Sunday Snippet: Passion's Gate

Crap. I can't believe May is almost over. It's been a crazy month. We're finally getting through the Covid crud. Thankfully, I'm still negative and I'm crossing my fingers I stay that way.

Had a solid week of work projects and got some extra writing in also. My oracle cards this week had a majority of work-life balance advice this week and I'm trying to pay heed and take time to do fun stuff along with the work.

Had a semi-decent week of viewing. Made a full round of my regular streaming services and played a little catch up with some small things I'd been saving up for a while.

Caught another episode of The Snoopy Show and laughed out loud several times. Pitty Snoopy against Lucy is always fun.

Started Signora Volpe because two of my favorite actors are in it and it's a mystery series. Really enjoyed the first episode and I'm looking forward to more.

Watched the first part of Silent Witness. Very interesting episode and a bit of a departure from the way cases are usually presented. I'm looking forward to the second part.

Finished up a Classic Who arc and actually kind of enjoyed it. This is an odd season and I'm still not quite sure how I feel about Mel as a companion.

Enjoyed another episode of The Mandalorian. I love the pacing and the small reveals and the humor. This is a fun show even if it not necessarily supposed to be.

Caught another episode of Harrow and loved it. Putting Farley, Harrow, and Daniels in the wild ended up being hilarious. Not sure how I feel about Grace and her ex—I'm not really that interested and I don't like being jerked around. I do know I'm not a fan of James and I'm going to be interested to see if they end up making him as awful as I think they will.

Watched another episode of Blue Heelers and enjoyed it. It's always cool to see how the southern hemisphere celebrates a holiday like Christmas when it's the middle of summer for them.

Enjoyed another MasterClass lesson with Neil deGrasse Tyson. I liked the focus on inspiring curiosity in your audience. There were a couple of great takeaways from that.

Caught another episode of The Babysitter's Club and, again, I totally get why so many people loved this show. I'll savor the two seasons available.

Watched two more episodes of Classic Rugrats. I love the trip down memory lane and how much fun the show has with classic pop culture references.

Finished season four of Chicago Med and, wow, ending on a cliffhanger for sure. I'm glad I can start season five right away.

Last but not least, I caught up on a few things I've had on hold. I watched several Passionflix options. Dirty, Sweet Valentine, Wicked bloopers, and I finally finished up Seduction and Snacks, which I ended up enjoying so much. The laugh out loud funny moments were exactly what I needed to end the week. I hope they do more with sexy romcoms.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Passion's Gate, a follow-up to Kindred Spirits where Kirby gets to take a stab at an HEA.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Kirby Selwig meets Passion Gates and she rocks his world. She's a force to be reckoned with and a little out of control. Kirby is tasked with tempering her wild spirit—something she has no interest in taming. Too bad she doesn't know Kirby never fails to get results.

And a preview snippet…

Kirby cut the mental conversation with his dick—about the inappropriateness of being rock hard under the circumstances—short.

He dashed to the bar the doorway. "Whoa, hold up a moment here." He held up both hands and urged calming vibes toward the gorgeous Passion. "You don't want to take on the entire board without at least presenting your case."

Passion's brow furrowed. "Why the hell not?" She planted her hands on her hips and hit him with a dead-on stare.

Kirby refused to wilt under the onslaught … or to haul the woman over his shoulder so he could find the nearest flat surface to ravage her on. "First, you'll be ostracized by the entire population, which would be a damn shame and—"

She cut him off with a hand wave. "I've been ignored and shunned most of my life. Nothing new there." Her gaze didn't waver but a note of something sad crept into her irises.

His heart hurt a little for her but, he lifted a shoulder. "Fine. Consider this then. You obviously have an agenda whether it's directed toward family." His gaze lingered on Dean Hargrove. "Atherton's…" He swept the board with his line of sight. "Or both, is that correct?"

She gave a nod.

Kirby focused solely on Passion. "More importantly, unless your goal is complete obscurity, if you walk out now and continue thumbing your nose at this council, you'll never achieve whatever it is you're seeking." His curiosity burned with wanting to know exactly what she sought from the university.

Passion cocked her head to one side. "You raise a valid point." She met her uncle's gaze. "Be prepared for my return in one week. But know this … I'll not be subject to the arcane power of this board. It's my choice to come here next week and it'll be my choice to stay or not." She lowered her voice and growled. "You're not going to treat me the way you treated Nina."

