Wasn’t sure which one of my books I wanted to share for the Free Friday Snippet so I went for Kylarra and Verrick because, why not? They have such a fun dynamic. I don’t think it’ll ever quit between them. They are . . . a unique couple. Luckily they were born for the other so  it works out. Nobody else could deal with them.

This is a scene from Blood By Night. Available to purchase now.

In this scene, Verrick is “babysitting” Kylarra in a way. Her father asked Verrick to take her home and ensure she got there safely. Verrick thought (as usual) he would have some fun with her and play, just to stoke that temper of hers. And . . . of course it works.

Kylarra snarled. She lurched forward and punched the air with a finger. “Verrick Conrad . . . anyone ever tell you you’re an asshole?”

He stiffened and faced her. She stepped back from the look on his face. “All the time. I don’t give a shit. Why take my side if I’m such an asshole?”

Kylarra stepped closer to her bathroom, then froze. “I—what?” That caught her off-guard. “I wanted to. I can only imagine how my father calmed them down after we left.”

Verrick shrugged one shoulder. “Go shower.”

Kylarra stiffened and her eyes widened. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

“Do it . . . because I told you to.”

He knew full well that would make her try everything in her power to avoid doing what he said. “You just want me to stand here naked for a while longer.”

“I don’t disagree.”

Kylarra huffed. “Dammit Verrick! Back and forth. Argh! I’m taking a shower, but I’m taking it because I want to—” she poked herself in the chest, leaving a red mark “—not because you said to.” She stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

“You want me to come in there and shower with you,” he said through the walls. The images of that swept through her and it took all she had not to open the door and beg him to do it.

“No, I don’t,” she yelled at the closed door. She spun the water on to drown out any other retort from him. “Menace to society is what that man is,” she grumbled when she stepped under the water. She sucked in a sharp breath and squeaked when the icy water hit her bare skin.

“I can still hear you,” came Verrick’s voice over the rushing of the water.

“Go to Hell.”

Gosh, they are a couple that I enjoy writing. He doesn’t hold his beast back at all. Most Lycaen try to . . . how to put it . . . fit in? Or, hold it back somehow, but Verrick? Nah. He’s all beast. He celebrates it. Makes no qualms about “being better than them.” (Humans.) And not just that, but when it comes to Kylarra, he’s almost like a bulldozer. I think that’s what she loves about him.

After all, this is the one couple in all my books that you’ll find go to the extreme when it comes to everything. Kylarra was even the one who told her best friend, Mila (Witness to the Moon, Claiming the Enchantress) that “pain can be fun.” Well, when it comes to her and Verrick, I don’t know that there is a line. Kylarra likes to play like there is, but Verrick knows how far to push. Dominant male? Check.

We see it in Law of the Beast or Birth of a Princess when Verrick tells her straight out that he would never cross that line with her. He isn’t her ex, Sloan, who loved to push pain into the extreme territory. I won’t give away too much, but suffice it to say, Sloan didn’t have lines, even when it came to crossing into abuse. For him, true pain and the screams of women went into a territory that nobody, and I mean nobody (even Verrick and Ky who enjoy pain) would ever touch. Because for Verrick, Kylarra’s pain is his own. When she suffers so much as a scratch, Verrick would do anything to take it away. He can’t keep her from suffering completely, but despite being his fierce “super alpha” as Ky teases, side, Verrick can’t hurt Ky. She is his heart. Everything to him.

Verrick knows how far to push Kylarra because they grew up together. He knows her better than she may know herself. He knows when to push her, how far he can, and whether she’s hating what he’s doing, or not. And I think when he pushes her limits, he tends to stretch them. From what I gather, she also gets off on him ordering her around. Kylarra is used to men trying to push her, but when she pushes back they balk. From who her father was, from now who they realize claimed her long ago. It’s boring to her. She can play and they let her. When Verrick orders her, he’s blatantly pushing buttons he knows she wants pushed. Heck, he’s been doing it all her life. It started small. A slight demand here, a “no” there. And now? It’s why they belong together. They “get” the other. She also knows how far to push him, and when she should, or shouldn’t. Why wouldn’t he love her anyway? She dotes on him. It’s hidden amongst their fights, but he is her everything too. Not to mention, she’s never boring.

Update on Royal Blood –

Editing is going well. Few chapters in, and now it’s starting to move. That first chapter always take a bit to get through because it’s the most important part of the book. Especially when dealing with a series. I need to reacquaint readers while not overly detailing everything.

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