I have never been a winter person (even though I grew up in Montreal), but I’m determined not to let the cold stop me from enjoying our new farm/forest. Today, it was -6℃ (about 21℉), which isn’t so bad for this area. And there was not a breath of wind. I stood in the middle of the forest and it was earthly silent. I found a tiny, babbling brook and just listened to it for a while (until my toes got cold).
And look at this beautiful, natural arcade.
No human foot has stepped here since the snow fell. All those tracks are critter tracks! It’s a creature highway. Kyra would love it here. I picture Mason’s home in the Inbetween in a place like this.
Our space is not yet a farm. We have no barn and no animals. But after spending our first week at Dragon Run, I feel like I’ve come home.
Now, I’m trying to decide which pajamas to wear to the living room to watch movies and drink wine on New Year’s Eve. For this year, low key seems perfect. Where ever you are, I hope you have a Happy New Year, or at least a comfy one.
Here’s a little gift to ring in the new year, a snippet from upcoming Book 5, tentatively titled, Kelpies Don’t Fly.
Felix’s eyes never left my face. He probably thought he was intimidating—his size, his nakedness, the muscles bulging on his arms just from gripping the small cup. But I’d faced a rock troll, a water dragon and vampires. One arrogant nuckelavee didn’t even make my top ten list of big bads.
I let the silence stretch between us. Silence is a powerful weapon. It seeps into the ego and begs to be noticed. Only one who is truly self-confident can ignore its lure.
Felix spoke first.
“What do you want with the witch?”
I shrugged. “We’re cousins. She borrowed my sweater and I wanted it back.”
nSomeone behind me stifled a laugh. Felix frowned.
I took that moment to sneak a glance at Mason. His head still lolled at a painful angle.
Wake up, wake up! I shouted the thought in my head as if the sheer force of my desire might rouse him.
Felix moved so fast I didn’t see it, and suddenly he was right in my face, gripping my shoulder in a painful squeeze.
“Don’t treat me like a fool, bitch.”
Book 5 of the Valkyrie Bestiary will be available Spring of 2022 (which is right around the corner. Yikes!) Get caught up with Book 4, Grimalkins Don’t Purr, now available HERE.
