Getting Lost and Road Trips

“That is what the damn map said to do!” Joe complained.

“Obviously not,” Arthur replied, trying to suppress a grin. “We are in the middle of nowhere right now.”

“I can damn well see that,” Joe grumbled. “No need to point it out.”

Arthur turned and leaned back against the hood of the car. It was getting dark, and soon they wouldn’t be able to see the map anymore. An owl hooted off in the distance as Arthur scanned the trees. Critters scurried around in the underbrush.

Even out here, in the middle of nowhere, his Blade instincts were at work. Renee would probably beat them there. She was newly pregnant, and her mom had wanted to take her out for dinner to celebrate. Meeting her after was supposed to be faster than waiting for at their house.

This would be his last trip before he went back to the academy for Garrote training. It was fitting. Joe had gotten them lost on their first road trip together too. Joe shouldn’t be allowed to be in charge of the map, but he still wouldn't let Arthur find the route. 

“Ok,” Joe said. “I think I have it figured out now.”

“Let me see,” Arthur replied. Joe rolled his eyes as Arthur looked over the map, holding the corner down as the breeze brushed past. He followed the road Joe was pointing to and tipped his head to the side. “Where did you get this map?”

“It was in the glove box,” Joe said.

“Joe,” Arthur said slowly, his mouth twitching. “This is not a map of Monroe County. You’re looking at a map of Oakland County.”

“What?” Joe yelled, snatching the map from Arthur. “That can’t be right!”

After a few minutes Joe crumbled the map as he stomped over to the passenger door, grumbling under his breath. He threw the now ruined map into the backseat and yanked the glovebox open again.

They were definitely going to be late. 

Is it naptime? It feels like naptime.

 I've missed three Thursdays now... I think (and now it's Saturday 😅). It's hard to say. There was some last minute scrambling to get Rage published (which, it is now! Links in the sidebar), I was trying to get the website all squared away, and then all the normal chaos that seems to make up my life. I might have things under control now she says pretending that isn't the fourth time it's been said... this week.

NaNo starts in a few days and I'll be writing for it. I'm hoping this will go smoothly. I have a plan, and I'm excited about all the stuff that's going inside this one. It's going to be a while before it's published (tentatively looking at June of 25).

Ok I'm tired. The sleep is broken again, my schedule was crazy, and I'm actually looking forward to the peace of writing an entire book in a month. 

Until next week hopefully ♥

The Gala

I hated being sent to events as security. It meant a lot of standing around, watching members of the Order flaunt their status among the other leaders. The music was louder than I thought it should be. At least the band was good. The other event I’d been pulled to, I felt like I would lose my mind listening to them play. Groups of people were standing around talking while others were dancing. A few of the dancers were very drunk. I was more interested in watching their antics than anything else. At least it was entertaining.

I had to suppress a sigh as Corazana Vietta laughed that high-pitched fake laugh for the hundredth time. I was ready to get back to regular assignments. Tracking people down and bringing them in to be held accountable for their recklessness was where my talent was best used. I didn’t have to wear a stiff suit for that either. All the fancy dresses and suits blurred together. I could barely tell anyone apart.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. The Blade member assigned there shifted again. It was an awkward movement, a shift of his shoulders. Not the kind of thing expected of someone trained for this. Before the event, I hadn’t known many people called to work it. That was how it always worked. We were rotated in and out of personal security.

I watched him more closely. The uniform wasn’t quite right. Every member of the Blade was issued an identical suit, tailored perfectly, for these occasions. It sat too loose on his frame, and the coloring was off. His posture wasn’t quite right. It was too tense and not at all controlled. The way his eyes moved over the crowd wasn’t quite right. I hadn’t been in Blade long, but the little things made all the difference in this job.

I weighed the risks of leaving my post. I wasn’t supposed to, it would leave a hole, but I was looking at a possible security threat. I cursed under my breath. Walking away would leave me open to losing this job. I’d have to take care of it myself. If I was wrong, I’d be in trouble no matter what. At least this way, I could mostly avoid making a scene.

“These events are a huge waste of money,” I said as I ambled up to him.

“Yep,” he said, shifting again.

“Can’t wait until I earn my place in the field again,” I said, crossing my arms as I looked over the crowd. “That’ll teach me to defy an order.”

“Getting back out there would be nice,” he said. “Lesson learned.”

I nodded at him. Agreeing with the lie was all the confirmation I needed. I wasn’t sure how I could remove him from the room yet. I didn’t want any more attention on me than I had to have. The more in shadows I lived, the better I could be at my real job. I would make it work. Even if he was almost twice my size.

I sidled closer to him, and he looked me over carefully. One of my biggest assets was not looking threatening. Short, petite, and blonde. The accent helped, too. I slid my hand into my pocket and closed it around one of the syringes I always kept on me. He let me get close before he started to shift more of his attention to me. I flashed him a brilliant smile. He started to say something, but I didn’t give him the chance.

I grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer. I jammed the needle into his forearm. It would’ve been better to hit him in the neck, but I wasn’t sure I’d have landed that blow. He stumbled back from me. A few heads turned our way, but I gave them a half smile as I shifted to help the man next to me. Most everyone went back to what they were doing. Someone being a little too drunk wasn’t worthy of their attention.

The man I jabbed was still stumbling. I slid under his arm and tried to guide him, but he shoved me back. I was able to stay on my feet, but only just. If I didn’t get him under control soon, he would make a bigger scene than he would have if I’d just tackled him out of the room. One of the other Blades saw us and came over. Luckily, I knew this one.

“Problem,” Alex said softly.

“This guy isn’t one of us. Stabbed him with a sedative but had to settle for his forearm,” I said.

“I’ll get him out,” he said. “You grab the boss man for this event,” he said.

He plastered a smile on his face as he stepped up to the still stumbling man. He loosened his body, adding a little swagger to his step. Nothing but a good friend helping another.

“Whoa, you’ve had one too many,” he said a little louder than necessary.

I left him to it as I moved off to find Jones, or whatever his name was. He was harder to find than I thought he would be. You’d think overseeing security would mean you were easily accessible to the security team. Getting his attention was even harder. When I finally did get him to look my way, he scowled at me.

“Why are you away from your post,” he growled as he took me by the elbow.

“We had a problem,” I said. “It’s being kept quiet, but your attention is needed.”

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. Things rarely happen at these events. The Blade was there as more of a symbol than anything else. Infiltrating one of the buildings in the Order’s complex was almost impossible. Almost.

As I led him out to the hallways, the imposter was restrained. He was still struggling, but it was sloppy. Alex had his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall, watching him.

“Where was he?”

“Posing as one of us,” I said. “I sedated him. Alex brought him out here.”

“I’ll send someone to take him to the cells,” he said. “How did you know?”

