Sunday Snippet: Only When They Blink

Whew. The Last Ship had one of the best finales I've seen in a while. I'm so thrilled season four and five are already on tap and we'll get more of this terrific show. I'm honestly excited to see where things go with Tom, who's so broken right now, the Greens and their new family, and the rest of the crew of the Nathan James. Gonna be a very loooonnng wait for 2017.

Still need to catch up on Dark Matter so I haven't seen the finale yet. Hopefully next week I'll have some final thoughts on this season.

I think Gotham starts this week and I'm interested in where things will end up. With so many disturbed and unbalanced people on the loose, Gordon and company will have their hands full.

Fall television will be in full swing soon so there might be more shows added to the roundup.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Only When They Blink, a novella written as an updated and modern 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…

A slap of cold air pushed Winter back into consciousness. She opened her mouth to scream, wildly trying to figure out what happened. The air whooshed from her lungs when her gaze caught sight of rolling pavement, the sound of wind screaming around her ears. The door of a speeding car hung open.

What the hell?

Pain rushed to her nerve endings and the memory crashed through her brain. A fist to the side of her face. Her head snapping back to meet the end of the bar. Hitting the floor in a crumbling heap. Then kicking. Over and over again.

The stupid assholes beat her.

Fight or flight instinct kicked in and Winter struggled against the restraining arms holding her captive. "Let me go!" She reared back, the fast-moving pavement outside sending a wave of dizziness through her.

The bands of steel holding her tightened more. "Hey, boss. The bitch woke up." Fetid breath fanned her face.

Butchie.

Fighting the urge to gag, Winter growled. "Let. Me. Go." She fought against him, needles of agony prickling everywhere.

Her entire body ached, like a huge, throbbing wound.

Martin craned his head around. "The plan doesn't change. Toss her out, Butchie. We don't need her anymore." He hit the accelerator, increasing their speed. "Stupid bitch can't possibly survive. Not when we're doing ninety."

Winter went limp. No way would she make it easy to throw her out of a moving car. Butchie cursed up a storm, pushing and jockeying her closer to edge. The wind whipped her hair around her face and the roar of the speeding vehicle whistled along her ears. The rolling pavement got blurrier when Butchie manhandled her toward the open door. He gave a hard shove and Winter hurtled out of the vehicle.

With no other option, she tucked her head and rolled when she hit the ground. Jarring pain ripped through her and she swallowed dirt, but landed in a sprawled heap, rolling over and over until her shoulders and head met something hard and solid. Stars burst behind her eyelids and she moaned. Everything ached—even her teeth. She tasted blood and spit a mixture of reddened mud and saliva out of her mouth.

Gasping for air, she couldn't drag much in. Punctured lung or just winded? She didn't know. Too much agony to focus on a single injury. She tried to move but the stars got brighter and the thumping in her head turned into a massive bass line. Shutting everything out, she concentrated on getting her bearings. Butchie and Martin didn't have more than a dozen brain cells between them. They couldn't have gone that far.

Moving very slowly, she rolled to her stomach and carefully raised her head, glancing quickly around. Nothing but waning light, trees, and rocks surrounded her, including the craggy one directly beside her. The call of a seagull pierced the air. Okay, and water. But where? Crawling forward, she winced with the effort it took. Yeah, maybe not a good idea.

Tears filled her vision. She had to find shelter. Good idea or not, she would suck it up and proceed. The temperature already hovered chilly and cold.

With twilight turning to dusk, nocturnal sounds floated on the windy air. Easing forward, she weighed the option of turning around and making her way to the road or the better plan to try for the treeline, at least to get out of the wind and maybe find a house. Her vision swimming, she opted for the trees. She struggled hard, slowly getting her feet under her. She stayed low, fighting dizziness and slowly moved in the direction she needed to go, gritting her teeth against the searing agony.

Dusk headed toward full-on darkness by the time she reached the trees, a blanket of pine needles and leaves greeting her arrival. Collapsing, she sprawled forward, unable to stay upright. She cradled her head on her arms.

Dragging in a haggard breath, she exhaled slowly. "No more. Can't go any further."

A tinkling chime drew her attention. Angling toward the musical sound, she spotted a welcoming light through the trees. Please, please let that be a house.

