#book snippet

[etawardana]

Rule of the Wolves, p. 457

He has been spewing out marriage proposal any time he can 😭.

[smuttydreambarbie]

Does anyone want McDonald's?

[minutiaewriter]

Hera: To Touch the Heavens First Look - Chapter One

       The release of Hera: To Touch the Heavens is right around the corner, so as a little thank you for your support I'm releasing the first chapter below the cut!

© 2023, 2024 S. M. Campbell All Rights Reserved

A tear slid down the old woman’s cheek, illuminated like a drop of sunshine in the light of the lanterns. Her gaze passed from Rynn to Kilderan, and that was when she had begun to weep, otherwise silent in the wooden chair she had seated herself in.

         Rynn reached for Kilderan’s soft hand and felt reassured when his brother clutched his hand back.

         The four of them bowed low and silent as the high priestess’ gray eyes flooded with tears. Her breathing was faint, and she never removed her gaze from Kilderan.

         Rynn did not understand why she was staring so intently at Kilderan, but he felt even more confused watching them; so he instead studied her robe and the string of glinting beads around her wrist.

         She muttered something Rynn did not hear, but Kilderan dipped his head further behind the boy.

         Velle Deka then spread her arms and looked up at Aome.

         “Mother Deka,” Aome murmured, falling into the woman’s outstretched arms.

         Though she embraced the young woman, the high priestess’ gaze bore into Rynn. When Aome pulled away, Velle Deka spoke. “Daughter...Aome… We thought your mission went awry. When we didn’t hear word… Ah, well, no use dwelling on what didn’t happen. Have you come all this way with the celestial children?”

         The priestess began to nod but then halted. “Well, almost.”

         “Wait,” Yojackson said. “You know that Kip’s also a celestial child?”

         Velle Deka nodded solemnly, dabbing at her eyes with a cream-colored handkerchief she produced from the folds of her garb. “You have united the two celestial sons.”

         Aome’s lips parted. “Kilderan found his brother and brought him away from Arsteine.” She lowered her gaze. “I was the one who told them about you and encouraged them to return.”

         Velle nodded in understanding. “Show me the blood,” the old woman muttered, turning to Rynn. “Let me see the luster.”

         Rynn swallowed and glanced over his shoulder up at Kilderan, who pressed his lips into a firm line.

         “Is that really necessary?” Kilderan asked faintly.

         Velle Deka eyed him and then held out her hands towards Rynn.

         The boy turned to his brother. After a few heartbeats of morose hesitation, Kilderan bent, brandishing his dagger. He gingerly clasped Rynn’s wrist and pressed the cold blade into his flesh.

         “Ow,” Rynn whimpered. He looked up at Kilderan, whose eyes had flashed.

         Soon the pale skin was broken, but as little as possible, and a flood of deep crimson blood, faintly glittering, gushed forth from his arm.

         Rynn had forgotten that the blood of the stars flowed in excess, and once he remembered, he winced.

         Kilderan’s fingers lingered on Rynn’s arm and Rynn continued to look up into the wide, pale blue eyes that stared upon him before turning to Velle Deka.

         She sighed contentedly and took his arm in her ancient hands, studying the celestial blood. Her eyelashes were dotted with teardrops, minuscule diamonds twinkling in the light. She looked up at Kilderan again. “After this, never let those veins bleed again.”

         Kilderan frowned, which diminished his now-soft expression.

         Yojackson shoved past Kilderan and placed his hands on his hips, staring down at the seated priestess. “We need to know where the celestial spring is in order for that to happen.”

         “You have the pendant?” Velle Deka asked.

         Aome promptly lifted the silver chain from her neck and handed it to the elderly lady.

         Rynn studied the ivory pendant that was carved with an image of the galaxy’s three suns. He wondered how the high priestess would be able to use it to disclose the location of the spring that Kilderan so desperately needed to take him to.

         The high priestess turned the pendant in her hands, examining it sentimentally and almost lovingly.

