by Hickory Mack
“After this, we’re going to meet Cross down there. It’s nearly time for him to get my elixir since we weren’t here to grab it this morning. We’re going to try figuring out where Cornick is keeping it,” she said, walking over to the door and opening it.
Miller and one of the others stood outside.
“Hello, Commander Chantraine,” Miller said in a friendly enough tone. “We’re here to escort you safely to the gate.”
“This seems to be one of the stranger things they’ve asked me to do,” Elsie complained. Miller nodded, but he paused when he noticed Saint, who’d been partially hidden by Frost.
“Who is this?” he asked, looking at his partner in confusion.
“He’s my companion,” she answered easily. It wasn’t even a lie; that was the exact label Cornick had given him when he’d gifted the demon to her.
“Are you sure it’s safe to have a demon in your quarters?” he asked, stepping back to allow Elsie and her entourage through.
She snorted at him and pointed at Frost. “What do you think he is?”
“I guess I don’t really think of him that way since he can’t kill you without killing himself,” Miller said, a light flush pinkening his cheeks with embarrassment.
“Most of us think of him as your weird, cranky pet,” the other security guy said. Elsie let out a sardonic laugh when she noted that he was giving the wolf a respectful distance.
“You try telling him he’s a pet. I’m sure he’ll have an opinion or two to share on the subject.” Frost curled a lip as though to prove her point.
The trip to the top floor was uneventful, with Frost throwing his weight around as he always did, keeping hunters and humans away from Elsie. There were only two men at the gate site, and she didn’t recognize either of them. One was holding a clipboard and a stopwatch, and the other had a hand-held radio.
“I thought this was Grant’s little experiment. Where is everybody?” Elsie asked when they got closer.
“Our superiors are in the security chief’s office, where they will be watching events unfold both on this and the other side of the gate,” the guy with the radio answered.
Frost fixed him with a threatening, unblinking stare, and she grabbed a hank of his fur, reminding him to behave himself. He didn’t like something about that particular person, but for some reason, he wasn’t sharing what that reason was.
Frida popped up between his ears, stretching her front feet across the top of his head and yawning as if she belonged there. The two men blinked at her, unsure of how to react to such a strange scene, especially since the wolf continued his staredown without interruption.
Elsie chewed on the inside of her lip, glancing back at Miller and the other security guy, both of whom were giving them space now that they’d arrived. She wasn’t entirely sure when she was supposed to do this. The staff rested comfortably against her shoulder, waiting to be used. Wren had been right about having her carry it around all the time. The weapon was starting to grow on her, to the point that it felt like a friend, rather than being a burden.
‘Hurry up and wait,’ Saint muttered into her mind. It was something the hunters were famous for. Those seen as ‘less than’ were expected to be in place long before those who were using them were ready. Elsie had made it a practice to never do that to those under her while she was in command because she’d found it so needlessly disrespectful.
Elsie moved several feet away, aimlessly swinging her staff around while Saint and Frost watched from the side. She twirled it, playing with the staff like she was in gymnastics class.
‘Lazy,’ Saint remarked, and she snickered at him. She wasn’t trying to impress anyone; she was bored and passing the time.
‘Try to take it from me, then,’ Elsie challenged, though she didn’t bother taking a defensive position. His eyes glittered with amusement, but he wasn’t going to rise to the bait. Elsie wished he would, feeling curious. They’d once moved so fluidly together, like their fight was a dance rather than a battle, but they hadn’t fought at each other’s sides in years. What if they’d fallen out of sync? The worry made her want to practice with him again. As much as she hated the hunters, she had missed the thrill of working together.
On the next twirl, she changed the staff into the scythe, noticing that it still carried the dark form of Grief, though she hadn’t put any thought into how it would look. She wondered if the staff itself had chosen that form, or if it was starting to become more in tune with her. Either way, the scythe was beautiful in a dramatic, gothic way.
The image of her dropping the weapon flashed through her mind, and a sharp stabbing pain tore through her foot as it sliced through her boots and into her flesh. She yelped, and Frost sneezed at her.
“Asshole,” she muttered, looking up when the radio finally made a noise.
“Get the reaper on standby,” a male voice crackled. Elsie’s brows knitted together. With all this technology, why did they have such shitty radios? She stopped playing with the staff and walked over to stand in front of the gate.
“Once the gate is open, I will start the timer. At exactly ten seconds, you will close the gate again.”
“Ten seconds? What the hell is the point?”
“It’s a test, ordered by Commander Grant.”
“A test of my patience?” Elsie questioned, but the two men shook their heads.
“This has nothing to do with you.”
Elsie sighed. She wasn’t even sure she could close the gate that quickly. She’d never had anything like this asked of her before. Her mind ran over ideas of how to get it done, realizing she couldn’t connect to the gate, break the connection, and establish it in that short an amount of time. The only alternative option she could think of was potentially dangerous. She’d run the risk of using far too much magic.
“Everyone has arrived,” the radio crackled. That was definitely General Mark. “When you’re ready, Commander Chantraine.”