Digging deep, she got to her knees and headed toward the warm, golden beacon. The journey took a lot longer than she expected, but she finally emerged from the woods onto a stone patio. To her right, moonlight shimmered off a lake. To the left, a set of six wide steps shaped in a semi-circle led up to a house with weathered cedar siding. The steps looked daunting, each one about ten feet across.

With no other option, Winter started forward on her hands and knees. Her head pounded, her throat hurt, and she needed help. Praying someone would be home, she hit the first riser, wincing when the splintered wood dug into her hands. What's one more injury, right?

Halfway to the house, her waning strength gave out. Her vision swimming again, Winter closed her eyes, fully intending to rest a while then continue the rest of the way to the top.

Fate had another idea and, a few moments later, Winter succumbed to the inky blackness of unconsciousness.

I'm having a terrific time putting a modern spin on this classic fairy tale. I'm also loving the paranormal element.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: One of These Things

Well… it's kind of fitting the finale for The Last Ship is on the anniversary of 9/11. I have no doubt the end of season three will blow my mind. The previous episode has so much packed into it. Chandler knows what's happening on US soil. And it's not what he expected. The Greens were FINALLY reunited. If Blonde Ambition tries to do anything to their kid, I'm going to reach through the television and bitch slap her. Just saying. Pretty sure she'll focus on Chandler's family instead. Which means I'll still want to bitch slap her. LOL

I missed the double header of Dark Matter so I'll be playing catch up this week. I hope. I've got a crazy schedule through the end of the month so who knows.

No time to work on recaps of Killjoys season one. Maybe next week. I did get to watch a few episodes of Strike Back and should finish out season two soon. Might have to add recaps for this one to my list also. There's so much to love.

That's it for now. Should have few new shows to chat about soon.

Tonight's post is from One of These Things, a bit of a riff on The Ugly Duckling with a paranormal flair.

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…

Falco went for his usual run, leaving at dawn to make the rounds of the estate's perimeter. Once he completed the circuit, he left the grounds through the wooden gate and ambled along the winding path to the High Cleric's abode. When he knocked, she greeted him in the nude per their custom, and drew him into her warm arms and home.

After her embrace, she stepped back. "Welcome, Falco. I have the bathing chamber ready and waiting for you." Her fingers worked the zipper of his hooded sweatshirt down and her palms slid the garment from his shoulders.

Her touch soothed and aroused him, by design. "I look forward to the mineral waters, Calia." And more, since she'd worked her wiles.

Calia's lips curved and her hands pushed his workout pants past his hips, letting his erection spring free. "Mmm. That's not all you're looking forward to." She grasped his cock and let him through her small cottage to the outside atrium where a mineral spring fed the bathing pool.

She eased into the water, letting go of his shaft, and gathered a large pitcher to fill with the enriched liquid. Falco entered the pool, pausing to allow Calia to douse him with the steaming shower of mineral spirits. She repeated the process until Falco lifted a hand for her to halt.

Setting the pitcher aside, Calia made an appreciative hum. "Falco, I want my reward." She glided around him, her body cutting sensual swirls into the glistening water.

He caught her under the arms, hauling her close. "Then come and take, Calia. You know I won't deny you the life force you seek." His mouth slanted over hers and he freely gave her a burst of chi.

She moaned against his lips, drawing the energy deep within her. A sexual being by nature, when Calia accepted the role of High Cleric, she made a vow to deny her carnal urges, including seduction and siren calling—unless the male willingly participated. Falco couldn't absolve her from the promise she'd made to move up through the ranks, but he could ease her path by letting her feed on his base desires.

Calia wrapped her legs around his waist and he cupped her ass, bringing her hot center flush with his hard cock.

Falco slid one hand up to tangle in her hair. "Use me, Calia. Take what you need." His mouth ghosted over her jawline. "The next two hours belong to you."

She'd use every one of the one hundred and twenty minutes. Falco only had time to visit the cleric twice a month. As far as he knew, she didn't have anyone else who trusted her enough to give of themselves freely. Too many worried Calia would roam around in their deeper thoughts and discover their greatest fears and weaknesses.

Falco welcomed the intrusion. He sought guidance and control of his destiny. When Calia slaked her hunger, she'd reveal what she found in his psyche.

His instincts warned a wave of change would soon throw the White into disarray.

And Falco planned to get out ahead of the barrage.