A second round of gasps and shocked expressions filled the room. Pieces started falling into place. Kirby blinked. Well, fuck. That's why her name is so familiar.

He shot a quick glance toward Vaughn and breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't react. At least not outwardly. On the inside, his best friend would be a swirl of malevolent emotions.

And didn't that fucking bode well … for exactly no one.

I'm slowing working out the small details on this one, but Kirby and Passion are impatiently waiting for me to get to the good stuff…

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Order of Aggression

What a week. We've been very lucky to this point and have avoided anyone coming down with Covid. That ended on Tuesday. Luckily, out of the four living at home, only one tested positive and the others are, so far, negative. I'm crossing my fingers that holds.

Had a decent week and a little more balance on my work projects. I'm trying to more even paced and mindful about my work-life time.

Ended up getting a good amount of television watched this week. I started a new show and picked out a new one to begin next week.

I caught the first of a two-part Blue Heelers and ended up enjoying it a lot. Kind of sad to see Chris and Adam part ways, but I'm interested to see how that plays out.

Ended up enjoying two MasterClass lessons with Neil deGrasse Tyson. The second one ended up being fairly lengthy so maybe my note from last week was premature.

Watched two more episodes of the Babysitters Club and I'm completely charmed by this show. I can see why everyone kind of fell in love with it. Good stuff.

Caught two episodes of Classic Rugrats. Both ended up taking me back to when my oldest was still a toddler and watched the show daily. Two of his favorite episodes were in the group I watched.

Got two episodes of Chicago Med in and, wow, season four kind of went in a few crazy directions. I'm on one of the last episodes of the season and I'm kind of wondering where they'll go with five.

Enjoyed another episode of The Snoopy Show. This is such a fun and lighthearted half hour. Highly recommend if you need something low-key to watch.

Watched another episode of Loch Ness. I'm close to the end and I'm pretty sure I've got a good idea of who the killer is. There have been a lot of red herrings and I'm on the fence between two theories. Can't wait to find out if I'm right.

Got another Classic Who episode in. I'm into an arc I haven't seen, which is good because that distracts me from the low-budget everything about this season of the show.

Caught another episode of Most Terrifying Places in America. Honestly, I kind of enjoy hearing about all the weird, haunted, scary places that abound in the US.

Started The Mandalorian and loved the low-key dry humor. Looking forward to watching more for sure.

Watched an episode of The Hardy Boys. Have to admit, I'm getting annoyed by Joe. He was a lot of quirky fun in the first season but not so much in the second. He's still got good snark, but he's lost a lot of his good nature. I hope that gets explained. We'll see.

Caught another episode of Peak Practice. This one ended up being really good with great plot lines. Nice to Alice back in her home and trying to deal with the scary flashbacks of the robbery. I actually hope they pick up with that and find the guy.

Last but not least, I caught another episode of the Ready Room. Doug Jones was the guest and it fun to get insight into his character and the Kelpian race.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Order of Aggression, a novella that puts the characters in a tricky situation and a bit at odds with each other.

Here's the mini-blurb:

When Ames Braddock is ordered to take out an enemy outpost with possible civilian casualties, he calls on Parker Hart to be his second, but Parker balks at the idea. Ames isn't thrilled with the mission, but he needs Parker and he's not above using aggression to bring her in line, which gets the job done, but also backfires when she demands satisfaction.

And a preview snippet…

Parker shoved the prints aside and cursed her parents for the millionth time. Her blood debt still outweighed the credits in her book. And this job will no doubt cancel out any good karma I have spinning around out there.

She met Ames's gaze. "We're gonna have civilian casualties. There's no way around it." She pointed to the alley behind the saloon. "This area will be hex-wired to harm humans and avoid anyone with charmed blood." She moved to the building on the left. "This building will be clear until we get close to the perimeter, then it's all bets off and my guess is they'll use layers of curse-laden traps designed to slow anyone down coming in and to keep anyone trying to get out stuck behind the veil." Sitting back, she heaved a sigh.

Ames leaned forward. "What about the old store on the right?" He pointed to the abandoned toy palace.

