Page 126 of Huntress

They arrived at camp and checked their gear, assuring themselves that nothing had been tampered with in their absence.

“We’ll spend the night here,” Elsie decided. “There’s no one out here to stop us from taking the rest of the day off.”

“Nice,” Trenton approved. She’d half expected him to run back to the creek they’d crossed a few miles back for a bath, but he stayed close, never letting her out of his sight.

She didn’t push them on the hike back to Foundry, a nest full of metal workers in Colony Four. They had enough provisions to last, and even if they hadn’t, they knew which plants to forage for a meal. It would take them two more nights of hiking to reach the nest.

Feeling eyes on her while they descended yet another rocky hill, Elsie glanced over to find Saint watching her, a studious expression on his face. He stayed within inches of her, close enough that the backs of their hands would brush against each other if they weren’t careful. Her demon was touch-starved, but under Trenton’s watchful eye, she couldn’t help ease the anxiety it caused.

Saint had slipped into his partial demon form, dog ears peeking out of the mass of curls atop his head, and a long, fringed tail dropped from the base of his spine. He kept himself between her and Trenton, acting like a big, jealous dog, territorial over his master.

They hadn’t had a moment alone since starting this mission, and Trenton insisted on staying so close that she hadn’t heard Saint’s voice in a week. She missed his smooth, deep tones, but more than that, she missed time alone with him. Her chest panged with a sweet ache, quickly followed by a craving in her belly that had the demon shooting her a long, heated look.

The sun was setting when they slipped through Foundry’s barrier. They walked among the darkened storefronts for several forges and smithies, treasures in every window.

“We have to visit in the morning.” Elsie stared at a particularly eye-catching knife that would fit perfectly in Marley’s hand.

“What time are you thinking of leaving?” Trenton asked.

“Noon sounds good to me,” Elsie said, fully intending to sleep in. “You wanna clean up and grab dinner?”

He shook his head. “I’m going to clean up and sleep.”

They hunted down Foundry’s squad leader to report their return and received keys to three rooms in the officer’s quarters. The man’s cool attitude toward them made sense. They’d arrived and left immediately, doing no more than alerting him of their presence before disappearing into the woods.

The local hunters didn’t have high enough clearance to know why Elsie’s group was there. Their only orders were to give their guests exceptional hospitality during their brief stay.

Trenton took the first room and disappeared inside. Elsie let out a big sigh of relief and turned to her demon. Handing him his key, she used hers to unlock the door next to Trenton’s.

“You should enjoy having a real bed for once,” she said when he gave her a disgruntled frown. Lowering her voice, she added, “I can’t exactly ask them to bring in a cot, they’d be way too suspicious.”

She opened her door, and he followed her in, closing it behind himself. Elsie tossed her bag on the floor and almost bumped her nose into his chest when she turned around. Saint caged her in, backing her up to press his palms to the wall on either side of her.

She leaned against the wall and stared up at him, unsurprised.

“Don’t send me away, I’ll sleep on the floor. It won’t bother me in my hound form.”

His voice teased along her nerves, and Elsie scrambled to close her end of their bond, but it was too late. His eyes darkened, and he froze, awaiting permission.

“May I touch you, Mistress?” he asked, his voice breathy, pupils blown wide.

“Ye– Wait, no!”

His hand was already halfway to her waist. He froze, ears flattening against his head. “Why not?”

‘Because I crave you too much and once you start, I won’t be able to make you stop,’ she thought, flattening her palms against the wall.

“Because we’ve been in the field for days,” she said out loud. “I’m filthy, you’re filthy, and I want clean clothes. Shower first, then dinner. Besides, I can feel how hungry you are.”

“I prefer your scent over any other,” his voice dropped to a deep rumble, “and it’s not food I’m hungry for.”

She gave his chest a gentle push. He backed up, but his hand covered hers, pulling her with him. Capturing it, he raised her hand to his lips, gently kissing Elsie’s leather-clad fingertips while holding her gaze with brightly glittering eyes.

“Be good,” she whispered.

He sighed heavily and let her go. He walked out, leaving frustration and barely contained lust thrumming through their bond. The door clicked behind him, and she groaned. They teetered on the edge of her willpower and his obedience. If he pushed back even once…

Gods, this was exactly what she’d been afraid of. It got a little harder to keep herself from him with each passing day. Saint was a drug, always demanding that she take a little more to feed the heathen inside of her that was never satisfied.