I'm excited to see where this one goes. It's got some twists and turns.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: On the Circuit

Holy crap! The Last Ship only has two more episodes left and I'm dying to see both yet dreading the long wait for season four. ARGH! We got a favored familiar face last week and lost a new favorite. We also got to see one major enemy get his due. Now we just need to see Blonde Ambition get what's coming to her and hopefully find out if Jacob the Asshat reporter, who turned into a decent dude after all, met a terrible end. A LOT happened last week. Just saying.

The Killjoys finale rocked. We got some answers and spawned new questions. And, of course, one third of the team is separated from the other two. I wouldn't mind that being a thing for each season finale. I'm so interested in seeing how things play out for season three and look forward to the recurring characters maybe getting a little more backstory. And hey, if Rick Howland can start recurring, bonus points for that. Hat's off to Michelle Lovretta and her team for creating such a kick ass show.

Dark Matter is also weaving intriguing ripples. Yeah, ripples can't really be woven together, but this is science fiction so *blows raspberries*. I kind of loved the whole android / hologram dealio. And I'm kind of hoping we get some development / clear answers on the corporation thing. I'm all for murky waters and all, but I wouldn't mind some concrete motives either.

My rewatch of Killjoys season one is inspiring me to maybe do some fun recaps on my sister blog. If nothing else, I'd love to talk the mix of cast / costumes / music, because the first season nailed everything.

And that's it for television. Tonight's post is from On the Circuit, a novella that got its start from a fanfiction community writing challenge. I opted to go original instead of creating an alternate universe for my characters. The prompt stated to write a scene with the main characters as a rodeo clowns. Rodeo clowns are actually called bull fighters and they play a very important role in the events. I also added a fantasy twist instead of staying contemporary.

Here's the mini-blurb:

The popularity of breaking dragons on the rodeo trail lures Reggie Pitch to test her mettle as a bullfighter. She works her way up from green recruit and tries out for the big show with Dwight Merlyn as her trainer, which proves intimidating because not only is he attractive as hell, he's a third generation handler and his family breeds the rankest, meanest beasts on the circuit.

And a preview snippet…

She picked a terrific time to call bullshit.

Dwight cracked a smile. "Most of us do." He settled his ass against her changing station. "The ones who lack confidence tend to make lame references to big beasts." Crossing his arms over his chest, he waited for her reaction.

Reggie smirked. "Size isn't his problem. Knowing what to do with it… well… he could use some pointers there." Heaving a sigh, she paced back and forth.

Dwight needed her to settle down and get her game face on. She'd worked her ass off to make the jump to the main show; she deserved her shot at making the grade to a full-time spot. If for no other reason than to rub his face in her accomplishment.

But she had ten minutes to get rid of the negative vibe left behind by Nordstrom.

If the dragons caught a whiff of the anger and frustration, they'd pursue her relentlessly with the sole intent of tearing her apart. Reggie could guard against some of the internal conflict, but the older beasts would instinctively scent the feeling and react accordingly—putting the rider and bullfighter in danger. She stopped her back and forth walk, facing away from him, and exhaled slowly before drawing in a long, deep breath. Good start, but not enough.

He pushed away from the table and grasped her shoulders. "Pitch, you've got five to get your shit together." Turning her, he slid his hands upward, his thumbs braced under her chin. "Forget Nordstrom. He can't take this away from you unless you let him." He held her gaze. "Don't let him."

Determination filled her eyes. "I won't." Her shoulders relaxed and the last of the tension drained away. "I'm good to go now."

He gave a quick nod. "Yeah, you are. Go show those beasts what you've got." Stepping away, he nudged her toward the door.

She strode forward, confident and capable. Pausing with her hand on the knob, she angled her head around, the visage of greasepaint one of macabre beauty. A wide grin split her face, adding a sinister appeal to the look.

Reggie tilted her head to one side. "Thanks, Dwight." Pushing the door open, she stepped forward. "Buy you drink after the rodeo?"

His gut kicked at the invitation. Probably a bad idea to get involved on a personal level with his star pupil, but what the hell. Her shit day and his questionable choices could battle for supremacy.

He flashed a quick grin. "Sure. I'll meet you here after the show."

