Sunday Snippet: Seeing Red

Some nice weather, not too hot or cold. No snow, which is always a bonus. Fingers crossed it stays mild. Of course, everyone knows not to hold their breath. It's still March.

Didn't pay much attention to The Walking Dead, but did catch The Talking Dead. Definitely going to have to check out Hardwick's The Talking because it should be loads of fun.

How much longer is the hiatus for Gotham? I'm missing the dark, crazy ride.

The Flash had another crossover with Supergirl and, I have to admit, the mash-up ended up being fun and worth the watch.

Arrow… wow. I guess I'm going to assume Oliver's last buried deep secret is finally out there for, well, the viewers at least. Kudos to that walk down memory lane. That said, I've got a crap-ton of questions and need to watch again with zero, I mean absolutely no interruptions or distractions. I do have a hope some of the bad guys are now going to ripple out from Oliver's past transgressions, especially Talia. I would love to see an Oliver / Nyssa / Talia meet up. That would be worth an entire episode, right?

Looking forward to a new episode of Riverdale. I've missed seeing my new favorite group of actors.

Finally finished Luke Cage and thoroughly enjoyed the first season. I'll admit I'm not thrilled with how it ended but I'm assuming all will be addressed soon. Continued the City Homicide rewatch and have most of season two out of the way.

Still need to catch up on a few other shows and might get to those this week.

That's it for television. Tonight's post is from Seeing Red, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt of "seeing red". I loved that as a title and decided to use it.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Vesta Crock can't stand tension and a major meta-human uprising puts everyone on edge. Jones Blaylock becomes her target for a series of supposedly fun pranks, but when a fellow member of their team gets injured, Jones sees red and that's not a good thing for the firestarter.

And a preview snippet…

"So we'll be on lockdown until a new base of operations can be set up."

Vesta Crock fought the urge to go deep inside their leader's mind and use ability to fry his brain. No one would keep her imprisoned again. Not even the esteemed Tyrian Lancaster. Lazer vision and the ability to fly didn't mean he should have the final say.

Unofficially being elected, however, did.

She changed a playing card into a thin metal sheet. "How long do you expect to keep us confined?" Interruptions pissed Tyrian off, but Vesta needed an answer.

He shot her an aggravated glance, but didn't respond to the question. Nope. He droned on about team building skills, contingency plans, and getting battle ready. Oh… and watch shifts. Couldn't leave those out.

Vesta threw out another query. "How many rotations are the teams responsible for?" She altered another card, making this one into thin parchment she could crumple and toss in Tyrian's direction, if necessary.

He flicked an irritated look in her direction, but didn't veer from his information dump. Vesta growled and balled up the paper. A heavy hand on her forearm stopped her from lobbing it. Jones Blaylock, her primary team captain, shook his head.

Vesta grumbled but subsided, sinking lower in her chair. She hated being imprisoned but not knowing how long chapped her ass worse than anything. Short periods she could manage. Lancaster's lack of a timeframe sent alarm bells ringing in her mind.

After another ten minutes of circular repetition, Vesta lost patience. "How long is this lockdown going to last, exactly?" She didn't dare nudge the answer from Tyrian, but the need for one almost compelled her to do so.

Lancaster paused, his frustration evident by the way he adjusted his goggles. "Blaylock, did you forget to properly inform your team member how our briefings work?" He slid his gaze toward Vesta. "Questions can be asked when it's completed." He bit the last words out.

Jones shot Vesta a scathing look and she slumped further down in her seat, accepting defeat. The deck of cards melded together into a solid mass complete with her handprint. She kept her mouth shut for the remainder of the briefing, silently fuming at Jones for not having her back.

She focused on the block of cards. "Might be time to examine why I threw in with this group of metahumans."

I'm having fun building the world and characters with this story. Looking forward to seeing where this goes.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Same Time Next Year

And we had about two inches of snow this week. Mother Nature is laughing her ass off right now.

The Walking Dead had another great episode. I always love Carol and I enjoyed Morgan's journey. The Talking Dead follow up made me happy, too.

The Flash took a turn I didn't expect and I like it. Looking forward to seeing what else the speed force comes up with to throw at Barry.

Legends of Tomorrow going to the moon proved a fun ride. Personally, I want a lot more Mick and Martin scenes. Their timing is so terrific. I'm also loving the Sarah / Rip dynamic. Love this show.

Arrow upped the tension by a zillion. His past keeps coming back to haunt him in huge ways. While I love how Adrian has everything twisted in his direction, I'll enjoy seeing him go down. At least I hope he goes down. Hard. And doesn't get back up. I'm also waiting for Felicity to land on the hot seat. Something tells me she's going to get into a mess she can't get out of.

Riverdale had a bye week, which makes me sad. No new episode this week either. Grr.

I finished up the first season of City Homicide and started Luke Cage. So far, I'm enjoying the Harlem vibe and look forward to seeing how Luke comes into his hero status.

Still need to catch up on Murdoch Mysteries and X Company. Possibly this week.

And that's it for television. This week's post is from Same Time Next Year, a novella where my main characters start out commiserating with each other and end up finding something awesome together.

Here's the mini-blurb:

After commiserating over failed hook-ups, Tessa Gem and Hart Cantley make a date for the following year at the same time, but they have no idea their fae collective will be at war when they meet again.

And a preview snippet…

Tessa Gem threw her head back and gasped out a harsh breath. "Oh, yeah, hot stuff, you'll do." She gave him a shove and followed him onto the bed.

A nameless guy with a hard body and long dick, she'd chosen the primo specimen from a random group hanging around outside of her favorite liquor store. I sure can pick 'em. Her instincts rarely steered her wrong. The guy had game—a skilled mouth, callused hands, and rapid response time. And, right now, she needed mind-numbing sex chased with a bottle of bourbon to work off some job-related stress. Rough hands grabbed her waist and lifted her up to straddle his thighs then yanked her forward, dragging her clit along his rigid shaft until the flared tip of his cock nudged her core.

He let out a grunt. "Damn. I love a woman who's wet and ready for me." His palms skimmed along her ribcage to grasp her breasts.

She smirked, raised her hips, and sank over his entire length. "And I love a guy who can give me what I want." Pitching forward, she caught his mouth in a hard kiss, nipping his lower lip.

He hissed out a breath. "What do you want, sweetness?" He rolled his hips, going deep.

She straightened and planted her hands on his chest. "A hard pounding until one of us begs for mercy."

He sat up, wrapping his arms around her. "Always willing to oblige a hot piece of ass." He maneuvered them to the edge of the mattress and stood up, his fingers digging into her thighs.

She grabbed hold of his shoulders and flicked her tongue along his jawline. "Don't keep me waiting."

He didn't. He backed her up against the wall and pistoned in and out of her pussy. She clung to him, eyes closed, swirling images filling her head. The spray of blood when she took out the shifter. Rabid and mad, the human behind the animal mostly gone, the death would haunt her. Because he hadn't been evil, only suffering from an ailment he couldn't avoid or control. Not by the time she got to him.

Hot lips scorched along her throat, heating her blood with delicious tingles. The long, thick shaft thrusting deep inside her drove the carnage from her mind, replacing the gore with pictures of writhing bodies in the throes of orgasm. Tessa slapped one palm against the wall and braced her shoulders. Her other hand dug into his shoulder. His head bent and his teeth grazed her nipple. She gasped and pushed her chest out, aching for more. His lips clamped around the taut peak and she came apart, shuddering through a fast climax.

A sly grin twisted his lips and, still seated deep inside her, he toppled them onto the bed and brought her to another toe-curling release before she really focused—her demons pushed back—and gave as good as she got. When he finally came, with a growling shout, both wore each other's marks. He collapsed beside her, panting for breath and dripping with sweat. Flipping over onto his back, he fisted his hand in her hair and hauled her close.

