Havermouth, Present Time“Truth,” he reminded her. “No secrets amongst mates.” (Kept this between the two of us because both Cameron and Aislen are delicate at the moment, and no one needs a blow-up.)“It’s not a secret,” she told him defensively. “I was picking my time. We only have tonight, and everyone needs a bath, some food, and some time out. Telling everyone what I know now would just mean that no one get to do that.”“Okay, I buy it,” he shrugged one shoulder as he finished her fingernails. “So, what is it?”“Do you really want to know right now?” Aislen asked him seriously. “When everyone’s settled, fed, showered, we’re all going to get together and have a big talk about everything, anyway. Will it really hurt to wait another half an hour to an hour?”“Well,” he started collecting together his things. “I know now, so I’m going to have that at the back of my head anyway.”“It’s a lot, Rhett. If I start talking about it now, we won’t stop until everyone’s together.”“Aislen’s r
Havermouth, Present Time"I am very sorry for your loss," Sigrid said solemnly. "And it is right that we discuss Bianca and the events leading up to her death.""A human woman June Barnham and Bianca were behind a coup of humans and werewolves to return August Mason to control of the pack and Havermouth," Sigrid explained in a matter-of-fact manner. "There was unrest after you left for Rideten, and this group of dissidents believed that August would provide strong leadership in the ongoing war against the Van Helsings. When Samuel removed August from the bunker they attempted to track him, but Samuel discovered the bug and disposed of it. August was taken to Tony and Fatima. However, the coup did not know that. They searched here -""That would explain the broken front door," Cameron commented."The front door is broken?" Aislen was surprised."Kicked in, lock busted. Not a big deal," Cameron replied. "I guess they searched the house. Smashed open some drawers in Heath's office, kicke
Havermouth, Present time“I was with her,” Samuel said defensively. “And ensured that no harm came to the Emissary, as is my duty.”“No harm would have come to the Emissary if she’d been sensible and come straight home,” Heath retorted. “I thought we’d agreed to do things together,” he pointed with the whiteboard marker at Aislen. “And to not keep secrets from each other.”“I did not keep it secret. I was waiting for everyone to be in one place,” Aislen replied. “And if we had all gone together, it would have looked more aggressive. Samuel is scary as fuck on his own, so they knew not to mess around, but with just one pregnant woman on his back, they didn’t find our presence a threat, and so I was able to have a nice picnic with Niarthen one on one, rather than everyone being all in each other’s face.”“You had a picnic,” Rhett said under his breath. “Why am I not surprised?”“Technically he had the picnic,” Aislen corrected. “Fish pieces and little bulbs of purified water.”“We’re no
Havermouth, Present TimeThe conversation circled around on itself creating two camps of thought. Those who supported handing Leighton over were Heath, Rhett, Connery, Harry, Sigrid, and her Triquetra. Those who believed there had to be another way - but were not specific as to what that way would be - were Cameron, Jules, Talen, and Meguitte.Samuel abstained stating that he did not know the man or the circumstances having just been peripheral to the action during the Van Helsing occupation of Havermouth.If majority ruled, Leighton would be surrendered. If that was even possible to do.They had agreed to meet Niarthen on the bridge and to take his party to a secure meeting location and discuss it further there, and then their little meeting had broken up.Cameron had gone with Jules for a walk around the property. Jules had large gaps in his memory and Cameron was helping to fill them. Harry had taken Ryan to put the little boy to bed. Sigrid and her Triquetra had gone to their room
Havermouth, Present Time“You told me about him, and how you’d loved him,” Cameron finished. “So, it’s not really a surprise that you ended up with Harry.”Jules leaned against the fence post, looking out into the field of Saxon Merinos. It was odd, he thought, that he could remember that this small herd was an investment he and Cameron had made after careful consideration as Saxon Merinos were good in hilly territories, like his farm, and so the intention had been to paddock them there – but he could not remember moving them to Cameron’s house paddock and he could not remember this human man that his son had told him he’d loved before marrying Cameron’s mother.It might not have been a surprise to Cameron, but finding out about this lover from his son had been to Jules. He pushed the thought back and just nodded.“You moved the sheep?” He changed the topic of conversation as he looked over at Cameron. His night vision picked out Cameron’s face against the backdrop of the night dark g
Havermouth, Present TimeTalen heard them coming up the stairs and as waiting by the open double doors into the playroom, braced in the doorframe, his bulk blocking entry. He was shirtless, barefoot, and his jeans were open at the fly. His hair had grown, Aislen thought, its ends now brushing his nipples, the piercings glinting through the strands.His smile was slow and smouldering as they approached, and Aislen felt a wave of desire burn through her. “Fuck me,” she fanned her face with her hand. “I’m not sure which one of us went the most weak-kneed to see you half naked and doing a door-lean like that, Daddy, but all three of us turned into hormonal cum-puddles.”Talen’s chuckle was rich. “You know the rules,” he said. “Undress at the door.”“You breaking the rules Daddy?” Rhett teased, even as he began to pull his top off over his head.“I’m making the rules, brat,” Talen corrected. “Safe words?”“R & G,” Aislen toed off her shoes. “What’s Heath up to?”“Oh,” Talen’s smirk turned
