Page 13 of Princess

Interesting.

I had considered canceling her training, knowing full well that would hurt her most.Her reckless behavior had continued long enough.If I trusted Mrs.Barnacle, I might have assigned Ruth to laundry duty and locked the two of them in the same room together.I couldn’t think of a worse punishment for either of them.

Ruth turned as soon as she heard me enter.Excitement flared in her eyes, only to vanish, replaced by something I never expected to see on her face.

Guilt.

Was she acting?

She stepped forward hesitantly, lifting her chin.“I owe you an apology,” she began.

I folded my arms and waited.

“I acted irresponsibly,” she said.“I’m sorry.I’m going to try harder if you’ll still train me.”

She kicked the floor with the toe of her boot, glancing up briefly before continuing.

“I’ll even try if you don’t want to train me.”

I narrowed my eyes, studying her.

Was she coached?Did an alien take the real Ruth and replace her with a decoy?

I wasn’t sure how to react, so I went with my gut.

“What brought on this sweet new child act?”I asked bluntly.

Ruth shifted uneasily.“Maylin had a long talk with me,” she admitted.“She said I endangered Che, which means I can’t be trusted around him.”

Her voice changed.“He’s my friend,” she all but cried.

Ruth and Che had lost their human fathers to hellhounds.They wanted to cleanse the world of every last one.Great goal if they were older.

“You’ve been told this before, and it did no good,” I challenged.

Ruth didn’t shrink away.She met my gaze head-on.

“There’s a girl where Maylin is staying,” she said.“I like her, and she’s my friend.I invited her to Maylin’s place, and she taught me how to cook a meal she loves.Her mother came to check on her and took her away when she found out I was there.She didn’t want me near her daughter.”

Her face darkened, and for the first time, I recognized the emotion for what it was: embarrassment.

“Maylin translated,” Ruth continued, voice quieter now.“She said the woman thought I was dangerous, and Maylin agreed.”She swallowed.“I wasn’t allowed to see my new friend again.”

She took a deep breath, bracing herself.“I want to kill hellhounds,” she continued.“But I also want to teach other kids the things you show me.Most humans my age don’t know how to fight.Will you help me?”

There was something different about her.The way she held herself and the edge of real desperation in her voice.

I studied her, trying to find cracks in whatever act she might be performing.But Ruth wore her emotions on the outside, and right now, all I saw was sincerity.

“I can’t personally help you train them,” I said.

Her face fell before I continued.

I held up a hand.“However, I’ll still train with you in the mornings when I have time.And I have someone in mind who can help you if children want to participate.The kids will need their parents’ permission.”

Ruth nodded quickly, hope flickering back to life.

I narrowed my eyes.“Listen to me, and listen like your life depends on it.If you ever endanger them with another one of your idiotic stunts, I will personally see that you’re locked up when there’s no one to watch you.Have I made myself clear?”

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