Chapter 1

Jessie was ready. Today would be the start of her great adventure in the big world or something like that. She gathered her bags and looked her mother in the eye.

"Well, I'm ready, my taxi's outside, Mum. I'll call you as soon as I can."

Jessie's mother, Matilda, watched as her girl walked determinedly out the door to the taxi waiting there. Jessie's father, Joseph, also came to watch and wrapped his arms around his wife's shoulders and squeezed soothingly.

It wasn't until their only daughter was in the car that Joseph said, " You know this was supposed to happen, and then one day..."

Matilda nodded. Yes, she knew. Had known for 22 years, ever since Jessie had been born. Now, their darling daughter was off to conquer the world, and they didn't know when she would be back.

Jessie sat in the taxi, tense, a little scared, and wondering if this was really happening. She was going to tour the world in the same way that in the Mamma Mia musicals she loved, the main character left, but Jessie wasn't going to end up on some island pregnant to be a single parent and run a hotel. No, she wanted to travel and experience new things.

Her whole life had been pretty sheltered so far. She was still a virgin, inexperienced with men. She had dated a couple of boys, but she didn't feel they had that much of a love story going on at any one time. They had been teenage crushes, and now they were always happening.

Jessie, in her opinion, never resembled her parents. Where her father's raven black hair and tall but strong build and her mother's chocolate brown hair and regal posture and height had made her assume in her younger days that she would grow taller, but no, Jessie was a short 162 cm with almost white hair, delicate facial features, and a calm, natural disposition and she seemed, at least in her younger days, to attract the attention of all animals.

She remembered how, as a child, she would play in the woods in the backyard of their Minnesota house, and the Squirrels never ran away from her. But then they always had to move for some reason, and over the years, their houses had been closer and closer to town, with less and less nature around. Their last home had been in downtown Philadelphia, which wasn't far from the airport.

The Jesse's had no siblings and not really any cousins. Her mother's sister, Jenny, had died when she was a baby, and her father had been an only child. She had always had a couple of friends at school, but as they had moved around so much when she was a kid, she had never really made friends with any of them.

She had no pets, not even an aquarium fish, and they didn't even have houseplants. Her father was a prosecutor by profession and sometimes had to work long hours. Her mother was a shop manager, so she didn't always work overtime. Jessie's childhood had been perfect; she had been loved and brought up well, and she loved musicals and often sang to herself.

Now she was really looking forward to seeing for herself all the places she'd seen online, if for years. She had a travel fund. She had saved up herself by doing summer jobs and substitutes at her mother's shop. She had gone to high school and considered attending college to study medicine after this trip.

The cab arrived, and Jessie paid for her trip. The excitement in the pit of her stomach only grew, and she got out of the cab and grabbed her suitcases, dragging them behind her as she walked to the airport and into the building.

Her first destination was Rome; from there, she would go to Paris, Barcelona, and Berlin. She didn't even know where everywhere and how long she would be traveling. He knew German, French, and Spanish, and Italian, so language would not be an obstacle. Jessie was slender, with bright blue eyes. Her mother had dark blue eyes, and her father's eyes were so light blue they were almost grey.

She walked to the counter, got the necessary papers, and went to the cafeteria. Her flight wouldn't leave for another hour, and she had left early so she could just have a coffee and feel the atmosphere of the airport. She wanted to soak up all these experiences.

She took her coffee and went to one of the tables to sit with her sandwich. She was one of those people who could eat almost anything, and it didn't show. She looked around and watched as two rather good-looking men looked at her with interest. One of the men was lighter, younger, and maybe cute to some of the girls, but Jesse thought the man's features were too soft and childlike as if he needed to grow up for a few more years.

The other man had black hair and looked at Jesse closely the whole time. This man brought to her mind a lawyer, the very kind her father had sometimes visited them at dinner when he had invited her. But this man was also the type Jessie's mother had warned her about. This man wouldn't care about her feelings at all but would take advantage of her.

