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The Cost of Negotiation
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
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The Pack's Emissary Settling Into The River House
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
The Pack's Emissary Bonding Time
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
The Pack's Emissary Back in the Snug
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
The Pack's Emissary The Family Meeting
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
The Pack's Emissary The Question of Leighton
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
The Pack's Emissary Night in the River House
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
The Pack's Emissary Holding On
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
The Pack's Emissary Daddy Gets His Dom On
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
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The Pack's Emissary If You Choose
Havermouth, Present TimeAislen was looking down at a chessboard. She was holding a little statuette of Verina in her hand. She shook as she set it down on her side of the board and looked up at the woman who sat across from her. This time, the handmaiden or goddess, whatever she was, wore gold. Not some cheap and tacky replica, or some misleading named yellow, but true gold.An elaborate metal headdress began on her forehead, framing her face and covering her hair, continuing from just below her chin to spread over her shoulders and down her chest. The dress was made of fine chain link that draped like material, clinging to her curvaceous body, before dripping away into the aether that crept around their feet. Her lips were painted gold, and so were her eyelids and eyebrows. Golden rings encircled her fingers, and her wrists and arms were heavy with bracelets and cuffs. The tips of her fingers were dipped in gold.She was magnificent and regal and there was a formality to the way tha
The Pack's Emissary Preparing for Leighton
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
The Pack's Emissary Gera
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
The Pack's Emissary Birthing Suites
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
The Pack's Emissary The Spell Trap
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
The Pack's Emissary The Fked Up, The Fkers, and the Fish
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
The Pack's Emissary Sigrid and the Mer
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
The Pack's Emissary The Dragon’s Battle
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
The Pack's Emissary Good Monsters
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
