Welcome to Weekend Writing Warriors.  Well, last week I suffered a brain glitch and after dutifully setting up my post, forgot to sign up for the hop! So if you’re following the story, you can read what happened last week here.  (You might notice the title of that post is somewhat ironic.) I’ve been sharing from my m/m fantasy, Gryffon Hall, which is now languishing in my editor’s inbox. (I’ve gotten spoiled; two weeks without a response seems like a really, really long time. Remember traditional publishers, who often take a year to respond, if at all?)

But I digress.  As we rejoin our hero Wryler, he’s sitting next to the notorious Aeric Rouchet at an official state dinner, but for the moment he’s more worried about the man he expected to become engaged to- Lennox Arsburry, who is otherwise occupied.

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To Wryler’s irritation, the dratted MacFarlane lad sat beside Lennox and they chatted and laughed merrily. Lennox never once looked Wryler’s way. Wryler gulped another goblet of wine and his dismay distilled into anger. He decided to stop obsessing over Lennox and his childish games, and tore his attention away with difficulty.

The Duke of Middlestone slept soundly, chin to chest. Wryler turned to Rouchet who, having sated his ravenous hunger, now chewed more methodically, grunts and growls subsiding into slurps and quiet belches.

Up close, he wasn’t as horrible as he first appeared. His dark, thick mass of red hair was clean and although tangled, not matted. His trim beard lined a strong jaw and accentuated the hollow beneath his prominent cheekbones. Rouchet intently scanned the room while he ate and Wryler got the impression he didn’t miss a single thing, not a snicker, a spoon drop, nor a beneath-the-table grope, such as the one Lennox was performing right at that moment with the blushing Branson MacFarlane.

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Gryffon Hall ~

Useless fourth son of the Lord of Glimmerveen, Wryler dreams of getting married and escaping the rustic confines of his father’s castle. A wealthy merchant’s son seems to hold the key to Wryler’s safe if somewhat dreary future. However, the arrival of a mysterious stranger on the eve of Wryler’s betrothal sends his plans into disarray and Wryler finds himself traded off in marriage to one of the most notorious rogues in the land.

Is Lord Aeric Rouchet the barbarian he appears to be, or is he something much worse? Separated from his family and thrust into a strange and dangerous new life at the foreboding Gryffon Hall, Wryler must unravel the secret of his husband’s shadowed life and defeat the curse which threatens not only his growing affection for the barbarian in his bed, but the lives of everyone the Lord of Gryffon Hall is sworn to protect.

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This post is part of an ongoing blog hop hosted by Weekend Writing Warriors. Every Sunday, participating authors post eight to ten sentences from a published work or perhaps their current work in progress. Then we hop to our fellow warriors’ blogs and check out all the fabulous fiction that’s happening! I heartily invite you to participate as a reader, writer, or both. It’s a great way to discover your next favorite book. Click here or use the address: http://www.wewriwa.com