Delight and elation soared in Sand. My mate, he thought. My mate is magnificent. He said, “I love you too,” but the people in the room were shouting and laughing, and she was glaring challengingly at Askup, so maybe she didn’t hear him. That was okay. He’d tell her again later. He would tell her every day for the rest of their lives.
The judge stood at his desk, face red while he banged his hammer and shouted for silence. Since his desk was at the top of a few steps, he was taller than anyone else. Sand forced himself to look away from his mate and focus on the judge.
“Order! Silence! Order! If you clowns in the gallery don’t shut up and sit down, I’ll empty the courtroom!”
The judge’s threat was effective. The room quieted. The judge cleared his throat and pointed his wooden hammer at Amanda. “You may sit down, ma’am.”
Sand heard her settle herself back into her chair. The judge remained standing at his desk.
“It is clear to this court that the discord between Mr. Askup and Mr. Wolfe stems from their ardent desire to win the affections of the same woman. She has stated before this court that her affections belong to Mr. Wolfe. Based on the evidence and testimony heard today, I find that both the plaintiff and the defendant are at fault. They will each be fined two gold strips or one hundred hours of community service.”
Two gold? Sand’s heart sank. He didn’t have any money at all. One hundred hours of labor he could do, but he wanted to take Amanda home as soon as possible. He couldn’t wait to introduce her to the Pack by Kearney, and then take her out to the Clan on the plains to meet his father and brothers.
“That ridiculous!” protested Askup. He shook off his lawyer’s hand. “I am not at fault here!”
“I say you are, and since I am the appointed judge of the court, I think my word carries a little more weight than yours.”
Askup turned his head to look behind Sand, obviously at Amanda. “Amanda, I know you’re being coerced. You can’t want to marry that filthy, longhaired—”
“Oh, but I do,” Amanda spat.
“That’s enough,” the judge said with authority.
Askup gave the man a hostile stare. “This part has nothing to do with your court, so stay out of it. Amanda, if you actually marry this Indian, I will kill him and bring you home with me.”
Sand bared his teeth at the threat. He heard Sky’s voice urging him to calm down. There was only so much he could take. Counting each breath that hissed through his clenched teeth helped. So did the expression on the judge’s face. He didn’t know the judge, but any fool could see Askup had said the wrong thing.
“This is my courtroom,” Judge Case said coolly, “and I’m raising your fine another two strips of gold, for contempt of court! And one more, for threatening the life of a man within the hearing of the court.”
Could a man’s face get so dark without harming his heart? Sand was amazed and even a little worried. If Askup dropped dead it might upset Amanda. But his worry was swallowed by anger when Askup spoke next.
“I forbid you to marry him. Do you understand me, Amanda? I forbid it! A whore should be good at taking orders; why can’t you just listen to me?”
“That’s enough!”
The judge’s roar cut through Sand’s growl. He could almost taste Sky’s suppressed rage behind him. Sand subsided, holding to a sliver of his temper with great effort. The judge waved a hand at Amanda behind him.
“Stand up, my dear, stand up and approach the bench. Bring your fiancé with you, please.”
Amanda’s soft hand slipped into his. Just the scent of her calmed him. They walked the few yards to stand in front of the judge’s raised desk. The judge leaned forward to look at both of them and spoke quietly.
“Do you have enough to pay the marriage fee?”
“Yes,” Amanda answered quickly. “And enough to pay his fine.”
“Good.” The judge straightened and raised his voice to a boom. “It is the pleasure of this court to unite Miss Amanda and Mr. Wolfe in the bonds of Holy Matrimony immediately. Mr. Wolfe, please take your bride by the ha— Good God. Bailiff! Unlock the shackles on this man.”
Amanda waved a shaky hand at the judge. “Johnny, I mean, Your Honor, right now?”
Sand’s heart plummeted to his stomach. “Have you changed your mind?”
“No!” Her hand, which had released him so the handcuffs could be removed, clutched his hand again. Her eyes looked into his with a smile, and he was ready to do anything so she would keep smiling at him like that. “I will marry you this second. But I want my dad to give me away.” She looked back up at the judge. “Please, I want my father here.”
