Page 120 of Huntress

Perrie launched into an explanation of the village and everything they’d seen, done, and experienced. “You’d have hated it, Mar. Demons were walking around freely with the humans, and everyone acted like it was normal. We were even interrupted while shopping by a raccoon demon just sauntering in to buy some clothes!”

Elsie finished up and toweled off around the corner, glad they’d moved off the subject of Saint. She wrapped her hair in a towel and got into her pajamas.

“Goodnight, ladies!” she called, receiving the same three times over.

Saint had already left for his own shower by the time she got back. She put her things away and took a book from her go-bag. She rarely got to read when out on missions, but if they had to be back by dark each night, she might be able to finish this one during their stay.

He came in quietly when he returned, curls still damp. He’d left his hair down to dry, and it framed his face, the color highlighting his long lashes. Elsie paused in her reading to watch him move around, neatly folding the clothes she’d made him. When he finished, he pulled his cot away from the wall, pushing it over until it came flush against her bed.

“What are you doing?”

“You wanted me to be comfortable.” He shrugged.

“I was talking about my squad, and you know it.”

“Why shouldn’t I be comfortable with you, instead?” He rolled out his sleeping bag, then lay on top of it on his back, staring up at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. “Don’t worry, Mistress. I’ll be a good boy.”

She considered telling him about Riven, but decided it was none of her business. The mage was offering him a safe way out, and she wouldn’t begrudge him the opportunity if he chose to take it. Though she would rather that he didn’t.

They spent the entirety of the next day clearing out the remaining underbrush within the barrier. It was a wider and deeper swathe of land than Elsie had expected. Saint kept wandering around in his hound form while they worked, and at lunchtime he came and dropped a small creature in her lap.

It screeched and tried scrambling away, but Elsie snatched it up. A sharp, needle-like pain hit her thumb, and she hissed. “It bit me.”

Saint growled, flopping to his belly and shoving his face as close to her as he could without touching her.

“What is it?” Morgan asked as he and Grady crowded in to get a look.

Elsie opened her hand, ready to catch the little beast if it tried to get away. The creature was the size of a mouse, with tiny antlers and cloven hooves; it looked like a miniature deer, with the iridescent wings and multifaceted red eyes of a biting fly. The tiny beast had sharp teeth and a stinger at the end of its tail.

“What the hell is that?!” Elsie yelped. “It’s so cute!”

Perrie and Riven rushed over to see what the fuss was about.

“Oh my gosh, I want one!” Perrie squealed. “Can I hold it?!”

“Careful, it bites.” Elsie passed the demon off, putting her thumb in her mouth to suck off the blood.

“It’s a deerfly,” Riven giggled as Perrie shoved it into her hands after getting bitten.

“I guess we know what you were seeing.” Marley stared at the little creature with distaste. “There’s probably more of them.”

“Girls, go release it on the other side of the barrier and come back to finish lunch,” Elsie ordered.

“Yes, boss.”

They found three more deerflies before wrapping up for the day, each one a different color and pattern, eliciting more squeals of excitement from the girls. Even Banks and Trenton took turns holding the little creatures before setting them free.

Grady took the last one, cupping it carefully in his huge hands to keep it safe. He was the only person in the squad to successfully hold one without getting bitten.

Shortly before they finished, Elsie spotted Riven trying to approach Saint, but the hound curled his lip and stalked away. The mage was undeterred. She tried three times the next day, and the demon spurned her every attempt.

Each night they returned to the barracks, ate dinner with Tallow’s hunters, then took showers and went to bed. Saint lay quietly next to her, watching her read with a soft expression. An insurmountable distance stretched between them, though he was less than two feet away.

On the third day, Riven wouldn’t be deterred. She waited for Saint to change back to his human form during lunch, cornering him before he glued himself to Elsie’s side. Marley elbowed Elsie, nodding in their direction as the mage dragged the demon behind a stand of trees they hadn’t taken down yet.

“Good luck,” Marley whispered, bumping Elsie’s elbow.

Elsie focused on her MRE, the packaged food like mud in her mouth. Before long, Saint plopped down next to her, a deep scowl on his face. A faint irritation floated along their bond, and he refused to look at her, but all she felt was relief.