         “Aren’t you going to, I don’t know, read the necklace or something?” He had meant no offense, and his eyes were round in innocence. “We need to know the spring’s location as soon as possible.”

         The woman used her handkerchief again before her eyes brightened and she began to chuckle at Yojackson, the cracked sound filling the small safe room.

         The criminal frowned and glanced at Aome.

         Velle Deka continued to laugh for a long moment and eventually she said, “The pendant has nothing to do with the location of the spring.”

         Yojackson’s mouth fell open. “You mean to tell me that we just risked our necks in that blasted palace to get a worthless piece of junk?”

         Aome glared at him and then said, “Mother, there has to be some explanation.”

         Velle Deka blinked. “I need that pendant as much as you need me to divulge the location of the celestial spring. That pendant is the only way I can be certain that I will be safe when I reach my next destination.”

         Aome’s brow creased. “You’re not staying in the hiding place? What about…about the temple?” She grew somber.

         Velle tilted her chin towards the priestess. “This is only a temporary safe place. I cannot stay here forever. But there is somewhere, someone, who will allow me to take refuge with them if I show them that pendant.” She tapped a frail finger to the necklace in her palm.

         “Will you tell us where the spring is? We can’t stay here either,” Kilderan said.

         Velle Deka brushed her long, silver waves over her shoulder and pulled back the sleeve of her robe, revealing her fair skin.

         Rynn squinted. Tattooed on the high priestess’ arm was a curious cluster of stars and planets. Altogether it was a brilliant, intricate masterpiece that was stitched into the old woman’s skin, but he did not comprehend its significance.

         The elder ran her finger along the tattoo until she reached a constellation sitting amongst legions of ink specks, fainter than the rest of the design. “This is the constellation, Ormena, over the celestial pool. This is what you’re looking for. Reach Ormena’s lucida and you’ve reached the spring.”

         Rynn turned to look upon Kilderan, whose gaze had become distant, pondering.

         “The most highly guarded secret in the entire galaxy and it’s tattooed on your arm?” Yojackson asked rather curtly.

         Aome made a face at him. “In plain sight,” she mused, “where no one would ever consider. This whole time…”

         “How far is it?” Kilderan asked, stepping closer to the priestess, though he limped. “How far from where we’re standing right this instant?”

         Velle Deka shook her head. “No one knows where it is, no one has ever been able to locate it.”

         “Then how do you know it even exists?” asked Kilderan.

         “Because of you and your brother.” Velle Deka’s eyes shone.

         “Forgive my ignorance,” Yojackson began, milder after two glowers from Aome, “But what exactly is this spring anyway? I’ve heard the stories, but always sort of believed them to be just that. —Until I met Kip, of course,” he quickly added.

         The high priestess folded her hands. “The celestial spring is a mystery I believe not even the goddesses understood. It is the gateway between the world of light and stardust and the world of flesh and blood.” She glanced at Kilderan, and then at Rynn. “It is what allowed the goddesses to assume their mortal forms and rule over the planets in the first place. By delivering Rynn to the spring, you are enabling him to pass into the realm of the stars.”

         Yojackson scratched his chin and inhaled, preparing to speak, but Velle Deka silenced him, peering at the criminal as if she knew what he was about to say.

         The high priestess stood and began to rummage through the charred satchel sitting against the wall. Soon she turned back to them with a small pot of ink and a slender brush. She beckoned to Kilderan, and he sidled up to her, dragging his injured leg behind him.

         Rynn watched as the old woman rolled up the sleeve of Kilderan’s shirt and swirled the brush in the ink. He glimpsed the faint bruises on Kilderan’s wrist, as well as the staining bandage. Velle Deka brushed one of his bruises gingerly with the pad of her finger, and she gazed empathetically into his eyes. “You’re safe now.”

         Rynn found himself pinned under the stare of his brother’s cold blue eyes, and so he stepped towards Kilderan and watched as Velle Deka painted the image of the constellation Ormena onto Kilderan’s skin with the dark ink.

