Havermouth, Present TimeHeath stalked the shadows, feeling the breeze ruffle his fur as he paused to sniff the air. The carpark around the hospital was hidden beneath white tents that fluttered and shifted in constant movement. To get within the tent-city and the hospital beyond it, however, he had to pass the barricade – the road lit by floodlights, black 4WDs bottlenecking the road into a spike-strip. Keeping people out, not in, Heath thought. If the hospital were overrun with infected, surely their efforts would be directed the other way.“Help!” Talen’s voice rang out in the night, and Heath’s attention jerked to the road, his heart staggering to a panicked halt as the vampire ran towards the barricade carrying Aislen in his arms. He could smell blood, and Aislen clutched her hand to her neck.The soldiers broke from the barricade to surround Talen as he approached.“She is bleeding!” Talen’s voice rose over the soldiers enquiries. “She needs medical care.”Heath was frozen. What
The Human Enemy’s Land, Eleven Hundred Years Before“Her name is Lady Beupraxia,” Gera sat at Thaelen’s side, shoulder to shoulder, sharing body heat between them and watching the rats scurry across the floor. He flicked his foot when a rat drew too close.“Don’t scare it off,” Thaelen recommended. They both stilled as they heard the familiar footfalls of the guards, the creak of their armour and the rattle of their keys distinct within the dungeon noises. They waited to see where the guards would go, and heard a scuffle and yelling as they dragged a prisoner out of his cell. For a prisoner to fight to remain in the cell meant that the destination was worse, Thaelen thought grimly.“It will bite us whilst we sleep, and it’s crawling with disease,” Gera protested as the sounds retreated, his attention still on the curious rat.“It is food, and its blood is liquid which you can drink.”” Thaelen replied watching as the rat paused to wash it’s face before following the wall to slip out of
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