Ryssa Edwards's Blog, page 2
January 29, 2012
Silver's Got Perks!
Silver Publishing introduces a VIP Loyalty Program to select customers starting in 2012. As a show of appreciation for your commitment to purchase directly from Silver, we are now offering a three tier VIP program to customers. Membership into this program is by invitation only and is based exclusively on your purchasing dedication on the Silver website.
Platinum Members: 15% Discount on ALL purchases On your birthday,
Platinum members receive 5 free books. Platinum members receive their pre-ordered books 36 hours before its official release date 100 Reward Points every December
Gold Members: 10% Discount on ALL purchases On your birthday, Gold members receive 2 free books. Members receive their pre-ordered books 12 hours before its official release date 50 Reward Points every December
Silver Members: 5% Discount on ALL purchases On your birthday, Silver members receive 1 free book. Members receive their pre-ordered books 6 hours before its official release date 25 Reward Points every December
Additional perks to all tiers: Special Contest for members only throughout the year Exclusive discount coupons throughout the year
All this fun stuff starts February 1st!
So stop by Silver Publishing and check it out!
January 11, 2012
Does Ryssa Edwards Write Romance?
As the new year begins, and I review my writing calendar, I've been giving this question a lot of thought.
Michelangelo used to say he wasn't shaping the blocks of marble, he was freeing the form inside, cutting away the extra stuff. Is that what writers do? Let's find out.
Every writer has different ways of talking about how they write, where the actual story comes from, who those weird imaginary people are that inhabit their heads. Some writers say their characters speak to them. For other writers, the story is kind of 'downloaded' into their head. For yet others, they describe it as being a medium who channels the story energy into this world.
What do all of these have in common? Notice how I didn't put that any writers said "I know I want to write a story about X falling in love with Y, and I know exactly how they will fall in love, and how it will end". That's because writers don't have a lot of control over the stories we write. 
For me, writing a story is like hearing a song in my mind. I hear those kind of songs all the time, all day long. Some of them are interesting, some have a good beat, and some I just tune out. Every once in a while, a song comes along, and I think, "Oh . . . I have to hear this one. What's it saying to me?" Those songs become stories.
The songs I hear that lure me into writing stories are usually pretty dark. I hear the equivalent of Within Temptation (a band I love) or Sting (Every Step You Take) or Phil Collins (In the Air Tonight). I've never heard Shirley Temple sing The Good Ship Lollipop, and I probably never will.
The men I write about won't win any awards for romance hero of the year. They've been in very dark places in their lives. They have very dark shadows over their hearts. They've done bad things for good reasons, or so they tell themselves. The songs of these men lure me irresistibly, because with all that darkness in their souls, they yearn to be loved and to love.
My story worlds are dark, sensual, and nowhere near the middle of the road. You will not find a "good" hero in the writings of Ryssa Edwards. You will find a hero who thinks that maybe this new love he's found might be worth the effort it takes to be good.
To get down to the hard dollars and cents of this conversation, here's the bottom line. If you enjoy dark worlds, if you are lured into worlds where the line between good and bad is blurred beyond recognition, if you enjoy a read that makes you feel like you've walked so far down a dark alley, you may never see light again, then your dollars will be well spent on a Ryssa Edwards dark romance. 
So, back to the original question. Do I write romance?
Oh yes.
The men are hot, their hearts are dark, and when romance comes their way, they'll give it all they've got.
Presenting Ryssa Edward's dark men of 2012 . . .
Jezrel . . . shadow warrior trained for seven years in Ironstone Castle to be a deadly mercenary. After he fights to build an empire and becomes king, he falls in love with Sciontes. . . who could threaten everything Jezrel has spent his life building
Death . . . the angel of Death has a little bit of a hard time in the romance department. But when Lucifer sets him up with an investigative reporter . . . let's just say that things get interesting.
Harlon . . . you remember him, right? 
Deep sky pirate on Midnight Hour. Trouble's brewing in the skies, and of course, Harlon and Khoda are right in the middle of it.
January 1, 2012
Happy New Year!
Okay, so here's the funny thing about writing. Writers can time travel. You're reading this today, the first day of 2012, the year the Mayans say we're all going to be toast, but I'm writing it in 2011.
What to say on New Year's Day?
I think I'm supposed to look back and say what a spectacular year it was. Or maybe I'm supposed to look ahead and say what a great year it's going to be.
So I'll post a few covers from last year and do a little of both . . .
Last year was amazing. It's going to be pretty hard to top that one, but here are my top ten thoughts for 2012:
10. Find a calendar that I can carry around, doesn't weigh down my purse, and sends a not-so-mild electric shock through me when I'm coming up on a deadline.
9. Go somewhere I've never been before. Maybe that interesting side alley I drive by sometimes. Hmmm. 
8. Say something I've never said before. Even if no one hears me. Just put it out there.
7. Look up at the sky and be amazed. 
6. Finish that blanket I've been knitting for two years!
5. Write a book that makes my readers say, "Ahhh. . . Wish it didn't have to end"
4. When I feel like I'm in over my head. . . lift it up 
3. Read at least one new author a month
2. Remember that life is not fishing. . . if I have to haul it in . . . maybe I should let it go
1. Live . . . laugh . . . and remember why we're all here on this little ball of water and stone, floating among the stars.
It's a pretty short list. There are 86,400 seconds in a day. Today is the first day of a new year. That means I have about 31,449,600 seconds left to sort out my list. Or maybe I shouldn't sort it, because life has a way of happening, doesn't it? 