Of course things will get very interesting after the main event. Dwight and Reggie take bad idea to a sexy conclusion.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: On Ice

The Last Ship continues to blow my mind. I love the words that come from Chandler's mouth. Is the man perfect? Hell, no. But I'd totally back whatever play he wanted to make, even if it blew up in our faces. Can't wait to see what Blond Ambition tries to pull this week. And I have to say, the whole building of a wall thing, making the regional borders permanent, haunts me a little. I'm very interested in how that whole thing plays out. And hey… I get to see a familiar face on this week's episode!! YAY!!

Killjoys stayed dark and twisty and I won't complain. I'm saddened by the loss of a character who became a favorite. I'm also really interested in finding out what the hell is up with the faux scarbacks Evil Delle has working with her. Because that's a snag I want to see play out.

Dark Matter dialed the tension back a little and I'm okay with it. I continue to be amused by the little callbacks to the Stargate 'verse—this week it was a personal shield—and hope the inside references don't get to be too much. We'll see how that goes.

No Strike Back this week, but I did finish up season two of Babylon 5. I'm taking a small break to start on some 80s movies with my daughter and I've also got season one of Killjoys on tap. I'm revisiting the first episodes to see if there are some seeds planted that I missed. :)

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from On Ice, a novella built around the prompt of one character having enough of the other's brattiness and deciding to show them who's boss. A totally fun scenario to play with.

Here's the mini-blurb:

A battle is brewing between opposing magical factions and Paley Knoff and Birk Southampton are charged with readying their troops. Paley thinks Birk is taking the threat too seriously and when he ignores her in favor of adding more training, she pushes him a little too far, leaving him no choice but to put her on ice until she remembers who's in charge.

And a preview snippet…

Paley Knoff rolled her eyes. "Can we please move the hell on from deflecting fire ball attacks?" She met the gaze of her fellow instructor.

Birk Southampton narrowed his eyes. "Not yet. Only half the class is proficient." He turned and began an incantation to make more projectiles.

Paley whined. "But it's so booorrrring." Her tone grated on her ears, but they'd been at the same exercise for half the day.

Birk glanced back over his shoulder. "Maybe, but it's better than half our students being dead." A dozen fiery orbs hovered in the air beside him.

Paley couldn't argue. "Okay, true. But at least let me take the ones who've mastered the skill and—"

Birk cut her off. "No. We stay together. I'm not bucking protocol because you have the attention span of a gnat." The balls followed him when he moved to the center of the room.

His admonishment stung. She never liked being called on her bullshit. Something Birk managed to do on a regular basis.

Stomping to the middle of the training area, she whipped up a batch of matching flame missiles. "Heads up, people. The master has deemed more work necessary." She launched the first volley. "Let's all get it right this time." A brief flash of satisfaction flared when two students worked together to destroy the fire ball.

And a surge of pleasure filled her when Birk's mouth thinned to a slash across his face. If he wanted to call bullshit, she'd retaliate by hurling insults. If she pissed him off in the process, she'd consider the achievement a bonus.

She'd scored a direct hit, based on Birk's intense focus for the next thirty minutes. He tended to ignore anything but his goal when he got riled, preferring to stew in silence. Taking turns making the flaming orbs, each put the group of twenty students through their paces. By the time Birk decided they passed muster, Paley almost leapt with joy. Finally… they could move on to something more interesting.

And maybe get back on schedule.

I'm going to love seeing how these two get together. Okay, I know how they're going to work things out, but it'll be fun getting all that on the page. LOL

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Old Wounds

August 21, 2016

Well… Blonde Ambition finally showed her true colors on The Last Ship. About damned time. LOL I'm going to be really super pissed if anything happens to Kara because of Allison's machinations. I almost dread watching tonight's episode. Almost. J

Killjoys. Wow. Took a very dark turn and I love it. The way the cast works together amazes me. There's tension, usually understated, and buttloads of chemistry with everyone. I hope this show lasts for a good long time.

Dark Matter had a very trippy episode with an alternate 'verse. The showrunners have crap tons of experience with the concept, coming from the Stargate stable. The possibilities of the blink drive makes for lots of interesting scenarios. Looking forward to seeing what they do with that.

My Strike Back and Babylon 5 rewatches took a nosedive. My schedule exploded last week and I had zero time to watch either. Hopefully I'll get to reconnect this week.