“Very well.” The judge beckoned at one of the uniformed guardsmen. “Go fetch Mr. Nelson. Waste no time. We’re starting in a half hour whether he’s here or not.”
“And my cousin, if you see her!” Amanda called at the departing man.
Askup’s face was livid right down to his jowls. “Do I have the court’s permission to withdraw?” he asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
“No, you do not.” The judge’s smile was anything but friendly. “You will stay and witness this marriage. That way, I and all of Omaha, will know that you cannot be ignorant of the union. And you do recall, don’t you, that the punishment for interfering with a marriage can be anything up to death?”
Terry Askup subsided, his color now sickeningly pale. But Sand couldn’t care less about that. Amanda stood at his side, holding his arm with that brilliant smile on her face. In only a few minutes she would be his wife, and nothing else mattered to him.
Hello! I’m back with an extra long snip from Wolf’s Lady to make up for missing last week. I’m also including a pic of the real Amanda, a friend that I’ve loosely based this character on. We spent part of Saturday doing pictures. When I’ve finished this story I will put it away until I’ve submitted Wolf’s Princess, then I will have it edited, and I’ll do a re-write based on the edits, then I will make it available for free on my website. I’ll get a cover made using one of the pictures from Saturday’s photo shoot.
Before we get to the tidbit, I wanted to let you know that I have officially started Wolf’s Princess. My soft goal to have the rough draft done is October 10. We’ll see how I do with that. 🙂 And now, with no further ado (I’ve always wanted to say that!) here is Sand and Amanda.
Amanda returned home from shopping with a box under her arm containing a lacy nightie that covered almost nothing, and a sheer robe that hid barely more. Cayla walked beside her in the light drizzle through the gates to Sky’s House. She nodded to Randy, the gate guard, as he swung the gate closed behind them.
“You should have had something made up special,” Cayla said, nodding at the package Amanda tried to shield from the rain. “I mean, that one special night with the one special man deserves something unique.”
“That would have taken at least a week.” Amanda smiled in anticipation. “I’m not waiting that long.”
Their hair was damp by the time they rushed into the house, laughing, but their laughter died when they saw Sky standing in the front hall, face set in harsh lines.
“Where’s Sand?” Amanda asked, heart jumping in her chest.
“Come back to my office.”
She gripped her box tighter for a moment before surrendering it to Cayla. The compassion on the other woman’s face hurt. She followed Sky to his office, noticing he had changed into jeans and a cotton button down shirt. He had been back for a while, then.
As soon as the door closed, she asked, “Where is Sand?”
Sky looked her right in the eye. “During the meeting, he attacked Terry. He was arrested for assault. He’s in the City cells.”
Turning away with fist clenched against her stomach, Amanda huffed, “That idiot!”
“He was provoked. Askup said some nasty things.”
Amanda whirled back with a swing of damp hair. “Not Sand. Terry! That asshole just won’t give up. Doesn’t he understand English? Is he stupid enough to think this will make me accept him?”
“Who can say what a stupid man thinks when he’s in love?” Sky’s voice was full of bitterness that he instantly banished. “I petitioned for a speedy trial. It’s going to be even speedier than I expected. Three pm today.”
That didn’t give them much time to plan a defense. “Where’s Joe?”
“He’s with Sand, coaching him in how to answer questions at the trial.”
“Good.” Joe Sullivan was a quiet man whose thin pale hair matched the rest of him. Shy and unassuming until he stood in a courtroom, Sky’s lawyer was passionate in pursuit of justice. “I’ll go get changed. Don’t leave without me.”
Sky caught her elbow. “No, you need to stay here.”
“Are you crazy?” She jerked her elbow free. “This is my fiancé we’re talking about.”
“Your fiancé?” Something lit Sky’s eyes to radiant blue. “You’re accepted him?”
“Yeah. He doesn’t know it yet, but yeah. I decided this morning that I would marry him.”
Sky was silent for a moment before nodding. “Get changed and have something to eat. We leave for City Hall in an hour.”
* * *
The courtroom was packed. That was unexpected, considering how the trial time had been rushed through. Amanda could see a
dozen of her usual appointments present, as well as quite a few young men, apparently expecting to see a show. If the trial went badly for Sand, she would damn sure give them a show. Terry was sitting with another man, probably his lawyer, at a table at the left in the front of the courtroom. She studiously ignored him as she let Sky’s firm hand guide her into a chair right behind the defendant’s table on the right. Joe Sullivan was already there, shuffling papers in a false show of nerves. Sky leaned forward to whisper in the lawyer’s ear.