They were both wearing suits and were slowly sipping on drinks. Some instinct made Jessie drink her coffee quickly and eat her sandwich. Then she got up and went to check out the stands at the airport. The men had gotten up and seemed to be following her.

Jessie tried to get herself under control. The men were probably quite harmless, and she was once again giving her wild imagination too much freedom. Jessie reasoned with herself and calmly walked from kiosk to kiosk, wondering who was actually buying this junk. But the men seemed to be there no matter where Jessie went in the airport. She went to the restroom and went to the bathroom.

Her flight would be leaving in 20 minutes, and she was going to go to the gate now and wait. When she came out of the restroom, she saw a younger man had pushed one of the women against the wall and appeared to be kissing her neck, except that the woman's expression was blank and tired. When the man then lifted his head away, Jessie saw that his mouth was covered in blood.

The man was a vampire. Jessie knew they existed and had already been taught about vampires and werewolves in school. But weren't vampires only supposed to move at night and be pale, haggard-looking creatures in old-fashioned clothes? She remembered what she'd learned at school. The vampire let go of the woman and looked her in the eye, saying something, and she walked away. There was not a mark on her neck. Fine.

So, the vampires had moved forward in time and were able to heal the wounds. The men must have thought to feed on her then. But they were still following, and now that Jessie knew who they were, she was more clearly worried and wondering how to stay safe. She didn't know what the two vampires wanted from her.

She went into the crowd and to her gate, already waiting to see when she would get on the plane. People were all around her, and at any moment, someone would push her, but she had put her wallet away, and the tickets were in her hand.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her hand and said, " Come on, unless you want those two to get you."

Jessie looked at the speaker, and it was a man, brown-haired, tight-faced, and clearly a professional. The man's grip on her arm was tight, and he was pulling her.

Jessie said, " My flight's just leaving. I'm about to board and don't even know who you are. Can I trust you?"

The man was clearly irritated by this sudden resistance and said, " Those two vampires are attacking, and I can tell you are not food for them. They were going to take everything away from you. My name is Michael, and I am here to save you. Come on now."

As Jessie stubbornly stood still, the man sighed and took a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and slammed one into Jessie's wrist and the other into his own, locking them together.

Then the man started to lead Jessie towards the exit, and she didn't know if this was a kidnapping or what. They went outside, and the man took Jessie to one of the SUVs, opened the passenger door, unlocked the cuff from himself, helped Jessie into the front seat, and secured the cuff to the hook on the dashboard. The man helped the seat belt on Jessie, shut the door, and then briskly came to his side and started driving.

Jessie asked, " Where are you taking me? You can drop me off at home if I can't make the trip."

The man was quiet and concentrated on driving. Jessie saw that they were leaving town.

The man, Michael, said, "I'm going to take you to a wizard now, and he'll find you a coven to take you in, eventually. How were you unprotected while moving, and don't you wear any protective gear?"

Jessie looked at the man for a long moment.

She said, " So you think I'm a witch? Yeah, when I'm not. I'm sorry, you've got the wrong girl in the car now." '

Michael looked at the woman he had rescued. Could it be true that a witch so strong doesn't know she's a witch? But surely her powers must have been manifested at puberty, and her parents must have known what she was from birth.

Michael said, " You are one of the strongest witches ever. I have saved you from the clutches of those two. Are you telling me you don't know you're a witch?"

She looked at him in amazement as if he had really made some great revelation. Michael sighed. Why couldn't any of these rescues go the way he wanted?

Michael had once been a spy, put out of the game, and burned. And he continued on the private side, learning pretty quickly about the supernatural world. He worked in the vampire slaying business for a couple of years, and then he ran into this wizard.

Copperfield. This one had been in the private sector before the supernatural world had come out and had been able to do some real wizarding work since then. Michael had been studying magic under Copper, as he called him when the wizard had hinted that he had powers. But they were far from necessary.

