Sunday Snippet: Lie to Me

Whew. It's been a week. I'm under the weather and not enjoying that at all. I'm behind on my two work projects and we're getting a buttload of snow at the moment. Also … I'm on cold medication and it's making me loopy. Fun times.

I made a video for Tip Jar and I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. I'm excited about this new endeavor and hope it gets some traction.

Really slow week for viewing. Between being under the weather and everything else going on in the world, I didn't have the spoons to really dive into my shows.

I didn't end up finishing the episode of One Lane Bridge. I'm hoping to get to it this week.

I did watch the finale of London Kills and it ended up being pretty thrilling. I have a behind the scenes episode to watch and then I'll be starting the next season.

Caught an episode of Death in Paradise and enjoyed it. I'm liking Neville a lot more this season. Very interested in how things play out with Florance's under cover job.

Started an episode of Beyond Paradise and should finish it today. I ended up sleeping a lot over the weekend and just didn't have a chance to get the whole episode in. I did get a chuckle that Humph named his duck Selwyn because that's the commissioner's name from Death in Paradise. Not sure how I missed that before.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Lie to Me, an urban fantasy romance.

Here's the miniblurb:

Jana Ricks has a target on her back, and she wants Rhys McPherson to help her get rid of it. Rhys loves Jana, but may not be able to protect her, not if they want to stay alive, which he's determined to make happen … even if it means giving up the future he wants.

And a preview snippet…

Several hours later, Rhys ruled out hex cat and hell hound. "It doesn't make sense." Plus, dammit, nothing he'd tried revealed the animal.

And it had to be an animal.

Frustrated, he ran a hand through his hair. "What other magickal being could it be?" Not many were controllable even by dark magick.

A dark steed? Too big. Cloven goat? Too small and focused. Cloven goats only created havoc. Jinx rats weren't particularly useful except as annoyances because of the bad luck they brought. The same with pox hares. Crossing paths with the mangy rabbits could induce insomnia and indigestion, but not much else.

Another thought hit. "Maybe a vex fox." Rhys shuffled some of the texts on the table to uncover the one he needed. "Ah, no. Too rare." No sightings in the last several decades.

Jana entered the living room, carrying a tray of bubbling concoctions. "Here's the next batch." She placed the mixtures at his elbow.

She'd proven to be extremely helpful. Spell casting and brewing potions were often tedious, but she plowed through with perseverance. She'd even labeled the containers to help him find the ones he wanted quickly.

He met her gaze. "Thank you. Let's see what these reveal." He waited until she sat across from him then selected the first pot and worked successively through the batch trying to bring forth the nasty predator dogging Jana.

The action took him back … to when they'd done this kind of thing a lot. He missed her—them. But they couldn't work as a couple.

He didn't blame her for Rand's death, but she did hold responsibility. He couldn't get past that. Not yet.

Maybe not ever. Especially with Lindi and the kids as a constant reminder. But he loved Jana. Always would.

When none of the new spell potions worked, ideas and thoughts started shuffling in his head. "Let's go over the info again. Your gut said hell hound or hex cat, right?" She rarely missed.

Jana nodded. "But the spells aren't revealing the beast."

Rhys scraped a hand over his head. "Why? Dammit. Why can't I figure it out?" This kind of situation shouldn't be beyond him.

Jana rocked back in her chair. "Maybe it's both." She shrugged one shoulder.

Bingo! She might have just hit the jackpot.

Profound inspiration smacked him in the forehead. "Holy shit." Rhys went to a new book—one he'd discounted earlier. "You might be onto something." He thumbed through the pages. "A blended link with a side of cloaking." He read through the details and whistled low between his teeth. "That's some powerful fucking magick." But the concept fit.

Her chair thumped forward. "Who's got the ability to pull that off?" Jana frowned.

Rhys slid his gaze sideways. "One brain teaser at a time. Let's see if we're right first."

He transcribed the pages for the necessary spells then helped gather the necessary ingredients.

While filling the vials, he explained the process. "We'll need to work together. Uncloak first, break the link, then banish the creatures." Excitement to be working with her thrummed in his veins when he filled the vials. "Are you ready?"

It took a while for me to figure out where this story wanted to go, but I'm so happy with where it's headed now.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye