Sunday Snippet: Mendacium

Geez, halfway through the month already and I feel like I'm stuck in reverse. Not to say I'm not getting anything done. I am. Most of it is work related, which I'm not complaining about. But … I do need to do a better work-life balance. Even my daily oracle card draw is pointing me in that direction.

I'm still buried under multiple projects, and all are making solid progress. I've never had so many nonfiction manuscripts and I'm actually enjoying being able to switch back and forth between the variety of genres there and with my fiction manuscripts. I have a holiday horror story, a romance, and a mystery in fictional work.

Not a bad viewing week. I made it through my usual round of shows did get to add the new show. I enjoyed it and will add it to my current roster. There's one additional show I'd like to work in, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to.

Caught another episode of London Kills and, yep, the beginning of the showdown with David and Vivienne started. Can't wait to see what happens next. Rob and Billie should probably brace for impact.

The new show I started is Dark Winds. So far, really enjoy the premise and the pacing. The acting is top-notch also. I had a sneaking suspicion the new deputy would end up being more than met the eye. Glad I was right about that.

Watched another episode of Death in Paradise and enjoyed it. I'd seen most of this one at some point on Ovation and I liked having the full episode from beginning to end. I'm also enjoying Darlene a lot. Glad they added her to the team.

Enjoyed another episode of Beyond Paradise. It's so much fun watching Martha's mom going on dates. I'm also interested in how things shake out with the fostering situation. Very cool to have some Margo backstory also.

Caught an episode of Elementary and I'm kind of sad Kitty is headed for parts unknown for now. I do love that her story had a satisfying resolution. Also so happy we got to see how she kind of saved Sherlock from himself.

Watched another episode of Batman Beyond. Inque made another appearance and that was fun. Also kind of cool to see Bruce back in the field and how much Terry tried to protect him.

Finished up with an episode of Classic Rugrats. Enjoyed both vignettes and also discovered I have more episodes than I thought I had left. This isn't bad news.

And that's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Mendacium, a novella that works through a betrayal to bring a couple together.

Here's the miniblurb:

Kelby Svet and Reave Systevich work for Mendacium, a covert organization that monitors magical ability among the human population. When powers go out of control or get abused, Kelby and Reave deal with the fallout—until a betrayal puts them on different sides.

And a preview snippet…

Kelby Svet didn't like her odds right now. "C'mon, fellas. Cut a girl a break." She did a slow circle, keeping the trio of magick abusers in her sight.

The tallest one, Jones something, snorted. "Right. The only break we'll give you is me calling dibs. My friends here are the smash and grab type." He ignored their rude comebacks. "Unlike me, who enjoys taking things nice and slow." He leered and moved a step closer to her.

Kelby grunted. "Not what I heard. The three of you have been tearing through the neighborhood, wreaking havoc and leaving a trail a novice could follow." She turned again, slowly, making sure to keep the other two in her peripheral vision. "I'm not a novice. This is the end of your terror trip." For at least two of them.

Maybe.

The trio lacked finesse, but they could wield magick. She had serious doubts she'd be able to take all three down without any kind of backup. She cursed her handler, Pope Cantas, for sending her out on this assignment. The man liked putting her ass on the line and taking chances with her life. Where's the help he promised?

The short, squatty guy, Marlin or Morley something, sneered. "Whadaya think you can do to stop us? You're one tiny woman against three men." He puffed his chest out and lunged forward.

The third guy, name unknown, cackled. "Yeah, like you have any kind of chance." He spread his arms and muttered the beginning of an incantation.

Kelby countered with a quick silencing spell. It wouldn't last long, but it might buy her some time. She had to make a move, to choose which one to go for first. Her gut said Jones—intel listed him as the one with the most power and experience—but she ran the risk of taking on more than she could handle with him, giving the other two an opportunity to combine forces. Hovering on the brink of disaster, she sighed with relief when the door crashed open. Her sigh turned to a groan when her gaze clashed with the man who entered.

Reave Systevich.

Damn Pope for sending him.

Then again, Reave's experience probably made him the best option.

He moved into the dimly lit room with a barrage of swirling wind, drawing the attention of the three men. Kelby used the distraction to adjust her position and flank the trio. Her chin lifted and Reave shifted to his left, giving her a brief nod. She had the lead.

The unschooled group put their backs to each other and made some noise, mumbling under their breaths. Kelby kept her gaze on their hands, leaving Reave to listen and make sure they weren’t trying to use a combination spell. Tactics shuffled in her brain, and one stood out—the whiplash maneuver. Glancing up, she met Reave’s gaze and used her eyes to indicate the parlay by doing a fast flick to her right and a slow glide to the left. A quick quirk of one side of Reave’s mouth showed his agreement.

She didn’t have to clue him in on which man to target, Jones being the obvious choice. Reave didn’t waste time, giving her a curt nod. They each made a hashing motion with their hands, focusing their intent on the tall man. He whipped backward to the outer wall of the building then flew forward, crashing into the other two before slamming into the opposing side of the interior surface. Silent, mutual agreement had Reave heading for Jones. Kelby made short work of subduing the other two with physical tethers and a binding spell.

Reave dragged Jones to the middle of the space. "Good call with the whiplash." He dumped the tallest of the trio on the pile. "He's out cold for now. You got extra restraints?" His eyebrows arched in question.

Kelby dug another pair out. "Thanks for the backup. Pope didn't say who he'd be sending." She handed the tethers to Reave.

He bent to secure Jones's hands. "Yeah, well, don't like doing favors for him, but you? I don't mind helping out." His head snapped upward, and he flashed a grin.

Kelby cracked a smile. "Much appreciated. Pope is definitely an acquired taste." And sometimes even she could barely stand the bitter flavor her handler dished out.

Reave straightened. "He's also an asshole on a power trip but thank fuck I don't have to deal with him often." His head tilted toward the door. "You have transport, or did he send you in unprepared as usual?"

Her face flamed, because she couldn't deny Pope only gave her sketchy details. "I was within walking distance when they pinpointed their location." Why did she feel the need to cover for her handler?

Reave snorted. "Right. Let's get them hauled out to my ride." He grabbed the smaller two by their collars and pulled them to their feet. "I'll get Jones." Leaning down, he grabbed the unconscious guy and started tugging him to the door.

Kelby directed the other two outside and into Reave's SUV.

He maneuvered Jones into the back of the vehicle and secured the hatch before coming around to her side. "Might as well ride in with me. Unless you have to head back out on patrol?"

Kelby only hesitated a moment. "I do have to go back out, but I might as well help get this lot processed." She popped the passenger door open. "Thanks for the lift." Even if it would be awkward.

Reave's lips quirked again. "Sure thing." He strode over to the driver's side and slid behind the wheel.

Kelby settled in and gazed out the window. Now that the dangerous group had been subdued, she let her mind spin out to how circumstances kept putting her in Reave's orbit. In any other scenario, she'd be thrilled to work with him. Actually, she liked him. A lot.

But she never acted on the attraction she had for him. Because we have a history … and it's not the good kind. So … she avoided getting sexually tangled up with him. Which sucked balls because adrenaline flowed hot after that takedown and she kind of wanted him in a bad way.

Yet … she'd be stupid to think he'd want to pursue anything. After all, she'd been responsible for his best friend's death. And she really didn't like having red on her ledger.

Kind of a long preview this week, but I'm so happy with this scene.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Mendacium

Ugh. Another week of crazy back and forth weather. We went from sixty-two degrees on Thursday to twenty-five on Friday. Every time I took the dog out starting on Thursday evening, I added a layer of clothes. And… I now have a raging upper respiratory ick thing. LOL Never fails.

