Blood Bargain

Three: In Which Kaz is Sore

The storm raged through the night, never letting up once.

That was fine with Ellie. She had books and simple food and enough apothecary work to keep her busy, and if she got bored with that, she could always go back to her sewing for a while. She could buy clothes in town, sure, but going to town was a hassle, and when you spent your life in the woods, there was almost always mending to do.

Her new demon... friend... sat in the single old armchair by the front window. Ellie didn't have guests often, so she didn't have much need of extra seating. In fact, she didn't have much need of extra anything.

The little two room house was a standard kind of space for Witches living in her small community. Most families expanded on the house when they had children or just moved to a bigger home if it became available, but Ellie had never expected to need more than this.

Well... Only once had she expected to need something more. Those hopes were gone now.

The two rooms in the house were a kitchen space and a space for everything else, plus a bathroom off the back of the house that operated from well water. Though, calling the place two rooms was a bit of a stretch. It was more like two distinctly decorated spaces with an iron stove in the middle dividing them up, but it was really just one large room.

Upon entering, the right half was the kitchen. There was a plain wooden table with two chairs, the basic iron stove for heat, a gas stove and oven combination for cooking, a sink, and counter with storage underneath, and a small cabinet with dishes. The far right wall, however, held shelves absolutely packed with baskets, bottles, bags, and jars of dried herbs. Bundles of drying plants hung from the ceiling rafters, from strings attached to hooks on the wooden walls, even above the doorway... though, Ellie kept those there for a little protective boost.

The left half was... everything else.

The house was designed so one stove could heat the entire space, so the full bed was tucked into the far left corner to save space, a woven rug covering the brick floor near it. A trunk at the foot of the bed held most of Ellie's clothes, a cabinet by the door held her outdoor supplies, and one armchair sat by the window next to a small table. That was the chair that Kaz now occupied, the oil lamp on the table burning bright. Beside the table, an overflowing bookshelf held Ellie's favorite volumes.

"Rafayelle, was it?" Kaz asked softly as he riffled through a book on medicinal herbs. It wasn't the most interesting reading on her shelf, but it was certainly informative and would acquaint him with plants of the area.

"It's Ellie. Unless you want me to go around calling you Kazerin, that is."

"Why the distaste? I would think you'd like being named after a powerful angel."

Ellie just snorted as she pulled extra blankets out of the closet.

"It's a little early for backstories, ain't it?"

"Humor me."

"Okay, short version: my momma was a pastor's daughter from down the mountain."

"And?"

"And that's all you get," Ellie said with a smile. "I told you it was the short version."

If that bothered him, he didn't show it. Everything seemed to roll off his back like the rain rolled off the windowpanes of the house. Kaz stretched his arms dramatically and shrugged off his leather coat, laying it over the back of one of the two kitchen chairs.

Then, without preamble, he crossed the room and flopped his entire body across Ellie's bed.

Feet dangling, Kaz toed off his shoes and let them fall to the floor before he crossed his legs, looking for all the world like he wasn't planning on moving. His eyes closed and he rested his head against one of the pillows