Red Moon (8 page)

His mouth dropped open and she gave him a look of disgust.
 “They never mention that in the stories do they?”

“Avery, I – “

She shook her head.  “My father was a good man. 
The best man I knew.  He believed that all men deserved to be free, and I
will not let you or anyone else speak ill of him.”

She threw back the covers and slid to the edge of the
bed.  He reached out and caught her by the wrist.  “Where are you
going?”

She refused to look at him.  “I did what you asked of
me.  I laid on my back and spread my legs for you.  Now I want to
check on my sister.  She needs healing.”  She tugged at his hand and
he tightened his grip.

“Avery, I’m sorry for what I said about your father.  I
made an assumption and I shouldn’t have.  I’m sorry.  Stay the night
with me - please.”  He leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss between her
shoulder blades.

She inhaled sharply, her back straightening.  “You
promised.”

He sighed harshly and released her wrist.  She quickly
put his shirt on and, without looking at him, walked to the door.

“Where is she?”

He sighed again.  “Down the hallway, last door on the
left.”

She slipped silently out the door and closed it gently
behind her.

“Witch!  Hurry up!”  Renee hollered from the back
door of the house.

Avery sighed and picked up a pile of wood from the woodpile,
wincing as a large splinter dug into the palm of her hand.  It had been
nearly two weeks since they had arrived at Tristan’s home and in that time she
had hauled wood, lugged buckets of water and scrubbed floors. 

Mrs. Lanning was determined to make her miserable and so she
had assigned all the hard labour duties she could to Avery.  Tristan’s
home was a large sprawling rancher.  The size of it rivaled her father’s
home and she had spent many hours by herself, needlessly scrubbing the floors
of rooms that were rarely used.

She had seen neither Maya nor Tristan.  Two days after
they arrived, he and Marshall had left for his mother’s home taking Maya and
the children with them.  Last week, Mrs. Lanning had sent Avery to the
barns to clean out the horse stalls.  After only an hour, Laura, a fresh
bruise on her face, had shown up.  She had dropped a dish while dusting
and as punishment she had been sent to help Avery.  She had been so scared
at first that she could barely stop from shaking, but Avery had spoken kindly
to her and it hadn’t taken long for Laura to warm up to her.

She was close to Avery’s age and had been purchased by
Tristan when she was only twelve.  “I was born into slavery.”  She
told Avery.  “My original lord sold me to Lord Tristan when he moved to
the city.  He took my mother with him and my older brother, but he had no
use for me.”

“I’m sorry.”  Avery said quietly.

Laura shrugged.  “Lord Tristan has been very kind to
me.  I was very frightened when I realized he was a Lycan.  My mother
used to tell me stories about how werewolves bought girls just so they could
hunt them during the full moon, but Lord Tristan is not like that.”

“What was his wife like?”  Avery asked, unable to help
herself.

Laura wrinkled her nose.  “She was very odd.  She
was beautiful; I have never seen someone as beautiful as her, but there was a
coldness to her.  She hated the country.  She would speak often of
the city and how much she missed it.  When Sophia was born, she did not
even seem to warm up to her own child.  Lord Tristan took over most of her
care very quickly after she was born.  When she left him and took Sophia
with her, I thought Lord Tristan would go mad.  He was very different when
he came back from the city without Sophia.  These last few weeks of having
his child back have turned him into the man he was before.”

“Do you know when he will be back with Maya and the
children?”  Avery asked, pitching clean hay into the stall closest to her.

Laura shrugged.  “I do not know.  He is trying to
convince his mother to come and live with him.  His father died nearly
five years ago, and I believe his mother is not well.  Leo says Lord
Tristan believes that the children may convince her to come back with him.”

As Avery carried the load of wood towards Renee, who was
standing impatiently at the door for her, a small smile crossed her face. 
She could still remember the look on Laura’s face and the way her cheeks had
coloured when she had asked in a hushed whisper if Avery had any potions that
would work on a man.

“What do you mean?”  Avery had asked, watching amused
as Laura’s blush had deepened.

“I just thought perhaps you had some kind of potion that
would show Leo that he should be with me.”

Avery had bitten back the laughter bubbling in her
throat.  Laura was looking at her so earnestly she didn’t want to hurt the
girl’s feelings.

“I’m sorry Laura.  I’m not a witch.  I know of no
spells or potions that will help you win Leo’s love.  Have you tried
talking with him?”

Laura had sighed. “Yes.  We do nothing but talk. 
I have tried to make it perfectly clear that I am interested in him but so
far….”  She trailed off looking miserably at Avery.  “Are you sure
you’re not a witch?”

“Positive.”  Avery had said dryly.

“Mrs. Lanning says only a witch could heal Marshall the way
you did.  She says you healed him to try and win favor with Lord Tristan,
to get him to lower his guard so that you could burn us all in our beds.”

Avery had rolled her eyes.  “Lycans have healing
powers.  I did nothing but help keep Marshall warm while his body healed
itself.”

Laura had looked at her doubtfully but let it drop.

“For the gods sake witch, could you be any slower.”
 Renee grumbled at her as Avery eased by her and dumped the load of wood
into the box next to the door.   She cuffed her on the back of the
head.

Avery suddenly turned and shoved Renee against the door.
 “Call me witch one more time and you’ll regret it.”  She snarled.

Renee blanched, her mouth dropping open with fear before she
pushed herself away from Avery.  “I’m telling Mrs. Lanning.”  She
warned shakily.

“Go ahead.”  Avery replied wearily.  She turned
and headed to her room in the slave quarters.

Her room was small, barely the size of a closet, at the very
back of the slave quarters.  It had no fireplace to keep it warm and no
bed, only a thin blanket on the floor.  She sat cross-legged on the
blanket and carefully picked the large splinter from her hand.  Despite
her care, the wound began to bleed.  She stared at her hand for a moment,
frowning when it didn’t heal.  She rubbed her face wearily.  She
should not be surprised that she wasn’t healing.  Her healing powers had
always worked best when she was well-rested and had access to healthy
people.  She had gotten very little sleep since that night in Tristan’s
bed, and shoving Renee today had been the first time she had touched a person
since the morning Maya had left. 

She was tired and her body ached so badly she wanted to
cry.  She sniffed back the tears.  In her entire life she had never
felt as tired and sick as she did now.  Her healing powers had never let
her get so much as a cold and now, sleep deprived and miserably lonely, she was
having a hard time adjusting to the weariness and pain her body was feeling.

She was just about to wrap the blanket around herself and
lie on the cold floor when the door to her room burst open.  Mrs. Lanning
stood in the doorway glaring at her.  Avery glanced at the short, thick
stick she carried in her hand and stood.

“Did you threaten Renee?”  Mrs. Lanning asked quietly.

“No.  I simply asked her not to refer to me as a witch
any longer.”  Avery replied.

“Do not lie to me.  You shoved her and threatened her.”
 Mrs. Lanning took a step into the room and Avery straightened her back.

“She should learn not to call me names then.”

“I am the head of this household, and I will not tolerate
anyone threatening or hurting a member of my staff.  You need to be
punished.  Turn around and take off your shirt.”  Mrs. Lanning said
furiously.

“Come anywhere near me with that stick, and I’ll use it to
beat your face in.”  Avery said calmly.

Mrs. Lanning paled and then sneered at her.  “And what
do you think will happen to you when the Lord Tristan comes back to find me
beaten?  I have been with him for many years.  You’re nothing but a
Red whore who cannot be trusted.”

“I don’t care what happens to me.  You’re not touching
me with that stick.”  Avery spat at her.

“It won’t just be you.”  Mrs. Lanning took another step
forward.  “I’ll make sure your darling baby sister burns at the stake
beside you.  I promise you that.”

Avery paled at the mention of Maya and Mrs. Lanning smiled
triumphantly.  “Turn around, remove your shirt and lean against the wall.”

Avery turned slowly and pulled her shirt off.  She
pressed her hands against the cold wall, steeling herself as Mrs. Lanning
approached.  She raised the stick and slammed it brutally against Avery’s
bare back.  Avery bit her lip, her back bowing and her nails digging into
the wall, but she refused to cry out as Mrs. Lanning hit her repeatedly.

She stared blindly at the wall, tears flowing down her
cheeks and when darkness began to creep across her vision, she dove into it
with a feeling of relief.

* * *

Maya scanned the common room anxiously.  They had been
back for over two hours and she had still not seen Avery.  It was
dinnertime and she should have been in the room, bringing food in with the
other servants.  She jiggled Nicholas on her knee as Sophia sat down on
the bench beside her and began to eat.

“Wait my love, for the others.”  She admonished gently
and the little girl obediently put her fork down and folded her hands in her
lap.

“Where’s Avery?”  Sophia asked as Tristan, his mother
walking slowly but steadily beside him, entered the room and guided her to the
chair beside his.

“I do not know, my love.”  She tried not to let her
anxiety show.

“I want to show her my new dress.”

“We will find her after dinner and show it to her, okay?”
 Maya smiled at the little girl and she nodded and picked up her fork as
the others began to eat.

* * *

“Marian, where is Avery?”  Maya, holding a sleeping
Nicholas against her shoulder, cornered the older woman in the kitchen where
she was cleaning the dishes from dinner.

Marian hesitated, wiping her wet hands nervously on her
apron.  “She is not feeling well, Maya.”

“Not feeling well?”  Maya frowned.  “Avery is never
sick.”

Marian shrugged.  “Mrs. Lanning sent her to her room
before dinner and told us not to disturb her.”

“Can you take Nicholas for me?  I need to check on
her.”

Marian reached for the baby but before she could take him,
Mrs. Lanning glided up silently behind them.  “Avery is fine, Maya. 
I took her some dinner earlier.”

Maya stared suspiciously at her.  “Avery never gets
sick.  What is wrong with her?”

Mrs. Lanning shrugged.  “I do not know.  Perhaps
the country air disagrees with her?”

Maya went to hand Nicholas to Marian, and Mrs. Lanning
scowled at her.  “You can check on her in the morning.  Your first
responsibility is the children, and I believe Sophia is running around like a
crazy child in the common room.  Perhaps you should do what you were
bought for.”

Maya stalked angrily back to the common room.  She
spotted Sophia sitting quietly with Marshall next to the fireplace. 
Tristan was sitting next to his mother on a sofa across from them.  Maya
chewed on her lower lip nervously, smiling distractedly at Marshall when he
glanced up and nodded to her, before making her decision.

“M’lord?”

Tristan looked up to see Maya, pale and worried looking,
standing in front of him.

“What is it?”  He glanced at Nicholas, still sleeping
on her shoulder.  “Is it Nicholas?”

“No m’lord.  Forgive me, Mrs. Williams.  May I
speak with Lord Tristan alone for a moment?”

Tristan’s mother nodded as Sophia scampered across the room
and climbed into the woman’s lap.  “Will you sing me a song, grandmamma?”

“Of course, my darling girl.”  The woman smiled fondly
at her and brushed her hair back from her face.

Tristan stood and followed Maya a few steps away.

“What’s wrong, Maya?”

“It’s Avery.”

Tristan stiffened.  “What about her?”

“She is sick, m’lord.”

He frowned.  “What do you mean she is sick?  You
told me she never gets sick.”

“She doesn’t.”  Maya was close to tears.  “I was
looking for her, and Marian and Mrs. Lanning said she was sick and resting in
her room.  They will not let me see her, m’lord.”

Now the tears did begin to fall, dropping on to the top of
Nicholas’ head, and Tristan cursed under his breath.

“Come with me.”

She followed him through the kitchen and into the slave
quarters.  Mrs. Lanning was just leaving one of the rooms and she stared
at Tristan in surprise.  “M’lord, why are you here?”

“Which room is Avery’s?”  He grunted at her.

“She is not feeling well, my lord.”  She
stuttered.  “She should not be disturbed.”

“Tell me which room is hers.”  He snapped impatiently.

Her mouth pressed in a thin line, she pointed down the
hallway to the door at the end.  Tristan shouldered past her and walked
quickly towards the room, Maya hurrying behind him.

He opened the door without knocking.  “Avery, are you –
“

Maya gasped in shock beside him.  Avery was lying on
her stomach on a thin blanket on the floor.  Her top half was bare, and
even in the rapidly-growing darkness he could see the dark bruises and wounds
that covered her entire back.

“Gods!”  He knelt beside her and brushed a hand over
her face.  “Avery, wake up.”

It was freezing in the room, he could see the goose bumps
that covered her body, and he stared up at Maya.  “What the hell is going
on here?  Where is her bed?  Why is she not healing?”

“I do not know, my lord.”  Maya said anxiously. 
Awkwardly, still holding Nicholas against her, she knelt next to Tristan and
squeezed Avery’s hand.

“Avery, can you hear me?”

Avery groaned and opened her eyes.  She stared in
confusion at Tristan, and then her eyes flickered to Maya.  A look of
relief crossed her face.  “Maya, I’ve missed you so much.”

She tried to sit up and cried out as a wound on her back
split open and blood dripped down her back.

“Oh honey!”  Maya cried out.  “Why are you not
healing?”

Avery fell back against the blanket.  “I – I haven’t
been sleeping well.  I’m so glad you’re back, baby sister.”  She
sighed and then slipped back into unconsciousness.  Maya looked at Tristan
frantically.

“Take Nicholas.  I need to hold Avery.”  She tried
to hand the baby to him and he shook his head. 

“No.  I’m stronger and healthier than you.  I’ll
take her to bed and hold her for a few hours.  It worked before, it will
work again.”