My Dear Readers, I have released three chapters in one lot today as I am going on holiday tomorrow and internet may not be reliable. By releasing the next two day's worth of chapters in advance, it gives me time to sort that out, and to resume the normal release schedule. So please excuse getting three today and none tomorrow and Wednesday :-)
Havermouth, Present TimeThe heat was fierce, driving the people inside their homes to sleep through the hottest part of the day. Samuel’s tunic stuck to his back with sweat, and he was grateful for the swath of cloth that kept the sun from beating down upon his head. At his side, Ember reveled in the heat, lifting her face to the rays of the sun, soaking it in.He watched her, in between sweeping gazes over the street and buildings around them, ever vigilant for attack, for there were always those humans who sought to prey on others. The sun had reddened her cheeks, forehead, and nose, and her hair shimmered with absorbed heat. She was storing energy, basking in the bright golden rays of sunshine. Her beauty astonished and awed him. Like a flame, she was both fragile and fierce, the warmth of a hearth, but also the danger of a raging forest fire.The buildings were built for the sand and sun, the walls made of a stone, limestone, and volcanic ash mixture that was quick to build with,
Rideten, Present Time “I’m not getting into a fucking car with him,” Rhett declared straight away, gesturing with his head to where Phillip, clean shaven and dressed in one of his suits, waited beside the car. Phillip arched an eyebrow. “I’m not precisely keen to share a car trip with you either, Rhett,” he observed leaning forward and dragging in a breath before recoiling. “You stink of cigarettes, coffee, and wasted opportunity. How any of your mates can stand to be downwind of you, I don’t know.” “I do not fucking stink,” Rhett resisted sniffing at himself. Phillip rolled his eyes. “I will ride in this car, and you the other.” He opened a car door and slid within. “Take the other car,” Talen placed a hand on Rhett’s shoulder and squeezed it gently. He inclined his face into Rhett’s hair and breathed in. “You smell sexy,” he purred quietly. “Ignore him. Cameron, Aislen, we will take this car,” he moved to the driver’s side. “Rhett, Heath, you the other.” “I’m driving,” Heath sa
Havermouth, Present Time“I can sit in the back with him,” Cameron offered under his breath as he intercepted Aislen on her way to the back passenger door.“Nah, it’s alright. You ride up front with Talen. I want to chat with Rhett’s daddy, make sure he understands the rules when we get to Rideten,” Aislen told him.“Ah,” Cameron reached for the door handle. “If he tries something…”“He won’t,” Aislen said with confidence standing on tip toe to press a kiss against his cheek running her hands over his shoulders with fond appreciation and enjoyment. “I’ll fry his brain if he tries,” she told him as she sank back onto her heels. “Don’t worry, Cam.”As she slid into the car and Cameron closed the door behind her, Talen twisted in his seat and raised an eyebrow. “You know,” she laughed at him. “You communicate as much with your eyebrows as you do with your voice, Daddy.”He added the second eyebrow and blinked innocently, before smirking and turning forwards again as Cameron buckled his s
Havermouth, Present Time“All clear,” the soldier announced stepping back from the car. “Move on.”“What do you mean, what has she done?” Cameron asked Talen.Aislen met Talen’s eyes in alarm. He knew. He absolutely knew that she had used her power on Cameron, and he disapproved of it. If he told Cameron… What would Cameron do? He’d freak out, she predicted. And he would definitely tell Heath and Rhett.“Hmm,” Talen avoided the answer and continued to drive, looking away from Aislen. His disapproval fizzled between them so actively that Cameron could sense it, she thought, their red-haired mate frowning in concerned confusion.Please, Aislen begged Talen silently. Please don’t say anything. For a moment, she was tempted to push her power at him, and was frightened by the impulse. If Talen knew that she’d had the inclination to influence him with her magic… Would it even work on him? Now that she could read his thoughts, she rather thought it would.She was terrified, her heart poundin
Havermouth, Present TimeSamuel had always found the farmhouse and its surrounding buildings to be a peaceful, almost spiritual place, caught in a moment of time like an insect in amber as Sigrid had resisted changing her home, and water was still hand pumped into the bathroom, and the rooms were lit by candlelight and the fireplace.There were ruins amongst the rambling gardens and fields – little cottages for those that served the farmhouse and worked the farm around it. Samuel knew of the tragic misunderstanding that had led to those ruins and the deaths of those who had lived within them and suspected that Sigrid’s refusal to move or upgrade her home was as a monument of grief for those that had died, but mostly for that break in her relationship with her vampire-father.That refusal meant that there was an eternal need for wood, and, amongst the skeletons of vehicles that had made their way into the barn at some point and had never left, was an impressive woodpile. Sigrid and her
Havermouth, Present TimeGreg lay naked and facedown and Sigrid propped herself onto her elbow to admire the spread of him across the mattress, stroking her hand over the smooth curve of his arse, up the muscles of his back to ruffle his hair. He did not stir, exhausted from the blood exchange and fucking, his face slack, his lips parted as he slept.Her stomach was as swollen with his blood as if she were round with his child, and she stroked her hand over it thoughtfully, frowning as she did so. Vampires did not procreate easily, but she was almost entirely sure that she was pregnant. She had been tired, needed to feed more frequently, and strong smells could send waves of nausea through her…Virulent bloody werewolves.She smiled as she traced the bite mark on her shoulder. It stung, and the muscle ached. She could relieve the pain in a moment with vampire blood… but she didn’t. She had exchanged vows with Greg, and, in the manner of his people, he had left his mark upon her skin.
Rideten, Present TimeThey were swept into the house on a tide of women, voices overlapping in a craze that gave Rhett an instant headache. He managed to determine that those within the house were refugees of a sort, hiding from the Van Helsings and their cuffs. Part of him wanted to snarl at them that whilst the witches had been baking bread and burning incense, others were out there dying, but he managed to keep his temper in check.Stella quickly took control and began issuing instructions and orders. Rhett eased back out the way that they’d come and slipped onto the porch. There, overlooking the pretty garden, he took one of the prettily cushioned wicker chairs, propped his feet up on the bright patchwork of an ottoman, and lit a smoke.The door opened and Phillip stepped out, smoothing his hair back from his face as he scanned around him, spotting Rhett.“Fuck,” Rhett muttered. He should have followed the porch around the house and found a hidey hole.“There you are,” Phillip cro
Havermouth, Present TimeHarry had done a lot of things in their time as vampire. They had travelled widely and lived decadently.They enjoyed beautiful things and considered themselves to be one of them. They had always taken care of themselves and revelled in the admiration of others. Consequently, they had been a muse for several successful, and sometimes unsuccessful, artists, and got a thrill when they visited art galleries and found their own image staring back down at them, although they knew that if Talen and Sigrid ever learnt of it, they would chastise them for their carelessness.There had been times of hardship. One thing that humans excelled in was war, and occasionally they had become caught up in the conflict. They knew how to survive, and how to make the best of a situation.They had never farmed however, and it was an eye-opening experience.Jules’ day revolved around the farm. He rose with the dawn and the morning was filled with feeding and caring for the animals, m