Not a bad week for television. I caught the premiere of Strike Back and loved it. One of my favorite actors is starring this season and I'm very excited to see what he does on the show. I'm also kind of caught between the old style with Stonebridge and Scott and the new style with Wyatt, Mac, and Gracie. The former cast had more time to build the relationship between the leads and I liked how that spread over the four seasons they helmed the series. The new cast feels like they had to skip a lot of the nuance and I kind of miss that. And none of this is to say they don't gel together, because they do.

Also caught an episode of Chicago Fire and ended up being an ugly-crying mess by the end. Benny's sendoff didn't disappoint. I tend to get very emotional over signing off a fallen firefighter. With a retired fire chief dad who's still active with a volunteer department, those things hit home for me.

I'm almost finished with Luke Cage's second and final season. I'm pretty sure I'll be satisfied if Mariah goes down hard. I'd like Luke to have a resolution with his anger issues too and I think he's come a long way. Misty is just awesome no matter what so there's that.

Also caught Classic Roswell on a different app where I can watch single episodes. I'm looking forward to comparing the new reboot with the classic series.

Caught a few episodes of Classic Who this week and the Daleks are back, creating trouble as usual. I love how long this Whovian villain has been around.

Watched Murdoch Mysteries and Midsomer Murders. I love both of these series and how long they've been running.

Penny Dreadful had an interesting episode with Vanessa meeting the cut wife. The icky witch woman annoys me in ways I can't begin to describe. I do love Ethan and Vanessa's interactions so watching the creepy woman be evil is a small price to pay I guess.

Finally finishing up season four of Killjoys and, man, the "It Takes a Pillage" episode rocked on so many levels. Great character development and growth, a family reunion, betrayal, and Zeph being awesome. Can't ask for more than that.

Worked in another episode of Painkiller Jane, one I don't remember watching during the original run of the series. The show makes me nostalgic for La Femme Nikita and Mutant X. I miss the crazy creative style of that era of television.

Also started another episode of Underbelly: Razor. I'm about halfway through the series and continue to enjoy watching life in Australia during the twenties and thirties.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Mendacium, a novella that started with a writing community prompt of write a story that involves a lie.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Kelby Svet and Reave Systevich work for Mendacium, a covert organization that monitors magical ability among the human population. When powers go out of control or get abused, Kelby and Reave deal with the fallout—until a betrayal puts them on different sides.

And a preview snippet…

Reave heaved a sigh. "You know what? I was so pissed when I woke up and you were gone. Then I found out you hooked up with Adkins and being pissed turned to silent rage." He got up, crossed the room, and sat next to her.

Kelby didn't hold out much hope. After learning the how much and for how long Pope betrayed her, she didn't really deserve anything from Reave. Gah! If only she'd stuck around that night.

Reave nudged her shoulder. "Stop it. Nobody had a clue Pope was working both sides and profiting from the jobs he sent his teams out on." His arm wrapped around her, hauling her close to his side.

She burrowed in, basking in the comfort of him. "He was a goddamn puppet master." Anger filled her again. "I can't believe how brilliantly he manipulated me." All the blood on her hands belonged to Pope.

She finally had a chance for normal now.

Her head angled upward and she met Reave's gaze. "I've learned a lot since I left you that morning. About myself and what I really need to survive." She needed him even if the idea still made her uneasy.

But why wouldn't it? For so long she'd lived on the edge of everything. Reason, sanity, disaster… no wonder anything resembling quiet and calm freaked her out.

Reave grasped her hand, lacing their fingers together. "I wasn't honest that night when I talked about making a plan to get out." His thumb made circles on her skin.

She looked up again. "Meaning you didn't want to leave?" Surprise warred with disbelief.

He'd been pretty set on getting out while they still had a chance to make a life.

Reave shook his head. "No, I wanted to start planning something, but I didn't want to do it alone. The part I wasn't honest about was how much I needed you. You were the catalyst that made me want a future." His lips curved in a half-smile. "But, I don't know, the gut-punch of actually owning the feeling of wanting a life with you kept my mouth shut." His gaze met hers. "Maybe if I admitted how much and how long I needed you, you wouldn't have left, but I couldn't… okay, more like wouldn't…" His voice trailed off and he glanced away.

