Chapter 7: The Best Laid Plans

When everyone gave a nod, Allura took a steadying breath before beginning.

"Spirits from beyond the grave, there is one with whom I wish to speak. Matthew Holt." She paused as if listening to something. Lance could hear whispering on the edge of his hearing.

Matthew Holt.

Matthew Holt.

The witch is calling for you.

Hurry, hurry. Into the realm of the living!

The voices stopped for a moment before returning all at once, screeching in alarm.

Run.

Run!

It comes!

A demon!

Allura gasped, but she found her body locked in place. At her alarm, Lance and Coran tried to release their hold only to find they too were frozen.

They watched as the life drained from the once vibrant white tulip. Its petals shriveling and crumbling to ash in the span of a few seconds.

The witch whimpered, tears gathering from her impossibly wide eyes.

The table rattled beneath their hands ominously and the air around them swirled tumultuously, howling and groaning against their ears. But underneath the cacophonies, a roar bubbled up that set their teeth chattering helplessly.

A shadowed panther appeared in the corner of their vision. At the sight, the spell that was over them seemed to break. Their bodies now able to move, their brains were finally able to relay the frantic message to pull away from each other.

The second they did, the temperature of the room dropped low enough that their breath puffed out in an icy mist; so cold it began to burn the tips of their fingers and seeped through their clothes, into their bones.

Ha

Ha

Ha

The room stilled moments before Lance was lifted and thrown across the room, into the booths, where he landed with a resounding crack.

"Lance!" Hunk ran after his friend, carefully moving his body so it would heal correctly.

You will pay

for what you did,

you bastard.

Pidge gasped in recognition. "Matt?"

The room stilled. The demon turning to the shifter. Its golden eyes piercing into its sister's soul.

P-Pidge?

The room warmed to an almost tolerable temperature and the wind ceased its howling.

The demon cat shook its head, making the shadows around the form ripple and fade revealing it was Matt standing there. His eyes were still wild and his fingers ended in deadly claws, but it was him.

The demon's eyes were then drawn to the detective when Shiro stepped closer, his hand twitching from where he wanted to reach out and touch Matt.

"Shiro?"

Lance groaned from where he'd fallen, his bones resetting themselves painfully.

The second Matt heard the zombie, a growl rattled in his chest, the shadows covering him in a shroud.

Allura leaned forward to whisper to her familiar. "Pidge, he's become a demon."

"I can see that." Pidge snapped.

"We need to banish him before he does any more damage."

The shifter shook her head. "But I just… I just got him back." Her eyes welled with tears as she watched Matt fight against the shadows slowly consuming him. "It's not fair!"

Allura pulled Pidge close to her, petting her hair comfortingly. She could distantly feel a profound sadness in the part of her soul she shared with her familiar.

The witch sighed before licking her lips nervously. "There is one way we might be able to calm him enough to be reasoned with."

Shiro stepped forward while Pidge lifted her head so fast, she nearly knocked into Allura's chin.

"What is it?"

"If we can get him to agree to a soul contract, he should be able to act like his normal self again." Allura offered.

Pidge tilted her head. "Can't you just do it?"

Allura smiled sadly, knowing Pidge was going off the fact that witches would often bind themselves to demons for protection and increased power. "I can't- our souls are bound to each other."

The detective lifted his head to watch Matt slowly succumb to his vengeful urges. "I will." He turned back to the witch. "Just tell me what I need to do."

The detective wasted no time. Matt was already in his panther form. Although, his body was shaking from where he was trying to refocus on his sister and Shiro. Luckily, Lance had yet to make another sound and accidentally rile the demon further.

He stood in front of Matt, blocking his view of Lance, and sliced his right forearm. The second his blood dripped onto the floor, the demon stilled.

Breathing in sharply, the shadows fell from Matt much faster.

"Shiro, what're you…"

Rather than answering, Shiro began the incantation Allura had told him, using his blood to make the symbol on his palm that Allura had pointed to on the table.

"Matthew Holt, I beseech thee to make a contract. That we might stand as one force against our enemies, both the living and the dead."

"I don't want your soul, Shiro. I won't damn you for eternity."

"Can't there be something? Anything else?"

"There is one way." Allura mentioned quietly. "But it isn't preferable."

"Shut up, witch."

Shiro ignored Matt's warning. "What is it?"

"Don't."

Allura rolled her eyes. "Fine, I won't tell him. But you should. It's only fair that Shiro gets to make the choice."

The detective tilted his head in the way Matt could never refuse him. "Matt?"

The demon gave a defeated sigh, sounding like a reptilian hiss. "A blood sacrifice."

Shiro looked down at his arm in confusion. "How much do you need?"

The demon's laughter sent chills down everyone's spine. "More blood than you could survive without."

Shiro swallowed nervously. "Then what is it?"

"I would need you to sacrifice a limb. An arm… a leg… A vital organ would do too, but again, that would just kill you."

"And you can't just take my soul?" Shiro joked weakly.

Matt stared at him expressionless. He turned to Allura. "I think I can hold myself back long enough until you can banish me. Just make sure never to call for me again… I don't know if I'll be able to fight against this rage again."

"No!" Shiro and Pidge chorused.

Matt's claws sunk into his messy hair in frustration. "I don't know what else you want me to do? This is for the best. For everyone…"

"What about you?"

Matt tilted his head at Shiro's question.

"How is it the best for you? How is it fair that you had to be murdered in some alley… not even laid to rest properly and instead made a meal of?"

Lance shrank into Hunk's arms guiltily from across the room.

"How is disappearing from our lives, never getting to see us again, fair to you?" Shiro continued righteously.

"I…"

"I don't even care anymore. Take the deal. If you don't want my soul, you can have my fucking arm. I don't care. Just please…" His voice broke, "I can't lose you again. Not when there's a chance to save you… in the only way I can." He looked up at Matt desperately, "please… let me help you."

Matt and the detective stared at each other. The demon refusing to hurt Shiro, and Shiro refusing to let Matt hurt himself.

Allura cleared her throat. "I suppose now would be a good time to add what I was going to include if you'd have let me tell Shiro."

The room turned to focus on the witch.

"I can engineer a fully functioning limb using magic. It won't be like your organic one, of course, but you can still use it. Your sense of touch will be dulled, and you'll always feel like your hand is asleep for the first few months, or so I'm told, but you'll at least still have an arm to use?"

"See? I wouldn't even be losing my arm forever. Now," He slid his hand into Matt's, leaving the demon no room to argue, "Let's make the deal."

Notes:

Okay, hopefully I can actually get where I want this to be before next "season" this year XD

But I've learned my lesson. Write beforehand. Then post orz