A BS Bonus Scene? In YOUR Inbox? It's More Likely Than You Think!

pssst, if you’re just here for the Bloody Spade bonus scene, scroll to the “Last Things Last” segment!

FIRST THINGS FIRST

I’m always a busy, busy bee these days but the past few months have had me buzzing all over the place mentally, emotionally, and a little bit physically. So as we head into autumn and the leaves begin to change and the weather cools (*wails in mourning, for I thrive in the warmth*), how about we do a little summer recap?

Alongside getting back into the swing of social things with visits to friends and family and my dad’s trip over from Alberta, the earlier part of the summer was largely focused on production and release prep for the Bloody Spade audiobook, which released on August 2nd! I’m so grateful to everyone who has listened and reviewed and showed support thus far. This was such a fun project to work on!

And if you missed the announcement before: there WILL be a sequel audiobook, so you can look forward to more of Hunter McCoy’s brilliant narration for this series in the future. I know I will be <3

(Tip: if you already own the ebook on Kindle, you can use Amazon’s Matchmaker program to get the audiobook for just shy of $8 USD!)

I went on to spend the last two weeks of August on a much-needed vacation, during which I got to see some of my best friends, listen to orchestral anime music at a candlelight concert before proceeding to Nature Nocturn’s pride event at the Ottawa Museum of Nature, play an absurd amount of Baldure’s Gate 3, and . . . zero-draft almost 47k words of my post-apocalyptic SFF fugitive werewolf story.

In six days.

What can I say? There were two wolves inside me itching to get out, so I set them free, and they left a huge honkin’ mess of words in their wake. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to start wrangling those words into a coherent story (as I seem to have lost the ability to efficiently juggle writing with work after wrapping up the Cardplay Duology earlier this year), but it’s a huge relief just to have this draft down and waiting for me.

On that note, I did manage to write a little something-something amidst the blur of work that was September . . .

LAST THINGS LAST

My mind wouldn't let go of this scene until I put it down on the page and I figured if I was going to write it, I might as well share it! So I hope you'll enjoy these 1,675 words of post-Cardplay Duology sweetness featuring Anxious New Dad Iori and Uncle Alex ☺️

WORLD, MEET MALLORY

FEBRUARY 2040

In the midst of the worst blizzard to befall Hildegrand in years, Mallory Ryone-Jane came wailing into the world with a cry to rival the winds outside.

Though not generally the superstitious sort, Iori worried that her timing might be a bad omen. Ellen, of course, had chided him for having such a thought, insisting on the opposite, and he hadn’t dared to argue whilst she labored on the living room floor. But now, as she rested in bed and Iori sat alone in the nursery by their newborn’s crib, his fears ran unbridled into the night.

Where would the threads of Mallory’s life lead? Would she make good friends, good choices, and keep out of harm’s way? Today’s society was in many ways safer than in Iori’s youth, but being born into arguably the most powerful magical family in the world carried its own risks. And should harm come, would he always be there to protect her?

He couldn’t hover over her forever.

Slumbering silently in the crib, Mallory clutched his thumb, oblivious to the concerns blustering through his brain. The vastness beyond these walls that terrified him so was a mystery to her. But before too long, she would learn about the good, the bad, the ugly, and the reverent beauty of it all.

Iori’s ears pricked to the opening of a door downstairs. Voices followed, radiating from the kitchen below—Dr. Fornell’s, Hikaru’s, Elizabeth’s . . . and a fourth accompanied by a welcome though unexpected hearth-like crackle. The man to whom it belonged appeared in the doorway a short while later, silhouetted by the light spilling in from the hall.

For once, Alexander Jane hadn’t changed between visits. The past few years, he’d frequently come back sporting a different arrangement of hair on his face or his head or both. Last spring he returned with a sparse ‘stache and Ellen had burst out laughing so hard that it was gone by dinnertime, shaved off in embarrassment. Having just visited for the Starlight Festival last month, however, he remained the same as then: smooth-faced and scalp shaved, save for a strip down the middle which he’d pulled into a bun.

“What are you doing here?” asked Iori in a croak of a voice. “I thought you weren’t coming until next week.”

“I wasn’t. But I promised Ellen I’d be here, so Kyani took the reins early and I hopped a red-eye. Considering the state of the roads between here and the airport”—He glanced at his pocket watch—“I’d say getting here a quarter to midnight is making good time. Looks like I missed the exciting part, though.” He craned his neck, peering into the crib from the doorway. “Is she asleep?”

At the subtle invitation of a nod from Iori, he stepped lightly into the room for a closer look at his niece. Swirls of jet black hair covered her head, chubby cheeks red as ripened apples. Iori had found her cherubic features endearing. Her uncle’s appraisal was much less generous.

“Newborns always look so weird.”

Iori scrunched his face up in offense on Mallory’s behalf. “You spent ten hours on a plane to come and insult my daughter? You’re lucky I’m . . .” He trailed off, derailed by his own words. “God, it sounds strange to say that.”

His daughter, his child. A whole living, breathing human being he had co-created and for whom he was responsible.

Alexander crouched by the end of the crib, piercings and cheekbone scales glinting in the hall light when he glanced up at Iori. “I hear you delivered her yourself.”

A tired laugh escaped him, the memory like a fever dream now. “Yeah, I did. Didn’t have much choice, really. This little one just couldn’t bear to wait for the doctor.” Fornell had provided guidance over the phone as she trudged through the storm from headquarters. “Has to be one of the strangest, most fulfilling things I’ve ever done . . . I can’t even imagine being in Ellen’s position.”

