Havermouth, Five Years BeforeHeath watched from where he sat on the bank as Aislen surfaced from the water, her dark hair spreading out in the water like ink. Wet, her hair came to her waist, and he wasn’t entirely sure why that both surprised and fascinated him. She swam in her skin, like they all did, and the flashes of the curve of her arse, the shy peek of nipple above the water line entranced and taunted him.Rhett caught her against him, wrapping his arms around her, and she shone with her enjoyment of his casual, easily delivered affection. She was less confident with Heath and Cameron, her eyes vulnerable and her expression uncertain when Cameron, laughing, surfaced within the drift of her hair.“Do I look like Rhett now?” He asked, pouting his smoulder as he posed with her hair over his own, running streams of water over his face and plastering to his skin.“Only if you let me pierce your lip,” Rhett tapped his fingernail against his piercing. “And then you might have my sex
Havermouth, Five Years BeforeHeath turned and stalked down to the bedroom, stepping in through the partially open the door. As he’d suspected, Aislen had positioned herself where the light was best, below the open window, and was working on her painting. The fading sunlight caught in the wilderness of her ringlets and glowed over her skin. She had pulled on a t-shirt and jeans, and the neckline of her t-shirt gave him an enticing view of her generous breasts within the fragile lace of her bra.“I’m behind on this assignment,” she told him, pushing up into a seated position. “I was trying to catch up.”He pressed the door closed behind him. “I can see Rhett in this,” he said as he sat down behind her, looking over her shoulder at the painting and then laughed as her hair fell in his face. He scooped it back, running his fingers through the curls, admiring their bounce. “You hair is as wild and wicked as you are. More so after swimming today,” he grazed his lips over her cheek bone as
Havermouth, Five Years BeforeHeath pressed his face into her hair and sank into the scent and feel of her, the touch of her hands on his back and her lips on his cheek, and for a moment all the problems of having her retreated, leaving him in a space of peaceful acceptance.“Are you going to f-k her all day, Heath, or come out and socialize?” Rohan leaned in through the window, grinning lewdly, and Aislen started, crying out and clutching Heath against her, using him to prevent Rohan from seeing her naked body.Heath snarled over his shoulder, unable to move without exposing his mate, and there was no way that he was going to expose his female to a male alpha who was not part of his Triquetra. “F-k off Rohan,” he spat, every instinct wanting him to launch across the room and tear out his friend’s throat with his teeth.Rohan recoiled in shock, reading Heath’s reaction accurately. “Sorry man, I just…” His eyes flashed with his wolf, and his stance became wary.“Yeah, you just, but I’m
Havermouth, Present Time“Now you’ve done it,” Rhett smirked. “No more work for you.”Aislen stood. “I agreed to move in,” she told Cameron as she stepped towards him. “And to being mates.” Cameron’s face crumpled and he turned abruptly and walked out. “Ah, shit,” she said and hurried out after him. “Cameron!” She said as she ran down the stairs in pursuit.He turned at the bottom landing and caught her against him as she cannoned down towards him, pressing his face into her neck. She could feel the wetness of his tears and his body shook against hers as he dragged in a breath. “I don’t know what to do,” he said breathlessly. “I don’t know what I am supposed to do now.”“Oh, Cam,” she stroked her fingers into his hair, cupping his head against her shoulder. His thoughts were frantic and fragmented, and he had reacted on instinct, seeking out Heath, seeking out the lead alpha. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay. Hey, how did things go with your dad?” She tried changing the subject, to s
Havermouth, Present TimeAislen flicked through the clothing that she’d packed and brought with her searching for something to wear. “Didn’t shop planning for a mega storm disaster,” she scolded herself. At least she had Rhett’s jacket, she thought and then grinned and grabbed her corset off the bed, crossing the hallway to Rhett’s bedroom and letting herself in.He was in the shower, the slightly ajar door spilling steam and music into the bedroom.Aislen went to the walk-in robe and covered her smile with her hand when she was greeted by a sea of black. She flicked through a stack of jeans and selected a pair with some stretch, wriggling them on before returning to the shelves. A thin long sleeved ribbed top with thumb holes in the sleeves went on over her bra and topped with a band t-shirt before being given shape with the corset.She posed in front of the mirror. “Thanks Rhett,” she kissed the mirror, leaving behind a red-lipstick mark.As she tiptoed back across the room, the bat
Havermouth, Present Time “Kids go missing, all the time,” Heath told her reassuringly. “It could be nothing. The concern, however, is that our resources are already spread thin and in the current conditions, organizing a search party if she doesn’t turn up will be difficult.” “Oh, Lauren will be frantic,” Aislen’s heart ached for the other woman. “We need to help her, Heath.” “Are we sure that her mother has nothing to do with it?” Cameron said darkly. “The last little girl to go missing was never missing, was she?” “I’ll find out,” Aislen decided firmly. “But Lauren isn’t Dr James. She lives for that little girl; you can just tell that about her.” “Where am I going?” Talen asked Heath as he reached a crossroad. “Towards the town hall? It seems to be where all the activity is,” he nodded to the left. Aislen could see that where the street to the right was empty other than the wind-whipped rain, to the left through the rain, the red glare of rear lights and the dark shapes of cars
Havermouth, Present TimeHeath caught their attention, gesturing for them to wait. Aislen could feel Lauren’s eyes on her, and the pressure of Rhett’s thoughts as he tried to puzzle out what was going on. Within that confusion, was a growing comprehension, the pieces coming together and being as quickly shoved away in a ferocious, desperate denial.“I need a smoke,” Rhett was getting fidgety.“Rhett,” she wrapped her arms around him. “We’ll go have a smoke together…” She trailed off as Heath broke away from his group and gestured with his head towards a side door set between a picture of Havermouth when there were only a few buildings and wide dirt roads, and a man with an impressive handlebar moustache and formal robes from at least a century before. “Come on,” she led Rhett towards the door.Heath put his hand on Rhett’s back as they joined him, following her and Rhett into the little hallway beyond, with Cameron and Talen at his heels. “Third door down is an office,” he said. “And
Havermouth, Five Years BeforeIt had been really nice to wake with Aislen under him, Cameron thought as he leaned on the balcony railing, looking out over the river. It had felt right, all four of them sleeping the night together, and it was exciting to think that it was the first night of many. Aislen seemed to have accepted the relationship, and that was a huge relief. Oh, sure, she got uppity every now and again, but he was beginning to think that was just what she was like, and that it had nothing to do with them.Heath had been a genius with his polaroid photo solution, he grinned to himself. It had been fun to take those photos with her, and f-k around afterwards. She’d been good about it, too, letting Heath take the shots he wanted.Heath had relaxed a lot since Aislen had begun behaving herself, and Cameron was grateful for that as he had hated seeing Heath under so much pressure.“Hey,” Heath crossed the balcony and put his arms around Cameron, leaning his chin onto Cameron’s