Havermouth, Present TimeAislen was aware of the civilian speculation as her mates joined the huddle with Meguitte, Connery, Leighton, and Sigrid. The nine of them standing by the bridge, overlooking the river, stood out, especially after the dragons’ comings and goings, and she could feel the speculations of those working on emptying the buildings. Most viewed the arrival of Aislen and her mates and the gathering with Sigrid, Meguitte, Connery, and Leighton as ill-tidings. They weren’t wrong.“Meguitte, Connery, and Leighton - ” Talen started to explain the efforts to fix the river.“It’s a good idea,” Aislen said to Meguitte, preventing Talen from having to repeat what she already knew. “And you’re right. It’s better to be doing something, rather than nothing.”“It is,” Meguitte replied, blushing. (After the cuffs, I was being overly cautious. I had lost some confidence in my abilities. Indecision and fear of doing the wrong thing was paralytic. This may not work, but that’s okay. N
Havermouth, Present TimeIt was decided that Aislen would fly to the river house on Samuel. Her mates would extend the invitations to their guests and then follow either on foot or in vehicles. She knew from Talen and Heath’s thoughts that this was partially planned in order to speak with Sigrid alone, sheltering Aislen from the information. She had her own plans, and so pretended not to have caught their subterfuge, and climbed on board Samuel without protest.As Samuel took off, Aislen caught a glimpse of Meguitte, Leighton, and Connery along the riverbank further down from the bridge. They had quickly made themselves scarce, but obviously continued the conversation away from the rest of the group, in the privacy of the riverbank’s undergrowth, as they were huddled together in an intense conversation from their body language. The trio looked up as the dragon’s shadow passed over them.What was she going to do about them? She asked herself in bitter despair. Stella was right in so
Havermouth, Present TimeNiarthen shifted on the mat, his eyes going out over the camp. He wanted the end of the war as much as Aislen did. He felt responsible for starting it. It had been his report of what he had seen and experienced in the river that had set the war into motion, and at the time he had believed it was the right thing to do, and entirely necessary. He had even been a little excited to be part of implementing the event that generations of Mer had carefully planned and that had been spoken of almost reverently his entire life.He had served his people over the years to the best of his ability, and at times that service had involved bloodshed. He was known and respected for taking violent action when it was needed, but always only when it was absolutely necessary, and with efficiency.It was why he was trusted with the coastal patrols. The hierarchy of the Mer trusted his judgment and that he would take the necessary action if there was a human encounter. He had taken t
Havermouth, Present TimeSamuel landed in the paddock next to the river house, scattering the sheep. Aislen slid off his back and stood regarding the sheep speculatively as he shifted. “What do sheep taste like?” She asked him. “Are they watery like rabbit?”“They’re not bad, actually,” Samuel considered the flock who pressed against the far fence. “Your mate might take exception to us eating his livelihood, however.”“Well, he might have been the one who put this in me,” she shoved her belly out. “And this baby is saying it wants sheep blood. So, I say, fair is fair. Let’s hunt, Samuel.” If Cameron was home and saw, and had something to say about it, she was sure he’d come out before either of them managed to catch one of the sheep.She leaned down and tore a handful of weeds from the ground. “Here, sheep-sheep…”The sheep were skittish due to just having had a dragon land in their field, but they were also accustomed to being fed by hand, so curiosity gradually drew them away from t
Havermouth, Present TimeTalen took his time shampooing and then conditioning Aislen’s hair, using his fingers to comb the conditioner through and picking out little bits of debris, lining them up on the edge of the vanity like a record of Aislen’s travels.“There’s a ladybug somewhere,” Aislen was lulled almost to sleep. “You can add it to your hair trophies if you find it.”“You’re just randomly keeping bugs in your hair now?” Rhett asked from the bathroom door. His arms were filled with products, and he emptied them out onto the vanity. “Or are you practicing for when the kids bring home headlice?”“Oh my gawd,” Aislen gaped at him. “Headlice.”“Yeah, it’s totally a thing,” he told her. “I get a lot of mummies in for tattoos, and they tend to do it in pairs or small groups. It’s like a bonding thing. They sit, I tattoo them, they talk to each other. Stuff like little Jenny Junior brought home headlice for the fifth time this year and now the mummy-getting-Jenny’s name tattooed with
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
“Mine,” Rhett caught Aislen by the shoulders and turned her, pulling her body flush with his so that he could seal his mouth over hers and steal away Heath’s cum from her tongue. “Hmm,” he said as he eased back and used the tip of his little finger to wipe the corner of her mouth. “Delicious.”“This is going to take some finessing,” Talen said as Rhett stepped away so that Talen could take his place. The big, blonde man very gently stroked Aislen’s hair back out of her face before his hand strayed to the Concordian collar around her neck. He straightened it. “It has been a while since we have done this.”“Done what, Daddy?” She asked him and then gasped as Rhett picked her up and deposited her on the bed, straddling Heath’s hips and facing him. Suddenly the way that he was tied made a lot of sense, the space between his legs made room for someone to kneel between them, and the sex pillow beneath his hips would position Aislen at the right height for a man behind and one in front. “Oh
