Chapter 4
She tugged, pleaded, and cajoled in order to get the demon moving again.
Not even the ‘heel’ command worked. Once he was unstuck from his cowering position on the floor, he begrudgingly followed, creeping along and staying two paces behind her.
Forcing him into the barn erased any imagined gain in trust.
She laid her hand on his shoulder. He flinched and growled, his muscles set to trembling all over again.
“I’m sorry,” Elsie muttered. “I won’t make you come back here again.”
Reaching out to comfort the traumatized demon was disturbingly instinctual, but she assumed the impulse stemmed from the appeal of his demon form.
She’d liked dogs the few occasions she’d spent time around them, and his scruffy appearance felt approachable.
Elsie curled her hand into a fist and stuffed it into a pocket.
She didn’t touch anyone, let alone a man. Worse, a demon.
He watched the ground, avoiding her space to keep from bumping into her. He was vulnerable and incapable of defending himself. That, she realized, was exactly what Clairemont intended. The beastmaster had beaten this helpless reaction into him.
“I’ve never been in the barn before, and didn’t know how horrible it was in there. You’ll stay with me from now on, but you won’t fit through the door if you stay that size. Either make yourself smaller, or change into your human form.”
The growling grew louder, but she needed his compliance.
She stood her ground, waiting. His current size was a defense mechanism, an attempt to appear more intimidating.
It gave him some small measure of control in a place where he had none.
Elsie understood that she was asking for trust she hadn’t earned, so she gave him patience.
Eventually the demon shrank to half his size. He was still bigger than a normal dog, but far more manageable. She led the way, and he limped along behind her.
“Prepare yourself, people will take offense to your presence. Hunters aren’t known for their tolerance of other races, but they won’t take it any further than hateful comments, which we’ll ignore. They’re not brave enough to try me on my worst day,” she said just outside the door.
Inside, a few hunters sat around tables in the mess hall, finishing up their meals as breakfast was winding down. Elsie didn’t know what was on the menu, but it didn’t matter. She wanted something in her stomach, a shower, and a nap.
Chatter died as Elsie and her demon were noticed. She kept walking, lengthening her stride so anyone wanting to start anything would have to act fast. Walking up to the long counter, she flashed her ration card, choosing to take her food in a to-go sack.
“What in the seven hells is that?” someone called after her on her way out, but she didn’t pause to check who it was.
“Why do they always assume there are only seven hells?” she muttered. There were thousands, and she’d liked many of them. She’d made friends in several as a child, traveling around with Santa Muerte and Stolas.
Elsie dug into her bag, pulled out a soggy waffle stick, and devoured it as they wound their way through the halls. “I’ll give you one if you promise not to bite me.”
The demon didn’t respond, but she tossed one his way, and he snatched it out of the air. They split the meal in half, though it wasn’t large to begin with.
They emptied the bag before arriving at registration, which doubled as the supply office.
The entrance had a half-wall equipped with a wide counter.
The door was half-height as well, and woe to the idiot who walked through it without a direct invitation from the supply captain.
Elsie had seen Captain Marko make even the toughest men cry.
Nobody was around, so she tapped the bell, tossing the empty sack in the trash while they waited.
The hound stood alert, intelligent eyes scanning for danger.
His anxiety hummed between them. Elsie tried not to glare at him, not liking that his emotions were influencing hers.
She shouldn’t be affected by some random demon.
She’d suspect it was some kind of magical talent of his if he didn’t have that collar on.
“Come to gloat?” Captain Marko asked, giving her an annoyed look. She didn’t take it personally; Marko was perpetually annoyed with everyone. She liked to think she’d secretly grown on him over the years.
“You heard?”
“Everyone’s heard. Congratulations. What do you want?”
“I’ve been given a demon,” she announced with a flourish, indicating the hound with a wide hand gesture.
His expression stayed exactly the same, with a hint of unimpressed glinting in his eyes.
“He’s my companion, which means I need him nearby.
He needs a room next to mine. A cot, supplies, clothes, and a ration card. ”
“The demon needs a room next to yours,” he said dryly.
“Yes.”
“No.”
