Chapter 32 #3
“No, it was Albright. He figured I had a right to know you’d gone missing, and had been gone for weeks. Then he dragged you back in, we’re thrown into the field a day later, and there hasn’t been time to ask until now.” Trenton looked her in the eye. “We deserve an explanation, Elsie.”
Elsie chewed the inside of her lip. He was right; they deserved to know the truth, no matter their reaction.
“I took Saint back to his home, to bury his dead and allow him to say his goodbyes.” She offered no details and made no apologies.
“Are you kidding me?!” Trenton hissed. “We were all worried about you, wondering how things were going, and concerned you’d found something you weren’t meant to find. You left us without an update for months, and you decided to go play house with your pet demon?!”
“That’s not how I’d put it,” Elsie snorted.
“No? Then please enlighten me. How exactly would you put it?” he demanded.
“We were cleaning up Cornick’s mess. He left their bodies to rot! Warriors, elderly, children, it didn’t matter to them. They retained some for experiments, and kept Saint for me, then killed the rest. So yes, I owed it to him to at least give him the chance to say goodbye.”
“You’ve gotten too comfortable with that demon you’re convinced you owe. Lately you work better with him than you ever have with any of us, even Trenton and Morgan,” Grady said bitterly. “You’re in sync with him, like you can read each other’s thoughts.”
“My thoughts exactly. What the hell is going on between the two of you? I thought you hated him, but the way you two move together is way too fucking close. And I’m not just talking about during combat,” Trenton said.
“He’s been my companion for what, fifteen, sixteen months now?
We’re constantly together. Every mission, every training session, all day, every day.
He’s also my companion who spent all that time watching me get tortured every day.
We’ve grown close, and that’s not going to change.
It was Cornick and Mordane’s purpose for him from the beginning anyway. ”
“You’re getting defensive, but what I’m hearing is you left us to go on some harebrained mission, only to come back unsuccessful with more questions than answers. And the demon is permanent,” Trenton growled.
Elsie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose between two fingers. “You’re hearing correctly. I am not satisfied with how things ended in that facility, but I’m certain something is off, and I’m not giving up. I fully intend to continue looking into what Cornick is up to.”
“Are you kidding?!” Trenton whisper-shouted. “Your only proof against Cornick is a conversation that could have involved anything! You don’t even know if the timing is right or if it happened after the chimeras.”
“While that’s true, it does sound like something isn’t adding up,” Grady said softly. “And she does have scary-accurate instincts.”
“Do not pull shit with me right now, Grady,” Trenton hissed. “She used to have sharp instincts, but that was thrown right out the door the moment she decided to keep that fucking mutt.”
“I didn’t get as much evidence as I wanted, but I managed to find enough to raise serious questions in one search opportunity. Not even you could have turned a blind eye to what I saw in there, Trent.”
“I highly doubt that.” He leaned in close, nodding at a shadowy figure in the trees. “I haven’t gone soft on his kind.”
Trenton stalked off, radiating anger. Elsie let out a deep sigh and plopped her face into her hands, holding back a shout of frustration. Grady moved to sit next to her, his large hand settling between her shoulder blades.
“Elsie, I know you haven’t gone soft, you’ve just got a big heart and a strong sense of justice,” he said.
Elsie jerked her head back, mouth falling open as Grady moved in to kiss her, his hand moving to the back of her neck, holding her in place as his lips slammed down on hers.
A sharp jab hit her chest, her bond with Saint wrenching hard at the intrusion.
She shoved him to the ground with a gasp, cracking him across the jaw with the back of her hand. Elsie glared down at Grady with bulging eyes. He tried to get up, and she lifted a boot to the center of his chest, kicking him back to the ground. The big man hit with a thud.
“Stay right fucking there. What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she seethed. He clasped his hands together, but the damage was already done. “You’re lucky I didn’t break your fucking face.”
“You just…it seemed like you needed some comfort.”
“Comfort? Comfort?! Is that what you call what you just did?! I have never, and will never, want comfort more than I require the peace of mind that goes with not risking a mating bond. Accidents happen, and those I can forgive, but this was no accident, Grady.”
“I–I’m sorry, Captain, I didn’t–” Grady sighed and hung his head. “I thought that if there was any chance a bond would form between us, it would make you forget that fucking demon, and our squad could go back to normal.”
“You wanted a mating bond?!” Elsie swung her fist before thinking about why she shouldn’t. Blood spurted from his nose, and the geographer coughed, doubling over to spit more blood into the dirt.
“If you ever touch me again–”
Elsie’s blood heated so fast she set her palms on the ground to steady herself. A vein pulsed in her temple, and her body shook with the influence of Saint’s contained fury. She concentrated on her breathing while using every ounce of strength to keep her demon from storming over.
“Grady, walk away before I fucking stab you.” She kept her voice low, but the killing intent behind her words filled the air.
“It wasn’t random, I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I have feelings for you, Elsie. I have for years,” he said, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. “But I guess it’s one-sided.”
Elsie burst out with a cold, incredulous laugh. Her entire body shook with the effort it took to keep herself from attacking him.
“Do you think your feelings are more important than my consent? If a bond had formed, you’d have paid for it with your life.” Elsie turned her head toward him, translucent shadows swirling around her. She pulled a dagger, her pale eyes lit with inner rage.
“I’m sorry! Gods, please don’t kill me.” Grady pushed himself back across the ground, putting distance between himself and his captain.
A growl reached them from the trees, and he glanced up to spot Saint’s glowing red eyes watching from the dark woods.
The geographer fumbled for another second before getting up and stumbling away.
He unzipped his tent and disappeared inside.
“Trenton!” she bellowed.
Her second-in-command may be angry with her, but he responded to the urgency in her voice. He appeared in seconds, weapon in hand. “What is it?”
“Grady just assaulted me.”
“What?” Confusion clouded his features, wrinkles creasing his forehead. He looked at her, pale, shaken, and angry, and his eyes hardened. “What happened?”
“He kissed me. I think I broke his nose.”
“Son of a bitch. I’ll arrest and whip him myself.” His knuckles turned white. “Are you okay?”
“No, but I will be.” She hadn’t yet sheathed her dagger. “Just keep him away from me until we get back. We’ll address his punishment back at the compound.”
“Don’t go soft on him, Captain.”
Elsie’s eyes narrowed. “I have no intention of it. Grady will pay for his crime.”
“Do you want me to send Marley?
“No. Have her fix his face. Not that he fucking deserves it.”
“Understood.” The look on Trenton’s face bordered on pity before he turned and strode away. The assassin entered Grady’s canvas tent, and she winced when she heard Trenton’s fist hit flesh.
She wiped her mouth, then looked to the trees where her demon waited, pacing impatiently.
Elsie lurched to her feet, meeting Saint halfway.
The demon’s jaw flexed, his muscles taut, but his eyes stayed riveted on her.
He touched her face, and she rose onto her toes, throwing her arms around his shoulders.
Nuzzling her face against his neck, she let out a single, bone-racking sob.
“Grady knew exactly what he was doing, he waited until he thought I was alone,” she cried softly.
“It didn’t work. You’re safe,” Saint whispered against her hair. “No more meetings without me.”
“Gods, I wanted to kill him. I’ve never wanted to hurt anyone from my squad, but I wanted him dead.”
“You would have been justified. He’s a lucky bastard that you restrained yourself.”
Elsie snuggled in close and leaned on him. Depending on Saint felt natural and easy after spending so much time with him in that forest. A dangerous habit she had to correct before Albright’s prediction came true.