Welcome to my second outing on the My Sexy Saturday Blog Hop, a gathering of writers and readers who love romance in its many splendorous forms.
This week’s theme is characters who know they’re sexy. I rifled through my many stories for the character who’s most confident, most assured of his power to attract and came upon Zeke here from my current WIP, the contemporary fantasy Dark Heart. Ezekiel knows what he wants and he knows how to get it. Last week I went with seven words, this time I swing the other way with seven paragraphs, which happens to fit the entire opening scene! Hope you enjoy it.
Dark Heart
Even as the first haunting cords drifted up the cement stairwell, Ezekiel detected a nibble on his bait. He pressed his bow more firmly to the strings on his violin and pulled his elbow back. His prey drew closer.
He’d had his doubts about setting up in midday and in such a busy, public spot, but a tug at his instincts had guided him here. He’d learned over the centuries to never ignore that tug. The music echoed nicely, penetrating the dull roar of the Pike Street Market above and the viaduct below. From the open staircase, he had a partial view of the waterfront and Puget Sound beyond.
He’d set up on a landing below street level on the stairs that led from the waterfront to the market. On a rainy Tuesday in February, the market wasn’t the teeming morass of humans that it was normally and Zeke easily sensed the motions of the Liosa as it descended the stairs.
He threw a little more passion into Smetana’s symphonic poem, Vltava. The lines cast out by the music shimmered darkly in the dull light. Like the strings on his violin, the lines vibrated and cast sounds that only he could hear. The Liosa’s thoughts whispered in his ear. It was cautious, but curious. Untrained. Zeke detected no magical protections and thanked his lucky stars for this gift.
Don’t lap at the blood before it is spilled, he cautioned himself. Though he sensed his prey was utterly unaware of the trap, he could be easily spooked if Zeke revealed any of his power too soon. And so he played on, risking only a quick peek from beneath his eyelashes.
The Liosa had paused a few steps up from the landing, just past the wall that blocked the view of the rest of the stairs. He lingered in the shadows, but did not radiate any fear. Zeke caught a glimpse of wind tousled blond hair, large dark eyes, a lumpy grey coat and battered grey sneakers. He pulled some of the Liosa’s essence toward him along the strings and conjured a better picture. A young human male, slim and tasty. His favorite form. He had the dark mocha eyes of the High Wood Alfar, but Zeke recognized no clan markings, no talismans, no link to the past. This was most excellent. No one would miss him. A fresh, unclaimed source of power, his for the taking. Even the dark queen, Ellora, might not be aware of him.
The Liosa had a camera and was about to take Zeke’s photo. He was as good as caught.
***
Dark Heart is nearly finished, so I hope it will be coming to an e-reader near you soon.
This month I’m blog hopping. Stop by one of these sites for a chance to win a gift certificate to Loose Id!
Alexis Duran 