“The barn isn’t safe. Clairemont has it out for me, and he’ll take it out on my demon. How am I supposed to have a working relationship with a creature who’s afraid of his own shadow?” Elsie griped, pressing Marko’s sore spot, as she knew she would. Marko wasn’t a fan of the beastmaster.
“I’m not vacating one of the other captains to move your pet in.
You aren’t that godsdamned precious. You’ll have everything else, but it’ll bunk with you.
You’ll have to decide how committed you are.
And let me be clear, if I take any heat, I’m going to place the blame squarely in your lap, which is exactly where it belongs.
Didn’t you explicitly tell me you had Mordane’s permission to bring this demon inside? ” Marko gave her a dead stare.
Elsie’s mood soured. She was potentially getting herself into a world of trouble over a demon, but it was the right decision. She massaged between her brows, squeezing her eyes shut.
“Fine,” she agreed. She might get turned down again–and Marko would make her life a living hell for going over his head–but she’d bring her request to Rosco later.
For now, she’d make do. “Give me a few uniform sizes, I haven’t seen his human form yet.
I’ll exchange whatever doesn’t fit for more of the correct size later. ”
“You won’t be making his clothes yourself?”
“Maybe eventually? I don’t want to make waves before people get acclimated to his presence.” She hadn’t thought about making clothes for the demon until Marko brought it up. She’d never made clothes for anyone else before.
“I’ll add fabric to the list. You may as well throw everything at them from day one.
Having a demon walking around is bad enough, but it’ll be a whole lot worse if he starts off in a uniform, then swaps into civvies.
Skip the uniform altogether and get it over with. Does he need a go bag?” Marko asked.
Elsie hesitated. The supply captain made a great point. She’d accept the fabric and decide what to create. The idea had the added bonus that wearing something other than the uniform would be an automatic signal to her fellow hunters that this particular demon was under her protection.
She wasn’t sure about the go bag, though. Taking the demon with her on missions before they learned to trust each other felt risky, but if she left him behind, he’d be stuck with Clairemont. He wouldn’t be allowed to continue wandering the compound while she wasn’t around to keep him in line.
“He’ll still need a uniform temporarily, and yes, he’ll take a go bag. And a decent pair of gloves,” she said.
Even if she decided against bringing him with her right away, he’d need one eventually.
Marko disappeared into the depths of the supply room, which was a warehouse large enough to outfit thousands of soldiers, paper-pushers, and recruits with everything they needed.
And if he didn’t have it, he’d do his honest best to get it.
“Hey, demon,” Elsie said, drawing his attention. “It would be a lot easier if you’d change to your human form. We can get you some clothes now instead of having to come back later.”
For a split-second, the fire flashed in his eyes, then he went back to nervously scanning for threats.
His nostrils flared, and his ears perked up seconds before a recruit came around the corner with a mop bucket.
The hound growled, his ears pinned back.
His whole body tensed, and the hair on his scruff raised as he crouched like a cat, ready to pounce.
“Oh gods,” the recruit whimpered, stopping dead in his tracks. “What should I do?”
Elsie recognized this guy. He always clammed up when she walked into the room. He’d never been brave enough to speak to her directly before. Amusing, but also alarming. His fear had rendered him incapable of rational thought.
“Go find another hall to mop,” she advised, giving a sharp tug on the leash to change the demon’s focus. He snapped at her, his teeth coming within inches of her face. Elsie gave him her best ‘bored’ expression.
“Cut it out, he’s a kid. He isn’t going to hurt you.”
The kid was seventeen, and he’d already spent five years in training.
He’d be perfectly capable of dealing some serious damage when he wasn’t taken off guard by a random demon in the hallway.
She’d mention surprise training to some of the mentors.
Their students should be ready for anything instead of panicking.
A minute later Marko returned with a cart loaded down with supplies. He pushed it through the half door, then shoved a list into Elsie’s hand. “Double-check everything. You’ll be responsible for these items, so you keep that demon in line and make sure he doesn’t lose his shit.”
Elsie scrolled down the list quickly. A fully stocked go bag, sleeping bag, cot, canteen, two blankets, a pillow, two pairs of gloves, boots, and uniforms of several sizes, among basic toiletries and a few fabrics. The demon was set.