Tales from the Dubh Linn Read online

  ‘Alan?’ Natasha asked when Kate did not go on.

  ‘We haven’t found him. He’s still, officially, missing.’

  ‘Can you tell us what happened?’ John asked.

  Natasha sighed, trying to push her memory back to the night, so long ago and yet only last week, when she had last seen her three friends. ‘It all started,’ she rasped out, ‘when we walked into the Dubh Linn…’

  Hunt

  Windsor, England, October 31st, 2011

  ‘You’re sure this is going to be okay?’ Alyssa said as she placed her overnight bag in the back of the car beside Sean’s and the larger lump of the tent. ‘I mean, they’re saying it’s going to be a bad year. Are you sure we’ll be safe?’

  ‘You don’t have any witchy tendencies you haven’t told me about, do you?’ Sean replied, grinning. She loved his smile.

  ‘No.’ She grinned back, thrusting her chin at him and digging him in the ribs.

  ‘Then we’ll be fine. It’s safe if you’re normal. Besides, being out on a wild night is the whole point.’ He closed the back hatch on the car and walked around to the driver’s door. ‘Out under the stars, in the open, while the sky rages…’ He raised his fists to the sky, his grin becoming both broader and sillier. ‘It’ll be awesome. You’ll see.’

  Alyssa climbed into the passenger seat of the little hatchback and buckled her seatbelt. ‘Okay,’ she said, ‘let’s get out there before it gets dark and we can’t see to put the tent up.’

  Grinning even more, Sean started the engine and pulled away. They had been planning their “night under the stars” for a month. Sean had said he knew the perfect spot near a tree in the nearby Windsor Great Park. It was not exactly wilderness, but it was a big expanse of open ground and, on Halloween Night, no one was going to be about to tell them they could not pitch a tent there or disturb them once they had.

  They had been a couple for almost six months now having met in the summer. Sean had been a real gentleman, never pushing to take the relationship further, and it had been Alyssa who had finally cracked and taken him to bed. They both still lived with their parents and it was not easy to get private time. Spending Halloween in a tent on their own had been Sean’s idea, but Alyssa had been just as enthusiastic. It sounded romantic, naughty, kind of kinky, and they would definitely have privacy.

  And, of course, he was right. Kids went out on Halloween to cadge sweets. The supernatural ones would make sure they were inside well before dark, but the spirits which came out when the sun went down ignored normal folk. The weather was supposed to be good tonight and Sean had assured her it would be snug and warm inside the little tent. Especially snug; the sleeping bags zipped together. Alyssa grinned at the thought, her stomach tightening a little.

  ‘What’s funny?’ Sean asked.