         After she had finished, Kilderan’s forearm bore the lines and dots of the constellation’s peculiar arrangement. “The constellation, as I said, has never been found in the sky by the priestesses, by anyone. But when you see it, it will be unmistakable. But do not go at this moment. Rest here for the night and in the morning, leave as soon as possible,” the high priestess instructed them.

         Aome approached the high priestess and the celestial children. “Thank you, Mother Deka. We’ll never be able to repay you.”

         “Honoring the goddesses’ memory is enough, Daughter. What have I been telling you your entire life?” She smiled at the young woman.

         Aome lifted her head and a smile came to her lips before she dipped her head to the celestial priestess and joined Rynn, Kilderan, and Yojackson in settling into the small room.

         Rynn’s eyes shot open, though he was still half asleep. His ears were filled with a furious pounding overhead that was coming from the world outside the hiding place. He believed it to be torrents of rain, but a dizzying sensation seized his head and his veins pulsed, making it seem otherworldly. Rynn swallowed and gripped the thin blanket Velle Deka’s entourage had provided for him.

         The storm continued to assail the roof of the tunnel—which was really the ground—with heavy raindrops and pieces of debris that made an awful clamor when they collided with the hidden tunnel.

         Rynn sat up, fearful. His veins seemed to writhe beneath his flesh. He glanced over at where Kilderan was sleeping on the floor, with Yojackson and Aome lying in their respective bedrolls a little ways away—Rynn had been given the cot. He started when a loud clang sounded overhead.

         Rynn swung his legs over the edge of the cot before tearing the blanket off of them and slinking to the other side of the small room.

         Quietly and carefully, he spread the bedding next to Kilderan, whose face was drowning in his long, mussed-up hair.

         Rynn glanced up at the ceiling when the thunder shook the ground above them, but he felt safe sleeping closer to his companions and his brother.

         “Rynn,” Kilderan whispered, though his eyes were still closed.

         Rynn jumped before rolling onto his side to face Kilderan. “I can’t sleep. It’s too loud out there.” He did not want to tell Kilderan that a storm and the unfamiliar crumbling tunnel frightened him, if only slightly. Because despite the eerie phantasms that sleep twisted the shadows and the rain into, Rynn knew he was undoubtedly safe here.

         “All right,” Kilderan muttered. “But try to fall back asleep. We have to leave very soon.”

Hera: To Touch the Heavens releases THIS SPRING! Reblog to spread the word and stay tuned for more updates and pre-release content <3

[yourjadedmuse]

The Chase, Elle Kennedy

[thirstyforlulu]

Have an angsty segment of my upcoming book without context:

Malachi slowly approached the balustrade, fiddling with his hands in front of his chest. Each step was slow and deliberate, making as little sound as possible. He was trying to come up with something to say, but he was drawing a blank.

“I’m sorry for bugging you earlier. I wa-” He tried to break the ice, but Aegis cut him off.

“Six hundred years. I waited over six hundred years without a word from you,” He began without turning.

Malachi flinched, his entire body curling in on itself. “I was um..”

Aegis whipped around, his face marred with rage.

“Then I hear a rumor about Yulia’s new redheaded magician, some distant uncle with skills unlike anything seen before. I had to come see for myself,” He stepped away from the rail, walking predatory toward Malachi. “And what do I get? You didn’t even have the nerve to speak or greet me, then you made a half-assed attempt to smooth things over with a dance. How pathetic can you be?”

The king’s voice echoed across the balcony and likely would have spilled into the ballroom, but the music and chatter drowned it out. Despite not knowing the context of the situation, Vivian was enthralled. She held Celestine’s hand firmly as the two of them watched.

“I can’t believe this. Do you have any idea what you put me through? When I saw you standing there, I wanted to rip you apart just like you ripped my heart, but the thought of hurting you hurt worse than bottling it up. Now you want to apologize to make yourself feel better about what you did, but I’m not going to let that happen. Take your apology and shove it!”