She sat up. "Wait, why not?" Her gut screamed he hadn't told her everything that night, especially when his brain wouldn't shut down.

Reave lifted a shoulder. "Kelb, you carry guilt around like a mantle. Eventually you would've resented me saddling you with something you weren't ready for yet." His eyebrow arched, almost daring her to deny his words.

She couldn't. Obviously. One little conversation about the future weighed on her conscience and she'd all but jumped at the chance to take a tumble with Adkins along with bringing in a group of rogue mages.

Would she have been swayed if Reave shared the depth of his feelings? She searched deep, yeah, maybe. And, yeah, she'd have let the guilt eat her alive. After Enri. Before discovering Pope's role in Enri's death… yeah, she wouldn't have been ready for anything bright and shiny with Reave no matter how much she wanted it.

She brought his hand to her lips, brushing them over his knuckles. "You're not wrong. I'm sorry for it, especially for cutting out the way I did." The sting of leaving him still pricked her sometimes.

Reave flashed a smile. "It worked out for the best. With hindsight, I recognize I didn't say anything because I wanted you on better terms. Not because I painted a pretty picture of the future and not because we suffered a big loss and needed to grieve." He angled her toward him and cupped her face. "You weren't ready, and honestly, I wasn't either. I needed perspective to really see we faced a bigger threat than out of control mages or asshats that abuse their magic." He leaned in and pressed a kiss against her forehead.

Her eyes closed and she all but purred with satisfaction. Tilting her chin up, she meshed her lips with his, pouring everything—love, passion, hope—into the embrace. Her fingers tugged at the hem of his t-shirt, dragging the material up his torso.

Sex. Him. Forever.

She needed all of it.

Now.

This story is finally taking shape. I need to outline and brainstorm some additional ideas but I like where it's going.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Mendacium

Happy Mother's Day to all the terrific moms out there! Enjoy the day and may you all be pampered and treated to your fondest wishes.

This week in television had some terrific stuff. Starting on Monday with Gotham, which is supposed to get a third season—yay! Hunters is still kind of dragging for me, but I'll finish out the season just because.

Tuesday's episode of The Flash ended on quite the cliffhanger. Looking forward to this week's follow up to find out what, exactly, happened. Agents of SHIELD kind of disappointed me but I did like the interaction between Daisy and Mac. And Fitz and Simmons are completely adorable.

Wednesday's Arrow proved very interesting. I had a sneaky suspicion Alex would turn out to be kind of cagey. Here's hoping he's not a total asshat… or that Thea makes him hurt a lot if he is. J

Thursday's Legends of Tomorrow made me so happy. I really do love this show. And the team is starting to mesh together in a great way. Orphan Black continues to blow my mind in wonderful ways. I wish I could say the same about After the Black, but maybe they'll find a good footing in the near future.

Wynonna Earp is still one of the best shows on TV right now. I'm very intrigued about Dolls's situation and look forward to more revelations on that end. I'm still a little behind on Banshee, but slowly catching up. Considering it's the last season, I'm not in a huge hurry to say goodbye.

And that's it on the television front this week.

Tonight's post is from Mendacium, a novella based on the prompt of writing a story that involves a lie.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Kelby Svet and Reave Systevich work for Mendacium, a covert organization that monitors magical ability among the human population. When powers go out of control or get abused, Kelby and Reave deal with the fallout—until a betrayal puts them on different sides.

And a preview snippet…

What the hell am I thinking? Reave didn't regret asking Kelby to consider a life together, but the notion came from a place he usually kept locked up tight. I'm crazy to even ponder walking away. Like Kel said, we'd be moving targets with no protection. Except each other.

Honestly? Leaving Mendacium might stack the odds in their favor. Then again, a strike team could end up pulling their names for containment. He and Kelby knew where too many of the skeletons were hiding and in which closets. Going up against their team wouldn't be impossible, but Reave didn't want to test the probability of coming out on top in a skirmish.

