The Order of Huntsmen

Secrets Never Stay Secret

When I opened my eyes, I was assaulted with blinding white light. I had to fight the urge to scream. I gripped my fear tightly and shoved it down, focusing my senses. I gave myself a few seconds to adjust to the blinding lights pouring down on me. I rolled my head to the side and saw Andrew, asleep, with a bandage secured to his temple. He looked peaceful in a way. He was dressed in a hospital gown, covered in soft blankets.

I sat up, cringing at the soreness in my muscles. I was dressed in the same gown as Andrew. I ran my hands down my gown and sighed. I didn't need to guess to know where I was. I looked over at the wall between Andrew and I's beds, scanning over the buttons. When I found the one I was looking for, I leaned over and pressed it, causing a small light on the panel to brighten.

It took only a minute for a nurse to rush in. He caught my eye and back peddled. "Wait!" I called after him as he ran down the hall. I was a bit hurt by that. The fear in his eyes was strong.

I heard heavy footsteps coming down the hall. Ashton burst into the room, panting hard. I wasn't sure what was so pressing to make him run to me. Seeing him was overwhelming. I felt the emotions welling up and said, "Ashton?"

He perked up, still breathing hard. "Yeah?"

My lip wobbled. "Is it weird to ask for a hug?"

Ashton didn't hesitate. He sped to the bedside and sat on the edge as he wrapped his arms around me. I smashed my face into his shoulder. He rubbed his hands comfortingly across my back as I sniffled. As much as my eyes watered, tears never fell. A shiver ran up my spine as I remembered the last time I was in a hospital bed, with startling clarity. It unnerved me how similar that event was to now. Except, I wasn't the one walking away with a scar. I didn't think I would forgive myself for that.

I chuckled morosely against Ashton's suit coat. "I'm a pretty shitty hunter, aren't I?"

Ashton continued to rub my back. "What makes you say that?"

"Hunters are supposed to protect people, right? I fucked that up real good." I chuckled again, but there was no humor behind it.

"Oh hush. He'll be fine." Ashton didn't sound nearly as disappointed as I thought he should.

"And I'm glad for that, but that doesn't change what happened. I panicked, and someone got hurt because of it. I should've seen it coming. It never should've gotten that close to begin with." Maybe I'm not cut out for this. I didn't voice the last thought. Ashton would've likely spent the next thirty minutes on a lecture about self worth.

"Training and experience aren't the same thing, kid. Nothing can prepare you for a genuine threat. It was the first time you'd been put in that situation. No one is expecting you to be Bruce Lee."

Dread rushed through the pit of my stomach. "But it wasn't the first time," I muttered.

Ashton's hands abruptly stopped moving. He moved after a long tense moment to wrap me into a tight hug. "That wasn't the same thing, Orion."

"Okay," I whispered. I didn't believe it.

After a few minutes spent in silence. Ashton sighed and leaned back. As I sat up, I watched Ashton run a hand through his hair. I'd never seen such dark bags under his eyes before. Ashton cleared his throat and turned to face me more on the bed. "I know tonight was a shit show, but are you alright to talk about something serious?"

"Of course," I said, doing my best not to sound offended by the implication.

Ashton's eyes flicked over to Andrew, who still hadn't moved. He nodded lightly to himself before he turned his full attention to me. "Tonight was bad."