Concordia, Seven Hundred Years BeforeThe watch tower accommodations were far from luxurious in scale. In the mountains, the flat space was limited, and each tower had been selected for its outlook over the human lands more than for the comfort of those who spent their time within it, therefore the courtyard space was small, and the buildings around it were designed around the ungiving stone with rambling levels and cramped corners.Water was restricted to that collected from the run-off from the rooves, and therefore bathing was limited to a bowl of water and a washcloth – which suited the soldiers who worked in shifts from the tower, returning to civilization between, and the miners whose labor ingrained into their skin making daily bathing seem pointless.The Lord Jermyne and his squires were escorted to their accommodation for the night, and Thaelen left them doing their best to repair their appearance using the washbowl and cloth in the chamber. As he returned down the stairs Hae
Concordia, Seven Hundred Years BeforeAs anticipated, Lord Jermyne woke in the morning with a sore head and no memory of the night before. Unmercifully, Thaelen pushed on with his time schedule, and they all met in the courtyards just before dawn, with the Lord visibly held upright between his squires.Thaelen and Haethnir exchanged a smothered laugh, but, in truth, Thaelen thought, for all the Lord Jermyne’s apparent intoxicated open-ness, he did not feel that he understood the man, or his people, completely. There were things that did not quite add up for him, and that made him suspicious of the ambassador and his squires – although their searches of their possessions, persons, and the prized chests, hadn’t revealed anything that wasn’t appropriate for an ambassador approaching an unknown people in the hopes of making an alliance.Was it possible that Thaelen was misinterpreting a genuine overture of peace towards his people?They walked the jagged mountain terrain towards the coast
Concordia, Seven Hundred Years Before Their meandering journey through the tunnels took three days, during which Thaelen felt that he was able to get a grasp both on the Lord Jermyne, and on what his people sought from Concordia. Thaelen wished to be cautious, however he found himself liking the man and his squires and enjoying their company. When they stepped out into Concordia’s side of the mountains, all three humans stopped to gape. “It is… stunning,” Lord Jermyne exclaimed. “Simply amazing. I have seen the coast from the ocean, and the mighty wall with which you control entry into your bay, but to see it from within… Amazing. The development and cultivation of the land… The castles and cities…” “We are primarily artisans,” Thaelen explained as they began to pick their way down the mountainside. “We hone our skills over generations and our craftmanship is highly sought after by Astreau. They send their young to us to teach. But,” he chuckled. “Rarely do they return. They like
Concordia, Seven Hundred Years Before Jaylin made a hasty retreat, passing Sigrid in the bedchamber as he did so, his expression bewildered and alarmed. Thaelen followed him out of the bathroom, drying his hair on a cloth, and paused in the doorframe between the rooms when he saw Sigrid as he wore nothing but his own skin, but then shrugged. Whilst it had been many years since they had been young together, and society had changed much in that time, with vampires becoming accustomed to private rooms, private bathrooms, and private bodies, he had not changed much in the centuries between and there was nothing on him that she would not have seen before. She watched him cross to the bed and begin to dress. “That was kind of you, Thaelen,” she observed. “Kind?” He glanced over his shoulder and arched an eyebrow. “What gave you the idea that I was being kind?” “They are happy, the three of them, Willa, Luos, and Jaylin,” she replied. “It is an unusual arrangement, as he is not their mate
Havermouth, Present TimeTalen’s eyes were only for his mates, and Meguitte pressed back against the wall, her heart in her throat as she watched him pull them to him. The expression on his face… She felt a painful ache of envy, sorrow, and happiness for him. And she wanted to sink into the floor, to evaporate, to simply disappear…Connery peeled her away from the wall, putting his arm around her shoulders, and capturing one of her hands in his. He spoke no words, did not look down at her, and drew no attention to his actions from those around them, but simply offered his touch in comfort.And it was comforting. In Connery, at least, she had an ally, someone who would stand with her whilst she made her confession to the man who had saved her life and given her a new one, to whom she had made a promise and then broken it.She swallowed hard. “Thaelen,” she said, barely a croak of his name, and yet he heard, turning his head slightly so that he caught sight of her out of the corner of h
Havermouth, Present Time“Talen,” Heath protested as Talen drew Meguitte towards the stairs. “We can have this conversation later when we have found Aislen and know that she is alright.”“No, Heath,” Talen shook his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Point Crest Triquetra head towards the reception, and he frowned. He could not prevent the werewolves from leaving, but he did not like the sneakiness in which they had done so. He turned his mind back to the problem at hand, and Heath’s protest. “We will find Morgana, but we need to understand what has happened, what Meguitte knows. We will keep it brief,” he promised. “Believe me, I feel the urgency to find Morgana just as you do.” It was clawing at him that need, the ticking of time passing adding pressure to be out and looking for his missing mate.However, Talen also could not ignore Meguitte. Her involvement with the Van Helsings, the creation of the cuffs when she had promised not to use that magic again, both needed
Havermouth, Present TimeSigrid stood on the roof of the drycleaners across from the main base of the Van Helsings, the wind pulling at her hair and the long skirt of her dress. Samuel crouched at her side and they both watched as the Van Helsing crawled out of the door, trailing one leg, and leaving a snail trail of blood behind him, before clawing his way down the stairs.Inside, gunshot rang out, and the automatic door slid open again, releasing a woman in a filthy pants suit and bare feet. She looked both ways along the road, before heading towards the centre of town, stepping over the bleeding Van Helsing without looking at him.“Your maker’s mate went that way,” Samuel straightened slowly to his full height.“Yes,” Sigrid nodded.A man in a hospital gown had been pursuing her, but Sigrid was confident that Morgana would have matters under control. She had freed herself from the Van Helsings after all, and she was Thaelen’s mate – she would need to be as tough as armour and as sh
Havermouth, Present TimeWatching Heath shift revealed just how much their mate had changed, Rhett thought, his fear a nausea in his stomach. Shifting was never effortless, although time and practice made it easier, but for Heath there was a pause, a suspension between the two forms. It wasn’t the same as holding the shift – then the wolf came and went, hair sprouting and bones and joints cracking. That was not something that any werewolf could hold for long, although it added a whole other dimension to sex, Rhett admitted ruefully, both being the recipient of and the one to knot into their mate.No, with Heath, it was as if there existed a third form between man and wolf, one which his body wanted to assume, but that he had to push through. The third form was terrifying, powerfully muscled, clawed, and fanged, covered with a pelt of white hair that was not as thick nor as long as a wolf’s and with eyes that glowed ruby-red.As Heath pushed past it into full wolf and shook his hair ou