“Something wasn’t right,” I said with a shrug. “So, I lied to him, and he didn’t contradict me.”

“You’ll be rewarded for this,” he said. “What’s your name again?”

“Annabell,” I said. “And if I could just avoid these events in the future… that would be more than enough.”

“Very well,” he said as he reached for his phone. “Consider it done.”

Matchstick Excerpt 9: Sunbathing

This gateway was something Hayden would want to hear all about when I got home. I lowered my back onto the sand and closed my eyes.

 

“Today has all the makings of a perfect day,” Hayden said as she flung my door open.

“It’s 6am,” I groaned as I looked at the digital clock on my nightstand. “How can you possibly tell?”

“You can just feel it in the air,” she said, flinging my curtains open.

“Whhhhhy,” I whined as I threw the blanket over my head. “I wasn’t done sleeping yet!”

“Sure you were,” she said brightly. “We have so much to do today!”

“Like what,” I grumbled, flopping my arms down to my sides, taking the top of the blanket with them.

“Don’t you hear the dock calling you? It’s already sunny, it’s warm but not hot, and the skies are perfectly clear.”

“The dock is telling me it will still be there in two hours so I can go back to sleep.”

“I don’t think so,” she said opening my closet. “You just aren’t paying attention.”

She tossed the bathing suit she pulled out onto the bed. She leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching me expectantly.  

“Can you at least be quieter and maybe sound a little less… bubbly, while I wake up?”

“If you promise to get dressed,” she said with a grin. “I’m going to make us iced coffee to take out there.”

“That I can get on board with.”

She practically bounced out of the room as I sat up. I looked down at my pillow, forlorn. Vacations were supposed to be relaxing. I just wanted to sleep for several more hours. Her and my dad managed to roll out of bed with all the energy and motivation in the world. I never understood it.

I climbed out of bed and stretched, yawning. I pulled on the bathing suit, only almost falling down twice. I squeezed my eyes closed for a second and blinked rapidly. It didn’t help as much as I thought it would. I sat back on the edge of the bed and rubbed my hands over my eyes.

“Good, you’re dressed!” Hayden said as she skipped into the room. “Ready?”

“No…” I said as she handed me one of the coffees. She looped her arm through mine as I stood, and steered me toward the sliding glass door. “You promised to be less bubbly if I got dressed.”

“I didn’t promise,” she giggled. “I only agreed to try.”

“That is definitely not how that conversation went down.”

She laughed again as she almost pulled me out onto the back deck and down the stairs. At least she had slowed her pace some. There were already two towels and a radio on the dock. Apparently waking me up wasn’t the first thing she had done this morning.

“Tell me about the college boys,” she said as she dropped down onto her towel.

“I’ve told you about college boys,” I said, as I settled into my towel more carefully.

“I know! But I like to hear about them. I’ll be in college soon. I need to be prepared.”

“Soon? You start your junior year in like a month.”

“Semantics. It’s close enough,” she said, waving her hand around.

I took a drink of the coffee. I could almost feel the caffeine taking hold of me. Coffee is the only way I survived her early mornings. If I was allowed to sleep later, I probably wouldn’t need it.

“Why don’t you tell me about the guy you’ve been texting while I wake up,” I said.

“He’s pretty cool, but he won’t stop asking me what I want,” she said, rolling her eyes. “He won’t tell me what food he might want, where he might want to go… I don’t want to pick everything. It would be nice to just talk about it or for him to just to pick for a change. He’s known me long enough, he knows what things I don’t like.”

“Have you told him that?”

“Yes! He just keeps saying ‘I just want you to be happy,’” she said with a terrible attempt to mimic a guy’s voice. “Has he considered that maybe I want to make him happy too? Ugh.”

“So break up with him,” I said.

“I thought about it. He’s so nice, and we have great conversations sometimes.”

“So, don’t break up with him.”

“But I’m tired of having to plan literally everything.”

“I don’t know what answer you’re looking for,” I said, grinning. “There is no pleasing you.”

“Oh, whatEVER,” she giggled. “Like you’re any better.”

“I’ll have you know my last relationship ended on amicable terms after we decided we’d make better friends.”

“Was this before or after you decided the way he said ‘irregardless’ all the time was a deal breaker?”

“Hey, irregardless is not a word! It’s just ‘regardless!’”

“There is no pleasing you,” she said, laying back on her towel.

“Those are completely different scenarios.”

We settled into a comfortable silence. I was secretly glad she woke me up. We didn't get much time to just hangout anymore. We’re both busy, and our schedules never lined up. I would have loved more sleep, but I would try to make it up later. This week was going to be about us bonding.

 

I swallowed hard as the memory of our last vacation together faded. It had been almost a year since that weekend at our lake house. We spent most of that day on the docks sun bathing. 

(All excerpts are taken from a lightly edited first draft. Contents may change or be removed from the final novel entirely.)

From Nic's Kitchen: Queso

 .

Let's Play Pretend

 Today is totally not Friday. It's Thursday, and this is not 24 hours late. 

I spent all of yesterday and today working on formatting. I ran into some issues with structure on some of the versions of Rage. Each platform I publish on has different requirements and my laptop was protesting. It's good now! Everything is pretty much done! RAGE IS DONE! I'm so excited about that lol It's been a long time in the making, and I'm glad it's about to go out there in the world. It's up for pre-order right now. Links are in the sidebar! October 16th is the official release date. It's happening.

I'm still woefully behind schedule on... everything. It's fine. I'm fine. I'm about to go back to look at Matchstick again. I'm hoping to have that done with enough time to at least finish one round of Trust edits. Depending on how everything is looking, I'll be editing while I write for NaNo. I really need to get Trust out to my lovely Betas. I want to leave it up there for four months. Which puts me on a tight timeline with Camp Nano in April. I will make it work! 

There was a Thing that had been looming since July. I didn't realize how much the stress was getting to me until it was finally resolved. I got word today that it's DONE, it's OVER, I don't have to worry about it anymore. The Thing was mostly resolved about a week ago, but the letter I got today signing off on it was huge. One less thing for me to worry about. It's not like I'm going to replace it with another thing(s) to stress about shortly because why not? 

See football is way down here this week. It's still been such a good year for us! Having a team that can play?? What?? It's so great! 3-1 feels good. 4-1 is going to feel even better! 

Ok, I need to do things. I'm still busy as hell and probably will be for the next couple of months. I don't know why I do this to myself, it's fine.

Until next week ♥

Lyrics in my head: 

No one should take themselves so seriously 

With many years ahead to fall in line 

Why would you wish that on me 

I never wanna act my age

What's my age again

What's my age again 

AND 

I've got more wit, a better kiss, a hotter touch, a better fuck 

Than any boy you'll ever meet, sweetie you had me 

Girl, I was it, look past the sweat , a better love deserving of 

Exchanging body heat in the passenger seat 

No, no, no, you know it will always just be me

When Joe met Renee

 

“No one warned me how hard the first semester was going to be,” Joe said as they walked to their cars.

