Page 93 of The Secret of Pain

I pant as I shoot and slice, trying to clear the path, but it feels as if they’re never ending. How did so many of them congregate here without anyone knowing? I cut through the obstacles in front of me, not paying attention to the amount of blood covering me until I reach the stairway to the second floor. I look behind me and my eyes go wide.

Kain.

I rush to him, my heart racing. “Why are you here?” I ask, looking around to make sure Bauer doesn’t see him.

“I came to help, to keep you safe. I didn’t mean to come in here, but I smelled your blood, and getting to you overrode all sense,” he says, eyes taking me in.

“None of it is mine, well not much,” I say, and he loosens a little. “But you can’t be here.”

“Remy, be careful!” Bauer roars and runs toward us, the last of the rogues in the room put down. I spin to face him and move to cover Kain. Creek stares in horror as Bauer raises his gun.

“Bauer no!” I shout, but the gunshot rings out as I leap in front of Kain.

I hit the floor with a thud, Bauer still as a statue, looking at me like he doesn’t know who I am. “Run!” I tell Kain, who looks at me, pain and devastation covering his features, but he does as I ask and flashes away. I only hope he gets far from here, far from the Hunters who would end him without hesitation, as the burning in my chest grows.

“What the fuck was that?” Bauer roars as Creek appears at my side, applying pressure to the wound.

“We need to get the bullet out,” Creek says, panic lacing his words. I nod at him and bite down as he pulls out a knife, opening the wound and reaching in for the bullet. The pain overwhelms me, so much so that I nearly pass out, but I hold on, because fuck. Bauer.

“Bauer, you don’t understand,” I groan. “He’s not who you think he is.”

“He is the head of the fucking Dracul, Remy. He is our enemy, and you just stopped me from killing him. Do you know how fucking long we have been hunting him? And then he just shows his face here. He must be a part of this, why else would he be here!”

“He was here for me. To try and keep me safe. To help us.”

“You’re out of your goddamn mind.” He paces the space, gunfire still sounding in the distance, but I can tell he’s not focused on that anymore.

“Please, Bauer,” I rasp, as Creek lifts my top to put a tourniquet bandage on the wound until I can get back to a Witch.

“You fucking betrayed us, Remy! How could you?!” He storms off up the stairs to the second floor, and a tear runs down my face.

“It’s going to be okay, Remy.” Creek tries to soothe me and scoops me up into his arms. I don’t say a word and let the tears fall, because I know he doesn’t believe his words any more than I do.

* * *

Creek carries me from the warehouse and back to the trucks, where we left Marie and Fallon. Fallon rushes to me as Creek explains what happened. I stay silent, unable to say a word, because I know that everything is going to change.

“Oh, Remy,” she gushes as Creek places me on the ground. He removes the bandage while she goes to work healing the hole in my chest. They talk above me, but I don’t hear their words, lost inside my own mind. Memories flash in my head, this life merging with past ones. My mom’s face front and center, soft, as if she stands before me, knowing the truth and understanding.

But my brother, the others, they will never forgive me. Even Colt, with his obvious love for Fallon, will not forgive this, because they don’t know what I do. They wouldn’t believe me if I had the truth to give them. I know it, and that’s why I haven’t tried before. Because even when faced with the truth, my family wouldn’t believe it. They’d cast me out before they believed their way of life to be wrong.

Fallon’s hands lift from my chest. Having barely felt the searing heat of the healing, I sit up and rest my back against the truck.

Waiting.

Waiting for them to come back, and for my world to implode.

The smallest thread of hope stays that maybe Bauer won’t say anything. Maybe he’ll cool down and speak to me first.

But when I see my dad walking toward me, covered in blood, Bauer at his side and Colt on the other helping Nate to walk, I know that it’s too late.

I stand to face them, Creek rushing to his dad. I watch as he pleads with his dad, but Nate’s face falls before hardening, and he shakes his head at him.

My dad reaches me and slaps me around the face so hard I fall to the ground.

“You are no daughter of mine. You betrayed your family, your faction, with your actions. You are a disgrace to the Hunter name.” He spits at my feet and I wince.

“Denny,” Marie starts, but he silences her with a look. “Place the traitor under arrest. She will face the Elders for her actions.” He turns and walks away from me without a backward glance. I look at Bauer who looks as sad as he is angry, but he turns and follows my dad.

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