Aegis’s voice raised consistently throughout his spiel until he was yelling in Malachi’s face. Before he could try to defend himself, Aegis shoved past him and headed back toward the party, leaving him standing there in shock.

[mommy-medusa]

All of a sudden, the grove lit up in a flash of golden light. Apollo was standing there, a look of panic on his face.

“You’re needed on Olympos,” he said to Artemis, his expression grave. “It’s Athena.”

No other words were spoken as the twins both vanished from the grove, leaving Teddi and the other huntresses behind in confusion.

It wasn’t until much later that they returned, when the sun had already left the sky. The huntresses were already tucked up in their burrows, and the grove was near silent.

“I swear, at this point, he’s doing this just to spite her,” Artemis said, her voice the growl of a bear in the dead of night.

Smiling ruefully at her side, Apollo said, “No, yeah, that is exactly what he’s doing. A few months back, she finally came outside again, and he loudly made some snide comment that had her turning around and marching right back inside before she even left her courtyard.” He took a moment to try and smooth out his chiton, which was torn up around the edges and looked slightly singed. Artemis’ clothing was the same. Both twins smelled strongly of lightning, too.

When Apollo failed to fix his clothes, he dropped his hands and sighed. “I just can’t believe he brought up Pallas.”

Artemis nodded with a grimace. “And what he said about her maidenhood?” Deep disgust flashed across her features, and Apollo set a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“We should have let her maul him,” Artemis said mournfully.

“Agreed,” Apollo said.

The twins shared a moment of silence before Apollo took a step back. “Well. I better go check on the damage done. See if I can treat ‘Thena’s burns before she goes back into hibernation. And if she’s already in her sadness coma, then I’ll just do it while she’s asleep. If anything, it’s easier that way.”

“Need any help?” Artemis asked.

Apollo shook his head, waving a dismissive hand. “No, I’ve got her. Hera already offered to aid me.”

Artemis’ eyebrows raised in surprise. “Look at you two.”

“I know right? We shall bond over our mutual concern for the owlet.” He smiled softly. “Goodnight, my starry night.”

“Goodnight, my sunny day. If you need me, call upon me again.”

“I will.”

After bumping his forehead with Artemis’, Apollo disappeared in a flash of light.

The moment he was gone, Artemis released a large sigh. She rubbed a tired hand over her face sluggishly.

“You can come out now,” she said. “I know you’re listening.”

Teddi’s head, along with several others, popped out of the hollows in the great tree. Artemis turned to all of them, smiling slightly.

“I can’t possibly blame any of you,” she said. “Is there anything more interesting than the divine drama of the gods? I’m afraid that’s all for tonight, though.”

The audience mostly dispersed, but Teddi climbed down from her hollow to confront Artemis.

“You were talking of Athena?” she asked.

“Indeed,” Artemis answered.

“Is she…alright?”

To that, Artemis hesitated. Then, she beckoned Teddi to follow her away from the prying ears of the huntresses, and Teddi did. Chrysaor flapped after them, while Pegasus remained soundly asleep.

“I don’t know how to answer that, but my best guess is no, she is not alright,” Artemis finally said. “She has not been close to ‘alright’ in quite some time. I haven’t seen her this distraught since Pallas died.”

“Pallas?” Teddi tilted her head.

“Oh, you don’t know? Then again, I’m not surprised that it’s been buried in obscurity. It’s a rather tragic tale,” Artemis said. “Pallas was the daughter of Triton, who was the son of Poseidon, and was Athena’s greatest and closest friend. Those two were like Apollo and I—they practically kin. The Athena with Pallas was much different than the Athena we have now. She was less stressed, less stoic, less—and I mean this in the nicest way possible—uptight. But she was also still very young, even when she was born fully grown. By all accounts, she was a child—or as close to a child she could be considering, again, she was born a fully grown adult. She was an owlet, if you will, as Apollo and I affectionately refer to her as.” She paused for just a moment. “Ah. Do not— do not call her that to her face. She will probably smite you. But Pallas was her childhood friend.” She then laughed as she seemed to recall something. “She couldn’t walk when she was first born.”