“You just didn’t listen to any of the warnings,” Arthur replied, shaking his head. “Everyone told you it would be a different level than high school was.”

“Whatever,” Joe grumbled. “I’m just glad it’s done. It’d be nice if the snow would’ve held off until after we got home.”

“If you were paying attention when I showed you how to use your magic, you wouldn’t have these issues.”

“I was paying attention!” Joe said. “I have a lot on my plaaaah.”

“Notice how I haven’t had any issues,” Arthur said, crossing his arms and looking down at his best friend.

Joe lay there, blinking up at him. He hadn’t fallen flat like that in years. He groaned as he shifted. Arthur still had his arms crossed. He wasn’t making any effort to help him up. Joe knew he should be listening to whatever he was saying. He knew he would regret it later, but Joe just couldn’t focus on it. He pushed himself up. At least sitting was better than laying spread eagle in the quad.

“Are you alright?” someone asked from behind him.

“Yeah, just thought I’d take a break,” Joe said as he turned to look at the woman.

She had a mischievous glint in her eye as she tried to suppress the grin. Her gloved hand was working to keep her long blonde hair from blowing in her face.

“He’s fine,” Arthur said. “Just not paying attention to what he’s doing. I’m Arthur.”

“Renee,” she said with a grin. “Looked like quite the fall.”

“Meant to,” Joe said as he hauled himself back to his feet, much less smoothly than he had hoped. “Joe. It’s nice to meet you.”

He held his hand out, but before she could take it, he slipped again. She tried to hold it back, but the laughter bubbled up. Arthur had no such qualms about laughing outwardly.

“I’ve got to get to an exam,” Renee said. “You going to make it to wherever you’re going alright?”

“Mhmm. It’ll be fine,” Joe said, staring up at the cloud-filled sky.

“If it happens again, I’ll call for them to bring him a cart,” Arthur said with a smile.

“Good deal,” she said. “It was nice to meet you, too.”

Joe watched her hurry off toward one of the buildings, not slipping even once.

“That could’ve been the woman of my dream,” Joe said as Arthur helped him up. 

“If that’s true, you’ll run into her again. But try to stay on your feet.”

“Hilarious,” Joe said as they continued to the parking lot.

Spiced Cider, Hot Soup, and Chilly Days

 Fall is really here in all of it's glory! Soup is one of my favorites, and I can't have it over the summer. There has been a lot of soup lately and it makes me happy. It's something that I really needed. I've got a lot going on, and getting to settle in with a hot dinner is the best. 

So, I don't know what happened last week. Somehow Thursday just sort of... got away from me. I need to be more careful about that. I did, however, get a few days off to do... nothing. It was great. My brain was tired. I needed to have that time to separate myself from it all. 

I'm jumping back into things tomorrow. I've been dipping my toes back in a little bit. I'm getting a website off the ground! So, there are going to be some changes. Links might be a little weird. I have to decide how I want all the things to work before I actually make the website live. Hopefully by next week it will be ready to go! 

Rage is on track. I'm checking and double checking then checking again to make sure it happens the way I want it to. I'm hopeful! I've also decided on what I'm doing for NaNo. There have been a few stories I wanted to get out relating to Justified, so... I'm doing it. As of now, there a ton of them I want to go in there. It will depend on how long it is when it's done. We'll see. IT ALSO HAS A NAME! The anthology will be named Moonlit! I'm pretty excited about it! 

Football things are going to be happening! I'm off to eat tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich while watching the Lions! 

Until next week ♥

Lyrics in my head: 

Got a secret, can you keep it

Swear this one you'll save

Better lock it in your pocket

Takin this one to the grave

If I show you, then I know you 

Won't tell what I said

Cause two can keep a secret

If one of them is dead

Matchstick Excerpt 8: The Note

 I didn’t have a great feeling about it, but I wasn’t about to let Elise drive it back to the house until I was sure everything was ok. She would roll her eyes at me if I told her that, but it is what it is. Being around my aunt and seeing her security team work gave me far more experience than she had. Renee wasn’t even supposed to be involved anymore. I was already anticipating everyone’s reactions when they found out we did this on our own. I wasn’t looking forward to it.

I pulled the note off the wheel and let it fall open.

 

I see you’ve found help. You’re all full of surprises aren’t you? I am too. Our little game will continue as planned. It will be more fun with more pieces anyway. Don’t you think?

I’ll see you soon 💋 ♥

 

I would recognize that handwriting anywhere.

(All excerpts are taken from a lightly edited first draft. Contents are subject to change or to be removed from the final novel entirely.)

The Warehouse pt3

 

I groaned as I opened my eyes. Someone had put a pillow under my head and covered me with a blanket. I was still on the catwalk. There was a lot of movement and excitement around. I blinked several times, trying to shake off the fog that settled over me. I used too much magic. I would be feeling it for days.

“Morning, sunshine,” James said as he ambled up to me. “We’ve got something for you.”

I glared at him. I hated it when he called me sunshine. That’s why he did it. I grumbled as I climbed to my feet. All my joints were stiff. I rolled my shoulders and cracked my neck.

“Why do you have to be so cheerful when I wake up?” I asked him.

“Because I am the light of your life,” he said, looping his arm through mine. “The kids have something for you.”

I slid my eyes to him, but he didn’t say anything else. He led me around to the stairs. He was humming. I hadn’t heard him hum in a while. It made my heart skip a beat. He was happy. Genuinely happy. I squeezed his arm as we stepped off the last step.

He took me over to a closed door. This room had been falling apart, but now it looked as if the wall and door had been patched up. He gestured for me to open it.

I bit my lip as I reached for the handle. As soon as I could see inside, I sucked in a breath and felt tears welling in my eyes. They had done so much more than patch things up. A bed big enough for James and I was in the corner. It looked like they had tried to scrub all the walls inside clean. Some of the art the younger kids liked to make was hanging around the room. A small dresser was on one side with a coffee maker on top of it. I didn’t know where they could’ve found one. They were too expensive.

“I can’t…” I started, trying to force the tears back. “I can’t take this. I need all of you to get settled.”

“You can,” Amy said. “You do everything for us. You set the plan, provide protection, get us medicine, and food, and whatever we need.”

“It’s your turn to have something just for the two of you,” Grace said. “We needed this space, and you got it and helped us defend it.”

“I put you all in danger,” I said softly.

“You saved us,” Allen said.

I didn’t have any words. I didn’t know what to say to any of them. All the work they had put into this. Finding an actual bed alone would have been a struggle. They had done all of this for James and I.

“Thank you,” I managed to breathe.

