Sunday Snippet: Sibling Rivalry

July 12, 2015

Well… not a bad week, with the exception of a nasty case of poison ivy. Bleh. I'm not fond of being itchy in any way, shape, or form. *scratch, scratch*

SDCC happened this week and I'm so excited for a couple of new shows and movies. I also love seeing the actors from my favorite shows do their panels. Looking forward to taking some time to dive into everything.

Teen Wolf is getting really creepy, which I love. I'm sort of long on theories and not much else, but something tells me Peter Hale is behind everything. LOL He's so easy to blame.

The Last Ship is so good at drawing out and ramping up tension. Another show where I have theories about who's behind the scenes trying to manipulate everything. I can't wait for tonight's episode.

My Friday night lineup of Defiance, Killjoys, and Dark Matter keeps getting better and better. One of the things I love about Defiance is how quickly they move the plot along. And a major brawl between Amanda and Stahma never hurts anything. Pushing the envelope where family relationships are concerned is also an interesting choice. And speaking of family relationships, the Jaqobi brothers are quickly turning into one of my favorite sibling duos. I'm holding back on forming strong opinions with Dark Matter at the moment. I can't quite figure why Two is going for Three yet. I have a few ideas, but none have formed into anything solid yet.

Tonight's post is from Sibling Rivalry, a novella where, you guessed it, a strong rivalry between brothers comes into play.

Here's the mini-blurb:

When Fayne Cartier falls for his brother's flight instructor, Rumor Child, he has no idea how difficult dating will end up being when his brother shows signs of not having the chops to qualify. Rumor won't cut him from her class thinking the sibling rivalry may be just what the younger Cartier needs.

And a sneaky peek…

Rumor Child called in her next candidate for flight school. "Renner Cartier. You're up." She opened his file and scanned the information.

Mediocre grades, but a sharp mind. Followed orders and made it through basic training without incident. The last name intrigued her. A full bird colonel shared the moniker, Fenrick Cartier, and the man defined flight legend. Commendations out the ass and credited with inventing two combat maneuvers the admiralty immediately put into the training program and still used to date. If memory served, the colonel had a hot shot son already on the fast track to squadron command, one who'd broken quite a few of his father's records. She couldn't say for certain—he'd gone through before her—but she'd bet her credentials the two men had been the pilots she picked to compete against. She'd needed someone's record for motivation and the Cartiers had the numbers to beat.

The shuffle of feet drew her attention. A handsome, wet-behind-the-ears cadet entered the room.

He saluted. "Lieutenant Child, Cadet Cartier reporting as ordered." He dropped his arm and stood at parade rest.

Rumor cracked a smile. "No need for the formality, cadet. Come on in and let's get started." She picked up her pen and put the potential familial relationship out of her mind.

No one got accepted into her class if she didn't think they had the stones to cut the work.

Renner crossed the room and took the seat opposite of her. "Thanks, Lieutenant. I don't mind admitting I'm a little daunted by this whole process." He kept his back straight and placed his palms on his thighs.

Rumor bit back a chuckle. "Relax, cadet. I won't bite, I swear—"

Her promise ended abruptly when a man, still in a flight suit, burst through her doorway.

He ripped the cover from his head. "Dammit, Renner, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Stomping across the floor, he stopped beside the cadet's chair.

Renner heaved a sigh. "Sir, my apologies. My brother…" He rose and faced his sibling. "Has no business barging in on my interview. Get out, Fayne."

The light bulb went off. Rumor quirked an eyebrow. The brothers stood toe-to-toe, staring each other down. The familial resemblance came through in spades. Both had rigid backs, muscles bunching and flexing under their clothes. Each had strong jaws and flashing eyes. Neither would ever be able to hide the fact they were related. And both had the kind of looks Rumor went for, with the exception of Renner looking at least six years younger than his older brother.

Fayne leaned closer and jabbed a finger in his sibling's shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere until you explain what you think you're doing." His mouth thinned to a flat line. "You're not ready for this."

Renner held his ground. "Says you. And I stopped listening to anything you have to say last year when you tried to talk me out of enlisting." He folded his arms across his chest, lifted his chin, and refused to meet his brother's gaze.

Rumor observed the standoff, her interest piqued. After the stunt the elder Cartier just pulled, she'd pretty much decided Renner would get in on principal alone. She didn't care who his old man happened to be, but the dickhead move his brother just pulled pretty much sealed the deal for her.

Fayne opened his mouth to speak, but Rumor held up a hand. "Uh uh. You can stop right there, Lieutenant." She rose and made her way around the desk. "This is my interview and I decide who makes the grade." She picked up the file. "I don't see any reason Cadet Cartier should be blocked." She met Fayne's gaze. "Unless you have something to show me that says otherwise."

Fayne snorted. "My brother isn't cut out for flying." He folded his arms over his chest.

Rumor fought the urge to roll her eyes. If the brothers could see themselves…

But their similarities wouldn't resolve their standoff. And the elder brother had her seriously pissed off at the moment.

Rumor straightened, boldly perusing Fayne. "Did you add an instructor credit to your jacket, then?"

He shot her a nasty look in response.

She nodded. "No? Okay, then. Until you do, or until you have something more specific than an opinion as to why your brother shouldn't be admitted to basic flight, I suggest you do as he asked and get out." She pointed toward the door. "Now." She flicked a glance toward the clock on the wall. "I have a very tight schedule to keep and you're family drama isn't on my agenda."

Fayne took a step toward his brother but Rumor cut in and blocked his path. "Let me be clear, Lieutenant, I'm a highly qualified instructor and I decide who enters the flight program. You just fly the birds." She jerked her head toward the door. "Which I can stop you from doing if you don't move your ass out of this room in the next thirty seconds."

Fayne narrowed his eyes and for a moment she thought he might push back—hard.

But after a brief locking of gazes, he took a step away and retreated. Turning on his heel, he stalked toward the door.

Before exiting, he called out over his shoulder. "We're not done, Renner. Not by a long shot."

He left the room and all the air seemed to suck into a large vortex.

Dragging in oxygen, Rumor then exhaled slowly. "Wow." The guy definitely had presence.

Renner let out a grunt behind her. "Yeah, he has that effect on people. You never get used to it."

Honestly? I had the best time writing the standoff between the brothers. I'm going to enjoy finishing this one.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye