Page 67 of The Secret of Pain

"Some of the Bellos’ cousins volunteered. After being stuck on a plane for way too long, they jumped at the opportunity to be outside," Colt says as he walks back into the room, and my heart sinks a little.

"You're heading out tomorrow, so get your rest tonight. Your first solo hunt." He winks at me and I smile, feeling far more confident in my abilities than I have since my ritual.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

I leave my apartment on foot. I’m heading out of the city, but with the harvest festival coming up next week, parking here has been impossible. The colder air stings my cheeks, but I relish it. I’ve always been a fan of colder climates.

My swords are tucked under my cloak, and considering the crowds, I'm happy with my decision. Even if it were closer to Halloween, costumes aren't considered normal for adults around here. I make my way through the crowds of people for the four blocks it takes to reach my car before jumping in and cranking the heat up high. The cold, I like, freezing fingers, not so much.

I start the car and set the location of the warehouse two towns out on my phone before making the slow drive in heavy traffic out of the city. With the increase in activity in the areas, our patrol borders have been widened. We're apparently the only Hunters on this half of the continent, which explains the amount of camping trips Bauer and Dad used to take, leaving Colt and I at home. Not that I was ever bothered—I am not a camping kind of girl. Can I slum it when needed? Yes, but would I choose to? Not in this life, or any other.

The road’s clear, and the lights fade away, darkness creeping in, only broken by the lights of my car.

A flash to my left catches my eye, and I slow the car to look, to make sure that I'm not being tailed. I look forward a moment too late to see a man in the middle of the road. I slam on the brakes but I know the collision is coming. My poor Mustang. I brace myself as best I can as I hit him, my car spinning, hitting something else which flips it up into the air. The car rolls and I struggle to keep myself tucked in, but fail at the force of the movement. The car skids to a stop and I groan. Suspended upside down, blood running up my face, and my shoulder feels like it’s been dislocated. I touch it and grimace. Yep, definitely dislocated.

I hear cheers around me and shake my head. I must have hit it harder than I thought. I clamp my teeth as I pop my shoulder back in, whimpering as I do.

I try to reach for my phone, but the seatbelt pins me in place, and of course, I can't reach the blade in my ankle holster either.

Fuck.

The cheering grows louder and shadows appear on the ground as the light grows around me, flickering, as if it were firelight.

I see feet at the window beside me before their owner crouches down and smiles at me through the space where there used to be glass. The smile chills my bones, and I try not to panic.

"Pretty little Hunter we caught here, boys. I think we should have some fun. Her blood smells delightful." His eyes glow silver before he stands and the door is ripped away.

Lycans.

Hollers and whoops cry out into the night, and I wonder how they found me, how they traced me, or was it sheer dumb luck on their part that I was headed out this way? They don't seem to know who I am, just that I'm a Hunter, but I guess my blood would give that away. My vision blurs as the world tilts, but I force myself to focus. Hands reach in and pull at the seatbelt, snapping it, grabbing me before I drop and wrenching me from the car.

Dazed and injured, I struggle against the man carrying me, but it hurts to breathe and I realize my ribs are likely broken. I just hope I haven't pierced my lung.

I stop fighting, trying to gather some strength and take in my surroundings. The light I saw must have been the bonfire being lit that now sits in the middle of this field in the middle of nowhere. I look around and realize this isn't just a few Lycans. There are at least a dozen. What the fuck are Roman and his alphas up to, letting a cluster of rogues grow to this size? Hunters are not the only ones who were meant to police the factions.

"Fancy trying to find dinner and stumbling across a Hunter, boys. The huntress must be with us tonight," the man roars, and the cluster roars back. Just what I need. To be dinner. A few more steps, and the man holding me drops me to the ground. I groan as my bones rattle on the impact.

I try to stand, managing to get to my feet. I rush the Lycan closest to me, grabbing the blade from my ankle to do as much damage as I can before I start to run.

Running from a cluster of rogue Lycans is probably the most idiotic thing I could do. They enjoy the hunt, the chase, just as much as the kill, but if I'm going to survive, I need to get the hell out of here.

So I run, my breaths stabbing with each lungful of air I suck down, but I push through it. I am miles from the edge of Salem's Bay, and there is no traffic on this road. Likely why the Lycans chose to set up camp here.

I tune into my hearing as I run, my eyes already scanning my surroundings, seeing further than I would usually to ensure I don't fall into any other traps. I hear them, so close behind me, so I push harder. Their speed typically is faster than mine, but not if they're not shifted, and the time it would take to shift would definitely give me a chance to get away. I just have to hope they don't contemplate the shift being worth it.

When lights appear in the distance, relief floods me, then a blade buries itself in my thigh and I fall to the ground. The Lycans get closer, and I try to stand again, but I can put no weight on that leg. Fuck.

A roar, louder than any I've heard tonight, cracks through the silence and I wince, but the rushing footsteps behind me slow to a stop. There’s a rustle in the grass in front of me when I see him.

Roman Knight.

He runs straight past me, half-turned, and barrels into the group behind me, quickly followed by two fully shifted wolves. Screams cry out behind me, and it takes everything inside me not to sob.

I put a leash on my emotions and shove them down as the screams and cries around me die.

The two shifted wolves appear at my sides, scenting me before howling.

"You're bleeding," Roman says roughly, kneeling beside me. He pulls the blade from my thigh and I clamp down on the scream that threatens. I hear more than see him take off his T-shirt and wrap it around my thigh. "It has not hit anything important, but it is deep. You will need to see a Witch."

---