Page 29 of The Secret of Pain

I look around the room at the bewildered looks of my family. Of course, I get to be the weirdo among the freaking monster Hunters.

"It was the power of the Angel. Apparently, Remington here was Angel-blessed in one of her past lives, and because the flood of memories was more than I have ever known, possibly because of her age span, the Angel’s protection kicked in to keep her safe."

The others in the room all look at me, a mixture of shock and awe, with a hint of suspicion from some of the Elders too.

"Angel-blessed? Well, I'll be damned." Dad’s voice echoes across the room, and I look at him as I slip the robe back on from where it was pooled on the floor.

"Erm, are you sure it worked properly? I don't feel any different," I say quietly to Ben as I help him stand.

"Yes dear, it went almost exactly as planned. It will take a few days, and then all that was restored today will become a part of you fully. You may feel a little disoriented for a few days, so I suggest resting. But, let me be the first to say, welcome to our faction." He bows slightly and I cringe a little, trying not to let it show because why the hell would he bow?

"Thank you," I say to him before turning to my dad, who has moved to stand at my back.

"Thank you, all of you, for receiving us, and so quickly," he says, meeting each of the Elders’ eyes.

"You are welcome," Ben tells him with a warm smile, and I feel my dad’s hand settle on my shoulder.

"Let’s get you dressed, Remy, and then we can head back to the house." His gruff voice reassures me, he's still my dad, I'm still me, even with everything. I nod and walk from the room, leaving behind the noise of chatter that starts as I leave.

Hurrying into the room I was in before, I discard the robe and throw on my jeans, T-shirt, and chucks, slinging my jacket over my shoulder, and hauling ass out the way we came in. I don't want to be here longer than I have to be. This place creeps me out… a lot.

"Where you running to?" Creek calls out behind me as I reach the stairs to climb out of here.

"I need some air, you coming?"

He nods and jogs toward me, joining me as I almost run up the stairs, pushing open the heavy door with a thud. I suck in deep breaths of the fresh air and just breathe until my heart stops racing.

"Well, you just always have to outdo us all, don't you?" Creek teases, nudging me with his shoulder.

"What can I say, I'm just that awesome." I laugh and walk toward the car. "I suppose everyone’s going to want to know about the Angel-blessed thing, huh?"

"You could say that." He laughs. "I've never, in all my lives, heard of anyone being Angel-blessed, so I'm going to guess that, yes, people are going to have questions." I groan and he laughs again as he climbs into his truck.

"Want to grab donuts and coffee on the way back? Give yourself some more time and a little space, before the madness at your dad’s begins?"

"Yes, hell freaking yes. You are a godsend, Creek Winchester!"

"Technically, Angel sent, but eh, details." He laughs, and I shove him playfully. "Buckle up, Angel-girl. Donuts are calling to me!"

* * *

We pull up my dad’s driveway and I groan. I might have just shoveled my way through three raspberry glazed donuts, and I'm not even a little guilty about it, but my stomach is now so bloated that I feel like I need to unbutton my jeans.

"I told you that you shouldn't have eaten that last one," Creek gloats, and I just give him the bird.

"You don't get to donut-shame me. I needed them. Every single one." He laughs and shakes his head at me before his face turns serious.

"How is your head? Has anything filtered through yet?" he asks, almost eagerly, and I hate to disappoint him, but I shake my head.

"Other than the itching on the back of my neck, I don't feel any different at all really." I shrug, unsure if this is a bad thing or not.

"Let me see your neck?" he asks, so I unbuckle as we pull to a stop and turn in the seat, lifting my hair off the back of my neck, and he gasps.

"Holy shit, Remy. You're marked by Leviathan," he says, the awe in his voice startling me. "Your Angel mark is bigger than usual, it goes down under your top, but sitting above the Hunter’s usual marking, is Leviathan’s sigil. I'm going to take a stab in the dark and say that's who blessed you, and holy shit."

"Who the hell is Leviathan?" I ask, dropping my hair back into place.

"We should go inside, your dad will know more than I do," he says before jumping out of the truck and grabbing the boxes of donuts from the back seat. I sigh, because that isn't what I wanted to hear, and I'm sure that when my memories come back, I'll know who the bloody hell Leviathan is, but for now I'm clueless. Climbing out of the truck, I try not to scratch the itch at the back of my neck, which has started to descend over my shoulder. Shaking it off, I close the door and follow Creek across the drive, where I can already hear voices from the back of the house.

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