Sunday Snippet: Capsized Buccaneer

Hello!

Gotta say, my television shows are eating my brain lately. I'm dying for Walking Dead tonight even though the Governor makes my skin crawl. I got caught up on Sleepy Hollow and totally love the dynamic of the entire show. Reminds me so much of the X-files. Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. is coming together pretty nicely. I'm enjoying the character dynamics. Sons of Anarchy keeps me on the edge of my seat and I so want to hate Gemma, but can't quite go across the line into loathing territory. But I would love to see her get some kind of comeuppance. We'll see what happens.

Again, Arrow and Tomorrow People had me glued to my screen on Wednesday. Arrow truly gets better each episode. Tomorrow People keeps me guessing and I hope it stays that way. I'm really excited to see where Haven ends up going and how they'll resolve the current storyline. I can't remember if this is the last season or not, but I'm almost hoping it isn't.

And hey, I'm currently enjoying a Firefly marathon on the Science Channel. I have much love for that show.

So… tonight's post. Capsized Buccaneer is part urban fantasy, part castaway island. Zeb and Kallen have to survive being stranded after Zeb's yacht sinks in the ocean. He's got a connected family, she's a sports champion and their initial spark turns into a conflicted truce once they get off the island and discover someone wants Kallen dead.

Here's the tagline:

Kallen Bond, a star athlete certain to lead her team to a championship win, takes a much needed two day excursion aboard a Bertelli luxury yacht before the big game. The Bertelli's sabotage their ship to eliminate Kallen from the competition, but she's saved by Zeb, the family black sheep, and they end up stranded on a remote island with no way home.

And a preview snippet…

Zeb jerked to consciousness, putting his hands out to keep paddling water. His fingers met with sand instead. He no longer bobbed in the water, praying for death. Slowly, he attempted to sit, wincing at the sharp throb in his head. When the ship exploded, something caught the back of his skull. Lifting a hand, he found dried blood and a huge bump. Inhaling deeply, he fought the wave of pain and struggled to up onto his knees. He'd landed in a sandy pit a good distance from the shore.

How the hell had that happened? Movement from behind him drew his attention. The blond he'd grabbed when she floated past—Kelly, Kali, no, Kallen—plopped down beside him and gazed out towards the horizon.

He craned his neck, cautiously, and scanned the surrounding. Trees and craggy rocks met his gaze. Land. Civilization. They'd made it.

Heaving a sigh, he settled down, drawing his knees up to his chest. "We're safe."

Kallen snorted. "Yeah, not so much, handsome. While you were out cold, I wandered around. We're on an island as far as I can tell. I didn't go far, but it appears deserted." She slid him a sideways glance. "So unless you've got food and water stashed in those beat up cargo shorts, we're not safe." She scrambled up to her feet. "In fact, we're as good as dead if we don't find some kind of shelter." She lifted her chin, gazing upward. "Another storm front is moving in. And it looks damned ugly."

He followed her line of sight and sure enough, roiling, nasty looking black clouds moved at a solid clip, heading in their direction. He huffed out a hard breath and carefully got his feet under him.

He held out his hand. "Then let's go." He flashed a grin. "I've had enough of being wet today."

Kallen's lips quirked and she grasped his palm. "Yeah. I feel your pain." She took lead and directed Zeb towards a rocky outcropping. "I think we can stay protected from the wind and most of the rain over this way." She carefully picked her way along a barely noticeable trail.

But a path meant someone else had been on the island, right? Maybe? Or it could've been used by a big ass wild animal.

Zeb's head spun, his hangover kicking in with major force. Dehydration. He'd need water soon.

Kallen stumbled. "Son of a bitch." She hopped on one foot. "Stupid. Stupid. Wearing flip flops instead of shoes." A cut oozed blood along the side of her sole.

Zeb glanced downward, realizing he only had one of his topsiders on. How did he not notice that before? Dumbass, you woke up on some crazy island after your yacht went down. A little busy, yeah?

He ducked down, using his shoulder to support Kallen. "Let me help. You should avoid getting sand and dirt in that."

Kallen wrapped an arm around his waist. "Go straight, then bear right. You're looking for a big ass tree." She tightened her grip. "It gets pretty rough, the terrain, I mean."

Zeb shot her a look. "Think I can't handle it?"

She lifted a shoulder. "Well, you were pretty wasted last night. You've gotta be feeling like shit right now."

He fought an urge to heave and soldiered on. "You're not wrong. But I seriously don't wanna get caught when those clouds hit this place." He found the tree and veered inland. "But I warn you, when we hit those rocks, I might fall over and not get back up."

Kallen grimaced. "Look, it's Zeb, isn't it?"

He nodded.

She continued. "It's not much further and we won't have any place else to go once that storm get here. You, no we, can collapse and stay down as long as necessary."

Zeb got a better hold on Kallen. "Gee, Kallen, your motivational skills aren't quite what I expected."

She slid her gaze sideways. "You know my name?"

He snorted. "Everyone knows your name. You led your team to the world finals and a chance at the championship, hence the huge bash on my family's yacht."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, great party that turned out to be."

Zeb huffed out a harsh breath and winced when a strong stitch throbbed in his side. "God, don't make me laugh right now."

The craggy terrain evened out and Zeb broke through some underbrush into a small clearing. Kallen let go and hopped over to a large rock, dropping down to take a look at her injury.

Zeb circled around, trying to get his bearings. The sky darkened and he edged closer to the outcropping, looking for a good place to take shelter. Running his hand on the jagged surface, he walked about fifteen yards and noticed a large gap. He leaned in to get a closer look and discovered the opening seemed to go on for a good ways.

He shouted over the gusty wind. "Hey, Kallen, I think I found a cave. Maybe we could take cover in it."

She finished tying a strip of her shirt around her wound and hobbled over. Bending down, she peered inside.

She let out a laugh. "Damn, I think you're right. It'll be dark, but it should keep us out of the worst of the storm." Stooping down again, she crawled inside. "Shit, Zeb. Get in here."

Zeb followed and gasped in surprise. Light filtered in from the entrance, casting a shadowy glow on a large, circular ring with wood stacked inside. Several crates lined one side of the cave and two oil lanterns sat atop the biggest one. Zeb wandered over and found a box of matches and dug one out before lifting the shade to light the wick. He held the light up to get a better look at the interior of their shelter.

Kallen let out a low whistle. "Looks like we may not be alone here, after all."

This one has been really fun to write so far. It's still in the early stages but the outline stuff keeps pouring out. May end up being more than one book if the sages keep spewing stuff out. :D

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye