Sunday, September 24, 2017

Sunday Snippet: Various Reasons

What an incredible episode of The Last Ship! I loved the whole storm at sea and the cat and mouse game with the Greek ships. My fingers are crossed nothing happens to Master Chief. I'll be very upset if he dies.

Teen Wolf brought back even more former Beacon Hills faces. I'm excited and a little melancholy about tonight's episode. I'll be totally thrilled if Monroe finally dies a spectacular death.

I'm four episodes in on The Defenders and pretty much love it so far. Even Danny isn't as annoying as I thought he'd be. Jessica and Luke make me happy. Not as a couple or anything, I just love their shorthand conversations. And, of course, Matt is pretty much my favorite, always.

Hawaii Five-0 is pretty terrific in season seven. I like the interactions and pretty much like Steve getting some closure with Katherine. I'm not even halfway through the season yet, but here's hoping the remaining episodes are as good.

Gotham returned! I completely missed the premiere date but got caught up the next day. I LOVED the first episode of the season. I'm thrilled the show seems to have found its footing and delivers great television on a consistent basis.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Various Reasons, a novella that started with the two-word prompt, "marry me".

Here's the mini-blurb:

Paloma and Cedric keep putting off thinking or talking about the future—they've got a fae war on their hands, but after a particularly ugly skirmish, Paloma decides it's time to open the topic for discussion. Cedric is so shocked, he's not quite sure he believes her, but once Paloma gets through the list of various reasons, he's close to getting on board.

And a preview snippet…

"Cedric! Four more coming your way."
Paloma Writhe shouted the warning to her partner, Cedric Waters. Hellhounds made for nasty opponents and groups of four closed in from all sides. Not the first time she and Ced got boxed in… and this time, they'd planned this little experiment, putting themselves in the line of fire to hopefully contain casualties.
"Get ready, Palo. Time to close the gap." Cedric eased backward, luring two of the snarling groups closer.
They formed a semicircle around him.
Paloma mimicked his maneuver, achieving the same result. "It's working, Ced. We've got them in the open but focused on us instead of civilian citizens." Their on the fly plan couldn't have come together any better.
The growling and snapping dogs closed in, pushing Paloma and Cedric into a back to back stance. Exactly what they'd hoped for. She and Cedric became a seamless fighting machine when they were pushed to their limit.
The top dog on Ced's side leapt forward and went flying when Cedric struck out with a whip. The resulting high-pitched yelp of pain incited the other hellhounds and they attacked en masse. Like a well-oiled machine, Paloma and Cedric countered every ferociously snapping jaw, vicious swipe of a talon-edged claw, and the noxious, foul-smelling drool that dripped from the jowls of the beasts.
The saliva contained an acidic paralytic that ate through clothing and numbed exposed skin. She and Cedric had prepared, wearing multiple layers and protective goggles and gloves. But… with a dozen attacking hounds, they wouldn't have long to battle.
Paloma focused on knocking back the largest mangy cur on her side of the line. Using a stun baton, she jabbed the tip into the lower throat of the huge hound. The animal shook with the shock of voltage then dropped to the ground.
She grunted with satisfaction. "Second one down. Ten to go." Circling with Cedric at her back, she primed the second baton, giving the first time to regain its charge.
Cedric lashed out with the whip, cracking it above the heads of two slathering black dogs. They cringed downward giving Ced the opportunity to slash the closest animal—a yellow-furred mutt with long fangs—with his blade. Blood spurted, spraying everything, including Paloma and Cedric.
He spun around again. "Gah. Another one gone, but the scent of blood will rile the rest." Using the whip, he gave them a little more room to maneuver.
Paloma bit back a laugh. As if the metallic aroma could cut through the stench of the hounds. Her nostrils burned with the disgusting fumes.
But… the adrenaline rush… nothing topped it. Especially with Cedric along for the ride. Paloma ducked a flying mass of fur and popped back up to spin around again, giving Cedric room to use the whip. She didn't have to think about where to be or what to do, instinct from being Cedric's partner now fully ingrained.
For five years, they'd been a team. Working together first then moving in together two years ago. They shared a life—or what resembled one in the brewing fae skirmishes that bordered on all-out war. The blood scribe died without naming an heir and four different factions battled for control of the fae realm.
If she and Cedric beat the hellhounds, the vying groups would be down to three. The shifters couldn't win if they didn't have their demon dogs. And the packs tended to be neutral because they had their own hierarchy to follow. Made the job easier.
If only it made being a couple easier.
She did not just have that thought. Okay, she did. I've been fighting something more permanent because who the hell knows how this shit show is going to end? Did it really matter?
No. No, it didn't.
Paloma froze for a moment. Holy shit. She wanted to make her relationship with Cedric official.
The revelation threw her off just enough to lose her concentration. She stepped out of sync and directly into the path of a snarling hound. The crack of Ced's whip struck the dog in midair. It twisted to one side, hitting the building and rolling to a stop.
Paloma glanced over her shoulder. "Thanks." She got back in position and rejoined the fight.
They had five more hounds to dispatch.

I'm pretty pleased with how this one is coming together. I like Paloma and Cedric's banter and teamwork.



That's it for this week.

Cheers!


Skye

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