“How is she?”

“Resting, finally,” said Iori. Neither of them had gotten a wink of sleep since the night before last. “She held herself together a lot better than I did. The second our plan went out the window, I panicked, and she just powered through it. Calm as anything.” They’d intended for Ellen to be induced next week, hence Alexander’s previously scheduled arrival. And while she had no doubt been under a tremendous amount of stress herself, she had maintained her composure with the faith that everything would work out in the end. A faith Iori hadn’t yet mastered.

Mallory squeezed his thumb tighter then, an involuntary gesture that nonetheless sent his heart aflutter. Stroking her hand, he rested his face against the arm he’d lain atop the crib’s guardrail. “Y’know, I don’t think the whole fatherhood deal actually hit me until I held her. Suddenly I had this tiny, screaming, naked thing in my arms, and I knew I’d go to the ends of the earth to protect her. Except now I’m scared I won’t be able to. She just seems so fragile, and the world is so big and complicated . . .”

“The world’s always been big and complicated,” Alexander reasoned, rising again. “She’ll grow up in a loving home surrounded by people who’ll look after her. She’ll be okay. And if you’re worried about physical injuries, kids are durable as fuck.”

Some more durable than others, mused Iori. His tail curled and uncurled at the recollection of his post-awakening childhood, when his wounds began to heal right before his eyes. Even being the product of two Keepers wouldn’t grant Mallory that ability, nor did it guarantee her an ounce of magic at all.

The media had been speculating on that ever since news broke that one of Hildegrand’s protectors was expecting, and they wouldn’t stop until she reached the age of ten to fifteen—the point at which an individual’s stardust levels peaked, thereby granting them power or solidifying their mundanity. Some folks even predicted that Mallory’s parentage would bestow upon her the capacity to become a Keeper herself someday. But Keepers were chosen, not born, and part of Iori hoped magic’s touch would bypass her altogether, if only to spare her a fraction of the trouble he’d had to endure.

Was it selfish to wish for his child to have the normal life that had been robbed from him?

Odd to think, however, that magic would be an intrinsic part of her normal.

Mallory’s restless twitching evolved into kicking and whimpering and tears, and the exhaustion welling up inside Iori nearly pushed him to the brink of them as well. Suppressing a huff, he rose from the footstool he’d parked himself on and lifted her out of the crib.

“What’s the matter, hm?” he asked softly as she released a shivering sob into the folds of his knit cardigan. “Is it feeding time or are you just telling me you’re alive? Because I know it. Good god, don’t I know it . . .” He kissed the top of her head, and her sobs turned into a shriek that made his ears twist back. “If we could not deafen me this time, that would be much appreciated.”

“Can I take her for a bit?” offered Alexander.

“I’m not going to pawn her off on you. You just got here.”

“I slept on the plane. You haven’t slept since . . . what, yesterday? Besides, I’m only here for a few days. She and I could use the bonding time.”

Iori stared at Alexander’s extended arms in contemplation, gently bouncing Mallory to calm her. Her cries only grew louder, and he realized the reason he was holding onto her so tight wasn’t simply because he didn’t want to burden someone else with his responsibility. It was because she hadn’t yet left his sight for more than a couple of minutes, and the thought of leaving her for longer without even Ellen there rattled his nerves.

He met Alexander’s eyes. “What if something happens?”

“I run the entire Ammolitian branch of Cardplay. I think I can manage one baby for a few hours.” Alexander’s arms slackened then, gaze softening in understanding. “If anything does happen, I’ll wake you. Alright?”

This was her uncle, his brother-in-law. If Iori could trust him with his own life, he could trust him with hers.

Though still somewhat reluctant, he surrendered the sniveling bundle to Alexander.

“Hey there,” he cooed, taking her under the arms. And as he hoisted her up in front of him, the tears momentarily stopped pouring from her cherry-colored eyes—whatever need she had replaced by the curiosity of an unfamiliar face. “Yeah, I’m new, aren’t I? Wanna hang out and get to know each other?” Then, cradling her one-armed against his chest, he looked to Iori. “I think we’re gonna get along fine.”

Iori let out the faintest scoff of amusement, the exhaustion seeping all the way into his bones now that he’d been forcibly relieved from duty. “You’re probably right.” He ran his fingers through his fringe. “There’s, um, there’s a bottle in the fridge if she’s hungry. Hikaru can show you where everything else is.”

“Got it.”

On his way by, Iori placed a hand on Alexander’s shoulder, his voice dropping to a murmur. “Thank you.”

Mallory stared between the two of them as if trying to decipher their conversation. What she couldn’t understand, and perhaps never would, was the weight of the gratitude contained in her father’s words. However, the quirk of a smile on Alexander’s lips showed that he understood all too well.

“Don’t mention it.” He nodded to the hall. “Go be with Ellen.”

Without further protest, Iori exited the room, tossing one last glance over his shoulder. And with the image of Alexander gently rocking Mallory from side to side, he could rest assured that she would be in good hands.

She would be looked after, she would be loved.

That was enough.

Thanks for reading! Here's the full art from the banner <3

What I’m reading: Curious Tides by Pascale LacelleWhat I’m watching: Jujutsu Kaisen 2nd SeasonWhat I’m playing: Hades while in Baldur’s Gate 3 withdrawalWhat I’m listening to: I’m on a Mother, Mother kick lately