Charlotte's P.O.V

Dolorem

"You know, we know who you are. We know you aren't from this world. We know you were sent here to protect Max's sons." Demetri spat, and I flinched as the liquid hit my face. The word 'sons' was said in a particularly venomous way, but that wasn't what was on my mind.

They knew. They knew. My mind had stopped spinning as soon as those words left his mouth. I tried to tell myself that it wasn't true, that they were lying, but every sign pointed to it. They even knew my mission. No one, apart from Lilith and myself, was privy to that information. There was something I was missing. Someone else had to have known.

As I was thinking this, that abhorrent malicious she-devil grabbed my arm. A sickening pop was heard a second later, indicating that my other arm had now been ripped from it's socket. Black spots erupted across my eyes as a white hot pain erupted all the way down my arm. A small shriek left my lips. As if my chances of running away could get any worse.

When she cut the rope, I tried to move away, but the sudden weakness in my arm didn't allow me to get very far. Well, that and the fact that I was so weak from having no blood, food, or water. Sensing that I was trying to escape, Amara's hand wrapped around my throat, squeezing firmly so only a tiny bit of air was allowed in.

"That's right, and you know what must hurt worse than the physical pain? The truth that you did what you could to save them, and it still wasn't enough. Those four, along with their creator and any other living with them, will die. I'll make it painful. You think what we are doing to you is bad? No, what they will go through will be much worse." The man cackled as he proceeded to grab me by the hair, yanking it up. My neck strained painfully, but this seemed minor compared to the other injuries I had.

"Please, just kill me! I never did anything to you!" My voice screeched, raising an octave. It hurt to scream my throat was dry and damaged from overuse. Demetri grinned with extreme malice before he yanked my hair harder making me fall from the wooden chair. While normally I would be relieved to finally be moved, being tossed onto the ground wasn't the most comfortable place to be. With his hands still gripped in my short locks, his knife-like nails scraped my head, and I could feel what could only be blood clotting in my hair, some rolling down my neck.

He began to drag me somewhere, but my vision started to blur, making it impossible to see anything. I knew I was being dragged out of The Room because the smell of vomit became less prominent. Finally, it felt as if my lungs could breathe normal air, even if it was a bit musty. I had no room to complain, especially because I never knew when it was going to be taken away. This wouldn't last.

I was right. It didn't. Five seconds later, I was pulled into another room, and distantly, I could make out someone groaning. Surmising that it was actually myself that was making the noise, I started to put a great deal of effort into keeping myself quiet. The less satisfaction they get from this, the better, and it didn't take a genius to realize that his bitch of a mate was following us, her laughter bouncing off the walls.

"You're right. You didn't do anything to us. Your mates, however, did." I almost didn't hear him with how soft he had spoken. Almost. My mates… He couldn't possibly mean who I thought he did.

The vampire chuckled darkly at the look on my face before lifting me up by my roots and pulling me towards something. Suddenly, my head was free, but just as he let it go, my wrists were grabbed and brought above my head. I felt the coolness of metal before I heard a click. Then, my arms were supporting themselves and my whole body. Both my bruised shoulder and the dislocated one flared up in protest, not even having the time to partially heal before it was once again pulled into an uncomfortable position.

"You've figured it out, I see. Well, here's a short explanation. Vampires in covens can have more than one mate, or multiple vampires can have the same mate. Seems like someone didn't do their research before coming here." The vampire tsk-ed, his finger shaking, as if to scold a child.

"What does this have to do with me?" I screamed, my blood running in my mouth from a cut on my head. The question itself may be a bit idiotic, but I needed to know for sure. Amara gave me a look. I could tell she was asking herself if I was really that stupid.

"Gods, you really are that idiotic. You. Are. Their. Mate. The one person who means everything to them." Her voice was more cruel than normal. If I really cared, I may have wondered why that was, but all my brain could comprehend was what the demoness had just told me. It took me a few seconds to comprehend what she was telling me, but then I simply gave her a look.

"You don't honestly expect me to believe that, do you?" Even in the state I was in, a hysterical laugh burst from me, one that wasn't able to be stopped. I tried, but even biting my lips didn't stop the cackling. As my split lip busted open, a trickle of my blood ran down my chin, and soon, the laughter turned to tears as what she was saying finally clicked. Even though it shouldn't have been possible, shit often happened to me that couldn't be explained. Me being here was only one example.

