Page 39 of The Secret of Pain

"Well, I mean, I tried this once already, but you've done the ritual now, so we should be good to go." He shrugs with a carefree smile, letting go of whatever tension he felt in the room as he entered.

Easing the duffel onto the floor, Colt kneels down to unzip it before pulling out the box he showed me those weeks ago at Bauer’s. The sight of it makes my heart skip a beat and I can’t help the gasp that escapes as I rush over to him.

"You brought my sword!" My cheeks almost hurt from the huge smile I can’t get rid of.

"Swords." He smiles. "And your guns. Dad had them all stored in the armory back home, but a Hunter shouldn't be far from her weapons once she's been awakened. It's like an itch at the back of your brain that you don't notice until it’s gone."

I look at him and realize he's right. There was a buzzing, dim enough to dismiss, but with my sword within touching distance, it’s silenced.

"Thank you, Colt. How… how did I get these?" I ask as I drop to the floor and lift the boxes. I move them to the counter in the kitchen, eager to open them, yet hesitant.

"Well, the black-hilted one, the obsidian blade, that was a gift from Creek here. Your old sword was shattered after a particularly gnarly fight with some pissed-off Lycans. But the iridium one, the one in the box, I don't actually know. You didn't have it one life, then when I cycled back, you'd had two lives without either of us and you had it. You could ask Bauer, but I'm not sure he knows either." He shrugs without a care.

The blade practically sings as I open the box, like it's happy to be reunited with me, and I'm flooded with a sense of joy and peace as I lift it from its violet velvet setting and unsheathe it. The sword is perfectly balanced, the perfect length, as if it was made for me. The decorative hilt glints in the sun-filled room. I twirl the blade cautiously, getting a feel for it, and a stupidly big grin spreads across my face.

Hello, old friend.

I re-sheathe it and place it back in its box, not wanting to get too carried away, but I know that this blade isn't going to leave my side for long from now on. The guys both watch me, grinning, like it’s my birthday and I'm surrounded by a pile of gifts. I try the other sword, the gift from Creek, and again, the metal sings as I slice the air with it. It's not as intricately decorated as the other, but the mark of the Hunter is etched into the top of the blade, just below the hilt.

I move to the smaller boxes and find two guns. Small, but perfectly sized for my hands. One black, one silver, both with symbols carved into them. I recognize the symbols from the altar at the chambers, but I'm still unsure of their meaning. "The black is for obsidian bullets, the silver for iridium. Keeps things simple, and the markings help keep your shots true. Not that you need the help," Colt says with a shrug, while Creek stands in the corner with his arms crossed, silently watching, his face unreadable.

"Thank you, Colt." I sigh happily and put the guns back in their boxes before hugging him.

"No worries, little bit. They're yours, we've just been keeping them safe." He shrugs as I let him go. "You guys need any help here?" he asks, looking to Creek, who shakes his head.

"Nah, we were about done."

"Okay, cool. Want to head to the range? Give our girl a whooping before all of her skills come back? Let her play with her toys?" Colt asks, wagging his eyebrows, and the piercing bounces, making me laugh.

"Thanks, but we actually had plans," I tell him and stick out my tongue.

"Without me?" he says, staggering back, a hand on his chest. "You wound me!"

I laugh at his dramatics, and even Creek cracks a smile. "Sorry, bro."

"It's all good, I get it. The dynamic duo is reunited." He pretends to wipe a tear from his eye, and I swipe him in the gut.

"Shut up dummy. You two have been off having the greatest bromance of all time for over a year."

"Yeah, yeah. Everyone wants a bit of me, I get it." Creek laughs, whatever was up with him seemingly forgotten.

"What can I say, man, I miss your sweet sweet lovin', it’s been too long." Colt laughs and I giggle, because they're both as ridiculous as each other.

"I missed this," I say, because this is exactly how it used to be, before they both up and left, making their choice to become Hunters. I can't begrudge it, because I wouldn't want them to be any different, if they had we wouldn't be here now, but no matter how much I try to let it go, it still stings a little. I try not to think about it, because if I do, I'll think about Jack too, and that's all just a whole well of hurt I don't want to dive into today, or any day soon.

"Aww," Colt says, wrapping one of his barbarically big arms around my neck. "I missed you too, little bit, but I'll be on my way. Don't forget we're patrolling again tonight," he says to Creek.

"Looking forward to joining us this weekend, Remy?" he asks me, and I gasp.

"I'm hunting this weekend?" I say.

"Yeah, didn't Bauer tell you? You'll be going out with the two of us, giving Dad a night off. The old man is slowing down, just don't tell him that because he'll still take your head off your shoulders." The excitement bubbles up inside me. The restlessness I've been feeling is finally getting the outlet I've been looking for.

"He didn't say a goddamn word, but hell yes I'm excited." I smile at them both. Colt’s grin matches my own, but Creek just looks forlorn.

"Right, I'm off. I'll catch you later, man. Don't get up to too much trouble, you guys," Colt says, grabbing the duffel and throwing it over to me. "Be careful where you keep that shit."

"I will. Stay safe," I tell him as he turns to leave.

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