Sunday Snippet: Red-Eyed Monster

Hello!

Okay, finally got semi-caught up on Haven. Also still current on Sons of Anarchy. I can only say, wow, it hurts to watch both. LOL

I'm behind on some of my other faves. Agents of SHEILD and Sleepy Hollow being two, and I haven't been able to catch Gotham yet either. Sometimes working seven days a week is a huge pain. J

Tonight's post is from Red-Eyed Monster, a novella loosely retelling the story of Hansel and Gretyl.

Here's the tagline:

Psyche Hood and Errol Winkham are best friends, growing up together in the enchanted realm. A sinister darkness and red-eyed metal monster is moving in and Psyche drags Errol out to pick up the trail, little knowing she's playing right into the evil wizard's plan. He wants the red-eyed monster to rain fire down on Errol so Psyche will be alone and his for the taking.

And a preview snippet…

Psyche pounded on the heavy wood slab. "Come on, Errol, get your ass out here. The beast is on the prowl again." Her fist started toward the door when it jerked open and she connected with Errol's chest instead.

His bare, muscular chest.

Her mouth went dry and her gaze flew up to meet his. "You didn't tell me you were going to bed, E." Her tongue flicked out, wetting her lower lip. "How the hell can you sleep when that red-eyed monster is churning through the realm?"

Errol closed his eyes and swayed a little. "Because we've been chasing the damn thing for five straight days, Psyche." His mouth opened on a yawn, but he caught the gesture and shook his head. "Give me five, okay?" He turned and strode toward the wardrobe, dragging a drawer open.

Five days? How did she not realize? Because Errol always handled the details, like reminding her to eat and keeping a log of their activity. She tracked and formulated the plan. And right now, she made one up on the fly.

Entering Errol's cottage, she moved to stand behind him, her hands coming up to rest on his biceps. He tensed under her touch.

Leaning in, she pressed her lips to his shoulder. "Forget taking five, Errol, let's take the night off."

He relaxed for a moment, then straightened. "We probably shouldn't. What about the damage the damned metal contraption can do?"

She rested her forehead against his back. "What about the harm we'll cause if we don't stop to regroup?" She nudged him around so he faced her. "To date, we've been chasing ourselves into exhaustion and haven't caught the stupid thing yet." She grasped the waistband of his fatigues. "Think about it, it's leading us on a merry chase. Let's stop and see what it does when we're not there to engage."

Errol's eyes slid closed again. "Not a bad plan, but I'm so tired I couldn't form an objection if I wanted to." His eyelids popped open. "And I really don't want to."

Catching her off guard, he scooped her up and carried to his bed, topping them onto the soft surface. He popped the button of her pants and she quickly shimmied out, shoving them down to the floor. His fingers worked the buttons of her vest loose and she shrugged it off. She returned the favor and worked his fatigues loose so he could slide them off. He threw an arm over her waist and she turned toward the wall, spooning back against him.

He nuzzled her shoulder. "Sleep first, yeah?"

She wriggled her butt against his thighs. "Yeah, regroup and recharge." She twined their fingers together and dragged his hand up close to her heart. "Rejuvenating sex in the morning."

A soft sigh escaped him. "Sounds perfect." He snuggled in closer and drifted off to sleep.

Psyche remained awake a while longer, pondering a way to trap the red-eyed monster. When they finally caught the raging beast, she didn't want anyone else but Errol at her side to tear it apart.

Seriously love trying my hand at fairy tale retellings. This one is so much fun to dive into and play with.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Red Cap

September 21, 2014

Hi,

Blargh. I'm still not caught up with Haven. I am, however, and probably as expected, up to date with Sons of Anarchy. Seriously, I have no idea where I want anyone except Gemma to end up. LOL Kudos to Charlie Hunnam for the primo job he's doing portraying Jax.

Sleepy Hollow starts Monday and I can't wait for more batshit insane goodness from that show. I'm so looking forward to November when I'm not working seven days a week and can really sit back and enjoy my shows.

Tonight's post is from Red Cap, an urban fairytale with the gender roles reversed in a retooling of Little Red Riding Hood.

