Snippet: house husband

I feel like roadkill. This is not news. However, to combat the pollen blahs, I'm going to make someone else's day. Enjoy!


This is a snippet from Breaker's Ruin, book 2 of the Convergence Series and a work in progress. Book one of the series, Bramble Burn, is available wherever ebooks are sold.

Breaker glanced away from her bedroom door and looked out the living room window. Daisy lived inside a giant hollow tree, and the view of Bramble Burn Park was magnificent. The owner, Juniper Bjorn, was a tree mage who’d taken a burned out, monster infested park and turned it into a magical paradise. Except in the warded area, there were still monsters, much to his delight. The forest was excellent hunting, and he kept up his membership with the werewolves who oversaw the Juniper’s hunting lodge.

Juniper’s tree, the Iron Oak, was visible across the lawn. Sheathed in iron against monsters, it had a bud-shaped greenhouse on top, currently shuttered in giant iron leaves. Heavily pregnant, she lived there with her werewolf husband.

Daisy was friends with her. That could be useful.

Luke was asleep. He pondered the boy, considered how he could use him to further his sister’s courtship. He’d already indicated a willingness to see them mated, and he’d be a sly collaborator.

With a smile of anticipation, he settled back to scheme. Daisy could thank him later.

As Daisy drank her coffee, she noted a thick, leather bound book on her counter. It hadn’t been there last night, so she assumed it belonged to one of her guests. With a blink to clear away morning cobwebs, she reached for her glasses and read the title, “Brilliance at Work, a Biography of Malcom the Silver”.

She sat back, floored. Someone had written a biography about Malcolm? The script was draconian, and it had been published eleven years ago. Intrigued, she scanned the table of contents, and her jaw dropped when she saw each section covered hundreds of years. Did her mom know this? He’d never said anything.

The mesh of iron flowers that protected her tree retracted with a metallic grind as the sun rose, distracting her. She glanced out the window as the shadow of dragon wings fell over the balcony. Breaker and Luke landed in human form and strode inside, letting in a draft of cool autumn air.

“Hey, sis! The hunting here is awesome. You should come sometime,” Luke said with a grin. He kissed her cheek and confiscated the banana she’d set near her coffee, putting it back in the fruit bowl with a contemptuous sneer. “Fruit is not food.” He grabbed the ingredients for firethorn tea and rummaged in the fridge, completely at home in her kitchen.

“Don’t tell me what you ate, thanks. I haven’t had breakfast yet,” she said mildly, ignoring his jibe. It was an old argument. She nodded hello to Breaker. “Did you bring this book?”

“I did. I thought it would be educational. Luke said your father hasn’t told you much of his history. It’s fascinating reading.”

She raised her brows. “You sound like you admire him.”

“Any dragon who’s survived nearly two thousand years is worth studying. The history he must have seen.” He sounded almost wistful.

“Two thousand! That’s crazy,” she said. The book had said as much, but she hadn’t done more than glance at it. “Have you actually met him? I mean, he’s so…normal. I wouldn’t say boring, but…”

“You’d think it,” Luke said cheerfully. He put together a breakfast sandwich for her while he waited for the tea kettle to boil. Loaded with meat, pickled peppers, tomatoes and homemade mustard, it sizzled as he toasted it in a pan.

“We’ve met, but never really talked. He’s not much for conversation,” Breaker admitted.

“Lesser mortals are boring,” Luke said sagely. “He’d rather chat with old physics teachers or astronomers.” He slid a perfectly toasted sandwich in front of Daisy. “Eat up.”

“Thanks. You’d make an excellent house husband one day,” she teased.