She left the bed after he fell asleep, spread-eagled with his limp but still impressive dick curled over his upper thigh. Moving with slow purpose, her body aching in all the right spots, she grabbed the bottle of bourbon and poured a shot with a shaky hand. She downed it then drank straight from the bottle. Settling down on the lone chair in the room, she charted the moon's movement through the sky while slowly draining the alcohol. She didn't have as much luck making her mind go blank.

She jerked out of a fitful sleep when her hard-bodied distraction dragged her back to bed for a scorching pre-dawn fuck. His stamina got her off two more times and she rode a wave of bliss while he showered. She almost hated to see him step into his battered jeans when the first streaks of light filtered into the room rented for three days.

He shrugged his shirt over his head. "If you ever want more, look me up." Pulling the door open, he glanced back over his shoulder. "I'm usually around."

She gave him a satisfied smile. "Yeah, I'll find you." Right. Not.

He'd served his purpose, letting her gain some much needed distance from her job. She lay awake until the full morning sun streamed through the window. Unable to stand the cotton mouth from drinking all night, she got up and brushed her teeth. Her phone buzzed with a new text just as she stepped into the shower. She quickly glanced at the message and heaved a sigh. A call out for another job. Vampire uprising in Detroit. A car would pick her up at Dina's Diner in an hour.

Stepping under the hot spray, she braced for another shitty assignment. "Yippee-fucking-ki-ay."

Tessa is weary of what's she's called on to do. But things will look up when she gets to the diner for her ride to Detroit.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Rumpled and Worn

Seriously, the back and forth of warm then frigid weather is the one thing I hate about March. My sinuses rebel in a big way and it's never pretty. LOL

The Walking Dead had a great episode last week. Nice to see Rick and Michonne working together. Rosita on the warpath is also pretty great to watch.

The Flash is speeding along to the reveal of the big bad and I have a sneaky feeling I'm not going to like who it ends up being. We'll see what happens.

Legends of Tomorrow finally brought Rip back from the edge of evil… or did they? It's never one hundred percent certain with this group. Looks like a great episode coming up.

Arrow had the week off and I missed my Wednesday night fare. I'm not a huge fan of these stupid three-week hiatuses. Just show the damn episodes already.

Riverdale also had a great episode. This series is fast becoming my number two show. I loved getting some background about Fred and FP. That said, if Fred had a band in high school, why was he pretty much unable to connect with Archie about his music? Little things and details like this can make or break a show for me. Here's hoping there's some improvement there. I love sneaky Betty. Cheryl's right about Betty betting a terrible liar, but she's got some game with her clueless parents. On a side note, the seeds being planted for a messy situation with Betty, Jughead, and Archie make me happy. I'd like to see a little more Dark Betty emerge.

I finished up Jessica Jones and ended up loving how things played out. As hard as it is for my brain to wrap around David Tennant playing a raging asshole, I gotta give him kudos for being completely creepy. Started a rewatch of one of my favorite Australian series, City Homicide. I love that show. Also need to catch up on X Company and Murdoch Mysteries.

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Rumpled and Worn, a sexy short based on the prompt of retelling a fairy tale.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Lindie Lands strikes a deal with the Rumpleman—keep her crazy stalker at bay and she'll hand over the first man she falls for. But when she finally finds a lasting love with Cole Darrington, she's not willing to give him up and together they outsmart the Rumpleman.

And a preview snippet…

"Geez, how stupid can he possibly be?"

Lindie jammed her hands in her pockets and huddled under the awning of an apartment building to avoid the downpour raging from the sky. The little man, who went only by Rumpleman of all things, promised to keep her stalker at bay—for a price.

Lindie snorted and braced against the gusty wind. "Who in their right mind doesn't want cold, hard cash?" The little guy apparently.

He didn't want money. Or valuables. Or anything else remotely normal.