Yet, the price for staying much longer taxed him. The old adage of knowledge being power always forgot to tack on the fact that having information often cost the keeper's life. He didn't figure he'd live to a ripe, old age, but a couple more decades would be nice.

He shifted his position, rolling to his side. Kelby snuggled in behind him, wrapping an arm around his waist. Her body molded against his, a perfect fit. How great would life be if they could hit a bed like this every night? Probably too much to ever hope for. Didn't mean the gut-deep wish would go away any time soon.

Kelby nuzzled her nose against his back. "Reave." Her lips ghosted over his skin. "I can practically hear you thinking. Go to sleep."

He bit back a grin. Only Kelby could make an order to go to sleep sound sexy. His eyes drifted shut and he exhaled slowly, letting the tension ease. She gave him an encouraging squeeze and he laced their fingers together, pulling her hand up to his chest.

Not a bad way to end the night.

Reave's night ends the way he wants, but the morning… well, not so much. LOL

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Mendacium

Hello!

Okay, no Arrow episode this week and I missed my favorite show. L But, we did have new Walking Dead and Bitten, which made me super happy. I love reading the speculation about Daryl and whether he'll fall in with those rogue survivors or play nice until he can track down Beth. I'm rather hoping for the latter. It would make a nice bookend to the episode where he more or less sent his past life up in flames.

Bitten's episode for this week has me full of anticipation. I cannot wait to see Elena's worlds collide. J Orphan Black is gearing up for next month and I'm following their instagram page with an obsession. My twitter feed is rife with speculation… to the point I'm pondering a blog post with my wish list for the season. I'll just add that to my ever growing pile of stuff that needs attention. J

Tonight's post is from Mendacium, an urban fantasy that puts my main characters at cross-purposes even though they kind of work for the same side.

Here's the tagline:

Kelby Svet and Reave Systevich work for Mendacium, a covert organization that monitors magical ability among the human population. When powers go out of control or get abused, Kelby and Reave deal with the fallout—until a betrayal puts them on different sides.

And a preview snippet…

Kelby slid a thigh between Reave's legs and burrowed closer to his side, placing her hand on his chest. She rather liked basking in the afterglow of sex. Something of a rarity for her—she usually squashed any kind of hope for more. But Reave lived the life. He got the notion they could have a moment, take a while and breathe, then go back to their job at hand.

Reave wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hauled her closer. "Kel, let's wrap this case and cut out. Find somewhere quiet away from the politics and constant policing and enjoy life."

Okay, so much for Reave getting a concept. If he'd slapped her, she'd be less stunned.

Kelby took a moment before trying to answer. She wanted to see if she could get her head around the thought of leaving Mendacium. Reave made walking away sound simple, but reality wouldn't come close. They'd have to fight their way off the grid.

Might be worth the hassle to wake up with him every day.

She curled her hand into a fist and propped her chin on it. "Are you serious?"

He met her gaze. "Yeah. We've got ten years in, Kel. Haven't we done enough to help the cause?" He sighed. "I know it's not gonna be easy, but seriously, there's gotta be some kind of life out there, right? Haven't we earned the chance to find out?"

She pondered his words. "Maybe. But we've also pissed off a lot of outsiders. Do you really want to constantly look over your shoulder? Because that's what we'd have to do without the mantle of protection Mendacium offers."

He frowned. "You have a point." He angled over onto his side, letting her head rest on his bicep. "It's just a thought. At least consider it, yeah?" He leaned in for a quick, hard kiss.

Kelby nodded. "Yeah, okay. I'll think about it."

He reached across the bed and switched the lamp off, then settled down, draping an arm over her waist. Kelby let her eyes drift shut, but her brain swirled, too much information battling for prominence. One phrase kept nudging to the forefront…

She still had red on her books and a toll to pay.

Walking away sounded tempting, but she didn't have the option.

Yet.

And she won't for a while, even though she really wants to take Reave up on his offer. The big question is… how Reave responds when he wakes up alone. :D

That's it for the week.

Cheers!

Skye