~

“You – you – you – you…” Kat started at the front door and as she stalked through the hallway and into the living room; where she found her sister’s lounging in front of the fireplace, flicking through fashion magazines with a glass of wine each, and a large chocolate cake sitting in a bakery box on the coffee table that had already been partially devoured.

She ground to a halt and eyed her twin with a death glare that she would have loved to have back up with magic. Boils – definitely.

“Kat’s stuck on repeat again, give her a nudge to get her out of the groove,” Mel teased, Paige chuckled, and Kat’s last nerve snapped.

“I could have been killed!” Kat ground out, and her eyes were burning with anger for her sister’s stupidity.

“W-what?” Paige spluttered as she pushed up to a sitting position with a look of surprise and horror on her face and discarded the magazine from her hands.

“An over-exaggeration…” Mel waved a dismissive hand in her twin’s direction.

“Oh, really?” Kat’s tone got so deep that she reminded herself of the alpha, scary thought, especially as she’d been thinking about him and his chocolate coloured eyes all the way home.

“What’s going on?” Paige demanded. It wasn’t unusual for her siblings to go to war — but this time felt different.

“Your sister…” Kat started, and Mel pulled her up on it.

“Oh, your sister? So, you’re disowning me now?”

“Yes,” Kat snapped back. “You said Paige needed your help…”

“You did?” Paige asked, looking at Mel for confirmation, Mel shrugged.

“I did,” Mel admitted. “But it’s only because I wanted to spend some quality time with you.”

“Pah!” Kat bit out. “So, she sent me to the vampire…” She pointed an accusing finger at Mel.

“Wait! You know a vampire?” Paige turned curious eyes on Mel. “What damn vampire?”

“Exactly!” Kat bit out, but when Mel questioned her sanity with just a look, she rolled her eyes to the ceiling and muttered a curse under her breath. She’d been too quick to jump on that one.

“It was nothing, a little potion…” Mel waved a dismissive hand in the air once more.

“That almost got me killed when the alpha shifter turned up!” Kat snapped back.

“Now there’s a shifter?” Paige looked confused. She held up her hands in front of her to silence the bickering as she tried to collect her thoughts. “Start from the bloody beginning.”

“Fine. She sent me to the vampire with a potion — the shifter turned up — and he was a mean one — he was going to kill me…”

“Why would the alpha kill you?” Mel demanded.

“Because I was there!” Kat said as she tossed up her hands in frustration. It wasn’t as if she had all the details either — the man was a shifter — what more did she need?

“But you got away,” Mel said, expanding her hands and shrugging her shoulders.

“No thanks to you…” Kat snapped back.

“I wasn’t there,” Mel bit back.

 “Exactly!” Kat paused to make sure the timing was right for that one. Then she gave a satisfied nod. “But that bloody shifter is probably still holding his balls…”

“Oh,” Mel groaned. “Please, tell me we’re not at war with a pack of shifter wolves.”

“I don’t know!” Kat said as she started to flap her arms up and down like a baby bird trying to learn how to fly.

“Calm down!” Paige said.

She lifted her glass of wine and held it up for her sister. Kat didn’t need to be told twice — she drained the glass dry, scooped in for Mel’s glass and snatched it away, and drank that wine too.

“Be my guest,” Mel grumbled.

“You owe me more than a glass of wine!” Kat snapped back.

“Possibly,” Mel admitted. “But, this was really not my fault…”

“Not your fault!” She’d gone from a normal tone to a deep growl, and now she was shrew-like. “How is this not your fault?”

“I wasn’t there!” Mel snapped back.

“Exactly!” Kat snapped out as she pointed an accusing finger at her twin once more.

“Wow,” Paige gave a small shake of her head. “I’m so glad I wasn’t a twin.”

“Don’t even get me started,” Kat hissed in annoyance.

“Yes, we wouldn’t want her to get agitated in any way,” Mel chuckled.

“This is funny? This is your fault — you — vampires — shifters…”

“The shifter was not my fault,” Mel said.

“You sent me to the vampire!” Kat snapped back.

“I’ll give you the vampire, but I’m not taking responsibility for the shifter — that was all you.”

“I’m going to kill you — then I’m going to bury you under the bloody rose bush in the back garden — nobody will ever know…” Kat hissed.

“I’ll know,” Paige said, holding up a hand and grimacing.

“You’re my sister — that doesn’t count — you’ll never tell,” Kat snapped back.

“O-kay,” Paige chuckled.

“I hate you!” Kat hissed at her twin and Mel pulled a sad face. “Don’t do that – I don’t care – I hate you with the vengeance of a billion fiery suns!”

“Do not,” Paige chuckled, but Mel’s sad face grew even more pathetic.

“Stop it!” Kat hissed.

“My twin hates me…” Mel’s bottom lip pushed out.

“Ahhh!” Kat snapped, turning on her heels and starting back towards the hallway when the sound of a meaty car engine drew her attention towards the window.

She bent forward to peer outside – her eyes locked into the shifter and the vampire as they say side by side in the front of the snazzy pickup truck, and she snapped to attention as she pointed outside.

“Holy poop! Vampire and shifter!” Kat squealed.

“You let them follow you home?” Mel said, scampering across the floor towards the window on her hands and knees like a demented cat.

“No! Yes! Maybe! I don’t bloody well know!” Kat hissed, and Mel pushed up to peer out of the window. “This is so your fault, and you can deal with Satan’s bloody minion, and his trusty mutt sidekick!”

“Oh no,” Mel shook her head. “I don’t even like vampires…”

“And I do?” Kat snapped.

“Well, I didn’t see you saying no to going with that potion…”

“I really don’t believe you sometimes!” Kat hissed.

“Yeah, I am kind of exceptional,” Mel grinned, but she wasn’t grinning when Kat zapped her.