Rideten, Present Time“I have been concerned,” Talen trailed his fingers up the back of Aislen’s arm as he spoke, barely more than a rumbled murmur. If it wasn’t for the throb of the bites on her shoulder, she would have thought that she dreamed the words, she was so comfortable, her body lax in repletion. She knew that her mates wouldn’t let her fall asleep. There were two more bites to follow, after all, but in the momentary peace and quiet as they recovered themselves, cushioned as she was on his chest with the scent of the shower soap still clinging to his skin, her fingertips touching Cameron’s, she had been drifting into a doze.“How can you be concerned, right now?” Rhett drawled. Of course, it would be Rhett, she thought with a smile, and, in meeting Cameron’s eyes across Talen’s chest and his grin, knew that he shared the same thought. “My only concern is how fast I can get it back up for another round.”“Mine is how bad my shoulder is going to hurt with two more bites in it,

The Mouth, Present TimeThe walk along the riverbank required them to go in single file, and Niarthen took the lead. They followed the meandering paths that animals coming and going from the river to drink had left behind, circling the trees and thick clusters of scrub, and teetering along the lip of the bank. It was slow going, with Niarthen picking his way carefully in bare feet, and due to the way the tracks wove and sometimes disappeared, leaving them facing an apparently impassable clump of weed.At least the view was good, Lyric told herself. She could almost forget that she was hungry, thirsty, and exhausted by watching the flow of Niarthen’s hair as he walked, the clench of his tight arse within the bulky cargo pants, and the flex of his shoulders and biceps as he moved things out of the way for her.“Hmm,” Niarthen stopped suddenly.“What is it?” She had almost walked into him, her mind zoned out in order to push through her body’s fatigue.He frowned down at a clump of river

The Mouth, Present Time“We need a boat?” Lyric said under her breath to Niarthen as they followed Max to the bank where a group of boats were tied up to prevent the river from sucking them away. “Because boats have worked so well for us in the past. I don’t see any vampires around here, and I really, really don’t want to go back to chewing on sheep. I’m still picking pieces of raw meat out from between my teeth.”“The current has eased a lot since then,” Niarthen replied calmly. “I have been watching the water and am confident that we can make it safely. I would not risk your life, Mia Persuma Inillium.”“This one,” Max paused by a boat. “It is mine. Here, I’ll prime it, and all you have to do it press the start button and steer,” he adjusted the engine, and then looked up at Niarthen. “What can the Mer do?” He asked quietly. “I am not…” He glanced over his shoulder at the camp. “I am not a leader. That I lead this group is just… An accident. I’ve just been doing the best that I can

Rideten, Present TimeRhett rolled off the bed and Aislen propped herself up on her elbows in surprise. “Rhett?”He threw her a grin over his shoulder as he padded over to a corner of the room where a little armoire was tucked discretely away. She watched his muscles flow under his tattooed skin, the clench of his arse in rhythm with each step, and the way his biceps bunched as he scooped his fine dark hair out of his eyes in order to look within the cupboard.“Aha,” he turned holding a pair of handcuffs and returned to the bed, stepping up onto the mattress and straddling her before kneeling, placing his weight on her upper thighs. She could feel the skin warmed piercings and the softness of his balls as they rested on her. “Give me your wrists,” he made the come-hither gesture with two fingers.She watched him through her eyelashes, and slowly offered him a wrist. “Do I call you sir?” She smirked. “Or Daddy Rhett?”“Call me Fuck,” he suggested with a smirk. “You’ll be screaming the

Rideten, Present TimeThe aether weaved like water around Aislen’s legs, and yet did not wet her. She leaned down, sticking her fingers into what appeared to be liquid, but as she lifted her hand, it clung to her hand in strands like hair or cobweb which shimmered and seemed to squirm in her hands. She let them sift off her fingers back into the ocean and lifted her eyes, searching for any land. There was nothing in sight, the aether ocean blending into the faintly pink sky on the horizon in all directions. At least the aether wasn’t deep, she thought, only coming to mid-thigh. So far, at least – she didn’t entirely trust that she wouldn’t step off a ledge and end up swimming in it. Could a person drown in aether?She proceeded slowly, stretching one foot forward at a time, feeling the ground before her to make sure it was there before trusting her weight on that foot. As time passed, she began to trust her steps more, and it freed her to speculate on where she was, how she’d gotten t