Wednesday 27 July 2016

Wednesday Briefs Demon Chapter Twenty Eight



This week I took a prompt but kind of roved around it so I'm going to put it in anyway because you can probably see the connection, the intention and where it went astray. Extra mind work :D

Not even now. Not even with my promise of love fresh in his ears does my love truly believe in himself. At least he seems at peace. Perhaps, at last, he can at least believe in me.
“Come, we must retire and rest. I must send word to my father that we come and he should make ready.”
Castien melts into my side with a gentle sigh. “Will he like me, do you think?”
There is that anxiety again, leeching the colour from his beautiful eyes, painting shadow where there should be none.
“My father will like you. He will admire you. My mother will adore you, and my sister will steal from whatever kisses you can spare that are not for me.”
“All my kisses are for you,” Castien breathes.
“Ah but that is only because you live in a place where kisses are so little valued. When you come into my world your kisses will be in such high demand they will bear a dearer price.”
“Never for you. My kisses will always be freely given to you.”
“Come, let us retire. You seem tired and need to rest.”
“I’m fine. I feel as though I could take on the world.”
“Perhaps you can.”

I watch my prince sleep with so much love within me it is a joyous pain. My heart beats for him and every sigh, every flutter of his lashes makes it ache all the more. I ponder why love should hurt this way and conclude that my heart is seeking to fly from my chest, to be free of the poor confines of this body to encompass a love so wide and so deep my frail human form cannot contain it. Castien murmurs and shifts in my arms, his face beatific and I groan aloud, unable to bear the aching beauty of him.
Sleepy eyes blink up at me and my prince smiled. “Go to sleep,” he murmurs on a yawn and pats my cheek. What magic is this? My painful heart calms as I fall into his eyes and, at last, feel the pull of oblivion. I settle more comfortably and Castien tucks his face in to my chest. Then we sleep.

The days that follow were a blur of planning and organizing. The Council throw difficulties into our path at every turn and both Castien and his father are reduced to seething balls of snapping fire. It is amusing to note how alike they are beneath their many differences. They are both quick to anger, whereupon the king bellows and stomps while Castien seethes and paces. The king snaps orders while Castien gives the same ones in a polite, almost hesitant way. The king commands, Castien negotiates, and they both get things done.
Jandra disappoints me. She is not as supportive as would have hoped from a loving sister. She appears sullen and envious of Castien’s new status. I cannot imagine what life must have been like for him before, but it appears he has undergone quite a transformation and Jandra, among others, is not pleased about it.
I have tried to talk to her, the Gods know, but all she will say is that it will end in tears and I have no idea what I am doing. She is wrong. I see how quickly my lover wearies when he is stressed or pushing himself to work hard, which he does often. He is unable to accept weakness in himself even when he excuses it in everyone else. I use many wiles to divert him when he needs to rest. Sometimes by pretending weakness in myself; sometimes by distracting him with pleasant endeavours and sometimes by shamelessly pointing out how Jandra struggles with being usurped. This works far better than Jandra’s direct confrontation and demands.
Even so, Castien is pushing himself too hard in his attempts to prove himself to his father. The king is impressed and readily shows it. To give him his due, he does not falter in admitting when he is at fault and he has found many ways to show his regret and confidence to his son. However, he is blind to the fact that, in so doing he has awoken a fierce desire to prove worthy that is slowly consuming Castien. It is this that makes me fear for his health and wellbeing.
But the time of departure draws near and I know that once we are home, once Castien is able to relax in the calm and peace that Coedwen wraps around all those who cross its borders, when the healers have worked their magic, he will be well and strong and everything he hopes and strives to be. All I have to do is keep him safe until then.
There have been times, over the course of days that I had thought this day would never come. Delay after delay has cropped up and it has been clear over and over that the Council are working against us as far as they dare. Of course, the complaints are taken to the king or to Jandra, for they do not react with the calm confidence of my prince, who deals with problems with calm logic, a steady hand – and a wealth of knowledge that stops most of them dead in their tracks. It seems to me as if Jandra in particular feeds the hysteria that seeks to drag us backward. I doubt she does so deliberately but a disaffected woman is a dangerous creature.
Thankfully, despite the difficulties the day has dawned and we are ready to leave.

