Havermouth, Present TimeThe torture room stank of fear, sweat, and piss. One of the werewolf policewomen stood in a puddle, a look of resignation on her face. As they entered, Connery pulled a face and took a floral embroidered handkerchief from his pocket to cover his nose. “Oof,” he complained. “Disgusting.”“Where did you get that?” Meguitte was amused. Only Connery would be able to source hand-embroidered handkerchiefs in the midst of a war.“Verina,” he told her. “It is an art form truly. I have another if you like, my love. They’re lavender-scented. Real lavender, not that artificial stuff humans use.”“I’m fine, but thank you,” she fought the urge to laugh at him.“Do vampires piss?” The werewolf Patience spat at them. “Do you shit? Do your muscles ache from being forced to stand for days against a wall in chains? Does your skin chafe, blister, and bleed? At least the Van Helsings cage their victims with bedpans and provide food and water. We are dying here, without dignity, a
Somewhere outside of Rideten, Present Time“Here,” Heath took the razor out of Cameron’s hand. “Let me…” He went to his knees on the cold tile, and Aislen placed her hand on his head for balance as he lifted her leg onto one thigh. He smoothed the shaving cream from ankle to knee and glanced up at her mischievously. “Should I call you Mistress Morgana?”She laughed, but the sound was hoarse in her throat. She wasn’t the only one getting turned on by their little grooming session, waves of eroticism tangled up in tenderness rolled off all four of her mates. As Heath began to shave her legs, she saw that Cameron was hard, his cock nudging against Rhett’s cheek as their dark-haired mate shaved him. Rhett was teasing him, deliberately turning his head so that his lips rubbed along Cameron’s length.Talen stepped up behind her, his hands resting on her shoulders to let her know that he was there before stroking down her arms and then up her rib cage to cup her breasts, his fingers pinching
The Mouth of the River, Present TimeThe Mer did not form war camps. They broke into squadrons, each tasked with a mission. Several squadrons might work together if the mission was large, but even then, they did not camp together, or form a central point of leadership.“We do not offer them a target this way,” Niarthen explained to Lyric as they followed the squadron they had been assigned to through the scrubland. They were weaving their way towards the river as they had been summoned to consult on the changes to the animal and plant life along it. “If a squadron is taken out, it does not affect the army. But if an army is taken out, it changes the war.”“An army?” She clarified as she picked her way along in his wake, letting him choose the path they took. Her vision since transforming to Mer was much improved, and she could see as well, if not better, in the dark of the night, as she could during the day, however, Niarthen’s big feet on the animal trails that wound through to the w
Somewhere outside of Rideten, Present TimeTalen’s arm supported Cameron’s chest as Rhett looped a rope over a rafter and tied it to the rope between Cameron’s shoulder blades. “There we go,” Talen approved and slowly eased his hold from Cameron until the rope took his weight.He and Rhett stood and looked down at him with approval. Cameron flicked his eyes up through his hair and laughed around the gag of rope between his teeth. They looked so damned proud of themselves. They had the right to be proud. He was well trussed up, and the constriction of the rope, the pull of his arm muscles due to his wrists being bound behind him, and the friction against his skin was precisely what he had been needing.The weight of the world was off his shoulders for the time being. He wasn’t even responsible for his pleasure as he could not contribute to it, tied as he was. All he needed to do was surrender to his mates and let them take him into the white buzz of sub-space.He closed his eyes and sa
Somewhere outside of Rideten, Present TimeHeath was meticulous with his Shibari. Aislen followed along in his mind as he planned it out. He’d used some rags to pad her wrists before winding the rope around them, letting the rope slide sensuously across his palm as he fed it out. The process of tying her down was as sexual to him as what happened once she was bound to his satisfaction, and he was determined to take his time, enjoy the process, and create something beautiful.He'd studied it online, on his phone, and attended some classes in the past. Shibari was the artistic form, but kinbaku focused on the sensual, connective, and sexual side of the practice, and it was that side that interested him.Ushiro Takatekote knot, he thought as he tied it between her shoulder blades and draped it over her shoulders. His thoughts became a relaxing peaceful place in following his careful process, his mind calming as he worked. Processes and procedures had always soothed Heath. He liked things
Somewhere outside of Rideten, Present TimeThe blindfold left a little gap along the sides of her nose and by angling her head just slightly, Aislen could still make out the three men on the mattress nearby. Talen had replaced Cameron’s gag with his cock and had fisted one hand in Cameron’s curls. The flex of Talen’s arse muscles as he arched his hips toward Cameron’s face was enough to make her knees want to give way, but the whole picture was just pure eye candy, from the bulge of his biceps as he adjusted his grip on Cameron’s hair, to the way his long blonde locks swayed against the hollow his muscles made of his spine.Fucking hell, she thought wryly. She was pretty sure she was making a puddle of lust on the blanket below her. Rhett shifted and she saw him stroke a pink-rubber gloved hand down Cameron’s back before reaching back between Cameron’s thighs to grip his cock.The contrast of the pink gloves against the bright tattoos and Rhett’s dark good looks appealed to the artist
Somewhere outside of Rideten, Present TimeThere was fire and smoke, and a woman was screaming. The screams were shrieks of agony the timber of which ran over Aislen’s skin like electricity and set her heart to racing. And then, abruptly they ended, and there was only the crackle of wood burning, and the smell of roast flesh. As the scene faded into blackness, a man roared: “What have you done!”“M.”Aislen wasn’t sure what had woken her, the man’s roar from her dream, or Bianca’s voice in her head. “Hey B,” she murmured and felt the shift of flesh around her as her men reacted to her voice. Rhett’s hair was in her face. She knew it was him, even without her telepathy, because the scent of cigarette smoke lingered in it. And it was Talen against her back, his chest hair prickling her skin as he breathed.“Morgana?” Talen kept his voice low so as not to disturb their mates.“Scry,” Aislen explained to him. She closed her eyes, focusing internally, strengthening the link between her and
Somewhere outside of Rideten, Present TimeThere wasn’t a chance to scry again, and Aislen wasn’t certain that scrying Stella and asking flat-out what she was up to would help. It wasn’t as if honesty was a policy with Stella, after all. She had begun to think of Stella in new terms – as an opposition rather than an ally, she realized as she had a quick shower and reluctantly put back on her one change of clothing.“We need to go shopping,” she told her mates as they lined up out front of the house, waiting for the werewolf soldiers to organize the vehicles and who would go into them. The reporters did not travel lightly, and there was a city of cases built around them. She sighed. It was not going to be easy to arrive unnoticed in Trayrock.“For what?” Cameron was eyeing off the stacks of crates speculating as to their contents and just where the news crews thought they would fit them in the cars.“Clothes,” she told him.“Oh, yeah,” he looked down at himself. “My jeans are starting
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 wi
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