Here's the tagline:

Magan Drone, a red-capped tree nymph, is tasked with protecting Cass Warrison, an earth sprite, from the wolf-shifter clan. Magan isn't thrilled with the duty—she and Cass share a complicated past—but her handy skill with a crossbow can stop an evil prophecy from coming to light. She'll do her job and save the day, but no way will she let Cass back into her life.

And a preview snippet…

Magan spun around. "You want me to do what?" She shook her head, certain she'd heard her uncle's orders the wrong way.

Milton crossed his arms over his chest. "You heard me, Magan. Cass Warrison is the target of the shifter clan and I want you to make sure he stays alive."

Magan snorted. "Why the hell should I?" If she had her way, she'd use him for shooting practice.

Milton growled. "Because if you don't, the shifters will fulfill the prophecy and take control of the realm. They'll no longer live on the fringe, but right in the heart of the enchanted woods. Is that what you want?"

Magan glanced away. "No, Uncle Milt."

She didn't want the wolf clan to take control of the forest. The nymphs and sprites enjoyed unlimited freedom and safety while in the magical woods. Only when they ventured out to the cities in human form did they have to worry about becoming prey for the shifters.

Her uncle laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Lass, I know what I'm asking of you won't be easy, but Cass can't fall to the she wolves." He heaved a sigh. "If I could trust anyone else with the task, I wouldn't send you."

Magan met his gaze. "Yes, you would. I'm the best you have." She dragged in a deep breath. "But you'd better be ready when I come back. Whenever Cass and I cross paths, one of us ends up bloody and beaten." Her eyes narrowed. "You'll either be stitching me up or holding me back."

Milton nodded. "I'll be here, Magan, and ready for whatever you bring with you."

She turned away and rolled her eyes. Magan suffered no illusion when it came to her uncle. If he had to hand over her head on a pike to keep the peace, he would. But he'd raised her to understand leadership came with sacrifice and almost always had a personal cost.

Her time to pay up arrived in the form of the man who once held her heart before casting it away.

Cass Warrison better damn well appreciate the expense.

I love playing in fairytale land and this one is great fun to write.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Rapier's Edge

September 14, 2014

Hello,

Argh. Super busy week so I missed the premiere of Haven and will hopefully be catching up tonight. But… I did NOT miss the opening episode of Sons of Anarchy. Holy hell. Without giving too much away, I wanted Gemma to die a slow painful death in the final frame of the series, but yeah, that's all changed. If died in the next episode it wouldn't be too soon for me. Take that as a challenge to change my mind, Mr. Sutter. Seriously.

Since I talked DC last week, I'll throw in my excitement for Marvel's Agents of SHEILD and Agent Carter. I think I'll like having Peggy take up the downtime between the two halves of AOS.

Tonight's post is from Rapier's Edge, a novella where my main characters start out on opposite sides, but quickly end up working together.

Here's the tagline:

Wren Buxton, an undercover fae agent, finds Jacob Franklin standing over a dead body. He resists her siren call and refuses to answer questions during her interrogation. Wren has a sneaking suspicion all isn't what it seems with the covert mercenary.

And the preview snippet…

Wren entered the dingy apartment, ready for action. Crouching low, her gaze swept the dim interior, landing on the prone form of Havish Smithreen then slid sideways to find a tall figure holding a bloodied knife just to the left. Wren let out a piercing pitch and the man dropped to his knees before keeling over to his side.

Working quickly, Wren grabbed her phone and called in a cleanup crew for Havish. The shaman didn't deserve to die by the blade and Wren planned to exact justice on his behalf and to make it happen, she'd have to interrogate the fallen assailant.

But not in Havish's home. Nope, she had just the spot in mind for her task. A nice abandoned warehouse with minimal power she jacked from a neighboring distribution center.

