Snippet! :D

Hi, everyone!

I am so excited to finally begin getting into a schedule that feels right! Mind you, today was my first day at my new job, and while my brain has been packed full of new information and it will continue that way for a while, it was a wonderful first day! Now, I still have my goal set to have my first draft finished by August 1st.

See my note in my planner:

You think that's enough motivation? That face does look pretty mean!

So, there's that. Also, I wanted to share a snippet of what I've been working on...so, without any further rambling, here is a piece of CUTLASS!

Barren glared at the Elf. “Don’t tell me you expected her! How could she ever agree to marry my brother?”

Leaf shrugged, a smirk crossed his lips. “Ask her.”

Barren froze. He watched her again. She was happy; he could hear her laughter—full of love, of affection for life. His stomach flipped and a knot formed in his throat. He shook his head.

“I’ll wait,” he said.

Leaf rolled his eyes. “We’ll be here forever.”

“Well you didn’t expect me to just walk in and take her, did you?”

“Yes, actually—you’re Barren Reed, you do stupid things all the time and it somehow always works.”

Barren laughed, but said nothing. He was still watching Larkin. He wondered if she would ever be alone tonight—surely she would tire of so many people gawking at her. Barren watched the men around her. Though they had ladies on their arms, they still cast her yearning, hopeful looks. The women, though smiling and enthusiastic kept a jealous glint in their gaze, always checking their hair against hers, their dress, even the way they spoke. Did she know she had no friends among those she kept?

In that moment, she turned her head and her eyes met Barren’s. Her face captivated him—her features, though happy and joyous, did not reflect the same in her eyes. No, her eyes were filled with confusion and worry. As she stared, her smile faded, but Barren tilted his head to the side as he held her gaze and smirked. She seemed lost in that moment, unaware of what she was doing. Someone touched her arm and she broke her gaze. Barren looked away before he could tell who had disturbed her.

He turned around. “Come on, Leaf,” he said and retreated though the crowd of people and into the shadows of the courtyard. 

lol. Okay. I hope you enjoyed that! :) Tell me what you think. Do you like Leaf? I think it sounds more YA, which was my goal. 

Love, 

Ashley