Sunday Snippet: Hush

December 6, 2015

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Even if you don't celebrate anything holiday related, I hope the festive nature rubs off and make December terrific.

So… Gotham. Interesting stuff building in this season. I'm truly loving all the potential and the twists and turns. I'm very curious about how they'll deal with Gordon's actions. I love how he's not afraid to get messy, but there has to be some kind of line he won't cross.

The Flash and Arrow crossover event ended up being pretty decent, especially since it bridges the setup of a new show. Could it have been better? Absolutely. But I think it accomplished a ton of stuff and stayed true to the characters.

The Walking Dead finale seemed a little flat, but I'll give the showrunners this one. The rest of the season has been so top notch; I'm willing to wait for a bigger payoff. In all honesty, I'm not super excited about adding the uber-villain into the mix just yet, even if the actor they cast is incredible. I'll reserve judgment until I see the new episodes.

Haven inches ever closer to the end and I'm on the fence about the stunt casting of Shatner. I love the man as an actor, but I hope the payoff is worth using him. I do have a ton of joy over the fact they're addressing Duke and Audrey's somewhat tumultuous relationship. It's my fondest hope the combined effort of Duke, Audrey, and Nathan will be what it takes to rid Haven of Croatoan and keep the town safe. We'll see if I'm on track very soon.

The Librarians and Agent X are still enjoyable. I like the slow reveal of John's background in Agent X and love the dropped hint in the most recent episode. Won't say more to keep the post spoiler free for now.

Last but not least, Agents of SHIELD and Doctor Who. I'm kind of excited to see where AoS ends up. I like seeing a darker Coulson, but I'm not sure I buy him getting all bent over the death of a woman he pretty much just met. Eh… we'll see what happens. And Doctor Who… well, I honestly don't have a lot to say. Or maybe I've got so much to say I can't possibly put it all in one post. Still hugely disappointed and, quite frankly, too stupid to really understand what the big freaking deal is with the hybrid crap. At least the Xmas episode looks pretty fun.

And that's it for television this week. I hope to start Daredevil and Jessica Jones over the holiday hiatus. YAY!

Tonight's post is from Hush, a novella where my main characters are hexed and have to communicate without words.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Kia Bleu and Chip Strachey have a powerful connection and finally give in to their attraction. When Chip's former flame hexes the couple, they have to learn to communicate without words.

And a preview snippet…

Chip took a moment, standing outside the bathroom. He hoped he exuded annoyance and anger. Adrenaline pumped through his veins—the zing of magic energy from Kia's exit thrummed along his skin. He'd been standing a little too close to miss the contact burn.

A cool hand settled on his forearm. "Chip, sweetie, what was that nasty exchange all about?" Sadie's too innocent gaze locked onto his.

Chip shrugged. "No idea. Kia just lost her shit and almost blasted me with a ball of anger." He nudged the door open and nodded toward the singed wall.

Sadie's eyes grew wider. "Oh, my. She's really gotta learn how to control her attributes." She sidled up close to him. "I did warn you about her, Chip."

He held her gaze for a long moment. "You might have been right." He let the door swing shut. "But it doesn't mean I want to jump back into couple status with you." Walking toward the exit, he glanced back over his shoulder. "I think I need some time alone, Sadie."

Her mouth dropped open and she made a sputter of disbelief. Ignoring the spiteful woman, he tossed off a wave and pushed through the crowd. He made his way outside and resisted the urge to spit the bitter aftertaste out of his mouth.

Sadie's display of feigned caring boiled in his gut. He wanted to hash out a plan for retaliation with Kia and set Sadie firmly in her place—very far away from him.

And Kia.

He strolled up the block, pondering how to remove the hex. Or better yet, turn it back on Sadie. A better of poetic retribution would be hard to come up with.

Making the turn toward The Cave, he figured Sadie would keep her distance and he and Kia could plan, plot, and possibly keep their passionate connection strong and hot. Whatever happened, the basement room should keep them protected and he could add an extra ward or two to make sure they weren't disturbed.

Ducking inside, he waved to Mario, who sat behind a counter taking wagers for the various magic sports going on in the main level.

Mario gave Chip a two-fingered salute. "You going up or down?" He accepted a wad of bills and ticked a box on the betting sheet.

Chip pointed to the floor and Mario rolled his eyes, but stayed quiet. Chip appreciated the reprieve, but fully expected a major ribbing in the near future. Mario liked using Chip as a draw for the upper levels, where the magic got darker and sport more dangerous.

Chip's participated waned over the last three years, but the requests for his presence hadn't slowed down. If he got the hex situation sorted, he'd offer a big event for Mario, one where they'd both make a healthy windfall.

He started down the steps but paused midway. Holy shit. Reversing the hex couldn't be so easy, could it? Taking the last few stairs at a job, he burst through the doorway and quickly rapped on the metal door of the second studio apartment. He couldn't wait to run his idea past Kia.

The heavy steel slowly creaked open and Kia peeked out. She flung the door open and hauled him inside, pushing him up against the wall and clamping her mouth on his. Her tongue slid past his lips and rational thought dissolved into a heady combination of lust and hunger. He had her shirt up and bra undone before the reason they'd met at The Cave came crashing back.

Making a low growl, he tore his mouth from hers and met her angry gaze. Holding up a finger, he tapped his temple, showing her he needed to share something. She heaved a sigh and stripped her bra off without removing her shirt. Shooting him a look to indicate they'd pick up where they left off, she stalked over to the table and pointed to a notepad and several pens.

He flashed a smile, crossed the floor and pulled a chair out. She sat, folded her arms around her waist, pushing her breasts upward, her nipples pebbled and taut under the fabric. He groaned low in his throat and she smirked.

Grabbing a pen, he started jotting down the basic premise of his plan.

I'm loving how this one is coming together. Fingers crossed the sages keep the words flowing.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye