Havermouth, Present TimeAislen woke from a deep sleep between Rhett and Cameron. A hole in the wooden divider wall shed a fragile light into the room, just enough so that she could run her worried gaze over Rhett. He was looking better, she decided, his face less waxy pale, his eyes less shadowed. His cheekbones still stood out too prominently against his skin, emphasized by the dark shadow of a couple of day’s stubble, but he didn’t seem to be losing more weight.She hovered on the edge of sleep and awake, admiring the heavy fall of his hair, and the fullness of his lips, until her bladder demanded action. Rhett’s eyes opened as she eased out from Cameron’s arm. She touched his cheek. “Go back to sleep. I’m just going to the bathroom.”Cameron sat up, bleary eyed. “Are you hungry?”“Not really,” Aislen ruffled her fingers through his hair. “But I’ll go downstairs and empty cans into the saucepan if you two are?”“Not yet,” Rhett’s eyes were almost closed and his face was relaxing ba
Havermouth, Present TimeAs the witches began the chant to focus their energy and direct it to her, Aislen closed her eyes and wrapped her fingers into the hem of the t-shirt that she wore, trying to picture Jessica in her mind’s eye, remembering the cheerful little girl with Rhett’s eyes and a pretty sundress, who had been fascinated by Aislen’s dresses…She felt the energy strike through her, throwing her head back under the rush of it, feeling her hair lift and drop with the static. For a moment, she remained, surrounded by the hum of chanting witches, with the now familiar smells of Leighton’s arcane components, dust and old newspaper, her bond telling her that Rhett and Cameron’s presence was reassuringly to the left and then...Jessica…Her breath huffed from her as her head and elbows struck against something, the thud hollow. One foot braced against a wall and her knee rested against another. She drew her back foot slowly and cautiously towards her body as she fought a wave of
Havermouth, Present Time They drove as close to the bridge as they could get before hitting the first roadblock. Every alternative route they attempted from that point they found blocked either by cement barricades or vehicles parked across the street and left. The only way into the town by car was barricaded by soldiers and spike strips. “Let me out here,” Leighton said from the back seat. Talen’s eyes flicked to the rear-view mirror but he slowed to a stop and Leighton reached for the door handle. “I will make sure that all eyes are away from the bridge, and that the bridge guards are distracted by what is happening in town,” he told them as he stepped out, and paused with a small smile. “Just make sure not to get distracted yourself, and Talen…” He raised an eyebrow. “I remember. Don’t open the pouch until I need to return,” Talen replied with amusement, patting the chest of the many-pocketed military style vest that he wore over a black, long-sleeved top and cargo pants. Heath k
Havermouth, Present TimeTalen grabbed Heath and dragged him up the bank, throwing him into the rear of the 4WD and slid in beside him closing the door with enough force to shake the Ute. As the 4WD pulled away at breakneck speed, Talen twisted in the seat to look behind. Someone in the rear of the other 4WD waved at him enthusiastically.“Hmm,” he turned back around. “You have Tyler.”“Yes, long story,” Sigrid replied settling back into the seat. She crossed her legs elegantly and adjusted the frill of her long-sleeved dress before stroking her braid over her shoulder, as smugly pleased with herself as a tabby cat in the cream.“Are we being pursued?” Heath wondered.“Turn left here,” Sigrid told the driver.“Hello Samuel,” Talen said, remembering the other vampire’s name.“Hello again,” Samuel replied politely whilst throwing a hard left that slid Heath into Talen.“Turn right, and park behind that industrial waste bin over there,” Sigrid added pointing over Samuel’s shoulder. Both
Havermouth, Present TimeAislen caught at Talen’s elbow. “Hey,” she said her eyes flicking to the vampires around her. “Talen… I am so glad you are back, but this sounds… dangerous.”He paused and cupped her cheek on his palm leaning down until his breath warmed her lips. “We will stalk and kill the Van Helsing soldiers who make themselves vulnerable. Maybe they will step away from their post in order to urinate against a wall… Maybe their shoelace will come untied, and they will bend over to tie it taking their eyes off the road... Maybe they will be the one left manning the post whilst their partner follows a pretty girl into the shadows… Whatever way it unfolds, we will be the nightmares of shadow stalking them.“In the light, they have the advantage of numbers, but in the shadows of night, we can outrun them, we can sneak up on them, and we can kill them before they can put a finger to the trigger. Is there a risk?” His fingers stroked through her hair. “Of course, there is a risk
Havermouth, Present time Aislen and Tyler picked through the remaining supplies, organizing bedding. “I’m not one hundred percent where to put you,” she said, her cheeks coloring. “You won’t want to be in with us…” Tyler snorted his laughter. “F-k no,” he agreed emphatically. “You’re all nice to look at, and voyeurism is fun and all, but I have a better offer, actually,” he paused, glancing over his shoulder to the doorway where Leighton had taken Izeikiel and Samuel. “So, we’ll find a quiet, private place and cuddle up.” “Alright, good luck,” she glanced over her shoulder as one of the doors to the smaller offices opened and Bianca stepped out, closing it quietly behind her so as not the disturb whoever she was sharing it with. “I should go back to Rhett,” Aislen said to Tyler. “If you are going to be okay?” “All good,” Tyler replied cheerfully examining an hand pump for the air mattress at his feet. He compressed it. “Sort of kinky,” he said with a mischievous smirk. “I really d
Havermouth, Present TimeCameron was ebullient on the way back to the Ute, his steps bouncing, and his grin wide. He nudged up against Heath with his shoulder playfully. “That felt good, didn’t it?” He prompted his mate. “Seeing Lauren and Anne get Jessica back, and helping them to move to Anne’s house.”“Yeah,” Heath glanced over his shoulder, and linked his arm through Cameron’s. “Cam…” He broke off at the sound of engines, and the squeal of tyres. They both dove into the bushes and crouched looking back to where the Van Helsings had pulled up out front of Lauren’s house, their car lights flooding the house with cold light and dark shadow.Many armed men flooded the house, moving through it, calling out to themselves, their words stolen by distance, but their purpose clear. They were searching for Lauren and, presumably, Jessica.“Look,” Heath hissed, his hand squeezing the cuff around Cameron’s wrist so that it pinched skin against bone, but Cameron didn’t protest, his eyes followi
Concordia, Eleven Hundred Years BeforeThaelen lay for a long moment with his eyes closed evaluating himself. He felt weak, drained of energy but awake and alert. The bloated tightness of his stomach had eased which was a good sign that his body had adjusted and made use of the blood that he had consumed. From the stuffy warmth of the tent and the amount of noise outside the canvas, he knew that it was at least late morning.He was alone within the tent, although he could hear the steady snick-snick of a blade passing over a whetstone from the entrance of the tent and knew that someone guarded over his sleep whilst they tended to their weapons.His skin felt greasy and sticky with old sweat, and he could smell the sharpness of it on his skin and clothing. If he achieved nothing else that day, he decided, he would go to the water and bathe. He opened his eyes and waited for the haloes to clear before sitting up slowly, testing to see if the world dipped and swayed or stayed steady.The