“Precious, I might need you,” Elsie said, wishing she had Mouro with her. The wolverine had a deep well of ethereal magic; she could have drawn it from him. Frost returned to her side, sending her the impression of a question. “I want you to ground me, just in case.”
The wolf narrowed his eyes at her, catching on immediately. She was going to temporarily give him access to her magic. If anything went wrong and she lost consciousness due to losing too much magic, he would act as a kill switch, cutting off her connection to the gate. He sent an image of her back and a hand reaching to grip her shoulder.
She gave him a grateful smile, glad the wolf had her back. Taking a deep breath, she centered herself, closing her eyes. She sent her consciousness to his, and he opened himself to her, linking their minds on the shallowest of depths. They weren’t looking into each other’s souls; she was simply handing him the reins. Elsie felt him take control of her ethereal magic, and the fear she’d expected to feel just wasn’t there. She didn’t know when it had happened, but she trusted him with her life.
When she opened her eyes, the pale purple of her irises were glowing with the same intensity as Frost’s. Concern came from Saint’s bond, but she gave him a confident wink and turned toward the gate.
Raising the scythe, she felt for the magic then sliced into the air, opening the gate faster than she had in the past. Instead of letting go and breaking her connection, she held on tight, keeping herself tethered to the gate and its barrier. To make it work, she spun her magic between herself and the gate in a continuous stream, but the damned gate was greedy, pulling far more than she wanted to give.
Elsie counted seconds, urging the timer to tick faster as her magic waned quickly. The strength it took to force her magic to spin in the opposite direction, preparing it to close the gate even while holding it open, was brutal.
“Time.”
She yanked the magic back into herself, and Frost cut it off just as the gate closed. Elsie’s knees buckled, but she held tight to her scythe to keep from falling. Saint steppe
d forward and took her arm for support, glaring at the men with the radio and timer. The only thing stopping him from attacking them was knowing they weren’t in charge of this experiment.
Frost didn’t care who was in charge. Once Elsie was safe, he lunged forward, grabbing the guy with the clipboard between his teeth. The one with the radio paled, flat out running toward the door while his partner screamed. The wolf tore the first guy apart then flashed through the warehouse, catching up to the other guy in seconds. Elsie smirked at the amusement in her bond with Saint. Her wolfhound found the wolf’s murderous antics funny.
‘I’ve decided I like that wolf,’ he said, and Elsie looked up at him in surprise. Saint liked very few people, and of all the ones he could have chosen, he chose Frost.
‘You’re both ridiculous. I’ll be fine. I just need time to recover my magic. I want to meet up with Cross, see what he found out,’ she said as they walked in the same direction the wolf had gone.
“Chantraine,” the radio crackled. The guy Frost was currently eating had dropped it while running away. She bent down and picked it up with a sigh.
“Yeah?”
“We’re going to need you to open the other gate as soon as possible, likely in about three hours. We’re recalling the demons we have in the demon town, and we’re bringing in Stanley Eustone,” Grant said, and Elsie and Saint shared a look. Things must be getting serious if they wanted Stanley fucking Eustone. She was almost excited. She wouldn’t have to hunt the fucker down anymore since he was coming to her.
“Also, get a handle on the wolf. We wouldn’t want him killing someone important, now would we?” Grant barked, and Elsie laughed at him, pressing the button on the radio so he could hear it.
“Wasn’t his refusal to be controlled the reason you tied him to me? Isn’t it great when your shitty decisions come full circle to inconvenience you more than me?”
There was silence for several seconds, then, “I’ll see you at the secondary gate in fifteen minutes.”
“Do you have some kind of death wish, Commander?” Miller asked in awe.
Elsie smirked and dropped the radio on the ground. “I have several, actually, but none of them are for myself.”
Chapter 44
Elsie leaned against Frost, arms crossed, as she watched Stanley Eustone be led through the gate. He was in restraints and accompanied by four armed guards. It was a far different state than the last time she’d seen him when he’d been second in charge of a mission with over a thousand demons in tow.
“What did he do?” she asked.
“He committed crimes against humanity, the Legacy and Prosperity Colonies, and the Hunter Clans,” Grant said, his eyes trained on the researcher who’d brought them so much insight into the lives, habits, and territories of hundreds of demon types. Eustone was a highly valued goldmine of information. It was interesting to see someone so high up the chain of command in hot water.
“Nice to see you again, Stanley,” Elsie called, fixing him with a serious look. He glanced over, surprise and fear on his face. Apparently, he hadn’t forgotten her promise the last time she’d seen him, though he made every effort to mask his expression.
At Grant’s barked orders, the guards brought Eustone inside, taking him to a higher level where he would be monitored. Elsie peered through the gate, but there was nobody else out there. She called her magic one more time and closed the gate without being told.
“I’m done playing doorwoman for the day,” she grumbled.
“Please, you hardly do anything around here. Don’t tell me you’re tired out after such a small display of power,” Grant scoffed.
“It’s more that I’m bored,” she replied with a shrug, enjoying the fear on his face when Frost lowered his head and crept toward him. “Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll respect your wishes and won’t eat anybody important.”
“What do you do to make these beasts so loyal to you? Even with the chips, we haven’t been able to achieve anything like this,” Grant said, trying to make it look like he was adjusting his shoe as he stepped out of Frost’s immediate range.