I couldn’t keep the tears from flowing. James pulled me into a hug. I heard the other kids behind us. I stepped back from James and turned to all of them. They were beaming at me; a few had tears in their eyes, too. They all put their hands over their hearts and bowed. My body shook as the tears fell.

“Get some rest,” Amy said. “We are going to work out how to use the rest of the space.”

They all filed out and left James and me in the room together. Amy gave me a nod and pulled the door closed. I stepped into James again, and he held me tight.

“I led them into so much danger coming here,” I whispered against his shoulder.

“It was needed,” he answered.

“I should have found somewhere else. I saw the bandages some of them had.”

“If I thought you were being reckless, I wouldn’t have let it happen,” he said. “It was dangerous, and I was worried about it, but I knew we didn’t have many options.”

I pulled back from him again and looked around the room. The pictures the young ones had drawn for us. It melted my heart. They really were my kids. I would do anything to protect them.

IN THEIR OWN HOUSE!

 Ok, I promise I'm not going to make this all football all the time. BUT! The Lions beat the Chiefs. In their own home. On opening night for the season. In primetime. IT'S A BIG DEAL. I'm over the moon!!! THIS IS OUR YEAR! Sure there has only been the one game and there are 16 left to play, it's fine. We are KILLIN it so far. 

The overhauling is going. I'm feeling good about the timeline right now. I should be able to get everything done that I need to get done. As of now, Rage will still be released on October 16th! I've been spending almost every waking moment on it. I'm going to be exhausted when this is done, BUT! It will be done and that's what matters right? 

I've been doing a lot of music lately. I switched out to my motivational playlist. It's helped a lot. When I'm not editing stuff to music, I have shows about ✨ M U R D E R ✨ playing. I probably watch too many things about murder. It's fine. There was a really good one about neighbors.   

I have messed up the sleeping again somehow. I don't know what I did with it, but it's broken. There has been a lot of waking up at night, and I don't like that. Even if I'm not awake very long... it's still not sleeping, ya know? I'll be happy when this phase goes away again. 

I'm going to be incredibly busy until late next week, then I'm hoping things will slow down a little bit. I'm supposed to be writing another book in November. I'm still not 100% sure what I'm writing (even though one of the pocket besties is really pushing hard for one particular project lol). We shall see. I've been told it might be a good idea to not write a book in November. I haven't decided yet. 

Ok, editing and football await! 

Until next week ♥

Lyrics in my head: 

I'm in love with all the voices inside my head
You're so beautiful inside, but inside I'm dead
Just another broken dream in my lonely bed
You're so beautiful inside, but inside I'm dead

AND

My heart's a dumpster fire burning all damn day 
It's filled with memories of us it all went up in flames
Maybe it's trash, maybe it's really not that bad 
But the smoke from what you broke keeps growing higher 
While I'm trying to find some peace of mind 
In this dumpster fire 

The Warehouse pt2

 

I knew they would come in the middle of the night. They would wait for most of the kids to be asleep. Long enough that they'd feel safe. I wanted to be on the roof, but James convinced me it would be a bad idea. I would be too much of a target, and no one would be able to guide the kids. I didn’t like asking them to fight, but we needed this building. There wasn’t a better place. The other neighborhoods would be too dangerous all the time to leave some of the kids there.

I kept pacing around on the catwalk. I didn’t want to wake any of the kids, but I couldn’t hold still. Most of the kids were piled together in a small office that hovered over the middle of the room. They would be safe there. When I felt the wards shimmer, I sent James to wake up the kids that would stand with me, even as the guilt tore through me. It was my job to protect them, and I was leading them into a fight. They were sleeping beneath the catwalk, alert within moments of James shaking them. I should’ve found a way to make the smaller building work. This was reckless.

The first fire trap activated, and someone screamed. Amy led the Weres in shifting. They prowled the warehouse walls, watching for any sign they would break through.

They blew a hole in the wall. It was wide enough for six people to walk in at the same time. The traps were obliterated in the blast. Our fairies lined up in front of our witches. They couldn’t lose line of sight. I stayed on the catwalk and waited for James to join me.

Weres poured through the gap. Seven of them. Our four lunged as soon as they saw them. My heart twisted as they made contact. Most of my kids were younger than theirs, but I made them all train with me. We needed to be stronger. I knew we were a target. The only way to protect them was to make them strong.

Some of their wolves froze as our fairies flung their magic at them. It wasn’t a precise strike, but it held long enough for our wolves to drive the rest of them back. I fired ice lances when I saw the openings and used the wind to lessen their blows. We were holding.

The front door blew open.

The blast of air the leader sent out knocked all my kids off their feet. I barely managed to brace for it as James got to my side, bow slung over his shoulder.

“You can do this, V,” he said.

He notched an arrow as I nodded. I threw my hands up. He fired when I did. He was getting faster. He let arrow after arrow fly as a stream of fire left my fingertips. I didn’t have the control to wield it as a true whip, but it kept them occupied.

Then I felt magic joining mine.

Two different kinds. While I kept the fire a solid mass to be used, someone added intensity to it, and someone else started steering it. Grace. She was the oldest and most skilled. She had to be guiding it.

My magic was fading. I could hear our wolves still keeping theirs back. I leaned into the railing so I wouldn’t collapse and felt James’s arm come around my waist.

“Don’t worry about me,” I forced out. “Keep focus on them.”

“I’m not going to let you fall.”

“I’m fine.”

He sighed but drew his bow. He fired a few more arrows as my vision blurred. I was going to lose the magic. I gritted my teeth and pushed harder. Our wolves howled triumphantly, and I saw them run toward the front door.

The leader stepped up to meet them. I would not let him take aim at our wolves. I fired an ice lance. My aim was off. It shot straight through his left shoulder. One of our wolves leapt and ripped his throat out. It had to be Amy.

I stumbled. James dropped his bow and reached for me. He barely managed to keep me upright.

“Let go, Vanessa,” someone yelled from below. “We’ve got it.”

I didn’t want to. I needed to help them.

“V,” James said softly as he helped me sit down. “Let go.”

A sob was torn from my throat as I let go of my magic. The whip flickered but then took up its form again. I blinked stars out of my eyes as our wolves howled again. Cheers rang out from underneath me.

“They are retreating,” I heard someone yell. “We held it!”

Then I blacked out.

LET'S GO

 THE NFL SEASON IS KICKING OFF!!!!!! I'm so excited. My Lion's are going to be playing. We are going to win. It will be awesome. Today is such a happy day!!! 

The last week has been... a week. BUT I'm getting ok with it. I'm doing the things that need to be done, including last minute overhauling of a few things in Rage. Here's to hoping I can pull it off in time. I don't want to delay release... I'm trying to push it ahead. I'm confident I can do it!

