Chapter Ten

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

Avery 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 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 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 was sent to help Avery. She was so scared at first that she could barely stop from shaking, but Avery spoke 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 said. "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.

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 Lycans 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.

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 pitched clean hay into the stall closest to her.

"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, 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 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 sighed. "Aye, 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 said.

"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."

"Lycans have healing powers. I did nothing but help keep Marshall warm while his body healed itself." Avery said.

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. Anger made an unexpected appearance in her belly, and Avery turned and shoved Renee against the door. "Call me witch one more time and you'll regret it."

Renee blanched, her mouth dropping open with fear before she pushed herself away from Avery.

"I'm telling Mrs. Lanning," she warned in a shaky voice.

"Go ahead," Avery 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 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 worked best when she was well-rested and had access to healthy people. She'd gotten very little sleep since that night in Tristan's bed, and shoving Renee today had been the first time she 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 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.

"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 this house. You will 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.

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 said.

"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 off her shirt. She pressed her hands against the cold wall, steeling herself as Mrs. Lanning approached. The woman raised the stick and slammed it 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. When darkness crept across her vision, she dove into it with a feeling of relief.

Maya scanned the common room anxiously. They'd been back for over two hours and she still hadn't seen Avery. It was dinnertime and she should have been in the room, bringing food in with the others. 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 Sophia and she

nodded and picked up her fork as the others began to eat.

"Marian, where is Avery?" Holding a sleeping Nicholas against her shoulder, Maya 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."

"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 behind

them. "Your sister is fine. I took her some dinner earlier."

Maya stared 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 Sophia is running around like a crazy child in the common room. Perhaps you should do what you were bought for."

Maya stalked 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, smiling distractedly at Marshall when he glanced up and nodded to her, before making her decision.

"M'lord?" She stood in front of Tristan.

"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 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.

"Sh-she is not feeling well, my lord," she stuttered. "She should not be disturbed." "Tell me which room is hers," he snapped.

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 toward the room, Maya hurried behind him.

He opened the door without knocking. "Avery, are you -" Maya gasped in shock. 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 she could see the dark bruises and wounds that covered her entire back.

"Gods!" Tristan knelt beside her and brushed a hand over her face. "Avery, wake up."

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

"I do not know, my lord," Maya said. 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 said. "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."

Her eyelids fluttered closed and Maya gave Tristan a frantic look. "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."

"My lord, please. I need to be with her." Tears slipped down Maya's face as Nicholas woke up. He stared at her and burst into loud, wracking sobs.

Tristan stood and picked up Avery with a soft grunt. He held her to his chest, being careful not to touch her back and shook his head again. "Nicholas needs you. I will help Avery. I'll let you know how she is in a few hours."

He turned and left the room before she could argue.