Cathedral & Jackson Square during ghost tour

New Orleans trip

MMM & Vacation

Here's a Mistress of Malice and Mercy snippet before I go on vacation.  I'm spending one day in New Orleans before I head up to my brother's wedding.  Expect to be bombarded with pictures.  Apologies in advance.  :)

I am going on a ghost tour in New Orleans and am staying in a haunted hotel.  I plan on touring several cemeteries.  Unlike Viola, I have no desire to spend time with ghosts, so I expect to get almsot no sleep while I'm there.  If you happen to see a hotel room with all the lights on at three in the morning, that'll be me.



MMM - Chapter Thirty-Nine

“You’re not half wrong.”  She hooked her ankle around his calf and wriggled until she was plastered against his side.  “I could stay here, like this, forever.”

 

“We’re in a cemetery.”

 

Soft laughter floated on the breeze.  “J’rain and Temek don’t mind.  They’ve peacefully moved on.”

 

“I wasn’t worried about them.”

 

Her fingers skipped across his waist until they reached his belt buckle.  She traced the engraving for a moment before deliberately slipping southward.  “You know, back when I was in high school I had this recurring fantasy.  I’d sneak out of the house and you’d follow me and we’d argue and then you’d…”

 

He snatched her hand up and tucked it against his chest.  “We are not making out in the cemetery, Viola.”

 

“You’re no fun.”

 

He kissed her fingertips, moved his lips to the pulse fluttering at her wrist.  “I’ll make it up to you.”

 

“You’d better.”

MMM

She half-heartedly kicked his ankle. “I don’t need you to protect me all the time, Tobias.”

 

“Oh please,” he huffed, “you’ve been a trouble magnet since the day you were born. Sebastian and I spent most of the ‘90s rescuing you from one scrape or another. At times I swore you went looking for danger.”

 

Her warm breath tickled his neck when she laughed. She hooked her fingers through his belt loops and blocked out Sebastian’s gagging. “Can you blame me? I had my very own Prince Charming, complete with white horse and faithful sidekick. Besides, you know you enjoyed playing the hero.”

 

“I did.” He nipped her bottom lip, savored the way she melted against him. “Protecting you is second nature; don’t ask me to stop now, sugar. I don’t think I can.”

 

Viola and Sebastian in Mistress of Malice and Mercy

While the relationship between Duke and Viola is undoubtedly one of the most important in the series, the one between Viola and Sebastian is important.  The first incarnation of this series actually focused more on the Ashwood siblings and Duke was a secondary character (you see how well that turned out - sometimes I think he's more of a drama queen than Sebastian).  When their father disappeared and their mother lost her grip on sanity, the Ashwood siblings broke.  They didn't break in the same way, which is something I wanted to explore and I don't think I got a chance to do.  Ah well, who is going to complain about an excuse to write another Ashwood book?

I am probably in the minority, but I adore the relationship between Sebastian and Viola.  Of the siblings, they are the most alike, though there are some marked differences.  Amy's death split them, but there were cracks that started long before Elrachaim killed her.  Viola wanted to break with her siblings before that showdown.  Sebastian wanted to stop searching for their father and settle down to start a life with Amy.  They were drifting apart and poor Olivia was stuck trying to hold them together.

In The  Chaos Child, Sebastian and Viola try to work out some of their issues but things aren't easy because of his Dreamless Sleep addiction and the matter of trying to rescue Olivia.  In the end, she tells him that she knows he'll never trust her again and that they won't have the relationship they once had.  He surprises her by sticking around, and I think he'll surprise you in Mistress of Malice and Mercy. 

I also adore their teasing - it's not quite the same as her banter with Duke because there is an edge to it, but there is always affection.  This is one of their scenes together in MMM:

 

 

Tears stung Viola’s eyes. The lump in her throat hurt and she wanted to bawl like a baby. She flung her arms around Voltnor’s neck and dragged him down into a bear hug. “I love you guys so damn much.”

“Whoa there, little sister,” Sebastian teased. “Let’s not say things like that with Duke around. I’m not sure who I’d pick in that fight.”

She spun around and threw herself at Sebastian. He stumbled back a few steps but quickly regained his balance. Her arms and legs were like vices around his neck and knees. “I love you, too.”

“Hormones?” Sebastian asked an amused Voltnor.

”I would not dare presume to...”

Viola reared back to glare at her brother only to freeze when she caught a glimpse of his black eye and busted lip. His left cheek was puffy. Still clinging to him, she arched an eyebrow and drummed her fingers on his shoulderblades.

“What in the hell happened to you? Sweet mercy, Seabass-the-stupid-ass, who did you piss off this time? I have warned you about getting snippy with the Yvaltas in the cabin across from yours. How many times do I have to tell you that you cannot, I mean cannot, tease them about their horns. Did you just stand there and let whoever it was kick your ass or did you at least try to defend yourself?”

Over her head, Sebastian rolled his eyes at Voltnor. “Hormones.”