It's time for me to step into my time machine, travel back to Christmas Eve 2011, and . . . work on that blanket!
Let me be the first to welcome you to 2012 with the wish that it's the best year of your life.
What's on your top ten list for 2012?
Leave me a comment and let me know. One lucky commenter will win a $10 gift certificate to Amazon!
Thank you to the folks who left comments!
The winner of the gift certficate is Christine!
Way to go!
Christine . . . your Gift Certificate will be forwarded via email
October 4, 2011
*Silver Flash* Assassin’s Heart, A Black Rock Story, XII
It’s the Silver Flash!
Our very special Prompt Diva this week is Brenna Lyons, Distribution Manager at Silver Publishing. Her prompt is . . . “There are some lessons in life you just never seem to learn . . .”
The alternative prompt is: He/she/they wouldn’t stop until the whole world heard
Here’s part 12 of Nisha and Valak. . . closing in on their last few chapters . . .
Assassin’s Heart: A Black Rock Story, Part XII
“I like yours better,” Nisha said, and speared the last bite of meat from Valak’s plate.
Nisha was dangerous with an eating knife. Valak dodged out of the way. “And I like seeing out both my eyes,” he said.
They were on a bench at a trestle table in the kitchen. After the tunnels, Nisha had claimed to be hungry. The kitchen was even farther from Arjin’s room. Nisha was desperate for Valak not to lose his temper. That helped him stay calm. But he didn’t know how much longer he could hold out against the raging wulf inside him. He needed the storm to stop. He needed to get off the Rock and do something.
As if he’d heard Valak’s thoughts, Nisha asked, “Are you leaving before the storm’s over?”
At the haunted, scared look in his mate’s eyes, waves of fury threatened to drown Valak. “Listen to me,” he said, turning on the bench so he was facing Nisha. “Till this is over, I don’t go anywhere without you.”
Leaning into Valak, forehead on his chest, Nisha said, “Your word? As Master Assassin?”
“No,” Valak said, wrapping an arm around Nisha. “My word as the wulf who wants you in his life forever.”
Running footsteps in the hall were followed by the door bursting open. Arjin, red-faced and panting ran across the kitchen to cower behind Valak.
“Stop him,” the peddler said. “You harbor the insane here.”
Ghost barreled through the door, a deadly dagger in each hand, a gruesome grin on his face. “He put out a dead or dead on you,” he said. “I can skin you head to toe.”
Arjin shook Valak’s shoulder. “Do something!” he demanded.
“Like what?” Valak said. “I told you not to leave your room.”
“I can’t do it in here,” Ghost said, his voice heavy with regret. “They get mad when I make a mess in the kitchen.”
Valak saw his chance to get what he wanted from Arjin. “Better tell me why Dagon thinks you should go with me and be a witness,” he said. “Because Ghost’s locked up on the Rock till the storm blows over. He likes keeping busy.”
“I’m an honest man,” Arjin said. “Why wouldn’t I be appointed as witness?”
Arjin said it a little too fast. The false note in his voice was there and gone in a second. But Valak heard it. “There are some lessons in life you just never seem to learn, Arjin.” To Ghost he said, “Take him down in the sub-sub dungeon.” There was no such dungeon. “That way you can leave him there for the rats after you’re done.” He looked up at Arjin. “No one can hear a man scream from all the way down there. Not even a wulf.”
Pale, his hand on Valak’s shoulder trembling, Arjin said, “I requested the honor of going with you. It will be good for business. Every man likes to hear news when he buys from a peddler.”
But Arjin’s voice was a little too high, a little too rushed. “You’re lying,” Valak said. “He’s yours, Ghost.”
Beside Valak, Nisha had gone still. Valak had never let him see Ghost like this: hackles up and ready to rip into whatever came his way.
“You can’t just kill him,” Nisha said.
“I won’t.” Ghost took a step toward Arjin who backed into the wall behind him. “I’ll take my time.”
“Of all the men on the face of the world, what have I done to you?” Arjin asked in the voice of a man pushed beyond endurance.
“I don’t like you,” Ghost said.
“The feeling is quite mutual, I can assure you,” Arjin said.
“You’re a liar.” Ghost got another step closer.
“I’m an honest seller of goods.”
“You’re a thief.”
Arjin looked offended. “I never take more than a man can afford to give,” he said.
“You’re on the Rock, Arjin,” Valak said. “The only law here is what Dagon says it is. I put out a dead or dead on you. Think anyone will be upset that Ghost killed you?”
“Valak, I – -”
“I’m done threatening you,” Valak said, as if Arjin had said nothing. “Tell me what you’re getting for coming with me or I’ll let Ghost take you.”
Ghost took another step into the kitchen.
It took Arjin only a moment to say, “Gold.”
“From who?”
Creeping around the table so he was closer to Valak, and farther from Ghost, Arjin said, “You don’t know?”
Valak felt his eyes go yellow with anger. “If I did I wouldn’t be asking you.”
“Maybe he’ll talk better after I – -,” Ghost said.
Before he could finish, a novice came banging through the door.
“We need you,” he said to Valak. “There’s been an incident.”
Valak knew this would happen. The novices were locked up too long and too close to each other. “Who’s hurt?”
The novice hesitated, glanced at Arjin and dropped his voice. “A human.”
Nisha was on his feet almost before Valak moved. “Who?” he said.
“Ghost, stay with Arjin,” Valak said. “If he tries to leave, make him wish he was dead.”
Arjin grabbed Valak’s arm. “You can’t leave me here with him,” he said. “He’s insane. He’ll gut me merely for looking in the direction of the door.”
