I'm between books again.
Finished Penric's Demon by Lois McMaster Bujold (fantasy, novella) | bingo: creature, short, steppin' up HM
The youngest son of a minor noble house unwittingly becomes host to a long-lived magical being.
Set in the same universe as The Curse of Chalion. I'm not sure I'm interested in reading the rest of the series, but it was enjoyable, well paced, and managed to cram a good amount of story into its short page length.