Havermouth, Five Years Before“Are you alright?” Cameron asked as they returned to the car. “Yeah,” she said. “You drive though. I don’t think I can concentrate.”“All the more reason that you should drive,” he replied passing her the keys. “You’re going to get behind the wheel when you’re not well, when you’ve had to put your dog down, after getting fired from work, after hitting a bird, with the kids screaming in the back seat… You’re not always going to be focused. You have to learn to drive and put other things out of your head.”Their eyes met and held for a long moment, and she felt herself waiver. “Okay,” she sighed and took the keys. “But you better pay attention in case I f-k up.”“Nup,” he replied cheerfully putting the groceries into the back seat. “Otherwise, you’ll rely on me to do the thinking for you.”“F-k,” she clenched her teeth and got into the driver’s seat and started the engine as he joined her. “But you’re responsible for any collisions that might occur.”“If y
Havermouth, Present TimeAislen decided that what she needed was to get drunk. She tidied herself up and drove to the local bottle shop to spend half an hour browsing the aisles, selecting bottles. The drive through section was busy, and she had the aisles mostly to herself. She hummed along to the radio as she idled down the rows of wine and thought of Heath and how she had always been impressed by his casual ease in ordering wine. Even five years on, she had no idea what she was doing and selected mainly by how attractive the label, name, or bottle shape was to her. “That’s a good one,” Chris Arren, her father’s friend, said from behind her. “Oh,” she put it back on the shelf. “You remember me?” He picked up the bottle and tucked it under his arm. “Chris Arren?”“Yes, I remember,” she said uncomfortably, continuing down the aisle, pretending to browse. “It’s nice to see you again,” she lied. She was not in the mood for other human beings.“You haven’t called, about the group…?”
Havermouth, Five Years Before“We were arguing,” Aislen explained to the policewoman watching as the police secured the site for the forensic team coming from Rideten. Cameron was down the road nearer to the police car, talking to a policeman. The sun caught his hair, the bright copper tones standing out more than normal against the greenery. His face was pale and serious as he spoke. “And I stopped, because…”“Taylors road leads to the lookout,” the woman smiled with understanding. “About the only traffic on this road is teens going to park and make out.”“Yeah, I guess,” Aislen blushed. “We were going to do that, but then we got into a fight. We fight a lot. He can be a real d-ck, you know?”“I know,” the policewoman nodded with the unified empathy of women-kind.“So, I think I told him that I wasn’t going to keep driving there, or maybe he told me to stop driving there, I can’t remember. We were still arguing when we got out the car… And then he said to call the police as there was
Havermouth, Present TimeTalen continued to kiss along her neck as he backed her towards the bedroom, skillfully managing to combine caresses with removing her clothing. He leaned back as he lifted her top from her, and she had a moment of awkward shyness as he took in the tattoos and piercings. He reached out and touched the bars through her nipples gently, before continuing to undress her.He scooped her up and laid her on the bed gently under the fall of moonlight through the window and began to undress, his eyes on her. Aislen squirmed in the silence, fighting to find something witty and sexy to say, but she was still too raw and exhausted from the Triquetra.“I think,” he said slowly. “That we will take it slow and gentle tonight, little demon.”He knew, she thought, swallowing hard. He knew that something had happened and that she was fragile.He leaned over her, and she lifted her mouth to his, the kiss gentle and tender, and hot, scorching hot, his fingers stroking through her
Havermouth, Five Years Before“Mmm,” Rhett tugged her jeans and panties down her legs. She didn’t stop him, rolling onto her back and kicking her way free. “Top off,” he told her stripping off his clothing.She sat up to obey watching with interest as Cameron used the lube on Heath, capturing her bottom lip between her teeth as he began to penetrate. Heath’s eyes closed and his expression was intense. She saw his ribs suck in and out as he used his breath to relax his muscles. Cameron’s groan was gritty. “It’s f-king hot, isn’t it?” Rhett’s skin slid against hers as he moved between her legs. “Yes,” she said breathlessly. “Lie back.” He took her nipple into his mouth when she had done so, sucking, and then biting it between his teeth, the sharp pain sending twinges of sensation through her so that she understood why Cameron had wanted his nipples bitten. Rhett’s c-ck nudged against her c-nt, and he rocked into her shallowly, teasing them both before pulling out so that he could sl
Havermouth, Present TimeAislen lay on her stomach whilst Talen kissed along her back. His strong thumbs massaged over her arse and into her lower back, up over her ribs, around the edges of the tattoo, before kneading into her shoulders, and down her arms, discovering every knot and twist left from her days with the Triquetra and smoothing them out so that she moaned and groaned beneath his touch, relishing it with the greed of someone starving for tenderness. Talen had not pressed for more information, but lavished her with gentle seduction and love making until she was so lulled into bliss with it that her body had gone limp and compliant, and her mind had emptied of everything other than a warm fuzz that was helped along by the fact they had drunk most of the bottle wine between them."I have to go soon," he murmured as he rocked his c-ck into her, pressing against her arse as he sank deep. “And you need to sleep. Tomorrow, you will sleep yourself out, eat healthy, drink plenty o
