Page 31 of Blood of a Huntsman

Cat chuckled.

"I'm not even close to nice, Madeleina. But what happened to you was unfair. And what happened to your friends, unacceptable. If there's any way to make things easier for you now, I'll try. As anyone with a soul would."

Maddy's eyes fluttered open. "It's not your soul that I see. It's your heart. Someday, they'll understand how big it is."

Cat watched the girl closely. She'd asked for her name, but she didn't know much else about her. There had been something in her tone, something that made her words sound like certainty.

"I'm tired now. Are we done, Greer?"

"Just about."

"Good. Can you knock me out?"

The witch laughed and handed her a small flask.

"Sweet dreams."

Maddy downed the contents without question, collapsing on her bedding instants later.

Catherine smiled, remembering the patient’s advice. Let people see she was nice?

Yeah, right. That would work out.

She liked the girl, though. She was strong and resilient for a young one. A couple of days later, Cat helped her move back to the dorms. They waved at each other in the corridors over the next few weeks. Said hi, occasionally.

Catherine didn’t know how it happened, exactly, but a lot more people seemed to speak to her these days. Asking for the time, just greeting her randomly, commenting about lessons.

She didn’t mind.

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