Saturday Snippet: Winter Wonderland

Morning Loverlies,

Yes, it's that time again! Snippet Saturday! Which is hosted by the absolutely and totally kick ass Lauren Dane. Today's theme is the "Winter Wonderland" and of course the excerpt I've chosen for today is from my most recent release, Reign of Pleasure.

Reign of Pleasure can be found at Elloracave.com, and if you're interested in reading another excerpt you can find two here and/or here. Enjoy! And make sure to stop by and visit the other Saturday Snippet Authors.

I had been back at court for three months. During that time I had not faced the council. Matter of fact I had not left my chambers at all except to walk in the forests surrounding the palace grounds. Karena, who had been my strength, followed behind me ready to battle anyone who dared approach me. I had seen mother bears less vicious than she.

For the first two weeks I had waited for Ignius to come to me, he didn't. My return and subsequent absence from court was of course the fodder for gossip and serious speculation.

The rumors ranged from me hiding because I was still traumatized by the brutal way I had been used or because Lord Death had branded his initials onto my skin.

The story of branding was closer to fact than fiction, only it was my soul Ignius had seared and the wound didn't seem to be healing. It wasn't as raw as it had been, it had even been reduced to a muted ache, but it was still there, throbbing and festering.

Winter had been a blessing for me. On my daily walks, in the forest beyond the palace fences, I'd see footprints. They didn't belong to a dog or dogs, they were wolf prints and, absurdly, it comforted me to know Ignius' wolves were near. Even though I felt foolish, I imagined he sent them to protect me.

It could have been fanciful imagining on my part but one night I could have sworn I heard a wolf's howl, something that hadn't occurred near court in years.

I pressed my cheek against the cool glass windowpane and watched as spring slowly exiled winter. I hoped I would hear something that would indicate the wolves were near.

But I knew the hope was in vain. It would be morning soon and if they had ever been out there to begin with, they were long gone. I shivered, even though the weather would soon turn warmer, but I doubted even the full blaze of the sun would help rid my veins of the numbing cold.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this week's Saturday Snippet! You can read more Snippets below.

Leah Braemel

Lissa Matthews

Mari Carr

McKenna Jeffries

Taige Crenshaw

Delilah Devlin

Eliza Gayle

Shelli Stevens

TJ Michaels

Lauren Dane

Jody Wallace

Helen Kay Dimon