There was no murder committed that night and in the small hours of the morning Jack convinced Piety to go home and rest. Glenda made it through the surgery and he firmly told her the next few hours would be however they would be . whether Piety sat in that hospital or slept in her bed, what would be would be. It was not said unkindly , but Piety felt irritated nevertheless. 

Piety wanted to argue and in the end she fell asleep on the ride home. Jack woke her gently and in the light of false dawn he told her he would see to her starving pets. The cats meowed piteously and showed themselves when they came through the door.  Jack waved Piety off and bustled about the kitchen finding the pet food bin. Piety knew she should rest yet it bothered her that the garage still looked like a localized tornado had struck.

Wavering on laying down she found herself re thinking about how when they had come home, Piety had glimpsed the stain that was on the concrete where Glenda had laid.  Almost as if he had read her mind Jack had placed his hand on the small of her back and said, “Let me see to this , you need to go in Finnegan is worried I can hear him whine.” She had allowed him to sidetrack her. 

Piety had felt the heat of his hand on her back and she had the urge to just let him pick her up and deposit her anywhere in the house. She had just yawned a jaw cracking yawn and...obeyed?. Her feet went forward to the garage’s connector door to the house. Finnegan had doggie danced, his toenails tapping and the cat slinked into the kitchen as Piety petted them all . Jack unlatched the dog door for Finn. The dog took off like a rocket . She must be tired and off. She had just acquiesced meekly. When had she been like that?

 Piety decided she was just going to for once take a good suggestion and went for her room down the hall. She sat on her bed still rumpled and unmade from the previous night. She looked at the photograph of Aunt Charity and Glenda on vacation someplace camping. They stood on a rock in the middle of a river posing like they were going to leap off of it. Then again knowing those two that might had been what happened next. Even at 60 they had acted like they were still kids. Glenda wore a ridiculously large sun hat and cut off jean shorts with a halter top. Charity in a tie-dyed sundress holding her nose and her cheeks puffed out like she was holding her breath. Hot tears scalded Piety’s face as she held the picture. How much more loss would she endure. She sobbed for the two in the photograph she cried for the Amish man and the high school boy who had been torn apart. Screwing her eyes shut she laid on her bed and surprisingly was fast asleep in minutes.

The sun shone brightly through her curtains that had not been pulled shut the night before and disoriented Piety found herself in bed. She was dressed and yet under the quilt that her aunt had made or purchased years before Piety had arrived. The picture of her Aunt and Glenda was on her nightstand and in trying to get out of bed she discovered she had been weighed down by granny cat Cally and her dark apprentice Nix. Piety rolled gently and wiggled trying to dislodge the pair who seemed to be Velcroed to her, with a sigh she rolled hard to her side sending the protesting felines to the floor. Sitting up Piety was aware of three things first that she had to pee, second her dog was not demanding food, lastly there was the smell of coffee the sound of someone in her kitchen. She hoped the someone was Jack and if it wasn’t, she very well couldn’t deal with anything till she relived her full bladder. After her trip to the bath room she cautiously went to the front of the house wondering just what she would do if wasn’t Jack?

Jack was indeed gone and in his place a woman that Piety had never meet.  This startled her and she stared, he mouth open a bit. The woman smiled holding a mug with Garfield the cat on it that said, “ I don’t do Mondays!” she held out her hand, "I’m Melody, I will be here when Jack has to work.” Piety looked at the woman and hand like they were both alien and said, “ Come again?”

“God, okay I can see where you went to bed with Jack…”

“NO I didn’t” Piety stammered

“Ahh, no I meant you went to bed with Jack here and expected to see him . I am a stranger. So , by way of introductions I am Melody, David’s wife and mate. David is number one in the pack and I am his equal . I have flexible work hours, as we own a real estate business in Syracuse.  I will make sure nothing murders you when Jack has to work.”

Melody stood in an awkward silence as Piety examined her. The blond woman stood in knee high leather boots and jeans that Piety was positive cost more than every pair in her closet she said in a clipped tone, “Look I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Cool I have no desire to be one.” Melody replied with a rich deep voice that men found sultry and beguiling. Melody continued, “The pack wants you alive and we know that our lives will be significantly worse if we have to deal with Mrs. Cho.” She sipped her coffee and made a face then opened the refrigerator and rooted around for creamer she pulled out a bottle and said ,“ Dove dark chocolate? We are destined to be friends.”

Piety ignored the comment on their mutual love of good coffee creamer and went back to her being important to the pack.

“That has little logic , of me being important .I have no clue how to be a witch and Mrs. Cho does.”

“You must have some hereditary knowledge and Glenda will teach you.” Melody countered. Piety noticed the woman had almost perfect brilliant white teeth as she smiled. What the hell was she also a supermodel on the weekends too?

“You all seem to be missing the point that maybe I don’t care to do this.” Piety said in a tired voice.

Melody absently patted Finnegan’s head when he ducked in the dog door and he deposited a fat squirrel at Melody’s feet. Without thinking she scooped it up and said, “My goodness how thoughtful Finn, however I just ate .” She handed it back “Go on take it out side.” Finnegan contrary as ever just sat with it and didn’t move. He just sat tongue lolling.

Piety jealously noticed said, “He seems to have gotten over his dislike of werewolves.” She plopped in two slices of bread in the toaster and waited for them to toast. She wanted her old life back, the one without supermodel werewolves. 

