Page 144 of Huntress

“They might barter for a song if there were any, but there aren’t. Sit still for a second and listen closely to what’s around us, then tell me if you can feel any magic that doesn’t belong to us and the land.”

Elsie bit her lower lip and closed her eyes, doing as he asked, but no matter how hard she concentrated, she felt nothing. She pouted. “Where are all the magical creatures?”

“Anywhere but here. We’re too close to the compound. Too many hunters have congregated nearby, and no magical being would be dumb enough to come close. Not even upper-class demons are safe with those numbers.”

The sadness that haunted his dreams reflected in his eyes, and Elsie touched his face. They’d been together for nearly a year, and he hadn’t yet spoken in detail about what had happened to his family. The nightmares no longer came every night, but often enough. The trauma of what he’d been forced to witness would stay with him for the rest of his long life.

“I’ll kill Cornick for you. I’ll do it the next time I see him,” she vowed.

She was so earnest that he let out a throaty laugh. “I’m sure you would, but don’t go killing anyone important until our exit strategy is planned. Besides, we already agreed that I get to kill him. Where are your boots?”

She frowned, looking down at her feet. She’d entirely forgotten that she’d taken them off. “I’m not sure. Come with me, you’ll feel better, trust me.”

He let her lead him to the water, then splashed in after her. Elsie put her hands in the stream, long blue hair drifting in the current, and closed her eyes. Saint watched a gentle smile tug at her lips as she crouched down, uncaring that she was soaked.

She had a hard time focusing on anything for long, but her movements held a calm, steady strength. Underneath the childlike wonder on her face was investigative curiosity. Her world had been remade anew, and she faced the changes head-on with a boldness he found endearing.

“Your fae blood hasn’t just awakened, your two halves have integrated. You’re glowing, Mistress. There are subtle changes in your face, too.” His fingers traced her more angular jaw, then her heightened cheekbones. Even the blue in her hair had gained depth, with lighter and darker strands sprinkled throughout, like starlight. “It gives you a half-feral touch.”

“Do you like it?” she asked, self-conscious for the first time. Elsie never worried about her appearance unless hard work was threatening the curves she loved so much.

“All the beauty you already had has been enhanced. Like you’ve become a fierce and ethereal warrior queen. You’re stunning.”

“Me?” She laughed, her voice husky as she caught his gaze. “The light in your eyes, the smoothness of your skin? I’ve always thought of you as perfection, but it’s like I’m seeing you clearly for the first time, and I can’t look away.

Elsie stood, took his warm, dry hand, and lifted it to her mouth again. She held his gaze as she kissed his palm. She nuzzled the pulse point in his wrist, breathing him in.

“Have you always smelled like that?” she moaned.

“Like what?” he asked, lightly amused. Elsie thought about it for a moment, touching the tip of her tongue to his wrist as she kissed it.

“Like an invitation. Like…” She floundered until she had the right words. “Comfort, and the forest in spring, fresh after the rain. Like, you.”

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, rising up on tiptoe to bury her face in the crook of his neck. “Gods Saint, I want to be surrounded by your scent.”

“It’s lucky you feel that way. Pretty much everything you own already has my scent on it,” he chuckled, not caring at all that she was dripping all over him. “Me too, though. I catch your scent many times each day, even when you’re not with me. It helps me get through it, especially when there are strangers around.”

“I hate that you’re in a place of forced helplessness because of me. You’re stronger than anyone in the compound, they wouldn’t be able to lay a finger on you if you fought back. It’s giving them falsely inflated egos.” A fiery look came to her eyes. “I’ll cut off the hand of anyone who harms you.”

“That helps, too.”

“When we leave the hunters, you’ll never be alone again. You can always be by my side, and I won’t let anyone hurt you. They’d be crazy to come after us, don’t you think?” She squeezed him tighter.

“You’re speaking awfully boldly today. I think you’re a little drunk on sensory overload,” he teased. “When we leave here, I’ll be the one protecting you. Out in the real world, away from all the damned rules your people live by, I don’t have to hold back.”

“Now who’s bold? They’re not my people, Saint, you are. Riven, too, I like her.”

“Maybe the rest of the hunters aren’t, but your squad members are definitely your people,” he disagreed.

“They used to be, but I’m not sure about it anymore. They’re slipping a little further away with each mission. I wouldn’t be surprised if Perrie decides to go back to her coven soon. She’s unhappy, and she’s even started pulling away from Morgan. It’s been over two years since she joined my squad, and no matter how much she wants it to happen, no bond has formed with him.”

“Mistress, you'd have to pry those people away from you with a crowbar,” Saint said. “They practically worship you.”

“It makes sense, I am a demigoddess,” she laughed. Without her ethereal magic, that title was as useless as Cornick calling her a reaper.

“I’ve got a front-row seat to watch you grow into the role.”

A stick snapped in the woods, and Elsie whipped her head around in its direction, gripping Saint tight. The blood drained from her face, and her body went stiff.