Havermouth, Five Years BeforeAislen found the Triquetra’s clothing on the balcony, but no sign of any of the three. They had shifted and gone off together, she thought, or possibly Rhett had shifted, and first Heath and then Cameron had gone after him.She went to the fire and rescued what she could of the meat and vegetables, placing it into a cool box that was set in the shade in case the Triquetra were hungry when they came back.As they hadn’t returned by that point, she ate alone watching the flames leap in the fire pit, and then tidied up the bedroom, putting all her things together. She showered and dressed into the black dress that she had brought to attend the vigil.As she left the bathroom, Cameron walked down the hall holding his clothes. His eyes were red, and his skin blotchy. He nodded in greeting as he passed her on his way into the bathroom and she heard the shower start.She walked out onto the balcony and could see Rhett and Heath swimming in the river. They did no
Havermouth, Present TimeShe woke with Talen as the grey light of dawn peeked through the window, her cheek and hand on his chest and her leg over his as if holding him to the mattress. He pressed his lips to her forehead. “Sleep, Morgana,” he murmured. “There’s no reason that you need to wake.”“There is actually,” she sat up and slid from the bed as he did. “I have an errand to do this morning before the town wakes.”He raised his eyebrows as he pulled up his jeans. “A pre-dawn errand?”“Yeah,” she felt silly admitting it to him. “I am the Secret Keeper.”He paused in buttoning his shirt and laughed. “Of course, you are,” he reached out and ruffled her hair. “I should have made the connection. You would know all the town’s secrets. A dangerous game though, Morgana,” he observed. “One that will bring you many powerful enemies.”“Yeah, that’s what the Triquetra said too,” she sighed as she pulled on her dressing gown. “But this town has been festering in it’s little secrets, and I’m s
Havermouth, Five Years PastThe Triquetra truly was astonishingly beautiful as a threesome, she thought as she followed them to Heath’s car. All three had dressed up for the occasion, each in their own way - Heath wore a pressed shirt and light knit and slacks, Cameron a checked shirt, jacket and jeans, and Rhett wore a black shirt with dark jeans and had tied his hair back out of his face.They all smelled fantastic too, their soap and shampoo mixed with an aftershave. As Cameron held the door open for her, she paused to breathe him in. “You smell nice,” she told him, and the color rose in his cheeks.“Well, you know,” he shrugged a little. “It’s a thing. Sad for the parents.”“Yeah,” she agreed. She had wandered the overgrown garden around the river house and found the remnants of garden beds in which the original plantings had overgrown. She’d put together a little collection of wild roses, hollyhock, gerbera, rosemary, and daisies and tied them together with a string from the kitc
Havermouth, Present Time“Oh my god, what happened?” June exclaimed from the front door.Aislen looked up from scrubbing red paint off the hallway wall. “Looks like blood, doesn’t it?” She said with false cheer. “I’m like a murderer hiding my crime. Except, it wasn’t my crime. Or, at least,” she amended. “I wasn’t the one with the spray paint. I did f-k the Triquetra, though, so I guess I did the crime. Still do the crime occasionally, it seems,” she added to herself.“Who did this?” June was horrified.“A good question,” Aislen dropped the scrubbing brush into the bucket of water and peeled off her gloves. “Someone who doesn’t want me to sell the house because who the f-k is going to buy a place which looks like a murder scene?”“Wow,” June looked through the open door into the master bedroom. “Just, wow.”“Playroom,” Aislen told her with a mischievous grin. “The bed’s designed for a lot of play.”“I’m not sure I even understand what you mean by that,” June admitted walking in and tr
Havermouth, Five Years BeforeAislen woke wrapped around Cameron, with Rhett pressed as tightly against her back. Heath, returning from the bathroom, was what had woken her she realized as he lay down behind Rhett and put his arm over them both. They were all nestled together like a set of spoons, and f-k if it wasn’t the cosiest experience in her memory.Cameron shifted, his hand closing over hers and sliding it over the tight planes of his stomach to close over his c-ck. She smothered a giggle.“How the f-k you go from unconscious to sex in a heartbeat I don’t know,” Rhett mumbled. “I’m just glad to no longer be the recipient of your morning sex.”“You loved it, and you’re secretly jealous that I ask Aislen now instead of you,” Cameron rolled onto his back and folded his hands behind his head, with a contented sigh. “But she’s less bitchy first thing in the morning than you. You could use your mouth,” he suggested to Aislen, his eyelids were heavy over his eyes so that there was onl
Havermouth, Present TimeLeighton Richard lived on a farm just outside of town. The high fences surrounding his property indicated that he kept deer, although the fields appeared to be empty, the deer obviously preferring to hide amongst the scrub to the rear of the property. There was a giant timber barn painted black with “Leighton Richard” in man-sized white lettering on the road-facing side and “Potter” in smaller letters.A sign on the gate declared that they were entering the property of Leighton Richard, Potter, and editor of the Havermouth Expose. There was an honor box arrangement by the gate, where the latest version of the Havermouth Expose could be purchased.Aislen snagged a copy and dropped a few coins into the slot whilst June opened the gate. She drove forward along a well-maintained driveway towards a tidy little house whose sandstone construction spoke of it being original to the area. Under the bullnosed veranda, a grey-muzzled old dog flicked an ear as much to shoo
Havermouth, Five Years BeforeAfter breakfast, the Triquetra ripped up the floorboards in one of the rear bedrooms and inspected the stumps that held the house loft. Cameron’s eyes lit as his feet scuffed over something that was not dirt, his footsteps sounding hollow. “Told you.” He said to Rhett triumphantly. “I told you that there was an old cellar.”“Yeah, but whether it’s knee deep in river water…” Rhett was dubious.“The French drain around the house says otherwise,” Cameron replied. “There’s only one way to find out. Let’s lift the lid…”“If zombies crawl out, I’m throwing you to them and running,” Rhett replied.“There’s no such thing as zombies,” Cameron laughed as he and Heath used their shovels to dig around the wooden barrier. “Right?” He looked at Heath when they had cleared the edges and as much rubble off the surface as they could.“Let’s see,” Heath grinned back, and they dug the tips of their shovels under the edge prying it up. The wood cracked and creaked, before sh
Havermouth, Present Time“I need to make a detour,” Aislen told June. “I hope you don’t mind.”“No,” June sent her a shy smile. “It’s either clean my house or be sidekick to your adventures, so I’m all good. You’re sort of a bit like a superhero. You’ve got the secret identity, a mission, and the exciting love life.”Aislen laughed. “F-k me,” she said as she pulled up at the hardware store. “You make it sound glamorous. Believe me, my life is as f-ked up as it comes.”“What are we doing here?” June asked as they got out of the car.“I think I need to paint my house. My porch and front door at least,” Aislen told her. “Triquetra’s whore might be an accurate description for me, but I don’t need my house tagged with it.”“You really slept with all three of them?” June asked as they entered the store, and the clerk and customer at the cash registered looked up, jaws unhinging.“Yep,” Aislen declared loudly. “Sometimes at the same time. I’m really flexible. Yoga,” she winked at the clerk.