Fiction Friday: Dance with the Devil – Chapter 6

I’m here with the next chapter of Dance with the Devil. Going into the second half now. Here’s the first part of this chapter.

I slammed my fist into the punching bag in the basement of the clubhouse. No one else was down here so late at night. Which was about the only time I visited the little gym. When I couldn’t sleep, when things I’ve seen wouldn’t stop haunting me. When I couldn’t stop thinking about Hawk.

I kept punching the heavy bag even as sweat dripped into my eyes, adding in a few kicks between some of the punches. The bag stopped its slight swing, and I brought my arm up to wipe the sweat away from my eyes.

Hawk stood on the other side of the bag. He wore a pair of sweats hanging low on his waist. Nothing covered his chest. Which left his tattoo- a large depiction of the eagle, globe, and anchor – standing out. I wanted to reach out and touch him, so I clenched my fists inside the boxing gloves. Sweat beaded on his face, but his skin looked cold. Like he’d just come inside.

Knowing him, he’d probably been out running, despite the dropping temperatures. That never bothered him.

“What are you doing?” he asked, his breath puffing out.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“Could feel a storm rolling in. Cut my run short, and figured I’d finish it out in here. Your turn.”

I shifted away. “Just couldn’t sleep.”

“Again? You’ve barely slept this whole last week, Damon. What’s going on?”

Yeah. Ever since we put Brad in that stupid apartment. I don’t know why that triggered the insomnia. I hadn’t suffered from it much in the last few months. Someone would probably say I had PTSD from my time being deployed. The insomnia went back farther than that. It cropped up whenever Dad was being particularly harsh with me. Most people when they get depressed tend to sleep more.

Apparently, I’m the opposite.

Not, that I would admit that to Hawk. It would only make him worry more. That was the last thing I wanted. “It’s nothing,” I insisted. “It’s not like…before.” He’d know what I meant without having to say it. “I just can’t sleep.”

I wouldn’t look back up at him as I started past, so I didn’t know if he believed me or not. He grabbed my shoulder before I got by him. I stopped but kept my gaze between our feet. “Damon,” he said, his voice low and husky. “Please look at me.”

I knew why. It wasn’t the same reason as in the old barn. He wanted to see, make sure for himself I told the truth. The problem was, I wasn’t. Not completely at least. It wasn’t the same as before. I wasn’t staying up mulling over ways I could end my life. That stopped sometime after I got out of my father’s house. I couldn’t say none of that depression had come back.

“Damon.”

Where will this moment take them? Read on here to find out. I’ll have the next chapter up in a week.

Writing Wednesday: Social Exhaustion

I had a busy weekend; motorcycle ride on Saturday, a fire with friends Saturday night, church Sunday morning(visiting pastor was my husband’s uncle. Didn’t know that until we got there, though), then a meeting for the motorcycle club we ride with in the afternoon. It was at one of the member’s houses so it felt rather informal. Still, it was a lot of social interaction for me in two days. I was pretty exhausted by Sunday night. This weekend probably won’t be much better. I know we have at least one picnic to go to and fireworks Saturday night. And my routine will be thrown off next week with the holiday on Tuesday. Oh well, even if I fall off track, I’ll get back on.

Monday we had quite a storm. I thought it was just raining really hard. Then, I looked outside and saw hail coming down. Oh goody. It wasn’t anything too bad, though. It was small and didn’t seem to do damage to anything. It looked like it would rain most of Tuesday but never actually did, other than a little sprinkle.

But, now it’s Wednesday, which means it’s WiPPet Time. *dances in chair* *drinks more coffee to wake up some* Ok, I’m done with that. I’m back to working on Still Burning today. We’ve met Austin and Jess. So, now, I guess it’s time to share a snippet of them together. No, not like that. I don’t share those scenes on my blog. At least nothing explicit. 😀 *blushes* hehe. (Note: I really do blush easily even if I’m not embarrassed by something). Anyway, I have 10(2+8 for the day) paragraphs here. Austin left work at the fire station and stopped by the site where Jess is working. Someone said something about Jess that bothered Austin, so of course he wanted to jump to her defense, but she wouldn’t appreciate that.

“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “Everyone knows I’m a cold bitch anyway. What are you doing here, Austin?”
His fists didn’t loosen. “How can you say it doesn’t matter? He shouldn’t talk to you like that. You aren’t cold, Jess, and you aren’t a bitch. Doesn’t your dad care they treat you like that? And what’s up with that ‘Huntress’ shit?”
She narrowed her eyes, and he finally ran down. “First,” she said, “it doesn’t matter because it doesn’t. Don’t tell me that any females at the station don’t take some ribbing. I know they do. And, yes, I am a bitch. Don’t take that from me.”
He couldn’t help the way his lips twitched up at that. “Maybe on the surface,” he admitted. “But, I’ve seen underneath that.” He almost thought he caught a slight pinking of her skin, but that was probably wishful thinking. Jess didn’t blush. He’d never been able to make her.
“And continuing on with your points,” she said, nearly making him laugh. “Dad does care. He just fired someone for catcalling a woman walking past a site. What do you think he’d do if he thought one of the guys was harassing me?”
“Murder them,” Austin murmured, and this time it was Jess who laughed.
“I don’t know that it would go quite that far, but you see my point. “They already think I’m only working here because I’m the boss’s daughter. Don’t need any more fuel to their assumptions I get special treatment. Which is exactly what they’d think, and that I can’t handle myself, if I ran to Daddy every time someone said something even slightly offensive.”
Austin wanted to punch every guy here who thought that. Hell, she was probably more capable than all of them combined. “That guy called you Huntress. What’s that about?”
She rolled her eyes at that one. “It’s stupid. They’ve made a play on our last name for each of us. I get to be Huntress since I’m the only female.” The last word came out a little harder than the rest, or at least that’s how it seemed to him. But then she was asking, “What are you doing here anyway? I’m pretty sure it’s not to get played with.”
“No,” he said, cutting the word off a little sharper than he’d meant to. “You seem to have put this toy back in the toy box.” She winced and took a step back. Damn it. He hadn’t meant his anger to come out like that. He hadn’t even realized he was so angry about it. Maybe it had been that guy’s boy toy comment that had done it, though. Maybe that really was all he was to her.

Oh, Austin, that’s not all you are. Jess just has a tough time explaining exactly how she feels.

Plotting:

• High on Your Love – Back stories, Plot summaries, Story Toolkit, Outline Act 1 – Through Timeline. Section 18/18. Outlined through Chapter 6(end of Act 1). Once I get through writing those scenes, I’ll outline the next Act. Maybe that will keep me from getting too far off the outline if I can adjust it more easily as I finish each Act.
• Jayla & Carisa – Plot summaries, Story Toolkit, Outline – Through Romance Arc worksheet. Section 9/18

Writing:

• Heart of Christmas(BC Security #3.5) – Add 8000 words – 9996/8000 words, 1930 words this week
  • She’d briefly considered dumping all the pictures in the trash bin and wrecking the board she’d already started attaching some of them to. He’d actually thought she only liked him out of pity. After that kiss the other day, how could he think that? Or did he put that off to pity, too? Could he seriously be that dense?
• Still Burning(Hunter Family #4) – Add 10000 words – 10430/10000 words, 207 words this week
• Not Meant to Be(Gilbert, Co #6) – finish 1st draft –
• By the Gun – Add 8000 words – 6217/8000 words,
• Side Projects – Add 9000 words between them – 14187/9000 words, 943 words this week
  • Jared’s Stepfather – 218 words – The door creaked open, and Jared turned his head. Carlos stood in the doorway, the worry fading from his eyes as he met Jared’s gaze. “You’re awake then, brother. Your hermanita will be glad to hear that.”
  • Roman – 240 words – Roman let out a long breath, but caught Cristine’s eye and the shake of her head. Right. He couldn’t push on this. She wouldn’t believe just him showing her. He’d have to prove it another way.
  • Hawk – 282 words – I shook my head. “I haven’t seen him since just before I turned seventeen. I lived with Mr. Bentley from then to the time I left for Basic Training.” I could feel the curiosity coming from most of the people at the table. All except Wraith and Damon. They already knew the story. I hoped now wouldn’t be the time I’d have to repeat it.
  • Jacob & Matthew – “And if they do?” Jacob asked.  “I am only grooming the stage’s horses and talking to my old friend who just showed up back in town. I see nothing wrong with it.” He wanted to do a lot more than that, but Matthew was right. Neither of them could afford to get caught.

Editing:

• Stained Blood – beta edits – edited Chapter 1/26(counting the epilogue as a chapter of its own).
• Flames of Renewal – CP edits – still waiting, but I should have this soon.
• In the Moonlight – Pre-revisions & 1st Revisions – This is done until I start the read through in July.
• One Touch(formerly Snow White Twist) – Beta edits, Polish, & Submit – 10/10 chapters revised. 50/50 polished.
• Dance with the Devil – Polish 6 chapters  – Polished 6/6 chapters
• Mason & Lila – Polish & Post to Patreon – 50/50 polished. Posted it on Tuesday.

Reading:

• Listen: 5 books – 4/5, 1 this week
  • The Mummy Case(Elizabeth Peters) – Finished this Monday morning. Really enjoyed it.
  • Bitterblue(Kristin Cashore) – Started this Monday morning. Chapter 15/46
• Read: 30 books – 28/30, 2 this week
  • Hiding Behind the Couch – Box Set One(Debbie McGowan) – Read through Beginnings, Ruminations, Hiding Behind the Couch, & No Time Like the Present.  Finished The Harder They Fall Sunday morning. Started Crying in the Rain Sunday morning. About 3/5 through it. Finished 5/7
  • Kiss Me, Kill Me(Allison Brennan) – Started this Monday morning. Finished it Monday night. Really enjoyed it.
  • Once Upon a Rose(Laura Florand) – Started this Tuesday morning. finished it Tuesday night. Really enjoyed it.
  • Out of Control(Suzanne Brockmann) – Started this Tuesday night. On page 28/458

Teaser Tuesday: One Touch – The Prince

I didn’t share anything last week. I’m kind of between editing projects right now, or at least in a limbo of waiting. But, I decided to work on some of the side projects I need to edit while waiting to get other stuff back. So today I have part of one of those. I started this twist on Snow White last year and had hoped to submit it to the World Unknown Review then, but I didn’t have it finished in time. Now, I’m down to the final polishing of it, so I’ll be able to submit it this year.

