Sneak Peak: Demons' Nest

Have I mentioned how hard it is to write a sequel? Because sequels are really fucking hard.

Anyway, I finally got the edits back for Demons' Nest, the sequel to Citadel. The good news is nothing requires a major rewrite, although I definitely have to add a few scenes and probably erase a couple of others. Deadline for that is March 9th, at which point the editor will have I believe 90 days to decide if anything else needs to be done or if this long game of ping-pong is finally over.

Here's a snippet from the current working draft. Reminder that Olivia is using telepathy, which is why her lines are in italics:

Out of nowhere, Riley chuckled. Olivia paused. She wasn’t great at predicting emotional responses, but people didn’t typically laugh out of nowhere. “What?”

“I was just thinking,” he said, mouth curled up. “Did you know my father tried to arrange a marriage between me and Evelyn?”

“She doesn’t want to get married,” Olivia argued. “She wants to be a nun and study Artifacts.”

“I know. That’s why she turned him down. Let me tell you: he hated that.”

She grinned. It probably wasn’t a nice thought, but she enjoyed the mental image of Augustus squirming, unable to get his way. Especially when his way involved her sister. Eugh.

“I told him that if he wanted me to marry a Claude so bad, you were the better choice.”

Olivia yanked out another handful of guts from the gaper. “Ormus said something similar. That marrying you might help you after getting disowned for being a medic.”

The mental bond between the two of them went a little frosty, as it always did when her father was mentioned, but he tipped his head. “Really? I thought he’d lose all interest after my ‘fall from grace.’”

Olivia shrugged. She didn’t know how her father’s mind work on the best of days. “I decided I’d consider it after the mess with the chimera was figured out.”

Riley chuckled again. “Well…we are living together—and literally sleeping together—without any adult supervision. Everyone back home would accuse us of either marriage or living in sin.”

Olivia blinked. “Riley, we’re both adults. We don’t need supervision.”

He shuddered. “That may be the most terrifying thing you’ve ever said.”

“I told you that the entire four hundred years of war against the ‘demons’ is based on a lie perpetuated by your father.”

“Yes, you did.”

“That Scripture and your entire religion—which you find very important—is also likely based on a lie.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And we’re stranded in the Flooded Forest with limited food and supplies while almost everyone we know wants to kill us.”

“I noticed that.”

“But us being adults is what scares you?”

“More than anything,” he said, his mind bubbling.

Olivia shook her head. “You’re weird.”