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The Negotiation Table
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
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The Pack's Emissary The Gesture To End the War
Havermouth, Present TimeIt was a good question and one that Aislen did not know the answer to. Even if the people in the room and on the video conference all agreed, they would have to persuade the wider country, and possibly the entire world. It was hard enough to keep one town and one werewolf pack working together, let alone something on this scale.“It isn’t,” Aislen told him, and saw heads around the table whip her way as protests started to form on lips and an onslaught of shocked minds screamed at her to shut up! They didn’t really mean to scream it at her – as Heath was continuously reminding her, they weren’t responsible for errant thoughts and reactions. But for a moment she winced under the mental noise. She put her finger to her ear as if to block a sound as she tried to focus on Niarthen.“We don’t have the power to make this change, but the Mer do,” she explained. “No,” she shook her head at the TV screen as several of the alphas began speaking at once. “Noooo,” she rep
The Pack's Emissary A Betraying Vote
Havermouth, Present TimeShe knew. Aislen could see Leighton in Abigail’s mind, and that the she-wolf had already reached a decision, as had Sigrid and her mates. Aislen’s mates were more divided. Talen wondered about the implications for Meguitte in surrendering Leighton. Heath believed that it was a sacrifice worth making but was concerned with the logistics of how. Rhett just wanted the war to end, and life to return to normal and Cameron was concerned ethically about the betrayal of someone who was a kind of friend.“I am told,” Niarthen looked at Aislen. “That the pollution of the water is not an act of war against the Mer,” he believed that Aislen believed it, but had not entirely discounted it as a possibility himself. “But rather the outcome of a magical mistake?”“That is what we understand,” Abigail said. There was a reaction from the alphas on screen as they had not known of the origins of the water sickness and Abigail let them rage for a moment before holding up her hand.
The Pack's Emissary An Unwelcome Visitor to the River House
Havermouth, Present TimeMeguitte did not have to dig far into the kitchen cupboards to find what she needed. “This is… quite the most organized kitchen I have ever been in,” she remarked in surprise. “Everything on the shelves is lined up, handles turned the same way, cutlery nestled into each other… Do people actually live like this?”“Heath does,” Jules replied with a twist of amusement. He stood with the landline phone receiver pinched between chin and shoulder, holding a very grubby child’s t-shirt in his hands. From where she was, Meguitte could hear the AI voice inform him politely that the person that he called was not available and to please leave a message.Jules cleared his throat, awkwardly. “Um, hi…” He started. “You don’t know me. I don’t know you. And I’m hoping you’re okay. We were in Trayrock when the Mer invaded… you might not know they’re the Mer,” he corrected himself. “The army that blew the place apart invaded. Anyway. Somehow in all the chaos, the group that I w
The Pack's Emissary A Final Vote
Havermouth, Present Time"Whilst we're all here," Father Isaiah spoke up as the Mer stepped out of the shop. "And before these gentlemen disconnect," he nodded to the screen. "I have a proposition from The Order of the Phoenix that I would like to discuss with you all.""Someone has forgotten that they are a prisoner it seems," Aislen commented. There was something... Different about the man, she noticed and frowned as she studied him closer. He had come in bruised and bloody, with broken fingers and a swollen lip."Am I a prisoner though?" Father Isaiah arched an eyebrow. "Or an ally? You heard that Merman. Even if you give him what he wants he won't promise peace. He only promises to talk to those above him. They'll probably just wait until you hand your friend over and then attack. On the other hand, we can unify our efforts against them. The Order of Nexsis has the armies of the world at our beck and call as well as our own. You have your people, and your supernatural abilities. U
The Pack's Emissary Toby’s Exploding Apple
Havermouth, Present Time“We can’t forget that somewhere the Van Helsings have a fucking army of zombies,” Aislen said as they walked through the pretty streets of Havermouth toward the Salem home.There were scars left behind on the street by previous battles, and every here and there was evidence of Sigrid’s efforts to predict the path of the Mer army – a barricade repurposed from the Van Helsing occupation, a car or truck parked at an angle, blocking off the road. The further from the center of the town, however, the less evidence remained before – until they neared the high school. The burnt-out and upturned ruins of cars remained, and there was a grubbiness to the rooves and houses that had been left by the ash of the explosion and would take several seasons of rain or a good scrub to wash away.They passed down her street, and although it took them a little off route, walked down to the house.As they drew near, Cameron clapped his hands together. “There it is!” He said trotting
The Pack's Emissary Dragons and Past Lovers
Havermouth, Present Time“Well?” Phillip asked half an hour and three destroyed apples later as he showed them to the door again, leaving Toby with Lauren, Anne, and a delighted Jessica, picking mashed apple up from around the room. “He’s something supernatural. No human is that strong.”“No,” Talen agreed. “But there’s no blood lust, and so far, no shifting, correct?”“I guess we’ll have to wait for the full moon to see if he has to shift,” Phillip agreed.“There is another possibility,” Aislen said slowly. It was obvious that the blood given to Toby had done something, but she didn’t think that he was vampire, werewolf, or hybrid, which really only left one other option considering the blood that he’d been given. “I asked Samuel to give Toby his blood.”“There goes the décor if he shifts,” Rhett joked.“Where is Samuel?” Phillip wondered looking up automatically. “Perhaps he could tell?”“He’ll be somewhere up there,” Aislen stepped through the calf-length grass until she was in a c
The Pack's Emissary Big Spoon Little Spoon
Havermouth, Present Time“Sigrid, understandably perhaps considering everything that has been going on, appears to have forgotten her promise to supply me with Jules’ blood,” Leighton replied easily as he wrote on the label of a jar already filled with the red liquid. “And Jules was in Havermouth so fleetingly that I did not have a chance to get my equipment together for the collection before he’d vanished again. I drove out this morning in case I managed to track him down, and I did,” he smiled pleasantly at Jules.“I think that’s enough blood,” Harry said from the couch. “You will leave my beloved dehydrated and weak.”“I should have enough with this second jar,” Leighton assured them. “I have been greedy,” he admitted. “And taken more than I normally would, but in the circumstances, I’m sure you can understand why,” he said to Jules directly.“In case I get killed?” Jules arched an eyebrow. “I don’t intend on dying.”“Good,” Leighton eased the needle from Jules’ arm and pressed a s
The Pack's Emissary Morning Glory
Havermouth, Present Time“Why in all that’s hellish?” Rhett complained into his pillow when Cameron crawled over him, seeking freedom from the bed.“Shhh,” Cameron whispered. “I’m just going to get some work done.”“Just go,” Rhett’s mutters were slurred as he slipped back into slumber.Aislen was warmly tucked into Talen’s chest and felt as if she registered the exchange from a deep, soft cocoon of sleep that was not yet ready to release her. She drifted off into dream. In it she watched from one side of the river as a young woman began to undress. The dream was so vivid that she could feel the bark of the tree that she leaned against under her palm, she could smell the leaves crushed beneath her boots and feel the wet heat of the afternoon on her skin.The woman removed the cap that covered her hair, and then unwound the coronet of braids, weaving her fingers through the strands until she was cloaked in gold. As she waded into the water, her hair spreading over the surface and the
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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