She had filled the second bucket of water from the well when the clopping of hooves approached. Eira set the bucket to the side before looking up. A white horse, with long graceful lines and majestic carriage, headed toward her. A man, no, a boy not much older than her, rode on the horse’s back. He appeared about as graceful and majestic as his horse.

Her breath caught in her throat as he came closer. Beautiful. Both of them were absolutely beautiful. She couldn’t look away. As he came closer, his eyes seemed to come right to her. As if he was looking for her. His teeth flashed, so white and perfect, when his gaze fell on her. He urged his horse closer.

She couldn’t take her eyes off him. Almost like she was under some kind of spell. That was foolish. Magic wasn’t real. If it was, her wish should have come true after the amulet disappeared from the well. That happened because she’d come back as soon as she’d gotten free from the guards. It had already been gone. Two days had passed and still nothing happened.

Maybe this was him, the fulfillment of her wish. He wasn’t anything like what she pictured. She hadn’t asked for someone royal, and from what she saw of him, he appeared to be from the court. Maybe not hers, but certainly from one. He was dark-haired, a lot like her, his skin pale in contrast. Not a fighter who would help rule her kingdom.

Now he was right in front of her. “Milady.” He swept his body down along his horse’s neck in a bow. Even the horse lowered to one knee, as if it had been orchestrated. This was all too much. She could barely believe it.

He  slid his leg over and dropped right to the ground. “May I help you with your burden? I could carry the buckets to the palace for you.”

“No, you couldn’t,” she told him, not lowering her eyes. A lot of the other ladies of the court did just that. She wasn’t lower than this man, even if he was as much as a duke  As soon as her next birthday passed, they’d be planning her coronation as Queen. “This water isn’t going to the palace.”

Some sort of shadow passed over his eyes. It was gone a moment later, and he smiled at her again. She shivered a little, as if that shadow had gone through her as well.  He bent down to lift one of the buckets. “Tell me where to carry it to, Milady.”

She still didn’t know who he was or where he’d come from, so she wasn’t so sure about this. The guards watching her hardly noticed him. They must not view him as a threat. Therefore, she wouldn’t either.

“I’ll lead the way,” she said. Although having him at her back didn’t make her feel any more comfortable. There was no reason for that. He was helping her.

When they reached her day maid’s house, she said, “Set it down by the door.”

Once both buckets were there, she knocked briskly then walked away. Rhiain had to know she was the one leaving the water for their little girl, but she didn’t need to be thanked for it. She did what anyone should.

Even if her stepmother didn’t agree with that sentiment.

She didn’t realize until she’d reached the main road back to the palace that the handsome stranger no longer followed her. She looked around, but there was no sign of him. No sign he’d ever even been there.

He must have taken another path back to his horse. Yes, that had to be it.

 

Sunday Summary: Quiet Week, Busy Weekend

Not much to report after Wednesday. Thursday was a pretty good(okay, really good) writing day for me. Friday I got a good bit plotted while it rained all day. Friday night we went out to get groceries so got home a little late. Saturday morning  my husband dropped the kids off with his mom, came home, we got on the bike and headed up for the 10th annual Mike Crotty memorial ride. Mike was a firefighter at one of the departments up in Erie and died in 2008. 2 months later, they had the first ride in memory of him and for the National Fallen Firefighter Association. It was a beautiful day for the ride. Two years ago we got drenched. Last year was really nice but hot. This year was pretty much perfect. We cut off a little early since we had to get the kids from my mother-in-law. Then, we ended up having a fire at home(in the fire ring out in the yard!) and invited a couple friends. The kids don’t usually have 4 other kids to play with. I haven’t got as much done this weekend as I’d planned, and we have our monthly meeting with the club we ride with this afternoon, so I probably won’t get caught up today, but that’s fine. I’ll get to everything eventually.

Plotting:

• High on Your Love – Back stories, Plot summaries, Story Toolkit, Outline – Through Act 1 Beat Sheet. Section 14/18. And while doing the locations worksheet, I realized I never named the diner that appears in, I think, every story in this series(5 novels & 2 novellas so far, only the 1st published). It’s a small town and there is only 1 diner, so it’s always just been referred to as “the diner”. But, I figured it was time to give it a name. Guess I’ll have to go back and work that in to the others before I do publish them.
• Jayla & Carisa – Plot summaries, Story Toolkit, Outline – Through Romance Arc worksheet. Section 9/18 I had to change a few things in this section, like where some things listed Hero & Shero. So now it’s Shero1 & Shero2. 🙂

Writing:

