Here is a list of all the authors flashing this week, along with a brief snippet from their latest free work. Click the link after the snippet to be taken to the complete story on the author’s home page.
Kenneth watched as a small glass bead wound its way around a series of tubes constructed from what looked like wood, iron and rubber. It finally rolled to a stop, and once it did a tiny door on the top of the contraption opened, a wooden bird emerging from inside and making a peeping noise.
“A clock, m’lord,” the woman at the stall said. “For the little ones.”
Kenneth smiled and shook his head. It was cute, but not what he had in mind for Thorn.
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“Oh, crap!” Jake jumped in the driver’s seat when the blue lights of a police car flashed behind him. He glanced at his tachometer and cursed again. No, no, this could not happen. Not again. How many speeding tickets could one get before serious trouble arose?
Jake pulled to the side, cut the engine, and waited. He cast another glance in the rearview window, catching sight of his enormous wide blue eyes, darkened from distress. He shoved his blond bangs out of his eyes and made sure to straighten his collar. Looking respectable, rather than disheveled and panicked, was hopefully going to help the situation.
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A Shaman’s Gift: Part 8 by Johayan
Maikyl had came to the Lodge after his parents had found him laying in
his bed with a dead fawn, with its throat ripped out, on the floor.
Maikyl was covered in blood with pieces of fur still matted to Maikyl’s
face.
When they took him to the village healer, the healer immediately told
his parents that it was possible that they had been raising an Elpa.
Maikyl’s parents were ultra-traditionalists and didn’t believe that
their son could be one of the Great Wolf’s chosen. After they had tried
to him ‘purified’ of the ‘evil influence’, the village healer suggested
that they send Maikyl to the Lodge to be dealt with and punished as
necessary.
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Let Me In: Chapter 3 by Carol Pedroso
Louis was silently berating himself as he helped Cade pick up the dirty clothes he’d dropped.
He looked up and realized Cade was speaking.
“—and of course Jaydon has taken over the case we were sent here on, so I have all this time on my hands…”
Louis just nodded in what he hoped was a supporting manner and turned to lead the way to the laundry room.
He should’ve just walked away, he thought, and left Cade to pick up everything himself. But that went against who he was and so he carried the clothes into the room they needed.
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Rattletrap #30 by Tali Spencer
Ussim declared a rest period, closing down all work spaces and sending the human crew to common rooms or their cabins. He placed Ya and Lht on patrol, and left Furret in charge of the command deck with Iwe and Effai to assist in multi-linking critical opsets. Only then did he make his way back to the environment.
The human ship stank. It made unsettling noises. The mechanical process adapting a rudimentary linear drive to accommodate the energy fluctuations of a Ghisr well drive continued to place stress upon the ship’s core. Not only the humans distrusted the result.
Bittersweet Love by Elyzabeth M. VaLey
She watched him dance from the shadows. He was oblivious to her presence, as had been the norm since they mutually decided to end their affair. They had agreed that what they had could not be, that it would bring them nothing more than heartache. He could never be with her. She would never be good enough for him.
“That’s Alejandra Kosh, isn’t it?”
Raven nodded, not bothering to look at her work colleague.
“She’s a good fit for him, don’t you agree, Raven?”
Raven nodded automatically, even though the word that danced on the top of her tongue was a strident no.
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Fortitude: Part Fourteen by Cia Nordwell
I made Teddy repeat our cover story several times as we picked our way through the cavern and into the tunnel under the city. We were close to the entrance back into the city. I looked at Teddy critically. We were both dirty, and there were stains on our clothes that would be hard to explain from a crawl through the city taverns.
Not that I’d ever been much of one for indulging for days, but it would explain our absence from the dining table to my parents. Parlor gossip and stilted social mores were something I avoided whenever possible
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Don’t Look Back #30 (6.3) by Julie Lynn Hayes
Mid-morning the next day. Both men sat at their respective computers, working. Marshall lifted his ceramic coffee cup, brought it to his lips, only to discover the damn thing was empty. Setting it down, he pushed back in his chair, stretched his arms and flexed his fingers. They cracked with small popping sounds. Guess he’d been sitting there a spell without moving, engrossed in what he was doing.
“I’m getting some coffee, y’want some?” he offered, glancing at Lee.
Lee angled his own cup back and looked inside. “Since you’re getting up, sure, that sounds good. I could use a refill.”
Marshall rose, wincing slightly.
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Storm Touched by Shelly Schulz
“Good.” Her hand moved against mine, our fingers interlocking. “Take a deep breath, close your eyes, and hold onto me.” I could feel her magic seeping from the gem at her throat. It was warm, comforting, creeping along my skin the way flame takes paper. I could hear the mechanical whir of the generators starting up once more.
“Astrid?”
There was a loud rush of air, the feeling of being pulled violently away from everything. Astrid’s grip was tight on my hand, despite the ferocious wind that battered at us. I pried open one eye to see nothingness staring back.
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In Enemy Hands: #4.2 by M.A. Church
He found the thought disturbed him. That wasn’t the only things that disturbed him. He let his hand drift up to Varo’s muddy locks. First thing he planned to do was get Varo cleaned. All his people had black hair, and he couldn’t wait to see the brilliance of Varo’s, once it was free of the mud.
Soon, he promised himself silently. He allowed himself one last touch then strode down the aisle, boots clicking on the floor, to the cockpit. Time to get his mind out of his pants and back on his responsibilities. Funny, but until now, that had never been a problem.
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Boys of Belsmeade: Chapter 27 by Kazy Reed
Once we reached the count’s ocean-side villa an hour from Rome, I stepped out of the car and stared in wonder. Cars were parked everywhere, bearing number plates from all around Europe. I counted dozens of different cars before Aramis took me by the hand and led me inside, to meet the hundreds of vampires that had gathered to help rescue my dad.
I stepped inside and my mouth fell open like a dead fish. Opulent. Resplendent. A scaled-down version of the Palace at Versailles. So far over the top that I was afraid of falling. That was my first impression of the count’s ancestral home.
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Ari gave me a hesitant smile, and moved his hands away. He wriggled a little, and the movement totally inflamed me. First, I ran my hands over his chest and stomach, then caressed the silky softness of his panties. Ari moaned, and his eyes fluttered closed. He kept his eyes shut when I slowly slipped his underwear over his hips and down his legs. As soon as he could, he kicked them off.
I didn’t pause, although I wanted to. I wanted to gaze at him, to drink in the sheer beauty that was laid open, so vulnerable and exposed to me, but somehow I knew if I hesitated Ari would think it was because I didn’t like what I saw, and I did.
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Wednesday Briefs 