Sunday Snippet: Dangerous Elements (a Lantern Jack tale)

I did get my vaccine this past Tuesday and only had mild side effects, for which I'm very grateful. I'm glad it's out of the way and look forward to everyone else getting theirs and finding a new normal.

Had another slower work week and caught up on more writing. It's nice to focus for longer periods when I'm able to. Had a few distractions involving family member health issues but both of those were expected.

Television ended up being fairly decent this week. I finished a new arc of Classic Who and it might be the last one with Sarah Jane Smith. I'm not sure but should find out this week.

Caught an episode of Peak Practice. Jack and Amanda finally got married and had some drama prior to the wedding.

Caught the last two episodes of No Offence's first season and, wow, what a great ending. A little twisty and turny but very satisfying. Also caught the deleted scenes and a behind the scenes meeting of the cast and creator. Worth the watch.

Watched a couple episodes of The Muppet Show. Again, I had some great memories of watching as a kid. I'm enjoying diving back into the show.

Started a new episode of Blue Heelers but haven't made it very far yet. Looks like a good episode so far.

Caught another episode of Silent Witness. Almost at the end of season nine. This looks like another good two-parter.

Did a binge marathon of Hawaii Five-0 and watched a good portion of season nine. I'll have to revisit because I missed some key points, but it's a decent season so far.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Dangerous Elements, a Lantern Jack tale featuring a shifter and a guardian.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Lantern Jack is back to right another wrong. The long-standing animosity between shifters and the human council comes to a dangerous head. Dahlia Derringer is next in line to rule the council and she's stepping into the role because a shifter almost took her father's life. Otto Orpheus leads the shifters and he's furious a rogue fox acted against his orders. Samhain is nigh and the shifters need to replenish their aura … if Otto can get Dahlia's permission to do so.

And a preview snippet…

Otto Orpheus stood outside the Derringer house, with an ugly jack-o-lantern on the porch, biting back anger and frustration. "How dare the council refuse entry to the sacred lands?" He crumpled the letter.

Were they trying to kill off the shifters?

He knocked, fully expecting a tense conversation with Dean Derringer, the head of the human council. Otto wanted a treaty, one that would allow access to the land throughout the year. If he had to concede to small numbers and having his people escorted throughout their visit, he'd do it. He'd do anything to get his clan healthy and whole again.

The door jerked open and Otto nearly swallowed his tongue when a vision of female loveliness greeted him. Tall and sensuous, she had legs for days but also glorious curves. He loved a woman with some hips. His eyes scanned upward and he almost fell in love with the gorgeous female … until he met her gaze—hard, furious, and unyielding. Dahlia Derringer had certainly grown up in the ten years since he'd seen her last.

She huffed out a breath. "What do you want?" Her chest heaved with indignation.

Otto showed her the letter. "To speak with Dean. He can't bar us from the sacred lands. He can't refuse—" His words were cut off when she shoved him on the shoulder.

Dahlia snarled. "He didn't, I did." She gave him another jab.

What the hell?

Otto shook his head. "Why? What's going on?" What on earth happened?

She stepped back, her mouth a thin slash across her face. "Leave. Now." She started to close the door.

He stuck his foot out to stop her.  "Hold up. What the hell is going on here?" He couldn't go anywhere until he got some answers.

Dahlia got pissed. "You dare show up when my father's life hangs in the balance? Demanding entry to sacred lands? No, I don't think so." She made another effort to slam the door.

Did I step into an alternate reality? What's going on here? He literally had zero clue what had her so furious. How did Dean's life hang in the balance? Her chest rose and fell with anger and her gaze, while glittering with rage, also held an underlying note of concern. She truly feared for her dad's life.

But he needed to secure entry to their sacred area. "Wait a minute. What happened to Dean? I haven't been informed of any of this."

She rolled her eyes. "Do you expect me to believe you? Really?" She turned and walked toward the hall.

Otto followed her but stayed close to the door. "I don't expect anything. I'm asking what's going on. If you refuse to answer, I can't address or defend whatever it is you think I've done wrong."

And for once he hadn't been plotting or planning anything.

I have such a good time writing the Lantern Jack tales. Otto and Dahlia are a fun couple to put on the page.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye