He finally found what he was looking for. A thin stone plate with markings all around the edge.

“I’m ready for the hare.”

“I’m not going to say thank you.” She glared at him as she handed the hare over. “I didn’t ask you to do that.”

“Of course you didn’t. You don’t want to be indebted to me.” He held up his free hand and made a little space between thumb and forefinger. “Not even a little.” He winked and she pressed her lips together. “I’ll just take it out of Sheldon when we get back.”

The plate wasn’t big enough for the whole hare so he attached the trap cord, still tied around the creature’s leg, to the ceiling with a press of his thumb. Then began pulling off chunks of meat, bone and all, with only his fingers.

As easily as the sharpest knife. Maybe easier.

She winced.

“No, you won’t. And do you have to do that? It’s so… creepy.”

“It’s easier than a knife. I didn’t bring one of my own-”

“You didn’t… did you bring any weapon at all? How did you skin it? Don’t tell me you just pushed the skin off with your fingers.”

“No, this, and I could have but no.”

He pulled a knife, her stolen knife, out of his belt and put it on the ground between them. She snatched it up and glared at him.

“What were you going to do if we met some demons? Stab them in the eyes with your fingers?”

“I thought about that. I thought it would be funny.”

Seriously?

She dropped her chin and stared at him. The demon ignored her stare. After filling the plate with meat he touched one of the symbols, which was only a square. The thing turned slightly red as it began to heat up.

“Maybe you’ll just hack them up like the hare.” Her frown deepened at the idea.

“Can’t, sadly. They’d have to be already dead.” He shrugged then, noticing her unease, continued. “If I had the right spell, maybe. I could cut off a hand or a toe or two. It would grow back in a couple days…”

“Shut up!”

Lita shuddered and was surprised by Taiken’s laugh.

“A little squeamish, Lita?”

“Since when do you tease like that?”

His smile instantly vanished and he turned back to the hare. Leaving the cave in silence and the sizzles of meat cooking.

I should tell him thank you.

She bit her lip and stared at her lap, refusing to look at him. When it was time she silently accepted bits of meat. Eating around severed bone.

“How’re you feeling? Are you going to be up to traveling in the morning?”

Taiken was all seriousness again. That was more like how she remembered him. It was less disconcerting than the creature that almost knew how to joke around. She peeked at him and noticed that he wasn’t looking at her as he nibbled on his own piece of meat.

“Travel? Where am I going, exactly? Don’t tell me you’re collecting the reward by taking me in.” She bit her lip. Then, driven by her hunger, continued eating the hare.

“Home.”

Tears filling her eyes was unexpected and she tried to blink them back.

Home.

She had to try twice before the tightness in her throat allowed her to talk. “I can’t… I’ll put everyone in danger.”

“That’s something we need to talk about before we go, yes.”

She looked up sharply. Something like hope stirred through her but she couldn’t read his face. He was leaning on one knee as he ate and still didn’t look at her.

“You have an idea?”

“I have a plan.” He looked nervously sideways at her. “Sheldon thinks you’ll never agree.”

“He can’t make that decision for me!”

Taiken laughed quietly. “Of course not.”

“So? What’s your plan?”

He hesitated then looked away. “We’ll talk when you’re done eating.”

“We can talk now.” Stubbornly she chewed off the last bite of that piece of meat and put the bone aside. Then she crossed her arms.

He sighed then changed positions so he could leave his meat on his leg and reached into the bag again. She bounced impatiently, watching his struggle to dig through the bag.

“Did you just dump things in there? No organization at all?”

“I could never keep a bag organized.”

“I don’t think you’ve really tried.”

He laughed quietly at the accusation and finally found what he was looking for. Parchment, tied with a wool ribbon. She remembered seeing it but hadn’t bothered looking at it.

“A Contract? You’re going to keep everyone safe from me with a Contract?”

“The Brethren don’t want to break Contract with me. Part of my Contract with them ensures they’ll leave my people alone. So long as my people are under Contract to me and in good standing with them. And most of my people’s Contracts state that I have to break Contract with anyone that becomes a danger to the rest.”

She rubbed her forehead. It sounded too much like rambling to her.

“Right. How does that help me, exactly? You’ll have to break Contract with me as soon as we step toe into the Circus.”

“Which is why you’ll be signing this one.” He started to hold it out to her but when she reached for it he pulled it back. “I picked this one only because I can’t escape it on my own and it fits the loopholes in the other Contracts. Even Compulsion can’t make me hand you over. And I didn’t have time to write another one that would be tight enough.”

“You’re babbling. And stalling. Just let me see it.”

He sighed and reluctantly handed it to her.

“I wish Contract would hold for a blind signing.”

“What’re you muttering about?” She unfolded the last portion of the vellum and quickly scanned it.

Even if he’d answered she wouldn’t have heard him. Her whole body stiffened when she saw the name already signed at the bottom.

Kelly.

Then her eyes ran back up the five clauses. Clauses that promised authority, wealth (if there is any), fidelity, protection and two escape clauses.

One of them a bloody escape clause. Brought on by deliberate infidelity.

“There are problems with it that I didn’t foresee when I wrote it…”

She thrust the Contract away like it would bite her. It fell with a plop halfway onto the cooking plate.

For an instant she was back then. On that horrible night. Looking down at the stage as Taiken came stalking across it. Picking a weapon as he went.

Kelly fell dead.