Michael could cast small, light spells when he concentrated, but then when a spell went wrong for him, or he couldn't get it right, he'd go moldy. Just about everything he tried to do, and Copper didn't understand how he did it at first, but having stayed with a wizard in his time and moulded his bed, Michael had thus found his own place and decided not to cast spells unless he wanted to mould on purpose.

Michael said to her, "This wizard will help you; he will see you for what you are if you don't know it yourself, and he will find you a refuge and probably train you in your powers. Whether your powers have been bound then, I don't know that either, but you can't go home. You need to stay safe now. You're too good a victim for those two."

Jessie looked at him and said, "I guess they didn't teach you the truth in school, did they?"

Michael looked and grinned, saying, " How do you figure that, but yeah. When the vampires came out and the other supernaturals, there was an agreement made as to what was taught in school. Each species got to decide for themselves what they were taught about them. No one could afford to say whether it was right or wrong because there was the danger that a war would break out, a world war, and people would be the losers quickly. But don't worry. Copper will teach you everything you need to know. He's the wizard I was talking about."

Jessie was silent. She was a witch. Now, in school, witches weren't talked about much, but she remembered a couple of her friends in primary school who were witches. And she had always made friends with them. But did her parents know? They had to have known. But if she was the reason they moved.

Jessie wondered if she was a black witch, and that's why her parents hadn't told her. What if she becomes corrupt and mean? Evil, wicked. She couldn't really think of any other explanation. And now this man, Michael, is taking her to a wizard, who will probably tell her that she's really strong and as a black witch as a black witch can be.

She didn't feel any different than she had the morning she'd gotten into the cab and started her adventure. Yes, yes, she did start the adventure. She really did. Just not quite the one she'd imagined.

Michael continued on his way, not knowing how he could help the clearly confused young woman whose life he had just changed. But it didn't really matter. Michael glanced in the rearview mirror and saw that vampires were chasing them. He swore softly and pressed the accelerator. As long as they could get to Copper, he had enough protection to keep them safe. He texted the wizard to say they'd be there in 35 minutes.

He looked at her, who was now clearly worried, having heard her swearing and noticed them speeding up.

He said, "The vampires are after us, but we will be at the wizard in 35 minutes. His place is protected so those two can't get at us, and then he can make a portal to the other place, and you'll be safe."

The woman took a breath, still looking out the window, her blue eyes wide.

They were hunted. Although Michael tried to get her to relax, she couldn't help herself as she became frightened. If she was a witch, what were those vampires doing to her? But if she is a black witch and they are evil, then they would probably want to corrupt her.

Jessie tried to stay calm and take each moment as it came and not think about the future just yet. Once they were safe and the wizard showed her how evil she was, then she could think more about her fate. Wonder if there are any institutions or prisons where black witches are put.

Although Jessie tried to convince herself that she could be more than a black witch, when she started to think about the facts of her situation, she always came to the same conclusion. There was so much evil or power in her that her parents hadn't let it come out or even told her who or what she was.

The vampires relentlessly drove closer, and even as Michael picked up his pace, they kept up with them. Jessie wondered what her life would become as a witch. Were her parents then so ashamed of her that they didn't want to admit the truth or what?

Then Jessie began to wonder if her parents were even her biological parents. I mean, there were baby pictures of her from the very beginning, but still. She had only seen one picture of her mother's sister, Jennie, and that had been lighter and shorter.

What if Jennie had been her real mother, and there had been some family shame attached to that, and that was why she hadn't been told she was still a witch? What if she was ashamed of her family? This is not how her great Mamma Mia adventure was supposed to go, but the world can surprise you.

Michael knew that just a few more miles and they'd be there. He didn't know what the woman next to him was thinking, but from the look on her face, he could tell she had discovered some things she wasn't sure about yet. Of course, it's not easy to digest that you're a witch when usually children were told from an early age if they were found to have abilities.

Not allowed to grow up and kept their powers hidden. Michael said, " Soon, we'll be there. I'll drive the car to the garage, which is protected, so there's nothing to worry about then."

