Red Moon (19 page)

“Gods be damned.”  Hendrick said faintly as Vivian
staggered forward and stared at Sophia. 

“I – Sophia...?”

“Hi, grandmamma!”  Sophia said brightly.  “My
tummy doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“I’m glad.”  Vivian whispered.  Her face was so
pale and she was trembling so hard that Tristan was afraid she would pass
out.  Still holding Sophia, he wrapped his other hand around his mother’s
arm. 

“Take some deep breaths, mother.”  He advised before
kissing Sophia’s soft cheek.

“I’m hungry, papa.”  Sophia said.

“Then we shall get you something to eat my love. 
Whatever you want.”  He smiled broadly at her, knowing in this moment that
he would have given her anything she asked for.

Vaguely he was aware of Maya wrapping Avery in a blanket,
and Marshall lifting her from Sophia’s bed and carrying her towards the
door.  As Vivian and Hendrick approached, both of them staring with wonder
at Sophia, he turned his head and looked behind him.

“Is she okay?”  He asked worriedly as Marshall paused
in the doorway.

“I’m fine.  Stay with Sophia.” Avery, her head resting
on Marshall’s shoulder, said weakly.

Tristan looked at Maya who nodded solemnly.  “I’ll stay
with her, my lord.”  She handed Nicholas to Vivian who took him without a
word.  She was still staring at Sophia, her face full of shock and
delight.

Tristan watched them leave the nursery, as Sophia ran her
small hand over his long hair.  “Papa, I’m hungry.”  She reminded
him.

He grinned at his child.  “Let’s get you something to
eat.”

“How do you feel?”  Maya kissed Avery’s forehead and
rubbed her back.  They were lying in the bed in Avery’s room, a stack of
blankets piled on them, and Avery snuggled closer to her sister. 

“Better.  What time is it?”

“I’m not sure.  Early morning – the sun is about to
rise.”  Maya replied.  “You’ve been asleep for hours.”

“Is Sophia okay?”  Avery asked anxiously.

“She’s fine.  In fact, she’s better than fine. 
Marshall stopped by last night and said she had eaten a large dinner and she
was running around the living room, trying to goad Tristan into chasing her.”

Avery grinned.  “Good.  Has – “ 

She paused.  “Has Tristan come by?”

Maya shook her head.  “No, honey.  I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”  Avery forced herself to sound
cheerful.  “There was no reason for him to check anyway.  He knew you
would take care of me.”

Maya smoothed Avery’s hair back from her forehead and rubbed
the smear of dirt away.  “Marshall told me yesterday morning that you were
going to the Barton’s by the end of the week.”  Tears began to slip down
her cheeks.  “Dearest, why did you not tell me?”

“I was going to tell you today, Maya.  I swear.”
 Avery replied.

“Why are you leaving?”  Maya sniffed.  “Mrs.
Lanning is no longer the head of the household.  Marian will be good to
you and treat you fairly.  I know she will.”

Avery sighed.  “It’s not about Mrs. Lanning, Maya.
 You know it isn’t.  I love him and I cannot watch him live his life
with another.  He has agreed to sell me to the Barton’s and I am
glad.  They are close enough that I will still be able to see you from
time to time, and Mrs. Barton has already agreed to let me come back for your
wedding.”

“Marshall and I will be married in a month.  Can you
not ask Tristan to let you stay until then?  Surely the Barton’s can wait
another month.”

Avery shook her head.  “The Barton’s are expecting me
in a few days.  Besides, if I have to spend another moment watching
Victoria and Tristan together I will go mad.”

“He doesn’t love her.  He loves you.”  Maya
declared suddenly.

“No, he does not.”  Avery smiled at her baby
sister. 

“He does.”  She insisted.  “I have seen the way he
looks at you.  If you tell him that you love him, I know he will confess
his love for you.  You can - ”

“He already knows.”  Avery said softly.  “And it
has not moved him to confess any type of feeling for me in return.”

“Oh, Avery.”  Maya gave her a look of pity and Avery
shook her head.

“It’s fine, Maya.  Do not look at me that way.  My
life since the slave house is turning out better than expected is it not? 
I will be treated well at the Barton’s, and I will still get to see you from
time to time.  That is all I need.”

“Avery, that isn’t enough.  It hurts me to see you
settling this way.  You need to fight for Tristan.  I don’t care what
you say – he has feelings for you.  If daddy could see you now, could see
you just giving up like this, he’d be so ashamed of you.  He always said
you were the strongest person he knew.  Do you really want to – “

“Enough, Maya!”  Avery said harshly.  She ripped
away from Maya’s arms and sat up in the bed, resting her arms on her raised
knees and staring out the window at the grey light of dawn. 