  ‘Nothing. It’s going to be a great night.’

  ~~~

  Alyssa’s breath came in ragged pants as Sean’s fingers teased her clitoris. He was not, perhaps, the most skilled lover, but Alyssa had never had another and even in the few times they had been together he had learned to push her buttons pretty well.

  ‘Th-think… going… come,’ she stammered. Her fingers dug into the slippery nylon of the sleeping bag and her body jerked uncontrollably. The feeling of rising tension in her loins was becoming too much, rising up into her stomach and making her feel like her heart was going to burst out of her chest.

  ‘Then come,’ Sean said and she let out a wail as her orgasm rose through her body like a tidal wave.

  She giggled as she came down from the high. ‘I can… can hear… geese.’ There was an odd sound, high up in the sky it seemed, like the yelping call of geese.

  ‘Huh, yeah. Weird, flying at night.’

  ‘What time is it?’

  Sean lifted his head a little to look at his watch which was lying beside the little battery lamp. ‘Almost midnight. I told you we’d be safe.’ He trailed his wet fingers across her lips and her tongue darted out hungrily, tasting herself.

  She shuddered. ‘I want you, again.’

  He grinned. ‘We’ve got all night…’

  ‘Now.’ There was a sudden sense of urgency which she put down to the simple lust of the night. ‘I want you in me. Now.’ His grin broadened and he started to move over her, but she stopped him with a hand on his chest and struggled around in the zipped up bags until she was on her stomach. There was not room to get onto her knees, but she tilted her hips upward and began to spread her legs. ‘Like this,’ she whispered. ‘We’re outdoors. We should be more… animal.’

  He climbed between her legs as though she might change her mind. Her knees moved wider, as wide as she could get them, and she pushed her hips upward to give him easier access. She felt his weight on her, his cock against her labia, spreading her. ‘God yes! Fuck me!’ He was not used to her being so… wanton and he thrust in with more force than he had intended. ‘Oh yes! Do it! Harder!’ Her hands fisted in the sleeping bag and she moaned as though she really was an animal as he rammed himself into her. Her hips ground against him as his slapped into her arse and her lust seemed to infect him. He drove harder.

  She gasped and moaned, and when she spoke it was profane encouragement. She heard the geese calling louder, as though they too were screaming for her to come. She felt the tightening in her loins and the coming wave, and knew Sean was close as well. Her hips bucked back against him and she heard his cry, and her own body flared into pure pleasure as he exploded within her…

  ‘That… that was intense,’ he said as he rolled off her. Alyssa made contented mewling noises as she slumped back down, her legs still spread. The sound of the geese in the sky seemed louder still.

  Sean stiffened suddenly. ‘There’s someone out there!’ He was moving before she could react, grabbing the little lantern and climbing out of the sleeping bag.

  ‘What are you doing?!’ she hissed.

  ‘Going to check.’ She heard the zip on the tent go up and it went dark.

  ‘Sean… come back…’ Turning over she could see the light moving around as though he was looking to see whatever it was he had heard. There was a laugh, loud and hearty, and not Sean’s. The tent was plunged into total darkness.

  Alyssa listened, but all she could hear was her heart thumping in her chest. Clutching the sleeping bag around her, she shuffled to the tent flap. She could see the sky a little; waves of bright green swept across it in waves, shot with sparks and bands of yellow. It really was a bad Samhain this year. Sometimes there were demons abroad when it got really bad…

  ‘Sean?’ It was more or less a whisper and it got no response. ‘Sean?’ Louder this time, but still nothing. Swallowing hard against her rising terror, she pushed her head out of the tent flap.

  The first things she saw were the dogs. They stood around the tent, sniffing at the ground as though searching for a scent. They were white, ghostly white, except for their eyes and mouths which were red. Alyssa let out a tiny whimper and one of the creatures turned its head toward her making a yelping bark that sounded almost like the cry of a goose.

  ‘Oh God,’ Alyssa said under her breath.

  ‘Come out, Alyssa Maybourne.’ She turned her head to see the source of the voice and her breath caught in her throat.

  The man was tall, unnaturally so, and big. His body was almost hidden in clothing which seemed to consist of rags and fronds of foliage, but he looked big, muscular, as well as tall. He moved forward slightly, smoothly, and she got the impression of huge muscles moving under tension. His head though… He had a thick, black beard and a mane of wild hair around rough, rugged features. A pair of antlers rose out of his hair on either side of his head. She knew who he was.

  ‘Herne,’ she said, her voice almost cracking.

  ‘Come out,’ he said. ‘Stand tall. You will not be cold.’ His voice was deep, resonant. It had been his laughter she had heard.

  Struggling out of the bedding, Alyssa stood, struggling not to show the terror she
was feeling. Behind the tent there were horses, two of them riderless, the others bearing men, all of them tall, attractive, smiling.

  ‘My companions on this night were impressed with your… feeling for the nature of the Wild,’ Herne said. ‘They bid me pause my Hunt to request that you join us. See? Your mount awaits.’

  You did not refuse to join Herne’s hunts. ‘I’ve never ridden…’

  ‘No rider in the Hunt ever falls.’

  ‘Sean…’

  ‘Your young man has gone ahead. To start the Hunt. We must not delay further.’

  Pulling herself up as straight as she could, Alyssa walked over to what she suspected was her horse. It was smaller, and a dark roan; Herne’s was huge and black. All the animals had the same red eyes as the dogs. There was no saddle, or reins, but Alyssa wrapped her fingers in the horse’s mien and suddenly she was on its back. It was warm and solid beneath her, and it snorted once as her weight landed and steam gushed into the air.

  Herne raised his head and howled. Around them the dogs did the same and then turned running off across the grass. After a hundred yards they leapt and carried on running as they rose into the air. Alyssa’s horse reared, wheeled about, and set off after them. She had expected to be thrown off instantly, but it was as if she was suddenly a born horsewoman. She felt a lurch as the animal sprang into the air and she was flying, racing along above the ground.

  Around her the Hunt howled and yelled. Ahead the dogs were barking their peculiar cry. It was infectious, exhilarating. After a few seconds of terror, Alyssa was screaming in glee along with the other riders. She was a huntress, a naked goddess on horseback. The ground raced along below them as they swung south and west, the dogs leading the way as they followed the scent of their quarry. Alyssa could feel her heart beating, hear the wind rushing past. She felt alive in a way she had never felt before, wild, animal. The feeling of riding with the hunt was almost sexual! The sky burned green above them, brighter than she had ever seen it before. There was power, magic, and she felt it burning within her too.

  The tenor of the barking up ahead changed, becoming more urgent, and Herne let out another howl. The quarry was sighted! She could see it, a white shape dashing across the ground at incredible speed. This was no natural beast, a White Hart, its antlers bigger than Herne’s, it’s coat shining with some magical, internal light. Alyssa tightened her thighs, urging her mount on as they dropped to ground level after the deer. She wanted this beast. She would be the one to bring it down.

  Now they were racing across fields, leaping hedges ten feet high without a thought, charging across the countryside in pursuit of the Hart. Her mount’s muscles flexed beneath her, barely contained power that responded to her every motion. As they got closer, the other riders drew bows and Alyssa let out a scream of outrage that they might bring the beast down before she could get to it. She leant into her horse’s neck and smacked its sides with her shins, and it leapt forward. The buck was nimble, fast, and the archers seemed unable to even get close with their arrows, but Alyssa knew she could. She drove on, even as four-foot arrow shafts with barbed heads whistled past her. She even felt the fletching of one brush her shoulder; she ignored it and spurred her roan onward. There were trees ahead, and her chance; the archers would have no clear shots. She spurred her horse and readied herself, her mind filled only with the Hunt and the Kill.

  Her horse jinked left to avoid a tree, right again, and there was the Hart, running right beside her. The look of terror in its eyes just made her all the more determined. Letting out an animal scream, Alyssa swung herself sideways, pushed off her horse’s back, and leapt at the Hart. Her arms wrapped around its neck, she felt its soft fur against her breasts and stomach, she pulled herself forward, around, and sank her teeth into its throat.

  The great, white beast stumbled, falling as they entered a small clearing. Alyssa was thrown off, tearing flesh away as she did so. The Hart tried to stand again… And then the dogs were on it and Alyssa was howling in glee along with the barks of the hounds. The Kill was hers!

  November 1st

  There was soft grass under her. Soft, damp grass, and leaf litter. They had not pitched the tent under a tree. She felt stiff, her muscles ached. What had happened? Why was she cold? Her mouth felt dry and she licked her lips, tasting the metallic tang of blood…

  Rolling over, Alyssa sat bolt upright. There was blood on her hands, her chest. It had really happened! She turned, looking for any sign of the Hunt, and stopped. Her eyes refused to see it at first, or her brain refused to acknowledge what she was seeing. When the image on her retinas finally made it through to her conscious brain, Alyssa Maybourne started screaming.

  Across the clearing, lying in a pool of blood, throat ripped out and disembowelled, lay Sean.

  After Twilight

  Guildford, England, September 2010

  ‘I want you to take me and make me yours for all eternity,’ Christina said, her voice carrying the longing of ages.

  Scott peered down at the willowy woman in his arms, his eyes full of love, lust, and ancient despair. ‘No! You can’t ask me to do that. What I am… I’m a monster, Christina. A creature. I could not turn you into the monstrosity that I have been these long centuries.’

  Marian sighed and turned the page. Blissful Destiny was her favourite of the series. All of them spoke to her heart, but this one was the best of the lot. Scott had always been the distant protector, the guardian who Christina secretly loved, but in Blissful Destiny he finally professes his true feelings and goes from cool to blazing hot.

  ‘I want you to do it, Scott,’ Christina said, her voice almost breaking. ‘I want to be with you until the stars burn out. I want to be beside you through the ages. I need to. I feel like it’s my destiny to keep you company. I want to feel your body against mine, your fangs in my neck. I want the ecstasy of it. Turn me!’

  What would it be like to be a vampire? Marian knew a lot of the old legends about them were wrong. They could walk in daylight, for one thing, and since sunglasses had been invented they could see in daylight too. She wondered if they slept in coffins. That had to be a bit claustrophobic. Most of all, Marian wondered what the bite was like. Was there pain? In the story there was, an instant of pain and then the most amazing pleasure. And the author would know; Whitney Stormguard was a vampire herself.

  His dark eyes stared into hers for what seemed like eternity. Then he turned away. ‘I can’t,’ he said, and then he vanished into the night.

  Marian let out a moan of frustration. Okay, so she had read the book a dozen times and knew that he would, eventually, bite and turn her, and they would live happily ever after. It was still frustrating to see him turning away. Marian put her leather Love After Twilight bookmark between the pages and put the book on the night stand. It was her first day back at school tomorrow and she could not stay up late reading tonight. She turned out the light and settled her head on the pillow. She would settle for dreaming about Scott’s dark eyes instead.