She shrugged. "Similar setup. This one is closer to the main drag so it'll be reinforced from the main and rear entrances. We do not want to mess with attempting to get in through the toy store." Her fingers traced the huge box factory across the street. "The factory will have fire and flame traps. Quick to go up in smoke and easy to use as a distraction." She got up and paced back and forth. "The roof will be full of triggered hex traps that will give advance warning to the black mages and they'll do everything in their power to use their normals as shields." Dropping back down onto the chair, she suppressed a shudder at the images running through her mind.

Ames made a low growling sound. "How the hell do we get in then?"

She huffed out a breath and pointed to the one and only location they could enter from. "We'll go in through here." Her gaze met his. "And it's gonna suck huge hairy balls to do it."

But … if they kept the element of surprise, they might have minimal civilian casualties and, well, not die in the process.

I like having internal conflict as a driving force in a story. Parker has a past that keeps on giving and she'd really like to see a future where she's free and clear.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Oracle's Prayer

I'm still working on keeping all the plates spinning in the air. Finished up a few work projects and started more. I'm definitely not complaining even if I wouldn't mind things slowing down a wee bit.

Had a light week for television. I've pretty much decided that getting through one round of my rotation is doing well at the moment. I have some home projects that need attention and that cuts into screen time.

Caught another episode of Peak Practice and enjoyed it. I like how the trauma with Alice is still prevalent. And the surgeon guy is an interesting addition to the cast.

Watched another MasterClass lesson with Neil deGrasse Tyson. I've noticed he has a number of fairly short lessons and I'm not sure why they're not a little longer. They do have some great information.

Started The Babysitters Club and liked the first episode. I've heard rave reviews about this show and I'm looking forward to getting into the storyline.

Enjoyed another episode of the Ready Room for Star Trek: Discovery. I like the interviews but the format could use a little work. I'm keeping in mind that these were more than likely filmed during the Covid shutdown.

Watched an episode of Chicago Med. Ended up being pretty tense and gnarly for the entire ED. I'm a little bummed there wasn't an end scene with Ethan and April.

Caught another episode of The Snoopy Show. I love this for quick breaks when my eyes need something different to focus on instead of words on a page.

Finished up the first season of Cuffs. Have to admit the finale ended up being terrific. I wouldn't mind seeing more of this group of characters.

Watched an episode of Silent Witness and honestly, I have no clue what's going on. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I hope some pieces fall into place in the conclusion.

Started a new arc of Classic Who. So far, it's kind of lame but I think this one will get better as it goes along. Here's hoping.

Began a new-to-me series with Most Terrifying Places in America. The first episode featured a haunted prison in Ohio. I actually had a friend who went for one of the weekend excursions not long after it opened for tours. I can't remember if they enjoyed it or not.

Finished up the first season of Hawkeye by watching the deleted scenes and gag reel. I truly enjoyed this show. If they have a second season, I'm in.

Last but not least, I started another episode of Harrow and I'm liking how things are coming together for this season. Not sure how much I'll like the whole long, lost son angle, but I'm interested for now.

That's it for the life update. Tonight's post is from Oracle's Prayer, a novella that explores being undercover to catch a killer.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Nason Forn, the daughter of an oracle, goes undercover to trap a wicked mage preying on young apprentices and thinks she's found her man when she discovers Lane Garganess standing over the body of the latest victim. But Lane has a covert identity, too, which puts him in a bad spot and on the wrong end of Nason's wrath.

And a preview snippet…

Lane rapped twice on the study door then entered the room. "Dad. Thanks for seeing me."

Lawrence glanced over his shoulder. "Could've picked a less ungodly hour, but haven't heard from you in months. Thought I'd better see what this is all about." He went back to staring out the large pane of glass.

Lane gave his parent props. He only appeared slightly disheveled. His hair stuck up in several places, but he'd managed to get into a pair of silk pajamas and a robe that had the sheen of satin. Considering the two p.m. appointment time—early for his dad—Lane considered the attire as a peace offering. Usually, Lawrence lacked modesty on a normal day.

Strolling further into the wood-paneled space, Lane stopped by the ornate desk—strictly for show—and propped a hip on the surface. "You're not in trouble, if that has you worried." Unwilling to make small talk, he launched directly into his appeal. "I need your help with something." Stroking his dad's ego should help get cooperation.