“Jack is a dominate who cannot ever dampen down his power. He could if he worked at it but what can I say Jack can be lazy.” She smiled, “I dampened my power down and let it out slowly. I like letting him know I have no designs on his den or his best friend. This fellow has a lot of wolf in him he just needed know we wolves have nothing to fight over.”

Piety tossed her triangle of toast to the dog and he neatly snapped it out of the air.  Piety took the opportunity of her dogs distraction to gingerly grasp the dead animal and toss it out the back kitchen door.

“ I still don’t think I need babysitters.” Piety grumbled wondering if that squirrel had flees and if her kitchen soap was antibacterial.

“Delusional is just not a good look for you. Two murders near you is no coincidence." Melody said sipping her coffee.

Piety pulled a face, “Well I need to go to check on Glenda and go to work. I am going to shower now; do you want to check and make sure there are no deranged killers in there?”

Melody grinned, “First you have Jack in bed and now you want me in the shower, Piety Jones you little minx!”

Piety’s face reddened and she was further embarrassed hat the squeak in her voice when she said, “ You know that’s not what I meant.”

“Of course I do , but teasing you is so much fun. No one blushes in the pack anymore.” Piety made a sound of frustration and walked back to her room.

Piety looked at her closet and decided she had never evolved past being a college student. She had a stunning selection of band, funny, environmental activist t shirts, jeans or jean skirts, sneakers, loafers or cowboy boots, sweaters and jeggings to wear under her sweaters. In her kitchen was Malibu Barbie who looked like she fell out of the pages of vogue. Yeah, being seen with her was going to be like the ugly ducking hanging out with a swan.

Then again why did she give a shit about what this, new character in the soap opera that was her life ? Piety told herself she didn't give a shit what Melody thought about her clothes! Oh wait , because Piety her whole life had felt like the ugly duckling. Piety knew her inner voice always whispered that she never looked that good or put together. Piety heard in her head what her ex  had always threw  in her face. He had always said that she never tried to be attractive. "Well fuck him!"She thought hating that the words still stung.

She threw the jeans and green peace shirt on her bed, fuck him and fuck the fashion plate swilling her dove dark chocolate creamer.

Melody wandered about the kitchen. She had not been here in a long time. When Piety moved in Charity had wanted to slowly let her niece in on the magical world. Charity normally had an open door policy to anyone who wanted to come over take about anything. Melody missed having someone who wanted people to drop in and talk. Charity didn't care if you were there  to get her help in her official capacity as arbitrator or as a grandmotherly advice giving witch. Melody sighed remembering the last time she had seen the old woman and the argument they had. Melody could smell that there was a wrongness in Charity. The wolf alpha knew that sickly-sweet scent in Charity's sweat that morning ,as the old woman bent over her flower beds tearing out weeds. The smell of damp earth a green things were all around them, but still there was that scent. It was the awful scent of cancer.

Piety was gone that day on a buying trip to a pottery market over by Rochester. Charity liked the metaphysical shop to have things handmade by people who lived here and not some cheap foreign made crap in slave labor factories. Charity said ,as she tossed the offending rag weed to the side, “ You’re going to ruin those Jimmy Choo sandals standing in the dirt here.”

“I have more shoes.”

“Lucky you then.”

“Have you seen a doctor Charity?”

“Yes.” the witch snapped not wanting to have the conversation.

“And…”

“And I have a biopsy , however I doubt cancer will take me out. I can always cash in a marker with the fey or another witch. So why are you here ? You want to bug me some more about Piety?” She viciously pulled more weeds. 

“Yes, how long are you going to hide us from her?” Melody squatted and pulled more weeds helping the old woman. Charity huffed tossing her garden gloves as Melody, " You will ruin your nails movie star."

Melody Ignored the gloves, " Charity, I..."

 Charity cut Melody short and in a clipped tone said,“ Piety isn’t ready, besides unraveling the layers of bullshit locking down her magic is taking a while. Her mother for being a non-practicing witch sure could twist a curse on her own kid.”

“A curse?”

“Yes, it’s the only way to lock down a witch’s power is a curse. You must do something that is dark and evil to shut down a natural aspect of a person’s power. I just can’t figure out what she anchored the spell to keep it this powerful this long after she died.”

“So, as soon as you understand how to unlock her power, you’re going to dump all of this on her? That seems a bit much to unload on a person?”

“And if I never unravel this should I show her magic she can’t have?” Charity had replied the heat leaving her retort. She was tired of this. Melody placed her hand on Charity's shoulder and the witch had patted her hand in return, "I will get to it." 

“Are you coming Finnegan?” the voice interrupted Melody’s remembrance and pulled her to the present. 

Melody saw Piety showered with damp hair holding her purse. Melody looked critically at the baggy jeans and faded t shirt. Why was the woman hiding in old ill fitting clothes.

 Finnegan yawned, stretched, and proceeded to get up and pile out of the dog door. He stalked off to pee and went back inside. He curled into his accustomed “C” shape with his tail over his nose. He had no interest in leaving the house.

“I guess it’s just you and me” Melody said heading for the door and jingling her keys, “C’mon let’s roll girlfriend.”

“I’m not your girlfriend” Piety said tersely.

“You could be, you’re cute in petulant kind of way.” Melody said lightly with laughter in her voice.