Snippet Saturday – Character

Today’s snippet theme is Character. Enjoy a look from one of my books.

An snippet from Golden Seduction…

The man looked at her his expression shifting to curiosity. “Who’s Sonya?”

Confused Laila looked at him. “She sent you as my gift.”

The man shook his head.” I don’t know anyone named Sonya. I came out of the card.”

Dread filled her. Laila felt his hands drop away. A glance over her shoulder at the table showed the empty tarot card and next to it was the crown and scepter. Turning back to the man her eyes dropped and she noted for the first time the necklace with a fish on it around his neck. Looking closer she realized it was of a dolphin and in the place of its eye there was a cordierite. Her knowledge of rare gems helped her recognize what it was. Looking back at the man she saw he watched her patiently unmoving.

“Thane combat mode now.” Laila screamed as she jumped off the man’s lap and ran around the couch away from him.

“Combat mode armed,” a male voice stated.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Thane take form and go after the man. Knowing she had only seconds to get to her office before the man realized Thane couldn’t touch him Laila ran down the hall. Reaching the door of her office she saw Gertrude and Renaldo racing toward her from the other end of the hall. Rushing into her office she waited from them to enter. They shot past the office. Swearing Laila wondered why they would pick now to not follow the command that she and Sonya had trained them to do in case they ever were attacked.

Glancing frantically around her office for something to fight with Laila cursed again. It wouldn’t matter what she got she didn’t know how to fight anyway. Seeing a stapler and a letter opener on the desk she snatched them up. Grimacing she knew she looked stupid and it wouldn’t protect her but maybe she could catch him off guard and rescue Gertrude and Renaldo. Turning she faced the door and waited for him to come after her. After a few minutes her arms started to ache. Lowering them she crept to the door and peeked around it. The hall was empty and the house strangely silent. A lump formed in her throat. He had to have killed Gertrude and Renaldo. They hated strangers and attacked them. Furious Laila stepped into the hall brandishing her stapler and letter opener. She would kill him for that.

Stomping down the hall she went into the living room and said. “I’m going to kill you mother fuc—”

She trailed off in shock at the sight before her. Renaldo and Gertrude were lying at the man’s feet looking up at him silently. The man’s back was to her as he waved his hand in the air cutting through the holographic image of Thane.

“Amazing,” the man said doing it again.

Thane looked at him a sardonic look on his holographic face. “Stop doing that.”

The man looked startled then stepped back. “You speak. What are you?”

Thane replied in a St Thomian accent, his preferred tone, “Thane. A fully free thinking LB3000.”

The man frowned. “What is that?”

Thane looked at the man exasperation clear on his caramel toned holographic face. “Ask her.”

He waved long tapered fingers toward her. The man turned to look at her as if just realizing she was there.

Looking away form his intense gaze Laila looked at Thane. “Disengage combat mode.”

Thane nodded his head and winked out. Walking over to where the man stood Laila took a seat on the couch and looked at him.

“Who are you?”

The man looked at her and cocked his head. “You’re no longer afraid of me. Why?”

Shrugging Laila gestured. “Them.”

The man looked down at Gertrude and Renaldo then back at her. “The shifters make you trust me.”

“No they are pets. Not shifters.”

The man looked at her then back at Gertrude and Renaldo horror on his face. “Pets? You keep them contained.”

Looking back at her there was fury on his face. “Release them at once.”

Laila, having dealt with men who thought they could control her before, sighed. “No they cannot change from one form to another.”

The man looked back at them again then knelt on the floor beside them. They clamored up to him. Reaching out he stroked first Gertrude’s head then Renaldo’s.

Copyright © Taige Crenshaw, 2007.
All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

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