Havermouth, Present TimeAt the top of the stairs, she saw Mercy standing in the open door to Rhett’s room. The dark haired woman looked over her shoulder, her eyes wide, and stepped back, edging along the wall to the doorway to the next room and disappearing within.Aislen and Heath exchanged a look of alarm and moved forward to the doorway. Cameron looked up from where he knelt beside the bed over Rhett, his face pale and strained, his cheeks flushed. There was a bowl and a cloth next to him. Rhett lay on the mattress, strands of his hair plastered wetly to his face. He gripped Cameron’s forearm, his eyes tightly closed, and a muscle worked in his jaw, obviously in pain.“He’s sick,” Cameron whispered the word to Heath and Aislen.Rhett’s eyes opened the pupils blown, seeking out Heath and Aislen and he smiled weakly. “Better sick than hungry, eh?” He said, his voice braking.“Talen!” Aislen’s cry was out of her mouth before the thought formed. She fell forward onto her knees, crawl
The Human Enemy’s Land, Eleven Hundred Years BeforeThaelen woke slowly, his eyelids heavy under the effects of the spell, dragging him out of a deep sleep, his body grudging to wake. Gera slept curled at his side, his body warm under the covers but that he was not snoring was a dead giveaway that the human was awake. Thaelen tensed, alerted by the human’s wakefulness. It was still night, and the dungeons were quieter during the night-time hours, as the guards would leave off torturing their prisoners.A burst of male laughter had him gritting his teeth, however it was distant, and faded away – the night-guards at the entrance of the dungeons playing dice as they passed the time.No, it wasn’t the guards that had Gera sleepless in the night. It was the murmuring of a female voice, repeating the same phrases over and over, her voice barely above a whisper but the words delivered with such fervency that it carried, humming through Thaelen’s bones, standing the hair across the back of hi
The Human Enemy’s Land, Eleven Hundred Years Before“Bath time, vampire,” the guards rattled the bars in warning before beginning to crank the pulley that tightened the chains, allowing Thaelen the dignity to rise to his feet and walk to the wall rather than be pulled there. He went docilely, continuing his efforts to lull the soldiers that guarded the dungeons into a sense of confident complacency.Gera moved with him, dragging the chair with him so that as Thaelen was held prone to the wall, the human man could sit and continue his efforts to teach Thaelen the human’s written language. Thaelen didn’t feel that it was necessary to let either his human blood slave or the guards know that he knew the human’s written language better than Gera did. He had asked Lady Beupraxia for the books and writing supplies under the ploy of alleviating the boredom of the cells, and she had granted his request as a reward for his good behavior.Under the guise of learning the language, Thaelen had com
The Human Enemy’s Land, Eleven Hundred Years BeforeGera’s hands slipped under Thaelen’s shirt as Thaelen fed from him, his fingertips tickling along the waistband of Thaelen’s trousers. The price of Thaelen’s meal was well established. Thaelen would feed, and Gera would get f-ked. Thaelen could only blame himself for the situation that he was caught in – he had never told the human no, and never explained that he simply did not want to have sex with him – but he was also unable to have the conversation without causing animosity between them and with his dependence on the human he could not risk that.Therefore, as he fed and the human groped him, Thaelen closed his eyes tightly and pictured other lovers and promised himself that once he was free, he would never again f-k someone he was not attracted to.The approach of the guards was a welcome reprieve for all the associated danger. The scent of expensive perfume drifting on the air alerted him to the Lady Beupraxia’s presence. He re
Havermouth, Three Weeks EarlierRhett woke when Heath left the bed in order to shower. “Hmmm,” he tried to push his hair from his face and found his left hand still bound to the headboard. “F-k,” he squinted at the knotted rope as he scratched at his chest with his free hand.He rolled to his side and sat up in order to work at the knot. “F-king hell,” he brought his wrist to his mouth and used his teeth to tug the knot loose enough for his fingers to finish the job. As he stood, he felt something stick to the bottom of his foot and bent over to peel the polaroid free. It was a c-ck shot with his face in the background. “Dirty f-ker,” he grinned and set it onto Heath’s pillow before retrieving his clothes and shoes from the floor on his way to the door.He turned his shower on hot to work the ache out of his shoulder due to his weird sleeping position and hissed as he cupped his balls to wash them free of lube-slime. Sometimes Heath played rougher than Rhett liked. As he always told C
Havermouth, Three Weeks BeforeCameron argued with himself whilst he rounded up the stray sheep, whilst he returned to the river house and changed into his running gear, and whilst he drove to town. Heath hadn’t specifically said that they were not to go to her, he told himself. It had been implied, yes, but not said, so he wasn’t breaking any rules. And if Aislen could go to Rhett at work, then Cameron could run past her house - and if she happened to be on the porch again when he did so, then, so be it.He ran past twice, doing a loop of her block. On the third lap, she was leaning on the porch railing with an empty glass on the handrail next to her, looking at the skip bin that had been placed on the gravel. She had filled it almost halfway.When he paused by the gate, she looked up and raised her eyebrows. “Are you going to run by this house every day that I am here?”That was invitation enough, he decided as he let himself in the gate. “I run every day. Sometimes several times a