As the realization that she might not be lying set in, my mind shut down, everything they were going to do to me would pale in comparison to how I felt at that moment. My arms, which had previously been struggling against the shackles, went limp as a whole new type of pain shot through me. Mates... My whole life, I believed I was crazy for feeling the way I do about fictional characters, only to find out they aren't so fictional after all. I was given a chance to save them, to save my boys... my mates, and I failed, miserably.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

The Boys' P.O.V

It had been a week, a week since the boys had seen her. Marko couldn't help but replay the last time he was with her in his head. His mind constantly reminded him of the feeling of his lips on her skin or the way her cheeks would flush. He desperately wished to feel it beneath his hands, to know that she was okay. The heartbeat that they so desperately wanted to end to make her one of them was the one thing he longed to hear. He wasn't the only one. Sure, the connection was still there, but it did little to ease his worry.

Paul was at a loss. The first time he'd seen her, she had been vomiting her guts out by their bikes. Not a good first impression, but when did he ever care about that. Charlotte had a fire in her that he was missing. Her smile when he would tell a shitty joke was something he didn't want to go a day without seeing. He hadn't had as much time with Charlotte as the others, but when they got her back- yes, when, not if- he was going to change that... after ripping the bastards that took her to pieces.

"Max said he sensed two vampires cross his territory. He didn't think much of it at the time, thought they were passing nomads." David explained, the exhaustion evident in his voice. He may not be able to feel it physically (being forever twenty had its perks), but that didn't mean he wasn't mentally worn out. He had spent all seven nights since she had been taken, directing the boys and Star to search every possible space a vampire might take residence. Laddie had agreed to stay with Max while they searched for her. Sure, he was freaked out by the man, but he was more worried about finding Charlotte. While the rest of them were doing that, he was talking to Max about possible leads. Apparently, he had many enemies, but two names he mentioned did ring a rather loud bell.

Amara De la Rue and Demetri Volkov

"Obviously not." Dwayne spat out, his eyes golden. He was taking it just as bad, if not worse, than the others. Normally stoic and composed, every little thing would set him off. All he could think of was the night he drove her to Max's house, the night he terrified her so badly he thought her heart might beat out of her chest. At that time, it was a game. Sure, she was alluring in a way no other girl had been: cautious, yet daring; kind and protective, yet feisty, but they hadn't known about the connection until Max mentioned it.

"Max has made many enemies over the last millennium, as have I, but only two would be bold enough to do something like this in our territory." David seemed to hesitate. As confident as he usually was, this was new ground for all of them, and he didn't want his brothers to blame him. Instead of pushing him to continue, the three boys and Star waited patiently, knowing David must have had a good reason for being reluctant.

"At the turn of the nineteenth century, we were living in a shack near here posing as businessmen. We ran into three of our kind. The three of them were a bonded pair. Apparently, the male of the group was angry that we were encroaching on his territory. He started a fight. One of his mates was a casualty. She was human at the time." When he finished, he was met with silence. He didn't want to admit that it worried him, not knowing how they would react, but it did.

"So they're doing this to get revenge?" Dwayne's voice was calmer than it had been during the whole week. It made the rest of the vampires uneasy, how quickly his mood changed. Then again, the boys had all experienced some sort of emotional outburst during this, they're animalistic instincts wanting to destroy anyone who touched what was theirs. The only problem was, so far nothing had come up, and then came the hopelessness.

"I'm almost certain." David nodded, his head shaking. Marko and Paul shared a look, the anxiety on their faces prevalent. Star was sitting there, quietly contemplating what David had told them. Charlotte had helped her, and while many would think it didn't mean much to her, the new girl had supported Star, showed her what she was blind to, that she had a family who would protect her. Sure, it may be a little unorthodox, but a weird family was better than no family at all.

"We need to help her. I can feel her, but I can't feel where she is. They wouldn't have taken her if they were just going to kill her for revenge. The two of them need her for something." The platinum haired vampires spoke through the silence. As preoccupied as they were, they didn't register the sound of soft footsteps echoing in the front of their home.

"I think I can help you with that."

A/N: Oh my goodness! It didn't take me half a year to update. Shocker *sigh*. Anyways, I wanted to let you guys know that life is good, despite this mess. I hope everyone is safe during these crazy times. Hopefully this all ends soon.Did y'all enjoy the chapter? If you didn't know, the chapter title means 'sorrow' in Latin. Charlotte, my poor baby, is really having a tough time, but it'll get better…. maybe? Idk yet. Let's see who can guess the character the boys are about to meet. Anyways, favs and reviews make me happy, so if you liked it, tell me! Stay safe!

~Emily