I also killed the Moon Lord! I finally did a full play through of the Terraria. Now I'm just messing around in there doing fun things there and trying to nail all the achievements. I like seeing completions. So, I'm going to do it! 

Ok, I have FOOTBALL things to do! XD

Until next week ♥

Matchstick Excerpt 7: The Aftermath

 “You think Maria was doing the shooting? Mark would have been there, though. He wouldn’t want to miss her reaction.”

“I also don’t think he would have taken a shot at me. He is mad at me, but I don’t think he could kill me. Maria was pissed he called me. She would probably be thrilled to have a chance to take me out.”

“We need to tell them,” Elise said.

“I know. I will. Annabell and Arthur are down and need to rest. Onyx can barely walk. Harley has a lot on her plate with everyone that’s been injured. I think it needs to wait until morning. Let everyone sleep, and then tell them.”

I was restless, but I needed the rest. The level of adrenaline that courses through you when you’re being shot at takes a toll. My mind was whirling too quickly for that. At least the living room was big enough to pace in. Elise stayed perched on the edge of couch. All her muscles were tense, she was ready to spring up at a moment’s notice. I didn’t blame her.

“Do you think the house will be ok tonight?” she asked.

“Maybe? It’s hard to say for sure.”

“We need to get Harley’s car. Arthur’s too,” she said. “We can take a cab to Harley’s and then drive to his.”

“I don’t know if that is a good idea. We would be out there on our own. If something happened… they wouldn’t even know where we had gone.”

“Let’s get Renee then. She can drive us in her car.”

“No one will be happy with us involving Renee.”

“What about involving me?” she said as she walked into the room. “Everyone else is sleeping.”

“I wanted to go get the cars. We can’t just leave them, it will draw attention.”

“None of them will like it, but it needs to be done,” Renee said. “Let’s go get it over with before someone wakes up and tried to stop us.”

“I just don’t think that’s a good plan. We don’t know if they are still watching the cars or if they left some kind of surprise at them,” I said.

“It will be ok,” Renee said. “While I don’t have much in the way of formal training, I have spent a lot of time with Arthur and Annabell. I know what to look for.”

“It won’t take long and we’ll be careful,” Elise added.

(All excerpts are taken from a lightly edited first draft. Contents are subject to change or be removed entirely from the finished novel)

Living in Caves and Trees

 Allergies are such an asshole. Two days in the last week I have been miserable... Nose running, sneezing all the time, head hurting, and, my favorite thing, hives! I'm over it. I need a magic wand to keep them away. It's getting ridiculous. I'm over it. 

I got to talk to C.O. yesterday!!! It was so awesome! We had to do a bunch of paperwork since it's a new agency, but it's fine. I'll see him in two weeks and we can talk about all the things that have been going on. I'm super excited about it. I've been really struggling lately. It's just been getting worse, so maybe now I will be able to get in a better headspace. 

I'm still fighting off the burnout from all the writing. Maybe writing two books within three months is a lot. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop doing it. I need to be writing and editing and doing all the things. I just need to figure out how to cope better. 

FOOTBALL STARTS NEXT WEEK! Can you tell I'm excited? I have been waiting for an eternity. Or what feels like an eternity anyway. The Lions are going to be awesome! It will be awesome! 

There has been a lot of building happening in Terraria. It's how I've been coping. There will be more building soon. I love all of the things in there. It makes me happy. It's not done yet, buuuut here is progress on the treeeeeee: 

Ok, that's enough. 

Until next week ♥

Lyrics in my head: 

When you came in, the air went out 
And all the shadows, filled up with doubt 
I don't know who you think you are 
But before the night is through 
I want to do bad things with you

The Warehouse pt1

 

Somehow all these kids had started looking to us for direction. Some of them were older than us too. We didn’t have enough room for all of them, and more kept showing up. We needed a bigger space.

“I don’t know about this one, V,” James said softly.

“It’s got enough room to grow into,” I answered.

“Except it’s already been claimed.”

“Not for long,” I said, shooting him a wicked grin.

The kids in the warehouse across the street were brutes. They tormented anyone that wouldn’t share their spoils, and their brutality was also used for sport. They didn’t deserve that space. No matter what they claimed. I was going to take it from them.

“Are you really sure?” James asked, biting his lip.

“I’m really sure.”

I stood up, straightened my clothes, and ambled across the street. I was short for 15. No one took me seriously at first. I liked being underestimated. It suited me. The two boys at the door leered at me as I approached. James started whistling from a pace or so behind me, no doubt looking for escape routes. Even as a few more street kids came out of the building to greet me, I didn’t let the swagger drop.

“Nice building you’ve got here,” I said with a sweet smile. “I’m here to take it off your hands.”

“I think you’re lost,” the tallest one said. He was older. He looked every bit as cocky as I was trying to be. “Take your friend and go.”

I tipped my head to the side and grinned. My magic was more controlled now. I raised my hand in front of me and made a wholly unnecessary, embellished flick of my wrist. I felt all their shoes in the grip of my magic and swept their feet out from under them. All five of the street kids went down hard. I didn’t wait for them to recover. I ripped a piece of broken sidewalk up and flung it over to the ring leader. I let it hover just above his head.

“You were saying?” I asked casually.

“You bitch!” one of the other kids spat.

“You can vacate the building, or he is dead. Don’t think I won’t come after the rest of you.”

James sighed as he stepped up next to me. I knew he saw something he didn’t like but was trying to maintain his boredom. I felt his hand close around my arm, but I didn’t dare look at him. The leader was barking out orders. It sounded like he was going to hand the place over.

Then James threw me to the ground as a fireball soared right for my chest. Another witch took control of the piece of sidewalk and hurled it away from the ring leader. I flung up a shield just in time to stop a few ice lances.

I searched for the source of the magic. I couldn’t see anyone. The kids on the ground were advancing.

“Plan B?” James asked as he pulled me to my feet, shield taking another blow.

“Plan B,” I confirmed. “The tallest one and the one to his right are witches. Rest are human.”

I summoned a portal and pulled James through, just barely escaping the next magical attack. We stepped out directly behind them. James took aim and landed a dagger in the thigh of one of the humans. A blast of wind knocked the witches to the ground as I advanced on them. I pulled the air back from their faces.

“Yield,” I growled. “Or I end you.”

I heard another grunt of pain as one of James’s daggers hit home again. The leader glared at me, clawing at his neck as he tried to fling his magic at me. His eyes flicked to the sides. The only warning I had of another attack. Sloppy. They didn’t deserve this place.

I flung my other hand up to shield. I barely got it up in time. I grunted as I took the blow. My magic was fading. I wouldn’t be able to hold for long.

There was a clash of blades behind me. I didn’t dare look. Unlike the boy on the ground in front of me, I knew better than to tip my hand. I needed him to cave. I didn’t want to kill them.

Finally, he tapped his hand on the ground. I pulled my magic back enough for him to speak.