Havermouth, Five Years BeforeAislen had never been to a drive-in cinema before. She had thought them relics of the past, but it made a crazy kind of sense that Havermouth had one, and that it was wildly popular. Even though they were early, and the sky wasn’t even dark, they had to queue for ages to enter. The car next to them was part of a convoy of cars overflowing with young men from the local university, by the matching grey sweatshirts printed with the logo of a fraternity in blue and yellow. They were playing music loudly, drinking beer and smoking weed as if they had no fear of the law. One of the quieter men met Aislen’s eyes through the car window and smiled. He didn’t possess the beauty of the Triquetra, but he had a nice face, a heavy fall of brunette hair that set off his light blue eyes and a square jaw that was faintly shaded from stubble.The other guys in the car noticed Aislen and made lewd gestures and kissing faces – precisely the same kind as Heath and Cameron l
Havermouth, Present TimeAislen had the clear impression that she was the most unusual customer that the hardware store had seen, from the stares of the check-out clerks as she entered, and the hovering of the clean-cut, slightly nerdy clerk at the end of the aisle who seemed to not realize that he was stacking, unstacking, and then restacking the same packages to the shelf, his eyes on her.She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and heaved a sigh. “I’m looking for something to tie my lover to the bed,” she told him. “I like my men helpless and begging. You look like someone who shares my kinks. Do you have any recommendations?”He blushed and left in a hurry. She shrugged. “I guess not.”She found a shovel and brought it and a collection of native plants over to the cash register.The woman scanned it nervously. “Doing some gardening?” She asked. On the wall behind her was pinned a “Secret Keeper” bulletin and Aislen had a moment of glowing achievement and pride.“Planning on di
Havermouth, Present Time “We should talk about the river house,” Heath said as they dried off after the shower. She ignored him and concentrated on drying her hair. She didn’t want to talk about it. She had said all that she wanted to say on the topic, and if she said any more, she knew that it would just start another argument. “Aislen,” he sat on the bed in order to put on his shoes. “I know that…” “Heath,” she flicked her hair back. “Don’t. Just don’t. Rhett had a go at me yesterday about accepting that Havermouth is my home and that I’m not going back to Kabramatta, and you guys have raised several times going to stay at the river house. You can’t bully me into it, and you need to stop trying to do so.” His grey eyes met hers and she held them stubbornly refusing to back down. He nodded slowly. “We are your mates,” he said softly. She inhaled and released it slowly. “I love you,” she told him. “I love the three of you. I want to try to make something of this relationship. I a
Havermouth, Present TimeAislen woke when Rhett eased out from under her. She had been lying half over him, her leg thrown over his body and her hand on his chest and muttered her complaint as his movement unbalanced her and let the cooler air touch her skin. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I have a client coming at nine,” he whispered. “I have to go set up.”“Too early.”“I know, but they work afternoons, and it will take a good three hours.”Talen wrapped an arm around her and drew her into the cup of his body. “Sleep some more, Morgana,” he murmured. “You need to rest in order to heal.”“Careful,” Cameron snickered suddenly and Aislen opened her eyes to see that Cameron had saved Rhett from falling over as he put on his jeans. “F-k man, you’re not a good morning person. One leg in each leg hole, right?” Cameron was already almost fully dressed, his shirt hanging open but his jeans and shoes on.“Need coffee before my brain will wake up fully,” Rhett replied.“For f-ksake,” He
Havermouth, Present Time“Not now, Rhett,” Heath sighed.“You knew!” Rhett rounded on him in shock. “You knew that he intended to turn her!”“We can’t,” Heath rose to his feet and located his jeans. “We can’t turn her werewolf, Rhett. The failure rate is too high. She has three werewolves and a vampire as her mates. If we can’t turn her, it is only logical that he will.”“And then what!” Rhett’s fury was such that the words were all but yelled. “We grow old, whilst she stays eternally young?”“Would you rather her grow old and die, when she has the option to be young and live forever?” Heath demanded. “We cannot give her that, but he can!”“What about kids?” Cameron asked. “If he turns her into a vampire, can she still have kids?”They fell into silence, their eyes flicking to Aislen and then away.“I can have kids,” she answered their unspoken question. “Bitch-faced Tabby Cat was speaking shit. I had a miscarriage, that is all. My doctor never said that I wouldn’t be able to have kid