• Heart of Christmas(BC Security #3.5) – Add 8000 words – 8066/8000 words, 3944 words this week – I will still be working on this next week even though I’ve met the goal for the month.
  • He didn’t, but he didn’t see the point in arguing about it with Niall. He couldn’t argue that point with Declan either, seeing as he seemed to treat his stepdaughter as if she was his own blood. Not that Caelen would truly have any idea what that looked like. He didn’t scream at her, even when she’d done something she wasn’t supposed to. Hadn’t once raised a hand to her that Caelen had seen. And hadn’t walked out on her as Caelen’s own mother had done. Maybe that’s exactly what loving your own child looked like.
• Still Burning(Hunter Family #4) – Add 10000 words – 10223/10000 words, 4033 words this week
  • “What happens when you get caught cutting corners,” she muttered. They’d had to tear down right to the foundation. She wasn’t going to build on to a shoddy start.
• Not Meant to Be(Gilbert, Co #6) – finish 1st draft –
• By the Gun – Add 8000 words – 6217/8000 words, 1988 words this week
  • “I don’t know how to do this,” he admitted. “I don’t know where to go, or what to do, or how to live without her.”
• Side Projects – Add 9000 words between them – 13244/9000 words,  3724 words this week
  • Preggers – 335 words – That wasn’t what she wanted. Not unless Lyndi wanted to go with her. And she certainly wasn’t going to hold out hope for that.
  • Roman – 389 words – Tereza jerked away from him, nearly losing her balance. Roman wanted to reach out to steady her, but she obviously had a problem with him touching her. He would respect that. Instead of drawing attention to her reaction, he just took down three of the plates and set them on the counter for her and moved toward the cupboard containing glasses.
  • Midas’ Daughter – 340 words – Murray’s face had gone red at Flip’s comment, but his eyes looked worried. And for the same reason Flip knew he could never have anything with Calla, as much as he wished it. Mr. Midas wanted everyone single and wholly devoted to him.
  • Patrick & Sarah – 303 words – The man was awfully familiar with her, but she didn’t look happy with that fact. “I am not,” she insisted.
  • Hawk – 225 words – “Not gonna go run and hide, boys,” he’d said. “Haven’t done it once in my life. Not gonna start now.” So, he was probably opening the bookstore even now.
  • Jared’s Stepfather – 415 words – Tears slid unheeded down his sister’s cheeks. “Where are we gonna go?” she asked him. “We’ll have to go back, and he’ll be even madder then.”
  • Dougal & Shae – 366 words – “No, my boy,” their father–he’d introduced himself as Conal–said. “All my children know friends are always as welcome in this house as family. Sometimes they simply forget,” he said with a look at Shae, “or use it to their advantage in a pointless sibling rivalry.” He shot a glance at Donovan then.
  • Tavin & Haiwee – 281 words – Rage boiled through him at that, and he took another step forward. “You will not put a hand on her, you dirty rotten-“
  • Sean & Braeden – 346 words – And there went that steel rod right across Braeden’s shoulders again. Bloody fecking hell. It was never supposed to be this way. *Aw, Sean, you two are breaking my heart, and I’ve just started this story.
  • Jacob & Matthew – 208 words – “You want me to leave?” Matthew asked, a crooked smile on his face. “Ride out of town until tomorrow morning? You going to rent me a horse so I can do that?”
  • Mike & Fadil – 516 words – He’d grown up like that, only his rival had been alcohol.

Editing:

• Stained Blood – beta edits – edited Chapter 1/26(counting the epilogue as a chapter of its own).
• Flames of Renewal – CP edits – still waiting, but I should have this soon.
• In the Moonlight – Pre-revisions & 1st Revisions – This is done until I start the read through in July.
• One Touch(formerly Snow White Twist) – Beta edits, Polish, & Submit – 10/10 chapters revised. I’d hoped to have it submitted this weekend, but doesn’t look like that will happen.
• Dance with the Devil – Polish 6 chapters  – Polished 6/6 chapters
• Mason & Lila – Polish & Post to Patreon – 15/50 polished. I’d hoped to have this ready to post today, but again, doesn’t look like that will happen.

Reading:

