Page 55 of The Secret of Pain

"Fallon is on her way."

"You did good, Remy. Just hold on and do your best." The line goes dead and I try to assess where the rest of the blood is coming from.

"I've got you, Dad," I say, for him as much as myself. I tear open his shirt and find two bullet wounds. I place my hands over them to stop the bleeding as much as I can, and pray to every god I can think of that help arrives soon.

Memories flash in my mind, so much death. So much blood. I try to focus on my breathing, focus on keeping my dad breathing. It feels like a lifetime until I hear the screech of tires and then footsteps thundering toward me.

"Holy shit," Fallon gasps before she kneels next to me, blood coating her knees as she does. "There's so much…"

"Fallon, take over for Remy on that stomach wound. Remy, you press as hard as you can on that shoulder wound, you hear?" Fallon's mom, Marie, sweeps into the room, and I can almost feel the power rolling from her. Relief fills me, because if anyone can help my dad, it's Marie Laveau. She kneels on my dad’s other side and places a hand on my shoulder.

"This thigh tourniquet might just have saved his life, Remy. Well done." She undoes the tourniquet and blood spurts from the wound. "Whatever it was, it hit an artery."

She places her hands on top of the wound and starts speaking, the words foreign to me, muttering under her breath. Light fills the space beneath her hand, and I feel the power in the room—my neck heats in response to it, itching suddenly, but I try to ignore it and keep my hands on my dad’s shoulder.

"Remy!" Bauer’s voice calls out, and two sets of footsteps race toward us as Bauer and Archer find us, and my shoulders slump. I never considered myself the damsel kind, but right now, I've never been happier to see my brother. He kneels on my other side, placing his hand on top of mine. "I've got this; you can let go. You did good."

His voice is so soothing, and I feel someone at my shoulders peeling me away while Bauer takes my spot. I look up and find Creek behind me, Maddie and Nate standing in the doorway. Creek bundles me into his arms, and I let him as shock takes me. He leads me to the kitchen, Maddie with us, and they help me clean up as best I can.

"Do you know what happened?" Maddie asks softly as Nate appears from the other room.

"He's healed, but he lost a lot of blood. Marie got the bullets out, but they're not a metal I recognize." Anger coats his words, but worry lines his face.

"What does that mean?" I ask.

"It means that the tides are turning. Someone found a material that Hunters aren’t resistant to. If it wasn't for Marie…" His words filter away as he shakes his head. "What happened?" He pins me with his gaze, and it burns into my soul.

"I don't know," I tell him and hang my head as Creek runs his hand up and down my back, trying to soothe me. "I came over to dive into the library, to try and learn, or encourage my memories. When I got here, it was still, so deathly still and quiet. I just knew something was wrong. I rushed in and I found him. That’s when I called Fallon and Bauer."

"That was quick thinking, and you must have remembered something of your training because that tourniquet saved his life. Whoever did this must have left just as you got here, otherwise it would have been too late." Marie and Fallon join us in the kitchen, cleaning up their hands and then joining me and Creek at the table.

"His wounds were grave. We have healed them as best we can, but the strain on his heart from that much blood loss… only time will tell if it was enough," Marie says solemnly.

"You can't heal his heart?" I ask, confused.

"We are limited with our healing. We are not healers, but we have some healing ability. A true healer may be able to help but depending on how long it takes one to get here…" Her words trail off as Bauer and Archer join us in the room.

"He's in his bed. We cleaned him up and sorted as much as we could," Bauer says, his eyes not leaving mine. "Did you see anything?"

I shake my head, wishing my answer were different. That I could help in some way. "Do you think this was one of the factions?" I ask, the words barely a whisper.

"Of course it was." Archer scowls.

"But what about—" I start, but Archer cuts me off.

"Those filthy, mangy animals did this. Why on earth would you think otherwise?" The venom in his voice is unmistakable.

"Just that if it is a new weapon, then how would they have got their hands on it?" My words hang in the air, silence surrounds us.

"I guess we'll have to wait for your father to wake up and tell us what happened," Nate says, calling an end to the conversation. "Thank you for your assistance, Marie. Fallon. As always, you have our gratitude."

"It was our honor." Marie nods to him. "Our family have long been friends to the Bennetts and Winchesters. We will always assist when we can."

She stands, Fallon mirroring her. "We shall be on our way, but if you need anything, please just call."

"We will," Maddie says, hugging her tightly. "Thank you."

"I will call the Elders, let them know what has happened," Nate says and heads outside.

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