said feeling embarrassed by those words. Rome’s hand gently lifted my chin to face him.

“Mina you will experience the same effect as you did before if I feed from you. Only because you are my mate and it is meant to be pleasurable between mates.” His voice was filled with passion as he looked deep into my eyes. I craved his bite more than I needed air to breathe at this point. It was all I dreamt about.

“I understand,” I whispered.

Rome brushed the hair from my shoulder and just like before kissed along the length of my neck. My hands gripped his shoulders as he repositioned us on the bed. The bed felt soft against my back as he hovered over me. His lips never broke contact with my skin as he pushed me up on the bed. I knew he could hear my heartbeat skyrocketing he revealed many of his abilities to me. My eyes shut right before he bit down. A tingling sensation worked its way up my body starting from my toes. My hands gripped fistfuls of Rome’s hair to pull his head closer to my neck. I was throbbing for him and thrusting my hips up to meet his over and over, I was relieved at the feeling it gave me. Rome released his bite and I quickly brought his lips to mine. Rome’s hands found my thighs and pushed them apart settling himself between them. He squeezed my waist as he broke the kiss pressing his forehead against mine. We were both out of breath clinging to each other.

“Jared and my other brothers are here”, Rome announced a second before a knock sounded at the door. Rome kissed my lips softly before pulling me to my feet beside him. He held my hand as he walked to the door, he unlocked the lock and pulled it open. I couldn’t do anything but gawk at what was on the other side.