Havermouth, Three Weeks BeforeCameron’s run took him by Aislen’s house as it always did. He’d debated changing routes, but people were used to seeing him run the same path, so changing would look suspicious. He saw the vampire’s Ute parked in the driveway, but no sign of the big blonde man. He did not break his pace, running his normal lap, and when he passed back by, the Ute was gone.He finished his run and eagerly returned to his Ute. As he drove across the bridge, he followed Philip Salem’s new Porsche along the roads towards the Havermouth Estate until Cameron’s path caused him to turn off towards the river house and Philip’s took him onwards.He parked and walked around the house, crossing Rhett’s window on purpose in order to look within, the drag of his shadow across the wall lifting his dark-haired mate’s head from his work. Rhett’s expression was worryingly blank, sending a shiver up Cameron’s back. He smiled and waved with false brightness before going around to the balcon

Havermouth, Three Weeks BeforeCameron fussed with his bedroom, straightening the covers on the bed, fluffing the cushions. He wasn’t like Rhett or Heath, he thought looking around the room. Rhett would have candles lit and music playing, and Heath would have chilled champagne and scattered the bed with rose petals. Cameron’s room was just… his. It was simple, comfortable, and suddenly inadequate in his eyes.Perhaps, he thought, he should steal some candles and raid the garden for rose petals…“Here,” Heath entered and set a box of condoms down on the bed.Cameron picked them up and turned them over in his hands. “Ah… Thanks, I guess?”“Like Rhett said, it’s best to keep bodily fluids away from her piercings. She will be sore, so be gentle.”“Of course,” Cameron could feel his heart beat in his throat it was thumping away so hard. “I f-ked her,” he blurted the words out. “At her house when I ran past. We had sex, on her bed.”“I f-ked her too,” Heath said quietly. “And we both know t

Havermouth, Present TimeRaiding the MegaStore was a brief period of light-hearted fun that they all needed Aislen thought as they raced each other through the aisles of the store with their oversized shopping trolleys, tossing in anything that caught their eyes, from sleeping bags and memory-foam pillows, to oversized bags of snack-sized chocolate and slabs of soft drink.“Heath’s going to hate these,” Cameron said as he picked through the denim, tossing jeans into his trolley. “But there isn’t exactly a large range. Huge quantity in every size and color, but it’s all the same basic design.”“The three of you will look like you’re in uniform, all matching,” she giggled at the mental image as she picked out some underwear for them, holding them up against Cameron’s arse for size. “Like the other Triquetra. What size? These right?”“Yeah,” he checked the tag and threw them into his trolley.“I think we are reaching the capacity of the vehicles,” Talen announced as he added a pile of cl

Havermouth, Present TimeBefore they could respond to Talen’s startling statement, the other Triquetra appeared in the open roller door, the bright daylight throwing them into silhouette.“Someone is coming,” Greg told them as the Triquetra stepped to either side of the door, their weapons held ready.“Van Helsings?” Cameron wondered. He held the cuff on his wrist with his other hand, hiding it beneath the ring of his fingers.“No. Hippies,” Tom said with a slight sneer.“Oh,” Aislen brightened and walked out to stand in the open door. Sure enough, she felt Bianca enter her range a moment before the group of witches and warlocks made their way furtively through the back streets to the car park of the MegaStore.Bianca spotted her and waved with a big grin. Aislen waved back with both arms, dancing in excitement, and when Bianca closed the distance, threw her arms around her friend in a fierce embrace, breathing in the familiar scent of incense that always seemed to cling to Bianca’s h

Off the Coast of Concordia, Eleven Hundred Years BeforeThe moon was a horned curve in a peaceful, clear sky bright with stars, reflecting on the glossy surface of the water.A stillness had fallen, slackening the sails, and slowing their progress. The wind would pick up, he told himself as he resumed his favorite place on the top deck, leaning against the handrail and gazing out at the dark shadow of Concordia in the distance. The wind always picked up eventually, but he preferred the shallow bottomed boats of his people, where such periods of stillness were easily combatted through the wielding of oars.Within the darkness of the land, he could see small points of light – hearth fires, funeral pyres, or bonfires? Signs of unrest in the land?Sigrid came to stand beside him, leaning against the handrail. “You asked for love,” she said softly. “You asked the goddess for love.”She referred to his first full sacrifice at the temple, though it was a prayer that he had repeated every tim