"Nope. He wants me hand over the man I actually fall for." She barked out a laugh. "Like that'll ever happen." She'd sworn off anything more than a one-night stand.

Her track record sucked big, huge hairy balls; the stalker being the last in a long line of horrible choices for male companionship.

Flipping her collar up, she turned to brave the rain and head up the street. After ducking into three different alcoves, she let out a frustrated growl and shrugged out of her jacket and draped it over her head. Keeping her chin down, she started forward again… only to smack directly into an immovable object.

"Oof!" Peering out from her makeshift umbrella, her gaze landed on a wall of solid muscle, the t-shirt clinging across the expanse of chest and biceps dripping with raindrops screamed masculine vibes.

Doing a slow travel upward, she met a warm, brown stare in a face no less handsome from the rivulets of water sliding over the skin. Short hair, spiked from the drenching downpour, stood out in all directions. An eyebrow quirked, a glint of humor lighting the chocolate irises. One side of his sensual lips lifted in a half-smile.

He placed a steadying hand on her elbow. Lindie blinked to avoid gaping at the man. His touch sent a fissure of awareness through her nerve endings and a dull throb started in the palm of her right hand. The one she'd sealed the deal to keep her stalker at bay with.

Closing her eyes, she let her head fall back, the jacket dropping to the sodden sidewalk. "Oh, no way." She found the guy inhumanly attractive, but that didn't mean she'd actually "fallen" for him.

Not here. Not now. Not within an hour of making a too-good-to-be-true bargain.

The man's smile disappeared. "I'm sorry." He thrust his palm forward. "Cole Darrington." He clasped her wet hand in his. "I don't normally go around almost knocking women off their feet." The sexy grin returned. "Wasn't paying attention with trying to get out of this rain." His chin lifted up a notch. "Looks like you had the right idea." Referring to the jacket, doing its best to soak up the streaming mini-river on the sidewalk.

She reluctantly extricated her hand from his. "Lindie Lands." She dropped down and picked up the coat, giving it a good shake before standing again. "Not that it helped much." A nervous chuckle escaped before she could stop it.

She had to look ridiculous. Runny makeup, drowned-rat hair, and a thin blouse over a lightweight camisole that did nothing to hide her pebbled nipples. Thankfully, his were showing through the fabric stretched across and clinging to the glorious torso.

He nodded toward the building. "I live here. The least I can do is offer a towel and a warm place to wait out this downpour." He moved to open the door then paused. "I promise I'm not an ax murderer and you can leave your name with the little, old lady who lives next door." He leaned toward Lindie. "She's always baking me stuff. Cookies, cupcakes, pies, you name it. She'll be happy to act as a pseudo-chaperone." He pulled the heavy slab forward, revealing a small lobby with an elevator and a set of wooden stairs at the end.

Lindie shivered, a combination of the chilly wind and reaction to the hot man offering refuge. The ache in her palm reminded her of the noxious, little man and her promise to him. She only hesitated a moment, her curiosity and the ping of attraction between them getting the better of her.

She ducked past him into the apartment building. "Why not? I need to meet this grandmotherly type who bakes you goodies." She could get dry, eat some sweet confections, spend time with a hot guy, and leave it at that, right?

At worst, she might end a six-month dry spell and scratch an itch with a one-night stand.

But no way would she actually fall for Cole Darrington.

No way.

Lindie better watch out. The Rumpleman has lots of tricks up his sleeve.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Ringside Seats

If February in Ohio can be an angsty monster, March is its drama queen sibling. The wind is doing some wicked crazy things lately.

I'm kind of looking forward to The Walking Dead tonight. Of course, whether I watch the entire episode depends on if Negan makes an appearance. I really, really don't like him eating up screen time. No offense to the actor. He's terrific.

The Flash had another great episode. Dueling Harrisons is fun to watch. I'm truly wondering if Iris has a future on this show. I love the actress so I hope she does. That said, the CW isn't afraid to kill off favorites, so, yeah, there's that.