Moving forward, she lifted a booted foot in each hand and dragged the solidly built man the short distance to the front door. She didn't feel a single twinge of guilt when his head thumped against the wooden chair pushed up close to the café table. She'd shared many a morning coffee with Havish sitting in the very location. When she reached the heavy oak slab, blessed by an ancient ancestor, she cast a cover spell and resumed hauling her quarry out to her SUV. Getting him inside proved a huge challenge, but she got him trussed up in the back, using jumper cables to make sure he stayed put. The cleanup crew arrived directly after she slammed the back doors closed.

Wren jerked her head towards the apartment. "Take care with his body. He's a shaman."

The unit leader hustled over and tried to get a look inside Wren's vehicle. "Need any help?"

Thank the fae for blackout windows.

Wren waved the guy back. "No. This one's mine." She headed for the driver's side. "But tell the council I won't be reporting in until morning. I'll be holed up at location two."

The man frowned. "You really should take back up. Why not give me the address and I'll swing by when we're done here."

Wren exhaled slowly, keeping a tight rein on her temper. "Because I'm calling the shots here and the location is none of your business. I code them for a reason and the elders know where to find me if I don't call in."

He held up his hands. "Okay, okay. Have it your way." He shrugged a shoulder. "Just trying to help out." He started for the entrance of the building.

Wren fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Yeah, whatever. If I want help, I'll ask." She yanked the door open and swung up inside. "Don't forget. You're dealing with a holy man. Give him the utmost respect."

The unit leader nodded and ducked into the apartment. Wren sat for a moment then shut the world out and started the engine. She hummed a serenity ballad, hoping to keep her prisoner out cold until they reached her destination.

And to keep the desire to carve him into pieces at bay until she got the answers she needed.

Wren is calling the shots in this scene, but the tables get turned and she won't like it one little bit. *rubs hands gleefully*

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Quilt of Fate

September 7, 2014

Greetings!

I'm coming off something of a stress and drama filled work week. I have a seasonal job at a local golf course and we're down to two people since we're winding down to our October 31 'official' close. When one of those two people has to take time off… it sucks hairy ones—especially when they wait until the day before to say anything. Just saying.

Moving on to fun stuff. Let's see, Lost Girl will air its final season sometime soon. I'll be sad to see the show end. Haven returns with Evil Audrey. I refuse to call her by whatever name she ended up with when she went inside the barn and returned. I'm also pretty excited for Flash to debut. Anything that has ties to Arrow can't miss in my book.

That's it for TV this week.

Tonight's post is from Quilt of Fate, a novella written with my alter ego, ML Skye, combining the paranormal with a little science fiction.

Here's the tagline:

Nadie Fall and Cable Reilly are transported to an alternate reality by the Moerae. Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos have plans for the fated couple who couldn't save their original universe, but can alter the future for their new one.

And a preview snippet…

Nadie stood on the shores of the ruined planet. Cable moved behind her, his presence a balm against the raging emotion welling up from her depths. So much destruction and for what? The race to get here nothing but a farcical journey.

Cable grasped her hips. "Nadie—"

She tensed. "Don't, Cable. Not yet." Her eyes closed and she inhaled, fighting the urge to rail at the heavens. "Unless you can tell me why?" Why they'd traveled so far to find a wasteland instead of a home.

He sighed. "You know I can't. I wish I could." He rested his chin on her shoulder, his warm breath fanning her face.

She took a step forward, turned faced him. "We followed the signposts to get here. I just don't"—a bright flash surrounded them—"understand how…" Her voice trailed off and she blinked, not quite what happened.  "What the flaming hell?"

Lush, green foliage lined the beach. Birds zigzagged in the sky. Cable whipped around, taking in the change of scenery.

He slid his gaze sideways. "What just happened?" He moved forward, stopped, glanced back, and shook his head.

Nadie snorted. "I'm pretty sure 'what the flaming hell' means I have no clue." She caught movement in her peripheral vision and grabbed hold of Cable's bicep. "Looks like we might get an answer, though." She nodded toward a trio of females making their way along the shore.

Cable turned, standing shoulder to shoulder with Nadie. "And if they're open to questions?"

Nadie blew out a harsh breath. "Then we convince otherwise."

So far, I've enjoyed combining the genres with this story, something I hope to continue doing in the future.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye