Ellie was far too lost in her thoughts to speak much on the way back to the village. Her emotions felt all over the place, anger and gratitude and shock all mingling in a horrible storm that left her reeling. However, more than anything, Ellie realized that she felt... protected.

Kaz had been rash. However, she wasn't used to someone defending her. Ellie typically preferred to fight her own battles, but she'd been far too tired for that ever since Ben passed. It was nice, in a strange way, to have someone who would take up for her as surely as she wanted to defend him if he needed it.

"Are you... angry with me?" Kaz asked softly.

"What?" Ellie turned, giving a surprised squeak as she almost tripped over a rut in the road.

"You haven't said a word since we left town. I thought I might have crossed the line," he said sheepishly, tucking his hands into his jacket pockets.

"You... sorta did," Ellie admitted. "I didn't mind, though. It's been a long time since anyone's done somethin' like that for me."

"I'm happy to do it, as long as it doesn't bother you," Kaz said with a small smile. "It just... it made me..."

"Snap? I get it," Ellie sighed. "Emmaline takes up for me in her own way, too. She's a real firecracker, but thankfully Tom usually calms her down."

They took the last fork in the path up to the village, veering left and up. The gates were only about a half mile away, but the last leg of the path was steep. It was on high ground, which was good for rain, but both sides sloped sharply off the road, surrounded by dense mountain forest. Every now and then, a few bushes sprang up and provided a place for small animals to hide, but their roots also helped keep the road from washing away too quickly.

A shifting sound in the trees made Ellie stop cold on the path, throwing her arm out in front of Kaz to stop him moving forward.

Seconds later, an enormous wild turkey flew out of the underbrush and across the road. Kaz's eyes went wide, but it wasn't an unusual sight for Ellie. She was more concerned about why the turkey might be motivated to expend energy on flying.

"Weird..." Ellie mumbled, following the turkey with her eyes. Wild turkeys were a common sight in the mountains, but they didn't usually take off flying unless they were seriously startled. Something must have spooked it.

Just as she was considering if there was something else among the trees that they should be wary of, maybe a bear or a bobcat, the sound of a gunshot rang out through the woods.

Ellie wasn't shy around guns, having grown up learning to hunt and trap game. She knew what a rifle sounded like. Normally, that wouldn't have bothered her. People had to hunt to survive around here.

However, she also knew that shot was damn closer than it should have been.

"The hell—" she hissed, peering into the trees to try to see who was out there, but another shot almost immediately rang out.

Kaz cried out in pain, dropping to one knee.

"Fuck!" he cursed, pressing a hand to his shoulder. When he lifted his palm, it came away bloody.

"Shit, shit, shit—" Ellie's eyes were wide, words spilling unconsciously out of her mouth at the sight of Kaz's sticky, silver blood. It looked like liquid mercury staining his clothes and skin, and it sent cold chills down her spine, shock halting all thought.

"Run," Kaz hissed. "NOW!"

Kaz grabbed her hand and yanked her along the road, moving as fast as he could. Ellie was at a full sprint trying to keep up with his long legs. Another shot echoed through the woods, but it missed. The shooter must have been far enough away that their aim was off. Ellie could take a wild guess that there were too many trees in the way, and the shooter probably didn't have a scope to help with the distance.

"There's no cover if we stay on the road!" Ellie panted, hunched over and trying to move as quickly as possible.

"No other choice. We need to get back to the village, and fast." Kaz grunted, clutching his shoulder with one hand and pushing her ahead with the other.

It wasn't exactly easy to run uphill, and especially not when they were trying to seek cover where they could, but they managed to avoid another shot from the woods.

"I see them!" Kaz huffed. "They're getting closer—"

Ellie briefly turned to look as she scrambled up the dirt road, but all she could see were trees. Kaz might have been able to use his empathic abilities to locate the shooter more easily, but she couldn't make out even the barest notion of a silhouette, especially while trying to flee.

"Down!" Kaz cried, pushing Ellie to the side as a second shot rang out.

She yelped as she crashed to the ground, safe but stumbling. Knees stinging and palms burning, Ellie struggled to her feet as another shot sounded. Behind her, Kaz cried out and stumbled, and she whirled towards him. However, as she turned, her foot caught a muddy patch off the side of the road, sending her careening off the clear path and into the woods, down the side of a steep slope.

Ellie screamed as she rolled uncontrollably down the mountainside, unable to stop herself from flying downward through the trees. Roots and branches grabbed at her hair and clothes, scratching her skin and slowing her descent as she slid through dirt and mud and debris. It was only a few seconds of disoriented tumbling, but it felt like an eternity before she hit the bottom of the hill.

The bottom was much, much worse.

Ellie barely had a chance to register what was happening, the world still spinning around her, before a sheer cold shock stole the breath from her lungs and the movement from her muscles. A scream ripped from her throat, but it was muffled by water.

She landed in a half-frozen stream, crashing through the paper-thin layer of ice and into the dark, frigid water below. At first, the cold water shocked her so much that she couldn't move, head spinning from the downhill slide, eyes and nose burning as she struggled to identify up from down.

It was deep for a mountain stream. This part of the water was over her head, forcing Ellie to fight her sodden clothes and swim for the surface. The cold was so sudden and strong that it was painful, like knives everywhere on her skin as she fought to reach air.

Flailing and kicking, Ellie managed to get her head above water long enough to take a deep breath, but something hard rammed her in the back of the head almost immediately. She swallowed a mouthful of icy water and was knocked back under, dazed and disoriented from the head wound.

"Ellie!"

She could hear Kaz calling to her from somewhere, but she couldn't tell where he was. Gasping for air, Ellie fought her way to the surface and tried to swim for the side of the creek. The water was still deep and the bank was too steep to climb, but at least she wouldn't be flowing freely downstream.

With stiff and frozen fingers, she reached out for a thick tree root hanging over the bank, barely managing to grab on as she gulped in lungfuls of air, lungs burning and heart pounding. She scrabbled for a foothold on the bank, but the muddy ground slipped and caved away under the toes of her soaked boots.

"Kaz!" she screamed, gasping for air. Her legs were starting to go numb from the water, and every muscle in her body screamed for mercy. She couldn't pull herself up. She didn't have the strength, and every second she lost a little of her grip on the root.

Tears sprang to her eyes when she saw a familiar silhouette appear over the bank. He slid to lay on his stomach, reaching down for her with his uninjured arm.

"Come on, I've got you!" Kaz cried. "Hang on for me!"

"You can't pull me out like that, just go get help—"

"I damn well can, just hold on!" he insisted, yelling over the sound of the water.

It was all Ellie could do to reach for his hand and force her frozen fingers to grip tight. Kaz moved slowly, but he never once let up, dragging her out of the water and up the steep, muddy bank until she could clamber up the rest of the way, both of them panting and groaning from exertion and the cold. In the process of pulling her out, Kaz wound up half-soaked himself from the frigid water sloughing off Ellie.

"You... really strong..." she mumbled, falling to her knees in the dead leaves and dirt.

"Come on, there's no time," Kaz insisted, pulling her to her feet. Her frozen limbs screamed in protest, but she knew he was right. The shots had stopped, but there was still someone out there who had very clearly tried to kill them.

As Ellie turned towards him to ask where he wanted to go, she noticed a metallic silver blood stain spreading across Kaz's white shirt. It was a second wound, this one to his stomach, and on a human it would be lethal.

"Oh, god," Ellie gasped. "You're gonna be fine, we just— we have to stop the bleeding."

"I know I'll be fine," Kaz said quickly, brushing her off as though a bullet to the stomach was a papercut. "This is nothing. You, we need to get inside."

Leaning on each other, they picked their way up the steep hill and back to the road as quickly as possible. It wasn't far from the village, but they were both exhausted and moving slowly. Every single sound had Ellie on edge until they reached the gates to the village.

When they finally reached the entrance without hearing another shot, Ellie swung the massive gate closed behind them and leaned against the old wooden boards, breathing hard and head still spinning. She couldn't fully feel her body yet, but what she could feel hurt.