• Listen: 5 books – 3/5, 0 this week
  • The Mummy Case(Elizabeth Peters) – Started this Thursday. On Chapter 10/13
• Read: 30 books – 26/30, 7 this week
  • Hiding Behind the Couch – Box Set One(Debbie McGowan) – Read through Beginnings, Ruminations, Hiding Behind the Couch, & No Time Like the Present.  Almost through The Harder They Fall. Should at least finish it today. Finished 4/7
  • Full Disclosure(Kat Morrisey) – Started this Monday morning. It’s my CP’s second book, and I’ve been so looking forward to getting to it. This is about the third version of the story I’ve read, and I’d say it’s the best one. I finished reading it Monday afternoon and loved it.
  • Dangerous Attraction(Sidney Bristol) – Started this Monday evening. Finished it Tuesday afternoon. Enjoyed it.
  • Off Base(Annabeth Albert) – Started this Tuesday afternoon. Then I had to charge my kindle. Picked it back up closer to dinner time. Finished it Tuesday night. Really enjoyed this one.
  • Too Hot to Handle(Victoria Dahl) – Started this Tuesday afternoon while my kindle was charging. Finished this Wednesday evening.
  • Knit One, Girl Two(Shira Glassman) – Read this Wednesday evening. Really enjoyed this short read. It was so cute and sweet.
  • End Game(Lindsay Buroker) – Started this Wednesday night. Finished it Friday afternoon. Loved it! This was the end of this series, but she’s written a spin-off of it as well.
  • Fire Away(Becca Boyd) – Started this Friday afternoon. Finished it Friday night.  A good bit bothered me about this one. I don’t know if I want to go into all of it. But basically the “hero” had been married to the “heroine’s” sister, but the sister died in a fire(and the hero is a firefighter). The heroine always had a crush on him, but hadn’t seen him for 10 years. But, now they’ve reconnected and she’s “in love”(yes, i’m using lots of quotes, I know). Her sister’s case is re-opened and he’s brought in as a suspect because there’s new evidence(there really…wasn’t). And as they look into it themselves, they find that the sister had been cheating on him(he’d known already and of course had asked her for a divorce the same night as the fire). And is basically portrayed as a “dirty whore”(the author’s phrase) because she liked sex. And just…no. It was a short book, and didn’t feel like a lot of character development or development of the romance. So, needless to say, not continuing the series(this one was a free one). *Phew* Guess I did go into all of it, or just about.

WeWriWa: “Brave or Smart”

Welcome back to another visit with the Weekend Writing Warriors, the blog hop for anyone who likes to write. I’m still sharing from Hawk’s story. It still doesn’t have an actual title. But, I’m making progress on it. Today’s snippet comes shortly after last week’s. They’ve found the guy they came to see, and he’s offered to get them out of there, hiding in the backseat of his truck. Needless to say, Devil is not fond of this idea.

“We don’t have to hide,” Damon said, “we’re not cowards.”

“And you’ll be a perfect target on your motorcycles. Do you want to be brave or smart, Damon?”

I squeezed Damon’s arm. “He’s right,” I said. “We’ll come back for our bikes later. Right now, getting Mr. Bentley safe is more important. If my father is that intent on killing me, I don’t want him or anyone else getting caught in the crossfire.”

“Why do you think it’s your father?” Damon asked.

Why does Hawk seem so sure about this? Will they get out of there? I’ll have the next little bit, and maybe some answers, next week. And if you want to see how Hawk and Devil(Damon) first got together, I have the first half of Dance with the Devil, up on Wattpad now.

 

Stream of Consciousness Saturday: “Rain/Rein/Reign”

“It looks like it’s going to rain,” Jonas said, looking out from under the picnic shelter they’d been sitting under.

Isaac grunted but his hand kept pulling the pencil over the paper. He wouldn’t let Jonas see what he was working on. They’d been meeting here at the park for a few days now. Jonas liked spending time here with Isaac. He usually only came to play soccer or kickball with some of his buddies from school. Now that they were out for the summer, there wasn’t much else to do. But, as soon as he’d seen Isaac show up each day, he’d abandoned them.

It probably made him a bad friend. But, whatever. He liked Isaac more than any of those guys.

“Maybe we should go back to my house,” he said now. “Mom won’t mind.”

Isaac let out a little snort, but he still didn’t look up from his sketch pad. “She won’t mind? Just the two of us being there? She won’t think I’ll corrupt you?”

Jonas rolled his eyes then set his hand on Isaac’s knee. “She’s not your dad. She doesn’t think like that.” He wished he hadn’t said it when the other boy cringed and finally put down the sketch pad. Isaac still had bruises that hadn’t quite faded yet. In his house, violence reigned supreme.

It made Jonas sick to think about that. All he’d ever known was love from his parents. It wasn’t perfect, and his father had been gone, dead, for ten years now. But, that love was still there. Isaac didn’t have that, even if Jonas wanted to give it to him.

He wasn’t even sure what all that entailed. They hadn’t even kissed. Maybe Isaac hadn’t even thought about that yet. Jonas couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it.

“and if she starts hating me? Because I lead you down a path to…to somewhere she doesn’t want you to go?”

Jonas was pretty sure he knew what Isaac had been about to say, and he really just wanted to hug him. This may not be the best place for that. The other guys were already teasing him for dropping everything to hang out with Isaac. He didn’t need to bring more grief down on either of them.

“Dude,” he said, forcing a smile for Isaac’s sake. “I told you the other day. My older brother used to be in a gang. You really think she’d be more bothered by me realizing I’m gay or bi.”

“You  never know,” Isaac muttered, shoving the last of his supplies into his pack and swinging it onto his shoulder. “My dad would be.”

Jonas nudged him with his shoulder. “I already told you, Mom’s not your dad. She’ll be cool. Let’s go before it lets loose.”

Isaac still looked hesitant, but he followed Jonas away from the park. That was something at least. He didn’t know where this was heading, but he thought it might be best to let Isaac hold the reins, at least for now.

Maybe they could figure out where this path led together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt was to use rain/rein/reign any way you want. use one or all or any combination. I still have three stories in this series to write before I get to Jonas and Isaac’s story, but they popped into my head today. So, I may just keep playing with them until it is time to fully get to their story.

