The Human Enemy’s Land, Eleven Hundred Years BeforeGera’s fingers worked through the knots in Thaelen’s hair as Thaelen drank from his neck, his body pressed tight to Thaelen’s chest to chest, his knee between Thaelen’s resting against Thaelen’s balls. Thaelen wasn’t a fool, he thought as he dragged his tongue over his blood slave’s skin to heal the wound, Gera’s attempts at seduction were becoming more and more blatant as the weeks passed within the cell and their conditions improved.They now had two basic pallet beds, a table and two chairs, a chest of clothing, a hip bath which the servants filled once a week, and a wooden, lidded chamber pot which was emptied three times a day. Gera was fed three substantial, often spell laced meals daily, and they were both supplied with wine.Thaelen’s chains remained in place, but he was given enough slack between Lady Beupraxia’s visits to move around the cell.Gera had become bored and horny but was not confident enough to ask outright for
Havermouth, Three Weeks BeforeA loader stood over a pile of logs and the grass between it and a void where once a truck might have been buzzed with insect activity. Blood had been spilt, still discoloring the grass a week after the event and the scent strong – at least to a vampire. Talen looked from the loader, the tumble of logs, and the blood, his mind drawing a mental picture to match that on the report.“Where is the truck now?” He asked Anthony.The other vampire squinted against the sun and took his sunglasses out of his breast pocket, sliding them on. “The police saw no reason to prevent the shipment. It was a tragic accident, not a crime.”“Who was operating the machine?” Talen asked.“Victor Benton,” Anthony said. “He was interviewed extensively. It was late in the day and both the driver, Chip Taper, and Victor were keen to get the job done and move on. Patrick Carter was site supervisor. According to Victor, Patrick wasn’t where he was supposed to be. For a reason known o
Havermouth, Three Weeks BeforeCameron parked his Ute just down from the restaurant and spent a moment to run his hands through his hair, trying to stir the curls into some sort of style. He had spent an hour in the bathroom shaving his face, trimming his body hair, before showering and using all the skin care that Heath stocked for the Triquetra, but which Cameron usually ignored, reading the instructions on the back of the containers with care.He'd changed clothes three times, and had even resorted to raiding Heath’s wardrobe and trying on a suit, but it was a look that only Heath could carry off effortlessly – on Cameron it was trying too hard, he decided.In the end, he’d put on a pair of jeans and a white knit that Heath had given him for his birthday. He had been happy with the result – not farmer Cameron, but something a bit more sophisticated. He was scrubbed, scented and dressed to please, he thought as he stepped onto the sidewalk. He just had to pick up Heath and then Rhet
Havermouth, Three Weeks BeforeTalen swept his mate up and over his shoulder, placing a hand over the back of her thighs in order to hold her safely in place, grinning as she shrieked with laughter, the joy of finally finding his mate effervescent within him. How quickly his day had turned around from grim depression to this new hopefulness, he thought, and all due to the arrival of the delightful armload of soft curves and wickedness by the name of Morgana Ivy.As he passed down the street, a blonde werewolf rose from a sidewalk restaurant table, his expression outraged as he locked his gaze on Talen and his mate. Interesting, Talen thought, but did not pause his stride. There was obviously a connection between Morgana and the werewolf for him to react that way – considering that Morgana had given the impression that she did not belong in Havermouth and was just there for a week or two, he wondered at that connection and whether it would become an issue. He had long operated peaceful
Havermouth, Three Weeks BeforeRhett crawled into Cameron’s bed around midnight and slid his hand around Cameron’s waist and up his chest as he pressed himself up against Cameron’s bed. “Mmm,” Rhett pressed his lips to the back of Cameron’s shoulder. “I love sneaking into your bed when you’re all sleepy and warm…” His palm skimmed down Cameron’s stomach to his c-ck, cupping him. “Wake up, puppy.”“I’m awake,” Cameron mumbled. He hadn’t slept, his thoughts busy wondering what Aislen was up to with the giant blonde vampire. He was hovering between anger at Aislen for taking someone else home, and aroused voyeurism imagining them together.“So, I feel,” Rhett smirked as he stroked Cameron’s c-ck. “Did I wake you out of a naughty dream?”He rolled to face Rhett, opening his eyes, and blinking as his vision adjusted to the limited light. Rhett’s hair was loose and showed signs of a restless night, frizzed around the back as if he’d tossed and turned on the pillow for the last couple of hou
Havermouth, Three Weeks BeforeRhett stayed the night in Cameron’s bed, waking with his red-haired mate lying half on top of his back. Rhett couldn’t remember the last time that he’d slept in one of his mates’ beds until the morning. It was nice, he decided, he’d have to try to do it more often. He heard the water switch on and off, and then the creak of floorboards down the hallway to his room, followed by a knock.There was silence as Heath took in Rhett’s empty bed, and then footprints to Cameron’s room, the door creaking open. Heath walked over to the bed and looked down at them for a long moment before running his fingers through Cameron’s curls.“He stayed the night and left with dawn.”“Ah f-k, Heath,” Rhett groaned. Heath was speaking of the vampire. He must have gone to town after they’d all gone to bed and stalked the Carter house overnight. “You didn’t…”“I went in wolf form and stayed across the road. The vampire didn’t even see me when he left,” Heath replied and sat on t
Havermouth, Three Weeks BeforeAislen paused in the doorway to the kitchen. She hadn’t dressed after her shower, the satin dressing gown clinging to her still-damp skin, and the tie trying to work itself loose in order to reveal the body beneath the fabric. Her eyes travelled from Heath to Cameron, and landed on Rhett, her expression wary – and no wonder, Rhett thought as he followed her gaze, for both Cameron and Heath’s wolf was in their eyes.“Morgana Ivy,” he said to break the tension. “I should have known. I think on some level, I did know. I just didn’t…”“Rhett tells us that you draw men getting off with other men for a living,” Cameron grinned his leer, gripping his c-ck lewdly through his jeans. “Let me guess your inspiration.”“Hmm,” she leaned on the doorframe, her hand on her hip belligerently. “We’ve played this game before. Rhett’s Mr. Nice Guy, and you guys are the bullies. You break me down in public with humiliation and cruelty, seduce me in private when you can force
Havermouth, Three Weeks Before“You heard him, Rhett,” Cameron murmured, holding onto Rhett’s wrist.“Why was it f-ked up? Why do you think that what we had was so f-ked up that you didn’t come back afterwards? That it has taken your dad dying for you to come home?” Rhett wasn’t prepared to just let it go. He rounded on Aislen, determined to make her see what she had done to them, what she was continuing to do to them.“Rhett, Heath said to leave it,” Cameron pleaded.Aislen sighed, looking away before returning her eyes to Rhett’s. “Rhett… How can you look at what happened between the four of us and not think that it was wrong? Just look at what happened at the river house that night… That was rape. That was… It was an assault. I went into that bedroom with you…”“We are the Triquetra. We do everything together,” he was bewildered by the subject. Why, after so long, after everything that had happened between them, had she gone back to that first time, that first, special night of the
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