New BeginningsHavermouth, Present TimeTom tested the window, making sure it was locked before pulling across the curtains. “Not really a secure, safe place,” he said in disapproval. “With the weapons the Mer use they could be in the room in seconds before we get a chance to react.”“We’re far off the main roads,” Greg was patient as he folded his shirt and added it to the pile of clothing on the chair at the foot of the bed. “In the middle of farmland. The Mer focus on populated areas from what we can tell. They won’t waste their energy on a single farmhouse.”“Even if it’s right by the river?” Tom arched an eyebrow. “The only water source this far inland, and they’re Mer?”“Sleep with a gun on the nightstand if you must,” Sigrid ran the brush through her hair. “If it makes you feel safer.”“It’s not about me feeling safer,” Tom was insulted. “It’s about keeping you safe.”“My darling,” Sigrid started as she set the brush down.“I know, I know,” Tom said automatically, holding his h
Havermouth, Present TimeAislen watched as Talen led Cameron across the floor on his hands and knees, and then up onto the foot of the bed. “Sit there like a good puppy,” he commanded Cameron sternly.Cameron slid Aislen a look from the corner of his eye as he made himself comfortable on the bed. With Heath and Rhett, the play had always been focused on where their kinks overlapped, Heath’s need for control, Rhett’s cum play, and Cameron’s desire to be used and taken into sub-space. Although their equipment included collars and leashes, they’ve never ventured into puppy play.Cameron wasn’t sure he would like it. It seemed too corny being a werewolf, and a bit of a poor substitute to being in his wolf form. Why play at being a puppy, when you could transform into a wolf?“Good boy,” Talen praised him as he arranged pillows against the headboard. He set three dildos and three butt plugs on the mattress before standing back to admire his display, his eyes roaming over Heath, Rhett, and
Havermouth, Present TimeThe journey to the river house was slow. Thanks to Sigrid’s roadblocks and the damage from the Mer. They also encountered many groups of people just standing on the road, talking in confusion. No one could quite understand what had happened, and no one was entirely confident that it was the end.Gera, true to form, had woken wanting to be fed, and so Aislen held the baby in her arms and watched out through the windows as they passed along the river road towards the bridge. “We’re a long way from done,” she said softly.“Yes,” Talen agreed. “But still, I feel as if we are far closer to peace, and I find myself optimistic and excited about the future before us.”“Me too,” Cameron agreed. “But that’s also how it feels when Aislen does her thing in your brain, so it could be that too.”“We haven’t really talked about that,” Heath added. “About what happened, Aislen?”“It’s hard to explain,” she said looking down at Gera and tracing the curve of the baby’s cheek wit
Havermouth, Present TimeDown the hallway enough for the stink of the torture room and the crunch and slurp of Mercy’s meal to be less nauseating, they formed a huddle, with Sigrid, Greg, Niarthen and Lyric in the centre, discussing what they had seen, and what the Mer would do next.Aislen leaned her cheek against Heath’s shoulder, exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to shower for a really long time, put on something that wasn’t coarse and itchy, and sleep. Heath put his arm around her absently, his attention on the discussion. She wanted to tell him that the world needed to take care of itself for a while, she had done her best for it, and it was time for her to sleep.“I can’t believe that she ate him,” Dan was seriously grossed out, Aislen could tell, although he kept his voice to a whisper.“I know,” Tom replied from the corner of his mouth, his eyes on Sigrid and Greg as they spoke with Niarthen. “Did you see the look on his face? He was just as surprised as we were.”“Will
Havermouth, Present TimeInside the room was worse than the hallway, and explained why Connery had his seat propped in the doorway – for relief from the stench. Aislen tried not to look too closely at the gore that remained around the room. Some of it had belonged to Bianca, and that was too raw a wound for her to deal with at the moment. She was just too tired from giving birth, and too ragged from losing her telepathy.Meguitte sat just inside the door, with another notepad, and a look in her eye that spoke of darkness and trauma. Aislen could smell fresh blood from Meguitte, and the scent worried her. “Are you okay?” She asked.Meguitte’s eyes flicked up to Aislen’s, her cheeks heating. “I am exhausted,” she confessed.“Okay,” Aislen didn’t think that was everything wrong with the vampiress, but she rested her hand on Meguitte’s shoulder in empathy. If Meguitte didn’t want to talk about it, Aislen wasn’t the right person to push the conversation.Within the room, was a circle drawn