Lawrence angled around. "You're kidding?" Genuine shock filled his voice.

Lane shook his head. "Nope. I need your general opinion on a group of people. An honest assessment, if you're willing."

Lawrence moved to the desk and pulled out the chair. "All right. But I expect to be compensated. After all, this is akin to consulting and I should receive a fee."

Lane almost rolled his eyes, but he'd anticipated his dad's response. "I had this amount in mind…" He reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a slip of paper.

Lawrence eyed the numbers and gave a nod. "This is fine. Who's on your list?"

Lane spent the next thirty minutes slyly pulling information from his dad. The nefarious contacts the man had boggled Lane's mind … even if he shouldn't be surprised.

Tucking his list back into a pocket, Lane stood up. "I appreciate the help. Funds will be transferred by the end of the day into your account." He started for the door to take his leave.

Lawrence stood up. "Should I know what this is about?"

Lane paused. "At this point, no. If that changes, I'll contact you right away."

His dad gave a grunt of dismissal and Lane made his exit.

On the way out of the house, he bumped into a woman coming up the walkway. He recognized her as one of the enforcers. Namon something. No … Nason Forn. But … she wore oracle robes.

Lane stopped her when she neared the main entryway. "I'm sorry, but the master of the house won't be needing your services today."

She arched a brow then quickly schooled her features. "I'm here at the appointed time." She showed him her schedule.

Lane frowned. His dad didn't usually put stock in the soothsayers of their clan. More likely, Ms. Forn created a very good cover story for visiting his father. Which wouldn't be a good thing at the moment.

Giving a nod, he grasped her elbow. "Sorry for the confusion. My dad's a little under the weather today. If you wouldn't mind giving him a call tomorrow, I'm sure he'll be happy to reschedule."

Her eyes widened slightly when he revealed his relationship to Lawrence, and she definitely didn't like to be sidetracked.

But she inclined her chin before lowering her head. "I'll do that. I hope he's feeling better soon." After a brief pause, she turned and headed back to her vehicle.

Lane studied her departure. She played the role of oracle well. But she carried herself with the confidence of an enforcer. He made a note to ask his geppa about her possible reason for showing up at his dad's house.

The last thing Lane needed would be interference before he got started on his investigation.

This one starts out with some cat and mouse maneuvers between the characters and I'm having a lot of fun writing their back and forth.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Only When They Blink

What a crazy week of weather. We had rain, rain, rain, which is probably great for the gardens—as long as the plants are hardy. We also had some close to freezing temps in the wee hours of the morning.

Another super-busy work week. Started a few new projects and I'm humming along on some others. I like having a variety of work and I definitely have that right now.

Another slower week for television. I got started again on doing some clearing out and sorting of stuff I've put off way too long. The good news is I've discovered a ton of missing socks, which makes me very happy.

I watched the second episode of Harrow's third season. So far, I really, really dislike the new boss. But … I kind of love the dynamic between Harrow and Fairley. Discovering Grace is married is something I'm on the fence with, but we'll see what happens there.

Caught another episode of Blue Heelers. I'm a little disappointed to find out I won't be able to watch the bulk of the series now. It seems to have been removed from the streaming service I've been watching it on. Maybe it'll pop back up again. I still have the season to finish then I'll see what happens.

Enjoyed another lesson of MasterClass with Neil deGrasse Tyson. This one talked about systems of beliefs.

Finished up Young Wallander: Killer's Shadow and it did not disappoint. I hope there's another season of this show.

Watched two episodes of Classic Rugrats. I enjoy having this show on in the background when I'm reading emails.

Caught an episode of Chicago Med and, wow, I'm starting to wonder a little if this is Conor's last season. Things seem to be ramping up quickly.

Enjoyed another episode of The Snoopy Show. This one had a bunch of spring-like vignettes.

Watched another episode of Loch Ness and there didn't seem to be a lot of forward momentum on the case, but little revelations popped up and into the storyline. I'm excited for the next episode.

Finished up the second part of Silent Witness. I'm kind of happy Thomas didn't do something sketchy with the information he had on the ex's new boyfriend. Even though she pretty much deserves anything he hands out. She's a piece of work.

Managed to finish an arc of Classic Who. I'll be starting a new one this week. I'm still on the fence with Mel as a companion. She does a lot of screaming.