Chips. That single word brought some things into focus, and she finally understood why they were opening demons’ skulls. They were putting fucking computer chips in their brains to control them.
“I don’t think you’d be able to understand my methods,” Elsie said,clicking her tongue at him.
“Try me.”
“I start by not being a complete prick to them. I’ve never tortured a demon or killed their whole family. Once it’s established I’m not a complete douchebag, I keep going by treating them as equals, even respecting them. Conversations help, too,” she answered seriously. Grant just rolled his eyes.
“This is why people hate reapers,” he muttered.
“Because we answer with sincerity? I can see how that would be inconvenient to your worldview. If you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere to be.”
“What plans could you possibly have made? It seems to me your security detail has been far too lax in keeping you contained,” Grant retorted. The comment gave Elsie chills, but she couldn’t let him see that, so she let out a short, sharp laugh.
“You expect too much of them. They’re only witches and hunters after all, but you really expect them to keep me in line. The best you can hope for is that I’ll be willing to keep them with me as I do what I please. There are some creatures in this existence you can’t control, Grant. I’m one of them.”
“Is that what you think? We can’t control you? Do you think you have the upper hand here?” he questioned, continuing to retreat from Frost’s advance. “That’s interesting.”
‘Mistress, you’re entering dangerous territory. Stop antagonizing him before he does something awful,’ Saint suggested.
“Frost,” Elsie said with a sigh. “Forget him for now. Let’s go.”
The wolf froze, his hackles raised, an ear flicking back in her direction. Coppery blood assailed her senses and irritation. He’d been serious. Frost was getting tired of waiting. With how angry and wound up he was, she was amazed he’d stopped when she asked him to. He was ready to snap, wanting to be let off the chain, and she had to admit, this was a great chance to get rid of Grant.
‘We should meet up with Cross. You’ve been away from him for too long,’ Saint told her, and she blinked. Maybe some of her bad attitude did have to do with their hours apart, but she doubted it was the whole reason.
Grant watched them closely as he continued putting distance between them, some dark thought glittering in his eyes. Elsie pressed her lips together as she realized he reminded her of someone—Samuel Appleton, the boar demon who’d killed a little girl in her tiny Alaskan town. They didn’t look alike or sound alike; they weren’t even the same species, but that cold, calculating look in their beady piggy eyes was the same. It left an uneasy feeling in her stomach.
He climbed onto the elevator, and their chance was over. It wasn’t only Elsie and Saint letting out sighs when he was out of sight. Miller and her other security escort did as well.
“You two can go have some free time,” Elsie suggested. “We’re heading over to meet with Cross, so we’ll be fine on our own.”
“You heard the commander,” Miller said, shaking his head. “He’s already questioning our ability to do our jobs.”
“And you saw what kind of mood my wolf is in today. What’s more important to you? Your jobs or your life?” she questioned. The elevator going down opened, and Elsie, Saint, and Frost stepped inside. The hunter pair stayed where they were. “Good decision.”
“Frost wanted to kill Grant,” she said as soon as the door was closed. The wolf growled in response, still unhappy that she hadn’t let him.
‘That was pretty obvious,’ Saint replied. ‘It’s best not to start killing anyone until after we have our hands on the elixir. Then we can tear our way through as many as we want.’
Elsie glanced over at him, her beautiful demon. She wanted to creep closer an
d hold his hand or hug him, at the very least, but she knew damn well there were cameras in the elevators. Even if nobody in the compound knew Saint’s face or voice, rumors tended to get around in the hunter world. People would know she’d had a demon companion in the past and how close she’d been with him. Anyone who was remotely observant could start connecting the dots.
“We should leave. Don’t you think? I have over a month’s worth of elixir saved up. Let’s get Cross and Mouro and get the fuck out of here.”
He didn’t turn to look at her, but Frost did. The stare he fixed her with was murderous. She’d promised him blood, and he’d be taking it.
‘If we had the invitation to meet with the witches, I’d agree, but I feel like we need one or the other to be safe. Either the stock of elixir or the witches. We’re taking too big of a risk with your life if we leave without having either,’ he replied.
“But right now, the life we’re risking is yours. I don’t like the way Eustone looked at you back there, and even when Frost had him on the run, Grant took the time to glance your way. You’re on their radar, and it’s giving me a terrible feeling. At least go back to Earth. You’ll be safe there,” she tried to persuade him.
‘We wouldn’t make it a day without each other,’ he reasoned.
‘But we’ve watched the cameras for hours on end and haven’t found anything that looks like the elixir. How much longer can we take? I miss Wren, and Mouro, and I’m sick of not being able to touch you.’ She couldn’t see the softening of his face behind his mask, but she felt it in his emotions.
‘If we don’t find it using the cameras today, we’ll find another option. Cross has to know who brings him the elixir every day. We can track that person down and force them to tell us where they get it from.’
‘By tomorrow, then? We take action tomorrow if we find nothing today?’
‘Yes. I hate seeing you unhappy. In the morning, when Cross goes to get your elixir, we’ll go with him, and we’ll get the information we need.’