Arrow had another great episode. I had a sneaky suspicion about Adrian, especially after he mentioned Oliver stole his girlfriend back in the day. Season five is kind of up and down but the threads merge in ways I'm not usually expecting and I like that.

Riverdale is still holding my attention. I'm a little iffy on the jumbled up feeling I get, like there's not really a solid through-line, but I'm more than willing to hang in there and see where everything goes. I chuckle at their previously ons… I know a show that used to slip stuff that didn't make it onscreen into the previously ons… just saying.

Finished up season two of Daredevil and loved how everything came together. Looking forward to more with Matt, Foggy, and Karen. Started Jessica Jones and hit just over the halfway mark. It's not quite as great as Daredevil, in my viewer opinion, but I'm enjoying the acting and the characters. Okay, I'm not really excited about Hogarth, but eh, whatever.

And that's it in television this week. Tonight's post is from Ringside Seats, a novella that got a boost from the writing community prompt of "sparring". I love how many different directions that could go in, but I chose a mix of verbal and physical.

Here's the mini-blurb:

An unclaimed attraction leads to some aggressive flirting in the apprentice's ring, when Vita Morj and Keb Pennyson are challenged to see who'd win in a magical bout. It may end up a draw because neither opponent plans to give quarter.

And a preview snippet…

Bashal cocked his head to one side. "What is it with you two? You're constantly sniping at each other." He blinked and frowned.

Vita snorted. "Oh, Bash, my friend. You do not wanna go there." She sent a sweet sneer in Keb's direction.

He'd had enough. Enough of her biting sarcasm and constant push-push-push on every button he had. Time to call her out.

He got up and made his way to the table. "You know what, Bash, I think you do wanna go there." He gave Vita a pointed glare before directing his attention back to Bash. "What do think Vita and I should do to solve our issues?"

Bash's mouth dropped open. "Are you kidding?" He rubbed his hands together, barely containing his glee. "I know exactly what you two need." A slow smile spread across his face. "A mage on mage cage battle."

Vita shook her head. "No way. Not gonna happen." She folded her arms over her chest and kicked her feet out.

Keb quirked a brow. "Why not?" He decided to push a button of hers. "Afraid you can't last in the cage with me?" That should get her riled up.

Vita growled. "You know that's not why." She straightened and leaned forward. "And you're not exactly in a position to piss off the old folks." Her gaze flicked toward the head precept.

Okay, she had a point. He walked a very fine line between his family's influence and what the elder board would let him get away with. The old folks didn't approve of cage matches, but they usually turned a blind eye. He shot a glance toward Bashal, whose gaze pinged back and forth from Vita to Keb.

As much of a pain as Bash could be, he'd come up with the perfect solution to settle things between Keb and Vita. Keb would take his chances with landing on the wrong side of things. Vita probably had more to lose, especially since the incident that landed her on probation.

Keb lifted a shoulder. "I think maybe you're the one who should be concerned." He pinned her with a smug look. "I've always got a fallback plan."

Vita's fists clenched and her breath hissed out between her teeth. "You're such an ass." She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled then relaxed her gripped fingers. "You're also on." Rising, she nodded to Bash. "Set it up and let me know when." Casting one last, scathing look toward Keb, she turned on her heel and strode out of the room.

Bash sat in stunned silence, a first from what Keb could recall.

Bash recovered and glanced up. "So… you want I should make the arrangements?"

Keb's lips twitched. "You heard the lady. Get it done." He left the younger mage to figure out how to pull off the impossible and went in search of a quiet place to think and plan.

Keb had his insurmountable task to figure out—namely how to survive in a battle with a woman he'd much rather see tangled in his sheets than flinging magic barbs in his direction.

But he'd blown that chance to hell.

Keb has a lot to make up for and getting in the ring with Vita might give him the chance to clear the air.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye