Lupita was pressing firmly on Nate’s shoulders holding him as still as she could. Outside of the spiritual realm her body would normally not be able to interact with most things. That was dependent on the type of spirit she was, but in general this was the truth. The exception was for select spirits and in this case those they are contracted too. He could order her not to be able to touch him but he was too distracted at the moment.

  Boasting large thick arms built with muscle, that very same arm was currently leaking blood. A semi-circle was gouged out of his flesh, the parting gift that the old crone had left him. Pain shot through his arm as Karah skillfully wrapped the wound. It wouldn’t do much to heal the injury, that would have to wait till they were home.

  “UGGHH, can you make it any tighter?”

  She only rolled her eyes at his complaints. The pain removing curse had since faded, anything remaining was just an echo. Unsuppressed pain receptors shot off non-stop now that the adrenaline had subsided. His face ached, but it wasn’t too bad.

  “Uh, Karah? I don’t know about this. He seems to be in a lot of pain.”

  “Shut up. You don’t have speaking rights till I say so.”

  The two had started on bad terms and being under the same contract did not change that at all. Though most if not all of the hate came from Karah’s side. She’d seen the strength of her powers, but that wasn’t indicative of her moral fiber. Karah was also kind of just an asshole.

  “How about you two just get along?”

  Nate attempted to distract himself with banter. It did not work. Being shot, even by or possibly because it was a ghost gun, hurt like hell. A shudder went through his body as he realized if not for his fathers power he’d been dead. In the moment he hadn’t felt the shield form but it was the reason he only had one gunshot wound on that initial blast.

  “Right, let's get along. Since I’m bigger, why don’t you call me big sister? Or just sister.”

  Karah pulled the last rough tug, dragging a small yelp from Nate as the repair job finished. Blood oozed from the bandage. It was the most they could do for now. Still it wasn’t anything a trip to the hospital wouldn’t fix. Nate was thankful for modern medicine.

  An angered scrunched face cast its gaze over Nate’s body and then onto the wolf-girl. It was obvious she would not be calling this woman her big sister. A growl left her throat, she was clearly ready to beat the crap out of her. Holding herself back just enough for Nate’s sake.

  “I ain’t your sister. And you aren’t the older one I am. Just cause you're taller doesn’t mean anything. You got it?”

  He was accustomed to her being grumpy about such topics. If he’d had the time he would have given Lupita a run down on Karah. She seemed to him like the type to not try to rock the boat. That assumption was ruined almost immediately.

  “Oh, but you are so much smaller. If I take on my full form, look how small you’ll be. Don’t you think you should call me sister. If that's too much we can start as cousins.”

  There was a clear teasing tone within her voice which made it clear to Nate it wasn’t going to end well. Her finger closed together as she indicated Karah size. She was already trying to pull people into her idea of family. How making her angry factored into this was beyond him. They would have to discuss boundaries when they had the chance.

  “Oh, so you think I’m weak just cause I’m fucking short?”

  “I never said you were weak, I said you were shorter than me. Is that hard to understand, Cous?”

  “I ain’t your cousin you weirdo. Where is this even coming from? Didn't you kill your family? Still trying to fill those needs huh?”

  Nate cringed as Lupita’s face went from one of a half smile to a slight snarl. Canines flashing up from just beyond her lips. He knew that Karah hadn’t paid enough attention during the story. Still he had expected her to be better than this. That was his mistake.

  “What cat got your tongue? Oh, guess it would be a dog. You mutt.”

  “MUTT? Did you just call me a mutt? You pipsqueak. No, wonder you could protect him given how tiny you are.”

  “That’s it, I'm putting you in your place.”

  “Just try it.”

  Large sharp fangs started to form and push out of the floor around Karah’s feet. Foot long tips that hid the true danger within the floor. Karah’s arms shifted back into battle mode, the sharp tips of her fingers glinting in the old orange eclectic light. With a step she took off from the ground her hand stretched out to strike deep into the wolf’s chest. Long four by four thick teeth erupted out in front of Lupita.

  As the sharp nail clashed with the teeth it resisted for a moment before shattering. Bits of enamel rained around them. Karah was stopped for a moment, in that instant fangs shot down from the ceiling aiming at her head. Nate could feel a headache coming on from the blood loss and didn’t have the time for this.

  “STOP!”

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  Vibrations wormed through the air as both girls came to a stop. Claws inches from Lupita’s chest and fangs closing in around Kara’s head. Standing Nate leaned heavily on the cane his legs were weak from all the exertion. Placing his spirit into his words he forced them to stop using the power of the contract.

  “Now. Once I release the two of you. I have expectations. You will both apologize for what you said. Mean it or not, neither of you care at the moment. Fine. That isn’t important right now. Lupita, you can’t force anyone into your family. Karah, just because you're upset I’m hurt doesn’t mean you can lash out. Stand down both of you.”

  The force holding them back released. For a moment the two stared into each other's eyes. Lupita was the first to give in. Clicking her tongue she stepped back, fangs retracting. The other girl struggled for a moment before scoffing, reverting to her normal appearance. She tapped her foot bashfully gazing off at nothing.

  “I wasn’t upset, you were hurt.”

  “Wanting a new family isn’t a crime.”

  “The apology.”

  They had spoken more to Nate than to one another. The two faced each other with sour faces. Lupita reached out a hand which Karah took roughly. Eyes meeting once more they clearly weren’t going to be sincere just as he’d expected.

  “Sorry, for saying you killed your family.”

  “Thank you, I apologize for saying you were too weak to protect Nate.”

  They separated allowing Nate to relax. Looking around he spotted something that hadn't been there in his original double vision. The thing was round, glowing a faint red color. He stooped down and picked up the object.

  On closer inspection the thing looked like a bloodshot snake's eye. The slimy surface was warm pulsing with deep red miasma. Karah noticed his inquisitive gaze and came to his side. Lupita joined the two of them.

  “That looks like the sky.”

  Nate gave Karah an odd look. She had been the only one to notice during the battle. She gave a brief explanation of noticing it in the sky. Lupita added that she’d never seen anything like it before they had shown up. Pocketing the item Nate made toward the door.

  “Karah, could you assist me home. If the cops pass by we’ll just hide you.”

  “No problem. Uh, I am sorry I couldn’t take care of you. I kind of rushed off on my own both times.”

  “It’s alright, you just did what you thought was best for us at the time.”

  Karah wasn’t going to admit that she had been overwhelmed in the thrill of a fight. Instead she was determined to do better the next time. Nate’s wounds worried her, frying her nerves. Truthfully she didn’t think he would have a problem, in her mind he was the strongest. Even if she was physically stronger she was cheating. He was all human made, a wall of power.

  “Nate?”

  “Yes, Lupita?”

  “I will go and wait inside. No need to waste my powers. Could I have permission to use the kitchen? I don’t know how to cook but I promise to try real hard.”

  Nate wasn’t sure if she’d gone mad from the years of isolation but he didn’t see a problem with it. He needed to work on the common rooms if she helped that would be appreciated.

  “Yes, thank you. We’ll discuss everything going on once we’re back to the hospital.”

  “Great thank you so much.”

  Karah proudly supported Nate by the arm. Taking on a look of superiority. It was the only consolation she could hold over the weak wolf-girl. To her surprise the wolf spread a fox-like grin. What they were battling over wasn’t clear but the war had begun.

  “Ok see you later, Daddy.”

  Lupita disappeared into tiny lights returning to her room. Karah was absolutely floored. What the hell did she mean by calling her man, Daddy? Fingers dug deep into Nate’s arm who was equally surprised. Lupita’s new contract did say he’d give her a family. Is this what she had meant? No, he suspected it was just to piss off Karah. It worked.

  The whole walk back to the house he had to listen to Karah rant about boundaries and contracts not being anything weird. Nate had tried to pay attention at first but eventually it all became one long lecture. It was easier to just nod along and act like he was paying attention.

  Entering the hospital using the same back entrance as before they stopped outside of the morgue. Dizziness came in waves over his body as he stood there. It was unknown if it was just the blood loss or his past experience was rearing its head. Nevertheless Dr.White should be within and they were in need of his services.

  Pushing the door open they found a clean, neatly tidied area. No corpse out for inspection or for sale. The room was lined across the west wall with body boxes. The handles were reminiscent of commercial refrigerator doors. The doctor sat talking to a short man with an oversized head. Turning round the man gave a slight nod.

  Noticing the two Dr.White took on a look of concern. The way Nate was carrying himself and the swaying did not look good in the slightest. Stepping forward to assist him, the short man took to helping as well. Nate’s vision was getting a little blurry. Karah on the other hand was keenly aware of who the man was.

  Nate was sitting down on the only bed with linens in the whole room. It was the fifth of four tables laid out within the morgue. The others were prepared with tools hanging in their place. Ready for use in dissection and exploration. His new bed was something that Dr.White had brought in to slack off.

  “Doctor Mei. Could I get a blood sample for our guest in room zero zero seven. Will need it pronto, need a diagnosis for the little prince.”

  Doctor White spoke into his walky-talky. It was coded language made to blend in and disappear into the hustle and bustle of the hospital. Blood sample refers to getting blood for a vampire client. Their location being a quasi-basement was where the room number came from. He had improvised about Nate at the end.

  “Be there soon.”

  “Damn, son. He took a beaten doc. Need me to help?”

  “It’s fine, you can go. I’ll look into it and let the proper people know.”

  “Thanks.”

  The short man attempted to take off but he found his path blocked. The man’s hooded eyes went round as he let out a small gasp. It was the first time that Dr.White could had ever really seen the man's eyes. The girl in front of him hadn’t looked familiar at first. Chills ran through his body. Karah mean mugged the guy, daring him to take another step. He bowed his head low.

  “Miss Vento. I pay my respects. It’s good to see you're in good health.

  “Damn old man. The fuck are you doing here. Nevermind don’t answer that. I was going to come find you eventually. Give me a burner to contact you with. I'll need your help later.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”