Rideten, Present TimeRhett rolled off the bed and Aislen propped herself up on her elbows in surprise. “Rhett?”He threw her a grin over his shoulder as he padded over to a corner of the room where a little armoire was tucked discretely away. She watched his muscles flow under his tattooed skin, the clench of his arse in rhythm with each step, and the way his biceps bunched as he scooped his fine dark hair out of his eyes in order to look within the cupboard.“Aha,” he turned holding a pair of handcuffs and returned to the bed, stepping up onto the mattress and straddling her before kneeling, placing his weight on her upper thighs. She could feel the skin warmed piercings and the softness of his balls as they rested on her. “Give me your wrists,” he made the come-hither gesture with two fingers.She watched him through her eyelashes, and slowly offered him a wrist. “Do I call you sir?” She smirked. “Or Daddy Rhett?”“Call me Fuck,” he suggested with a smirk. “You’ll be screaming the
The Ocean, Present TimeThe water was cold, and Lyric lost air in the shock of her entry. Niarthen kept a hold of her through his shift to Mer, and though the salt water blinded her eyes, she felt the changes pass over him, the unfurl of fin, the rise of scale and the slip of lissom tail against her flailing legs. Contrary to every instinct she possessed, he propelled them down at a frightening speed from the rush of the water past her and the pressure that built in her ears and jaw.Everything happened so quickly that every thought was washed out of Lyric’s head with the water, and panic set in as her body recognised the threat. She fought for freedom from Niarthen’s grip, wanting up and not down, her lungs starved for air, but he would not release her, instead turned her within his hold and closed his mouth over hers, forcing her lips to part.Air escaped past them; the bubbles felt against her cheeks as they rose. And then he breathed out, and her desperate suck for air inhaled his
Rideten, Present TimeThe aether weaved like water around Aislen’s legs, and yet did not wet her. She leaned down, sticking her fingers into what appeared to be liquid, but as she lifted her hand, it clung to her hand in strands like hair or cobweb which shimmered and seemed to squirm in her hands. She let them sift off her fingers back into the ocean and lifted her eyes, searching for any land. There was nothing in sight, the aether ocean blending into the faintly pink sky on the horizon in all directions. At least the aether wasn’t deep, she thought, only coming to mid-thigh. So far, at least – she didn’t entirely trust that she wouldn’t step off a ledge and end up swimming in it. Could a person drown in aether?She proceeded slowly, stretching one foot forward at a time, feeling the ground before her to make sure it was there before trusting her weight on that foot. As time passed, she began to trust her steps more, and it freed her to speculate on where she was, how she’d gotten t
Havermouth, Present Time“This spell is unfamiliar to me,” Connery commented quietly. He had watched several of the steps in silence, handing her equipment as she asked for it, waiting for the moment that she stepped back and took a breath, watching as the rust-colored liquid bubbled thickly in the vial suspended over a Bunsen burner, judging the moment that it was safe to speak. “But this…” He nodded his head to the vial. “I recognise. I always thought it somewhat misleading that it is named Dragon’s Blood after learning that dragons did, or had as I thought at the time, existed. Of course,” he added. “I understand that the reason is it’s caustic abilities. But why not just call it Spelled Acid?”“It doesn’t sound as pretty, I guess,” she slid him a small smile. She should be exhausted, she thought, but in truth she was invigorated. She wanted the spell done and her enemy’s blood on her tongue. “It’s like Demonic Ash.”“True,” he picked up the bone ash he’d prepared. “An ingredient t
An Island Somewhere, Present Time Despite Niarthen’s assurances that there was nothing unusual about them walking around naked, Lyric couldn’t help but notice that a lot of people stared as they made their way through the streets, and a few of the older people drew the children inside the houses, as if frightened of them. There was a market of a sort in the center of the town, and Niarthen paused by a stall displaying a range of items that were only vaguely familiar to Lyric as food. The language that they spoke itched Lyrics ears, the words sounded so similar that she felt that she should understand it, and yet she couldn’t. The stall-keeper gestured to her hair, toying with the beads and shells braided into it. Niarthen sighed heavily and reached out to take Lyric’s hand. “Come one, Lyric,” he said leading her away from the stall. “I know someone who can help us.” “We need help?” She asked nervously. “You said that it would be safe here…” “We are not in danger,” he assured her,
An Island Somewhere, Present TimeBenethin led the way to a small bedchamber. “I will contact Arturo,” he said to Niarthen. “Tomorrow, we will accompany you to the Citadel.”They exchanged a grim look and Niarthen nodded slowly. “Tonight is for celebrating,” he said softly. “Tomorrow for war.”As Benethin returned to the main room, Lyric examined the room with fascination. There was not much to it. A stone table was placed beneath the window, with another woven seat. A carved wooden chest stood against a wall. Floorboards ran along three sides, but the center of the room was occupied by an irregular growth of… moss.She knelt by it and ran her palm over the fine leaves of its surface. “The bed that feeds off those who sleep on it?” She remembered him describing it to her. “How do I…” She adjusted her position under she could lay on it. It gave beneath her weight, moulding to her body. “Oh!” She was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable it was.It was not cool, or damp, as she would
An Island Somewhere, Present Time“Mia Persuma Inillium,” Niarthen murmured, pressing kisses into Lyric’s hair. “It is time to wake up.”Lyric dragged herself from the depths of sleep, her body resistant, her eyes glued shut. She was just so comfortable. She muttered her complaint and burrowed into the warmth of Niarthen’s side, pressing her face into his skin and filling her lungs with the salty musk of him.He laughed, his ribs shaking under her palm, and rolled into her. “Come, my Lyric. It is night, the moon has risen, and the guardians of the Sacred Waters wait for our arrival. Aeylira has brought us rank, and gifts for her new sister.”Lyric groaned and forced herself to open her eyes, meeting Niarthen’s.“Hello,” Niarthen grinned. His face was alight, and he exuded excitement. “Come on.” He rolled off the moss bed and held out his hands. “Come.”Lyric let him lift her from the bed, but pulled back when he stepped out into the hallway. “I need to wee,” she told him.“Of course,”
An Island Somewhere, Present Time The Mer town was beautiful in the night, the houses and roads bathed in silvery light from the glowing plant life that, from the positions along the walkways and roads, had been deliberately planted in order to guide the way through the dark. Many of the Mer had also painted the stonework of their houses in elaborate designs that the luminist paint illuminated in the darkness. “Oh,” Lyric stopped dead to stare in awe. “It’s beautiful.” Niarthen looked around with pride, as if he had arranged the glowing display personally. “I am glad that it pleases you, Mia Persuma Inillium,” he took her hand and encouraged her forward. As they stepped out onto the street, she saw people come to their own doorways and windows. Many stepped out to stand before their houses and watch them walk down the road. Lyric blushed, clinging to Niarthen’s hand tightly. “Why…?” She started looking up at him to find him looking down at her with a smile lighting his face, his ha
Rideten, Present Time Aislen was jolted awake when Talen shot out of the bed to the door. She was nicely nuzzled into Heath and Talen had been a warm spot against her back, his sudden moving causing a draught that was quickly filled when Cameron rolled over and snuggled up. She could hear Talen’s voice through the open door, and the reply of other voices on the other side. Cameron’s hand cupped her breast and his cock nudged against her arse. He rocked his hips suggestively, still mostly asleep. Heath tensed. “Fuck.” “- leave in fifteen,” a woman spoke crisply and in a tone that said there would be no compromise. “Victor’s orders.” “No,” Aislen pressed her face into Heath’s ribs. “Nonononono.” “It’s retaliation,” he decided. “For last night.” “It’s mean,” she grumbled. “Cruel.” “No sex?” Cameron sat up. “That’s not fair.” “You had sex last night. Good sex too, from the holes you left in the covers,” Heath pointed out. “It was good sex,” Cameron was smug. He nudged Rhett. “Hey
Havermouth, Present Time Embroidering living human flesh was somewhat harder than Meguitte had anticipated, but the challenge was very absorbing. Midway through the first flower, she realized that she wanted the knots required every stitch to cluster at the center, so she snipped and undid what she had started, much to Bianca’s distress. Meguitte was tempted to stem the witch’s complaints by explaining that it was becoming obvious that the stitches were not causing enough pain to override the wards, and her choices had become doing greater, potentially maiming, harm, or being patient and hoping that a lot of small agony would eventually become enough. The second attempt turned out better, and by the time she had completed the third flower and created a stem to connect the three, she was quite proud of her efforts. The blood kept getting in the way of her design, however, and she paused a moment to suck her fingertips. “I do believe I understand Mercy’s aversion to magical blood,” s
Rideten, Present Time The water was all but cold, but Talen had bathed in worse – recently, in fact, during the troubles in Havermouth. He scrubbed himself with a washcloth, rubbing away the sticky blood. A rhythmic thudding started against the wall behind him, causing him to pause and grin. It sounded like Cameron was putting some force into it, he thought amused and absently reached down to cup his cock, already hard at the thought. He turned off the water, deciding to join them. As he briskly dried himself, his phone began to ring from where he had set it on the vanity. Fatima’s number flashed onto the screen. He raised his eyebrows and answered it. “Fatima.” “Talen,” she was breathless and her voice tense. “They did it. They actually did it. Jules is alive.” Talen almost dropped the phone in surprise. “He is?” “Yes. He’s not quite… He’s very disorientated, but Harry’s looking after him. But he’s alive.” Talen braced his palm against the cold stone of the vanity, relief floodi
Rideten, Present Time Aislen grinned. “Is that right, Mr Wolf?” She purred stalking him over to the bed. “If I get it, I get to do whatever I like with it?” Cameron’s lips curled in a smirk. “No. But I will do something you like with it.” “Promises, promises,” she lunged for him, and he sidestepped so that she landed face-down on the mattress, before pinning her there with his body, his hands slowly drawing her hands up and holding them down to either side of her head whilst he nuzzled under the tangled sprawl of her wet curls to nibble along her shoulder and neck as her giggles gave way to soft moans as she closed her eyes and surrendered to his seduction. He nudged her legs apart and her knees onto the edge of the mattress, lifting her hips from the mattress so that he could rub his cock against her cunt in a slow, hot tease whilst his teeth pricked little bloodspots along her neck, his tongue soothing away the little sting each time as it captured the droplets. She could feel t
Havermouth, Present Time Tears streamed down Harry‘s face as they rose to their feet. They ran their hands over the lush hide of the weredragon. It was precisely the colour of Jules’ hair. Harry draped their body over the dragon’s chest, pressing their ear to the hide, celebrating the steady beat and rise and fall of the ribs. Alive. Gloriously alive. And they could feel the tie of their mate bond twining them together. With their eyes closed, Jules was a glow within the darkness. “Oh Jules, Jules, Jules…” They wept the words, stroking and luxuriating in the living creature that surrounded them with its bulk. It did not matter in the slightest that this Jules was not as Jules had been before… Harry’s most fervent wish had been granted and they had their mate back. “I knew it,” they whispered pressing kisses into the fur as they moved along the length of the dragon towards its head. “I knew that you were not gone.” They stroked over the dragon’s snout and pressed a kiss between his n
Havermouth, Present TimeHarry did not know how long they had been tending to Jules in the small cold room. Time had lost any meaning as the room had no natural light. They fed when Fatima brought them blood, or one of the ancients descended the stairs in order to donate. And then they would patiently drip blood into Jules’ slack mouth, watching for a sign that he had swallowed, before unbandaging the ruin of Jules’ hand, examining the wound for signs of healing before coating it again with blood and carefully, tenderly re-wrapping it.Jules was not dead. They were certain of it. Although he did not breathe, did not swallow, and his heart did not beat, Harry was certain that they sensed a spark of life within him, that they would know if the body that they held was nothing but flesh.They had, after all, handled many dead bodies in their long, long life.And the hand wound... It looked better. They could not precisely say how it was so - it was still a mess of bone and meat, and the b
Rideten, Present Time“Oh gawd, so good,” Aislen moaned as she squeezed in between Rhett and Cameron. “I so need to get this blood off my skin. It’s beginning to itch. Tsk, look at you two,” she added taking the washcloth from Rhett’s hand and tugging him down so that she could scrub the blood from his face. “You even have some in your ears. How do you get blood in your ears?”“Beats me,” Rhett’s hands gripped her hips, and his thumbs stroked her skin suggestively. “I have some blood lower down,” he smoldered. “Cameron was just offering to lick it off for me when you came in and gave us a better idea.”“Oh?” Aislen knew precisely what they had in their dirty, dirty minds - basically the same plan with slight variations between the two men. But she wasn’t going to make it easy on them. “Come here,” she scrubbed at Cameron’s face with the cloth. “Good enough,” she decided and handed it to him. “Do me whilst I rinse my hair out.”“Do you, or do you?” Cameron teased as he and Rhett shifte
Rideten, Present TimeSamuel’s wing sails caught the air with a whoomp. The guard heard it, looking up in astonishment a moment before Samuel seized him. In the old days, Samuel thought ruefully as he carried the struggling man up into the air again, he would have just let the man go and let gravity take care of the rest. However stealth was required in the current situation and now that he had the man, he wasn’t entirely sure what to do with him, other than sate his thirst.It had to be something that wouldn’t be noticed immediately, Samuel concluded as he sank his teeth into the struggling guard’s neck. Whatever he did with him needed to have a visual impact, as the Emissary had been clear that part of the reason for the attack was psychological - to show the enemy that they weren’t even safe in their own headquarters.He saw a flash from the corner of his eye as Ember spread her wings, slowing her descent as she targeted another guard - but only slowing enough to prevent her from i
Rideten, Present Time“And here I thought you’d achieved the most outrageously jaw-dropping appearance the last time you walked into my bunker Mr Gale,” Victor observed dryly as he closed the meeting room door behind them. “Look at you,” he added gesturing at the three of them.Heath slid a look at each of his mates. Talen raised his eyebrows. Of them all, their vampire hybrid mate had escaped the massacre with only a few blood splatters in his beard. Seeing Heath’s look, he raised his hands to show that they were as bloody as Heath’s own, which made Heath feel better. He scratched at his jaw feeling blood flake away under his nail.“This is what war looks like,” Aislen replied snidely. “Something you might find unfamiliar from a bunker, Victor, but true nonetheless.”Victor shook his head as he crossed to a cupboard and pulled out a decanter. “Whiskey?” He offered them.“I will,” Talen said.“Not us,” Heath declined regretfully. Whiskey would have gone down well after the night in th