She smoothed the skirt of her floral maxi dress over her knees while the men whispered. What to wear had had been a hard choice. She wavered over her one conservative suit, but decided to wear a dress Sand had admired. Her hair was brushed out, damp from the rain, over her bare shoulders. She wore less makeup than usual. As she’d feared, even with an umbrella, she’s gotten wet on the walk downtown. No way would she attend Sand’s trial with her mascara smeared over her face as if she’d been crying. Instead she put her shoulders back, slipped the skinny shoulder strap of her dress back up and put a mildly interested expression on her face.
It was hard to maintain that expression when the door to the side of the room opened and Sand was marched in. He was still gorgeous in Sky’s borrowed suit, but the handcuffs holding his wrists together in front of him made Amanda’s blood boil. His face, with eyes narrowed into black slits, looked barely civilized. The Guardsmen steered him to the table beside Joe, nearly within touching distance of her. When he saw herm, his eyes opened wide.
“Amanda,” he said, twisting around in his chair to stare at her.
“I’m here with you, Sand.” She kissed her fingertips and flicked her fingers toward him to throw him the kiss. “I’ll always be with you.”
He opened his mouth to say something, but Joe tugged on his sleeve, murmuring urgently. The reluctance was obvious when he turned around, leaving her to stare at his hair. It was still braided, with the watery light from the windows gleaming on the rain that wet it.
“All rise for Judge John J. Case,” the bailiff bawled.
Amanda relaxed a little and stood. Johnny had been one of her regulars until he married five years ago. And, more importantly, he wasn’t a friend of Terry’s. She made sure she caught Johnny’s eye as he mounted the steps to his seat. She gave him only the smallest of smiles, trying to convey thoughtful respect, no flirtation or sassy appeal. His answering smile and nod were warm, lifting some of the weight off her chest.
“Everybody, take your seats,” Johnny said, settling himself behind the tall imposing desk. “Bailiff, read me the charges.”
“Mr. Terrence Askup, plaintiff, accuses Mr. Sand Wolfe, defendant, of physical assault on two occasions, the first on the evening of September 10th of this year, and the second in the morning of September 30. That would be today, Judge.”
“I know what day it is,” the judge said, gazing at Terry with a cool expression before turning that same expression on Sand. “How does the defendant plead?”
Joe and Sand stood up. “Mr. Wolfe pleads not guilty to both charges.”
The back of Terry’s neck went red and he leapt to his feet. “Liar!”
Johnny cast him a narrow-eyed glare. “The plaintiff is not to speak unless asked a question. Sit down, gentlemen.”
Amanda couldn’t see Terry’s face, but she would bet he was scowling. The judge raised a sheaf of paper. “I want quiet in the courtroom while I review the complaint.” He muttered something about haste making waste, and began reading. After long minutes he raised his head again.
“It says here that Mr. Sand Wolfe is employed by Mr. Sky Wolfe in the capacity of Hall Monitor, which I believe is a fancy word for bouncer.”
Some of the men in the room laughed.
“Mr. Askup alleges Mr. Sand Wolf ejected him from the premises with no explanation and excessive force, causing bodily harm. Is that right, Mr. Askup?”
“Yes!”
Amanda saw Sand twitch, and Joe lay a soothing hand over his wrist.
The judge read the paper again. “And this morning Mr. Sand Wolfe attacked you in the mayor’s home without cause or reason. Is that right?”
Terry’s neck reddened again. Shame? Amanda hoped so, but she doubted it. “Yes,” he said loudly.
“Do you have any changes you’d like to make to your statement or anything to add?”
Terry’s lawyer whispered into his ear. Terry shook his head as if irritated. “No, Your Honor.”
“Very well. Mr. Wolfe?” Johnny cast a quick glance at Sky and clarified, “Sand Wolfe?”
Sand and Joe stood up.
“The complaint states you removed Mr. Askup from Sky’s House without any explanation. Is that true?”
