The Mouth, Present Time“We need a boat?” Lyric said under her breath to Niarthen as they followed Max to the bank where a group of boats were tied up to prevent the river from sucking them away. “Because boats have worked so well for us in the past. I don’t see any vampires around here, and I really, really don’t want to go back to chewing on sheep. I’m still picking pieces of raw meat out from between my teeth.”“The current has eased a lot since then,” Niarthen replied calmly. “I have been watching the water and am confident that we can make it safely. I would not risk your life, Mia Persuma Inillium.”“This one,” Max paused by a boat. “It is mine. Here, I’ll prime it, and all you have to do it press the start button and steer,” he adjusted the engine, and then looked up at Niarthen. “What can the Mer do?” He asked quietly. “I am not…” He glanced over his shoulder at the camp. “I am not a leader. That I lead this group is just… An accident. I’ve just been doing the best that I can
Rideten, Present Time “Look at me, Aislen,” Cameron whispered, his hands stroking up her back in encouragement. “I see you, Cameron,” Aislen smiled at him, their eyes meeting. His lit with joy, and his smile was wide in response. “I love you,” she ran her fingers through his hair before cupping his skull and leaned in to kiss him. His hands stroked down to her hips, holding her in place, and he rose, taking her with him, so that he could turn and lay her down on the bed, without breaking the kiss between them. His mouth on hers was hungry, his lips lingering on a breath before they locked together again, his tongue stroking into her mouth as he ground his hips into hers. He kept their body so tight, and their lovemaking so intense, that sweat beaded on their skin between them, sucking as his stomach pressed into hers in each thrust. He threaded their fingers, sliding her hands up and over her head, stretching her out, and resting his forehead against hers whenever the kiss broke on
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