“Then don’t look at it,” Valak said on his way past the novice. “Nisha, stay close.”
Could this night get any worse?
Flashers Onstage this week . . .
*Silver Flash* Assassin's Heart, A Black Rock Story, XII
It's the Silver Flash!
Our very special Prompt Diva this week is Brenna Lyons, Distribution Manager at Silver Publishing. Her prompt is . . . "There are some lessons in life you just never seem to learn . . ."
The alternative prompt is: He/she/they wouldn't stop until the whole world heard
Here's part 12 of Nisha and Valak. . . closing in on their last few chapters . . .
Assassin's Heart: A Black Rock Story, Part XII
"I like yours better," Nisha said, and speared the last bite of meat from Valak's plate.
Nisha was dangerous with an eating knife. Valak dodged out of the way. "And I like seeing out both my eyes," he said.
They were on a bench at a trestle table in the kitchen. After the tunnels, Nisha had claimed to be hungry. The kitchen was even farther from Arjin's room. Nisha was desperate for Valak not to lose his temper. That helped him stay calm. But he didn't know how much longer he could hold out against the raging wulf inside him. He needed the storm to stop. He needed to get off the Rock and do something.
As if he'd heard Valak's thoughts, Nisha asked, "Are you leaving before the storm's over?"
At the haunted, scared look in his mate's eyes, waves of fury threatened to drown Valak. "Listen to me," he said, turning on the bench so he was facing Nisha. "Till this is over, I don't go anywhere without you."
Leaning into Valak, forehead on his chest, Nisha said, "Your word? As Master Assassin?"
"No," Valak said, wrapping an arm around Nisha. "My word as the wulf who wants you in his life forever."
Running footsteps in the hall were followed by the door bursting open. Arjin, red-faced and panting ran across the kitchen to cower behind Valak.
"Stop him," the peddler said. "You harbor the insane here."
Ghost barreled through the door, a deadly dagger in each hand, a gruesome grin on his face. "He put out a dead or dead on you," he said. "I can skin you head to toe."
Arjin shook Valak's shoulder. "Do something!" he demanded.
"Like what?" Valak said. "I told you not to leave your room."
"I can't do it in here," Ghost said, his voice heavy with regret. "They get mad when I make a mess in the kitchen."
Valak saw his chance to get what he wanted from Arjin. "Better tell me why Dagon thinks you should go with me and be a witness," he said. "Because Ghost's locked up on the Rock till the storm blows over. He likes keeping busy."
"I'm an honest man," Arjin said. "Why wouldn't I be appointed as witness?"
Arjin said it a little too fast. The false note in his voice was there and gone in a second. But Valak heard it. "There are some lessons in life you just never seem to learn, Arjin." To Ghost he said, "Take him down in the sub-sub dungeon." There was no such dungeon. "That way you can leave him there for the rats after you're done." He looked up at Arjin. "No one can hear a man scream from all the way down there. Not even a wulf."
Pale, his hand on Valak's shoulder trembling, Arjin said, "I requested the honor of going with you. It will be good for business. Every man likes to hear news when he buys from a peddler."
But Arjin's voice was a little too high, a little too rushed. "You're lying," Valak said. "He's yours, Ghost."
Beside Valak, Nisha had gone still. Valak had never let him see Ghost like this: hackles up and ready to rip into whatever came his way.
"You can't just kill him," Nisha said.
"I won't." Ghost took a step toward Arjin who backed into the wall behind him. "I'll take my time."
"Of all the men on the face of the world, what have I done to you?" Arjin asked in the voice of a man pushed beyond endurance.
"I don't like you," Ghost said.
"The feeling is quite mutual, I can assure you," Arjin said.
"You're a liar." Ghost got another step closer.
"I'm an honest seller of goods."
"You're a thief."
Arjin looked offended. "I never take more than a man can afford to give," he said.
"You're on the Rock, Arjin," Valak said. "The only law here is what Dagon says it is. I put out a dead or dead on you. Think anyone will be upset that Ghost killed you?"
"Valak, I – -"
"I'm done threatening you," Valak said, as if Arjin had said nothing. "Tell me what you're getting for coming with me or I'll let Ghost take you."
Ghost took another step into the kitchen.
It took Arjin only a moment to say, "Gold."
"From who?"
Creeping around the table so he was closer to Valak, and farther from Ghost, Arjin said, "You don't know?"
Valak felt his eyes go yellow with anger. "If I did I wouldn't be asking you."
"Maybe he'll talk better after I – -," Ghost said.
Before he could finish, a novice came banging through the door.
"We need you," he said to Valak. "There's been an incident."
Valak knew this would happen. The novices were locked up too long and too close to each other. "Who's hurt?"
The novice hesitated, glanced at Arjin and dropped his voice. "A human."
Nisha was on his feet almost before Valak moved. "Who?" he said.
"Ghost, stay with Arjin," Valak said. "If he tries to leave, make him wish he was dead."
Arjin grabbed Valak's arm. "You can't leave me here with him," he said. "He's insane. He'll gut me merely for looking in the direction of the door."
"Then don't look at it," Valak said on his way past the novice. "Nisha, stay close."
Could this night get any worse?
Flashers Onstage this week . . .
September 27, 2011
*Silver Flash* Assassin’s Heart: A Black Rock Story, Part XI
Hey! Back already? Must be time for another round of the Silver Flash!
Our Prompt Diva this week is Chris Quinton, who is hard at work on a beach in Jamaica. But she phoned in this prompt:
“. . . but it’s turning green!” or
Use these three in your story: butterfly-effect; bombshell; clouded
The alternative prompt is: “I was expecting you to kiss me weeks ago.”
