Page 92 of The Secret of Pain

With every thrust inside me, he tells me a story. Of a man who loves a woman. Thrust.

Of a man who will die protecting the woman he loves.

Thrust in, pull out.

Of a man who would slay all others if his love is in danger.

Thrust in and…

“Fuck!” we both cry out as he fucks me to within an inch of my life.

When we both come down from our life-altering orgasm, he releases my wrists from their bonds and wraps my arms around his neck.

“I have lived without you for long enough, Remy. I do not know what I would do if something were to happen to you tonight, and I hadn’t at least tried to stop you.” The sincerity in his voice, a rare show of vulnerability, is like a knife to my heart. As much as being a Hunter is in my blood, being a protector is in his. I hurt him; I see that now.

“I’ll do my best to make sure nothing does, so long as you promise to do that again,” I tell him, resting my head on his shoulder as he lays us both down on the couch, a blanket suddenly covering us both.

“Deal,” he whispers, tightening his hold and placing a tender kiss on my forehead.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

After spending the day wrapped up in Roman, I’m sore in the best ways and I can still feel him on me, but now, I’m geared up and ready to go avenge my friends.

The faction has been able to pull so little information about what is going on, and how it’s staying so under wraps is beyond me—it has everyone more than a little on edge. What we did discover, thanks to Colt, is where the rogues disappeared to when they ran after the attack. A warehouse, so close to where we were that first night I went hunting with him and Creek. It feels like a lifetime ago.

I pace in the hall of my dad’s house while I wait for the others, with Creek watching me silently. Stillness is not something I feel right now. We’re meant to be meeting the others in less than ten minutes, and these guys are fucking around, making last minute changes, probably making sure to keep me on the sidelines as much as they can.

“Let’s go,” my dad’s voice booms as he storms from the kitchen. It’s so strange seeing him geared up. It’s not something I’ll ever get used to. Bauer and Colt follow him, so Creek and I bring up the rear, all piling into Bauer’s now-modified truck. He spent all day replacing the glass and paneling to essentially make this thing a tank. A bulletproof tank.

He starts it as we buckle up, and we head out in silence. We meet the others at the rendezvous with seconds to go, and then head up the envoy out of town. A few other Hunter families who were close by made it in time for the hunt, but fewer than Dad was hoping for.

Regardless, no one was willing to wait any longer.

The trip is silent, the tension so thick you could cut it with a knife. Creek takes my hand and squeezes it. I squeeze his back and give him a tight smile before I slip into that place inside me, the one where I’m not really myself. I haven’t dared reach into that pit of darkness before now, but not knowing what we’re facing, I brace myself for the fall into whoever that Remy is. The cold, calm brutality of the pit washes over me. My body stiffens, and emotion drains from me. The darkness passes us by, nothing but black, broken up by the light of the trucks.

We take a sharp turn, and we’re here. I climb from the truck and join with the others. We’re still about a mile from the warehouse but approaching on foot is more discreet.

“We had a chance to scope this place out a few weeks ago,” Colt says, his tone commanding, and it startles me that my carefree, cheeky brother is the same person in front of me. I guess I’m not the only one with darkness inside of them. He rolls out a blueprint of the warehouse on the hood of the car so that we can all see.

“Exits are here, here, and here. There are only a few windows, and I’m thinking they’re too high to assist anyone. However, there are three levels to the place, with stairwells here, here, and here. We’ll move in threes, with three people remaining outside should anyone try to bolt and in case anyone calls in the cavalry. Understood?”

He barks out commands, and people break off into groups, double-checking their gear before we start the hunt. I hear my name and pay attention.

“Remy, Creek, Bauer. You guys will take the back entrance that leads straight to a stairwell. Kody will cover the door.” I nod and take a deep breath. Creek and Bauer can look out for themselves; I have faith that everyone here can, but I still worry that not everyone is making it out of here.

“Let’s go!” We move as one, merging with the shadows, steps silent as we cross the distance to our objective. There’s no moon tonight, so the darkness is thick, and I’m grateful for enhanced Hunter eyesight. I can see just as clearly in the darkness as I can in the day.

Bauer taps my shoulder, and we branch off toward the back exit, following his lead. I only met Kody today; he’s not much older than me, but he seems like he’s a bit of a liability. I clear the thought from my mind and focus as the warehouse comes into view. I crouch beside Creek, hidden by the bushes that surround the warehouse, making sure the coast is clear.

I close my eyes and will my hearing to extend, but the warehouse seems silent, as if empty, or warded so that it seems that way. With no one in sight, Bauer motions for us to move closer. We reach the door, and he points to the rune symbol on the frame.

I was right, it’s been warded, which means there could be Witches here too. Just fucking great. What the hell is this?

Bauer looks at his watch, and as the hands move into place, we breach the door. No one waits on the other side, so we move in, like a well-oiled machine. Bauer takes the lead, gun at the ready, with Creek behind me. We move through the darkness as if we belong to it. Gunfire sounds in the distance, and I try not to let it in, to not think if that’s our shots or theirs. We reach the first floor, slowly entering the room that spans almost half of the entire warehouse. Once Bauer confirms it’s clear, we move in farther when the thud of footsteps race above us, rushing toward where we stand.

We separate, moving for cover, making sure to have eyes on the only other door in the space, the stairwell to the next floor.

Dracul and Lycans flood the space, and we move forward, diving into the onslaught. I lose track of the others as I work my way through the Lycans and Dracul. I hate to think how many Kody has had to deal with, but the bottleneck should help him.

---