Havermouth, Five Years BeforeAs Aislen threaded her way between students to the grassy hill the Triquetra, jocks and cheerleaders occupied, she saw the other sex toy standing forlornly at the foot of the hill, looking up at Heath, who held his hands out, palms upward. As if sensing Aislen’s approach, he looked her way and the other sex toy followed his gaze and burst into tears, before hurrying away.“You’re late,” Heath said as Aislen reached him. “And your make up is a mess,” he took a handkerchief from his pocket and used it to wipe under her eyes. "Rhett said that he saw you with Ms Grace.”“She wanted to talk to me about the body and the vigil,” Aislen told him under her breath.“We will go,” he said and sat down next to Rhett.“Come here,” Cameron patted the grass next to him. “Have some cookies,” he offered a Tupperware container as she sat next to him. When she hesitated, he laughed. “Don’t worry,” he leaned towards her, keeping his voice low. “There are no special ingredient
Havermouth, Present Time“Kill me?” Aislen suggested.“Yes.”“Well, then, problem solved,” she walked to the kitchen door. “Your pesky, unwanted human mate is out of the equation, and the three of you can return to happily f-king each other and the occasional disposable human sex toy, siring an entire army of werewolf babies between the three of you. Have fun with that and get the f-k out of my house."“We’ll go,” Rhett’s look stilled Heath’s protest. “We will go, Aislen, because we all need time to cool down. But this is not the end of this, not for us, and not for you, and you know that.”“We’re not going to stand by and let you be hurt,” Cameron told her as he took the glasses and wine bottles to the kitchen bench. “But you need to let things settle down in town, Aislen, and stay in the house, out of trouble.”“Not going to happen,” she replied. “And why start protecting me now? You never have before. In fact, the only people in this town that I need protecting from, are in this ki
Havermouth, Five Years BeforeHer parents weren’t home when Heath had pulled up in the drive. Her relief was lost behind the urgency to collect what she needed and get out before they returned.Heath stood in the front door, waiting whilst she collected everything that she thought that she would need for a weekend away. She raided the kitchen cupboards, filling her bag with snack foods as well as clothing and cosmetics. Heath did not rush her, but she felt like the contestant of a game show: How much can you stuff into one suitcase in fifteen minutes or less?She felt as if she were packing never expecting to return, but her destination wasn’t the happily ever after of children’s movies, but rather the fade out of grim adulthood.She did not know what the courtesy was with finding the body of a child – was she supposed to dress for a funeral, or not? She went with something in between a funeral and church and shoved a good black dress and heels into the bag, anticipating going to the
Havermouth, Present TimeAislen packed the printed Secret Keeper bulletins into her bag and left it by the front door ready for her early morning and hurried to shower and prepare for Talen’s arrival. As she styled her hair, she rehearsed what she needed to say and do in her head. Her fingers went nervously to the collar around her neck.“He won’t hurt you,” she told herself. “He will appreciate the honesty.”She closed her eyes and braced a hand on the vanity, drawing in a deep breath before nodding crisply. She opened her eyes and resumed applying her eyelashes. She put on the camisole and short set that she had purchased that morning, enjoying the feel of the satin against her skin, and entered the master bedroom in order to smooth the covers on the bed and fluff the pillows.She lit the candles, and turned on some music, soft and seductive. Headlights sweeping through the window had her heart stuttering. She hurried to the door and her breath caught in her lungs as he crossed the
Havermouth, Five Years Before Cameron lit the candles around the bathroom, the flickering flames reflecting off the old-fashioned tiles. The tap in the sink dripped, the sound of the splash loud and musical in the space. The shower was over the claw-footed bathtub around which there was a metal ring that had obviously been intended to support a shower curtain, but it was bare now. The bathroom held the floral ghost of the cleaning products they had lined up against the wall like soldiers against grime. Her father never cleaned, Aislen thought as Cameron started the shower water and laid the bathmats onto the floor to catch the overspray. It was odd to her as a result that the Triquetra were so domestic and clean, masculinity and housework not coexisting in her experience. Cameron set two towels ready on the wobbly stool that they kept in the bathroom for that purpose and then stripped off his uniform, tossing it into the clothes hamper. The candlelight turned his hair to gilded flam
Havermouth, Present TimeAislen’s jaw dropped and then she laughed, leaning back against Talen, and turning so that she was cradled on his lap like a child. He wrapped his arms around her as she buried her face into the hollow of his neck beneath his chin.“Of course, you know,” she couldn’t believe her own stupidity. As the Triquetra knew what Talen was, he would know what they were. “I was torturing myself tonight to try to tell you…” She toyed with the key that he wore on a fine gold chain around his neck and the chest hair that curled in the v of his collar.“Hmm,” he lowered his head until his cheek was against hers and his beard tickled her skin. “You should not fear to tell me anything, Morgana.”“This is sort of a big something, though,” she told him. “The supernatural world does not like it when humans find out about them.”“Humans, yes,” he said softly. “But that is not what you are, is it?”“You know what I am?” She was surprised. “I don’t even know what I am.”“Not specifi
Havermouth, Five Years BeforeAislen woke sandwiched between Cameron and Heath, with their limbs tangled over her. Rhett lay on the other side of Cameron, in possession of more than three quarters of the mattress space. Heath’s c-ck nudged against her from behind and his hand cupped her breast before sliding down, over her stomach to pinch her clit between his fingers. She moaned as he began to massage it between his knuckles, the sensation intense.He kissed the back of her shoulder blade. (Just relax, Aislen… Let me give you…)Cameron stirred, his eyes meeting hers as he opened them, the blue brilliant as his pupils contracted. He smiled sleepily at her, reaching up to stroke her cheek. “Morning.”“Morning,” she smiled back.His eyes dropped to Heath’s hand between her thighs. “That does look like a good morning.”“Hmm,” she agreed.Heath slid his knee between her legs, his c-ck pressing against her c-nt. “Want to join?” He invited Cameron over his shoulder.“Would be a waste of a m
Havermouth, Present TimeInside the master bedroom, Talen framed her face with his hands. “Close your eyes little demon,” he murmured pressing his lips to her forehead.She smiled and obeyed. “But I like to see you, daddy, and there’s just so much to see…”His lips curved against her skin. “Just for a moment.” He lifted her chin, kissing the point of her cheek and then brushing his lips over hers. With her eyes closed, the sensation was intensified, and without his thoughts intruding on her own, she found herself focusing utterly on what he would do next with a devotion of attention that she did not normally get to experience during sex.She could feel the warmth of his skin and breath, the tickle of his beard as he took his time, hovering his mouth just off of hers before joining their mouths again. His hands stroked through her hair, trailing down to its ends, resting against her shoulder blades before moving down to her waist, the slight pressure encouraging her to lean against him
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