“I do not wish to hear you speak on matters you know nothing
about.”  She turned towards Maya, ignoring the hurt look on her face.
 “You are normal.  You have a good man who loves you very much, and
would do anything for you.  You will bear his children and grow old together,
and I am truly happy for you.  Please believe me that I am.  But
don’t you dare tell me that I am giving up or becoming weak when I have to live
with the knowledge that I will spend the rest of my life as a slave, bound to
serve another without any rights or choices.  That I will live the rest of
my life wanting and loving a man I will never have and knowing that he is
sharing his life with another.  I am choosing to find joy in your
happiness, and in finding a home that will treat me well and not allow me to be
burned at the stake for witchcraft.  That is not weakness.”

“Avery, I’m sorry I shouldn’t have – “  Maya began
hesitantly.

Avery cut her off, staring moodily out the window.  “I
believe with all my heart that daddy would be proud of me for making the best
of this new life, and not wallowing in my own self-pity.”

“He would, Avery.  I know it.  I should not have
said what I did.  I am just upset at the thought of you leaving.  We
have never been apart before.”

“You will be fine.”  Avery allowed Maya to put her arm
around her.  “Besides, we will not be that far apart.  You will just
have to convince Marshall to bring you to visit me often.  I will be
lonely without you.”

“I will, Avery.  I promise.” Maya whispered.

* * *

“Victoria, what you’re suggesting is madness.”
 Hendrick frowned at her.

“Is it, brother?  Think about what I’m saying. 
The Red has some kind of healing power.  Imagine if she had a child, a
Lycan child, with that kind of power.”

Hendrick hesitated.  “Lycan’s have their own healing
powers.”

“Not like this.”  Victoria responded.

“So what?”  Hendrick said.  “Yes, she can heal but
what of it?  How will that benefit me?”

“Are you kidding?”  Victoria rolled her eyes.
 “Imagine if she bore you a child who could heal the way she can.  A
Lycan who could heal with nothing more than a touch?  Your child would be
the most famous Lycan in the world.  Think of the money you could make, of
the power you would gain.  Others, humans and Lycans alike, would flock to
you for help in healing their loved ones.  You could charge any price you
wanted, and they would pay it to keep their precious ones alive.”

Hendrick stared at her for a moment before his tanned face
broke out into a wide grin.  “Money and power have always been very
appealing to me.”

She grinned back at him.  “You are attracted to the Red
and with time and – “ she paused, “proper discipline, she will be more than
willing to please you.  She is young and could easily bear you many
children.  If you’re lucky, more than one of them will have the same
powers as their mother.  And if they don’t, you can always use the Red’s
powers to better your situation.”

Hendrick stared thoughtfully out the window of his bedroom.
 “But she has already been sold to the Barton’s.  And I do not think your
Tristan would give her to me anyway.”  He glanced at her.  “He
fancies the Red.”

Victoria scowled.  “The Barton’s have not paid for her
yet.  And he fancies her only because she is a novelty to him.  Once
she is out of his sight, he will completely forget about her.”

“Are you so sure about that?”  Hendrick raised his
eyebrow at her.

“Yes.”  Victoria snapped.  “I will please him
better than the Red ever could.  I just need her away from Tristan, and
both you and I know that the Barton’s is not far enough.  It is only a few
hours ride from here, and I don’t want to take any chances that Tristan will be
able to see her whenever he likes.  If she were to go with you, the long
journey to your home will soon cool his desire for her.”

“And how will you convince him to sell the Red to me?”
 Hendrick asked.  “Even you are not so naive to think that he will
just hand her over.”

“Dear brother,” Victoria gave him an arrogant look, “it is
simply a matter of telling a few lies.”

Hendrick smiled a little.  “Something you seem to excel
at.”

Victoria smoothed her dress down.  “I have convinced
Tristan to go riding with me alone this afternoon.  While we are gone, you
will tell the Red that Tristan changed his mind and agreed to sell her to
you.  Then you will leave with her before we return.  I will tell
Tristan that the Red attacked me during a fit of jealousy, and out of concern
for my safety you agreed to take her to your household.”

Hendrick pursed his lips.  “Can you be convincing
enough?”

Victoria smiled and withdrew a small, sharp dagger from the
pocket of her dress.  “Trust me Hendrick.  I’ll be very
convincing.  Just make sure that you do your part and are gone with the
Red before we get back.”

* * *

Tristan stood at the window of the nursery.  He was
holding Nicholas and he smiled a little when the boy reached up and pulled on
his lip, babbling excitedly.  The child was not his, but over the last few
months he had grown very fond of the baby.  In time, he suspected he would
feel as deeply for Nicholas as he did for Sophia.

He rested the baby against his shoulder and patted his back
gently as he continued to stare out the window.  In the yard below him,
Maya and Marshall were playing some type of game with Sophia that required much
shouting and running and hopping.

