Havermouth, Present TimeTears 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 nos
Rideten, Present TimeAislen 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 the s
Rideten, Present TimeThe 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 flooding th
Havermouth, Present TimeEmbroidering 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,” she
Rideten, Present TimeAislen 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, wake up
In the Ocean, Present TimeThe armour was as comfortable as skin to wear, moved like fabric, and yet was impenetrable. It was grown, Lyric discovered when she and Niarthen had been fitted, in tanks of ooze, into which, in their human shape, they had been inserted from neck down. It did not take long - forming into a crust over the skin that eventually developed into interlocking scales.It stretched like rubber, allowing for it to be taken off and on, but once in place protected the wearer both from being sliced by blades and from projectiles – the scales hardening into an impenetrable barrier between Mer and the world. Like much of Mer technology, it was symbiotic, feeding off the wearer, and was activated by signals of stress and adrenaline into the change from malleable fabric to solid surface.It was also wearable in both human and Mer forms, its surface restructuring around the tail, as Lyric discovered when she and Niarthen had swum to join the army on the journey to the island.
An Island Somewhere, Present TimeLyric woke pressed tightly into Niarthen’s chest, his hair covering them both so that her bleary eyes saw the sun through a film of green. She did not have a moment of confusion, even in her sleep she had registered their location in the war camp on the island beach, and she surfaced from sleep to awareness knowing precisely where she was and what was happening.Niarthen grunted as he woke, and cleared his throat as he sat up, easing her carefully down into the sand. He sat with his elbows on his knees, looking out at the activity of the camp, and dragged a hand over his face before rising fluidly to his feet.Lyric sat up and dusted off the sand, scanning the beach to see where Niarthen had wandered off to. She needed to pee but fuck trying to get out of the armour. Perhaps that was what Niarthen was doing – finding a convenient tree. She’d just do things the Mer way, she decided, and hold it until she shifted and could go into the water. She wasn’t
Havermouth, Present TimeIt was a relief to get the blood off both of them, to feel the warm water wash away the sweat and stink of stress and fear that had been clinging to their skin, but Harry did not linger in the shower as they would have liked to do, feeling Jules begin to sway as they finished rinsing off his hair. Their mate was exhausted and shaking with shock.They lifted Jules from the shower cubicle onto the mat and wrapped a towel carefully around him before tending to themself. As they quickly rubbed themselves dry and bound their hair back into the damp towel to absorb the water, they watched Jules.Jules’ lips shook, his teeth chattering, but his focus was on scrutinizing his hand. He sucked in a wet sob of a breath as his efforts to move his fingers pained him. The expression gave Harry a glimpse of their mate’s elongated canines and pre-molars, and that little sign that the vampirism had taken gave them a feeling of pride and accomplishment. They had turned Jules. Pe
Havermouth, Present TimeThe room stank. They could smell it the moment they started down the hallway. Old blood, rotten flesh, and rodents. Connery made a noise in the back of his throat and fished in his pockets producing a handkerchief and stuffing it full of herbs from a pouch. He held it out to Meguitte who smiled and shook her head ruefully. She had smelled this particular scent before, many times over the centuries, during plagues and in the dungeons where people were tortured and left to rot.“I guess it’s a good thing that no one has been here to clean up after Leighton, as the ward will be untouched,” Connery commented, his voice muffled by the handkerchief.Blow flies greeted them. The cages were empty, but no one had scrubbed the room, and there were buckets sticky with congealed blood, stains of it on the floors and walls, and other biological matter in the corners of the cages where the prisoners had relieved themselves. The room rustled with bugs as a result.“Hmm,” Meg
Havermouth, Present Time“You’re doing great,” Heath was breathless. He and Rhett had run, dragging with them several screaming witches. They had been pursued, by Mer, by zombies, by the few Van Helsing soldiers who had survived, but they’d been able to put some distance between them with help from the dragons in the sky. It had been very weird to see the dragons sending bolts of lighting and fire to hold off pursuit. One of them had done something that had made the earth beneath Heath’s feet tremble with a clap of thunder that had his ears still ringing.The timing had been perfect. They’d headed towards Leighton’s warehouse, and just as he’d started to debate which warehouse was likely, the door of the Stock Feed and Animal Supplies warehouse had opened revealing Phillip Salem. When he’d entered and seen Aislen on her hands and knees in a clearing within the filthy warehouse, he had not known whether to be relieved or despairing. The warehouse was so precarious a place for his mate
Havermouth, Present Time“Stella was anticipating that your mates would attack the ward,” Phillip commented mildly as he riffled through the cupboards. “I am curious to see what happened when she found Leighton instead of them. He did not seem happy.”“Leighton was there? Shit,” Aislen’s heart picked up pace. “We really don’t want him to find us, Phillip. We tried to turn him over to the Mer, but it failed. Verina died though, and Leighton’s pissed in a big way. He came to kill me.”“Possibly, or to steal the baby,” Phillip agreed indifferently inspecting a steak knife before returning it to the drawer. “I think you over value yourself, Aislen, and undervalue what you’re carrying.”“Gee, thanks. Hopefully, Stella took Leighton out,” Aislen added thoughtfully. “She was well set up there, with a massive coven behind her. However powerful Leighton is, I doubt he’s as powerful as them.”“That is true. But then, Stella will have discovered that you are not there, and will know that I betra
