Havermouth, Seven Years BeforeHeath was not surprised when August and Abigail called the Gales, the Edisons and the Salems to a group meeting at the Havermouth estate. The drive to the pack grounds with his parents was silent, the atmosphere heavy with expectation. It was only as they pulled into the driveway, Charlie glanced into the rear-view mirror.“Why do you think that we have been called here?” He asked Heath in the tone of voice that implied that Charles knew but was seeing what Heath’s response would be.“Why do you think we have been called?” Heath asked back.Charlie did not reply, pulling up neatly next to the Salem’s Porsche. “Ostentatious,” Charlie muttered disapprovingly as he got out of the car.Heath did not reply, his eyes meeting Rhett’s. The Salem’s were standing on the porch with Abigail. Catherine Edison’s BMW was parked, but there was no sign of the Edisons. Heath politely greeted Abigail and followed as they were led into the house.Rhett pulled a face, obviou

Havermouth, Present TimeHeath slid out from under Aislen. It had been nice to lie there holding her and he had lingered breathing in her warm, sleeping scent. Just lying in each other’s arms was not something that happened between them frequently, both in the past and the present. He had been tempted to stay, to let himself slip into a much-needed sleep, but he had things to speak to Talen about that would be easier said without her hearing, so he eased away very carefully, and tucked the sheets in around her so that the loss of his body heat wouldn’t wake her.He pulled on his jeans and shirt and carried his shoes out into the hallway with him, padding down to the kitchen. Talen and Tyler were watching a documentary on the Pyramids and drinking wine. Heath paused in the doorway in order to observe them. He had not had the opportunity to gauge their relationship to each other, to work out its dynamic.There was a comfortable familiarity between the two men, in a non-sexual way. Heath

Havermouth, Present Time“There is a saying that a man’s reputation is like his shadow,” Talen observed calmly. “It sometimes follows him, and sometimes proceeds him, but it rarely fits him like a glove. Come sit on my knee, little demon,” he held out his hand.Aislen slipped onto his lap and put her arm around his neck leaning into his comforting warmth and size. “I know all about reputations,” she agreed nuzzling in and breathing in the scent of his skin. “I have quite a reputation myself – the Triquetra’s whore.”“Hmm,” Talen refilled his wine glass and offered it to her. His thumb stroked over the skin of her thigh, a small caress that melted her heart in its absentmindedness. Even when distracted by something else, he touched her with a gentle intimacy. “It is rare for a vampire of my age to be unknown, especially if they frequent the same area for some time. I have preferred not to leave this continent for the last couple of centuries, and therefore my reputation, like my shadow

Havermouth, Present TimeGuy stood on the porch. He looked up slowly taking in the mass of Talen with shrewd assessment, before his eyes went beyond him to Aislen and he smiled. “Hi, Aislen.”“Umm,” Aislen was scattered, her focus still on the scurrying noises all in the walls around her. “Hi Guy.”“You look real good. I’d heard you got shot.”“I did,” Aislen lifted her top to show the scar. “But the hospital patched me up.”“Oh, wow,” he gawked. “Nice tatts.”Talen shifted slightly and Aislen dropped the hem of her top realizing that Guy was staring at her with more than morbid interest in her wound.Guy’s eyes went back to Talen, and then returned to Aislen. “I was out running errands for June, and thought I’d pop by and make sure you don’t need anything, save you from driving in this weather,” he turned and assessed the stormy sky. “Won’t be long until the rain starts.”“Oh, that’s really kind,” Aislen replied. “But I think I’m good. Talen, this is Guy. Guy this is Talen.”“Hi,” Gu

Havermouth, Present TimeLightning flashed through the room and for a moment the light flickered. Aislen looked up from her sketch pad in irritation. “I finally get a couple of hours to work, and the lights go on the fritz,” she complained. Rain hissed against the windows, and sky was so heavy with cloud that she couldn’t see a star in the sky.“Which is why I recommended that you not work on your laptop,” Heath replied from the kitchen where he was washing the dishes from dinner. “All it takes is a tree branch falling across the power lines and the power will be out for a couple of hours.” There was a generator at the river house, his tone reminded her.Damn it, she scowled at the page. She had agreed to go to the river house the next morning and she just knew that the Triquetra were hoping that if the storm set in, she would find it harder to justify not staying there once she was at the house. If the power was cut, she might have no option, and she hated feeling as if she were bein