“What?” Teddi said.

“You didn’t hear this from me,” Artemis said, “But after springing out from Zeus’ head, donned in full war gear and wielding a spear, she took a long look at all the gods gathered around her, very regal and mature, took one step forward, and WHOMP, fell flat on her face.”

Teddi couldn’t contain her giggles. “Really?”

Laughing, too, Artemis said, “Really! Just picture a baby horse trying to walk for the first time- that was Athena for at least an hour after she was born. Apparently, the heads of baby owls are too heavy for them to hold up, so, naturally, Ares, Apollo, and I kept making jokes about that. All that wisdom was just too heavy for Athena.” She tapped her temple with a chuckle.

“Wait,” Teddi said. “You were around when Athena was born?”

Artemis gave her a confused look. “Yes?”

“Oh,” Teddi said. “I always assumed that—”

“She was the oldest?” Artemis finished, and Teddi nodded. She chuckled again. “I don’t blame you for thinking that. She certainly asserts herself like she is the eldest of our kin. But no, she isn’t. The little owl is actually the third youngest out of the main lot of us, if you will believe it. She’s only older than Hermes and Dionysus. You have no idea how many ‘I cannot believe you are all older than me’ comments I have had to endure from her.” She then waved a hand. “But I’m getting off topic! Back to the matter at hand, Pallas was Athena’s greatest friend, and the two of them were trained in combat by Triton. They were raised beside each other, as close as sisters. And then, without warning, tragedy struck. Pallas was killed at Athena’s hand in an accident during an athletics festival. Stabbed through the stomach with a spear. Athena remained on this beach for several days until Hestia and Demeter, our aunts, came to retrieve her, and they found the same spear impaled through her stomach, like she had tried to make away with herself. When she was brought back to Olympos by the two of them, her gut gouged open and spilling ichor everywhere, Zeus just— he just sneered at her. As though he was more concerned with the pavilion getting dirty from her gore rather than his own daughter being badly injured. And he said, where everyone could hear, that she was acting like a child. He humiliated her. And I suppose Athena took his words to heart because, after she had recovered, she was different. Steely, jaded, calm. Whatever playfulness she had was now locked up somewhere inside of her. And Zeus was so pleased. He now had the perfect dog to lick all over his boots. I’m sure you’ve heard that Athena is his favorite out of all his kids?” When Teddi nodded, Artemis went on, “I do not envy Athena’s status. I would rather live in the shadows than stand in the light if it’s Zeus who casts such a glow. And yet, somehow, with Zeus’ spotlight constantly shining down on her, she’s become a shadow herself. She is constantly thinking, planning, scheming. All of us are, in some way, but she is the only one who acts on it. She is the only one who is constantly at work. She is the only one who takes the consequences. She barely ever stops to rest, and there are times where I don’t see her for an entire year because she’s rushing around all of Greece, aiding mortals in any way she can. And that’s—” She sighed, rubbing her forehead with two fingers, and Teddi could tell this was something she had discussed several times before. “That’s fine. Really, it is. If she finds joy in helping mortals, then who am I to tell her that it’s wrong? The thing is, I don’t think it brings her joy. Not exactly. Maybe it does, sometimes, but I feel like it’s just a way to make ends meet. A way to distract herself. Or maybe it’s just her feeling the constant pressure put upon her by Zeus, so she’s desperately scrambling to try and claw her way up to his unreasonably high expectations for her. She hardly trusts anyone at all, doesn’t talk about her problems, doesn’t even have her mother to turn to because Zeus ate her! Medusa was the first time since Pallas that Athena well and truly settled down enough to make a relationship with someone, and that was taken from her. She’s alone, and that is not a good place to be when you’re immortal and live forever.”

“Because of how lonely it can get?” Teddi said.