There was no blood. At least Lita had seen none. Except on the dagger he’d used to end the woman’s life as it clattered at his feet. She’d seen him catch Kelly’s body, which had been breathing not a heartbeat before.

Pain stabbed Lita’s chest and she closed her eyes and shook her head.

“No.”

“I don’t have time to write another-”

“No!”

Something akin to panic clawed at her and she looked wildly toward the entrance.

Voids him!

“That’s why you did that.” She pointed at the too small entrance. “So I can’t run? Are you holding me prisoner? You too?”

“I did that to make us less noticeable to searchers. But if it keeps you here so we can talk, I'll take it.”

He picked up the discarded Contract.

“I’m not signing your Mistress Contract!”

“What choice do you have? I can’t help you if you’re not under Contract to me.”

His face was starting to turn red and he clenched his fist so hard that he squished the flexible vellum in his hand.

“This is the best I can do.”

“Why don’t you have time to write another? We have time now. Can’t you just adjust one of the other Contracts?”

He sighed. Then spoke slowly, like he was talking to a child. “Lita, those demons have been making Contracts for centuries. I’m a novice at it. If I accidently leave even one loophole you’re dead. Do you understand?”

“Then why are you sure that that one is tight enough?”

“Because I had Diana Veran look it over when I first wrote it. She said there were other problems, too, but that’s besides the point. I can’t get out of this one for any reason. Not if you don’t let me out of it.”

Tears burned her eyes and she looked at her lap.

I want to run. I can’t run. Damn him! Voids on all of them!

“What are you worried about? You control the exit clauses. All you have to do to safely get out of it is to tell me no when I demand something. Anything. Even if I ask you to pick something up. No and it’s done. You can even ask for the opportunity and I have to give it to you.”

“It’s a Mistress Contract.” Bitterly she grasped at the only semi-logical explanation for her anger and fear. “You’ll ask me to sleep with you or invoke the exit clause.”

Pause.

She jumped when he suddenly laughed. “Is that what you’re most afraid of? Wow. Here I was thinking you were afraid of dying and torture.”

To her surprise the light increased and she looked up to find that he was widening the entrance.

“There you go. When you’re ready you just need to get your things and I wish you luck. I think you might last a couple more nights if you’re lucky.”

She didn’t move, staring at the now larger than normal entrance. She could almost see past the tops of the bushes to bits of the sky. Biting her lip she dropped her eyes back down to her lap.

“Or you can admit that it isn’t your virginity that you’re actually worried about.” Taiken held out the Contract again. “It sucks, doesn’t it?”

“What does?”

“Before you could be angry without a worse consequence than a half starving season. Now you have to choose if you’d rather die or rely on me again.”

“What makes you think I wouldn’t make it on my own?! I’ve done it before. All I have to do is keep no-smell on me and-”

“Spend the rest of your life dodging people who want you dead?”

She clenched her leg and didn’t look up.

“I’ll tell you why I don’t think you can do it alone. Because you never have.”

Her head snapped up. “I did it out here for three years!”

“No. No you didn’t. Not entirely.” He waved his hand around to indicate the cave. “How do you think I knew about this place?”

She opened her mouth then closed it and looked around. It was her cave. The one in the boars’ meadow. One of several shelters that she’d dug into and hid from others.

“I know about all of them. The one near Sherim across the lake. Another three days that way and another two days that way. I know about Eric visiting you whenever you had food-”

“How do you know any of that?”

Her head drooped. A horrible tightness invaded her stomach and her clenched fists trembled.

“I followed you. I made sure you had something to eat when your traps failed, wood and kindling. Not enough, otherwise you would’ve spotted me. And when you went back to town I arranged for Diana Veran to take you in as her personal servant.”

The world was going dark around her, snow melting into her spine. It was so hard to breathe. Anger, despair, frustration… all of it trying to get their grip on her and all she could do was grit her teeth and fight tears.

When he moved she looked up to see him leaning across to her. Holding out the Contract.

“I’m not saying you aren’t resourceful or smart, Lita. You can be. Especially when you’re not being too stubborn to listen. I am saying you need more help than you’re admitting.” He gave her a small smile. “Demon, human, whatever. No matter how capable you are, no one makes it alone.”

“Plenty of people don’t need help.”

He shrugged.

“Plenty of people hide how vulnerable they really are. And live in pain and under heavy burdens. You are currently living under a death sentence. And I’m offering the only help I can.”

She bit her lip and shivered, hugging herself as she stared at the Contract in his hand.

“If it helps, I’ll make another Contract with you. If you sign this void damned thing, and as long as it’s active, I’ll never ask you to sleep with me.”

“Why? You know I hate you and you’re still doing all of this. Why?”

His eyes softened and he started to look away before forcing himself to look back at her.

“There was a time when you were the only bright thing in my life. I owe you, and Sheldon, a lot.”

She looked away, uncomfortable with his frankness.

Her discomfort made her angrier. Anger was so much easier to bear.

“I said no. And I meant it.” She clenched her fists and glared at the opening. “Take that Contract and burn it.

She didn’t see the way his fist clenched again on the Contract. She didn’t look up as he stood in a crouch to stomp toward the entrance. She did see him leave. Watched his back as he opened the opening wide enough that he could just step out. Then close it again behind him.

Leaving it big enough that if she wanted to leave she could.

She’d won that round.

So, why did she feel so sick about it?