The woman nodded, pale and her mouth in a tight line. Michael looked at the woman. This one was as beautiful as a fairy, with delicate facial features and almost perfect symmetry. He wondered what it would be like to kiss the mouth that was now in a tight line, but when he had looked before, the mouth was very kissable, perhaps a little inexperienced, never having been kissed in such a way that the knees went weak.

Michael concentrated on driving the car to the garage, and as the garage door closed, he breathed audibly. It had been close. Those two had driven him more than once, once almost off the road after his earlier rescues.

Michael looked at Jessie and unlocked the handcuffs, saying, " We're safe now. Come on and meet Copper, and we'll see where we can find you a sanctuary."

Jessie looked at the man for a moment and then asked in a soft voice when she wouldn't have dared to even think about the whole thing. "Are my parents safe? When can I get back to my home?"

Michael was silent for a moment and said, " Your parents are probably fine as long as you don't go home. As to whether you'll ever get there or whether you'll even be able to contact them, I'm not going to comment. But they have most likely been aware of what you are and knew this day was coming."

Jessie was silent; she had suspected the same thing and hoped her parents stayed safe. She got out of the car. They seemed to be in a very ordinary, if rather large, garage, and Jessie walked a few steps when Michael said,

" This way, come on over here, and then you can get acquainted with your new life."

She followed Michael through the door, and they climbed the short flight of stairs to the inside of the house. Michael said louder,

"Copper, we're here," the sound seemed to echo through the house, and Jessie somehow realized that this house was enchanted or bewitched. She didn't even know the correct term.

She followed Michael into another room, and in this room was a large TV and a big plush couch in front of it. There was probably some young boy in his 20s on the couch playing on a game console, and Jessie assumed this was either Copper's apprentice or someone to be rescued as well.

But Michael irritably went over to the sofa and said, "Please stop. It would be good for Jessie to find out where she can go now. "

The boy put the game down and said to Michael in a low voice, a power Jessie had never experienced. "Michael, try to get something else to turn moldy around here. Fine, I'll take a look at it. Your witch is probably just a white or plain witch. You've got those hang-ups about things, and just because you can do a few little spells and then mold the rest of the time doesn't make you an expert."

The young man stood up and looked at Jessie with furrowed brows as if assessing this and said, " What a challenge you are, but come on over here, and we'll see what you are."

Jessie followed him into the kitchen, and the man went to the cupboards at the back and reached for a bottle from the top shelf. He then took a glass measuring cup from another cupboard, some dried plants, and yet another glass jar. He opened the first one, put the dried plants in small crumbs, closed the bottle, and muttered something.

Jessie felt a strange reservation in the air and realized it was magic. The man shook the bottle vigorously until the inside of the bottle had gone from cloudy milky to crystal clear.

He handed the bottle to Jessie and said, "Drink that first. It might taste funny."

Jessie took the bottle and drank the small amount of drink in it. It was like drinking a juice drink. There was no more. The liquid tasted herbal, and it made Jessie's tongue tingle. Copper prepared another liquid. He poured the prescribed amount into a measuring glass and added herbs to it, too, and then he took a needle, stuck it in his finger, and dropped five drops of his own blood into the liquid.

After 10 minutes, Copper said, " Now it's your turn. Are you afraid of blood or needles?"

Jessie shook her head. Copper took her right hand, stuck a needle in her index finger, and then dropped five drops of Jessie's blood. The substance began to bubble and change color immediately.

Michael sarcastically stated, "I guess it's not just a white witch. Like I said, Copper, I still know what I'm doing."

Copper smirked and said to Jessie, "This may take a while; just go and sit on the sofa. There are some magazines or something. "

Jessie looked at the mug with interest and said, " What does that say about what I am?"

Copper looked at her for a moment and said, " The color of this potion will tell me what you are, and then when I know what you are, I'll know where to find your refuge. It may take some time because your powers have been bound. It'll be a while before the magic gets through. "

Jessie went to sit on the couch and thought her parents had known all along and had bound her powers. She must be one of those witches who shouldn't be allowed to keep her powers. Jessie wondered if she ever meet her parents again. She would want to hear a really good explanation of why. But where she would end up now and why time, she didn't know yet.