“Precisely,” Artemis confirmed. “The novelty wears off after a few decades—and that’s usually before you even reach the centuries. Why do you think I make it to where my huntresses don’t age or can’t die from natural causes? It’s a vain attempt to keep other people around. Because, after they die, there’s a good chance that I will never see them again. And when I saw what Pallas’ death did to Athena, I was afraid of going through the same grief. Unfortunately, not even my divine protections can stop whatever the Fates have in store for my pack. If they are meant to die, then there is nothing I can do about it.”

Chrysaor lifted his snout to nuzzle his nose against one of Artemis’ hands, and Artemis smiled softly, giving him a pat on the head.

“But at least I have them,” Artemis went on. “Athena… Athena doesn’t really have anyone. However…” She crossed her arms firmly over her chest. “I suspect this goes deeper than even Medusa and Pallas.”

“What do you mean?” Teddi questioned, tilting her head.

“Athena has always been walking over hot coals,” Artemis said. “As the years went by, she became more and more frustrated with everything, but especially Zeus. Never had the courage to actually make a stand against him. Until the day Medusa died, of course. I wasn’t present for the battle, but Apollo told me it was terribly destructive. Lightning, fire, ichor spraying everywhere. And after it was over, she went into this ‘dormant mode.’ I think she finally realized the futility of it all. She had spent so long bowing beneath a man who could care less about her, and everyone she has loved has died brutally, so she just…stopped. Now, she just exists in this state of nothingness. And she’s so scared, I think.” She shook her head. “We gods are not good people, Teddi. That much you must understand about us. None of us are good.” She paused. “Well— slight addendum to that, Hestia is good. I don’t think she’s ever done anything bad in her entire life. But aside from her, none of us are good. Our morality is entirely ambiguous and constantly fluctuating, and we only act civil because we choose to, not because we have to. I’m not going to act like I’m innocent. I’ve done terrible things that I am not proud of, and there are even more terrible things that I am proud of. But Athena… Athena, at the very least, tries. She tries to be good. If there is anyone who does not deserve this cruel hand that has been dealt, it is most certainly her. I just hope that, one day, she will learn to forgive herself.”

[ca-mae]

Water is peaceful. I am at rest. In the water, I am safe and pulled in where I can't get out. Everything slows down—the noise and the racing of my thoughts.

- Theodore Finch

[bukubook]

If I had such a beautiful daughter, I would have treasured her, adorned her in gold, and doted on her every word.

- Hakan, in The Dragon King's Bride Ch. 12

[jclibanwrites]

Happy New Year! 🥳 I hope everyone has a prosperous year ahead, and that you manifest the vision you have of yourself. Step by step, breath by breath.

❗ Be warned, there are many dumb moments like this in A Questionable Greatness, Gotta Be Bad Book One 😆

[carjohnson]

WIP Wednesday 1

“I just. . .would you do it? Sacrifice me?” Tayler asked, sniffling as Wren wiped her face. Wren pulled away, a frown on her face as she wiped away a stray tear with her thumb yet didn’t take her hand away. “Princess. I’d do anything you ask of me, except that.” Tayler swallowed, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them again. They were brown. “I figured as much,” she said, giving a watery smile. “thank you for coming after me.” “Of course, Princess,” Wren said, hearing the door to the throne room open then close.

[sunnydesunflower]

Decided to turn my single book into a four part series, so here's the first paragraph of the first book:

We were sitting in the back of my father's truck. My brother was in my arms, not knowing what was going on. He thought it was just another car ride with dad. I hugged him, trying to protect him from what was going to happen. And then it did.

[etawardana]

“Can you forgive us?” Juris asked. “For being foolish? For being frail? For being fallible despite our great powers? Can you forgive yourself?”

- King of Scars, p. 351

[creatrackers]

Heads Up Seven Up!

thank you for the tag @zonnemaagd <3

game: share a line or snippet from your recent wip, then tag 7 people

WIP: Milly of the Sea (the start of chapter seven, this is super new and pretty rough)

    I feel warmth again. I’m wrapped in something scratchy, but in a soft and comforting way. Someone’s stroking my hair and humming. The song isn’t something familiar, but I really like it.

     I readjust my legs, which causes the humming to stop.

    “Aurymn?”

    “Mhm?” I reply.

    I’m slowly lifted up and I realise where I am, and who I’m with.

    “You’re awake…” Milly says, like it’s simultaneously the most unbelievable news ever, and also the greatest.

    “Yeah… I’m awake…” I try to remember when I went to bed, but I can’t seem to recall. “Did we drink last night?”

    She chuckles, but her eyes look sad. “No, no… We didn’t drink last night. You really don’t remember what happened? There was a storm…”

    Right… “Yes. I remember a storm. I remember a storm… and feeling sick.” I pause. Why is this so difficult to remember? “And so I went to your room. I don’t remember getting there, though.”

    “You didn’t. Get to our room, I mean.”

    “I didn’t?”

    She shakes her head no, then offers me a glass of water I didn’t notice was sitting beside her.

    I drink it slowly as I think.

    Storm, sick, going to Milly’s room… I remember talking to Milly, but we must’ve not been in her room. On the deck? Yeah. That seems right. On the deck, in the storm. The boat was rocking back and forth, back and forth…

    “I went overboard.” I meant it as a question, but it came out as a statement.

    “You did, yes.”

    “How did I get back?” I remember glowing eyes. A kingdom made of pearl. “I thought I was dead,” I say to myself, the words barely a breath.

* Aurymn & Milly character pages

tagging: @little-mouse-gardens @j-1173 @toribookworm22 @bookish-galaxy @yail0rdaestr0 @minutiaewriter @risingshards (no pressure at all! also if you ever do or don’t want to be tagged, please let me know)

[unmellowyellowfellow]

first wip snippet of chalk mountain!! i hope you guys enjoy. more where this comes from:)

Dixie stood pale and still with her mouth agape as the sullen man stared at her. He slowly raised an eyebrow at her and gave her a quick once over before he reached over the desk and snapped his fingers at her. “Dear? Are you in there?”

But Dixie could not hear a word. She stared at him in disbelief and then cut her eyes around the room one more time; just to make sure that she was actually there. She slowly shut her mouth and smacked her tongue a little to moisten her mouth back up.

“Uh…I, uh… I’m sorry, what is going on?” She croaked.

His thin lips gently curled into a smile and he leaned back in his chair. “Why, you are home, my dear. Home. At last!”

“Please stop calling me ‘dear’,” Dixie said, “what do you mean home? Who the hell are you?”

His smile slightly faltered as he spoke, “I apologize for any disrespect. My name is Franklin. I guess you could say I'm the mayor of this town,” he stood up, “mind if we walk? I have lots to show you.”

“No offense, but I have literally never met you in my life. I've never met a man named Franklin,” Dixie said. He shrugged. “Where are we walking?”

Her mind raced millions of miles a minute, her heart not too far behind. She searched for any reason, any feeling, even a hunch, to tell her to turn around and run. But there was nothing. All she could think about was that her mom could be here. She could be here.

“I just want to show you the town. By the way, it is bad manners to ask someone their name only to keep yours to yourself. If I cannot call you dear, I think I should get a proper name to call you by,” he gestured down the hallway and began to stride. He was very tall and towered over Dixie. “That is, only if you'll give it to me," He grinned and leaned down towards her.

“Dixie,” She muttered and felt her body tremble. “You're the mayor?” She quietly asked as they made their way towards the doors.

“Something like that.” Franklin chuckled and pulled the doors open, revealing Chalk Mountain to Dixie.

[yourjadedmuse]

The Selection

Love as intimate friendship must be the most worth it of it all.

✍🏻 This is your daily reminder to not conceal the magic that you are just because it doesn't appeal to most men out there. You don't even like most men.

[sreedauthor]

A snippet from my upcoming romantic comedy novel. 🥰