Sunday Snippet: Unforeseen Consequences

Can't believe June is almost over. This year is flying by so quickly. Or maybe it's just so much is out of control it seems that way.

Great week of work. I'm finishing up two big projects and hopefully setting up the groundwork for more. I'd love to find some balance between big jobs and smaller ones.

Had a decent week for viewing. We had some weather roll through, and I took the precaution of not starting anything when we might lose power.

I started a new two-parter of Silent Witness. Kind of an interesting premise and I'm not completely sure where this one is going. I like that.

Caught another episode of Death in Paradise, and it's one I hadn't seen yet. I do love watching the series in chronological order.

Continued my rewatch of Battlestar Galactica with "Final Cut," which is one of my very favorite episodes. There's a lot going on in this one and it's all amazing.

Finished the second season of Only Murders in the Building and, holy hell, I loved how it ended! Can't wait for season three!

Also managed to catch another episode of Classic Rugrats. It brought back some memories because my kiddos wanted to try flan because of this one.

And that's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Unforeseen Consequences, a novella about a couple whose past comes back to visit.

Here's the mini-blurb:

In the School for the Extraordinarily Gifted, Stella Stubbs and Dak Satterfield hold the record for the most challenges won. As instructors, they no longer join in on the fun, but both enjoy watching their students try to break their top scores—until a dangerous element is introduced and they discover their last wager won had unforeseen consequences.

And a preview snippet…

After playing voyeur while Stella and Dak had sex, Wilson Phelps slipped two fingers inside his student's wet and warm sheath. "Ah, my pet. You enjoyed that, didn't you. You're taking my fingers with ease." He brushed his thumb over her clit.

Erin Zephyr squirmed and nodded. "Yes, Master Phelps. They're beautiful together."

Her ass cheeks nudged against his hard dick, taking a bit of the sting out of the compliment. Wilson didn't want to hear about them being beautiful together. Or have Erin fall into a romantic trap with hearts in her eyes. He wanted her to pay attention to Stella's technique.

Because one day he'd have the dream of Stella writhing under him, but until then, Erin would serve as a conduit.

He added pressure to Erin's nub of nerves. "Did you see how Stella worked his cock?" She's got all the right moves. Brought both tremendous pleasure." More silky essences covered his fingers.

Erin reached back and cupped his erection. "When can I try that with you?" Her fingers wrapped around his girth.

Wilson's lips twisted. "Are you in a rush then? Do my fingers and tongue not bring you pleasure?" The student had a lot to learn before he'd take things further.

Erin slid her palm up and down his length. "Yes, Master Phelps." She brushed her thumb over the head of his cock. "But I want to feel this hard dick deep inside me." Her fingers added pressure and firmness before stroking again.

The crudely expressed desire would eventually be tempered when Erin learned how to truly please him. Right now, he wanted to finish this session and find his own release, which would be soon. If he visualized Stella holding his hard shaft between her fingers, it wouldn't take long.

He nuzzled Erin's throat, picturing Stella in his mind. "I'm close, my pet. Come for me first." He found the exact spot to send her over the edge and fluttered his fingers over it.

Erin gasped and shuddered, her hand gripping his cock, milking it in long, fast strokes. In his mind's eye, Stella smiled and urged him to join her in orgasmic bliss. In reality, Erin finished him off, her head lolling to one side, her legs trembling against his thighs.

Wilson swallowed a bit of distaste when he set Erin aside and reached for his pants. "Go ahead and get a shower if you'd like. I have some work to finish up." He picked up the pen Stella used to sign the wager book and turned it over in his hands.

Erin tilted her head to one side. "Would you like to join me?" She padded across his room to the attached bath.

Wilson shook his head. "Not tonight, my pet." He had some incantations to perform. "But I might tomorrow. If you arrive at the usual time."

She flashed a quick smile. "I'll be here. Good night, sir." Ducking into the bath, she quietly closed the door.

Wilson got up and crossed to the back of room and entered his office. He retrieved his robe, blood red in color, and slipped it on. Loosening the latch in the back of his closet, he pushed the door open to a secret space dedicated to his master plan.

Placing the pen in a place of prominence, Wilson settled down to his knees and began to chant.

This story went a little darker than I expected, but it's coming together in a way I love. I don't usually do the antagonist's point of view, but Phelps wanted to show his side of things.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Underbelly

Happy Father's Day to the dads out there, including fur dads and mentors. We've got beautiful weather after a very soggy week.

My work projects are bringing me so much joy right now. The books are so amazing! Also heard from one of my authors on two new stories he's got percolating right now. And I got a text message from one of my current authors that completely made my weekend. So … work is awesome right now.

Had a very good viewing week. I ended up doubling up on a couple of shows because the mood struck.

Ended up catching two episodes of the Brokenwood Mysteries. Both were pretty great. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting another one of Mike's ex-wives. And my heart kind of broke for him by the end of that episode. I'll probably finish out season nine this week.

Finished the complete run of available Classic Who episodes. Have to say in retrospect, it's weird how there have been seven doctors and only one master. That said, I'm actually kind of happy with how Seven's tenure ended. Not sure if I'll watch the movie with Eight or just skip over to New Who. It might be a few weeks before I start that.

Caught the second part of Silent Witness. This two-parter ended up being very twisty and I liked it. Looking forward to starting a new one this week.

Watched two episodes of Death in Paradise. I'm enjoying watching from the beginning in chronological order. It's nice to see how the original group came together.

Enjoyed the penultimate episode of Only Murders in the Building. What a cool twist or three. Can't wait to watch the finale this week.

Caught another episode of Classic Rugrats. This is my nostalgia show. I have so many great memories of watching this when my kiddos were little.

Watched an episode of Peak Practice. Joanna breaks my heart sometimes. And we're nearing the end of season nine when things don't go so well for her.

Continued my rewatch of Battlestar Galactica with a double-header of "Home Part I and II." These are two of my favorite episodes of season two. The fleet is brought back together, and the acting is stellar.

Enjoyed another episode of Madame Blanc Mysteries. Very interesting development at the end. I have a feeling I'll either love or hate the twist.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Underbelly, a novella with an urban noir vibe and characters who get to pull off a heist.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Jarrod Steele is a private investigator who deals with the weird and the unknown and can find anything his clients want. His super-efficient assistant, Maylin Rose, along with her unique skill set, makes sure of it.

And a preview snippet…

Jarrod reached out through a looking glass spell. As predicted, his harpy of a grandmother ignored his call attempts for a full hour.

When he finally got through, Sopharella Whetstone snapped and sniped. "You know I don't appreciate being summoned via a spell. If you want to speak to me, you can come to the estate." Her tone oozed censure.

Jarrod bit back. "Considering I don't know where you are twenty-four hours a day, which estate should I try first?" It could take him days to figure out which home she happened to be staying in.

She snarked. "If you bothered keeping in touch, you'd know where I am."

Jarrod shot back. "Yet, you don't answer calls or spell-casts until it suits you. Kind of makes it hard to find out where you are." He arched his brows. "See the problem?" He bit his tongue to avoid saying more.

She harrumphed. "Touché. What do you want?" Her image wavered a little then grew stronger.

She'd added her considerable power to the spell.

Jarrod got to the point. "What do you know about Aston Pemburke?"

Her lips puckered. "Bah! Nouveaux magick. Bought and paid for by the Pemburkes. Not worth my time." She sent a piercing stare his way. "Why are you wasting yours with him?" Her tone had curiosity laced through it.

Jarrod didn't answer, instead he replied. "He almost got me killed tonight. And I know there's something not showing in his background."

Her visage softened a little. "Are you hurt? Did he cause harm to you?" She couldn't quite keep the concern from her voice.

Jarrod grunted. "I'm fine. But if he didn't set me up, I want to know who did."

Grandma Sophie demanded a full account. "Start at the beginning and tell me everything."

Jarrod shook his head. "I'm bound by my contract to keep the details under wraps." His reluctance to share went deep with her.

She snapped. "If I don't have all the details, I can't provide the right information."

Jarrod snorted. "Meaning you can't give out the crumbs you choose to like ammunition if I don't provide a big enough target." No way would he give her cannon fodder to use against another family.

She waved her hand. "Not this time. Whatever you say goes to my grave. I won't have your life threatened."

Unless she did the threatening.

Jarrod gave her the rundown. She listened without interrupting—for once—and nodded several times.

Leaning forward, she asked one question. "Did the Pemburkes purchase this cube or steal it?"

Jarrod lifted his chin. "According to my research, they bought it. There's a transfer of ownership in the archives."

She settled back in her chair. "The short answer is Aston has a sister whose relationship has been expunged from the family records. She married an up-and-coming magick monger named Jayson Barrowman." Her face twisted in distaste. "The cube works on a blood imprint, meaning anyone with the family DNA can wield the power." She paused a moment. "And the power could be astronomical. Barrowman will, no doubt, want to use it for nefarious purposes."

Jarrod growled. "Son of a bitch." He wanted to smash Aston Pemburke in the mouth.

His grandmother huffed out an exasperated sigh. "What on earth are you doing with a group of lowlifes like them?"

Jarrod matched her biting tone. "Getting paid. Thanks for the help, Grandmother." He cut the conference off with a wave of his hand.

He'd pay later. The next time he needed help.

Rising from the table, he hissed out his frustration. "Stupid class wars." But, damn, the hierarchy aspect explained a thing or two.

I love this couple! There might be a possibility of more adventures if the sages cooperate.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Uncommonly Good

Getting a later than usual start on my blog post today. We lost power for about four hours. Finally got some rain after about ten days and the power blips. It's not even storming. Go figure.

Still moving along on my work projects. I'm so excited about the two manuscripts I'm editing. Both are part of a series with two different authors. Can't wait for the rest of the world to see them!

Had a pretty good week of viewing television. I'm still in the midst of the great clean out so not a huge amount, but a few extra hours.

Started the premiere episode of Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies. So far, I'm loving it. I paused mid-episode mainly because I want to be able to watch uninterrupted.

Caught another episode of Brokenwood Mysteries. Quite a good mystery for this one. Thoroughly enjoyed the episode.

Watched another episode of Peak Practice and enjoyed it. This one had some action, which doesn't happen often.

Enjoyed the penultimate episode of Classic Who's season twenty-six and I'm looking forward to the finale. Then I have to decide if I'm jumping into New Who or taking a break.

Caught the first half of a Silent Witness two-parter. Intriguing episode with some odd little twists. Looking forward to seeing how it ends.

Continued my rewatch of Battlestar Galactica with "The Farm". I have mixed feelings about this episode. Loved the creeptastic look into what the cylons are up to on Caprica. Hated the deeper dive into my most disliked character in the entire series. So, enjoyed watching with my co-watcher but tempered that with knowing what will come later with the most disliked character. Should be doing a double-header next week!

Watched another episode of Death in Paradise. I'm very happy to be starting this series from the beginning and working my way through in the established order. This is such a fun watch.

Enjoyed another episode of Only Murders in the Building. Such a great episode! Things are moving into place, and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Caught the first episode of Madam Blanc Mysteries' second season. It's a holiday themed episode and actually quite terrific. I'm kind of wondering if Dom and Caron will be vying for Jean's affections, which I hope won't be the case.

And that's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Uncommonly Good, a novella that brings two mages from different sides together under unusual circumstances.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Shelby Fewes and Creed Campanalla have a very friendly rivalry vying for top name in their respective dark and light organizations. When Creed is ordered to eliminate Shelby for retaliation, he makes a different call and the duo have an uncommonly good time proving the two sides can live and love together.

And a preview snippet…

Creed didn't pull his punches. "You've made a huge impression on the light master." And not a good one.

Shelby snorted. "Let me guess. You're supposed to make me go away." She did a slow walk around his living area, fingering the tapestries hanging on the wall.

Creed grunted. "Yeah, but I'm making a different call." Everything in his gut screamed to dig deeper.

Shelby arched her brows. "What? Out of the goodness of your heart?" Her gaze dropped to his groin. "Or maybe you're thinking with some other muscle?" Her lips twisted in a smirk, and she took a seat on the sofa.

Creed frowned. "My attraction for you has nothing to do with my decision. The way you fought in the cage and the conversation I overheard after the shower does." She'd been dealt a terrible hand.

Shelby's mouth thinned. "You eavesdropped?" She leaned back and folded her arms over her chest.

Creed lifted a shoulder. "I planned to duck in and compliment your sense of fair play but saw the dark overling looming over you. And, yes, I stuck around to hear what he had to say."

Shelby shook her head. "And that alone made you change your mind?" Her tone called bullshit.

Creed flung a hand out. "You know what? I was already questioning my orders after the fight. And, okay, more so after the free show you gave, but the clincher is your ten years of servitude. You're what? Twenty-five?" He took up the other end of the couch.

She nodded.

Creed fought the bile rising in his throat. "So, you started serving at fifteen?" Way too young to do the stuff she did.

She narrowed her eyes. "Is there a point to this math lesson?" She cocked her head to one side. "Where are you going with this?"

Creed bit back a sigh. "Yes, there's a point. You started serving before the age of consent. I'm betting ol' Evil Dark didn't give you a choice, did he?" And the dark overling probably didn't share the age limit with Shelby.

Shelby frowned. "Why would he? My mom ODed and owed him a crap ton of money. Someone had to pay her debt."

Creed gnashed his teeth. "Okay, but, by law, you couldn't be held responsible because you were under seventeen. You should've been placed in a neutral haven until you picked a side." He paused. "Have you ever declared fealty to the dark? Or gone through the ceremony?"

Shelby tilted her head to one side pondering. "No. But I signed a contract to pay back my mother's debt."

Creed all but snarled. "A contract you can't be bound to because it breaks about a dozen laws. The dark overling will be lucky if he's not removed from power."

Shelby's eyes widened. "You mean—" She broke off, the full realization of what had been done to her hitting hard. "Oh, hell no." She got up and paced back and forth. "I've been running around maiming and killing at his whim for no damned reason?" Her hands balled into fists. "Fuck that."

