‘Uh…..yeah…they’re not my ‘friends’. They’re not even allies now.’ I told it. ‘Um, what did you do to me? I mean, why am I in you and not… me? Did that make sense?’

     ‘I understand what you are trying to say.’ It replied. ‘But I am not certain I can answer your question without undo fear.’

     ‘I’ve been through some pretty shitty stuff already so I doubt anything you could tell me, would phase me right now.’ I informed it.

     ‘Well now.. I… um… I took your soul and put it inside of my own. Are you angry with that?’ It asked.

     ‘Should I be? You did swallow my soul. I’m not going to get digested or anything, am I?’

     ‘Oh no no no! You are quite safe, I assure you. I do not eat souls or ‘digest souls’ as you may be suggesting. But rather, I feed on the energy they produce when I ingest them.’ It hurriedly told me.

     ‘Are you feeding on me right now?’ I asked.

     ‘Uh, no. Or rather I cannot because you are still alive.’ It replied.

     ‘I had a feeling that might be the case. Um why did you did you take my soul from my body then?’

     ‘I did it to prevent you from going into shock from an interrupted feeding.’ It told me as it tried to reach for and remove the source of the intense pain in its back.

     Try as it might, it was unable to quite reach it on its own. I watch through its eyes as it turned its back to my body before turning its head to look at it. I could feel the creature give my body mental commands and I watches as it moved to obey them. My body dug its fingers into the creature’s back and probed around for the bullet that had hit it earlier. It eventually found it and removed the deformed chunk of silver that it had become. The results of its removal were almost immediate as the fiery pain it had cause faded into a dull throbbing.

     ‘Ahhh, that is sooo much better…’ the creature sighed as it sagged slightly in relief.

     ‘Did you turn my body into a thrall when you took my soul from it?’ I asked and I felt it tense up like a kid that had been caught doing something it shouldn’t.

     ‘Yes… I did. Are you mad?’ It replied.

     ‘Not so long as you don’t do anything I find objectionable to it while its under you control and eventually put me back.’ I told it.

     ‘Don’t worry I will not do anything to you or your body without your permission and I will have to return your soul to your body before I can receive any more blood from you in return for more wishes.’ It assured me.

     ‘Wait, I can make more than one wish?’ I asked

     'Yes, but there are other consequences for making more than one wish. I cannot tell you any more than that until you have made more wishes.’ It explained to me as it went to hazard another look at what the two men were doing from the safety of the altar.