Havermouth, Three Weeks BeforeTalen’s vampire safe house was more like a vampire village.He had gradually bought up the land surrounding Sigrid’s farmhouse and property, and the houses on the properties that he’d bought had been renovated into accommodation for the variety of vampires that had come to live there. He had built on the hill a modern mansion, initially intending for Sigrid to live there, but she had preferred to remain at her farmhouse and so now the architect designed and thoroughly modern building with all the modern conveniences and an elaborate security system was mainly used by visiting dignitaries from the Concordia, or for when Talen came to stay.As well as Sigrid and her feral vampire children in the farmhouse and surrounding buildings, there was Tony and his mate who managed the day-to-day of Zeus Forest Works, Mattia and Fatima the vampire couple that Talen employed to oversee the safehouse and the needs of all who lived there, and three ancient Concordia vam
Havermouth, Three Weeks BeforeAs Talen entered the main street of Havermouth, his phone began to ring. It diverted through his car, the name appearing on the screen before him: August Mason, Les Guerriers Sanctifies.“Hmm,” he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, debating whether or not to answer. Of the two pack leaders of the Les Guerriers Sanctifies, he found August the least likeable. Abigail had been tightly wound, sharp eyed and careful with her words, but August had a slipperiness to him, a veneer of jovial kindness belied by the hard sharpness of his eyes.He could not blame either pack leader for carefully guarding their true natures, Talen reminded himself. Being a pack leader was very much a political office. Upon the retirement, death or removal from office of a prior pack leading pair, the pack voted in who they wished to lead them. Much like a human election, that pair came to power through popularity, due to their connections, and as a result of making campaign pr
Havermouth, Present Time Aislen hit her head hard on the floorboards and lay for a moment with white noise ringing in her ears, staring sightlessly up at the beams of the roof. Her entire body ached. She could feel the sharp sting of the cuts across her torso and the wetness of her blood, and she knew that she was dying. She groaned and put her hand to her chest, surprised to encounter cloth and not skin, and lifted her hand, wondering at how it was not covered in blood and what the black chalkiness was that stained her skin. She slowly lowered her chin to her chest. There were no wounds. Oh, yeah, she wasn’t the one bleeding... The thoughts rolled through her mind in slow motion, as if she was thinking through treacle. “Shit,” she groaned. “Heath!” Where were her mates? “Cameron, and Talen,” she whispered, closing her eyes and then opening them again, her vision focusing, the beams coming into focus. She was on the floor of Leighton’s workspace, she realized, and recalled the salt
Havermouth, Present TimeCameron cried out and threw his arms around Rhett, gripping him tightly before catching his face between his hand and kissing him with a thoroughness that left Rhett breathless until the bathroom door suddenly opened, and he released him out of habit, both men breathing heavily as they stared at the startled intruder.“Ah, sorry,” Will Peters was wide eyed. “I can wait…” He backed out letting the door swing shut behind him.“Shit. Oh well, I’m not hiding anymore,” Cameron shrugged, turning back to Rhett, and pulling him back into his arms. “I’m so happy to see you. And you’re looking so much better. Skinny. But better.”“Wow, Cam,” Rhett laughed. “I should come to the rescue more often. Hey there’s power on here!” He added squinting up at the neon lights. “Who would have thought I’d be happy to see the flicker of neon again.”“Did Aislen send you?” Cameron asked, leaning back in order to look at him. “Did she do one of those portal thingies? Where’s Heath? And
Havermouth, Two Weeks BeforeHeath Gale and Rhett Salem, Talen turned the names over in his mind as he reviewed the details that Tony had sent through to him on his laptop. In one of those twists of little towns, Heath Gale owned the firm that handled some of Zeus’ legal work. A lawyer.Well, that explained the expensive suits and impeccable grooming.Young, he observed, lifting his eyebrows as he saw the date of birth. Young and rich. The rich wasn’t a surprise, most of the werewolf families did well by themselves, but this young man did better than most. Lived just outside of Havermouth, in a heritage home owned by another pack family, the Edison’s.Rhett Salem, the sexy tattoo artist, owned the tattoo parlor in town and made more than a decent living from the business, though the bulk of his wealth had been inherited.“Hmm,” Talen tilted his head and flicked back to Heath’s file.They lived at the same address. Interesting. But not necessarily remarkable, he decided. Young men ofte
Havermouth, Two Weeks Before “I already knew what you all were, and I didn’t tell anyone.” Aislen finished her glass and held it out for Heath to refill.“Yeah, Rhett said that.” Cameron looked at Rhett.“If the pack knew that, though,” Rhett explained. “They would decide that you were too great a risk and kill you anyway, so we couldn’t let them know about that…”“And we couldn’t talk about it with you without breaking werewolf law,” Heath told Aislen. “Until you were officially ours, officially recognized as part of the pack, we could not openly talk about ourselves to you, or show you…”“I’m not part of the pack, or yours now,” she pointed out.“No, but things have changed,” Rhett let his hair fall over his face, avoiding looking at Heath. “You are in danger.”“You were an idiot,” Heath sighed out his frustration. “Arrogant and prideful as always and decided to show off what you knew with that f-king Secret Keeper poem.”“When you came back to Havermouth, we had another chance, be
Havermouth, Two Weeks Before The necklace around her neck was held together by a padlock. Heath hadn’t noticed it at Rhett’s tattoo parlor – things had happened so quickly, and he had been so angry, it was no wonder that the details of her outfit had skipped his notice. But he had seen it the moment they’d entered the kitchen, noting the workmanship of it and the glitter of diamonds.A love token from the vampire, he had decided straight away. It wasn’t until they were sitting across the table from each other and the infinity knot had slipped to the side, that he’d seen the padlock holding it closed at the rear. A tiny padlock, but a significant one. The necklace wasn’t a lover’s token but rather a declaration of ownership.Considering how the vampire had defended her against Heath the evening before, he wasn’t surprised that he had made sure to mark Aislen as his. A warning to Heath to back off, and a notice that the vampire intended to continue his pursuit of Aislen.Heath wasn’t s
Havermouth, Two Weeks BeforeJules leaned against the fence and wiped his brow on the back of his sleeve. “That’s done then,” he decided his eyes on the indignant wet sheep in the holding pen. They’d spent the day putting this part of the herd through the dip – a process that Rhett always found comical when he was drafted in to help, enjoying the complaints of the sheep as they treaded dosed water before being drained and released into the pen.Cameron had left him in bed that morning, however, as Rhett wasn’t himself. The sex the night before had been… strange. It had held shadows of the early part of the last five years, when sex between the Triquetra had been about hurting each other as much as getting off. Rhett hadn’t hurt Cameron precisely, but Cameron had known that the sex hadn’t been about him, although he was the recipient, but about Aislen.“Yeah,” Cameron agreed. “I’ll grab a shower, change and head home.” He headed towards the house.Jules checked the gate before followin
Havermouth, Two Weeks BeforeRhett couldn’t concentrate, so it was lucky that he didn’t have any clients booked – he had cleared his schedule anticipating that they would still be at the river house with Aislen. He pottered aimlessly in his office as a result, shuffling paperwork that he didn’t have the focus to read, and collecting up the empty coffee cups that clustered on every surface, pulling his face at those which had a skin of green over them.Coffee was a good idea, he decided, and the walk to Boyston’s and back would clear his mind, even if the trip risked him bumping into Heath. His blond mate had returned from work the night before in a foul mood having broken his own rules and gone to see Aislen, only to find the vampire already there.Rhett was the only one who hadn’t broken the rules so far, as Cameron had come knocking on his door the previous afternoon, still sweating from his run and reeking of sex with Aislen. Rhett had been trying to do something constructive with
Concordia, Eleven Hundred Years Before Thorarin looked out from the top of the sand dune. “A kings worth is measured not by his success on the battlefield during times of war, but in his daily judgements. It is too easy, my son, for a man to overlook the day-to-day in seeking glory, but the true glory of a ruler lies not in the battles won, but in the actions that he takes during peace time.” “Father,” Thaelen’s voice caught in his throat as he watched the wind string out Thorarin’s hair, the colored beads arranged in a pattern that only Abara had ever mastered and had taken to the grave with her. “How did you die? I must… I need to know. Were you…” He closed his eyes on the tears that burnt there, but they escaped anyway, sliding down his cheeks and into his beard. “Was it peaceful?” “Is death ever peaceful, Thaelen?” Thorarin replied without looking at him. “Especially for immortals such as we are? But, yes, perhaps. I recall little of it. We drank… and slept, and there was no mor
Concordia, Eleven Hundred Years BeforeThaelen was pleased to see Gyrd and his son leave through the stronghold gate as Thaelen led his army within the range of the archers on the walls of Gyrd’s stronghold – a move that required confidence that Gyrd would not turn traitor and shoot them from behind. The Lord’s presence was reassurance that treachery was not planned although the archers remained at alert, the top of the wall bristling with their strung bows.“My king,” Gyrd bowed. “You are a welcome sight to behold in the Gulgane armor.”“Gyrd,” Thaelen reached out to clasp the Lord’s arm. “And Timal,” he greeted Gyrd’s son and heir. “I thank you for your loyalty to the Gulgane family, and for holding this stronghold against the invading humans.”They turned to regard the campsite. The distance made the details difficult to make out, however there was no gathering of men, no readying of the siege machines that they had been constructing, and minimal activity. Thaelen narrowed his eyes