Havermouth, Present TimeCameron woke with the dawn, his heart racing and his skin covered in sweat. He had dreamed again, a tangled mess filled with fire and fear, blood, and loss. In the pre-dawn darkness, he stayed still, his eyes closed, and ran a mental tally of his mates. He was tightly wrapped around Rhett, his dark-haired mate’s ribs moving in and out beneath Cameron’s hand as he slept. Cameron could feel the throb of a cock against his thigh, so it was either Talen or Heath pressed against his back. It took a moment for him to identify it as Heath, his blonde-haired mate’s chin against his back was not as hairy as Talen’s, their vampire well on the way to growing in his beard. Aislen would be sandwiched between Heath and Talen. They never let her sleep on the edge, an instinct to protect and shelter their pregnant female that all four male mates subconsciously adhered to. He could identify in the darkness all four patterns of breath if he concentrated, and that soothed him
Havermouth, Present Time, 1.5 weeks after Retaking Havermouth From the Van Helsings“Fuck, Heath,” Rhett’s muttered complaint was half-hearted and followed by a smothered moan. “Oh…” The mattress moved as he rolled onto his back complaint with Heath’s seduction. Aislen felt the blankets lift, letting in cold air, as Heath rolled to cover his mate and slid down Rhett’s body, nipping and kissing along his torso.Rhett’s groan changed pitch as Heath’s mouth reached his cock and Aislen opened one eye to peek. Her dark-haired mate’s head was thrown back, his hair spread like shadow over the pillowcase, and his Adam’s apple exposed. His eyes were closed, and his fingers were in Heath’s hair.“Shit! No teeth this early in the morning,” he grunted in surprise, the elongated point of his canine exposed as he caught his bottom lip between his teeth, his face contorting into a grimace that was suspended between pleasure and pain. “Actually… That’s good. Fuck,” he ground out through his teeth. “T
Havermouth, Present Time, 1.5 weeks after Retaking Havermouth From the Van HelsingsAislen lay naked with Rhett on his bed, stroking her hands over his skin, following the subtle lines where the ink was heavier, whilst she suckled on his neck, his blood metallic on her tongue. It was the nicest way to counteract any water ingested during their shower she thought, though her stomach rumbled its protest wanting pancakes not juice of Rhett for breakfast.“You could go lower,” he suggested cheekily covering her hand with his and gently encouraging it down his stomach to where his cock nudged her stomach optimistically.She freed her hand and stuck her fingers into his mouth for him to suck. “Shh, you. I’m not having sex again before breakfast,” she smeared his saliva over the mark on his neck, sealing it. By the time they dressed, there would be no sign of it left. “So, tell your friend to relax,” she patted his cock before rolling over and off the bed. “He’s had his fun for the morning.”
Havermouth, Present Time, 1.5 weeks after Retaking Havermouth From the Van HelsingsMen were yelling. The sounds were distant, echoed off stone, but he knew that they were hunting him. He did not know how it was that he knew that, but the knowledge was ingrained, the bone within his flesh, the blood within his veins. They sought him, and he needed to wake up and pull himself together, or they would find what they sought.He lay upon stone in a wet place, the drip of water a constant rhythm to pace his heart against. It was wet, filthy, and it stank.His body hurt. It was more than an ache and less than an agony. Not the soft pain of a bruise, nor the sharp pain of a slice – he knew both although he could not recall suffering either. This was a pain that began deep in the marrow and seeped outwards. The wrongness began within. Poison, his brain told him. He was suffering the after-effects of poison.He knew those after-effects well but could not recall how it was that he had come to kn
Havermouth, Present Time, 1.5 weeks after Retaking Havermouth From the Van HelsingsAislen took a moment to stare up at the farmhouse, one hand resting on the car door. It was the direct opposite to the river house, she thought, closer to the modern gleaming vampire safehouse with its sleek lines and stretches of glossy mirrored glass. There was something soulless about it. It felt unlived in and unloved even from outside, despite being meticulously maintained.“It won several awards when it was built,” Heath commented as he came to stand beside her, looking up at the house.“It’s eyes are dead,” she replied.He slid her an amused look. “It’s eyes are dead,” he repeated with a rise in tone, making it a question.“I don’t know. It just doesn’t have a homely feel,” she was embarrassed, closing the car door and looking around for Cameron, hoping she hadn’t insulted him with her observation. He had crossed to the barn built to the side of the house and had gone within. “The barn looks mor
Havermouth, Present Time, 1.5 weeks after Retaking Havermouth From the Van HelsingsIt was disconcerting when Lyric surfaced from another period of time in which her body had taken over, leaving her mind behind. They happened with increasing frequency. She would be in the middle of a task such as tending the fire or scavenging the water edge, and resurface what felt like much, much later covered in blood with her belly heavy with meat. She had tried to keep track of the days on the island, scratching lines onto a sheltered section of a rock, but it was almost impossible to know if she was tracking actual days, or just when she was herself.This kill had been recent enough that the sheep had not yet reanimated, and she used a rock to smash its legs quickly before scrubbing the blood from her arms and face and climbing the hill to where Niarthen was. The little fire that she tried to keep going near him was smoldering out. She fanned it to get the wool burning again. Wool was very flamm
Havermouth, Present Time, 1.5 weeks after Retaking Havermouth From the Van Helsings“The water stinks,” Heath commented as Cameron started the engine.“Yes, still water,” Talen nodded wisely. “What is underneath is beginning to rot and the current here is not strong enough to sweep it away. Hopefully, the water will drain soon to the ocean.”“Mosquitos are going to be a nightmare soon,” Cameron agreed steering the boat expertly across the water, trying to remember where there might be submerged trees that might get tangled in the motor. The passage across was weaving as a result, but neither of his mates complained.On the island, the little brunette sat just above the corpses of the sheep and watched their progress, and up the hill, the red-haired woman he had seen earlier with his father and Harry sat like a sentry upon the rocks.“We have to be careful,” Heath observed, following Cameron’s gaze. “We know nothing about these women, and this could be trouble.”“I wonder if they’re th
Havermouth, Present Time, 1.5 weeks after Retaking Havermouth From the Van HelsingsLyric wanted to trust the three men who crossed the flood to the island, but she recognized the risk in doing so. She did not know them or their motivations, and Arthur would recommend caution in such circumstances, so she kept her story light on details and her answers to their questions short as she led them around the island to where Niarthen lay.The little fire beside him was starting to go out again. She knelt by him and placed her hand on his chest. He was still breathing. Relief was heavy and she closed her eyes, her forehead sagging forward to rest against his.“A merman,” the taller blonde man with the longer hair murmured as he saw Niarthen. “I have rarely had the opportunity to get so close to one. They are very defensive and hostile even to other supernaturals.”“Not Niarthen,” she sat up and shook her head, wanting to assure them that Niarthen wasn’t a danger to them. “Niarthen isn’t host