And now you need to go check out the other two amazing storytellers this week


Monday 25 July 2016

With or Without You by Zane Riley



Author Name: Zane Riley
Cover Artist: Colleen M Good

Book Name: With or Without You
Sequel to ‘Go Your Own Way’
Should be read in order to appreciate the books

Release Date: July 21, 2016

Pages or Words: 348 pages

Categories: Contemporary, Gay Fiction, M/M Romance, New Adult



Blurb:

In the much-anticipated sequel to Go Your Own Way, high school seniors Lennox McAvoy and Will Osborne pick up right where they left off—navigating the tumultuous waters of a new relationship and dealing with Will’s disapproving father.

When a violent incident forces Lennox to give up his independent ways, he must come to terms with his past just as Will is grappling with his future. As Will’s college plans become reality, will Lennox have the courage to go after the opportunities he doesn’t think he deserves?



Excerpt:

The band room was empty when he pushed the door open, but the piano was set up like it was almost every afternoon these days. Only Mr. Robinette and a music stand littered with sheet music was absent.
   "Hello?"
   The silence struck Lennox as odd, but as he sat down he also realized how strange it was to announce himself. So much had changed since the first time he'd snuck in here to play on his own. Now he was auditioning for some college he still couldn't fathom.
   To make Will happy. And maybe a little bit for himself.
   "Ah, I wondered if you were going to show up."
   Mr. Robinette was behind him, the door to his office now wide open. He'd taken off his tie and undone a few buttons on his shirt like he did most afternoons when they practiced.
   "You just want to play it through a few times or mess around with something else?"
   Lennox took a seat at the piano, but didn't both opening his bag. He'd memorized the piece he was playing by Valentine's Day and now, almost two weeks later, he could write it out measure for measure on blank sheet music. But playing it was becoming repetitive. For two hours, three times a week, almost nonstop with the same four pages and nothing else.
   "I'd rather try something new. That piece is getting a little old."
   Mr. Robinette smiled and pulled a chair up beside him. "I had a nightmare the other night and it was the theme song while I ran around a haunted house Scooby Doo style."
   "You didn't catch a ride in the Mystery Machine, did you? I've always wanted that van."
   "I've got a lunch box version of it. It doesn't fit much though because it's too narrow. Anyway, play what you want. I'll be here until about four-thirty, so it's all yours."
   As Mr. Robinette returned to his office, Lennox pulled what had become his music notebook out of his bag and opened it to the latest page. He'd taken to composing during class when he should have been taking notes, especially calculus where he had no reason to pay attention anyway.
   The latest page was a tune he'd come up with while the other kids had been tapping their pencils and erasing answers. Every moment of his life carried a rhythm, a melody, and an emotion he could create with, and his notebook was becoming a testament to that. He played through everything he'd jotted down over the past few days, but after several rounds he kept coming back to one. It was a piano version he'd tried—and mostly failed—to create of one of the songs Will had played on a loop a few weeks ago.
   "I'm getting ready to lock up!"
   Mr. Robinette's voice carried out of the office and into the band room. A few minutes and several jingles of Mr. Robinette's keys later, the office door was shut and Lennox was closing the cover on the keys.
   "That last piece you were playing, was it a cover?"
   Lennox shrugged as they headed for the door.
   "It was supposed to be. Didn't sound much like the song."
   "Well, the others did. They were all really good, even the ones that weren't covers."
   "Uh, thanks."
   Lennox watched him at the door to the parking lot for a moment. He'd been a great help over the last month—all year if Lennox was honest. Mr. Robinette had believed in him in his own way since school had begun, and thanks to him he had a decent shot at this audition.
   "Thanks for… all of this. I actually feel like—just thanks."
   Mr. Robinette gave him a genuine smile and patted him on the shoulder.
   "You're very welcome. Let me know how it goes when you get back, okay? I'm rooting for you. Got all of my fingers and limbs crossed. You deserve the chance. Don't doubt that or yourself."
   "I-I won't."
   It was funny to have so many people believing in him after so long. Happiness was a strange feeling as well. Until he'd let Will into his life he couldn't remember how to capture such a feeling in his chest and keep it there.


Buy the book:

Meet the author:
Zane Riley is a transgender writer who wrote his first work of fan fiction in the fourth grade. He is a recent transplant to Vancouver, Washington where he spends his time watching long distance baseball games, hiking, and exploring the musical depths of the internet. His first novel, Go Your Own Way, was published by Interlude Press in 2015.


Where to find the author:
Facebook Author Page: facebook.com/ZaneNebula
Twitter: @ZaneNebula





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