Page 11 of Huntress

“The hound? I think you’ve lost your damned mind! Bringing a demon like that into a training compound and stuffing the stands with recruits, then making me fight him in this condition?! No sleep, and a fucking knife? It was reckless and irresponsible, sir.”

Cornick’s expression fell.

“Cornick and Mordane thought that experiencing what he’s capable of would show you that he’s an asset,” Albright said, a little grin at the corner of his mouth.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.

“Since he is a gift from me to you, I wanted your first encounter to hammer home for the beast who’s in charge. After reading up on your history, I had full confidence you would be able to put him in his place. Consider the beast a token of my goodwill, a congratulations for your promotion, and hopefully the start of our working relationship,” Cornick said. His smooth voice did nothing to hide the threatening undercurrent in his tone.

A smile touched his thin lips, but it didn’t magically transform his face into something beautiful, or make him seem any more friendly than before. Instead, it felt like a maniac finally showing his hand.

Elsie had to force herself to turn away from Cornick, who she was now absolutely certain was a threat. She stood, but even then they towered over her.

“I don’t want him.”

“Oh, come now, Elspeth, don’t be like that. Every reaper needs her companion. As I understand it, your sisters work closely with theirs.” General Mordane motioned toward the barn. Elsie stared at Mordane with growing horror. He was on Cornick’s side.

“You can’t seriously be saying you want that thing skulking around the compound? Besides, that’s not how a companion relationship works. It can’t be forced–”

“Of course it can! Unfortunately, I couldn’t find you a proper hellhound, but if you play your cards right, I’ll get you an upgrade once we’re able. You’ve seen how fierce he is. He’s strong enough to engage the most dangerous demons out there. Train him right, and he’ll be a loyal and useful beast until the end of his days. A proper companion for our first reaper!” Cornick flashed that smile at her again.

Their first reaper. How many were they planning on recruiting? Did Cornick think her mother would allow it? Santa Muerte might be too distracted right now, but eventually they’d pay the price.

The way he spoke as though the wolfhound was some sort of starter companion crawled under her skin like a dozen slimy worms. The wolfhound was an appetizer. A prelude to a juicier prize if she was a good, obedient little reaper.

“You can’t force me to accept him,” she said. “You can’t use a living creature as currency to force me to do your bidding. I don’t belong to any of you.”

Elsie tore open her locker, snatched up a fresh pair of gloves, then turned on her heels and strode out the door, slamming it behind her. She was hit by a blast of wind, and cold drops of rain pelted her face. A storm was rolling in; the tenacity of nature perfectly matching her mood. She barely finished a settling breath when she heard the thud of metal on flesh, and the slick shift of paws in the mud.

Not twenty feet away, the beast master loomed over the hound. Clairemont held a leash in one hand, the electric prod in the other, and he brutally jabbed at the demon’s face.

The massive, dangerously powerful demon hunched over with his ears pinned back, eyes wide with fear, and tail tucked between his legs. All the strength he’d shown in the arena was gone; he was terrified of a human monster with a stick, just as he’d been trained.

“Fuck,” Elsie hissed, pulling on her gloves.

Here she stood, face to face with the consequences of her actions. She’d known exactly what would happen to this demon if she couldn’t finish him off. She’d foreseen it. If only Albright had given her time to grab her sword instead of that damned knife.

Clairemont’s arm drew back, and he struck the demon again. The electric pulse was loud to her ears, even with the wind blowing. This time, the quietest of whines reached across the space between them. Already injured and exhausted from their fight, there was no way he’d done anything to deserve this punishment. The beastmaster was out of line.

She moved before she’d even made up her mind. Before she could remind herself why she should walk away, before overthinking her actions in accepting this…gift.

Yanking the prod out of the beastmaster’s hand, she whirled it at him, striking him in the face before throwing it to the ground. Clairemont gaped like a fish, backpedaling out of her reach.

“How dare you interfere! This is how he’s been trained. He’ll never listen to you if you’re soft on him.” He reached up to wipe the blood from his nose, eyes darkening with fury. “You’re going to regret that, cunt.”

Elsie leaned in close, ignoring the foul stench of his breath. She grabbed the leash still gripped in his hand and pulled it free.

“Go run to Mordane, tell him what a horrible bitch I am. He’ll probably agree with you. Tell him my only regret is not knocking out a few of your teeth. This demon is no longer yours to torment. He belongs to me now, and you’ll never put your filthy hands on him again, understand?”

The demon stayed in his cowed position, eyeing her warily.

“Captain, are you serious?!” Marley gasped. The healer had run after her in time to witness Elsie’s demand for custody of the demon. Too focused on Clairemont, Elsie ignored her.

“I said, do you understand?”

“Yes, Captain,” Clairemont glowered.

Cornick and Mordane appeared behind her healer, and Elsie threw them a hard look, noting the smug expression on Cornick’s face. She’d just made a huge mistake.