Aislen’s eyes adjusted to the darkness inside the Playroom with supernatural quickness and she smothered her laughter as she saw what Talen had been up to. The bed had been looped with Christmas fairy lights, tinsel, and red bows that held candy canes in place. As they neared, Talen activated the fairly lights so that the room, and its many sordid toys, flashed and flickered in shades of red and green - as did the two men already on the bed.Cameron wore a body harness similar to her own. It was on full display as he knelt on the end of the bed, his arms tied to the bedframe above his head, and a candy cane tied with ribbon as a gag. Talen, as a nod to the season, had used a red ribbon to tie a bow around Cameron’s cock. Tinsel had been draped around his neck like a feather boa.Heath was stretched out on the bed behind him, his arms spread and bound to the headboard, and his knees bent, heels to arse, and restrained there with ribbon that circled his ankles and looped around his wais
As Heath steered the car back out of Havermouth, Aislen watched the town pass by her window. It was both familiar and foreign, with the influence of the Mer seen in the repairs to the old buildings and the ever-increasing amount of greenery spilling over the walls from roof-top gardens.The way people dressed and interacted on the streets had changed too, with more and more people adopting the toga-like styles of the Mer clothing. Aislen caught a glimpse of Anne Mason talking with a group of tall intrigued looking Mers, and she wore multiple strings of the Mer’s bead and shell necklaces and bracelets as she smiled and gestured animatedly at the street around them.“I wonder what Anne is up to,” she remarked to Heath. “She looks like she’s leading a tour of the town. That’s probably what it is,” she answered herself. “She’d be good at that role.”“Do you miss it?” Heath asked her.“The telepathy?” She knew what he meant. “Yes and no. This is sort of cool,” she used her telekinesis to l
Cameron had baby-napped Gera for a day on the farm with her grandparents Harry and Jules, and so Heath and Aislen were travelling light to Havermouth.“Feels weird,” Heath said what Aislen was thinking. “Not hearing her in the back seat, and not having to lug around the baby bag in case she poops or pukes. I think we should have another.”“What?” Aislen’s jaw dropped. That last comment had come out of nowhere.“Another baby,” he smirked enjoying her reaction. “Gera’s six months old now, and I think we’re ready to add to our family.”“I’m not precisely preventing it,” she pointed out. “I’m not on any contraception, and I’m constantly leaking enough second-hand cum that I could probably repopulate the entire planet with a turkey baster.”“I know,” his smirk became a grin. “I’m just saying, if you were pregnant, it would be a good thing, wouldn’t it?”“Hang on now,” she narrowed her eyes at him. There was something to his teasing. “What are you getting at precisely?”“I’m just saying, yo
Aislen woke to Gera crying. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the dark within Cameron’s room. It was night, but she couldn’t tell how far into it from the moonlight that drifted in through the part in Cameron’s curtains. Cameron was well out, snoring into the pillow, and she eased out from under his arm carefully so as not to wake him.Cameron had been working crazy hours, pretty much seven days a week, since the war trying to bring the two farms back to where they were before the storm, and to incorporate all the changes required for farming to be done by Mer environmental standards, which dictated everything from the way the sheep and cattle were treated for parasites through to run off from fields into the river.She stole the robe that hung of the back of his door as she tiptoed out of the room, easing the door closed behind her. Gera’s outrage had softened to gentle complaint which she traced to the kitchen. Heath, in a pair of striped PJ pants, was heating a bottle of blood, w
Rhett and Gera had attracted a horde of admirers in Rhett’s tattoo parlor and Aislen and Heath stood on the sidewalk watching him show off their daughter to his customers through the window, until someone pointed them out to them, and Rhett looked up, still grinning, his eyes bright with joy, and his cheeks heated as he realized he’d been busted.“Just look at him,” Heath scoffed his tone warm with amusement. “Bet he’s lying about doing the night duty all by himself again.”“He does get up a fair bit,” Aislen smiled up at him.“Yeah, but he complains about it like it’s the end of the world, and he doesn’t tell them that,” Heath nodded with his head towards the group saying goodbye to the baby. “I do most of the nights.”“And Cameron the early mornings,” Aislen reminded him.“He’s usually getting up then anyway,” Heath pointed out. “He’s half-rooster, up at dawn to wake us all up.”Aislen smothered her giggles.“What are you laughing at?” Rhett asked as he joined them. “Good timing, by
It was a very unusual Christmas Tree, but that was hardly surprising as it was a very different Havermouth. The new Havermouth Council was made up equally of all members of the community, and the tree represented the unification of these communities. Therefore, the tree had been carefully transplanted into the park, and was draped with bioluminescent strings of seaweed, crowned with a full moon, and hung with antique hand-carved toys and delicate ornaments made of gold and silver wire and what Aislen believed to be real gems, donated from the safes and other treasure vaults of the several hundred vampires that now called Havermouth home.In the old Havermouth, these gem-crusted ornaments would have disappeared within a day, however in the new Havermouth theft was not a problem. The police force included vampires and werewolves, and it had only taken a couple of demonstrations of their tracking abilities for thieves to learn to mend their ways.Aislen clapped along with the crowd as Ty
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