Page 52 of The Secret of Pain

"He has saved my life more times than I care to count, Remy. Your instincts are all over the place at the minute while you adjust to Hunter life and your memories fall into place. Keep yourself in line. This is the one and only time I'll say it." I step back, unused to his anger being aimed in my direction, and I get the feeling I don't know the whole story here.

"I'll try," I say, not willing to promise anything.

"Good. Let’s go," he grits out the words and stalks over to the door that leads down to the basement, nearly ripping it from its hinges. Jeez, my brother is touchy today, and I get to train with that now. Yay me.

* * *

I lie on the floor and groan. Apparently training with them one on one hasn't broken me enough, now they want to try and train me together, because Dracul and Lycans rarely travel alone. How fun for me!

They're currently conferring in the kitchen, talking about how they're going to continue my torture… sorry, training. If I wanted, I could use my Hunter hearing to find out what bullshit they're planning, but honestly, I'm just kind of exhausted, and grateful my speed, hearing, and sight upgrades were something I just took to. I didn't have to learn to switch them on and off. Running around like the Flash probably would have created some questions.

My body shouldn't ache this much. Hunter strength and healing are meant to make me feel amazing, or so Colt told me. He lied. I think Bauer is just trying to prove to me that I can still hurt, I can still die, and that I need to learn how to fight properly, to keep myself alive and not aching like I just went eleventy-billion rounds with Tyson.

I groan as I sit up, crossing my legs and bowing my head, feeling the stretch of my spine as I pull forward. I go through the motions of the stretches I used to do after a hard-core dance session and loosen my muscles, preparing myself for the next onslaught.

Their voices grow louder as I drop into the splits and lean my body down my right leg, enjoying the burn of the stretch. "You about done?" Bauer asks, and I turn my face to him, where my forehead rests on my knee in the stretch.

"Just about." I smile sweetly, knowing it’s going to piss him off more but struggling to care after he's been such a jackass all morning. I sit up and twist, mirroring the stretch on the opposite side, and feel their eyes on me.

Surprisingly, Archer wasn't as much of an asshole this morning, leaving that fully to Bauer, but something about the set of his face as he watches me makes me think that that's all about to change.

"I hear you've had a few run-ins with the Dracul so far?" His voice floats across the room to me as I pull out of the stretch and stand.

"Yeah, Colt said their activity has increased lately, that there's been more gathering near here, so I guess that's why." I shrug and grab my water bottle, guzzling down the cold nectar.

"Well, something is happening, because the Alpha of Alphas is here. We tracked his movements from Europe. We’ve lost him in the last few weeks, but he was traveling in this direction, so Bauer wants us to try some other techniques, in case you come across Dracul and Lycans together."

"That could happen? I thought factions kept to themselves for the most part?" I ask, my gaze bouncing between them.

"So did we," Bauer says with a grimace. "No one seems to know what the fuck is going on, but we need you to be ready for whatever is coming. Our family holds this territory, and we'll be damned if we let the monsters overrun our home."

"Okay then. I guess we better get to work." I nod, because despite the panic rising in me at my broken memories, I can't let it show. I can never let it show.

"After this, we're heading to the gun range—you're coming with," Bauer orders, and I shrug. Not like I have anywhere else to be today.

"Whatever you say." I bounce on the balls of my feet as I notice their movements, separating, circling me on the mats.

I barely have a chance to take a breath when they both lunge for me, and I relax into the calm I've noticed settles over me when my adrenaline runs high, and so does my fury. My thoughts shut down and my body takes over, dodging fists, ducking and rolling, hoping to pit them against each other but knowing that that isn't likely to happen.

Bauer throws a fist toward my ribs and I jump back, into the waiting arms of Archer. His hold tightens and I struggle to escape, bringing my elbow back into his gut, swinging my fist down into his crotch, and stomping on his foot, then charging at Bauer as his friend falls to the mat.

I spar with Bauer, but he's faster, stronger, and more trained than I am. We parry, but I don't get a chance to land any decent shots before Archer roars behind me, then runs toward me. I don't hesitate and jump as he reaches me, flipping backward over him as all of his speed and rage crash into Bauer and they fly backward into the wall.

I smile from my crouch on the floor, because holy shit, that just happened.

Laughs and groans come from the pile of limbs across the room, but I stay planted, waiting, wondering if they're going to attack again. Adrenaline floods me, and I feel it, that spark, the joy of the hunt, and I'm glad Bauer doesn't let me train with my weapons yet, because my fingers itch to a throw blade. To finish the job. My instincts have not yet calmed down enough to recognize that they don't actually want to hurt me.

"That’s enough, Remy," Bauer’s voice calls across the room as he and Archer approach me slowly. "Pull yourself out of it."

His voice is calm, soothing. They both watch me, my stillness as I calculate their movements. "Come back to us, Remy."

I close my eyes and shake it off, remembering where I am, that they are not the threat my body is telling me they are, and take a deep breath. I sit back down on the floor and they start to come closer, still slow enough not to trigger whatever it was that was riding me.

"I've never seen it. I thought it was nothing but a story told as part of the legend," Archer says, almost in shock as they sit opposite me.

"Seen what?" I ask, tilting my head at them.

"When you fight, when you truly give yourself over to it, you get what legend calls the fire. You slip out of yourself, you become little more than your instincts, able to tear through legions without a second thought. What just happened was just a very, very small hint of it. I've rarely witnessed it, but those times you slipped into it, using it in battle, both against human and monster, have helped change and shape the course of history," Bauer says cautiously.

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