6: Winifred

WINIFRED'S POV

"In the name of Hecate, what the hell are you doing here, child?" I greeted, swinging the door open. I wiped the wetness from my mouth.

Ava stood on my porch, bent over with her hands on her knees as she fought to catch her breath. Her hair was all over the place, with a twig sticking out of one side of it, and her face looked like she had run through the entire fucking forest.

Which, knowing her, she probably had.

"I need your help," she breathed.

"Obviously. Nobody runs three hours through a swamp at this ungodly hour because they want tea," I replied.

I looked down at myself and realized I was standing there in nothing but a long purple robe that wasn't tied properly.

"Unless you do want tea. In that case, you could have waited until the sun came up."

"Winnie," Ava groaned.

"Fine. Come in."

I stepped aside and allowed her inside before sticking my head out the door and looking in both directions.

Nothing.

Only trees, fog, and a particularly fat frog sitting near my porch like he paid rent.

"You see anybody following you?" I asked.

"No."

"Did you smell anyone?"

"No."

"Did you hear anyone?"

"No."

"Did you bring wine?"

Ava slowly turned her head and stared at me. "No. Sorry."

I closed the door and locked it.

My cabin wasn't exactly presentable. There were clothes thrown over the back of my chair, two empty wine bottles on the table, herbs hanging upside down from the ceiling, and my black cauldron was sitting in the corner with yesterday's potion still crusted around the rim.

I wasn't expecting company.

Well, technically, I had company.

Just not the kind who required clothes.

"Sit," I instructed.

Ava sat at the little wooden table while I grabbed an unopened bottle of wine from the cupboard.

"Winnie, it's barely morning."

"And?"

"You're drinking?"

"Do you know how old I am?" I asked.

"Almost two hundred."

"Exactly. I've earned the right to drink whenever the hell I want."

I yanked the cork out and poured myself a glass.

"Want some?"

"No, thank you," Ava said, shaking her head.

"More for me."

I took a sip before sitting across from her.

"So, why are you here? You weren't supposed to come back this soon."

Ava glanced towards the window. "I ran out."

"Of what?"

"The serum."

My glass stopped halfway to my mouth. "What?"

"The serum you gave me. The one I use inside myself."

"Oh, that serum."

"What other serum would I be talking about?" Ava asked impatiently.

"I make many things, Ava. Some of them legal. Some of them questionable. Some of them I don't remember making."

"This isn't funny."

The fear in her eyes wiped the smile off my face.

I put my glass down. "What happened?"

"Alastor has been demanding a son."

My jaw tightened.

"He is determined to get me pregnant. He's becoming obsessed with having an heir, Winnie. I can't keep doing this."

"Did he..." I trailed off.

"Yes."

I didn't need her to finish.

I reached across the table and took her hand.

For all the jokes I made and all the wine I drank, there were some things I couldn't laugh about.

That bastard was one of them.

"I need more serum," she continued. "Enough to last me until we leave."

"I can make more."

"Today?" she asked hopefully.

"It needs a few hours to settle, but yes."

She released a breath. "Thank you."

I studied her face.

Something else was wrong.

"And?" I pressed.

"And what?"

"Don't bullshit a witch before breakfast. It's disrespectful."

Her eyes dropped to our joined hands.

"Rachel's birthday is coming," she admitted.

That was all she had to say.

I knew.

I was the only person outside of Ava who knew exactly whose blood ran through that little girl's veins.

Trenton Drexel.

Not Alastor.

I'd known the secret for years, and I intended to take it to my grave, which, considering witches like me lived a ridiculously long time, meant I'd be carrying that shit around for quite a while.

"How long?" I asked.

"A month."

"Until she's seven?"

Ava nodded.

"And you're certain that's when her wolf's scent will activate?"

"Yes. Once it does, Alastor will know."

"Shit." I grabbed my wine and swallowed half the glass.

"That's not the only reason I came," Ava added.

I raised my brow.

"I can't wait anymore, Winnie. I need to leave."

I stared at her.

The fear was still there, but something else had taken its place alongside it.

Determination.

I'd seen Ava frightened before. I'd seen her angry. I'd seen her cry until her eyes swelled.

This was different.

She was done.

"Well," I sighed, sitting back in my chair. "Then I suppose it's a good thing I heard from my sister."

Ava's eyes widened.

"Really?"

"I received word two nights ago."

"And you didn't come to me?" she questioned.

"I was going to, child. You weren't supposed to show up at my house looking like a frightened squirrel before sunrise."

"What did she say?"

I smiled. "Mount Hecate will take you."

Ava froze. "And Rachel?"

"Both of you."

Her lips parted. "The Elders agreed?"

"They did."

"Oh, Goddess." Her hands flew over her mouth.

"You'll be granted refuge among the White Witches. Nobody enters our territory without permission, and I don't give a flying broomstick how many wolves Alastor Drexel has. He won't march onto Mount Hecate and take you."

Tears filled her eyes. "Winnie..."

"Don't cry. I hate crying."

A tear rolled down her cheek.

"For fuck's sake." I got up and wrapped my arms around her.

She hugged me tightly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Thank you so much."

"Yes, yes. I'm wonderful. Tell me something I don't know."

She laughed through her tears.

That was better.

I released her and returned to my chair. "We leave in a fortnight."

Her smile disappeared. "No."

"What do you mean, no?" I asked.

"I don't have a fortnight."

"Ava, moving you and a child across that distance without your psychopath mate finding out isn't the same as taking a stroll through the fucking woods."

"I know."

"We need supplies. Transportation. Protection spells. I have to contact my sister. The Elders need to know when we're arriving."

"I know."

"And you have a child."

"I know, Winnie!" Ava snapped.

I stared at her.

She took a breath. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. Just stop saying you know when you're clearly about to tell me something stupid."

"I need to leave in three days."