“Enough,” he said. “Stand down.” Someone behind me tried to protest. “I said enough!”

I took him by the hand and hauled him to his feet. I kept him close to me as James tossed me a dagger. I used my magic to secure it in my grip.

“Once they leave,” I said sweetly. “I will release you.”

“We need to gather our things,” he ground out.

“You can take whatever you can carry. They have five minutes.”

A muscle in his jaw tightened, but he gave one nod. His chin brushed against the flat side of the blade. James leaned against the side of the building, picking at his nails. I could see the tension in him. He was getting used to being out here with me, but I hated that I needed him to be. I didn’t like seeing him harden like this.

I shook the thoughts away. These kids in front of me needed all my attention to ensure they didn’t try anything. With barely any time to spare, the last of them left the building.

“Good. Don’t come back here,” I said as I shoved the leader away from me. “Next time… I will kill you.”

“We’ll see about that. You have a reputation around this city, too, you know.”

I let the blade fly out of my hand and stop just shy of his neck. He swallowed hard.

“Try me.”

He glared at me as he backed away. I kept my focus on him until they were out of sight. I was losing my grip on the magic, so I let the dagger clatter to the ground. James righted himself and strode over to retrieve it, tucking it back into his jacket.

“This won’t be the end of it,” he said.

“I know. I’m prepared for that. I need a few of the witches here quick. We need to prepare.”

I sent James out to get them. He was faster than I was and had gotten very good at staying out of sight while I indulged my love for dramatics. I got to work setting up wards. I had to be careful not to drain all the magic I had.

As I finished, I heard James whistle. The front door opened, and all our kids came streaming in. I let them take in all the space. We would need to figure out all the arrangements, but for now, I just wanted to make sure we were safe.

“Alice, Grace, and Kielee,” I said. “I need your help.”

The three witches ran over eagerly. All of them liked to help me. James and I had pulled most of them out of bad situations in an attempt to help them have some level of normalcy.

“Anything you need, Vanessa,” Grace said.

“I need fire traps,” I said. “All the windows and doors. Even the second floor. Can you do it?”

“Yes,” they all said in unison.

“Allen, Ray, Jeff, and Amber,” I said. “Can you set some plant traps for me? I don’t know how it works, but anything to snare someone that tries to cross them.”

“Done,” Ray said as the fairies approached me. “Where do you want them?”

“Work with them on where and how their fire traps will be triggered, and decide from there. Only the front door should be clear. We need to be able to get in and out.”

“Amy, can you scent the kids that were here before? I want to know if they get close to this building again.”

“Sure,” she said. “With all the wards, it will be hard.”

“Do the best you can,” I said with a soft smile. “The rest of you can help James set up the sleeping arrangement for the night. Tomorrow, we get to work.”

Being Well Adjusted is Overrated

 Guess who got a phone call from C.O.?? I DID!!!! The program is opening up, I get my therapist back!! I've really been feeling the loss lately and having him back is going to be amazing. I don't know when the first appointment will be. I am waiting to hear from intake about getting it set up. So, hopefully it will be soon and then all the things will be so much better!! 

The last week has been full of crazy. It's been a lot, and I spent the weekend hiding in Terraria and talking to the Pocket Besties. I needed that time to chill out away from all of the things. I think I'm getting back into it. I just needed to get over whatever weird thing was happening to me. Bi-polar is stupid and it fucks with all the things sometimes. I'm feeling like everything is starting to level out again, add in the help I'll have from C.O. soon and things are going to be great!

The second round of edits on Trust is going really well! I don't know what it is about seeing it in print that makes it so much different, but it does. I see so many more things that I wish I had in there. I'm feeling much better about the entire book now. It also helps I have people over here telling me things will be ok. I'm just feeling the stress of getting this done. I still have to do the Final Pass of Rage before I release it (which will hopefully be on October 16!). 

I have a new playlist!!! One of the Pocket Besties and I made a playlist together, and she put so much good music in there that I have stolen for my own things lol One of the lyrics in my head this week is from one of those songs! New playlists make me happy. 

I'm already looking ahead to November because I cannot help myself. At all. I need to figure out what I'm writing for NaNo. I have too many things... there is a stand alone I am thinking of doing. Each of my series need the third books written. Plus, a character that appeared in Trust is getting a novella... There is the book I was shoved into writing too... So many choices. I don't know what I am doing with my life right now lol I should figure that out. We'll see. I should probably take care of what I am doing right now instead of worrying about what I'm going to be doing in November...

There has been thunderstorms! There has been lightning! It's been a while since there has been a good storm and I've been so excited about it! We are supposed to get another one tonight at some point. I'm hoping it's good! My cats are less than thrilled about it, but Peanut has been gluing herself to me for protection. So she's ok. She knows her mommy will keep her safe. 

Terraria... if you don't play it, you should! It's so great! The castle in the sky has been undergoing renovations. I think it's much better now. I'm happy about it. It's not done, but it's getting there. I also started a new world focused on cool unique houses. I'm sure I will play it like it should be played too, but I just really wanted a sandbox to mess around in. I triggered hardmode in the main world I'm playing. When some of the things happen... it makes it hard to just enjoy building lol but it's fine. I like all the hardmode stuff too. So I'm bouncing around between pretty buildings and killing all the things. 

Ok, I need to be editing. 

Until next week ♥

Lyrics in my head: 

My heart's a dumpster fire burning all damn day 
It's filled with memories of us it all went up in flames 
Maybe it's trash, maybe it's really not that bad
But the smoke from what you broke keeps growing higher 
While I'm trying to find some peace of mind 
In this dumpster fire 

AND 

What do you reckon, is it just me?
Words are weapons and occasionally they cut deep 
Crisis of confidence, it tends to come when I feel the dark 
And I open my heart 
If you don't see it, you should trust me 
I feel like I got nothing left right now 
Except this beauty in a dress right now
She got me feeling like the best, and the rest are just less 

Family

It was too hot to be out in the middle of the city center. I knew I shouldn’t have agreed to this. If anyone else besides James had asked, I would’ve said no. On top of that, I wasn’t allowed to tell Thomas any of it. While I still wasn’t his biggest fan, we had become civil with each other. I didn’t like the idea of lying to him.

“That’s him,” James said softly from beside me.

“And what am I supposed to be doing?” I asked.

I studied his face as he watched the guy across the street. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes hard. There wasn’t much of anything that could make him that tense.

“Thomas is always different after meeting with this guy,” he said, not taking his eyes off the man. “I want to know why.”

“What do you think I can do about it?”

“Whatever it is that you do,” he said, waving his hand around in front of him.

I picked up the coffee in front of me and took a long drink. I let my eyes roam over everyone here. It was too public for intimidation. At least the kind that would shake Thomas enough to worry James.

“Well, I’m not going to figure anything out from over here,” I said as I stood.

“What are you doing,” he hissed.

“I’m going to say hi,” I said brightly.

Before he could say anything else, I ambled over to the side. I glanced at the table Thomas was sitting at. They were in a deep conversation, and Thomas had started to get flustered. I stopped at one of the carts and grabbed a muffin, leaving more than enough coin on the small counter for it. I followed the curve of the bricks to the set of tables outside one of the nicer lunch spots in the city.

I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Thomas had gotten more rigid. I slid my eyes to where James still watched on the other side of the square. He was pained, body tense. He wanted to storm over there but was holding himself back. Trusting me.

I turned my attention back to the meeting Thomas was in. From this side, I could see the man’s face. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him. Fuck it. I walked right over to the table.

“Thomas!” I said brightly. “What are you doing out here?”

I stepped up to him and held my arms out. We weren’t huggers, but I wanted to get him to move. The man at the table turned his hard stare to me as Thomas stood. Kelly Osgard. I’d seen him around the docks. He worked for Raffe.

“Vanessa,” he said as he stepped back from the hug. “I could say the same to you.”

He shook his head slightly as if coming out of a fog. He glanced at Kelly for a moment and frowned.

“I was just out clearing my head. Frustrating day,” I said with a smile.

He raised his eyebrow and shifted his attention to the crowd. I knew the minute he saw James. He pursed his lips and turned his gaze back to me.

“I’m in the middle of something,” he said tightly. “We’ll talk later.”

“How are things going, Kelly?” I asked, ignoring Thomas.

“Fine,” Kelly said.

“Good to know,” I said sweetly. “I’ll have to let Raffe know I saw you here today. If memory serves… he handles all his own finances.”

Kelly let out a low growl. It was a risk. Raffe was a client. Talking about his business in a public space carried risks. Not stopping what could be a betrayal, though… That would carry more.

“I’m here on my own accord,” he said.

I pegged him with a hard stare. His aura was all over the map. It was never a good idea to lie to a witch.

“This is breaking all the rules,” Thomas said hesitantly. “Raffe doesn’t send Kelly to handle any of his dealings?”

“No. He does not,” I said, returning my attention to Thomas. “I’ll take care of it. Why don’t you head over to the table James grabbed?”

He looked between us again before striding off, face getting paler. He knew as well as I did that Raffe would not be happy. I wouldn’t let any of it fall onto Thomas.

“Using your magic to steal from Raffe,” I said, clicking my tongue as I took Thomas’s chair.

I slipped my phone from my pocket and sent a text. It wouldn’t take Raffe long to get here. I cocked my head to the side as I watched Kelly. He was trying to push his magic at me. The growing frustration as I blocked him was amusing. I wasn’t a human he could push around. He couldn’t get into my mind while my magic was prepared for it.

“What do you want?” he asked. “I can cut you in. He won’t even notice.”

“You think I didn’t notice?” Raffe asked as he almost materialized out of the crowd.

Kelly froze. His eyes widened.

“He was using his magic to manipulate one of the bankers,” I said.

“Which banker?” Raffe asked without looking at me.

“It was Thomas. Luckily, James was worried about the state he was in after these meetings.”

“You are sure he was not involved?”

“Yes,” I said.

He was quiet as two of his people came forward and hoisted Kelly to his feet. I was glad I wasn’t Kelly. After today, there was a good chance he wouldn’t be heard from again.

“You have proven yourself invaluable to me yet again, Ms. Parker,” he said, finally facing me. “I will have payment sent to you immediately.”

“That is unnecessary,” I said as I stood. “I’m glad I was able to help.”

He lifted the back of my hand to his lips with the flourish of a bow.

“Then I’ll owe you a favor,” he said.

“I appreciate it,” I said with a genuine smile. “Can I ask what you plan to do with Thomas?”

“If you can swear to me he is not involved, that will be that,” he said. “If I find out he was… As much as I value your services, your neck will be on the line too.”

“I swear on my reputation he did not know.”

He dipped his head and turned back into the crowd. I took a deep breath before walking over to an anxious Thomas.

“What happens now?” he asked, voice wavering.

“Nothing,” I said. “I took care of it.”

He surged to his feet, hugging me hard enough to hurt.

“Thank you,” he breathed into my hair.

James stood. The look he gave me melted my heart. I knew he loved Thomas, and he was the most important person in my life. I would do anything for him.

“You’re family now,” I said to Thomas.

There Needs to be More Coffee

 So. Last week happened. It definitely happened, and I was not on top of things at all. There's that. I've been extra tired lately. The sleeping isn't working like it should be, and my sleep app is telling me I need to 15 hours of sleep tonight to make up for my sleep debt lol That's not going to be a thing that happens. Less sleeping means more coffee. And some redbull too. 

Speaking of Coffee... While Chris was off to Costa Rica for his honeymoon, he bought me coffee. It was from a village there, and it was soooo good! So, so good. Unfortunately... it's gone now. That's really sad. I mean, it's ok. I like my coffee a lot. So, Costa Rican coffee will be a treat from time to time! Chris plans to go back out there because he loved it there so much! He will bring me coffee XD My love language is definitely coffee. lol 

I'm moving through these edits!! It's been a journey back through this book. I was convinced when I was writing it that it was awful and I would need to scrap it. Turns out... that isn't true lol There are definitely some things that need to be fixed, but it's not awful. Which makes me feel a lot better than I did before! 

I now have a writing group inside my writing group! I hide in there sometimes. It's great. Plus, it's like a place where all the words can be said and there isn't any judgment. Bitching, chatting, writing, brainstorming. It's pretty awesome, and I'm happy. There's already plans for road trips, kidnapping, and books with coffee. There will be baking too. BAKING. Who wouldn't be happy under these conditions?

Something my sister and I have always done is have weird ebbs and flows of socializing. It one of those things that just is. Right now she is having a hide inside herself phase. Which means... I am spamming her with love song lyrics and cheesy GIFs. It's fine. She is cool with it :p We are weird people, and I love her so much! 

Fall is coming!! It's my favorite season by far. I'm in love with it. I can't wait. It's the best one, and that is a hill I will die on! I want all the spiced cider, apple pies, and donuts. Give me hot coffee and cool nights. Sweatshirts and cozy blankets. I'm excited. I'm ready for it. 

Do you know what else that all means? Football is back!!!! I mean, it's preseason right now, but it's football nonetheless. We are going to crush it this year. We are going to be awesome. We are going to the playoffs. It's happening, and I won't let anyone tell me otherwise. 

