“Violet?” Someone was pounding on the door. “Violet, unlock the door, or I’m coming through it.”
The pounding increased until her teeth rattled from the force of it. Finn was close to putting a fist through the wood, so she pushed herself up and unlocked the door. The dragonfly quickly disappeared through it. The little hallway was packed with people, but it wasn’t surprising. They were her family.
Finn stepped inside, taking her by the shoulders. “You screamed. What happened?”
“I…” She hesitated before shaking her head. Could she be certain what had happened? “I think I’m losing my mind.”
That may be true, but a thought at the back of her mind kept pushing her forward. Without a word to Valeria and Sera, who were looking at her with grave expressions on their faces, she passed them. Her friends’ mates, Asher and Ian were in the living room, and Hunter stood beside the window, but Violet didn’t stop.
Before putting anything into words, she had to see it for herself. As she stepped outside into the chilly spring weather, Finn blocked her route.
“Stop, just stop. What are you doing?”
“I just want to test something… Please. I can’t explain until I do.”
Valeria touched her arm, and Sera stood by her side. The contact was both soothing and itchy. “Vi, Finn told us what happened. Please talk to us. There’s nothing we can’t solve when we’re together.” With their arms linked, each one touching the other, the men completed the circle around them.
“I know, Val. I did something in my room but I’m not sure what happened. I’d rather show you, try to reproduce what it was.”
Valeria nodded, and Sera took her hand. “What do you need from us?”
“I just need to find a dead insect or maybe a small creature who no longer breathes.” Violet shivered as a cold wind coursed over her skin.
“Go inside with your friends, darling. I’ll go look for what you want.”
Finn gestured at Ian and Asher to follow him as she headed inside.
Valeria made her sit on the couch, covering her shoulders with a blanket while Sera made her a cup of tea. They didn’t ask questions, allowing her to calm her breath and steady her mind which she appreciated.
Sera had just placed a steaming cup into her cold hands when the men came back. It was clear from their expressions they weren’t certain what she was planning.
“We didn’t know what you required, so we found a dead bird and a dead mouse. We thought you would want something that had all their parts and wasn’t too decayed.”
Violet looked at the poor creatures, incapable of touching them yet. They almost looked asleep. Her hand hovered, but still, she hesitated.
Everybody was kind of holding their breath, so when something scratched at the door, everyone jumped a little.
Layla magically opened the front door and strutted in, her sapphire eyes blinking before she jumped on the table to gain height. “I thought I’d find you all here… you all have a tendency to congregate in trying times. I wanted to check on you and…” Her eyes went to the dead animals before slowly returning to Violet. “What’s going on?”
Violet swallowed hard. “I want to try something.”
Layla hmphed in disdain. “You were infused with the powers of a necromancer, and now you want to raise the dead? You know nothing good comes from attempting such a thing.”
“I know, Layla. Creating Zombies isn’t what I’m trying to verify. That wasn’t what I did.”
Finn looked at her with wariness as Layla jumped down and came to sit beside her on the couch. “What do you mean, child?”
So everything was out in the open and everyone knew, Violet explained her mark, how it disappeared, and the powers inside her she couldn’t explain. “Abrams said I’d disappear, be consumed by them. It hasn’t happened so far, but my powers aren’t what they used to be. I’m not the same, Layla. At first, I thought I was transforming into a necromancer, but when the mark went, and my powers merged, I’m not so sure that’s what’s happening. And earlier, in my room, I saw a dead dragonfly beside my bed, and when I took it in my hands, it came back to life.”
The general gasp couldn’t be mistaken, and even Layla looked shaken. “You mean, rose like the walking dead.”
Violet shook her head. “No. I mean it completely came back to life. I know what a walking dead creature looks like, and the dragonfly wasn’t like that.”
Sera sat beside her friend. “What if the dragonfly wasn’t truly dead? It happens with insects.”
Violet forced a smile. “That’s what I wanted to test.”
Layla stayed silent, pensive. “If what you say is true, it could change everything we know. And there’s only one way to find out.”
Asher crouched before her and opened his hands to reveal a tiny blue warbler.
Very gently, Violet took the tiny bundle of unmoving feathers into her trembling palm. All eyes were on her, but she gathered inside herself, where it was calmer. It was easy to remember how she’d felt, and the magic coursed even easier over her skin this time. Despite not knowing what was truly happening, she just let it happen, almost doubting she could repeat the experience.
Feeling the bird fluttering in her hands she opened her eyes and saw the once dead creature wake and bat its wings. Hunter just had the time to open the door, so the warbler wouldn’t crash onto the window and could fly to freedom.
“Holy fuck. What just happened?” Hunter was grasping his chest like he was about to suffer a heart attack.
Violet couldn’t believe it herself. Getting off the couch, she went to Ian, who held the mouse. The tall werewolf moved back as she approached but handed her the mouse.
This time, it was even quicker. As soon as Violet held the tiny body, she saw it jerk and move. Before
