Ellen sat at the kitchen table, her face cupped in her hands as she tried to make sense of what had become of her life.  She had taken a few days off of work to get things settled with her new living conditions.  Suddenly having a new roommate would throw things off for anyone.  As soon as she returned to work, though, she discovered that there was a new manager above her, Maria.  Maria had decided to make an example of her.  

“Suspended.  Record of attendance problems.”  Ellen had asked for a meeting with human resources and was told that until her suspension was up if she set foot on company property she would be terminated.  She just sat there, ignoring the cup of coffee getting cold beside her elbow.

She felt a gentle brush of rough fingers on her forearm.  She didn’t want to look up.  She’d been crying and she knew she looked like a mess.

A deep, soothing voice rolled through her kitchen like honeyed thunder, “Hey.  It’ll be okay.  You didn’t do anything wrong.”

He tucked a handkerchief into her hand.  She didn’t even remember owning any handkerchiefs.  She wiped at her eyes and nose, trying to calm herself and finally lifted her head.

Thuras was sitting across the table from her.  Her chair looked comically small under his huge form and she had to stifle a laugh, shaking her head as she smiled at him.

“I know I didn’t do anything wrong.  Just…  I don’t know what to do now.”

He rested his elbows on the table, steepling his clawed fingers.  His red eyes gave off a faint flicker, which Ellen had come to learn meant that he was upset, no matter how calm he may seem outwardly.  He sat back and ran his hands up his face, and along the length of the curved horns that swept back from his forehead before curling upwards.  “Well, the sensible thing to do would be to get any evidence you have of harassment from this new manager and go to HR as soon as you’re allowed to return to work.”

She nodded and took a long, shaky breath.  “You say that like there’s a less  sensible option.”

He nodded and slumped down a bit in his seat.  He tried to make himself look smaller, so she wouldn’t feel like he was trying to intimidate her.  His goat-like hooves scraped over the floor a little, making him wince a little.  He hated the thought of messing up her floors.  “You could let me handle the situation.”

“No, no, absolutely not.  I can’t let anything happen to…”

“Nothing will happen to her, I promise.”

“So, she’s not going to just…  vanish?  Not going to disappear?”

“If she disappeared, it would be her decision and she would turn in her notice before she did.”

Ellen nibbled at her lower lip.  She had to admit it was tempting.  She would love to take her down a peg and show he she couldn’t hurt people just because she had power over them.  She was just about to nod, when a thought sparked in the back of her mind.  Was he trying to corrupt her?  He was a demon after all.

“I..  N..  No, no, I should do this the right way.”

“Of course.  Just keep one thing in mind.”

He leaned forwards across the table and stretched out his huge hand.  He placed it against her cheek.  It was rough, and so warm.  A tingle ran down her spine as her eyes drifted shut for a second.  She snuggled her cheek into his palm, letting him comfort her.

“As long as you let me remain here with you, I will do everything in my power to protect you and keep you safe.  I may not have been summoned with a purpose and I am not your familiar, but you give me a reason to keep going forward.”

He leaned in closer, his breath almost scorching hot against her skin.  She placed a finger on his bottom lip, closing them before she pressed her lips against his, sliding her fingers through his ebony hair.