Looking forward to several new shows this fall and, obviously, my returning favorites.

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Old Wounds, a novella that started with the prompt of writing a scene around the anniversary of someone's death.

Here's the mini-blurb:

When Abbot Isley's father lies near death, Nixie Grimm is willing to open old wounds to help him cope. Taking a trip down memory lane is not her favorite thing, but Abbot's steadfast support triggers a healing process she didn't know she needed and lets her move forward—with Abbot.

And a preview snippet…

Abbot slid into the vehicle and took a five count, resting his forehead on the steering wheel. Fishing around for the keys, he started the car and turned the heater on. The chilly interior helped clear his head, but they needed to get moving and Nixie wouldn't wait long to ask questions.

He backed out of the parking space and pulled up by the main doors. Nixie finished up and exited, dashing over to the passenger side.

She leaned in. "I can drive, if you want."

He shook his head and she settled in, buckling her seatbelt. Pulling out onto the road, he merged with the light traffic. Not many people needed to be out and about at four in the morning.

Hell, he didn't want to be driving down the street at the buttcrack of dawn.

Pounding his fist on the steering wheel, he cursed. "Damn them! Every last one of them." He gunned the engine and sped along the road, catching all the lights until he hit the outskirts of the town.

He braked to a halt, fingers drumming on the dash. When the signal changed, he floored the accelerator and shot across the intersection. The list of everything wrong with his dad played through his mind. Actually, his father had one thing wrong, but no one had been able to get to it yet. Dammit.

Nixie angled in the seat, turning to face him. "Who are we damning and what did they do to the old man? Something pretty fucked up if you have to break the land speed record to get back." She folded her arms across her chest and waited.

Abbot sighed and finally slowed down. "You know the who. My dad is in flux. Some kind of virus, but the healers can't get to it because it's wrapped in about ninety layers of spells and bindings." He made a turn onto the state route that would take them home.

Nixie's shoulders slumped. "Shit." She didn't have to say anything else.

They'd missed their mark and let the bastards get away. And his father might pay the price.

We'll eventually get to the anniversary part, but not for a while.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye 

Sunday Snippet: Numb

Wish I had commentary about The Last Ship. Looking forward to the new episode tonight. Where's Rachel when we need her to figure out the science? I'm actually wondering if her former flame has something to do with the green mist stuff. Can't wait to find out who's behind that.

Killjoys continues to intrigue me. I'm so excited to see where this season ends up. I love how the various factions all seem to have pieces to a puzzle but no one knows what the puzzle looks like yet.

Dark Matter had a terrific episode. Great to see Five get some screen time to remind us of her mad skills. Three and Four make a fun team. I'm interested in finding out what else is going on behind the scenes.

Babylon 5 has two episodes left in season two… I think. Can't remember if they did a standard twenty-two episode season or not. I'd forgotten how much of an impact Talia's betrayal had, even if she had no idea what happened.

No Strike Back this week. Had way too much other drama going on to be able to watch. *sigh* Maybe I'll get to it this week.

That's the TV update for this week. Tonight's post is from Numb, a novella that started with a detailed prompt. Characters are apathetic. They're not happy, not sad, they just don't… feel much anymore. The sparkle of life has gone and they're going through the motions.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Cyan Fitch and Theron Dibney have a great relationship—hot sex, rock solid friendship, and mutual respect. When a mostly lethal virus tears through their community, the couple works side by side to help as many as possible, but it takes a toll. They can't quite get comfortably numb while they face the devastating losses and neither is willing to bend for fear they'll break.

And a preview snippet…

Theron stood beside the grave, trying to feel something over the exhaustion weighting him down. Cyan swayed but caught the action and straightened, squaring her shoulders. He'd lost count of the death toll, but the number hovered in the triple digits. The service ended and people, less than the day before, made their way to the walking path leading out of the cemetery.

Cyan remained, dry-eyed and solemn. Theron moved forward and finally put an arm around her, offering whatever small comfort he could. This one hit hard.

Cyan spoke with a broken whisper. "I can't believe she's gone." Her eyes filled and she blinked the tears away.

His heart broke for her. "She fought hard, Cy. And she helped so many." Ciara Fitch gave everything she had.

Cyan turned and buried her face in his shoulder. "I thought she'd pull through. That she'd be the one to find the cure. Answers." A shudder wracked her.