That was about when she noticed that there was a small crowd of people who had stopped cold from their daily tasks to stare at them. Most of them weren't moving, but two figures in particular rushed towards them.

"What the living hell happened to you?!" Simon cried, sprinting towards them as soon as he got a good look at their bloodied, muddied appearance. He caught Kaz under the arm to support him before he collapsed.

"Oh, my god, Ellie?!" Jeannie shouted, right on Simon's heels. "We were just about to go check out the shots—"

"Someone... woods..." Ellie began, her body starting to shake with cold or shock or both.

"Stay put. I'll get blankets and bandages," Jeannie said, eyeing the bloody spots on Kaz and Ellie's clothes.

"No time," Kaz said through gritted teeth. "Come on, Ellie's soaked and we have to move."

"Agreed," Simon said with a nod, helping Kaz straighten up a little. "Let's get y'all inside. Can you walk?"

"Yeah, let's go," Ellie stuttered, nodding.

They shuffled to her front door as quickly as they could, Simon supporting Kaz while he put pressure on his stomach wound and Jeannie helping Ellie balance on frozen, soggy feet. Fingers shaking, she managed to unlock the door and let it swing open, stumbling inside.

"Let me help—" Jeannie began, but Kaz brushed her off, shaking his head as he straightened.

"We'll be fine. We can take care of it," he said firmly. "Thank you for your help."

"Are you sure?" Simon asked. "Y'all look... rough."

"Let us take care of it. If it makes you feel better, come back and check in later," Kaz said through gritted teeth, still keeping pressure on the wound.

He closed the door behind them and locked it without another word.

"Clothes off," he said urgently. "I'm sorry, there's no time for modesty, and I didn't think you'd want them watching."

Ellie nodded, stripping out of her sodden sweater, shirt, and undershirt as Kaz worked her boot laces loose. The curtains were closed and the lighting was dim, but it all still felt incredibly exposed. She wrapped her arms around her bare chest for just a little coverage, but he kept his eyes firmly on the floor as he pulled off her shoes and tossed them to the side.

As Kaz dealt with her shoes, Ellie inspected herself for injuries. Now that she could feel a little besides the numbing cold of the water, she could tell that most of her body was scratched and bruised, and there was a bloody gash in her side where some debris or other caught her as she slid downhill.

She winced slightly, gently prodding at the still bleeding wound to see if anything was clearly stuck inside. It didn't feel like there were any splinters and it probably wasn't deep, but she balled up her wet shirt and used it to apply pressure anyways.

"Socks off," Kaz commanded, tossing her boots to the side. "I'll get the fire going."

"You need to sit the hell down," Ellie snapped. "You've been shot, probably with a hunting rifle, too."

"I'm aware," he grumbled. "I'll make it."

Muttering under her breath, Ellie stood and stiffly walked to the bed to grab a dry blanket, wrapping it around her shoulders. Under the blanket, she finished stripping off her wet garments and let them fall to the floor with a sodden smack. She dropped the shirt with them, assuming she could deal with the gash later.

Blanket trailing a little as she walked, Ellie took a metal cookie tin, towels, and a few jars from the kitchen shelf, arranging them on the wooden table. The sizzle of a match flaring to life let her know that the fire had been started, and perhaps now he would listen to her.

"Shirt off," she said, glaring as she mimicked his previous words.

Kaz huffed, looking her up and down for a moment, but after glancing back at the fire once more, he began unbuttoning his shirt.

"This is nothing to worry about," he protested, but the wounds appeared to be bleeding.

"Can't be comfy," she countered, reaching for the box of matches to light the oil lamp on the table. "We need to stop the bleeding. Bullet still in ya?"

"Went right through." Kaz shook his head and Ellie sighed in relief, standing to peer around to his back. Sure enough, there was an exit wound for both the stomach wound and the shoulder wound, though she wasn't sure if that was better or worse. More blood loss, yes, but at least it was a clean pass, so there was no bullet to remove.

"Definitely a hunting rifle," she mumbled, using one of the towels to apply pressure to the wound. "Here, you put pressure on the other one."

Some small, manic part of her wondered how to get silver blood out of cloth, but the small part of her rational mind that was still conscious pushed it away.

"Have you treated a gunshot wound before?" Kaz asked, eyebrows raised.

"A few times, yeah," she said, nodding, but her eyes never left the wound. "Sometimes hunters are idiots while they're out, and people get hurt. This is the first time I've ever seen anyone huntin' people, though."

The good news was that the wound to his stomach wasn't as serious or as centered as she thought it was at first. It was more to the side, less lethal, and not bleeding nearly as badly as she'd feared. However, it was still possible the bullet had struck a kidney or a lung or some other vital organ...

"Don't look at me like I'm about to die, please," Kaz said with a small smile. "I'll make it."

Ellie took a deep breath, nodded, and held her hands in front of the iron stove for a moment, trying to urge some warmth back into her fingers. For now, all she could do was believe him. He wasn't delirious from the pain or losing enough blood that he'd passed out, so those were both good signs.

"Look. It's stopped bleeding already," Kaz said softly, wiping away excess blood with the towel. It left behind a strange, metallic shimmer across his skin, but that was all. No more blood seemed to be welling up from the wounds.

"How is... how is that possible?" Ellie murmured, brow furrowed as she leaned in. It really had stopped bleeding, and the shoulder wound had as well.

"Demon," he said with a shrug. "A little food and I'll be good as new soon."

"Let me clean it first, and then we'll see about food," Ellie said with a little half smile, reaching for the jar of witch hazel.

"That is not what I meant—" Kaz said with a sigh.

He scooped Ellie up in his arms and brought her over to the armchair, seating himself first and then settling Ellie on his lap, ignoring her squeaks of protest. Her head rested against Kaz's bare chest, legs tucked up on his lap as he cradled her close. His skin was warm against her cheek, and she didn't quite understand how on earth he could still be this warm when he'd gotten wet, too.

"I know it's not the most comfortable, but my body runs warmer than yours," he said quietly.

"You're hurt, you idiot," she protested, trying to wiggle out of his grasp, but it was useless. She was weak and his grip was like a vice.

"And you patched me up beautifully. My constitution is stronger than yours."

"But—"

"Let me do this," he said softly. "I'm not bleeding, and I can clean the wounds soon, but if we don't warm you up, you're in danger of hypothermia."

"... Okay," Ellie finally conceded, relaxing against him. She kept one eye on his shoulder wound, checking for any signs that it was getting worse, but his breathing was steady and the wound appeared to be... attempting to close?

Other biology was amazing. Ellie was a quick healer, herself, but nothing on this scale. As she was enjoying the warmth and wondering if Kaz would mind a few questions about his healing speed, his grip tightened a little on her and he took a shuddering breath, hanging his head.

"I'm so sorry," Kaz whispered. "I know that doesn't cut it, but I am so... truly sorry."

"For saving my life?" she asked, eyes blinking open.

"It's my fault you fell."

The grief in his voice broke her heart. Ellie worked her arm out of the blanket cocoon to reach for his hand, thumb stroking gently over the back of his palm.

"... Because you saved me from getting' shot? I'll take the water, thanks," she mumbled, settling back against him. "You didn't do this. The person out shootin' at us did this."

Kaz let out an uneven breath. His mouth opened and closed for a moment as he stared off into the middle distance, twining his fingers together with hers.

"I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you," he admitted, voice so soft she almost couldn't make it out. "I don't know... what you did to me, but..."

Ellie did not know what to make of that.

She felt the same way. If there was such a thing as fate, she was glad it led her to Kaz. He'd dug up old wounds and helped her heal all in one, and while the healing wasn't finished, she'd realized she was stronger than she knew. She realized that she'd healed more than she knew in the last two years, was ready for more than she knew.

And... he was good. He was genuinely protective and funny and an empathetic person, more than plenty of the humans she'd met. If it was another time, if she wasn't utterly terrified to lose someone else, maybe it would be possible for... more.

