The Beauty in Pain | Book One of In Pain Trilogy *EDITING*

34. Return

"And you didn't go with them?"

"I had to stay and continue looking for you."

"You ... you stayed behind just for me?" She didn't know if she should hug him or knock him upside the head. "Hale, are you crazy?"

"Maybe." He shrugged but his wide and happy grin was too much for her to be mad for long. She sighed.

"Hale, you should have gone with them. I could have caught up later."

"And leave you to fend for yourself?" Hale grabbed her hand, shaking his head vigorously. "I could never do that to you."

Mynera withdrew her hand, holding back the urge to roll her eyes in annoyance. She was beginning to grow confused as to why she hadn't grown use to those narrow-minded comments. "I can take care of myself, Hale."

"Anyhow, you're here now and so we can leave. If we leave now, we might be able to find some clue as to which route they took."

"Before we do that, there's someone you need to meet."

Confusion mapped unto his face. Mynera took his hand, guiding him past the gate of the inn and out of the city. Hale followed silently behind, which she was glad for since she didn't think she would have been able to answer any question he might have. Reginald would be able to do that just fine. She just hoped seeing the vampire didn't scare the life out of him.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked finally. She bit her bottom lip.

"Just wait. You'll have all your answers soon." And by soon, Mynera meant the next few seconds because she could spot Reginald's glowing red eyes and Lute's shining golden ones just up ahead, looming behind the dark forest.

Hale must have seen them too, because he hesitated, stopping in his tracks. Mynera pulled him forward, but it was harder this time, since suspicion and slight fear was coming in to replace the previous confusion.

"What is that?" he murmured, trying to tug his hand away from hers. She let him go, but only because they had arrived.

"Hale, I'd like you to meet some people."

Mynera stopped and turned, facing the blond, hairy man. Hale's eyes shifted from her, to the eyes, to her, to the eyes. Back and forth, back and forth. Suspicion, confusion, discomfort, and fear of the unknown radiating off him until she could bear it no longer. So she held out her hand, introducing her first partner.

"Hale, I'd like you to meet Reginald, leader of a group of vampires."

Reginald stepped out of the darkness, his red eyes finally matching a face. Hale's eyes grew so wide, whether at Mynera's announcement or at Reginald himself, or at both, she wasn't sure. But, she didn't give him any time to freak out.

"And this is Lute, pack leader of a group of lycanthropes."

Hale's frantic eyes shifted over to Lute when he stepped out of the darkness. Unlike Reginald's calm expression, Lute looked angry and mean, a face Mynera was beginning to think was just simply a part of him. Still, she wished he would smile or do something else with his face to put Hale at ease.

In fact, looking at Hale, Mynera saw that he was so scared, it was as if words had escaped him. He just stood there with wide eyes, shaking legs and a mouth that kept opening and closing, as if he wanted to say something but then decided against it.

"I think you broke your friend," Lute growled at her.

Mynera sighed. "He's just overwhelmed and a little scared, that's all. I don't blame him."

She walked up to Hale, taking his hand. "Hale," she called, placing her other hand on his cheek and bringing his face down to look at her. "It's alright. They're our allies. They won't hurt you."

Hale's hand continued shaking in hers, but he managed to say, "A-allies?"

"Yes, human. Allies." Reginald's face held nothing as he spoke. "We have join forces with Lady Mynera in order to secure our freedom and a place in this world."

"Freedom?"

"We have been living in a secure refuge for a century," Lute said. "We're sick of it. We don't want to be outcasts anymore. We don't want to be scared anymore. We want to be free."

"And so," Reginald continued. "When Lady Mynera proposed that we join her army to take back the throne and in exchange we get our freedom, we accepted."

"W-what?" Hale looked at her, his hand tightening even more around hers. "You told them you would secure their freedom?"

"Yes, Hale. We can't go up against Lord Gavin on our own, Hale, you know that. I saw this as an opportunity to get what we want and to let them have what they want too. A win-win situation."

"You - !" He broke off, taking in a deep breath to contain himself. "Excuse me. I'd like to talk to her alone."

"Take your time." Reginald, ever the polite one, touched Lute and together they headed back into the forest to give them some privacy.

Mynera's thumbnail began rubbing itself hard against her finger. Here it comes. No doubt he was about to lace into her about how stupid this was and how she could have been killed and that she coudln't trust them. He may just be the watered down version of the wrath that Saenar would unleash on her, but he was still pretty bad. She wished Reginald and Lute didn't leave. She didn't want to be alone to hear what he had to say. And besides, it didn't make much sense to send them away since they could hear what they were saying from the distance anyway. It would have been comforting to have someone nearby.

"Are you out of your goddamn mind?!"

"There's really no need to shout, Hale."

"There apparently is since shouting just might be the only way you get some sense! What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't thinking at the time. But, all said and done, it's a good plan."

"A good plan?! You think it's a good plan to partner up with vampires and lycanthropes to take back the throne?! For all we know, these could be blood thirsty killers!"

"They've changed, Hale."

"How would you know that? They could just be using you to get back out there. I mean, after a century in solitude, it sounds pretty logical!"

"They aren't using me, Hale."

"Where did they even come from? I thought they all died during the Puritans War."

"I thought so too before I saw them for myself. They escaped and has been living in solitude since then."

"How ... how did you even meet them?"

This was the part she didn't want to disclose. How was she supposed to tell him that one of Reginald's vampires tried to kill her and when Reginald found out, he took her to his refuge to make sure she kept her mouth shut about their existence and what happened to her? That would only serve to make him even more wary about them and without trust, was any of this possible? So she just lied. "I was walking in the forest after an argument with Saenar and I ran into one of Reginald's vampires."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"And what? You followed him home?"

"Yes. Of course, I was just as freaked out as you are right now but then I saw the opportunity so I said, why not?"

He sighed, running his hand over his bearded face. "You're something else, you know that right?"

"I know. And I'm pretty sure you know that I'm going through with this whether or not you, or anyone else, approve."

"I know, I know." He sighed again. "This is dangerous, Mynera."

Mynera grinned. One onboard, three more to go. "Glad you could join us."