My new novella is out now, now I say! What’s it about? Here’s some finely crafted blurb to whet your appetite:
Terminally misbehaved apprentice Rayna is the worst thief in the world. That won’t stop her trying to gain access to the notorious Thieves Guild though, even if she has to rob every vault in the city to do it.
If Rafe, the charismatic Master of Thieves, hadn’t noticed her before he certainly notices her once she executes a plan that throws the entire guild into pandemonium. If the attentions of a stern Master weren’t enough for one miscreant to deal with, there’s also Peta, the most powerful woman in the guild, and an authority that Rayna can’t seem to help crossing.
If she’s to survive the Thieves Guild, Rayna will have to have more than just a tough hide, she’ll need to find a way to make peace with those in power, a task that will push her feeble powers of obedience to the very limit.
Excerpt:
“Damn kid. How much trouble have you been in?” Peta swore, frowning at Rayna’s rear end as Rayna see-sawed back and forth over the stool. Lesser young ladies would have been mortified being bent over like that with their lady parts exposed, but Rayna was hardly one to be mortified, especially as she was more than accustomed to the position she found herself in. It seemed that barely a day went by that one instructor or another wasn’t finding fault with her and dragging her off to be punished.
Craning her head over her shoulder and looking in a large gilt framed mirror hanging on the wall Rayna saw her own behind displayed and looking for all the world as if someone had been running small carts across it all morning. There were a few dark lines and between them, blotchy pink red marks.
Rayna shrugged. “They like to take out their frustrations on me, what can I say?”
Peta’s eyes met hers. “Is that so. You’re simply a poor victim of the system, are you?”
“Absolutely. I never had a chance. My mother didn’t love me enough and my father never attended a single dance recital,” Rayna said in pitiful tones.
“Save it for a judge, kid,” Peta said, snorting back what might very well have been laughter. Rayna held her breath and hoped that she was being sufficiently charming. Charm was pretty much her only weapon. She was useless at climbing and swinging, and armed robbery was completely out of the question. She barely knew the pointy end of a dagger from the non pointy end and there wasn’t a single instructor still willing to teach her after one of them almost lost his ear.
“But you are the judge, Ma’am, you are the judge, jury and executioner,” Rayna said with wide, earnest eyes.
Peta’s eyes remained locked on her bottom for a long moment and Rayna felt herself begin to squirm with embarrassment. There was getting beaten and then there was just hanging about the place half clothed in front of powerful people.
“When did this happen?” Peta asked eventually.
“Uhm, some this morning,” Rayna tried to remember as best she could. “And some yesterday evening.. and some yesterday morning.. and I think maybe the day before that…”
Peta held up her hand to stop her. “I see,” she said.
Rayna held her breath. Maybe the fact that she was so marked would save her. Maybe Peta would take pity on her. Maybe she was a really nice woman after all.
“OWW!” A sudden cut of the rod across the spot where her bottom and thighs met dissuaded her of that notion.