Havermouth, Present TimeJules and Harry led the way into the hospital, pausing on the top level to open a door into a ward. It was busy in there with patients and people tending to them. Due to the lack of uniforms, only the injuries separated patients from carers. Aislen stood just inside the stairwell door, holding baby Gera in her arms, with the chaos unfolding before her, a little shell-shocked.A vampire that Aislen did not recognise saw Samuel and encouraged him and Ember into a room, despite the dragon’s protests. Samuel surrendered when Ember sternly ordered him to let the vampire donate some blood and help his healing.“Well,” Jules ran his hand through his hair awkwardly. “I guess we should find a midwife?”Gera decided to wake up and demand to be fed. The baby’s cries drew the attention of those near to them, and Tyler suddenly appeared through the crowd, his whole face contorted with excitement. “Oh, my fucking heart!” He declared. “You have a baby!”“I do, and a hungry o
Havermouth, Present TimeHeath and Talen helped Aislen have a sponge bath in the kitchen, whilst Cameron, who knew his way around the stock and feed shop like the back of his hand, produced a pair of overalls and a shirt in hi-Vis yellow. As her men washed and dressed her, Aislen watched as Rhett and Phillip showed Gera off to Jules and Harry and felt her heart melt at the pride on her dark-haired mate’s face, and the way his tattooed fingers carefully cradled the baby’s head.“Are you alright?” Heath asked her as he buckled the overalls up.“Yeah,” she looked down at herself. “Feeling really stylish.” Thankfully the bleeding had stopped after another dose of her mates’ blood, as she was sans-underwear. Despite her complaint about the clothing, she was relieved to be covered.Cameron smirked. “You’re the best-looking farmer this shop has ever seen.”“And boy, did it see a lot of me,” Aislen pulled a face. “The owner is going to come in and wonder what the fuck happened here.”“They’ll
Havermouth, Present TimeAislen lips were sticky with blood. It was not unusual, she existed on a diet of it, but she could feel the stick of this blood on her cheeks and glueing her eyelashes together. She fought to open her eyes, blinking away a wash of blood that blurred her vision for a moment. “Something’s wrong,” she rasped.“What is wrong, little demon?” Talen asked, his voice thick with emotion. She was leaning against him, his legs to either side of her, and his chest cushioning her back. His arm was resting just under her breasts, holding her to him. He rubbed his cheek against hers, the rasp of his beard against her skin. “Are you in pain?”“Oh, thank the goddess you’re awake.” Heath exclaimed, heavy with relief. She saw the blur of him appear in the field of her vision. “She’s awake. Rhett - water, and a cloth…” He held out his hand. The dark form of Rhett knelt on her other side, and she heard the slosh of water as he wrung out a cloth and began to wipe her face.The wate
Havermouth, Present TimeLyric watched Niarthen with a heavy weight on her heart. He had always been honest with her that it was unlikely the Mer would make peace, but she had been hopeful, and she could tell that under his apparent pessimism, he had been too – if mainly because he had not wanted to disappoint her and had understood that as someone who had come so recently from the land, she had some loyalty to it and its people.The betrayal from above and the siren Priestesses' efforts to kill Leighton had stung Niarthen’s pride and his faith in his people. The disaster that had resulted had caused an even deeper wound. However, Niarthen’s helplessness hurt her mate the most. She could see it in the way he stood, the line of his shoulders, the lift of his chin.Sapphire’s death was another blow as Niarthen had held hopes of rehabilitating her. Lyric had been relieved when Sigrid had killed her. She was almost certain that the Mer woman had been using some sort of power to entrance N
Havermouth, Present TimeAislen reached out and found Tabitha Marie, and the power of her coven. She pulled on it, drawing it into herself. She let herself drift and her consciousness expand. Her mates appeared first, they were bonded to her, and so physically close to her body, their minds bright with mixed emotions of distress and joy. Talen was feeding Aislen his blood, his wrist at her throat, whilst Cameron was busy between her legs. Heath supported Gera on Aislen’s chest as the baby cried and nuzzled at Aislen’s milk-heavy breast.Phillip and Rhett were at the filthy window at the front of the warehouse and were looking out with expressions of alarm. Above them, on the roof, out of sight of the battle below, Ember tended to Samuel’s wounds, whilst keeping an eye on what happened below.Ember worried that Samuel was too injured to wield the power of the gloves, and if he did, the dark veins of poison that had already spread up his arms and across his chest far further than she li
Havermouth, Present TimeMeguitte placed herself between Leighton and the spell trap. She wanted his attention focused on her and away from where Mercy was hidden behind a fragile illusion and the longer that she kept it to the center of the room, the better.She had felt the shift of power when he’d used it outside the hospital and wondered what he had done. It had to have been a significant magic for her to feel the shiver of it cross her skin standing the fine hairs on end like static electricity. Good, she thought. There was a limit to how much magic any witch or warlock could use. It took effort and tired the user. The more Leighton exerted himself elsewhere, the better.And then she thought about the injured people and began to fret as to those she knew below. Sigrid and Talen had gone, she comforted herself, but she could not recall if she had seen Harry leave. And had they let the other vampires know?She stood with her heart pounding heavily in dread.“Meguitte!” The call was