“No, Your Honor,” Sand said in a clear, level voice. “I told Mr. Askup that his appointment had been cancelled. That all his appointments with Miss Amanda had been cancelled. He said very insulting things about me and tried to push past me to go to Miss Amanda’s room. I had to lift him off his feet to stop him. I carried him down the stairs and pushed him outside. If he got bruised, it was his own fault. He should have left when he was told to.”
The gallery buzzed with whispered and chuckles. The noise stopped dead when Terry leapt to his feet.
“She’s my fiancée!” he yelled.
Noise broke out again. Sand fell into a half couch. Next to her Sky stiffened and said quietly, “Easy, cousin. Don’t make the change here.”
Incredibly, Sand seemed to have heard him even over the noise. He relaxed. “You asked her to marry you. She refused.”
Terry began to yell again, but the bailiff grabbed hold of his arm as Johnny banged his gavel on his desk. “Silence!” he roared. “You will have another chance to speak, as long as you stay quiet now! Mr. W—Sand Wolfe, what happened this morning?”
“My cousin Sky and I went to the mayor’s house to meet Askup because he was making trouble. An inquiry. Or an investigation?”
The judge lifted a page, scanned it. “Yes, it’s here. What happened? Did you assault Mr. Askup?”
“I wanted to pound his face in,” Sand said, “but I didn’t. I might have, if Sky hadn’t stopped me.”
More laughter from the gallery. Terry was not well liked in Omaha.
“The complaint states you attacked the plaintiff for not reason. Is that true?”
“I had plenty good reason!” Anger threaded liberally through Sand’s voice. “He said filthy things about Amanda.”
Joe spoke for the first time. “A man has a right to defend his fiancee’s honor.”
Amanda saw that Sand and Terry both stiffened, but probably for different reasons. Sand swung around to stare at her, confusion and hope on his face. She smiled at him and nodded.
Terry screamed, “She’s my fiancée!”
“The hell she is!” Sand roared back.
“Dear God,” Johnny growled. “Bailiff! Separate the plaintiff and the defendant.”
Actually, Sand hadn’t moved. He stood straight, fists clenched at his sides, but Terry was trying to get to him. The bailiff wrestled Terry back to his table. He stared, wild-eyed, at Amanda.
“I asked you to marry me!” he shouted.
“And I told you no,” she shouted back.
The gallery tittered like schoolgirls, staring at the front of the courtroom like it was the most fascinating play they’d ever seen. Amanda felt her cheeks flush. She sat back in her chair, trying to calm herself.
“Aha,” said the judge, like a man who had finally smashed the mosquito that had been buzzing around his face all night. “Both of you seem to think you’re engaged to marry the same woman. And here is the lady herself. Miss Amanda, if you would satisfy the court’s curiosity on one point, the court would be grateful. Yes, stand up, please, and tell us which, if either, of these two men you would like to be your husband?”
She stood up, feeling slightly wobbly, but Sky beside her and Sand in front of her, steadied her. “Your Honor, I am going to marry Sand Wolfe.”
The blaze of joy in Sand’s face made tears smart her eyes. “I love you, Sand,” she said in a low voice she hoped he could hear over the roar of the gallery.
“No!” It was a demented scream from Terry. He clawed at the bailiff to free himself. “You can’t marry that stinking Indian. He’s not good enough for you.”
The gavel thudded repeatedly while the judge shouted for silence. The roar had almost died to nothing when Amanda put one hand on her hip and glowed at Terry. “You think you’re good enough for me? Listen, sugar, I am way too much woman for a pencil dick like you to handle. From now on the only man to handle me will be Sand.”
Me and Janet Rodman
Me and Jessica
Holly, me, Jennifer
I am just back from the Annual Reader & Author Get Together in West Chester Ohio, just outside Cincinnati. I went with my good friend, Jessica. I had a great time, as always. I got to meet some new readers, like Holly Smith and Jennifer Sapa, and I got to meet Janet Rodman, who I already knew online. Hi, Janet!
Paige Tyler and me
There is so much going on at RAGT that I don’t know where to start! There were panels, meet-and-greets, games, book signings, shopping, a raffle baskets, and more. The first person I saw when I arrived was Paige Tyler. Paige is a fellow Romance Diva, and she has always been so kind to me. I can’t tell you how much I love Paige.
Ty Langston, Tatum Throne, Maddy, Paige Tyler
I met many authors for the first time including Ty Langston and Tatum Throne, who were part of the Writing Divas and a Dude boardroom. The other Divas were Paige Tyler and Tigris Eden. Tigris wasn’t able to be there due to a family emergency. One of the things my boardroom did was a fashion show. I have
lots of SCA garb, from many different time periods and cultures, and the hard part was deciding which to bring! Here is a pic from that: Tatum Throne in Viking, Ty Lanston in 16th Century Florentine, Paul in late 20th Century Indian, Paige Tyler in a sari, and Marilyn Mandalis in 16th Century Japanese. The fashion show was a lot of fun and people seemed to like it. I think we’ll do it again next year.
Tatum Throne, Ty Lanston, Paul, Paige Tyler, Marilyn Mandalis
Marcie and Maddy
Jessica and I also put together a raffle basket. It was won by Marcie, who seemed to be very excited about her win. I hope she enjoys the afghan I made, and the books and the $40.00 Barnes & Noble gift card that Jessica donated.
First some housekeeping. On Wednesday morning I am leaving Fargo to drive to West Chester Ohio for Lori Foster’s Annual Reader & Author Get Together. I have been CRAZY busy getting ready for it, and as a result, the snip this week is rather short. And I will have just gotten home from RAGT next week so there won’t be a snip on 6/10. Sorry about that! I promise to make it up to you!
Also, you may notice some gaps in the story or it seems rushed to you. A reader emailed me to ask about that, so let me explain. You are not getting the entire story. For instance, at the time of this snip, Sand has been courting Amanda for about three weeks. Amanda has taken Sand home to meet her father and her young cousin, who has come to stay with him for a few years. Some things I’m leaving out because they could be spoilers for Wolf’s Vengeance, and because I don’t want to reveal some things for Wolf’s Princess yet. But I promise you’ll get to read the whole thing for free by the end of the year. I’m going to polish it up and post it on the blog in its entirety before Wolf’s Princess comes out.
So… Enjoy!
Sand didn’t like the look of the mayor’s house. From what he could see above the thick wall that enclosed it, it was more of a stone fortress than a house.
Sky nodded at the man who came to the gate in the tall, thick wall. “Good morning, Arthur. This is my cousin, Sand Wolfe. We have a meeting with the mayor this morning.”
The man looked them over with no expression. “You’re expected, Mr. Wolfe,” he finally said, and directed two men to open the heavy gate.
It was habit that made Sand automatically catalogue how many guards there were at the gate in the tall stone wall, and how many more were positioned along the wall and in the grounds, and how they were armed. He figured there were at least twenty, but probably more, around the back where he couldn’t see, and they all carried heavy batons perfect for cracking skulls, as well as guns and knives. They could be trouble if he and Sky needed to leave in a hurry.
Sky walked confidently over the decorative gravel drive to the house. Out of the corner of his mouth he muttered, “Remember to keep quiet unless you are asked a question. Answer honestly, but do not mention your wolf.”
Sky had already said that several times during the half hour it took to walk here. “I remember.”
“And quit tugging on your tie like that; you’ll ruin the knot.”
Sand lowered his hand to his side, remembering his mate’s hands twisting the length of fabric into a complicated pattern at his throat, and her heady scent so close to his nose. Another guard answered the front door. This one wore a suit, but Sand saw the outline of a gun beneath the coat.
“Mr. Wolfe,” he said, with a little bow. “Please come in. Mayor McGrath is in the library.”
It was cool inside the house, but Sand began to sweat anyway. He followed Sky to the back of the house, past half a dozen armed guards into a room with a fireplace, a round table in the center, and books on the walls. Another time he might have liked to look at the books, but now all he saw was the smug, oily face of Terry Askup. Just as his lip began to raise in a snarl, Sky jabbed his elbow into his side. Terry, seated at the small table, tilted his head with a smile that made Sand yearn to punch his fat mouth. Sand subsided and watched the other man rise from the table to shake Sky’s hand.