Theron wrapped his arms around her and let Cyan mourn. Losing her mom wrecked not only Cyan, but lowered the chances they'd beat the bio-curses. No one knew the biology better then Ciara, and she hadn't been afraid to use the dark arts to find a counteraction to the hexed virus taking so many lives.

Cyan eased away from him, tilting her head back. "Take me home, Theron. We've earned a brief reprieve." Glancing toward the grave, she nodded to the crew.

They began lowering the casket into the ground.

Theron slid his hand into hers and gave it a squeeze. "We'll take a full twenty-four hours, Cy." Sadly, they couldn't have more. "Then we'll get back to work." Ceaseless, unending, and soul-sucking.

Cyan laced their fingers together and lifted her chin. "I'm going to meet with the council. I'm done being reactive. It's time to get proactive and find the assholes who unleashed this damned virus on us." Stepping away from her mother's grave, she started for the path.

Theron didn't argue. She'd have a tough time convincing the council to let her go on the hunt but, in the end, the group of twelve would allow the pursuit.

Theron would make certain, no matter the price.

I loved this prompt and had several ideas fall into place almost immediately. Can't wait to finish this one.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye

Sunday Snippet: Nowhere Good

Well… a lonely week without an episode of The Last Ship, but the previous episode gave me lots of fodder to make theories about. LOL. I seriously think Blonde Ambition has an agenda we have yet to see. A friend suggested Allison is in cahoots with Jacob the asshat reporter and I love the idea. On the Asian front, Chandler has his hands full. The green mist stuff may make me find a new favorite color. LOL

Killjoys keeps getting better and better. Truly love how lots of threads are working their way together and twisting around each other. This show continues to amaze. And guess what? It's got green plasma goo stuff, so, yeah, maybe orange is going to be my new favorite color. LOL

Dark Matter finally dropped some details about Nyx, one of the new crew members. Looking forward to seeing how the interaction with Four changes when she finds out what he suggested for her brother.

Babylon 5 rewatch continues and I'm almost at the end of season two. I'm looking forward to diving into three because the groundwork from the first two seasons starts building one of my favorite characters arcs of all time.

I viewed more Strike Back and remembered how much I loved all the mistakes they let Stonebridge and Scott make in season two. Seriously, the duo messed up on a pretty big scale… several times. LOL I think that's why it became one of my favorite shows.

And that's it for television. Tonight's post is from Nowhere Good, a novella based on the prompt of characters having a celebratory kiss.

Here's the mini-blurb:

After wiping out a rival fae faction, Adria Stock plants a hot kiss on Shaun Henrickton, a fellow enforcer, and their world tilts sideways. They've got custom and ritual, protocol, and baggage between them and if they cave to their baser feelings, the outcome can't go anywhere good.

And a preview snippet…

Shaun waited for Adria's contrary response. The woman threw up more roadblocks than a construction crew. When she remained still and quiet, he blinked. She didn't make a move to shove him aside or duck away.

Wonders would never cease.

Her possible capitulation filled him with a kernel of hope. But he needed to hear her say she agreed. Wanted to see her determination to fight for them. Craved her willingness to step outside their predetermined roles and create a path only for them.

Resting his forehead against hers, he pushed for answers. "What's going on in that head of yours?" He braced for her response.

Adria lifted her chin. "A battle between the rational side of my brain and the wish fulfillment part." She stepped away and started pacing.

A good sign in his book. She worked better when on the move. If he could keep his mouth shut and let her wrap her hear around the concept of "them", they had a shot at something great.

Adria stopped and faced him. "Okay. Screw 'em all." Her fierce features softened. "If you make the declaration, I'll accept your suit." A husky tone crept into her voice. "And we'll face whatever obstacles come our way together." She moved closer, grasping his hips with her hands.

Shaun wrapped his arms around her. "Starting with our families. Deal with them, half the battle is done." And it would be a fight on both fronts.

Adria buried her head in his shoulder. "Ugh. But you're right." She lifted her chin and met his gaze. "We'll hit mine first, right after you make your intention known." Her hands skimmed along his sides then smoothed down his back.

Shaun nodded. He agreed, starting with her relatives would be the best route. But he'd rather focus on sealing their fates first.

I love writing battling families. It's such a fun source of conflict.

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye