Avery had encouraged her to nap for an hour or so before bringing her downstairs to the large common room. There she had met Avery’s husband Tristan and their youngest son Evan. He was fifteen, and tall and lanky with his mother’s eyes and his father’s dark hair. He was the shyest of the siblings, and he gave her a small nod before immersing himself in a book by the fireplace.
She had joined them at the dinner table, sitting between Avery and Leta. She wasn’t sure she would be able to eat at first, but the smell of the roasted duck and the heaping piles of potatoes and vegetables on the table changed her mind quickly.
She had kept her head down and eaten hugely; she felt guilty for eating their food but was unable to stop herself from eating a second plateful. The Lycans hadn’t seemed to notice. They had an easy dynamic between them, and a few times she found herself smiling as Nicholas teased all of his siblings mercilessly.
Sophia and James were the quietest of the siblings. She thought Sophia to be beautiful with her dark hair and eyes, and her straight white teeth. Although Avery was not her birth mother, it was obvious there was great affection between the two of them and it made Bree’s chest ache. She barely remembered her mother, and she was deeply envious of the love Avery had for Sophia and the rest of her children.
Other than the red hair, James was the spitting image of his father. He was a little taller and a little broader than his father, and he kept his hair short instead of long like Tristan did. She found her gaze returning repeatedly to his hands, remembering the way they had stroked her back and examined her injuries.
Evan and Leta favoured Avery in looks although neither had her red hair. Leta chattered nonstop through the dinner, and more than once Avery or Tristan had to remind her gently to stop talking and eat her dinner.
Bree had listened closely when James and Nicholas had spoken at length to Evan about his sword training. Apparently they were teaching him to fight, and although she wondered inwardly what need a Lycan had for a sword, she did not ask.
By the time dinner was over and they had retired back to the common room, her nervousness had disappeared. She curled up in the chair next to the fireplace and watched as Nicholas got down on all fours, and stalked a shrieking, giggling Leta around the room.
Tia, barking excitedly, had bounced around them, nipping a little at Nicholas’ arms until he had pinned the small dog down and rubbed her belly roughly.
Bree sighed and curled up into a smaller ball in the middle of the bed. Avery had offered to stay with her in James’ room tonight. She had been shocked by the offer, and had almost said yes before her brain caught up to her mouth. She had only hugged Avery for a few moments, but she could still remember how nice it had felt.
She wasn’t surprised at how often Leta had stopped her play to crawl into Avery’s lap for a while. She’d had to stifle the urge to crawl into Avery’s lap herself. All of the siblings had been affectionate and friendly with each other and their parents.
After a moment’s hesitation, she had turned down Avery’s offer with a weak smile. It would be hard for her to sneak out of the house with Avery in the same bed. She stared at the flickering candle beside the bed.
As nice as the Lycans were, she couldn’t stay with them. Forgetting that they were Lycans, she needed to go back and rescue her brother. It would be faster and easier if she took a horse but she had never ridden a horse by herself, and the thought of trying to control it made her nervous.
Her side throbbed and she rubbed at it. She would sleep for a few hours and then sneak out just before dawn. She would be gone for hours before the Lycans realized she had left. She glanced at Tia and choked back a sob. She would leave the dog here. It was too dangerous for her and she would have a good home here. Leta was already in love with her.
* * *
Bree, dressed in pants and a long-sleeved shirt, crept quietly through the common room. The Lycans did not have shoes that would fit her, but she had torn up one of the shirts and bound her feet with them. She slipped a little on the floor and grabbed at her side. It was hurting even worse this morning. It was a constant deep and aching throb that made her feel sick to her stomach. She had almost abandoned her plan to leave, but she thought of her brother and forced herself out of the warm bed.
The large house was quiet and still, and she squinted as she crossed the room. The fire was low in the hearth and, afraid of tripping over furniture in the semi-darkness, she moved slowly.
“Going somewhere little one?”
She gasped and whirled around, slipping on the floor again and nearly landing on her ass. A bolt of agony ran up her side and tears came to her eyes. She held her side and tried not to moan as James rose from the large armchair beside the fireplace.