Havermouth High School, Five Years BeforeAislen stared at herself in the mirror, trying to work out how to hide the hickeys on her neck which Rhett had sucked into being whilst f-king her in the river house the day before. Or maybe it had been Heath, she admitted to herself. He had been under her at the time, f-king her arse whilst Rhett was over her. And Cameron had been f-king Rhett…God, she breathed out a sigh. She had not even known such things were possible just days before and now she knew what it felt like when two men were inside of her at once, and when a man came hard against her cervix from his prostate being under pressure from another man’s c-k. And, f-king hell, it turned her on just remembering. She was a slut, just like Cameron enjoyed calling her. The very worst kind of slut there was. She sighed and dabbed concealer over the bruise marks. She’d leave her hair down, she decided, and wear a turtleneck under her uniform shirt. She had just finished dressing when sh
Havermouth, Present TimeThe Triquetra had been suspiciously absent all day, Aislen thought as she prepared for Talen’s arrival. She had almost certainly expected Rhett, having been visited by Cameron in the afternoon of the day before, and Heath’s disturbing visit during the night. That she had spent the entire day without seeing a single one of them made her wonder precisely what it was that they were scheming between them. Trouble was coming, her intuition told her. She’d worry about it in the morning, she decided. In the meantime, she had two more nights with her vampire lover, and she planned to enjoy every second of him. She showered and dressed in a matching set of underwear the sheer of them revealing more than they hid, before coaxing her hair into it’s natural thick ringlet curls with the diffuser hairdryer and applying a more natural-look, innocent, makeup. She saw headlights sweep through the front window and pulled on her satin robe as she made her down the hall. She l
Havermouth, Five Years BeforeHeath’s Mercedes pulled up out front of Aislen’s house and she hesitated, her hand on the door handle before sighing and opening the door. He walked around the car and opened the passenger side door with an air of impatience. She clutched her bag on her shoulder with both hands and lowered her chin to her chest, hurrying across the grass towards the car, but not before seeing the curtains twitch as her mother looked out. What would her mother make of Heath picking her up instead of Rhett?When she went to slide past Heath, he caught her by the throat, cupping her jaw, his grip firm enough to let her know that he wouldn’t tolerate a fight, but not hard enough to hurt her. He lifted her face and kissed her, his tongue stroking into her mouth, not allowing her to keep the kiss chaste, deliberately angling so ensure that her mother saw.He released her, and his wolf was in his eyes. “Get in the car,” he said, his voice dark. She knew that her cheeks were fl
Havermouth, Present TimeTiffany Carter and her partner, Vincent Lowe, arrived an hour before the funeral, Vincent’s Mercedes parking behind Aislen’s car in the driveway of her father's house. Aislen watched her mother mince across the gravel in her stiletto heels, exclaiming at the garden in horror. Tiffany’s hair was platinum blonde and had been pin-curled to create a retro bombshell style. Teamed with the skin-tight black dress, and full face of makeup she looked as if she were going out for an evening on the town rather than to her ex-husband’s funeral. “Did it just to spite me!” Tiffany exclaimed as she reached the porch. “All those plants!”“Hi mum,” Aislen opened the front door. “Oh, god, no, Aislen,” Tiffany complained upon seeing Aislen. “You look like you should be the one being buried today. Do you ever step out into daylight? It’s called a healthy glow, darling.”“Hi Vince,” Aislen ignored her mother. “Hi,” he was tall, broad shouldered, and captain of the football te
Havermouth High School, Five Years BeforeAislen made it through the first two classes, trying not to squirm on her seat, very aware of the chastity belt and the device within her, praying that Heath didn’t turn it on and humiliate her in class. At recess it was a relief to hurry towards the grassy hill and see him sitting there. As he had instructed her, she sat between his knees and he put his arms around her without interrupting his conversation with Rohan, one of the football team. She saw Rhett and Cameron arrive with the three unfamiliar girls, and Heath’s thoughts clarified in bright flashes. “… If the local pack doesn’t hold any interest to you, perhaps our wider community,” an unfamiliar woman suggested. “There are plenty of single she-wolves looking for their mates…” “Hey,” Cameron said as they joined them. “This is Erica, Patience, and Helena, they’re from Dawson. Rhett and I are showing them around.”“Hi,” the cheerleaders bubbled with enthusiasm and the jocks nudged eac
Havermouth, Present TimeA frog creaked it’s call from somewhere nearby, joining in the chorus of crickets that buzzed into the night. Aislen could hear the whispered rush of the river, smell the wet earth of its banks. Her head ached and her mouth was parched, the sound of the water tormenting her. Not at her father’s house, she thought groggily. The river was too far from there to be heard like this. She had a bad feeling that she knew precisely where she was. She pried her eyes open, wincing at the glare of the red-toned bedside lights. Her hands were handcuffed together, and the cuffs threaded through the bars of the bedhead. She was in the river house, but not as it had been, she thought as she looked around her. The river house of her teen years had been dusty, hung with spiderwebs, long abandoned, with no power. The wallpaper had been peeling from the walls, and there had been the strong smell of mildew from carpets moldering from a leaking roof. She lay on a wrought iron be
Havermouth High School, Five Year in the PastShe reached the art class and looked up, expecting Rhett to step out of the alley between the buildings. He did not and she stood for a moment, her heart racing within her chest. She should feel relieved, she told herself. She should feel free… She should be happy. She felt… Jealous. Was he with those girls? Those girls that he had brought to lunch... Where was he with them, and what was he doing?Her fingernails pressed into her palms her grip was so tight. She blew out a breath. There was no way that she could sit through the double class of art without Rhett, wondering where he was and with whom. The chastity belt on her waist was her only reason to stay, but there was another solution to that, she decided. She grabbed two stones off the ground on her way to the girls bathroom and went into a shower cubicle. She stripped off her skirt and sat on the seat, laying the chain that linked the closures over one of the stone, before strikin
Havermouth, Present TimeTo distract herself from the pain and degradation, Aislen had memorized the swirls and curves of the chandelier with its little drops of black crystal to the point that she did not doubt that she would be able to draw it and its shadows once she got free. If she ever got free. It had been hours and it seemed that her entire body throbbed from what Rhett had done to her. The tattoo was worse than the piercings, as the pain was prolonged, but when he stopped, the piercings made themselves known, conflictingly not entirely unpleasantly due to their location, her body confusing the pain signals for pleasure. She was, as a result, angry, frustrated, and horny.And afraid. Very afraid, she admitted to herself. As a teenager she had been humiliated by the Triquetra, but she had never feared them. When she had realized that the relationship wasn’t healthy, that humiliation had morphed into anger and outrage that they would manipulate her in such a way, but she hadn’
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