Michael had taken her bag with him to bring her some clothes and money, but she wasn't about to start a new life quite so much. She should have gone to university to study veterinary science or medicine. That is hardly possible now. Jessie looked at the magazines on the table, picked one up, and started leafing through it.

It was some kind of gaming magazine, and she'd never even been big on playing any computer games. She was more outdoors doing some, always running and cycling. She was a very physically active type of girl. And she had a good metabolism, so she could eat pretty much what she wanted, and it didn't show.

Then, she began to pay attention when the men spoke in a low voice. She got up off the couch and went over to them. The measuring glass was now one color, and Jessie didn't know what that meant. The liquid in the glass was a strong blue-violet.

Copper looked at her and said softly, " You're pretty damn rare. A violet witch. I never thought I'd ever find one like that. No wonder your powers were bound."

Michael also looked at her for a long time, and Jessie asked, " Why am I a rarity? What's so special about that?"

Copper sighed and said, "Since there hasn't been one like you for a few centuries, the last one I ran into was sometime in the 1780s, and she was weak, too. "

Jessie looked at the wizard for a long moment and then said cautiously, " How old are you then? That's just a disguise, isn't it?"

Copper smiled and said, " Yeah, it's kind of a disguise, and as for my age, I can say I'm old. I just don't really tell anyone how old I am."

Michael said, " We can't put her with any coven. We'll have to find another place for her."

Copper nodded and went to ponder by the window. Then, after a moment, he said, " Not with witches but with werewolves, Archie and Bruce, to be precise. They will be able to keep her safe, and we just wait for her powers to emerge and then see how much training she requires, but the purple witch is usually pretty naturally skilled instincts. But it would help her if we could get her a power animal and that Bruce's other boy can't do this stuff?"

Michael growled. " You know better than that. They are a good refuge, though, and let's see if she likes being in a pack of werewolves. "

Copper said, "I'll make the call first, then we'll see where we're at. Usually, they haven't had any problems, but we'll see."

Michael said to Jessie, who had been looking wide-eyed throughout the exchange. "These two werewolves are nice enough, guys. They are not in a relationship. Archie is a former pack leader. He doesn't keep such a large pack at the moment, and Bruce is an old, old werewolf who is a bit of a mentor to the younger ones. Although Bruce has his own pack, he has all the werewolves who have a problem with self-control. They'll keep you safe, though."

Werewolves are savages and should not be approached, but then, at the same time, she remembered how vampires had made schools teach all the wrong things. Werewolves had apparently done the same. Jessie was as in over her head as she could be, but she wasn't going to start overanalyzing it now. The time would come later when she could settle down somewhere.

Michael approached Jessie, grabbed her by the shoulders, and said, " Everything is going to be fine. As long as Copper can arrange for you to go there, he can set up a portal straight there, so there's no need to drive, and those two won't know anything about where you've disappeared. But one thing. You'll need a new identity just in case those two come looking for you, but the witch usually changes her name once she gets her powers going."

Jessie thought for a moment and said, " Well, if I'm a violet witch, then let my name be Violet. "

Michael nodded and said, " Fine, how about a last name? You can change it, but I need someone to do the paperwork."

As she began to think of herself, Jessie or Violet thought for a moment and said, "Bay, it's short enough and doesn't resemble anything before, so that Bay will be fine."

Michael looked at her for a moment and said, " Nice to meet you, Violet Bay."

Violet smiled. This was the beginning of her new life. And she had no idea yet what it would even entail.

Copper came back and said, " No problem, come on, let's get you settled in, and Archie will take you into his pack. There is Bruce's son, who will be a doctor, and Bruce will have another son, and he will give you a power animal. The power animal will take up residence inside you and instruct you. You can take the shape of your power animal and use it, but any full moon does not bind you, and your transformation is painless."

Violet said, " So I become a shapeshifter too?"