Havermouth, Present Time“I’m fine, my darling, truly, cross my heart,” Connery pressed the heel of his hand to his chest earnestly. Meguitte narrowed her eyes at him with suspicion. He was still paler than normally, with shadows pressed deep into his under eyes.“Have a sandwich and a cup of tea,” the werewolf Diana insisted offering both from a tray. She was going around the lower floor exchanging food and drinks for blood, and Meguitte sent her a side-eye. “I won’t take his blood,” Diana added hastily. “I can see that he can’t spare it. Perhaps you could, though?”“Me?” Meguitte was astonished by the suggestion.“It won’t take more than ten minutes, and I’m very gentle, I promise.”“It’s not that,” Meguitte explained. “I’m just… not an ordinary vampire. I have none of their normal powers.”“All blood is good blood at the moment,” Diana had sensed surrender and was preparing the kit.Meguitte sat next to Connery and rolled up her sleeve.He smiled at her. “How generous you are my be
Havermouth, Present TimeRhett and Heath did not speak as they wound their way through the streets of Havermouth. There was little opportunity to talk, slinking through the shadows, down the little alleyways between houses, and cutting through back gardens, but there was also a heavy sense of silence between them so that Rhett knew that even if they had been able, they both would have been too lost in their thoughts. Or lost in their worries, would be more accurate.They had searched the area around the smoke thoroughly, even venturing into the still-burning buildings. There had been no sign of Aislen. And no response to their mental calls for their mate. An icy fist of dread had a tight grip on Rhett’s heart. Why was she not answering? She had to be unconscious or…They would know if she had died. He refused to believe otherwise.Had Leighton found her first? What would Leighton do if he had found Aislen? He still struggled to see Leighton as dangerous, whatever mental voodoo the man
Havermouth, Present TimeThere were some languages that were universal, Sigrid thought grimly as she examined the Mer weaponry and made sure that she was familiar with its function. She could tell from the way the Mer moved, from the set of their shoulders, that they were uneasy with the alliance between herself and Niarthen. Their tolerance was thin, and only their respect for Niarthen, and the other two Mer generals, Benethin and Aeylira, kept them obedient. The moment word was received from above that Havermouth was to be destroyed, her life was forfeit.“Do not fear,” Niarthen said quietly. “Aeylira, Benethin, Lyric, and I will ensure that you reach your mates. There is a building which has been declared sacred. Lyric thinks it’s the hospital. That is where your mates are, yes? You should be safe there.”“I am with child,” she told him. “Triplets. The life of four rests on your promise.”“I understand,” he was grim. “Lyric also carries our child.”“If the tide turns,” she regarded
Havermouth, Present TimeMagic was in its very nature an invisible thing. You did not see a spell cast, but rather the effects of the spell once it found its victim. Therefore, the warlock Leighton appeared to do very little other than stand with his hands pressed to the surface of the ward, the energy blowing back his hair and causing sweat to break out on his forehead, but Samuel could FEEL the power, and see the reaction of the ward, its opaque surface shifting like water, areas clearing so that the dragons caught brief glimpses of the witches below scurrying about like ants as they tried to reinforce their magic by scattering herbs and arcane objects, and drawing runes on the bitumen.Samuel’s memories of the gloves were still fragmented, but he could recall the power they had given him – not just increased speed, strength, and stamina, but also a magic that was unnatural to him. He could feel a similar magic burning through his veins towards his heart and brain, poisoning as it b
Havermouth, Present TimeIn the front yard of the witch’s house, Jules caught Harry’s hand, pulling them to a stop. “I should shift,” he explained as he released Harry’s hand and began to strip off his clothing. “We can fly over the trouble.”“Aren’t you the clever one, my beloved,” Harry reached out and began to collect Jules’s clothes as Jules undressed. Jules looked up from stripping off his jeans to find Harry’s eyes hot and his smirk smoldering, and laughed, pulled from the seriousness of the war around them into a moment of pure joy as they celebrated what existed between them.“Okay,” Jules blushed as he finished undressing. “A moment.”Harry stepped back onto the porch and Jules focused on his shift. It was still a foreign experience, one that his body and mind told him shouldn’t be possible despite his entire life as a werewolf. Becoming a werewolf was a redistribution of his body – what existed simply moved to a position more appropriate for the shape that he wished to posses
Havermouth, Present TimeToby was brand new to being a dragon and did not even know the basics of shifting. He had transformed once into a dragon and had not left the ground when he had done so. The gloves meant that a full transformation was not possible, and so even that little experience in shifting was useless.It was necessary therefore, before they could take off and fight for the Emissary, to teach Toby to open his wings, and to take off. They took the man out through the witch’s kitchen, to the rear yard and there, Ember set about trying to teach Toby something that came instinctual to their kind.Samuel left the instructions to Ember knowing that she was better at such things, and stood guard, in case the witch’s ward failed, and a zombie or Mer soldier made it onto the property. Ember had succeeded in getting Toby to open his wings, and the delighted man stood opening and closing them whilst craning his head to look over his shoulder to see where they went."And suddenly my