Winter would have screamed if she could read thoughts. For the love of all that was order and good she earned her own money. And she certainly had not been spoiled after she began to form her own mind and personality. She hated being treated like some pet in a pretty menagerie. She emancipated herself into the military the moment she came of age to do so. But, Neo's view of her was still a common one. It was hard to shake off Jaque's shadow.

The look in the other girl's eyes was different here. Darker. Much more threatening. But it wasn't surprising. What did surprise her was the girl's transformation.

"Ruby?" Her brows rose, her eyes widening.

She watched Neo's display becoming more and more disturbed as the pantomime went on. However, Winter's own gaze hardened. An enemy of Ruby Rose was probably also an enemy of her sister's.

"Don't be absurd," Winter said, in a hard voice. " You are willingly serving a monster. Even if it gave you what you wanted, it would come at a price you wouldn't want to pay. That's how everything works here. Even the damned gold is cursed. "

Gifts aren't really gifts when they come with strings attached. Winter would know.