Sunday Snippet: Utter Not a Word

Well, it's been a week. I hit a slump even though I got a lot accomplished. Not sure why I ended up being so distracted, but I struggled to stay focused on anything.

Had a very slow viewing week, probably due to being randomly distracted by everything.

I watched another episode of Strangest Things and enjoyed the artifacts featured. This show makes interesting connections when they're trying to figure out what something is.

Caught a Death in Paradise marathon, which ended up being fun to watch. I'm still doing a full watch in chronological order, but fun to have a whole day of great episodes.

Enjoyed another episode of Battlestar Galactica. We finished up the first half of season two and during our discussion we remembered how long we had to wait for the next half, especially because the episode kind of ends on something of a cliffhanger. And there were so many great moments in this episode!

I planned to start Cannes Confidential this week but ended up being too distracted. I'll be watching it in the very near future and will post my reaction next week.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Utter Not a Word, a novella that brings a couple together after the murder of a dear friend and the death of a mentor.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Maren Roth is reeling over the loss of her oldest friend after a skirmish with an opposing faction goes horribly wrong. Wayne Edelman, a superior adept with the responsibility of their sect resting in his hands, offers comfort and support in a very unexpected way and Maren realizes the man has become an expert on reading her moods. With a huge battle brewing, she takes solace in the concept that together with Wayne, they might have a fighting chance at winning.

And a preview snippet…

"Jessie, no! Don't send the—"

Maren woke up with a scream, her head pounding and her eyes filling with tears.

The dark room cast gray and black shadows and didn't resemble the warehouse.

A hand reached for her. Wayne's here.

Right here.

"Hey, careful now." Wayne eased up from the chair and settled beside her. "You're back at the manor." He grasped her shoulders and turned her to face him. "You've got a nasty bump on your head, and you're banged up."

Yep. Physically and emotionally. Banged up. Wrecked. Ravaged.

Maren bit the inside of her cheek but couldn't stop the flow of liquid streaming down her cheeks. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out but a garbled whimper that ended on a sob.

Wayne carefully scooped her up onto his lap. "Yeah, it's hitting hard. I know." He smoothed a hand over her hair.

Maren tucked her head under his chin. "She's gone. My oldest friend in the world." She took the tissues Wayne grabbed for her. "I can't deal."

How did she go on without Jessie?

Wayne hugged her closer. "I know. I know." His fingers carefully pressed around her nape. "How's the head?"

She grimaced. "Hurts. The tears aren't helping." But damned if she could stop them.

He nodded. "Yeah, I get it. But you'll feel better letting all that out." He reached over and turned on the lamp then carefully checked her cuts and scrapes. "Any pain from these?"

Maren shook her head. "I can't feel them. I'm too numb." She shivered a little and wondered if feeling like drowning underwater would ever stop.

Wayne dragged the blanket up and over her shoulders. "Do you remember what happened after Jessie went down?" His voice held no censure but something wrong must have happened.

Maren shook her head. "I remember giving her the rites and burning her. You bringing me here. Vaguely remember the shower." She eased back to meet his gaze. "Why?"

Concern creased the corners of his eyes. "Do you remember using hellfire at all?"

I unleashed hellfire? Geez. That explained the concern. Not in a chastising way, because he also stayed with her because of her head injury. But if she used the forbidden deterrent, he'd have some serious explaining to do.

Maren shook her head again. "I don't. Not really. Did I hurt anyone?" She had no recollection of what happened to the wizards and their team of mages.

Wayne shrugged. "Somewhat, but no one died." He didn't elaborate or say how bad any injuries were.

Maren wanted to care but couldn't. "I'm not at a place where she can give a shit about hurting the wizards who killed Jessie." Her shoulders squared and an ache went through her.

Wayne grunted then gently prodded for answers. "Did you intend to kill them?" Again, his tone lacked any heat or anger—he only needed to ask.

She rolled her good shoulder. "Honest answer? I don't know. I can't be sure one way or the other." Rage and fear fueled her after Jessie went down. "But I can say if I wanted them dead not even you could've stopped me." Her eyes filled again. "So … I guess that's the answer we'll have to live with." Her throat clogged and swallowed another sob.

Wayne cupped her face. "It'll do, because I agree. If you'd wanted them dead, they would be." He shifted his position and settled a little further into the pillows on her bed.

Maren put her head on his shoulder, letting the tears fall and the muffled sobs escape. Wayne whispered soothing words, creating a safe zone to express her grief. She didn't know how long she cried before she drifted off again.

But she appreciated having him with her … because, right there in Wayne's arms, she finally found a moment of solace.

I'm taking a bit of a dive into the grieving process with this story and I'm pretty happy with how it's coming together right now.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye