#SnippetSunday - The Beltane Witch - What the Queen Wants

Welcome to the Snippet Sunday on the Weird, the Wild, and the Wicked. Thank you so much for visiting. If you choose to comment today, I really appreciate it. Currently, the snippets are from my newest release, and while they aren't consecutive, they are in order within the story. You can read last week's snippet HERE.

Today, I'm offering a snippet from The Beltane Witch, the second book in the Cloudburst Colorado series. It's available on Smashwords, All Romance Ebooks, Amazon, and B&N. In this snippet, Darius is reporting to the Summer Queen all he's found out with procuring a witch for the Beltane Rituals. Unfortunately, she's not pleased with his progress and has upped the stakes.

The Queen stared at him with thoughtful eyes, but her expression remained serene. Darius had the sinking feeling the other shoe was about to drop.

“See that you do, Chamberlain, or the consequences will be dire.” She rose from her seat and turned, raising her chin and looking down her nose at him. “You must convince her to do the rituals or you will lose not only your position in our Court, but also your longevity, your honor, and your sword, which your family prizes so. In addition, the Winterbourne name shall be stricken from our records, and your family shall be banned at Court.”

Darius’s gut churned and he clenched his jaw. How dare she take everything he held dear from him over another’s choice? He’d been nothing but loyal and diligent for all his centuries of service. He’d never considered the Queen banishing his family from her Court over his failure to convince Sabrina.

Looks like there's trouble in paradise and he'll have to make a decision on what he values most. :) There are several great authors on the Weekend Writing Warrior list and in the Snippet Sunday Facebook group. A few of my favorites are Anastasia Vitsky, SJ Maylee, Goran Zidar, Zee Monodee, and A.S. Fenichel.

If you're interested in The Beltane Witch, here's the cover and the blurb:

Magic, mayhem, and motherhood… a witch’s work is never done, but Sabrina draws the line at the Fae.

After almost two decades as a practicing witch in Cloudburst, Colorado, Sabrina Foxglove is done with men, magic, and the fertility rituals of High Beltane. She’s dealt with all three before and ended up with two young daughters and no partner. Twice. She’s looking forward to a magic-free May Day, with nothing more exciting than making brownies for a kindergarten class and decorating a May Pole. She definitely doesn’t have time for a handsome, Fae-touched man…

After almost two centuries as the human chamberlain to the Fae’s Summer Court, Darius Winterbourne is a man accustomed to getting his way. So when the Summer Queen tasks him with finding a witch to perform the annual rituals and strengthen the ancient warding magicks, he figures it should be easy. He doesn’t expect Sabrina’s hardheaded refusal, her untrained abilities, or his attraction to her. With less than a week to Beltane, he must gain Sabrina’s trust before he loses his home, his position…and his heart.

Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! :)