Copper nodded and said, " Quite normal for a witch to be able to change shape. Let's go then."

Violet followed Copper into another room with a loose door in the middle of the room, with what looked like magical runes—a real door to another place. Everything still felt so unreal to Violet, and she couldn't quite relate to anything yet. Copper went to the door and concentrated, and Violet could feel the wizard's power in the portal.

Copper grunted. " That binding time will be over in a week or two, and then you'll get a real handle on your powers. Then you'll see what you can do."

The portal began to glow, and the door opened slightly after a few minutes. Michael had retrieved her bags at some point and now brought them with him.

Violet picked up her bags, and Michael said, "I'll be in touch somewhere; don't worry. Now go. "

Violet sighed, took a better grip on her bags, and went through the now-open doorway.

She entered the living room, and a tall man with black hair came up to her and said, " Let me help you with those bags. I'm Archie the werewolf, and you're Jessie?"

Violet said, "Violet, I changed my name when I had to, so I'm Violet Bay."

Archie shook her hand and said, "Nice to meet you. I'm Archie Sanders, an alpha werewolf, and you'll be a member of my pack in no time. "

Violet followed the man striding ahead of her, carrying her heavy bags when they would have been weightless. Violet realized how super strong this werewolf was.

The man stopped at the door to one of the rooms and said, " Here's your room. You can fix it up if you like; just settle in, and I'll put you in the pack when you've had a bit of a breather. You must be hungry, so I'll go and cook. "

Violet realized how hungry she was, and when he mentioned food, her hunger seemed to grow. She started unpacking her bags and putting the place together, a much larger room than any of her rooms had been. They had living rooms this size. The room was decorated in shades of beige, white, and grey.

Violet knew she wanted to color in here and lots of it. The walls could be painted, and the big luxurious bed could have some more cheerful bedding. She finished unpacking her bags and admired the large bathroom. Oh, when she gets to soak in that tub, it's going to be wonderful. Violet changed after her shower and then followed the smell of food to find something to eat.

She ended up in the kitchen, where there were two other men besides Archie, one tall and black-haired, at least partly Indian, and the other with very fair hair, perhaps a little shorter than Archie and of a thinner build.

Archie said, " Good of you to come. This is Bruce and Mike. Mike, here is the pack doctor and Bruce's son, believe it or not."

Violet watched for a moment and saw in the boy perhaps some of his father's traits, but she had now learned to take things as they came and not start to wonder why or why not. Both men shook hands, and Violet went to sit at the table.

Archie said, " We are waiting for Bruce's other son. He will help you find your power animal. It could be anything."

Violet thought it would be great if it were a lion or a tiger, but what if her power animal was a mouse? The door opened, and Violet heard footsteps. A man came into view, and this was then some sort of half-Indian, but Violet didn't know which tribe.

This man, too, showed traits of his father. The man came up to Violet and held out his hand, saying, "Pleased to meet you. I'm Jack Mace. Bruce is my father, and well, as you can see, my father has had many women."

Violet raised her eyebrows at the man's statement. She wasn't used to such disrespect for one's parents, but Bruce didn't seem to care. He was amused.

Bruce said, "Never mind, Jack, he likes to open his head even when it's not wise. But yes, I've had women, but I've never been blessed with more children. "

Violet said, " OK, I don't have a problem with that."

Archie then brought Violet a large plate of juicy meatballs and fluffy mashed potatoes with gravy. There was bread and some spread on the table, and Violet looked for water for a drink, but only several bottles of wine were open on the table. Violet was brisk and saw an empty jug. She got up from the table, picked up the empty jug, went to the tap, and poured herself a large cold jug of water. Then she walked back to her seat and went to eat.

When she had eaten such a huge meal that she felt like she was bursting then, Archie said, " Come on over here, and we'll put you in the pack."

Archie looked at her for a moment and then continued, "I have to bite you, and it hurts, and it leaves a mark. Where you want the mark, I can bite in a place where it won't be seen in public, but it would protect you a little better if everyone could see that you belong to the Pack. "

Violet said, " Just bite the neck or shoulder, wherever it's visible, I don't mind. I can take it."

