Page 82 of Huntress

Elsie glared at the general. She’d been too busy worrying about her people rejecting her and had forgotten his presence entirely.

“That?” she laughed dryly. “That was the consequence of having a demon forced on their captain. You and Cornick, with your insufferable stupidity, have broken their trust in me. You’ve endangered the integrity of your highest-ranking field squad, all while having the audacity to call it a gift.”

She slapped a handful of papers filled with her notes onto the counter. The meticulous documenting of what they’d experienced was her own way of coping on the tram.

“I’ll see you in your office in an hour? Today we give our mission reports. Our ten days start tomorrow,” she said to Roz. The administrator sighed, but nodded. Elsie took her bag from Saint and stalked off the tram.

She led the way through the compound, watching the tension build in Saint’s body as they crossed the open grounds. The arena and barn were visible in the distance, and with his sharp nose, he probably smelled the blood and despair from here.

“He can’t hurt you anymore.” She waited for him to look over. “I’ll break every bone in his body if he tries.” The faintest touch of amusement bounced between them before he shut it down.

They entered the main building, striding through the empty mess hall, then maneuvered the halls and ended up in front of Elsie’s door. “Home, sweet home.”

After spending a week in such a large room, it felt more cramped and dark than usual. Saint’s looming presence didn’t help.

She unpacked her bag, putting her things tidily away before standing back to admire the pile of cloth and clothes to alter on her sewing table with satisfaction, pleased with what she’d been able to scrounge up.

Once all that was done, Elsie watered her marigolds. It never mattered how long she neglected it while off on a mission; it was always glowing and beautiful. A magical reminder that her mother really existed.

“You can take half the closet,” she offered. There were two shelves and a hanging rod in there, and her sparse belongings didn’t even take up a third of one of the shelves.

She gathered up the uniforms and boots that didn’t fit him while he hung his one extra set up and scooted out of the room without him. It was the first time she’d been alone in days, and she took her time, strolling the halls and enjoying the silence.

She returned the clothes to Marko, then made her way to Roz’s office.

The administrator had a sour look on her face when Elsie got there, but she didn’t give a fuck about Roz’s attitude. She closed the door, crossed the room, and slapped the older woman across the face, finally giving all that bottled-up rage an outlet. Roz’s head smacked into the chair, her hand shooting up to cover her cheek.

“Chantraine!”

“Did you forget what I said before we left for that mission? I warned you what would happen if anyone on my squad came back injured. I told you we were too fucking exhausted, but you didn’t care, did you?” She took out her dagger, balancing the tip on the desk as her eyes roved over Roz’s plump body. “I want a pound of flesh for each of them.”

Roz paled, her moist eyes unable to meet Elsie’s gaze.

“You didn’t warn me how dangerous this mission was going to be. You knew another squad had gone missing, but you sent us in unaware of the danger! This was a two-squad mission, Roz! You are every bit as culpable for those deaths as Harlan!”

“I didn’t know about the other squad,” Roz said thickly through a split lip. Her cheek was bright red with the outline of Elsie’s hand. “I didn’t have time to read the full file before sending you. It was pushed as ‘high-level urgent,’ and they requested a single squad, so I sent the best I had on hand.”

“You read enough to give me an accurate summary, even if it was lacking in important information.”

“I told you, everyone has been worn thin, including myself and the other administrators. The mission seemed straightforward, but you’re right. This was a hard one, and it went far beyond the scope of what I expected. I did not complete my due diligence before sending you.”

“How do you intend to make it up to us?” Elsie demanded.

Roz’s lips pressed together, eyes darting to her desk.

“How does a trip to the smith sound? A custom weapon for each member of your squad.”

Custom weapons were expensive and took months to make. Not one member of her team had one. She kept the excited interest from showing on her face.

“And?”

“And a personal debt to be paid at your discretion in the future?”

The fae part of Elsie’s nature rubbed her hands together greedily. This could be exploited in so many ways; all she needed was the right moment.

“Yes to the weapons, yes to the debt, but more importantly, my people require access to the best healers available. They need counseling, and Steve needs observation. I don’t want him alone for the next few days. He may have to be put on extended leave.”

“Understood,” Roz said, taking notes of her own. Frown lines appeared around her lips and between her brows. “Anything else?”