Page 181 of Huntress

“That squad captain was on a power trip with those rabbits. Morgan forgot one detail about them, by the way. They weren’t the big hares capable of breaking a bone if cornered and frightened. They weren’t the big fucker jack rabbits that stand taller than Grady when threatened. They were lop-ears. Small, timid, and gentle. I’m not sorry that I refused to punish a woman for having a set of morals she wouldn’t break.”

“Morgan, you were up there with me, be honest. You know Angela and Tommy are a perfect fit for Frost Hollow. They’ll fit right in, and her way of thinking won’t cause problems for anyone. I don’t see why it’s such a problem. We can relocate problem demons but not hunters that don’t quite fit?”

Perrie worried at her lower lip, her eyes wide.

“She got two people killed, Captain.” Marley scrutinized her face.

“Those deaths were not directly her fault. Her captain got those humans killed.” Elsie slammed herself back into her seat. The same argument all over again. Any hope she’d clung to, thinking she could get herself through to them, had died with Marley’s words.

“She’s right,” Perrie spoke up. Elsie held her breath, looking to the witch for any scrap of mercy. “That woman was a factor in those two deaths, but no more than the captain, and he didn’t face erasure. Those two deaths would have been avoided if he hadn’t acted the way he did. What kind of coward hides behind a barrier over a bunny?”

Grady nodded along as she spoke.

“Are we going to argue semantics? We all know guys like that get more protection in the colonies. Look at that moron marshal after we dealt with the rats. That’s not the problem at hand,” Trisse said.

“The fact is, the captain took pity on that woman because she’s gone soft for demons. You’ve lost your damned mind, Captain. Going after Cornick over unproven suspicions? Don’t forget we saw you that day after the rat battle. Half naked, literally dying from your own fucking wounds, but sitting on that demon’s dick trying to take his clothes off,” Marley spat.

Elsie’s mouth shut so hard her teeth clacked together. It didn’t matter that one part of Marley’s accusation was false. Any rebuke she made against that specific point would make her look just as guilty as silence.

“She won’t even deny it,” Marley said haughtily.

“How many of us are on the hook if it’s discovered we knew she was falsifying records?” Banks asked.

“Just Morgan,” Trenton answered. “He was the only one who witnessed it directly.”

“Me too,” Perrie spoke up. “We lied so we could stay in Frost Hollow longer. We took a paid vacation without leave. Though historically, that’s apparently how things have been done when previous squads have gone up there as well.”

Trenton pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

“How many of us did you try convincing to ease up on our views against demons?” Marley curled a lip.

“I…” Elsie faltered.

“Show of hands.” Trenton’s eyes swept around the circle, noting who made the claim. “Over half.”

“Do we consider that coercion or conspiracy?” Morgan asked.

“I only tried convincing you guys that Saint could be a friend and asset if you’d stop being hateful. I wanted peace in our squad. Riven was comfortable around him, and even Marley admitted he’s useful.” Elsie was quiet.

“Convenient for you to say now that Riven’s gone,” Trisse snorted.

“No, it’s true,” Morgan said. “I’ve noticed him talking to the mage. They were friendly with each other.”

“Yeah, but Riven wanted to fuck him too, so she’s not a great character witness,” Banks muttered.

Elsie stared into Morgan’s eyes. “And you witnessed how the people in Frost Hollow accepted him without batting an eye. Saint has never harmed anyone. You’ve been taught to have such a prejudice against demons that even when one becomes your ally—”

“Enough!” Marley shouted. “No one wants to listen to you prattling on about how great your toy demon is!”

The arguments dragged on for hours, and Elsie’s head pounded. Eventually, they found themselves going in circles while tempers and voices rose. Nobody on either side would give ground.

“It’s obvious that while we’ve come to irreconcilable differences, we do have one thing we agree on. No one wants you to come to any harm, Elsie. We share too much history together for that, and too many of us owe you our lives. This squad will not bring charges and be the reason your head is on a block.” Trenton finally brought the debate to a close. “We aren’t going to Mordane with what we know.”

Murmurs echoed around the room, and while nobody stood up to disagree, Trenton’s words brought no relief. Marley stared at Saint with unadulterated hatred. The healer wouldn’t be satisfied with allowing the demon to keep living a normal or comfortable life.

“That said,” Trenton continued. “I no longer trust that you have our best interests at heart. I can’t trust you to have my back, or anyone else’s if it involves Mutt, or any other demon. I am filing for reassignment to another squad. It usually takes a few weeks for the paperwork to be processed, and then there’s the recruitment period, though I’ll be asking Roz to expedite it as much as possible. I’m asking that you don’t break any more laws that jeopardize the people in this room until then.”

Elsie gaped at him, her brain racing to give his words meaning. Her hands went numb as understanding dawned. She looked at each member of her squad in turn, their familiar and beloved faces disappointed and hurt. She’d let them down, and in their eyes, she was a criminal. There was never going to be a way past it.