"Do you... really want me to go?" Kaz asked, as though her silence made him nervous. "If you do, I will when the time comes, no questions asked. If you don't want me to leave, though, I... I don't have to."

Maybe she could let herself dream of having more, just for a little bit. Maybe she could be honest with herself and honest with him.

"I hate being alone," she admitted, eyes fluttering closed once more, "and I like being with you."

"Can I stay a while, then?" Kaz leaned his forehead against hers, their breaths intertwining for a moment.

"I'll let ya," Ellie mumbled, nodding. "Y'ain't so bad. We could always set'cha up a house here somewhere. Or maybe down in Boone, if you can hide those horns."

"You think so?"

"Why not? Teacher's college is taking off, too. You might be able to get a job there teachin' writing."

"That's... not a bad idea," he said, nodding slowly.

"I know mountain folk ain't the most personable or cultured sometimes, but we look out for each other up here. You stick here long enough, you're family. Blood or no blood."

Or chosen blood, she thought. Kaz saved her life today. He didn't have to do that, it wasn't in the bargain, and he'd showed genuine care and concern for her wellbeing on top of that. As far as she was concerned, he was her chosen blood. Her heart was cracking open more and more every second he stayed, and she minded it less every day.

"Like the baker?" Kaz gently rubbed circles on her back over the blanket, soothing her stiff muscles.

"Emmaline? Yeah, I reckon she's family by now," Ellie said with a sleepy smile. "Her husband's good folk, too."

"I'm not sure how I feel about the rest of the people in this... place..." Kaz said distastefully, a pinched frown on his face.

Ellie couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, they ain't the best, but they ain't the worst. At least I know I'm not gonna starve. If I run out of firewood, there's more in the community stock. If I need medicine, I have the supplies to make it. And when I get old, I'll... ah..." Ellie paused, stiffening.

"What?"

"Nothing," she said, shaking her head and casting a glance up at him. "We take care of our elders here, s'all."

"So if I tell you I'm four hundred and seventy-two, am I an elder you need to care for?" Kaz asked, flashing his sharp teeth in a wicked grin.

"Unfortunately, you gotta hit the half millennium first," Ellie deadpanned. "We witches are long-lived suckers."

"I... truly cannot tell if you're serious," Kaz admitted, laughing softly. The sound reverberated pleasantly in his chest as Ellie leaned against him, and she thought she wouldn't mind hearing it more.

"I'm not," she admitted, smiling. "Not entirely, anyways. Granny's old, older than a normal human should be. She said she stopped aging when the Appearances started. Got stronger, felt better."

"Stopped... aging," Kaz said slowly, "Like some Others."

"I don't know if it's all of us. I don't even know if it was just a side effect of everything going to hell in a handbasket. Fifty years is a while, but it isn't... we don't know enough."

Kaz looked at her very, very carefully for a long moment.

"How old are you?" he asked.

"Thirty-two."

A pause. Kaz frowned slightly, almost like he knew exactly what she was implying.

"How long are you going to be thirty-two?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "People tend to stop aging somewhere between twenty-five and thirty-five, but it's hard to notice. There aren't symptoms or anything. It's just that, we think... right when you reach your peak, right when you would normally stop growing and start growing old, you just don't. You just stop."

"Have you reached yours?"

"I did last year," she sighed. "No more changin' for Ellie."

Kaz shifted her weight in his lap so he could put his arms fully around her waist, her back to his chest and his chin on her shoulder. It was like he could tell she felt conflicted, like he knew she wondered what the world would be like when everything stood still for her.

After all, he'd experienced it himself, hadn't he? Four hundred years of it.

"That's good," he murmured, his voice sending shivers down her spine that had nothing to do with the cold. "I like you just the way you are."

Four hundred years...

Logically, she heard him say his age. Practically, it took a moment to sink in. Her life span was bound to be long, unknowingly long. She'd been so set on the fact that if she ever married someone, it was likely they'd die of old age long before her. Not Kaz, though. He would likely live as long as she would.

It suddenly occurred to Ellie that perhaps, if this worked out, they would not have to lose each other after all.