Fiction Friday: Dance with the Devil – Chapter 5

I’m back with more Dance with the Devil this week. This will put us about halfway through the story. I have the whole thing polished up and ready to post, so at least I don’t have to worry about that. And I’ll start revising the next story soon, so I may not have to wait too long in between them this time. Anyway, here is the beginning of Chapter 5:

It didn’t take me long to catch up to Hawk. He refused to respond to any of my attempts to get his attention. I was forced to follow behind him, steaming at how easily he ignored me.

I’d never been able to ignore his presence.

When he took a turn away from the clubhouse, I was surprised, but I followed anyways. We needed to have this out. Maybe we couldn’t go where he wanted us to. I wasn’t willing to lose the family I’d come into over it. I wasn’t willing to lose my riding partner, either. I’d known Hawk since before that was the name he went by and before I was Devil, before I was even a Marine. He was more than the guy I went out on patrols with for the club. So much more. Even if I didn’t usually let myself think about that.

Because I didn’t want to think about it, examine it, talk about it, I might be losing the one thing I would allow myself to have with him. It would kill me to lose that, too.

The sky darkened above us, and I looked up from under my helmet. Heavy clouds were rolling in. I flashed my headlight at Hawk, hoping to get his attention finally. His head moved, as if taking in my signal and the clouds above when I pointed up. But, he didn’t stop.

I really didn’t want to be getting wet while on the bike, but the only other option was turning around and abandoning Hawk, which would give him the idea I didn’t think he was worth it.

I couldn’t let him think that.

I kept following. Even when the first drops of rain hit the backs of my hands. Hawk didn’t react at all. He had his leather jacket on under his cut already. I hadn’t bothered to grab my coat before running out of the apartment. I had no protection save for the long-sleeve shirt I wore under my own vest. It wouldn’t take long for it to soak through if the rain continued.

Hawk turned down yet another road, and I swore a little. This wasn’t even toward the place he kept away from the clubhouse. Where was he taking me? No, that wasn’t fair. He hadn’t asked me to follow him. This was all my own fault. And it was too late to go back now.

The rain came down harder, pounding against the top of my helmet and soaking right through my shirt and jeans. He turned again, this time down what seemed little more than an overgrown trail. Maybe it had been a driveway once, but it didn’t look like any vehicles used it in some time. There was a barn at the end of it. Probably a miracle it was still standing, yet Hawk headed right for it.

I did, too, idiot that I was.

He rode straight into the barn, since the door hung open anyway.

I did, too. Sometimes, I thought I would follow him anywhere. Even into Hell. Or an old ramshackle barn.

If you want to read the rest of the chapter, you can find it here.

RoW80 Round 2 Wrap-Up

Today is the official end of Round 2 of the A Round of Words in 80 days challenge. I’ve been participating in this challenge for a few years now(actually I just looked back and my first post was written on July 3, 2011, so almost exactly 6 years now). I only had 4 goals back then for the round. Wow, things have changed. 😉

 

Plotting

• Heart of Christmas(BC Security #3.5) – finish outlining
• Still Burning(Hunter Family #4/Flames #7(?)) – Outline
• Jayla’s Story(Gilbert, Co #7) – Outline – I’m about halfway through the Story Toolkit on this one. I’m hoping to finish it next week. And then I can start writing in July.
• High on Your Love(Kurztown #6) – Outline – About halfway through the Story Toolkit on this, too. I’ll be working on it more tomorrow. If I don’t finish then, I shouldn’t have a problem meeting this goal by the end of the month.

Writing

• Playing with Fire – finish 1st draft
• Not Meant to Be – finish 1st draft
• By the Gun – finish 1st draft(I set this one aside a while ago, but hoping I can pick it back up) – not even close, though I have picked it back up and added almost 9500 words to it.
• Side Projects – add 12000 words between all projects. – 30340/12000 words. I’d managed this partway into May.

I also started writing on Heart of Christmas(9088) & Still Burning(7851).

Editing

• Stained Blood – Polish and send back to CP and to beta(if anyone else wants to read, let me know) – Done, Done, and I’ve gotten through Chapter 1 back from beta(CP sent me an email with thoughts but no actual changes)
• Snow White Twist – Polish and sent to readers. Hopefully submit before the end of the round – Done & Done and have it back from both. One final polishing round & I plan to submit. Hopefully this weekend.
• Dance with the Devil – Revise and start posting to Wattpad – Done and in progress.
• Flames of Renewal – Apply CP edits – still waiting to get this back.
• In the Moonlight – Revise – I’ve gone through the first round of revisions and added 4823 words to it. Plan to start read through and more revisions in July then it will be ready to send to CP.
• Demons Rising – Revise – Nothing here. Think I’ll send as-is to CP. There’s a lot going on in this one, and I’m afraid it’s too much. But, I don’t know what thread to cut because they all continue through the next books in the series, too.

Blogging

• A-Z posts: Draft 13 posts, edit & format 18 posts, post 25 posts – got all these done with at least a few days to spare.
• Story a Day: Write 31 stories – Got all these written. Really enjoyed it, too.

