Page 31 of Hunted in the Shadows
“How many times have you been here?” Sylvia asked, shifting carefully into the light.
“Too many to count,” I said. “Tammy had us spend three months training at the outpost when we first hit the road, too.”
“Your mentor, right?” Sylvia asked. “She was a hunter, too?”
“Yeah—and more vicious than you’d think for a mom of four,” Cliff said. “Tammy put us on the right track bringing us here, but it was three months of hell.”
“It’s kind of a baptism by blood,” I tacked on. “She rented us a room from the marshal at the time, and had us in the Pit four days a week for hours, putting us against practice targets.”
Sylvia’s brows knit together. “Monsters. Your mentor threw you in a cage with—”
“Weakenedmonsters,” I cut in. “But yeah. It’s where a lot of recruits figure out if they’re cut out for this. Nearly broke my nose in my first wraith fight with the other newbloods, but… We pulled through. Tammy was a good coach. A good friend when the rest of the world had turned their back on us. She got us on our feet until she was satisfied we wouldn’t get killed the moment we walked into the next demented spirit. When she left, we started branching out.”
Sylvia nodded like she was adjusting to a sour taste in her mouth. “Like training an affinity. Do all hunters end up learning here?”
“Not all, but many.”
She frowned, looking between us. “What happens to those who don’t cut it?”
I shrugged. “Some become cleaners. Hunters pay them to ensure no trace is left after a particularly gruesome hunt—especially when working with covens or packs.”
“And… the ones who don’t make it as hunters or cleaners?” Sylvia pried.
“We’ve got archivists and medics, but…” I gave her a hard look. “Some guys don’t make it out of that first fight at the outpost at all. It’s not a perfect system.”
Sylvia swallowed, nodding with grim understanding.
“It’s not just training, though. It’s a community, you know?” Cliff said, taking a pull from his beer. “Even if half the guys are assholes, there’s some good people too. Real hero material.”
“Exceptyou,” Sylvia teased.
“Watch it. I actually met the best lay of my life around these parts, so I can’t knock it entirely.”
My insides soured, but I tried to keep my expression neutral. “You can’t mean Gwen,” I said.
Cliff shrugged, but there was no mistaking that wistful gaze washing over him. He wore it only forher, as long as I’d known him.
I softened my next words with a dry chuckle. “I think you’re forgetting how you two ended up screaming at each other at least twice a week towards the end.”
“Yeah. We broke up at least a dozen times in this place,” Cliff said, glancing around the diner with a fond look.
“Was she a hunter, too?” Sylvia asked.
“A damn good one.” Cliff’s eyes went distant. “A good fucking shot.Almostas good as me.”
“I’ve got the scar to prove it,” I muttered.
“Hey, it was a misunderstanding,” Cliff said.
Sylvia huffed at that, but her smile was teasing. “A good shot. No wonder you had it bad for her.”
“For a while,” Cliff said, shrugging.
“Wait, didsheend it?” Sylvia’s jaw dropped. “Okay, whose heart do I have to freeze? Say the word.” She slammed her palm on the table, sending a delicate line of frost toward Cliff. He seized his beer before the spell could touch it.
“Killing, Sylv? Don’t you think that’s a little extreme?” Cliff shot her a scathing look for all of five seconds that had her stammering before he broke into a wide smile. “I’m just kidding.”
They shared a laugh, and I found myself chuckling along with them.
