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
Concordia, Eleven Hundred Years AgoThaelen kept his hand on Gera’s shoulder as the weeping Beupraxia’s head was shaved. She had fought, jerking her head away several times, causing the razor to slip. The vampire removing her hair had immediately healed the wounds, but the spilled blood dyed her scalp in shades of red and white. The fight had gone from her, and she sat, her fingers stroking over the strands of her long, shorn hair that had fallen into her lap as it had been cut from her head.Without the abundance of her hair around her face, her bone structure was stark, and the healed scars on her cheeks florid. Her experiences as a captive had hollowed her cheeks and sunk her eyes. Thaelen had branded her face with the intention of stripping her beauty from her, but beauty was a fragile thing, he thought, and already that beauty had been fading under the duress of her circumstances.Isolte and Caerin stood to Thaelen’s side, and he glanced down at Isolte to see that she wept, silen
Havermouth, Three Weeks Before Heath dropped Cameron back at his Ute with strict instructions to go home and stay there, and returned to his office. Someone would have seen, he knew. Someone would have seen Cameron running too or from Aislen’s house, and that news would get back to Abigail. All he could do was hope that it didn’t and wait and see if the Triquetra was summoned to the estate. He was not entirely surprised therefore when, within half an hour, Lillian was hovering in his office door, rapping on the wood with her knuckles and clearing her throat. “Umm, Heath,” she said. “Just let me through,” Charlie Gale shoved through. “This is ridiculous Heath, barring your own father from your office.” Heath rose to his feet, smoothing down his waistcoat, and stepped around the desk. “Coffee, Lilli, if you would be so kind,” he said. “Sure Heath,” she replied and pulled the door closed behind Charlie as he stepped in. “Let’s not pretend that you don’t know why I am here,” Charlie