Also watched the last episode of The Laundry Guy. I actually hope he does another round of episodes. I thoroughly enjoyed the six available.

Watched the Marvel Assembled: The Making of Hawkeye. Honestly, I really loved the first season and I'm kind of hoping there will be another, even if it's primarily Clint-free. Some great groundwork is out there if they continue this.

Started a new episode of The Hardy Boys. I love the mystery of this season and I can't wait to finish this episode.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Only When They Blink, a novella that puts a bit of a spin on The Princess and the Pea.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Hale Easterson has fae blood running in his veins, but he won't follow the family old school traditions and mate by the designated age. He escapes to his private lake house to find an unconscious Winter Sorn, a beautiful woman, sprawled on his doorstep and realizes he may not be able to avoid what destiny has in store.

And a preview snippet…

Winter Sorn lifted her chin in defiance. "I told you if you wanted me to continue reading people, I needed to speak with your boss." She glanced around the nearly empty room, strewn with bar stools, a battered old counter, and empty liquor bottles—her prison for the last ninety days. "Since he's not here, you can forget about any more help from me." She'd been cooperative for three months … that ended now.

Even confined, she'd heard her keepers talking about the elimination of disloyal subjects and the bodily harm to numerous others. Because of her unwillingly provided information. The knowledge rested heavy in her heart.

One of her captors—the semi-intelligent one named Martin—shook his head. "You'll regret that. Boss Man calls the shots … not you." He got up and edged his way in her direction. "No need to keep you around if you're not gonna play by the rules."

The second captor, Butchie, smirked. "She'll fall in. Haven't met a female yet who didn't cave when her beauty is threatened." His fist hit the palm of his hand. "I'm real good at bringing on the ugly."

Winter didn't flinch even though Butchie spoke the truth. He liked to damage things, especially people. Winter wouldn't contribute to helping him harm anyone else.

Martin reached her side. "You're going out to the bar floor in five minutes and you will point out anyone who isn't being loyal to the boss. That's how this works. When he's ready to meet you, we'll let you know." His fingers grabbed her hair and yanked hard, pulling her head back. "You don't wanna push your luck."

Winter winced when he tugged harder. "Too bad. I'm pushing." She struggled to get free. "I'm not going out there."

Martin's gaze flicked to Butchie. A sneer spread across the beefy man's face. Martin let go of her hair but the relief didn't last long.

Butchie's meaty fist came flying toward her from the right and connected with her chin. Her head snapped back and hit the edge of the bar. Stars exploded behind her eyes and she crumpled to the floor.

She blinked from the pain but also welcomed the discomfort. At least she wouldn't have to use her ability for being able to read a person's intentions to help a nameless, faceless figure anymore. After three months of being held against her will, any momentum in a different direction counted as progress—even if it hurt like hell.

When two sets of booted feet started kicking at her back and torso, she curled inward, trying to protect herself from the onslaught. She'd already decided to make this her last stand. If she ended up dead, so be it.

She would absolutely give her life to never have another death on her head. Or blood on her hands.

Struggling to stay conscious, she repeated the mantra that spurred her resolve to go down this path.

"Seven lives lost, not one more. Unless it's me knocking on death's door."

Losing the battle to protect herself, she succumbed to the blessed darkness pulling her into the ether.

Winter isn't going to like what comes next, but it does get her out of the back room she's been in.

That's it for this week.

 

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: One of These Things

Well, hello May. I'm not quite sure where April went but it's nice to have a nice shiny new month to get started.

Had a very busy work week with lots of movement on my projects. I'm finalizing a few and getting ready to start new ones. I love having a full calendar!

Kind of a slow week for television. The weather got a little nicer and I tried to take advantage of getting outside for a while.

I watched an episode of Peak Practice and it ended up being really good. I think there might end up being a new doctor coming to the practice, which will make things interesting.

Caught another MasterClass with Neil deGrasse Tyson. He spoke of cultural bias and I ended up getting a lot out of the lesson.

Got another episode of Young Wallander: Killer's Shadow in and pieces started falling into place. I loved the reveal at the end of the episode and can't wait to see what happens next. I have a feeling Kurt is going to be on the hot seat through no fault of his own this time.

Enjoyed another episode of The Ready Room. Anthony Rapp is such a fun interviewee to watch and he offered up some great insight into his character.

Watched another episode of Chicago Med and found it kind of interesting. I really love how the episode title tends to be a through line for the whole episode.

Caught another episode of The Snoopy Show and enjoyed it. The three or four vignettes are a lot of fun.

Got another episode of Cuffs in and should be close to the final episode of the season. I'm kind of interested to where they end up leaving things for the characters.

Started season eighteen of Silent Witness and ended up loving it. There's a bit of a different vibe this season and I like how the characters are interacting. I can safely say I really don't like Thomas's wife and I'm kind of hoping there's not going to be a lot of his personal drama. That said, I totally get his concern for his daughter.

Watched another episode of Classic Who and I'm liking how this arc is moving along. Even though the budget for Seven's turn as the Doctor is kind of lacking, the actors do a darn good job with what they have.

Enjoyed another episode of The Laundry Guy. I'm truly hoping there will be more episodes of this show. If not, I guess I can scour YouTube to see if there's anything else with Patric.

Last but not least, I watched the finale of Hawkeye. Really happy with how the season ended. I loved the three-way conclusions and the intermingling with the LARPers. I so hope there will be more of them if another season ends up happening.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from One of These Things, a novella that loosely retells the ugly duckling story.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Tanis Watts comes of age in the human world, but discovers she has fae abilities. When she's caught between warring factions, she falls in with the wrong side and barely escapes with her life. Seeking sanctuary, she lands on Falco Corsair's doorstep and runs headfirst into her destiny.

And a preview snippet…

Still glistening from their last round of sex, Calia sat with an unfocused gaze. "Someone from the Black will join the White and become a powerful force. Falco Corsair will be their guide and walk the path of fate's hand." She blinked and tilted her head to one side. "That was different. Usually I see things in you from your subconscious. This is a message directly from the universe." She slipped from the bed and shrugged into a diaphanous robe.

Falco shook his head. "I'm calling bullshit." He rolled off the bed and went to grab his pants from the living room. "No way. I'd never join forces with someone from the Black. My ancestors would spin in their graves." He jammed his feet into the legs. "Or rise up and seek retribution in the form of his head on a platter." He yanked the waistband up over his ass and tried to wrap his head around her prediction.

Calia hand-waved his concern. "Heed my words. The day will come." She placed a hand on his chest. "Our time together is very short, possibly at an end." A sad note crept into her voice.

Falco caught her fingers, giving them a squeeze. "I won't leave you hanging, Calia. Not while you still need me." Giving aid to others formed a basic tenet in his bloodline. "And I'll never willingly align with someone I can't trust." And he couldn't imagine putting his faith in someone on the opposing side.

She eased away from him. "You're taking the message too literally, Falco. Don't negate my gift because you don't like what it says." Moving to the bed, she stripped the sheets off and dropped them by the laundry bin.

Her jerky movements spoke louder than her tone. He'd hurt her and the kick of remorse hit him squarely in the chest. She didn't deserve his skepticism or his doubt.

Crossing the floor, he grasped her shoulders from behind. "I'm sorry. I'm being a dick and you don't need that right now." Especially when staying calm and happy helped maintain her balance.

Calia leaned against him. "You're right. I don't." Turning to face him, she met his gaze. "But I do understand. You've been at loose ends for a while now—even though you're busier than ever—and you've felt the shift. You know something is coming."

Falco sighed. "I'm going to be at the center of it, aren't I?" So much getting out ahead of things.

Calia gave a slight shrug. "That one I can't answer, but I can say you're going to be following the path intended for you. The journey will be easier if you don't fight the current." Wrapping her arms around him, she rested her forehead against his chest. "That's not easy for you; you question everything. Please try to remember my advice, because you'll need to be strong and steady."

He gave her a solid hug then stepped away. "Can't promise anything, but I'll do my best." He strode toward the living room and grabbed his jacket. "Usual time in two weeks?" Zipping the coat, he arched a brow.

She gave a small nod. "I'll be here."

Falco made it halfway home before he realized she'd said here instead of ready. A small change to their usual farewell, but one that boded something different on the horizon.

The idea didn't sit well in his mind.

Calia's small change to their farewell is definitely an omen, even if Falco isn't quite ready to accept it.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye