Havermouth, Present TimeThey followed Leighton into the darkened reception of the warehouse and Mercy closed the door behind them, cutting off the last bit of daylight. The windows had all been covered over from inside with newspaper, and the dust was thick on the reception counter and carpet. The warehouse was of the older generation, a solid brick construction, and inside it smelled old, musty, and unused.“There was a time,” Leighton said as he crossed the foyer to another door, which Talen opened for him. “Thank you. There was a time,” he repeated as they stepped into a narrow hallway between offices from another era, divided off by mottled, yellow-toned glass and solid wood walls. The furniture within the offices matched the era of the building, solid wooden, old fashioned desks and chairs, typewriters, and crumpled paper. “That I dabbled in running a newspaper. The Havermouth Herald it was called back then.”“I remember,” Talen said with surprise.Leighton’s smile over his shou
Havermouth, Present TimeTalen started the Ute but did not immediately pull out from the curb. He adjusted the heating, turning the vents to blow over Aislen who was shivering and rubbing her hands together before cupping them in his. “From what I understand of Triquetras,” he said slowly, his thumb stroking over her skin in an absentminded caress. “They would not be unreasonable to want to withdraw to a place of safety at this point, little demon.“We do not know if this infection affects the supernatural, or, if it has not so far, whether it will mutate as such things tend to do and will eventually become dangerous for us all. We do not know what will happen if this infection spreads.” His eyes searched hers. “This could be very dangerous.”She blew out a breath. “Heath’s mayor. So am I, technically, but I’m not as attached to the role or town as he is. He might be part of the Triquetra, but he’s also not the sort of person who would take a position of authority and then ditch when
Havermouth, Present TimeThe crossroads of Havermouth’s main streets were entirely blocked off by the black trucks and crawled with men in black uniforms, body armor and weaponry. Talen had to park behind Rhett’s tattoo parlor in order to get anywhere close, and he kept his arm around Aislen as they walked hastily up the road, past groups of armed men whose faces were hidden behind visors, making them intimidating and anonymous.Havermouth had awoken after the storm, and many of the businesses had their doors opened to let in daylight so they could inventory the damage, both physically to the buildings, and to perishables that required refrigeration. The townspeople clustered in their shop windows and doorways, looking out at the armed men with puzzlement that was just sitting on the inside edge of alarm.“Why do you need body armor and weapons for a flood?” Aislen wondered under her breath. The townspeople of Havermouth had the same reaction as she was having, she thought, there was
Havermouth, Present TimeThe group of black clad men were still standing outside of the coffee shop when Aislen opened the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk.“We are encouraging civilians to stay in their accommodations,” one of the men said when he spotted her. All that could be seen of his face was the strong line of his jaw, framed by the high collar of the black top he wore beneath the armored vest.“Why?” Aislen asked before she could stop herself. In for a penny, in for a pound, she decided. “Why are you encouraging people to stay home? There’s a missing little girl who needs to be found, damage to property, most people haven’t been able to open their businesses for days… People need to get groceries, medicine, hardware. You should be encouraging the shops to open, so that people can get what they need, and organizing search parties, not approaching coffee shop owners for free coffee and tea in exchange for a generator – which would be just a nice thing to do for them.”“Oh
Havermouth, Five Years BeforeRhett pulled his hair back and tied it into a ponytail at the back of his head. His black shirt felt stiff against the bulge of bicep as he tightened the hair-tie – he’d picked one that had been freshly returned from the dry-cleaner and was still pressed into crisp seams. It was new, the buttonholes still tight, and he couldn’t remember buying it, so assumed that it was one that his mother had bought for him.Lora had good taste, he thought as he admired the subtle pattern sewn into the fabric. He’d bet that it was bought from his favorite alternative clothing brand, too, because amongst the embroidered swirls of leaves and vines were hidden subtle skulls and crossbones – all in black thread, so that the detail didn’t detract from the severe and simple fitted lines of the shirt.He sighed, thinking of his mother. He’d turned his phone on as he’d gotten dressed, to a dozen messages from his dad, and knew that Phillip was back in Havermouth. Lora would be h
Havermouth, Five Years BeforeThe car ride home was silent, each member of the Triquetra caught in their own thoughts and Aislen pressed tight against the door, looking out of the night-dark glass as the scenery whipped by. Rhett could see tears tracking down her cheeks, but she wept silently, trying to hide it, and he decided to leave her be. They didn’t need any more drama, he thought, and he was certain that his warning had made an impression.He sucked on his lip ring and watched Heath drive. Heath wouldn’t believe him, he thought, and what did he know, really? Nothing new. Just that Aislen had an uncanny insight into things that she really shouldn’t know and that never failed to get her into trouble. He had told her to never say such things again, and hopefully she would finally listen to him.They were so close, so very close to getting the drama behind them. They just needed to get through Sunday’s meeting, and it would be done. Aislen’s little moment with the James woman didn’
Havermouth, Five Years BeforeAfter breakfast, Cameron and Heath ripped up the floorboards in the bedroom the Triquetra wanted to make habitable. Their intention had been to tear up and replace the floor under the leak, but once started, it was a job that had quickly escalated, and they’d ended up stripping back all the flooring to the hallway door.“I’ll bring some new floorboards during the week,” Cameron said, pausing to use his t-shirt to mop sweat and dirt from his face before stripping it off completely and throwing it to the doorway from which Aislen and Rhett watched. He laughed as she caught it, looking at the wet cloth in confusion.“Give me that,” Rhett took it from her and held it to his nose, inhaling. “Mmm, yum. Sweaty Cam.” He took it to the bathroom and tossed it into the laundry hamper. Every Sunday, Heath took it home with him, and his mother laundered and returned the clothing washed and neatly folded within a few days.“It won’t take more than a few hours to replac
Havermouth, Five Years Before“F-k,” Rhett grumbled under his breath as they pulled up at the Havermouth Estate. Phillip’s Porsche was parked next to Charlie Gale’s Mustang and Jules’ Ute. “She f-king called them all in.”“Charlie didn’t know last night,” Heath commented thoughtfully as he rang the doorbell. “So maybe it was a last second decision.” Probably, he thought, because it would have looked odd for Phillip Salem to be present at the meeting without the other alphas.“We’re f-king nineteen,” Rhett complained as they waited. “We don’t need our daddies to speak for us anymore.”“I’m very sorry that you feel that way, Mr Salem,” Abigail drawled as she opened the door. Her expression was dangerous, and her wolf was in her eyes. Cameron felt his heart pick up a beat. “I asked your fathers to be present as a gesture of support for the three of you. I will send them home if you feel they’re unwelcome.""No, that’s fine,” Heath said placatingly. “Rhett didn’t mean anything by it, Abig