Reading

• Listen: 12 books – 16/12
• Read: 90 books – 86/90 – Unless I count the individual stories in the Hiding Behind the Couch box set, which would put me up to 90. I should also have at least 2 more books read by the end of the week.

Crafting

• Knit: 3 projects – 1/3
• Crochet: 3 projects -1/3
• Loom: 3 projects – 0/3

It was a pretty good round overall. There’s a lot of blue there, and a good bit of green. Some red, but that’s not too bad. I’ll be figuring out the next round(and July’s) goals out next week, but until then I’ll keep writing and editing and plotting.

Sunday Summary: Father’s Day

I’d almost, kind of forgotten that today is Father’s Day. Maybe on purpose. It’s the day that all my mixed-up, bitter feelings rise up to the surface. Now, my dad isn’t a “bad guy”. And I do have good memories, mostly from before my parents got divorced. After that, it was like I wasn’t important to him unless it was convenient for him. It took me a while to realize just how much it hurt me. There’s a reason my stepdad was the one to walk me down the aisle when I got married. And probably why I have a tendency to write more blended families.

Back when I was still a Daddy’s girl sitting on his lap(probably 1988-89)

Wednesday afternoon, my mother-in-law came and picked the kids and me up and took us up to a book sale. It had been going on all week, but on Wednesday, the books went to half price. And I bought 11 books for $3.25. On the way home, we stopped at Walmart because she needed to get floor mats for her new car. Since it was getting later, plus too hot to cook, I grabbed a roasted chicken(and some strawberries just because), to have for dinner.

Yesterday we had my husband’s 20th class reunion(I’ve been out 14 years, and my class still hasn’t had a reunion).  It was down at the town’s ballpark. And it was hot out. And there ere a bunch of people here that I didn’t know. And my anxiety was already up. Oh, yeah, tons of fun. I spent a good part of it reading on my phone to keep myself sane.

And as far as being ahead of myself(as I reported on Wednesday), by Wednesday night, I was pretty much done with everything on Thursday’s list(other than workout and getting dinner ready). So, it’s definitely been a good week. But, I’m going to rework how I handle my daily routine. I’ll keep my goals the way they are, but I think instead of moving on to the next day when I finish everything, I’ll keep working on that day’s project and just count it as a bonus.

Plotting:

• High on Your Love – Back stories, Plot summaries, Story Toolkit, Outline – Through Character Arc worksheet 8/18
• Jayla & Carisa – Plot summaries, Story Toolkit, Outline – Wrote up plot summaries Sunday night and typed them Monday. Started the Story Toolkit. Got through Major Plot Points worksheet 4/18

Writing:

• Heart of Christmas(BC Security #3.5) – Add 8000 words – 4122/8000 words, 2425 words this week
  • As he walked out, Alaina turned her gaze to her brother. “You know, sometimes I forget I love you and really start to hate you.” Then, she pushed away from the table as well and followed Caelen. *looks like someone’s overprotectiveness just backfired on him.
• Still Burning(Hunter Family #4) – Add 10000 words – 6190/10000 words, 1761 words this week
  • Austin watched as the volunteer department’s engine pulled away. “I just wish I knew why she hated me.” The words spilled out before he could catch them.
• Not Meant to Be(Gilbert, Co #6) – finish 1st draft –
• By the Gun – Add 8000 words – 4229/8000 words, 2215 words this week
  • His oldest son, always so strong and steady, broke down into tears then.
• Side Projects – Add 9000 words between them – 9520/9000 words, 4054 words this week
  • Sean & Braeden – 216 words – Braeden dropped his gaze almost instantly, which sent a rock tumbling into Sean’s stomach. That was probably his own fault. He shouldn’t have let Braeden’s reaction to that stupid kiss send him running. But, how could he see him every day with Braeden had made his feelings clear? *Oh, I don’t think they’re all that clear, Sean. 😉
  • Hawk – 275 words – “It’s my father,” I said, after swallowing the huge lump in my throat. “Yesterday he tried to kill me.”
  • Mike & Fadil – 1009(about 750 of these were copied from a piece I wrote during May). “I know. I’m not saying you should regret anything, Mike. I’m just saying you should stop looking back. You have a daughter, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a future.”
  • Patrick & Sarah – 324 words – That changed things, at least as far as Patrick was concerned. It would have been one thing to him if Sarah had wanted the man here. But, he would not let someone get away with abusing her.
  • Roman – 202 words – And that had totally not been what he’d expected. He’d thought Carlos would be more worried about himself, not some young girl he’d been using. So, maybe it wasn’t what he’d thought. Maybe he’d made assumptions he shouldn’t have. He was going to have to figure that out.
  • Dougal & Shae – 258 words – But, as she took a few more steps down, she saw that she’d been wrong. He was here. Her gaze shot back to Donovan. And his smirk turned to a full-out grin. That damn, dirty bastard. *Oh, yeah, Shae is not happy with her brother & this little set-up.
  • Preggers – 240 words – Lyndi snickered when the waitress had left. “Damn, she’s gotten good since the last time I was in here. Her older sister made passive-aggression an art form. I wasn’t sure Missy had the knack for it, though.”
  • Midas’ Daughter – 232 words – Murray just raised one eyebrow. Right. Like Mr. Midas would ever leave every detail entirely to anyone else. Even his own daughter. Maybe especially his own daughter.
  • Jared’s Stepfather(no clue what I’ll actually title this, but some of Jared & Denise’s shared back story that may make it on my Patreon) – 215 words – No, Jared had always done the running there. Not anymore. Not with Denise’s safety at stake. Obviously her father couldn’t be trusted with that. No, he was using her for his own gains.
  • Tavin & Haiwee – 227 words – But, apparently what his brother’s wife had told him once was true. You really could not help how you felt.
  • Jacob & Matthew – 334 words – Jacob turned quickly from the driver and moved to the departing passengers. Maybe he’d been wrong. Maybe it had only looked like Matthew.
  • Hang On – 522 words – He spun away, paced a few steps then came back, his face only inches from mine. “No. There isn’t,” he said through his teeth. “It’s you, Aidan. It has always been you. Only you.” *And this is DONE!! I have loved writing these boys, now to polish them up and send them off. 😀

