Havermouth, Five Years BeforeCameron and Heath had propped the ladder against the side of the house and stood holding coffee and looking up thoughtfully at the roof when Rhett rounded that side of the house and they both looked at him quizzically when he arrived from the opposite direction to the normal walk from the back of the house.“Is everything okay?” Heath asked immediately.“Fine.” The generator had kicked in as he’d passed it, so he knew that Aislen was in the bathroom. “She’s in the bathroom.”“Hmm,” Heath frowned at him, not believing him at all that everything was fine.“It’s fine,” Rhett told him. “Where is my coffee?”Cameron surrendered the cup that he held, whether it had been intended for Cameron or Rhett didn’t matter so much as sating Rhett’s need for caffeine to the Triquetra’s red-haired mate, Rhett knew, and wrapped his arm around Cameron, tugging him into a tight embrace and pressing a kiss to his neck before releasing him, leaving Cameron glowing with pleased
Havermouth, Five Years BeforeThe she-wolves were laying out towels along the grassy bank and stripping down to their bikinis in order to lay in the sunshine as Heath and Cameron carried the alcohol down from the house. Cameron slid Heath a side eye.“I know,” Heath replied. “They’re f-king putting on a display. Do they think we’re stupid and can’t see through such a tacky attempt? It’s f-king rude and disrespectful.”“A bit,” Cameron agreed unhappily. “It’s like they think we’ll go for any girl that shows some skin.”“Not f-king likely,” Heath was furious. “Ignore it, cook the food, and don’t even look.”“Wasn’t planning on it,” Cameron replied. “Would rather stare at your arse in one of those g strings,” he added under his breath.Heath chuckled. “I think they’d f-king chafe, but I’ll put one on for you sometime just so you can take it off.”Cameron grinned. “A lacey one?”Heath’s laughter was loud and bright and caused the werewolves around the fire and the she-wolves sunbaking on
Havermouth, Five Years BeforeCameron saw Heath shift and quickly followed, almost tripping as his foot stuck in his jeans. He shifted, whining as he became his wolf, and staggering slightly in the disorientation of a quick shift. Rhett and Heath always seemed to flow between forms so effortlessly, but it always took it out of him for the first few moments, and the transition ached like a broken bone. He suspected that it hurt Rhett and Heath too, but they hid it better.In wolf form, the world transformed. When he shifted back into man-form from being wolf, he always felt as if his senses became muffled and dulled. In wolf form, his sight reduced but his sense of smell replaced the need for it, revealing the world to him in astonishing detail and depth – he could tell from scent that a rabbit had passed through the grasses and in what direction it had gone, how far to its burrow, he could smell where someone had urinated against a tree, and the sharp scent of cigarette from a butt th
Havermouth, Present TimeAlthough the storm had come to an end, the sky was still full of clouds through which the sun was just a watery presence failing to warm or dry the flooded town. There was still no power, the light switches non-reactive to being flicked on, and the house echoed oddly without the hum of the fridge.There was no hot water. Aislen smothered a shriek as she stepped under the spray, gritting her teeth as she scrubbed herself. She was shuddering with cold by the time she was done, a situation which was not improved once she was dry as the house was also bitterly cold, her breath steaming in the dark bathroom.In the kitchen over the gas stove Rhett was heating water for coffee.“Where is everyone?” She asked as she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned into him with a moan of appreciation for his body warmth.“Heath is on the phone,” he replied taking the water off the boil. “Cameron and Talen took the Ute for a drive. Cameron was eager to do another sweep of
Havermouth, Present TimeIt was fascinating to see where the werewolves who had tormented her at school lived, Aislen thought looking out the window as they pulled up to the neat and tidy suburban house with it’s pristine lawn and bloom-heavy rose garden. Part of her hated the domestic perfection of the house because it represented everything that she didn’t have.“Oh, look,” she muttered. “It’s the domestic Barbara set. Each pack contains the dreamhouse, one Barbara doll, one Kenneth doll, one boy doll and one baby doll. Is there a cat and dog doll, or do they come as separate purchases?”“Werewolves tend not to have pets,” Heath replied mildly. “It’s not a good cultural fit.”She slid him a look out of the corner of her eye and suppressed a malicious smirk. “A wolf may not own a dog? Are you afraid that the relationship might become complicated? I mean, when you’re in wolf form, you’re not exactly going to be looking at a human woman and thinking sexy thoughts, but you might look at
Havermouth, Present TimeIn the suburban streets, they had encountered no other cars, but there was some traffic on the road towards the warehouse district. Everyone drove just that little bit slower than normal and leaned forward over their steering wheels in order to gaze around, dazed by the damages of the storm.The gutters ran heavy with water, flowing around embankments of debris, leaf matter and sodden rubbish that had been carried by the rain. Windows were broken or blown out, other properties had branches that had fallen onto their rooves, or sheets of roofing that had been carried off by the wind and the property owners were spreading tarp over the openings in case the rain returned.“It looks like a war zone,” Aislen observed.“No,” Talen shook his head, but his tone was mild. “A war zone is much worse.”“You have seen many wars,” she realized, looking up at him. His profile was perfect, she thought, and her fingers itched to draw it, the long strong line of brow and nose,
Havermouth, Present TimeThey followed Leighton into the darkened reception of the warehouse and Mercy closed the door behind them, cutting off the last bit of daylight. The windows had all been covered over from inside with newspaper, and the dust was thick on the reception counter and carpet. The warehouse was of the older generation, a solid brick construction, and inside it smelled old, musty, and unused.“There was a time,” Leighton said as he crossed the foyer to another door, which Talen opened for him. “Thank you. There was a time,” he repeated as they stepped into a narrow hallway between offices from another era, divided off by mottled, yellow-toned glass and solid wood walls. The furniture within the offices matched the era of the building, solid wooden, old fashioned desks and chairs, typewriters, and crumpled paper. “That I dabbled in running a newspaper. The Havermouth Herald it was called back then.”“I remember,” Talen said with surprise.Leighton’s smile over his shou
Havermouth, Present TimeTalen started the Ute but did not immediately pull out from the curb. He adjusted the heating, turning the vents to blow over Aislen who was shivering and rubbing her hands together before cupping them in his. “From what I understand of Triquetras,” he said slowly, his thumb stroking over her skin in an absentminded caress. “They would not be unreasonable to want to withdraw to a place of safety at this point, little demon.“We do not know if this infection affects the supernatural, or, if it has not so far, whether it will mutate as such things tend to do and will eventually become dangerous for us all. We do not know what will happen if this infection spreads.” His eyes searched hers. “This could be very dangerous.”She blew out a breath. “Heath’s mayor. So am I, technically, but I’m not as attached to the role or town as he is. He might be part of the Triquetra, but he’s also not the sort of person who would take a position of authority and then ditch when