Ready? Here we go. . Nisha and Valak’s adventure continues . . . only one more chapter to go!
Assassin’s Heart: A Black Rock Story, Part XI
“. . . But it’s turning green!”
“I don’t care what color the sky is,” Valak told the novice on guard duty, “get out there and walk the yard.”
Valak turned and took the steps two at a time. He heard Nisha nearly running to keep up. “Wait,” he said between breaths, and grabbed Valak’s hand.
He could have easily spun free, but Valak let himself be stopped and turned around at the top of the stairs. “Wait for what?” he said.
“This,” Nisha said and lunged for Valak’s knife in its sheath at his side.
Stopping Nisha would have been easy, but part of Valak knew they both needed this. Waiting a heartbeat too long, he let Nisha pull the knife free and watched him take off running. He could either go after Nisha, or he could go in the opposite direction and find Arjin. But Arjin would be gone from his room by now. The peddler had a way of knowing things. And when it came to staying inside his skin, he could charm his way past a starving rattlesnake.
Valak waited almost a full minute before he started down the tunnel. He could run faster than Nisha, but his mate could hide like a refugee.
The Rock was an ancient mountain. It was riddled with tunnels like cracks in a block of clay. The fresh air that ran through the tunnels made them good hiding places. It was harder to follow a scent in air that moved constantly. Moving past the last few torches that marked the part of the corridor that was used daily, Valak stopped and listened.
Six tunnels branched off this one. Valak had lost count of how many times he’d told Nisha to stay out of the tunnels. Novices walked them to learn how to find their way in the dark, but it was dangerously easy for a human to get lost. That didn’t matter to Nisha. He loved nothing more than finding a new tunnel through the Rock and he’d never gotten lost. When Valak brought it up, Nisha always said the same thing—“You’d find me.” Valak relented and told his novices to avoid Nisha.
Instinctively, Valak knew that if Nisha obeyed every word and stayed out of danger, he wouldn’t be the right mate for him.
With a slow smile, Valak went deeper into the tunnel, closing his eyes so they’d adjust to the darkness faster. A pebble scraped against rock up ahead. He froze. The sweet scent of Nisha’s sweat came to him in a swirling tease of cool air. His heart sped up. The anger he’d almost brought down on Arjin’s head twisted through him, awakened by Nisha’s scent, turning into a mounting, urgent desire to take Nisha deeply, and mark him as his own. 
The urge to truly mate with Nisha arose more and more in Valak lately. It was becoming harder to deny it. But his Master Assassin robes demanded that he wait. He didn’t know how much longer he could hold out against the need to mark Nisha. It was like being thirsty for wine, and only finding water.
Ahead of him, silence fell. Nisha had settled into his hiding place.
Moving silently down the narrow tunnel, following the twisting turns, Valak tried to remember the last time he’d done something like this with Nisha. He realized it had been months since they’d done anything just for the sheer fun of doing something together. His duties on the Rock had kept Valak busy with novice trials. His black Master Assassin robes seemed to rise up in front of him, a haunting accusation of what he couldn’t give Nisha.
Valak pushed the uneasy feelings of guilt back and let his senses reach through the dark. He could barely see the walls, black shadows twisting through darkness. He kept going until he heard Nisha’s slow breathing.
Easing past the niche in the wall, Valak dragged one foot, making a whisper of sound he knew would carry to Nisha’s ears. Valak heard Nisha just before he leapt. Suddenly, Nisha’s weight was on Valak’s back and he was clumsily trying not to hurt Valak with the knife. Valak took Nisha’s wrist and gently disarmed him.
“You cheated!” Nisha said. “You can’t take your knife back.”
“Why not?” Valak slid Nisha to the ground.
“I could get taken advantage of,” Nisha said. “I’m all alone with a Master Assassin.”
“Just a helpless human with a wulf assassin in the dark?” Valak said. “Sounds dangerous.”
“Yeah,” Nisha said, in the same playful voice he used when he was squirming under Valak and asking for more. “Guess you could do whatever you want.”
Guided by the sound of his voice, Valak pulled his mate into his arms, and groaned softly at the delicious feel of Nisha’s supple naked body against him. “You’re playing dirty.” Valak let his fangs surface and ran them over Nisha’s neck. “What happened to your clothes?”
“I took them off,” Nisha said, grinding slowly into Valak, “so I could take advantage of you.”
Nisha undid Valak’s trousers, slipped out of his arms, and the next thing Valak felt was his mate’s lips on him, soft and warm.
“Nisha, don’t – -”
But Nisha whispered, “Want me to show you how long I can hold my breath?”
Yeah. Valak did.
Flashers Onstage This Week
*Silver Flash* Assassin's Heart: A Black Rock Story, Part XI
Hey! Back already? Must be time for another round of the Silver Flash!
Our Prompt Diva this week is Chris Quinton, who is hard at work on a beach in Jamaica. But she phoned in this prompt:
". . . but it's turning green!" or
Use these three in your story: butterfly-effect; bombshell; clouded
The alternative prompt is: "I was expecting you to kiss me weeks ago."
Ready? Here we go. . Nisha and Valak's adventure continues . . . only one more chapter to go!
Assassin's Heart: A Black Rock Story, Part XI
". . . But it's turning green!"
"I don't care what color the sky is," Valak told the novice on guard duty, "get out there and walk the yard."
Valak turned and took the steps two at a time. He heard Nisha nearly running to keep up. "Wait," he said between breaths, and grabbed Valak's hand.
He could have easily spun free, but Valak let himself be stopped and turned around at the top of the stairs. "Wait for what?" he said.
"This," Nisha said and lunged for Valak's knife in its sheath at his side.
Stopping Nisha would have been easy, but part of Valak knew they both needed this. Waiting a heartbeat too long, he let Nisha pull the knife free and watched him take off running. He could either go after Nisha, or he could go in the opposite direction and find Arjin. But Arjin would be gone from his room by now. The peddler had a way of knowing things. And when it came to staying inside his skin, he could charm his way past a starving rattlesnake.
Valak waited almost a full minute before he started down the tunnel. He could run faster than Nisha, but his mate could hide like a refugee.
The Rock was an ancient mountain. It was riddled with tunnels like cracks in a block of clay. The fresh air that ran through the tunnels made them good hiding places. It was harder to follow a scent in air that moved constantly. Moving past the last few torches that marked the part of the corridor that was used daily, Valak stopped and listened.
Six tunnels branched off this one. Valak had lost count of how many times he'd told Nisha to stay out of the tunnels. Novices walked them to learn how to find their way in the dark, but it was dangerously easy for a human to get lost. That didn't matter to Nisha. He loved nothing more than finding a new tunnel through the Rock and he'd never gotten lost. When Valak brought it up, Nisha always said the same thing—"You'd find me." Valak relented and told his novices to avoid Nisha.
Instinctively, Valak knew that if Nisha obeyed every word and stayed out of danger, he wouldn't be the right mate for him.
With a slow smile, Valak went deeper into the tunnel, closing his eyes so they'd adjust to the darkness faster. A pebble scraped against rock up ahead. He froze. The sweet scent of Nisha's sweat came to him in a swirling tease of cool air. His heart sped up. The anger he'd almost brought down on Arjin's head twisted through him, awakened by Nisha's scent, turning into a mounting, urgent desire to take Nisha deeply, and mark him as his own.
The urge to truly mate with Nisha arose more and more in Valak lately. It was becoming harder to deny it. But his Master Assassin robes demanded that he wait. He didn't know how much longer he could hold out against the need to mark Nisha. It was like being thirsty for wine, and only finding water.
Ahead of him, silence fell. Nisha had settled into his hiding place.
Moving silently down the narrow tunnel, following the twisting turns, Valak tried to remember the last time he'd done something like this with Nisha. He realized it had been months since they'd done anything just for the sheer fun of doing something together. His duties on the Rock had kept Valak busy with novice trials. His black Master Assassin robes seemed to rise up in front of him, a haunting accusation of what he couldn't give Nisha.
Valak pushed the uneasy feelings of guilt back and let his senses reach through the dark. He could barely see the walls, black shadows twisting through darkness. He kept going until he heard Nisha's slow breathing.
Easing past the niche in the wall, Valak dragged one foot, making a whisper of sound he knew would carry to Nisha's ears. Valak heard Nisha just before he leapt. Suddenly, Nisha's weight was on Valak's back and he was clumsily trying not to hurt Valak with the knife. Valak took Nisha's wrist and gently disarmed him.
"You cheated!" Nisha said. "You can't take your knife back."
"Why not?" Valak slid Nisha to the ground.
"I could get taken advantage of," Nisha said. "I'm all alone with a Master Assassin."
"Just a helpless human with a wulf assassin in the dark?" Valak said. "Sounds dangerous."
"Yeah," Nisha said, in the same playful voice he used when he was squirming under Valak and asking for more. "Guess you could do whatever you want."
Guided by the sound of his voice, Valak pulled his mate into his arms, and groaned softly at the delicious feel of Nisha's supple naked body against him. "You're playing dirty." Valak let his fangs surface and ran them over Nisha's neck. "What happened to your clothes?"
"I took them off," Nisha said, grinding slowly into Valak, "so I could take advantage of you."
Nisha undid Valak's trousers, slipped out of his arms, and the next thing Valak felt was his mate's lips on him, soft and warm.
"Nisha, don't – -"
But Nisha whispered, "Want me to show you how long I can hold my breath?"
Yeah. Valak did.
Flashers Onstage This Week
September 20, 2011
*Silver Flash* Assassin’s Heart: A Black Rock Story, Part X
It’s the Silver Flash, and it’s time for our very first Guest Prompt Diva.
The artist who drew my bad boy angels . . . Her Awesomeness, Reese Dante . . . came up with this week’s prompt . . .
“. . . will you stop doing that! I can’t concentrate when you’re . . .”
The alternative prompt this week is, “Use these three elements in your story: a full moon, an iron gate, suitcase”.
Here’s part ten of Nisha and Valak . . . only two more chapters to go!
Assassin’s Heart: A Black Rock Story, Part X
The only furniture in Dagon’s dark rooms was a desk and two chairs, one on each side. Rumor said Dagon had become Lord Master Assassin by killing a pack of Alphas alone, unarmed. Nisha had never heard of Alpha wulfs running in packs, but if there’d been a fight like that, Dagon looked hard enough to win.
Most of the wulfs on the Rock could pass for human, but not Dagon. He was over six feet tall. He was muscled and heavy, like a ten ton wild panther. His scarred face had two expressions: when can I kill you or you can live another day.
“A pleasant surprise to see you, Nisha,” he said. “Have you been keeping Valak safe tonight?”
With a storm raging outside, the shutters locked, and the only light coming from a slow-burning fire, Dagon’s smile was terrifying. “It’s a big storm, sir,” Nisha said, keeping his voice even. And then, because he thought he should say something else, he added, “It’s nice seeing you, too.”