“Sky,” he said warmly. His hair was brown with lots of gray, his body tall and going soft around the middle, his smile wide, with too many teeth showing. He reeked of cologne. Sand’s hackles, barely smoothed after sighting Askup, threatened to rise again. His wolf didn’t like this man, or his perfumed scent. “Thank you for coming.”
Sand shot a glance at Sky. They’d had a choice? His cousin took the mayor’s hand with a smile as falsely cordial. “Thanks for setting the investigation here instead of at City Hall.”
“I think we can get things settled a little more quietly, don’t you? There’s no need for formality.” The mayor sent Askup a quick frown before he turned the wide, too perfect smile on Sand. “And you must be Sand Wolfe.”
Sand allowed the mayor to pump his hand up and down and hid his distaste behind a cool nod.
“Let’s all sit down and make ourselves comfortable. Coffee?”
Sand declined, Sky accepted. He sat in the leather arm chair and forced a calm, polite expression on his face. Sky and the mayor wasted a few minutes exchanging pleasantries about the mayor’s wife’s delicate health, the weather, and some upcoming social event that Sand couldn’t care less about. Askup didn’t seem to care either. His stare was fixed on Sand with an unpleasant smirk twisting his lips.
The mayor set his coffee cup down. “So, let’s get down to business, shall we?”
“Certainly,” Sky said, leaning back in his chair with supremely relaxed smile. In the years he’d been away from the Pack he had become a fine actor. Sand thought that was sad. At the den Sky had never used a word like ‘certainly’.
“Terry has made a complaint about treatment he received at your house a couple of weeks ago. He tells me Mr. Sand Wolfe threw him out without explanation when he had a long-standing appointment with Miss Amanda. He incurred some physical injuries during the encounter.”
Sky just kept smiling. “Naturally the House regrets any inconvenience to Terry. We always have reserved the right to cancel appointments at the lady’s discretion. Amanda has canceled all her appointments for the foreseeable future.”
Askup sneered at Sand. “Because he threatened her if she didn’t?”
Sand barely controlled his wolf’s snarl, but forced himself to keep his mouth shut as instructed.
“Not at all.” Sky crossed lifted an ankle to the opposite knee. “Miss Amanda is taking some time to consider if she will accept Sand’s marriage proposal.”
Askup slapped a hand on the table. “Now, see? That’s just wrong. Amanda is my fiancée.”
Only Sky’s foot slamming down on his kept Sand and his wolf from exploding. Sky was still smiling, but the smile took on a fiercer curve. “I believe you are mistaken, Terry. You asked Amanda to be your wife, but she declined.”
Under the overpowering reek of the mayor’s cologne Sand caught a whiff of Askup’s self-satisfaction.
Askup waved that off like it was smoke irritating his nose. “Every woman wants to be pursued, especially a whore.”
Sand’s wolf nearly took over. He fought to keep the wolf back. Sky lost the smile and the relaxed posture. He shot up straight in the chair. “We never use that term for our ladies.” His voice was almost pleasant; his face was not. “I would appreciate it if you’d remove that word from your vocabulary.”
Askup laughed heartily. “We’re all men here. We don’t need to pussy-foot around the name. Speaking of pussies…” He leaned forward, his lips shiny with spit, to leer at Sand “Have you tasted Mandy’s? I don’t usually like to eat pussy, but Mandy’s is worth it. Just hearing her beg me to go harder when I stick my tongue up her–”
Sand’s control broke. With a howl he lunged over the table, hands closing around Askup’s throat. He’d barely begun to squeeze when Sky’s arms dragged him back, forcing his grip to break. Vaguely he realized a dozen men had poured into the room, but he didn’t’ care. He just wanted to feel Askup’s blood on his tongue.
“Let me go!” he growled.
“Calm down,” Sky commanded in Alpha tones. It took a few moments of hoarse panting for Sand to identify Askup’s scent. Gloating triumph didn’t show on his face, but the scent was clear. The townsman reeled out of his chair, clutching his reddening throat.
“See? He’s a dangerous, out-of-control criminal! I want him arrested for assault!” he demanded.
Was that regret on the mayors face? He gestured to the guards standing around Sand and Sky. “Place Mr. Sand Wolfe under arrest and take him to the city cells.”
Template to be used to assemble cover art for Liquid Silver Books. It was created in PhotoShop CS6.
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