Archie stepped closer and grabbed the woman, effectively trapping her hands. Violet had never been this close to a man before. She'd had boyfriends, emphasis on the word boy, and this man's body heat and his strong hands holding her made her breathe a little harder.

Then the man sank his teeth into Violet's right shoulder, and Violet gasped. The bite hurt hard; she felt how the man had broken her skin, and it was bleeding. The man held his teeth in for a moment longer and then licked the bite. It seemed to help a little.

Violet suddenly sensed everything in the room, and she had a connection with Archie. She felt his concern and realized she was in a pack now, and these were some sort of inter-pack bonds.

Archie lifted his eyes, looked at his now visible mark on the woman's shoulder, and said, " Welcome to the pack, Violet."

Violet nodded, and the man had already let her go. The pack doctor came over to her, looked at the mark, and nodded.

He said briefly, " That will heal nicely. You've accepted it."

Again, Violet didn't know what they were talking about, and she said, "I have no idea what you are talking about. "

Bruce came and took a big book from the bookshelf.

He brought it into Violet's hands, saying, "Now go and read this. There's a lot of information in here about everything. Knowledge is power. "

Violet picked up the heavy book and walked back to her room. Bruce's other son, Jack, came and said, "Before you start studying, I will help you find your power animal. "

Violet nodded and said, " OK, what do I have to do?"

Jack came and sat down on the bed and said, "I'm going to make you a special potion, it will go into your head and make you relax so that you open your subconscious and you can call up your power animal, even though your powers are still partially bound, I can sense them already, so your power animal senses them too."

Violet nodded, and Jack left the room for a moment.

Violet curled in bed in a better position and thought about how she would brighten the room. Then it occurred to her that he hadn't even asked about paying the rent or anything.

Suddenly, Archie's voice said quite loudly in her head, "There is no rent. We can talk through the pack bond, at least the two of us, as I am your alpha. Your pack leader."

Violet had learned something new again. Apparently, her thoughts are not always her own, but that's okay. Then Jack came back with a mug and handed it to Violet. The liquid was not scalding hot as she had assumed. It was warm. Violet took a breath and then finished the cup. It tasted mostly like the chamomile tea her mother had drunk for her whenever she was sick.

Violet lay down on the bed and let her thoughts wander. They began to wander, and she didn't even realize Jack was talking to her the whole time. She saw an animal, but it scurried away, and Violet was glad it wasn't a mouse. She couldn't tell what the hell animal was running away from her. She had assumed that there would be many animals, and she would almost get to choose the right one. But there was only this one, and she tried to struggle to identify which animal it was.

It was some kind of canine animal, but it was quite a funny color, the same color as a Dutch Shepherd or some other brindle.

The dog lady came over, sat down, and said, " Oh, still funny color, I'll show you funny."

Violet said to the animal, " What are you, and why are you talking?"

The animal snorted in offense and said, "I am a coyote, in case you don't recognize me. I am your power animal, the Violet Witch. I haven't seen one like you in a long, long time. Not since the vampires in charge felt the violet witches were a threat and destroyed everyone."

Violet furrowed her brows and said, " Why would we be a threat?"

the coyote looked at her and said, "Because it was the Violet witches who created the vampires, so they knew the Violet witch could kill them too."

Violet was silent. Apparently, this wouldn't be as easy as she had originally thought. It seemed she didn't even know herself what she was capable of, and already she had enemies. Certainly, she hadn't asked for such a tough adventure at any point.

She felt the coyote inside her now and asked him, " What's your name?"

The coyote thought for a moment and said, "Shadow, or Shado for short. "

Violet said, " My name is Violet. Nice to meet you, Shadow."

The coyote scoffed and then curled up to sleep. Violet could feel how tired she was; it had been a long day. She let her eyes close and fell asleep. Now a witch and a shapeshifter, when she had awoken in the morning as a mere human.