  ~~~

  If there was an in-crowd at Hayfield Sixth Form, Marian was not in it. They did not dislike her, they just ignored her. There was no uniform either, but Marian wore one; black, V-necked sweaters over a white blouse, and a black and white plaid, pleated skirt. It might have looked sexy if the skirt had been shorter, but it went below her knees and even the white ankle socks and black, patent leather shoes could not rescue the look. Marian sort of tried to be Goth, but she was far too bright and romantic for it.

  It was a little surprising, then, when one of the school’s more popular girls, a blonde bubble-head named Chelsea, walked up to Marian during first break. ‘You seen the new guy yet, Marian? He looks just your type.’

  ‘New guy?’ Marian responded. She had not noticed anyone new yet, never mind someone who would be “her type,” whatever her type was.

  ‘Moved here from London,’ Chelsea told her. ‘He wears a lot of black, kinda hunky in a brooding way… There he is, Mark Torrent.’


  Marian turned to look in the direction Chelsea was facing and her breath caught in her throat. He was pale; the skin made to look whiter by the shock of jet black hair and the dark glasses he was wearing. He was maybe a couple of inches taller than Marian’s five-foot-seven, slim with a hint of suppressed power about him. The black, silky shirt and black slacks helped. He had to be! Mark Torrent just had to be a vampire!

  ‘See,’ Chelsea said, ‘your type. I can introduce you if you like.’

  Marian turned quickly, her cheeks flushing. ‘Uh, no. No. Thanks, but no. I couldn’t…’

  ‘Suit yourself,’ Chelsea said, starting to flounce off. ‘Offer’s open if you want it.’

  ~~~

  ‘Mind if I sit here?’ Marian looked up into a pair of sunglasses and her heart skipped. His voice was soft with a hint of deep resonance and it seemed to enter her ears and head straight down between her legs. ‘That… wasn’t meant to be a stumper.’ He smiled and she saw his fangs peeking at the corners of his lips. He saw her eyes flick to his mouth and the smile vanished. ‘Sorry,’ he said, ‘I’ll find somewhere…’

  ‘No!’ Marian almost yelped. ‘No, sorry. Please sit down.’ The common room was pretty full, but he could have found a seat elsewhere, and then she would be on her own again, and not talking to her first ever vampire. ‘I’m sorry… about looking… um, I thought you were a… and I wasn’t sure, and…’

  He smiled again, wider this time so she got a good view of his extended canines. ‘Yeah, I am,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t bother you?’

  ‘Oh no. Big “Love After Twilight” fan.’

  He grimaced. ‘It’s not quite like it is in the stories. I’m Mark, by the way.’

  ‘I know,’ Marian said, and then thought it sounded like she was stalking him. ‘Chelsea pointed you out. We don’t get many new people.’