Editing:

• Stained Blood – beta edits – edited Chapter 1/26(counting the epilogue as a chapter of its own).
• Flames of Renewal – CP edits – still waiting, but I should have this soon.
• In the Moonlight – Pre-revisions & 1st Revisions – finished 4 scenes(added 2623 words). Decided to leave chapters how I have them for now(switching to a new chapter when POV switches between Yasmin & Nola – which  means some are a bit longer than others). I’ll see how the pace seems when I do my read through, which I think will be in July.
• One Touch(formerly Snow White Twist) – Beta edits, Polish, & Submit – contacted 2nd beta reader Sunday night. We chatted about it Friday night, and I got an email Saturday morning. 😀 Have all comments in one document now and will probably start edits today.
• Dance with the Devil – Polish 6 chapters  – Polished 5/6 chapters

Reading:

• Listen: 5 books – 3/5, 1 this week
  • Blood and Betrayal(Lindsay Buroker) – Started this Friday morning. Finished it Wednesday night. Next one isn’t up on audible yet. 😦
  • The Mummy Case(Elizabeth Peters) – Started this Thursday.
• Read: 30 books – 19/30, 6 this week
  • Hellbent(Cynthia/Sara Rayne) – Started this Saturday night. Finished it Sunday evening. Really enjoyed it.
  • Hiding Behind the Couch – Box Set One(Debbie McGowan) – Started this Sunday night. Picked it back up Thursday night. Read through Beginnings, Ruminations, & Hiding Behind the Couch. About 2/3 through No Time Like the Present. Hoping to finish at least that one today. Finished 3/7
  • Delivered Fast(Annabeth Albert) – Started this Monday evening. Finished it Tuesday morning. Liked it. Was about to give up on these books, due to same reasons as an earlier rant(basically in the six books of hers I’ve read – from 2 different series- the word bisexual hasn’t even been used. And it’s been bothering me). But I read a review of the next book and apparently one of the characters(who was a side character in this one) is bi, so I’ll give it a little longer and see how that one is(and it was only .99 so I bought it already).
  • This Savage Song(Victoria Schwab) – Started this Tuesday afternoon. Finished it Wednesday night. This was definitely…different. But, I really enjoyed it.
  • Hard to Be Good(Laura Kaye) – Started this Wednesday night. This is a novella in her Hard Ink series and is Jeremy & Charlie’s story, which we’ve seen start to unfold in the other books. I’ve been really looking forward to getting to it. And really enjoyed it.
  • Evidence of Trust(Stacey Joy Netzel) – Read this one Thursday afternoon. Liked it.
  • Firebird(Annabel Joseph) – Started this Thursday evening. Finished it Thursday night. It was okay.

WeWriWa: “Bullet in the Plaster”

Welcome back to another visit with the Weekend Writing Warriors, a blog hop for anyone who likes to write. I’m still sharing from Hawk’s story. This bit comes from a part I wrote for the Story a Day challenge in May using one of the prompts. I thought it would just be a silly little exercise, but it actually fit into the story and explained some things about Hawk and his dad. So, I kept it in there. Anyway, Hawk and Devil went to check on the old bookseller who took both of them in at one point, only to find the shop closed. So, they went to his house, and this picks up from there.

I saw a footprint in the dirt and jerked my gaze up toward the window. “Get down,” I shouted at Damon, lunging to the side just before the window shattered and something thudded into the wall behind me.

“What the hell?” Damon asked, staring at the bullet in the plaster of the wall.

I wondered the same thing. Except I was afraid I knew. But, I just couldn’t understand why. I didn’t think I’d ever run into my father again after he kicked me out. Or that he’d try to kill me. And actually put effort into it this time.

Was it really Hawk’s father shooting? Why would he do that? Will they get out of this mess? I have some of those answers already.

I also have Chapter 4 of Dance with the Devil up on Wattpad if you want to check that out.