Somewhere outside of Rideten, Present Time“Hmm,” Phillip hmphed his breath out irritably. “Forward planning, Ms Carter. Something you and your mates don’t seem to be doing at all. You are so oppositional, and I can’t help but think that my son is to blame. He has always been obstinate. Let me ask you something, Ms Carter and Mr Gale – why are you so convinced that your way is the right way?”“Umm, Emissary here,” Aislen pointed out."Yes," he sighed. "But being the spokesperson for the goddess does not make you omnipotent or flawless. Nor does it make you wise, Ms Carter, as you have made evident over and over again with your reckless behaviour. This current state of you and your mates is another example of recklessness, combining species with no idea what the repercussions will be. Stella is going to be ropeable when she finds out.”“That I’m a hybrid?” Aislen flicked her eyes to the rearview.“The car in front of you is moving, Ms Carter,” Phillip told her snidely.“Shit,” Aislen p
Trayrock, Present TimeThe rest of the drive no one spoke. The dragons had fallen asleep leaning on each other, Heath was deep in his own head, and Phillip was smugly content to watch the scenery having won his point. Aislen guessed that was why he was such a highly regarded lawyer – the man was dogged. Quite literally. She snorted at her own thought, interrupting the silence and startling Ember awake.“Sorry,” Aislen was contrite. “Go back to sleep. We’re just approaching the edge of Trayrock now. I just had a random werewolf joke cross my mind, and it made me laugh.”“A werewolf joke?” Heath arched an eyebrow.“It wouldn’t translate into a retelling,” she apologized. “Ah, shit,” she added as she saw a traffic stop ahead with flashing red and blue lights. “Here we go again,” she predicted darkly. She could see black-clad men amongst the police.She tensed as Talen was waved to the side of the road, and a police officer leaned into him holding a Van Helsing device. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,”
Trayrock, Present Time“Aislen,” Tiffany seized her in a ferocious embrace, squeezing the breath out of her. “Thank goodness you are alright! I have been so worried. The world has gone insane. Vince and I have been trying to get word to Havermouth! It’s not safe here,” was whispered into Aislen’s ear. “We need to get out. These men… They have locked Trayrock down.”“I know mum,” Aislen hugged her back. Tiffany felt thin and brittle, her bones seeming to shift under her skin. “Are you alright?”“Fine, fine,” Tiffany eased back and wiped her eyes with her fingertips. “I’ll be right with you,” she added over her shoulder to Talen, who had paused in his perusal of the racks in order to observe Tiffany’s interaction with Aislen.“You work here,” Aislen realised taking note of the badge on Tiffany’s chest which had “Tiffany” handwritten on it.“Mmm,” Tiffany adjusted the badge. “Well, I’m helping out, really. My friend owns the store, and it’s hard to find staff at the moment, with everythi
Trayrock, Present TimeTiff shuddered as she got out of the car, holding her clutch purse tight to her chest. “So close to the water, Aislen. You have to be careful. So many weird things are happening, and it all comes back to the water and what is in it.”“Yes, we know,” Aislen agreed taking her mum by the elbow. Samuel, Talen, and the Triquetra were busy emptying the boots of the many purchases they’d all made. She encouraged Tiffany into the bar, pausing on the threshold as the stale smell of alcohol and smoke struck them.“We met in a very similar place,” Talen observed from behind her with amusement.“So we did,” she smiled up at him, before getting her stomach under control and guiding the mincing Tiffany further in. There were booths tucked under the windows. One was already occupied by Allistaire and his cameraman, and Jacinta and Addison. They looked up in interest as Talen and the Triquetra marched through towards a rear door that led into a stairwell.“Unusual occupation fo
Trayrock, Present Time“Nice,” Cameron held up a lacey bit of lingerie by the shoulder straps. “I didn’t see this before.”Heath glanced over his shoulder. He held a bundle of pillows tucked under his arm and was dragging a pile of blankets and sheets off the beds. “Ah, yeah, I might have added a few items to Aislen’s pile.”“Sweet,” Cameron approved and placed it into a drawer.Talen pushed the single bed up against the queen. The room was pretty basic, but the walls were freshly painted in neutral colors, and there was a door onto the balcony and two deep-set windows. The floorboards were bare, but the bedding was clean and of good quality. The artwork was bland, but the nightstands had little vases of freshly picked lavender which was a nice, simple touch. It was clean and functional, and that was all Heath cared about.Or it would be functional when they finished re-arranging the furniture.“It would be best to remake the bed this way,” Talen gestured. “The separation between the
Trayrock, Present Time“What about being scared I’ll turn people’s brains into scrambled eggs?” Aislen said to Heath under her breath as they navigated the congested entrance to the hospital. The carpet was faded underfoot, and the hospital smelled of disinfectant, sickness, and coffee from the café to the left of the sliding doors as they entered. There was a reception desk to the right, but Heath headed straight towards the staircase that dominated the foyer as if he knew where he was going. Which he did, she realized searching his thoughts. He had, of course, looked it up online.“Scrambled eggs,” Rhett sniggered.“If you’re going to practice your abilities on someone, Aislen,” Heath replied. “I’d rather it not be one of us. That aside, I’m trusting you. This is not a casual visit just for the fun of it. This is an opportunity to get medical care for a very important pregnancy, and a patient who has a history of complications. I wouldn’t risk civilians casually, but it will be nec
Trayrock, Present TimeCameron followed Aislen to the bathroom. They had to stand in a queue of other pregnant women, but the toilet cubical was disability friendly, and when Aislen went inside, Cameron slipped in too.“I’m not going to be able to pee in front of you,” Aislen scolded him as she pulled down her jeans and hovered over the seat, holding the cup in position with a scowl.“I’ll turn my back and turn on the tap,” he replied, doing both, and then leaning forward to examine his face in the mirror, grimacing. “No one thought to tell me that I have… What is that?” He rubbed at his cheek before looking at his fingers and then back at his reflection. “It can’t be blood. It’s too dark. Isn’t life weird,” he went on cheerfully as he pulled a paper towel out of the holder and wet it. “It used to be – Is that shit or mud on my face? Now it’s – is that blood? You’re not peeing.”“I can’t pee,” she pouted. “It’s not fair. I need to pee when I don’t want to go and can’t pee when I do.”
Trayrock Present Time“What does it mean?” Rhett asked as they left the ultrasound room. “I don’t get this. Someone spell it out for me.”“We haven’t been back together for eighteen weeks. It’s not possible that Aislen has been pregnant for that long,” Heath explained patiently, scanning the hallways. He was looking for Van Helsings, Aislen realized, and for any activity that might be because of the water illness. Ronnie had said that people weren’t allowed in and out, and yet, this section of the hospital had no signs of any issues and they had been able to get in and out without any problems. “Aislen wasn’t pregnant before she came to Havermouth. The baby is definitely ours, which means it is growing at an accelerated rate. Was it growing at an accelerated rate from inception, or has its growth increased since Aislen was turned?”“That’s bad, right?” Rhett was trying to get his head around it, his fingers fidgeting with the cigarette packet he’d stolen from Allistaire.“It’s cute,”