Havermouth, Present Time“It’s Biblical out there!” Tyler exclaimed.“Water brings things to the surface,” Talen agreed.They stood in the center of the road through Havermouth. Aislen looked from Talen to the street around them, her eyes dragging, the colors harsh and causing haloes in her vision. All around, the traffic had come to a standstill, the pedestrians standing like statues on the footpath, all looking down as the water came rushing in, swirling in brown froth around their feet.A dream, she told herself. It’s a dream. Not real.“Bodies in the water,” Heath commented from behind her.She almost managed not to start when something brushed against her leg, looking down knowing what she was going to see. It wasn’t any easier, but she forced herself to look, to stare unflinching down at the water-bloated decaying body that drifted just under the surface.A woman, her hair snarling around her head like riverweed, her long dress torn and filthy, riding up her thighs. Her belly wa
Havermouth, Present TimeAislen stood on the balcony whilst the wind whipped and tore at her hair and tried to penetrate Rhett’s jacket, which she had pretty much decided was hers whether he consented or not. She had showered and dressed in black jeans and one of Talen’s thick, plaid shirts over which she had strapped her corset thinking that the combination gave a grunge goth look. To completement that, she’d twisted her hair into two buns high on her head and gone red with her lips and heavy with the eyeliner.There was something nice about wearing her men’s clothes with the beautiful house behind her and the smell of wood smoke from the fireplace in Rhett’s snug combining with fresh brewed coffee and bacon on the air.Through the elegant French patio doors, she could see Cameron, Rhett and Tyler in the kitchen – the latter having appeared as if summoned by the smell of coffee and bacon, and subsequently had been roped into chopping vine ripened tomatoes, mushrooms and big bunches o
Havermouth, Present Time They set two extra places at the table, and everyone sat down to eat other than Talen, who took a seat companionably anyway. Aislen couldn’t help but sneak him looks out of the corner of her eye, trying to acclimate herself to the man without his beard. He caught her looking and his eyes danced with laughter as he smiled and put his hand on her knee under the table. Outside, it resumed raining, and everyone paused in order to look out through the French doors as the water washed over the boards of the balcony. “Because what we need is more water,” Rhett commented wryly. “The crossing over the river is all but blocked off,” Constable Overly advised. “And we’re reserving those roads and bridges that are unflooded for emergency services and only allowing limited traffic to pass.” “How are people taking the restrictions?” Heath ate neatly around the question. “There’s a pretty good community spirit going,” Patience replied. “Lots of riverside properties own b
Havermouth, Five Years BeforeRhett knew that there was trouble the moment that he entered the kitchen. Phillip calmly ate his toast between sips of black coffee, his phone on the marble countertop, scrolling through emails, however Rhett’s mum caught his eye, her expression strained, and she gave a slight shake of her head. She was later leaving than her usual routine, which was warning in itself. She had stayed to mitigate Phillip’s anger.“Rhett,” Phillip lifted his eyes from the phone, his expression cool and calm.“I’m late,” Rhett said edging around the counter towards the door.“Be late. I want to talk to you before I leave.”“Phillip,” Lora murmured.Phillip cast her an irritated look. “Go to work, Lora.” She swallowed, wavering between obeying her mate and alpha, and protecting her son from his anger. A muscle worked in the corner of Phillip’s jaw. “Go on.”Lora cast Rhett a desperate look over her shoulder as she picked up her bag and went to the door. “Phillip,” she tried a
Havermouth, Five Years BeforeCameron and Heath threaded their way through the crowded corridors. “I haven’t seen Rhett this morning,” Cameron said as they stepped out of the doors and began to make their way towards the hill. He tried to keep his tone light, but there was a tightness to his throat that echoed that which gripped his heart.Had Rhett picked up Aislen and skipped school? Had he taken her to the river house to f-k, without Cameron and Heath? The feeling reminded Cameron of that he’d had when Rhett and Heath were sneaking off to f-k after they’d both turned eighteen and hadn’t told him that they were mates. He felt left out, excluded, and jealous.At least this time, he wasn’t alone. Heath was right there with him.“No,” Heath was frowning. “I haven’t seen him.”“He wouldn’t have…” Cameron flicked his blond mate a look from under his eyelashes. “Picked her up and taken her to the river house without us, would he?” That stung extra hard because the river house was Cameron’
Havermouth, Present Time“That’s enough,” Heath snapped at the same time as Talen moved in one of those blurred motions too fast for Aislen’s sight, gently positioning her behind him and glowering down at Patience. Cameron’s chair hit the ground as he shot to his feet.“Holy shit!” Tyler exclaimed.“Heath is correct, that is enough,” Talen said his voice icy. Aislen placed her hands on his waist and smirked around him at the startled policewoman. Take that, she thought gleefully, she had a mountain of daddy-bear-vampire and three hot werewolves prepared to stand up for her, now.Patience’s eyes travelled from the grim-faced vampire, along the table of affronted werewolves, to her partner, Iris, whose hand rested on her weapon. “It is the truth,” she said looking back up at Talen. “Someone needed to lay it out for her.”“I will get my coat,” Heath announced, meeting Talen’s eyes and giving a slight nod of his head which Talen returned, a silent acknowledgement that Heath would break th
Havermount, Present TimeAislen closed her eyes. She wondered if he knew the trust that she gave him in doing so. Trust, and, if she was honest with herself, weakness. She couldn’t open herself to him whilst meeting his eyes. She knew that, in a way, he would understand. He used his hair for the same escape from eye contact when it was too much for him.In her mind she imagined that she was eighteen again, and they were back in those first moments in the river house… The original bedroom would have been in the same space, just about, she thought, upon reviewing the layout of the house. Yes. The window was more or less in the same place. The internal walls had been moved in order to make space for the bathroom and the walk-in robe, but… it was the same room, she realised with one of those brain-melting moments of re-orientation.“This is the original bedroom,” she said to him. His lips had grazed from lips to hairline, and he breathed in her scent there, taking his time both to absorb
Havermouth, Present TimeThey sat with their shoulders propped up companionably on the headboard, the sheets tangled around their legs, the sex-sweat drying on their skin, and sipped whiskey whilst they shared a joint. She sighed on the exhale and rested her head on his shoulder, perfectly content in the moment.“Heath would tell me off,” Rhett said as he took the joint. “He disapproves of the smoking, nicotine or otherwise, especially inside.” He said as he blew out the smoke, returning it to her.“Of course, he does,” she laughed. “Mr Responsible.”“Hmm,” he leaned his face into her hair to deliver his kiss to the curls. “Five years,” he said.“Five years?” She frowned in confusion and regarded the joint in her fingers in accusation for her slow comprehension, and then realization dawned. “Ah, Rhett, let’s just not,” she complained. “We are all mellow and relaxed after amazing sex… Plus, we agreed, it’s in the past…”“For five years I would draw you,” he said with determination (if