Sophia had woken this morning feeling as well as she had
yesterday, and after much cajoling she had convinced Tristan and Maya to allow
her outside to play.  She was bundled up carefully against the cold and
although her nose was running and her cheeks were red, she looked deliriously
happy. 

Faintly, he could hear her shouting commands to Marshall who
knelt obligingly on the cold ground so she could climb on to his back.  He
ran around the yard with her riding piggyback and her laughter drifting up
through the cold glass.  He could hardly believe that yesterday she had
come close to dying.

His thoughts turned to Avery.  She had spent the night
with Maya, and twice he had nearly left the others and gone to her room to
check on her.  He had forced himself to stay away, knowing that Maya would
tell him if she wasn’t healing, but he had cornered Marshall and demanded to
know how Avery was when he had returned from her room.

Marshall had clapped him on the back.  “She’s doing
fine.  She’s still sleeping, and Maya would like to spend the night with
her if she can.”

“Of course.”  Tristan had responded.  “I will stay
with Sophia and Nicholas tonight.”

He had spent the night in the nursery, turning down both his
mother’s and Victoria’s offer to stay with him.  He had made a nest of
blankets on the floor next to Sophia’s bed and told her stories until she had
fallen asleep.  He had lain awake for hours, listening to Sophia’s soft
breathing and thinking about Avery.  When Nicholas had woken up in the
night, cranky and hungry, he had been thankful for the distraction.  He
had changed the baby and then carried him to the kitchen in the dark to warm
his bottle.  He had stared down the hallway of the slave’s quarters and
had not been able to resist moving quietly to Avery’s room.  Jiggling
Nicholas gently, he had eased open the door of Avery’s room and peered
inside. 

Avery and Maya had been curled up together in Avery’s bed
under a massive stack of blankets.  Maya’s face was buried in Avery’s
back, her arms wrapped firmly around her sister, and he had stared for a long
time at Avery’s sleeping face.  Nicholas, cold and hungry, had begun to
fuss and he had quietly closed the door and carried the baby back to the
kitchen. 

He had returned to the nursery, feeding Nicholas and burping
him before sitting in the rocking chair and holding the boy until he had fallen
back asleep.  Instead of placing Nicholas back in his crib, he had held
him until light began to creep across the land.  He had spent the entire
night warring with himself and even now, he couldn’t stop the clamoring of his
brain. 

He had promised Avery he would stay away from her and that
he would send her to the Barton’s.  She had saved Nicholas’ life,
Marshall’s life, his mother’s life and now the life of his child.  He owed
it to her to follow through on his promise.

But the thought of taking her to the Barton’s, of only
seeing her occasionally and never kissing her warm mouth again, made him angry
and anxious in a way he did not understand.  The last week had been pure
hell.  He had forced himself to stay away from her, to not give in to his
urge to touch her or be with her, and had thrown himself into trying to create
a relationship with Victoria.  Victoria was pleasant enough and had made
it perfectly clear on more than one occasion that she was anxious to have him
in her bed, but he felt nothing but a hollow sort of weariness when he looked
at her.  The thought of actually being in her bed, of touching her and
having her touch him in return, filled him with revulsion.

There was a soft noise behind him and he glanced back to see
his mother entering the nursery.  She stood next to him and kissed
Nicholas’ soft head.

She stared thoughtfully at him for a moment.  “You look
tired, Tristan.”

He grunted in reply and she followed his gaze out the
window.  A smile crossed her lips as she watched Sophia.  “Have you
spoken with Avery?”

He shook his head.  “No.”

“I sought her out this morning.  I wanted to thank her
for saving Sophia.  She was in Victoria’s bedroom, washing the floor and
gathering the bed sheets.”  She shook her head.  “She was just – just
cleaning and scrubbing like it was a normal day.  Like she hadn’t
performed a miracle and saved Sophia’s life last night.”

“It’s not a miracle to her, mother.  It’s just who she
is.  And it isn’t just Sophia’s life she has saved since I bought her from
the slave house.  Nicholas was a sickly baby.  He would not have
lasted another month and only a day after I bought Avery and her sister, Avery
healed him.  Two days later we were attacked by faeries and Marshall was
badly injured.  He had been stabbed multiple times by the faeries’ swords
and was dying.  Avery saved him.”

He glanced down at her.  “And she healed you as
well.  I did not ask her to – she chose to do it on her own.”

Vivian nodded.  “I believe you.”

“She has saved the life of every member of my family, and
the only thing she asked for in return was to be sent away from me.  Yet
for months I could not even give her that.  Instead I kept her here,
letting her be abused and beaten by the head of my household, watching her
scrub the floors of my home and forcing her to warm my bed.”