The obvious lie stretched a thin silence over them until Valak said, “What do you want, Dagon?”
“Nisha,” Dagon said, flickering the way wulfs did when they moved too fast for humans to see, “this is for you. The last time I went down the mountain, a merchant offered it to me for a good price.”
Even though Valak was glaring at Dagon with glowing yellow eyes, he stretched across his desk, the box in his hand.
Before Nisha could think of a polite way to avoid touching the Lord Master Assassin, Valak flickered beside him. A moment later he handed Nisha the box. The sounds from inside it told him a wooden picture puzzle was inside.
“You must have got a really good bargain,” he said, “because this is worth gold pieces.”
“A merchant who enjoys bargaining sold it to me. I believe you’re familiar him.” Dagon turned a hard gaze on Valak. “He goes by Arjin, and he’s here in my school with a Dead or Dead on him. Why haven’t I been told about it?”
“Someone told you or you wouldn’t be asking me,” Valak said. “You want me to tell you about all the bodies I drop?”
Nisha glanced up at Valak. His eyes were blank. His face was set. He didn’t look any more human than Dagon.
“I know what’s on the scroll,” Dagon said. “I can’t let you risk your robes.”
“Nisha,” Valak said in a tight voice, “let’s go.”
But before Nisha could more than turn around, Dagon was around his desk and beside Valak.
“You’ll find the lighting better near the fire, Nisha,” Dagon said, not taking his eyes off Valak. “Take the box over there and open it.”
Valak’s hands were clenched into fists. Dagon’s eyes were glowing silver. Nisha didn’t know who would win if they fought. But he knew it would be a bloody fight. A brutal gust of wind rattled Dagon’s metal shutters with a sudden snapping noise. Nisha jumped. The hinged box dropped from his shaking fingers.
Valak and Dagon broke off their deadly stare, both of them spinning to Nisha, their anger at each other forgotten. Feeling slightly foolish he said, “Wind scared me.”
A spell, written in unshed blood, seemed to break. Valak’s face settled into a more human shape. Dagon’s eyes went to gray.
Flickering motion, like a whirl of black fog, spun before Dagon’s desk. He emerged from the darkness beside Nisha and offered him the puzzle box. “I believe I’ve found all the pieces,” he said. Turning to his Master Assassin, Dagon said mildly, “Valak . . . will you stop doing that! I can’t concentrate when you’re baring fangs and aiming for my throat.”
“I’m going after him,” Valak said, no compromise at all in his words.
“I wouldn’t want you for my Master Assassin if you didn’t,” Dagon said, indicating Valak should take a seat.
Nisha retreated to the fire. With him farther away, both wulfs seemed to stand down. Valak sat in the chair facing Dagon’s desk, angling it so he could see both Dagon and Nisha.
Settling behind his desk, Dagon pulled a scroll from the wide sleeve of his robe. “I signed it myself.”
Valak stopped it from rolling off the edge and opened it.
“Dead or Dead,” Dagon said. “On Koren.”
Dagon wasn’t telling Valak to kill Koren, but he wasn’t telling him not to either. Nisha stayed out of it. For now.
Valak lay the scroll on Dagon’s desk, as if he were returning a gift. “What do you want for it?”
“For you to wear your Master Assassin robes instead of a noose about your neck,” Dagon said, as if he were talking to an unyielding child.
Leaning back in his chair, Valak said, “What are you getting out of this?”
Dagon focused on the dim fire behind Valak. “Koren has been a mild threat since you rescued Nisha,” he said. “But now, he is interfering with my school. He’s given me reason to want him neutralized.”
“And?” Valak said.
It was a second too long before Dagon said, “You’ll need a witness.”
“Who?”
“The peddler.” Dagon said it like a man who’d played his last good card in a sudden death game.
Valak almost laughed. “He’s a walking edict scroll. Half the towns will know I’m coming before I ever get there.”
“And they’ll know it was a just kill,” Dagon said. “He’ll spread that far and wide as well. Do I need to remind you the kill is worth less than the news that it was justly done when a Black Rock wulf wields the knife?”
Valak snatched the scroll, gestured to Nisha, and stalked out the door. “Somehow,” he said, “I know Arjin is behind this.”
“What are you going to do?” Nisha asked, because Valak’s face was like death rising.
“Make him one sorry human,” Valak said, heading up the steps and down the corridor toward Arjin’s room.
*****
There’s a new angel in town . . . this weekend!
When Azriel, Hunter Angel, and Zane, owner of the hottest gay goth club in New York, fall for each other, what are they willing to bet on love? Find out in Hunter Angel, Midnight Gamble . . . coming this weekend, September 24
th
!
I’ll be on Silver Publishing’s Facebook page on September 24th to celebrate . . . there will be prizes and goodies!
Flashers Onstage This Week
Enjoy!
*Silver Flash* Assassin's Heart: A Black Rock Story, Part X
It's the Silver Flash, and it's time for our very first Guest Prompt Diva.
The artist who drew my bad boy angels . . . Her Awesomeness, Reese Dante . . . came up with this week's prompt . . .
". . . will you stop doing that! I can't concentrate when you're . . ."
The alternative prompt this week is, "Use these three elements in your story: a full moon, an iron gate, suitcase".
Here's part ten of Nisha and Valak . . . only two more chapters to go!