Until next week ♥

Lyrics in my head:

In my defense, I have none
For never leaving well enough alone
It woulda been fun
If you woulda been the one

AND

There's a memory on my mind, it keeps on coming back
Made a promise to myself I wouldn't let it get this bad
Now I'm lying wide awake, sleepless in my bed
My hearts a frozen lake, there's ice inside my chest

The Beginning of a Friendship

 

The vacant apartment was freezing. It was a small one-bedroom. The paint was peeling, and she didn’t want to identify some of the smells. Sitting on the floor had been a risk, but since she would be sleeping here now… She knew she would have to suck it up.

There had been a change of plans. What was supposed to be a simple job had been made infinitely more complicated. Annabell leaned her head back into the wall and uncrossed her ankles because her foot was falling asleep.

“Where does your family think you are?” Arthur asked, from the other side of the small room, breaking the silence from their last heavy conversation.

They had been having more and more of those. He was sitting in a similar position as she had been. His gun was lying off to the side, but she knew he could have it in his hand and aimed in a matter of seconds. He had come more prepared than she had. She was envious of his heavy coat. She hadn’t expected to be here long and only had a thin sweater. He had offered her the coat, but she didn’t want to be surrounded by his scent.

“Don’t have much family,” she said. “My parents died in a car accident when I was a teenager, and I was an only child.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It is what it is,” she said with a shrug. “It’s been a long time. What about you?”

“I haven’t talked to mine in a while. My best friend and his wife are as close as it gets to family.”

“Do they know?” she asked quietly.

They had crossed paths a handful of times now. A tentative friendship had formed, but that was a dangerous question to ask. Even more so to answer. She forced herself to meet his gaze. He surveyed her for a minute before giving one slight nod. It was a sign of trust that he would let her have that information. No one was supposed to know about Garrote.

“They were there when I got the call,” he said just as quietly.

No one was there to overhear them, but saying it too loud felt reckless. Most of their conversations had been dangerous lately. They were an efficient team, so they were paired up often.

“Having people like that… How do you manage it?” she whispered, looking down at her shoe.

“If I have to be close, I make them out to be sources of information,” he said. She could still feel his eyes on her. “If we are ever paired up out that way… you can meet them if you want.”

“I think I would like that,” she said.

She hadn’t had anyone she would consider a friend since she got the call. Arthur was becoming that for her. If he trusted the people around him, she might be able to trust them too. She looked up at him again, and he let his gaze linger before looking away. She knew she had developed this crush, but it was inappropriate. She would never do anything about it. That would be more dangerous than having friends. She cleared her throat.

“How long do you think they will keep us waiting here?” she asked, needing the subject to go back to something harmless.

“Hard to say,” he said, shaking his head slightly. “The change in guest list to this party has them considering the best course of action.”

“I didn’t know the guest list changed.”

“Ah, yea,” he said, scrubbing his hand over the back of his neck. “I forgot you haven’t been in long. They aren’t forthcoming about information until after three years.”

“Why?”

“They need to ensure you’ll stay in line,” he said. “They can’t risk giving more because you could cause problems. Do as you’re told for that long… it builds some trust.”

She tilted her head, thinking about the implications of that. She hadn’t put much thought into how much information she was given and when, but the few times there had been a change in plans… she was left to sit just like this.

“So, they trust us to be out here with weapons, on orders, but not to have all the information?” she finally asked.

His face flushed. She waited for him to answer. She studied his face as he looked everywhere but at her. She didn’t know if he would tell her anything the longer he was silent.

“You aren’t supposed to know this,” he started. “You cannot change your behavior at all if I tell you.”

“Done.”

“The first three years, someone follows you while you are on jobs. Someone is specifically assigned to you and only takes jobs of their own while you are waiting for your next one,” he said softly.

“So someone is watching us now?”

“No. I’m here with you, so it will be my job to report back on you for this assignment.”

He looked uncomfortable. Another piece of information he was trusting her with. If she suddenly started watching for a tail, they would know he told her. There wouldn’t be another explanation.

“What do you have to report?” she asked.

“If you kept to the assignment, made or followed the plan, improvised correctly as needed, if you hesitated or talked to anyone you shouldn’t have. I’m supposed to say whether or not you are fit to continue.”

“How much trouble would you be in for telling me?”

“Re-education at best, execution at worst.”

“I won’t make trouble for you,” she said as she shifted.

She wanted to move closer to him but knew she shouldn’t. They needed to stay where they were. Professional boundaries. Even if a friendship was blooming. She didn’t think assassins were supposed to have friends at all. It wasn’t something she could ask around about. She was about to thank him, but his phone rang.

“Decker,” he said, clearing his throat.

She watched him as he listened to the caller. He nodded a lot, which made her suppress a grin. He had a tendency to talk with his hands while on the phone too. It was a charming quirk of his.

“We have a plan,” he said as he hung up the phone. “We’ve got two days to get ready to crash the party. We have four targets now. All need to be a message. We just have to figure out how to do it and get away clean.”

“Puzzles are one of my favorite things,” she said with a gleam in her eye.

“Then let’s get to work.”

Matchstick Excerpt 6: Bats

“The bats are out in full force tonight,” Annabell said.

“I’ve always loved watching them,” I said, grateful for something else to focus on.

“They have always creeped me out a little bit. I don’t want one to swoop down here and bite me,” Arthur said.

“They aren’t going to bite you,” I laughed.

“You don’t really know that, do you,” he grumbled.

“Are you a bug?” Annabell asked, trying to hide her grin. “If not, then you should be fine.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at Annabell. There was another noise in the woods. I turned my eyes back to the sky to keep from looking.

“It’s a raccoon,” Cali said softly in my ear.

I giggled. It didn’t sounds like me. It was borderline hysterical. I tried to reign it in, but I couldn’t. I was getting jumpy over a raccoon. I knew I sounded crazy. I knew I needed to cover it up.

“I’m sorry,” I said between fits of laughter. “I was just imagining a bat swooping down here to hang out with Arthur.”

Annabell started giggling too. Arthur was not amused.

(All excerpts are taken from a lightly edited first draft. Content here may be changed or removed entirely from the final novel.)

Apparently... It's Thursday...

 aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. It is after 11pm and I just realized this didn't happen. After CampNaNo, my brain was fried. I took days to not do things... then I forgot to do this... So. Here it is. Late. And I'm tired lol 

I finished writing Trust! It's done! I did it! 110,115 words in 31 days. After Matchstick I was afraid it was a fluke, but I think I can make this work more often! I might have a very good system down for all future books. Depending on how long they get... I might need to be careful about doing the whole thing in a month... but it will be fine. It's not like I'm prone to taking on more than I can handle and stressing myself out or anything... >.>

I know there was more I had planned on saying this week. I cannot think of any of it. It helps when I am not trying to write it so late at night... So, maybe that will end up moved to next week.. We'll see lol 

Until next week ♥

Lyrics in my head: 

If I go crazy 
Then will you still call me superman 
If I'm alive and well 
Will you be there to hold my hand