Creed got to his feet. "Cut yourself a break. You didn't know, right?" He crossed to a cart and picked up a bottle of alcohol.

Shelby shook her head. "No, no I didn't." She ran a hand through her hair. "I barely had time to process finding my mom before he swooped in and had the contract in my face." She put her hands on her hips and tilted her head back, her eyes shut and her face twisted in pain.

A need to protect her rose unbidden in his mind. He couldn't shake how horribly she'd been wronged.

He poured her a drink and pressed it into her hands then nodded toward the couch. "Why don't we settle in and start at the beginning?"

I love, love, love this story. Creed and Shelby are very well matched even if they're supposed to be on opposite sides.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Twilight Kingdom

The first week of June is in the books and I got a big chunk of my garage cleaned out, which makes me very happy.

Work projects are moving along and I'm hoping to line up another project or two in the near future. I love a full calendar!

I had a decent week of television even with the great garage cleanout. I'm not up to my regular schedule yet and I'm actually okay with that.

I finished up the second half of Silent Witness and actually liked the kind of twisty ending it had. Lots of red herrings in this episode.

Started a watch of Death in Paradise. I've never seen this series from the actual beginning and I'm excited to dive in.

Caught another episode of Only Murders in the Building and I loved having some Mabel backstory. The fact she loved The X-Files as a kid makes me so happy.

Continued my rewatch of Battlestar Galactica. "Resistance" is such a great episode … with the exception of introducing a character I absolutely disliked with intense passion.

Watched an episode of Classic Rugrats. The two segments were ones I had forgotten and I'm always happy to watch those.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Twilight Kingdom, a reimagining of Sleeping Beauty.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Jess Gillian heads to the outer rim planets to get away from his overbearing parents—the royal consorts of their home planet. When the heir is away, the evil Maniforti will play, luring Nareen Rhom, a palace ward, into a relationship so he can get close to the rulers. When Nareen gets wise, Maniforti casts a spell holding the entire kingdom in his thrall—until Jess returns and sets things straight.

And a preview snippet…

Jess woke up with a groan. "What the hell happened?" His last clear memory had the no-name bounty hunter saying something about making it worse.

A cool hand pressed against his forehead. "Damn. Glad you finally came to."

Jess blinked to clear his blurry vision and found the bounty hunter's face hovering over his. Shit. Not good.

He snagged her wrist and jerked her forward. "You bitch. Why are you trying to kill me?" The accusation flew past his lips before he could stop it.

She snatched her arm away. "I'm not—stupid man—if I made an attempt on your life, you'd be dead." She snorted. "I've been protecting you but trying not to interfere." She rolled her eyes. "That didn't work out well." Sarcasm came naturally to her.

Jess's eyes widened. "Protecting me? What the hell for?" He'd been fine until she showed up in that backwater bar.

The bounty hunter shrugged. "The prince consort hired me to keep tabs on you. But … I can't reach him. And that's concerning." A note of worry crept into her tone.

Jess grunted. "Because something's wrong. Nari reached out. Probably saved my life, actually … right before you got here." He paused, recalling the desperation in Nari's plea. "Dammit. How long have I been out?"

The bounty hunter lifted a shoulder. "Two days, but—"

Jess winced. "Shit!" He sat up and gasped in pain.

She shoved him back down. "Hold on. You're not gonna be worth anything if you undo everything I just did." She gathered up some nasty smelling herbs and packed them against his skin. "You need at least two more days—preferably three—before you're back in top form." Scooping the concoction into a leather pouch, she tucked it into her bag.

Jess grimaced, but very carefully sat up again. "Get me some clothes." He didn't have two or three days to waste.

She frowned. "Did you hear what I said?"

He lifted his chin. "Yeah. It'll take at least that long to get back home. I'll recuperate on the way." His gaze scanned the room, much cleaner than he'd remembered leaving it.

She made her displeasure known but did as he asked, going to the chest of drawers and retrieving a pair of pants and a shirt.

A thought crept into his head. Old magick. He blinked. Didn't feel telepathic but it did make an odd kind of sense.

The bounty hunter tossed the clothes to him. "I still think it's a good idea to wait." But she gathered her jacket and slid the messenger bag over her shoulder.

While he dressed, he questioned the bounty hunter. "What do you know about the ancient rites?" He only knew as much as Nari shared with him.

No-name's brows drew together. "Why?"

He shook his head. "Just a feeling, but it's like one that's not mine."

The bounty hunter blew out a harsh breath. "Geez, if we're dealing with the old guard shit, we need to go now."

Jess snorted. "Which is what I suggested in the first place."

I love this story! It has a few twists that are so much fun to write.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye