Page 47 of Huntress

Stupid. Rude. Demon. She was a demigoddess! Even an abandoned demigoddess shouldn’t have to put up with his temper. Her fingers traced the marks at her throat; he’d show some respect if she could access all of her power.

Heading toward the main hall, Elsie begrudgingly admitted that wasn’t true. She’d developed her limited magical capabilities through experimentation. She’d figured out minor healing and how to light a room. She’d even learned how to supplement the strength of her weapons by pushing her magic into them, but that was the extent of it.

The most frustrating part was having a full-blooded witch on her team. Elsie was too proud to admit to having such a gaping hole in her education, so she’d never asked Perrie to teach her. Her long list of strengths did not include admitting to inadequacy.

By the time she walked into breakfast, the demon was at her side, matching every step perfectly, as if he’d been doing it for years instead of days. Perrie, Morgan and Steve had already arrived. The witch was downing a large cup of coffee to wake herself up, while Morgan steadily ate his meal.

The shadows under Perrie’s eyes were purplish bruises in the morning sun. Their witch was still disturbed by what they’d found in that boneyard yesterday. Elsie saw it in the slump of her shoulders and the way she unconsciously leaned toward Morgan, seeking his support without even realizing it.

Steve looked like a half-warmed-over zombie. He held food halfway to his mouth, but he stared off into the distance with blank eyes. He wasn’t a morning person, but ignoring his breakfast was not within his range of normal. Steve liked food. Any food. The guy would eat bugs if offered.

Elsie nodded at them, then started fixing her breakfast, sneaking a quick peek to make sure the demon saw everything she was doing. He could make his own plate.

Grady entered with Talbot, and she noted the geographers still wore the same rumpled and dirty clothes from last night. Elsie grumbled at them from her seat. It was cute that Grady had found himself a new friend, but irresponsible that he hadn’t slept. He’d end up slowing everyone else down. She poured another cup of coffee before heading over to the table.

Sitting next to Perrie, she watched Banks, Trisse, Trenton, and Marley walk in as a group. Marley hadn’t gotten any sleep, either. The healer’s bloodshot eyes were offset by her paler-than-usual skin. Gods, they needed a break.

The demon sat against a wall halfway across the room, food balanced on his lap. He’d positioned himself to monitor every entrance and exit, while listening in on everything they said with those sharp demon ears of his.

Elsie waited until everyone was seated and eating before addressing her team. “You all did a great job last night. It was hard labor, and today won’t be any easier. Eat, hydrate, protect your stamina, and prepare yourselves for another long one. If we finish this mission before the week is over, drinks are on me.”

“I can get behind that.” Trisse grinned for the first time since they’d arrived. As temperamental as he was, he loved going out with the team.

“Sounds good to me,” Perrie sang happily. The witch was habitually far too energetic in the mornings for the rest of them to stomach. “I’m not letting you off easy, though. I’m ordering the most expensive drinks they’ve got!”

“Better wait until we get back to base, then,” Morgan advised. “Nests have crap for booze.”

“It’s not that bad,” Talbot said, offended.

“Nest raised?” Banks asked in a knowing tone, leaning back to see the geographer more easily.

“What does that matter?” Talbot sniffed. Banks full-on guffawed, immediately joined by Trisse and Trenton.

“Nest-raised hunters aren’t the same as us,” Trenton said arrogantly. “Coddled, spoiled, and trained in your spare time, you weren’t selected until you showed potential. We were raised for this, selected before we were even born.”

“Before you were born? How is that possible?” Talbot asked.

“Simple. We’re the best,” Banks answered.

“We have more witch and fae in our bloodlines than the nestlings do,” Marley explained, taking pity on the guy. “Our parents and grandparents were part of the breeding program, and because of it, we’re more closely related to the original hunters.”

“Except for our captain.” Steve had finally come out of his daze. “She’s stronger than any of us.”

“Get off the subject,” Elsie muttered. How had they gone from who had a better booze selection to the content of their blood that damned quickly? As if it were important. Physical and magical strength didn’t always result in a good and upright person.

Elsie looked beyond Trisse’s shoulder at the demon, who was making disgusted faces while he picked at his food. The longer she spent with him, the more she remembered the ideology she’d been raised with. Life had been much simpler before he arrived.

She cleared her throat and her thoughts. “We’re rechecking the tunnels to make sure the vermin haven’t tampered with them. While we do that, Perrie will be teaching the nest’s witches how to build stronger, deeper barriers.”

“I’ll be fine on my own, take Morgan with you. Their witches couldn’t overpower me on my worst day.” Perrie thumped a fist on the table.

“Alright. We’ll spread out in teams of three and widen our search for the rat colony.” Elsie adjusted her plans easily, then looked at Talbot. “Does your squad plan on joining us at any point today?”

The geographer shrugged. “I don’t know any more than you do, ma’am. There were no official orders given.”

“I’m not surprised,” Elsie said.

Jeshua seemed willing to attempt to placate her, but Franklin didn’t give a fuck what she did, as long as it didn’t affect him. The old man didn’t rank high on her priority list, but when they finished their objective, she’d personally ensure he was stripped of every scrap of authority he held.