They had been lying together quietly for over an hour, Avery believed that Tristan had fallen asleep, when his voice drifted out of the darkness.
"How many men have you been with?"
She hesitated and he squeezed her gently. "Tell me."
"Only one before you. He worked for my father. We were together a few times."
He stroked her bare back leisurely. "Only a few times?"
He was quiet and when he spoke again, it didn't seem to be directed at her. "How in the gods
did he resist? How it feels to be inside of you... I've never felt anything like it."
She stiffened against him. "This was a one-time thing, my lord. Do not forget that."
"I remember." He spoke absently. "Where is he now?"
"He was at our country home that night. He perished in the fire as well."
"Were you in love with him?" he asked.
She hesitated again. "I was – I was very fond of him."
She closed her eyes. Being with Daniel had been very nice. He'd been a kind and soft-
spoken man, and he'd been gentle with her in bed. She had enjoyed his touch but whether it was from her nervousness, his own inexperience or a combination of both, he'd not been able to make her orgasm. Being with Tristan, the way he touched her with his hands and mouth, made her feel nearly crazy with desire. Already, with just the touch of his hands stroking her back, she could feel the heat returning in her belly and pelvis. She shivered a little, and he pulled her closer against him. She could not continue to sleep with him despite how good he made her feel. She knew that Tristan desired her, but she also knew that he did not entirely trust she was not a witch. She could see it in his eyes when he looked at her. Especially since he had seen how she had saved Marshall. She had a feeling that Mrs. Lanning would not rest until she had convinced Tristan she was a witch and perhaps her sister as well. Maya was what mattered. She was the only family she had left now, and she would do whatever it took to keep her safe. She shifted her head on his chest and ran her fingers through the coarse hair that covered it. "Were you bit?"
He shook his head. "No. My family have been Lycans for generations." "Was Sophia's mother a Lycan?"
"Aye."
"What about Nicholas' father?"
He shrugged. "I do not know. Sophia could not tell me. When he shifts for the first time, I'll be able to tell if he is full Lycan or not."
"Earlier when the faeries attacked, Sophia could not control the turning."
"Our young have to be taught to control the shift. Sophia's mother did not spend the time needed to teach Sophia what to do. She shifts when she is too tired, when she is excited or frightened. She did not mean to hurt your sister."
"I know." Avery took a deep breath and forced herself to ask the question she was dreading. "She bit Maya. Will Maya become a Lycan?"
Tristan shook his head immediately. "No. A human will only turn from a Lycan's bite if it's during the full moon."
Avery released her breath in a harsh rush.
"I will teach Sophia how to control the shift. She's a bright girl and it will not take her long to learn. Your sister will be safe. In the meantime, on the night of the full moon I will keep Sophia away from humans," Tristan said.
"And yourself as well?" Avery said.
"I can control the shift, even during the full moon." Amusement was etched in his voice. "Can you? Whenever we are – are together, your eyes turn green and your hair thickens. I'm
not stupid. I know what that means."
Having the Red notice and point out his trouble controlling the shift was humiliating. A blush was rising on his face and he was thankful for the darkness of his bedroom. He hadn't had trouble controlling the shift during sex for years, and to be struggling now was shameful.
"I can control it," he said more harshly than he intended.
"Is it because you're with a human woman?" She wondered out loud. "Perhaps it's the novelty of it."
"I have been with human women," he said.
"Did you have trouble controlling the shift with them?"
"No! Avery, I can control the shift when I'm with you, I swear. Can we please drop this?"
He was starting to sweat a little. He didn't want to admit to her that he didn't know why he was having trouble controlling the shift when he was fucking her. He hoped it had something to do with her powers. He thought back to the way it had felt when she had climaxed, how it had immediately made him come too, and just the memory of that was making his cock stir against the sheets.
She was saying something to him, and he forced himself to concentrate. "What?"
"I asked if it's unusual for a Lycan to sleep with a human."
"No. Most Lycans sleep with humans at some point. The ancients used to forbid it. Humans
were widely regarded as weak, and Lycans were encouraged to stay away from them. Of course, there were some that disobeyed and mated with them anyway. Then the Great War happened, and there were so few of us left afterward that many Lycans started mating with humans as a way to continue the bloodlines."
"Really?" she asked.
"Aye. Half-breeds are better than no Lycans at all. In fact, many Lycans purchase human women from the slave houses in order to mate with them. They produce Lycan babies and -"
She sat up, the sheet falling to her waist and he took a quick look at her naked breasts. She slapped him hard on the chest. "Are you kidding me?"
"No."
"So, your kind buys human women and treat them like some kind of breeding machine? They're only good for one thing to you? Why not just find Lycan women and convince them to have your babies? Or are they repulsed by your piggish behaviour as well? Do they ask these human women if they want to be popping out babies? Do they give them a choice in the matter at all or are they just expected to lie on their backs and open their legs?" She was shouting now, her pale skin flushed with colour and her hands squeezed into tight fists.
He kept his voice low and calm. "Avery, these women are slaves. They belong to their lords and it is their right to do what they will with them. I do not agree with the practice and I would never do it myself but it's the way of the world."
She snorted loudly. "This idea that one man can own another and force him to bend to his will is ridiculous! Only someone ignorant believes that it's the way it must be. Did you know that the ancients had abolished the practice of slavery? Before the Great War, no human could own another. Everyone was free. My father believed we could have that again."
"That's rich, coming from a man who purchased and owned more slaves than most people could even imagine," he said.
She glared at him and he raised his eyebrows. "Even an ignorant country Lycan like me hears the rumors and reads the stories about the man who brought light back to the world."
Her face had gone pale and she was staring at him like she was trying to set him on fire.
"You're right, my father did purchase slaves," she said through gritted teeth. "He brought them home, fed them, clothed them, and gave them a soft bed for the night. And in the morning, after they had rested, he gave them a choice. They could work for him, earning a wage, or they could leave as free men."
His mouth dropped open and she gave him a look of disgust. "They never mention that in the stories, do they?"
"Avery, I -"
"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. 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 and released her wrist. She quickly put on his shirt and, without looking at him, walked to the door. "Where is she?"
He sighed again. "Down the hallway, last door on the left." She walked out the door and closed it gently behind her.