It’s Wednesday again. I don’t know why that surprises me. But it’s Wednesday. And that means words to fit the theme of #1lineWed from Twitter. Which I don’t do because…Twitter. But I like the nudge of the prompt, so there ya go. Anyway, these are new, first-draft words from NIGHT WISH. I don’t think it will be much of a spoiler that Gen and Wiz are on-again/off-again. A lot. Because…reasons. Anyway, she’s gone home and he finally follows her and shows up at her house. You can figure it out from there.
****
Wizard
No lights showed. I took a minute to check the place out in wolf form. Gen would live in a house like this—a cottage with shutters and flower boxes but the wreath on the door was something shiny and modern. Maybe she’d stopped doing predictable. Off to the west, lightning flickered, illuminating a low bank of clouds. Almost a minute later, the rumble of thunder followed. Indian summer had turned hot and humid and an old-fashioned storm brewed on the horizon. Perfect. It matched the storm roiling inside me.
Shifting back to human, I dressed. I’d parked my bike behind a boarded up building a couple of blocks away. Revving the motor, my engine rivaled the thunder rolling closer. Having no desire to get wet, I drove to Gen’s house and parked under the portico, my bike up tight to that ridiculous red car of hers. I climbed the steps to the porch and rang the bell, but I punched it three times before the overhead light flipped on. I heard two locks click before the door opened a crack.
Startled gray eyes skimmed over me and the sweet fragrance of peaches ripened, heated, and I scented cinnamon. Oh, yeah. She’d missed me. Gen opened the wide, stepping back without a word. This was probably the only invitation I’d get tonight. I followed her inside. She didn’t shut the door behind me. Not a good sign.
“You look good, babe.” She did, because she hadn’t changed a bit. I’d worried about that. She’d always looked perfect to me, had from the moment I laid eyes on her in that fucking pink frou-frou bridesmaid dress.
I got an eyeroll and headshake like she didn’t believe the compliment. “I’m not the one you expected, am I?”
“You can say that again,” she muttered. “I expected to never see you again.”
“That’s not the way this game is played.”
“This was never a game, Wizard.”
Hiding my satisfaction, I shrugged. “I told you once, Gen. You’re mine and I’ll never let you go.”
She flushed and her eyes flashed with anger. Good.
“I belong to no one.” She brushed past me.
My wolf perked up. He liked to play chase. “Game on, baby.”
****
So there it is. Wiz is ready to play but trust me, Gen is giving him a run for his money. I’m making progress with the story but time is getting tight. Still, new words are new words and each one gets me closer to THE END. What about y’all? Writers, got any stormy words to share with us today? And readers, do you find storms romantic? Becasue…some do, don’cha know. 😉
Silver James 
Squee! So much good stuffs. I’m so glad you’re making progress with this. Go AuGoWriMo!
Unfortunately, the only storm I have in Cinder Ugly has a major spoiler in it. So, I went back to that untitled YA fantasy I never finished…
They walked no more than half the length of Da’s biggest pasture before they mounted a stairway open to the sky. At the top, Aryl could see the city stretch out away from the Academy. On the opposite side of the wall surrounding his new home, a flat plain the size of the whole town of Northunder lay beneath them. On this plain, they saw two lines of the children who’d said they were ready.
Several of them had weapons—whether their own or from the Academy, he didn’t know. Most of them stood holding their hands ready for what Aryl assumed was battle magic. At least he hoped some of them had some kind of magic ready. He didn’t know what exactly was coming, but he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise—just like before the wyverns came for the sheep.
“Storm’s coming,” Galen whispered. “Can you feel it?”
“A fire’s on the way,” the not-so-bold girl whispered from Aryl’s other side.
Aryl shook his head. He’d never felt anything like it, so whether it was fire or weather, he couldn’t say. All he knew is those on the field below were unprepared.
REALLY hope you’ll go back to this one some day! No rush. I know how those back-burner books go. And yes. You had the best idea ever! Go AuGoWriMo!!!!
I’ve been AWOL for a long time from your newsletter/thoughts, but when I saw this article now, just thought of you, and you writing about trouble getting words out (or something – can’t remember which post , to be able to check).https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20200818-surprising-secrets-of-writers-first-book-drafts. Storms? No fun over here on the coast of Norway – too much destruction every time. Stay cool!
Hi, Risë! It has been a long time. Hope all is well with you and yours. Thanks so much for dropping by and checking in. Thanks for the link to that article. Darn BBC writers are so much more articulate than me. 😉
Writing is such a funny thing. Sometimes the words just pour out and sometimes you can’t string enough words together to make a sentence. I’m working to find the mojo I once had, where words came every day. I may not get back to my former productivity, but every word I type is now precious to me. That’s not a bad thing, right?
Stay safe from those coastal storms! And stay warm when the cold weather moves in. 🙂 And don’t be a stranger!