Havermouth, Present TimeCameron groaned and pressed his hips into hers, letting her feel that he was hard. He leaned over until his breath brushed over her lips, his eyes on hers so that she could see every fleck within the bright blue. She reached up and threaded her fingers into his hair feeling the heavy thickness of the curls wrap around her fingers.His eyes closed as he inhaled and moaned on the exhale. “Your scent…” He said as he opened his eyes, meeting hers. His smile was bone melting. “When you are turned on, your scent is a sin. I remember in school, whenever you walked by us, I’d just about come in my pants breathing it in.”“Make me come, instead,” she invited.“Yeah,” he laughed under his breath. “I can do that.” He lifted her up and carried her to the porch.“Hey,” Tyler said as he opened the door. “Morgana, hey hero! Talen wasn’t sure when you’d be back. He’ll be happy to know you’re back home again. I was just about to head out to grab some take away. Do you want me
Havermouth, Present TimeCameron carried Aislen through the reception area where Heath was smoothly talking his way through her discharge.Rhett paused to charm his way into a trolley. "I'll load up with Aislen's things, and meet you at the cars," he said to Cameron as he wheeled it back into the room.“Oh, I’ll get a wheelchair!” A nurse protested seeing Cameron with Aislen in his arms.“It’s fine,” Cameron told her with a shrug. “Aislen’s not heavy.”“Are you leaving?” A woman stepped out of a room. Her clothing was rumpled, her eyes tired, and she clutched an empty coffee cup in one hand. “That is wonderful news. I’m Margaret,” she said to Aislen with a wide smile, her eyes filling with tears. “You must be Aislen Carter. You saved my son, Stephan’s life. My husband and I… We are just so grateful.”“Oh,” Aislen flushed, embarrassed by the teary gratitude. “It was nothing, really. He was saving himself, and the gunman had moved on to the library, so it wasn’t like… I’m told he’s doin
Havermouth, Present Time“Charles Gale, Pastor,” Pastor Gale recovered quickly, and his outrage transformed into charm. “I came to offer Aislen my services and company. I make regular rounds of the hospital,” he said as he stepped into the room. “And I understood that my son and his friends were at the river house.”He had expected to find her alone, in other words, she thought. Alone and vulnerable. And instead, he found her guarded by a giant of a vampire.“They are,” Talen replied, leaning a hip onto Aislen’s bed, a posture that was both confident and claiming. “We are alternating who stays with Aislen. They will be returning soon.”“Thank you for your kind thought,” Aislen said, barely keeping the sarcasm out of her tone. “But I’m not religious and you’ve made perfectly clear that you don’t enjoy my company.”“Now, Aislen,” Pastor Gale smiled patronizingly. “That’s simply not true.”It was unnerving how similar he looked to Heath, Aislen thought, considering that she reviled the m
Havermouth, Present DayAislen watched the water flow around her feet, swirling over the paving stones and tarmac of the main street of Havermouth, ripples casting shadows through the water that looked like screaming faces. She walked through the water, bewildered, feeling its cold drag against her legs, and its weight tugging down the fabric of her dress and sticking it to her skin.The traffic on the street had stopped, cars like islands in the flowing water, and pedestrians came to a standstill, everyone turning towards the river in astonishment.Where had the water come from?Something brushed against Aislen’s leg, and she looked down and cried out in horror as a pale, fish-nibbled face passed by, cheeks flapping in the movement of the water and eye sockets vacant, carried along in the tide of the water.Aislen woke on the end of a jump and gripped the sheets, breathing heavily.“Morgana,” Talen rose from the recliner and leaned over her. His hair was loose, brushing over her chee
Havermouth, Present Day“Aislen…” Heath started but was interrupted by the arrival of the nurses. “We’ll talk after,” he finished as the nurses adjusted the bed to sit Aislen upright.“Any discomfort?” The nurse asked attentively as they helped Aislen turn so that her legs hung over the end of the bed.“No,” Aislen suspected that Talen’s blood was the reason, healing her from the inside out. Bless her daddy vampire, she thought fondly.“Okay, but be guided by your body and if it hurts, we will stop…”“I can carry her,” Cameron hovered anxiously as Aislen stood with the help of the nurses. “F-k…” His hands were already held out, wanting to push the nurses out of the way.“Boyfriend?” The nurse to Aislen’s left asked as they took a shuffling step towards the ensuite.“Yeah,” Aislen agreed. It was close enough a description for their relationship at the moment, she decided, and she was f-king over being ashamed and hiding. “Both are, actually,” she said with a slight shrug. “Four, really
Kabramatta, A Month BeforeAislen found the regular yoga sessions not only helpful in maintaining a level of physical fitness to combat the stationary nature of her art, but also in enforcing a regular meditation to help strengthen the bubbles that protected her from the onslaught of mental noise that came with living in a busy city. That Bianca was the yogi was a bonus, as it meant that she could combine exercise, meditation and a catch up with her friend.Aislen lingered behind as the class ended and the room gradually emptied.She watched as Bianca flirted with a pony-tailed, curvaceous blonde woman, the sparks flying between them as they exchange numbers. The blonde cast a smile over her shoulder as she left.“You have a type,” Aislen drawled as she joined Bianca. “Blonde, curvy, and bubbly.”“So do you - six inches, chubby and made of silicone,” Bianca snorted. “When are you going to give a flesh and blood person a go? I bumped into Jordan Daniels the other day at a gallery. He i