Assassin's Heart: A Black Rock Story, Part X
The only furniture in Dagon's dark rooms was a desk and two chairs, one on each side. Rumor said Dagon had become Lord Master Assassin by killing a pack of Alphas alone, unarmed. Nisha had never heard of Alpha wulfs running in packs, but if there'd been a fight like that, Dagon looked hard enough to win.
Most of the wulfs on the Rock could pass for human, but not Dagon. He was over six feet tall. He was muscled and heavy, like a ten ton wild panther. His scarred face had two expressions: when can I kill you or you can live another day.
"A pleasant surprise to see you, Nisha," he said. "Have you been keeping Valak safe tonight?"
With a storm raging outside, the shutters locked, and the only light coming from a slow-burning fire, Dagon's smile was terrifying. "It's a big storm, sir," Nisha said, keeping his voice even. And then, because he thought he should say something else, he added, "It's nice seeing you, too."
The obvious lie stretched a thin silence over them until Valak said, "What do you want, Dagon?"
"Nisha," Dagon said, flickering the way wulfs did when they moved too fast for humans to see, "this is for you. The last time I went down the mountain, a merchant offered it to me for a good price."
Even though Valak was glaring at Dagon with glowing yellow eyes, he stretched across his desk, the box in his hand.
Before Nisha could think of a polite way to avoid touching the Lord Master Assassin, Valak flickered beside him. A moment later he handed Nisha the box. The sounds from inside it told him a wooden picture puzzle was inside.
"You must have got a really good bargain," he said, "because this is worth gold pieces."
"A merchant who enjoys bargaining sold it to me. I believe you're familiar him." Dagon turned a hard gaze on Valak. "He goes by Arjin, and he's here in my school with a Dead or Dead on him. Why haven't I been told about it?"
"Someone told you or you wouldn't be asking me," Valak said. "You want me to tell you about all the bodies I drop?"
Nisha glanced up at Valak. His eyes were blank. His face was set. He didn't look any more human than Dagon.
"I know what's on the scroll," Dagon said. "I can't let you risk your robes."
"Nisha," Valak said in a tight voice, "let's go."
But before Nisha could more than turn around, Dagon was around his desk and beside Valak.
"You'll find the lighting better near the fire, Nisha," Dagon said, not taking his eyes off Valak. "Take the box over there and open it."
Valak's hands were clenched into fists. Dagon's eyes were glowing silver. Nisha didn't know who would win if they fought. But he knew it would be a bloody fight. A brutal gust of wind rattled Dagon's metal shutters with a sudden snapping noise. Nisha jumped. The hinged box dropped from his shaking fingers.
Valak and Dagon broke off their deadly stare, both of them spinning to Nisha, their anger at each other forgotten. Feeling slightly foolish he said, "Wind scared me."
A spell, written in unshed blood, seemed to break. Valak's face settled into a more human shape. Dagon's eyes went to gray.
Flickering motion, like a whirl of black fog, spun before Dagon's desk. He emerged from the darkness beside Nisha and offered him the puzzle box. "I believe I've found all the pieces," he said. Turning to his Master Assassin, Dagon said mildly, "Valak . . . will you stop doing that! I can't concentrate when you're baring fangs and aiming for my throat."
"I'm going after him," Valak said, no compromise at all in his words.
"I wouldn't want you for my Master Assassin if you didn't," Dagon said, indicating Valak should take a seat.
Nisha retreated to the fire. With him farther away, both wulfs seemed to stand down. Valak sat in the chair facing Dagon's desk, angling it so he could see both Dagon and Nisha.
Settling behind his desk, Dagon pulled a scroll from the wide sleeve of his robe. "I signed it myself."
Valak stopped it from rolling off the edge and opened it.
"Dead or Dead," Dagon said. "On Koren."
Dagon wasn't telling Valak to kill Koren, but he wasn't telling him not to either. Nisha stayed out of it. For now.
Valak lay the scroll on Dagon's desk, as if he were returning a gift. "What do you want for it?"
"For you to wear your Master Assassin robes instead of a noose about your neck," Dagon said, as if he were talking to an unyielding child.
Leaning back in his chair, Valak said, "What are you getting out of this?"
Dagon focused on the dim fire behind Valak. "Koren has been a mild threat since you rescued Nisha," he said. "But now, he is interfering with my school. He's given me reason to want him neutralized."
"And?" Valak said.
It was a second too long before Dagon said, "You'll need a witness."
"Who?"
"The peddler." Dagon said it like a man who'd played his last good card in a sudden death game.
Valak almost laughed. "He's a walking edict scroll. Half the towns will know I'm coming before I ever get there."
"And they'll know it was a just kill," Dagon said. "He'll spread that far and wide as well. Do I need to remind you the kill is worth less than the news that it was justly done when a Black Rock wulf wields the knife?"
Valak snatched the scroll, gestured to Nisha, and stalked out the door. "Somehow," he said, "I know Arjin is behind this."
"What are you going to do?" Nisha asked, because Valak's face was like death rising.
"Make him one sorry human," Valak said, heading up the steps and down the corridor toward Arjin's room.
*****
There's a new angel in town . . . this weekend!
When Azriel, Hunter Angel, and Zane, owner of the hottest gay goth club in New York, fall for each other, what are they willing to bet on love? Find out in Hunter Angel, Midnight Gamble . . . coming this weekend, September 24
th
!
I'll be on Silver Publishing's Facebook page on September 24th to celebrate . . . there will be prizes and goodies!
Flashers Onstage This Week
Enjoy!
September 13, 2011
*Silver Flash* Assassin’s Heart, A Black Rock Story, Part IX
Knock, Knock.
Who’s there?
It’s the Silver Flash!
This week’s Prompt Diva is . . . me. Again. It’s my last time for a while. Next week, the Prompt Diva is Her Awesomeness Reese Dante . . . Silver Publishing’s cover artist. She drew my angels!
This week’s prompts are:
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I like to know what I’m getting into.”
OR
Use the following elements in your story: key, paper, raw meat
Here’s the next installment in Nisha and Valak’s story. . .
Assasin’s Heart, A Black Rock Story, Part IX
The worst thing a man could suffer when he was alone with Valak was his silence. After Nisha shut the door quietly behind him, Valak let the silence between him and Arjin stretch until the air was thick with the peddler’s fear.
Arjin finally broke. He smoothed his short, straw-like hair away from his face. His fingers were shaking. “There’s nothing more I can do to help you, Valak. As it is, my worthless hide might as well be hanging out yonder window.”
“How long’s it been, Arjin?”
Not taking his eyes off Valak’s knives, Arjin said, “I’ve had the privilege of knowing you nearly eight seasons now.”
“In all that time, did I ever lie to you?”
“Never.”
“You ever see me lie to anyone about what I’d do?” Valak said.
“No.” A fleeting look of panic came and went on Arjin’s slightly round face. “Why would I come here—the Rock, of all places—and risk being on the sharp end of your knives?”
“Because you thought I’d fall for whatever game you’re running,” Valak said. “How many sides are you playing this time?”
At that, Arjin’s temper seemed to snap. He threw off the warming furs and collapsed into the chair by the fire. “How many? From all appearances, only one—the losing side.”
For one of his kind, Arjin was honorable. Valak had never seen the peddler tell a lie he didn’t have to. He didn’t want to hurt Arjin. Not unless he had to. “Don’t make me use my knives on you. All I want is a name.”
A drop of sweat rolled down Arjin’s temple. “I’ve already told you – - ”
Valak breathed through his mouth, a trick he’d learned to calm himself. “Listen to me,” he said. “On the other side of that door is a human I’d do anything for.”
Arjin let his head fall into his hands. His muffled voice came through his fingers. “How does an honest man such as I am fall into predicaments like this?”
Valak drew his short-knife. “You can tell me who brought the scroll or you can spend a few hours screaming.”
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I like to know what I’m getting into,” Arjin said, trying to hide his fear. “Why would I be screaming?”
Valak drew his long-knife. “Try again.”
“You assassin types really are insufferable,” Arjin said. “There’s no need to draw a second knife. I see my coming death well enough in your eyes with only one blade between me and the Paradise that surely awaits me.”
“A name.”
“It wouldn’t do you any good.”
“Maybe not, but it’ll keep you alive.”
A darkly calculating look came over Arjin’s face, the true man he hid behind the helpless, honest peddler mask. “I’ll take you to him.”
The small hairs on the back of Valak’s neck bristled. Arjin did nothing for free. “Why?”
“The storm won’t let us leave for at least a day. You’ll have to let me live that long.” He glanced down at the knives in Valak’s hands. “And considering the state you’re in, that’s a bargain.”
“Why not give me a name?”
“You would call me a liar and kill me where I stand.” He spread his hands, the humble peddler again. “Is one day so much to ask?”
“Don’t try to leave, Arjin.” Valak sheathed his knives. “As of right now, there’s a Dead or Dead on you. My novices will kill you on sight.”
****************
Valak nearly tripped over Nisha. He had waited just outside the door and fallen asleep. Someone, probably a novice, had covered him with a fur. Valak picked him up, trying not to wake Nisha. The warm weight of the human who was his mate in every way except for Scroll Law made the old doubts rise. Only seventeen seasons had passed since his ascension to Master Assassin. His work demanded that he carry out Warrants, but he’d avoided that duty since he’d found Nisha.
Pushing the door to his rooms open, Valak laid Nisha in soft furs. “Is Arjin alive?” he said, turning over to look up.
Valak wanted nothing more than to lie down and curl his body around Nisha, but he sensed Thalen just beyond the door, waiting.
“For at least another day.” Stroking his fingers through Nisha’s hair, Valak said, “I have to give orders for the night then I’ll be back. Get some sleep.”
“No.” Nisha shot up. “I’ll wait for you.”
The old fear of letting Valak out of his sight was back in Nisha’s eyes. There was no blinding flash, no voice of the gods, but still, Valak saw his destiny written in Nisha’s guarded eyes. “If you swear you won’t wander off, you can come with me,” he said.
“I swear.”
As soon as Valak hit the corridor with Nisha beside him, Thalen eased out of the dark. “Dagon wants to see you.”
A human would have clenched his jaw, curled his hands into fists. But the only sign of Valak’s irritation was his eyes glowing warm yellow. “Arjin doesn’t leave the Rock without me,” he said.
“Dead or Dead?” Thalen asked.
“On sight,” Valak said. “Make sure all the novices know.”
Thalen inclined his head. “Anything else, sir?”
“Keep them from getting in each other’s fur,” Valak said. “They’re not used to being locked up like this.”
“I’ve already told them about your orders for night-long practice drills at the first sign of trouble,” Thalen said.
“I didn’t say that.”
“No,” Thalen said, returning Valak’s smile, “but I’ve never heard that much quiet among them.”
Thalen faded into the dark and went to give Valak’s orders.
“What does Dagon want with you?” Nisha said.
He wanted to keep Valak on the Rock and in his Master Assassin robes. “Nothing I’m willing to give him,” Valak said, leading Nisha down stone steps.
Flashers Onstage This Week
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