NaNo Day 5:
Viking-2—2136 words
GWB-Me—277 words

If y’all know me, you are well aware that my characters aren’t made of mush. It takes a lot to knock the stuffing out the man or the woman. I don’t do it often because I’m not an overly sentimental girl myself. That’s not to say that you won’t find emotion, a lot of it, usually best expressed when the characters are at their most vulnerable.

In this excerpt, one of my favorite heroes, Quentin, is made especially vulnerable due to his worry for his mate. I was especially cruel to readers of this story, because while the story starts with Darcy and Quinton, it shifts to others who will join in a hunt for one of their fallen’s killer. I didn’t tell the rest of this couple’s story until book seven.

Here’s a snippet to show you what I’m talking about. It’s from Silver Bullet, the sixth book in the Immortal Knight series.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

He met her at the water’s edge as she returned from her solitary walk, her bare feet sand-encrusted and her steps slow and measured. One hand pressed the small of her back—a disquieting gesture that caused him no small amount of alarm. The purple of dusk was reflected in the circles beneath her beautiful brown eyes.

“Darcy-love, why didn’t you wait?” Quentin Albermarle slipped his arm around his wife’s slender back, not surprised when she leaned into him to share her burden.

“You wouldn’t have enjoyed yourself.” She lifted her head to stare into his eyes, one brow arching in amusement. “I wanted to watch the sunset.”

Her teasing smile warmed his soul. How had he lived before knowing her? Now, he couldn’t remember a night that didn’t begin and end with her. “Well, you have me there,” he said softly. “Sunset’s not something I’d find the least bit pleasant.” He turned her in his arms and settled his chin on the top of her head as his hands circled her stretched-taut belly. “Still, I’d prefer it if someone accompanied you when I can’t be here. It isn’t safe,” he admonished her lazily, enjoying the breeze that lifted her dark hair to float against his chest and the pleasure of her warm body aligned with his. “It’s not like we haven’t enough hirelings to spare one for your walks.”

“I wanted a little alone time and it was light when I started.” She shrugged. “I guess I’m walking a little slow these days.”

Quentin’s jaw clenched at the familiar fear that struck him. Her ordeal wouldn’t be something he could conquer for her. And he suspected the Lamaze classes he’d endured at her insistence were as much for his benefit as hers.
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