Sunday Snippet: Kidnapped

Happy Valentine's Day and Singles Awareness Day to everyone! My husband and I don't do a big celebration, but we do try to make the day special in little ways. And it's been a truly rough week so we're appreciating the small moments of support.

What a terrific week for television! Monday is becoming one of my favorite nights with The Magicians and Lost Girl, and starting this week, Bitten. I watched the first episode and it rocked. So sad it's the final season of this show.

Tuesday is jammed up with The Flash and Agent Carter, both of which are terrific. Loved the journey to Earth 2 and seeing the counterparts. I'm very curious about who Zoom is, but I have a theory that probably won't shock anyone. LOL Agent Carter doesn't have long to finish up this storyline and I'm kind of excited to see where things go.

Wednesday is still my favorite and Arrow keeps dropping crazy twists into the storyline. I have so many potential theories of who's buried in the grave and who Oliver has to take out, it's not even funny. But I love it! Kudos to the showrunners for keeping me on my toes.

Legends of Tomorrow also makes me happy. I like how the group is coming together and starting to gel as a unit. And they're mixed up enough to keep things interesting. Almost every week a new grouping is featured and I'm totally down with that.

On Friday, I caught up with Teen Wolf and not a bad episode. Gotta say I'm rather thrilled the psycho doctor is no longer of this earth, meaning I won't be shocked if he makes another appearance somewhere down the road. I am going to be slightly disappointed if the beast turns out to be one of Theo's pack because there would have to be a huge bait and switch to make that plausible, in my opinion. I'm also caught up on Murdoch Mysteries, but still behind on X Company. *sigh* Seriously, the past week got completely crazy. LOL

And that's it for the random TV update. The Walking Dead premieres tonight and I'm hoping I fall right back into the show. J

Tonight's post is from Kidnapped, a novella that got started with a prompt requesting a story that had a French Revolution feel with a focus on a commoner and a noble. As usual, I'm creating my own spin by not setting the tale in France and giving it a magical flair. LOL

Here's the mini-blurb:

Jaina Wraith discovers Seb Morrison is a member of the nobility and she kidnaps him, fully intent on having him executed. When Seb reminds her how many times he's come to her aid, she has to decide whether to help him escape or leave him to a tragic fate.

And a preview snippet…

What do we need to do?

What a great question. Seb didn't need to do anything… yet. But she had a split-second decision to make. Revealing her preternatural talent would give him leverage he could use later. But under the circumstances, she had to take the risk.

Thundering footsteps sounded above them and Seb flattened against the wall. "Jaina. What should I do?" To his credit, he kept his tone low and calm.

She flicked her gaze toward him. "Nothing yet. The first part is up to me." She raised an arm and rotated her wrist. "Tenebris." The ancient power surged from within and the torches went dark.

Seb sucked in a harsh breath, but said nothing.

Jaina closed her eyes and focused inward, drawing upon her inner wellspring of magick. "Noctis visio." The uttered words gave her the ability to see through the inky blackness surrounding them.

They wouldn't have much time, but she could get them through the tunnel and out to the shoreline. From there… well, she hadn't thought that far ahead.

She reached out, grasping Seb's hand in hers. "Stick close and don't let go. Stay quiet." Creeping forward, she followed the illumination only she could see.

Seb, thankfully, remained silent, but his warm palm sent a tingle of awareness up her arm. Jaina didn't need the strong pull right now, or a trip down memory lane. But he exuded calm and she'd take all the serenity she could get right now.

Senses on high alert, Jaina resisted the urge to run. The noise would create echoes that could be followed. Once the tunnel blended into the maze of caves, they could hot foot it to the outside and head for the shore.

She'd misjudged Seb and the guilt weighed heavily. Had she really fallen so far? How could she allow her hatred to reign over her common sense? Because a golden childhood spent among the nobility couldn't strip away the persecution so many lived with on a daily basis.

The corridor curved to the right and Seb stumbled when Jaina made the adjustment. He squeezed her hand in apology and despite the cold trickle of apprehension fleeing gave her, she cracked a smile. She tightened her fingers around his for a moment then turned her attention back to guiding them closer to freedom.

The wooden floor finally gave way to rough stone and Jaina relaxed a little. The draw of power for continued vision fatigued her, but she pushed forward. Seb stuck close and must have sensed her weariness because he wrapped an arm around her, bolstering her flagging steps.

When they reached the soft dirt close to the exit of the cavern, Jaina finally broke the silence. "Thank you, Seb. We're close now." She caught a scent of salty air and the temperature warmed.

Seb tightened his grip on her shoulders. "We're going to need to talk, Jaina. About a lot of things." He didn't elaborate.

But he didn't need to. She had some serious explaining to do, which she didn't look forward to.

She caught sight of the cavern opening and released her hold on the magick. "Ordinarius visio." The dissipation drained her strength and she sagged against Seb.

They stumbled out of the cave and he propped her up against the rocky outcropping. She dragged in lungsful of air, buying some much needed time. But not much. Glancing up, she spied Seb, arms crossed over his chest and a determined glint in his blue irises.

Straightening, she slowly exhaled then met his gaze. "I don't know where to start."

Seb's lips twisted into a wry curve. "How about the day after you left the estate?" He reached out, his palm turned up.

Jaina hesitated a moment, but placed her hand in his. "Can it wait until we're across the channel? Swimming is going to be our best bet." And it would buy her a small reprieve, because Seb wouldn't like what she had to say.

He gave a terse nod and took charge, leading her down the scraggly path to the shoreline. Pausing at the edge of the beach, the inky expanse of sea stretched out before them. Seb tilted his head to one side, listening to the gentle lapping of the water.

He turned toward her, his fingers holding hers tightly. "You don't leave my sight. We go together or we don't go."

Jaina nodded. At this point, she had no other option. She'd sealed her fate when she freed Seb.

Both sides would now love to see her dangling from the end of a rope.

Jaina truly stepped in quagmire, but I'm having a ton of fun writing this one and trying to get the perfect blend of tension between the characters and the resistance movement they're supposed to be helping.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye