Friday Flash Fiction

The Alinar Publishing authors will now be doing 'Flash Fiction' on Fridays. If you aren't familiar with Flash Fiction, its a style of writing that is known for its brevity. (You can read more about it in Kallysten's post from yesterday.) In this case, our Flash Fiction will be anywhere from 1 - 1,000 words. The fiction is based on a specific themes, pictures or words.

We've selected a 'topic' for this first week and our contributions to the theme are all posted below. We'll need a new theme each week so, after you've read the entries for today, send a 'comment' with a 'theme' you'd like to read about.

Now, on to the Flash Fiction!


This week's theme: Fated Mates



Fated Mates by Lily Graison
(209 words)

He’d been told since he was old enough to appreciate the opposite sex that somewhere out there was a woman created just for him. Destiny would bring her to his door, so he waited, bidding his time until the world shifted on its axis and brought her to him.

Now that she was here, he wanted to find the person responsible and beat the life out of them.

This had to be a joke. Of all the people in the world, this is who he was to spend his life with? The bane of his existence?

“Don’t look so shocked,” Melinda said. “It’s not like I’m doing back flips about this either. Trust me, if there was someone else, I would be beating down his door.”

Kyle ran his gaze over the once gangly redhead and sighed. He hadn’t seen her in close to ten years. The last time being the day she beat the crap out of him in front of the entire pack. His pride still ached over that bit of humiliation. Brought down and left crying in the mud by a 10 year old girl. He’d yet to live that one down. Now that she was back, and destined to be his mate, he never would.


~*~

Fated Mates by Alexandra Marell/Candy Nicks
(254 words)

“I am your mate.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“What, are you stupid?” The man loomed over her. “I said I am your mate.”

Kate James let out a small laugh. “We’re all mates here. It’s that kind of company. Now if you wouldn’t mind?” She indicated the coffee machine hidden behind the man’s enormous bulk. “I need a coffee.”

“Then I must mark it first.” The man reached for his flies. “This won’t take a moment.” He whipped out his impressive appendage and paused at the sight of Kate’s eyes growing three times their size. “Ahh. I see you are suitably awed by my man-meat?”

“I think I’m about to call security,” she muttered, backing away towards the door to central purchasing. He was too fast for her.

“H...how did you do that?” she said, amazed at the speed at which he’d reached the door. “Don’t tell me you’re a..."

“Yes,” the man boomed. “I am a cheetah shape-shifter. That’s how I move so fast.”

“I was going to say, don’t tell me you’re an Olympic hundred metre champion.” She cocked her head. “A cheetah, you say? You’re kidding me?”

“I do not joke about such things. And now I will make you mine in the stock cupboard. Then you will be mine forever...ooof!” The air left his lungs in a rush. Slowly he crumpled to the floor.”

Kate gave him a pitying glance. “You think I’d mate with you? Me, a noble hairy-gerbil shifter? I spit on your cheetah spots.”


~*~



Her Mate by Kallysten
featuring the characters from CheckMate
(812 words)

“Do you believe in fate?”

Lilia stilled, her mouth pressed to the center of Vincent’s back. Sometimes, he asked the strangest questions.

“Define ‘fate,’” she demanded, and resumed kissing a long, wet line up his spine.

His shoulders twitched when she reached the top of his back. He was particularly ticklish between his shoulder blades, and she remained there a little longer, sucking on his skin and leaving a row of red marks.

“I don’t know,” he muttered into the pillow. “Fate. The big book where someone wrote everything that will ever happen. The ladies who spin, weave and cut the threads of people’s lives—”

“Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos,” she interrupted, breathing the names at the nape of his neck.

She was about to lay her mouth on her silver marks on Vincent’s throats, those scars she had left on his skin on their first night together and that marked him as her Mate, when Vincent moved underneath her. She rose up to her knees before he could throw her off him, and waited until he had rolled onto his back before settling down again across his lap. Under her, some part of him seemed to be recovering after their earlier escapades. She shifted lightly, encouraging him to harden fully. Vincent, however, was frowning at her.

“Atro-what?” he asked, sounding confused, even as he rested his hands on her thighs and stroked absently.

She rolled her eyes at him. “Atropos. The ‘lady’ as you say who supposedly will decide when you must die.” Reaching up to his neck, she touched her bite marks with her fingertips. “That is, unless I decide I’ve waited long enough.”

He didn’t even react at that. She had threatened – promised – to turn him into a vampire many times. He knew by now that she wouldn’t do it unless he gave her permission. Or was that, she wouldn’t do it until Atropos decided it was time?

“You know their names from the top of your head?” he asked blankly.

She shrugged; his interest hardened a little more under her. “I do. So what?”

He continued to stare at her in confusion. “I learned that stuff in school, but I forgot the names as soon as the test was done. When did you learn about Roman mythology?”

Pursing her lips, Lilia considered him thoughtfully. She could think of much better things to do than talk about her education, of all things. She knew Vincent, however; knew how stubborn he could be when an idea got stuck in his head. If they didn’t close the topic, she wouldn’t get laid properly any time soon.

“Greek mythology,” she sighed, giving in and sliding off his lap to lay by his side, the curve of her breast resting against his arm. “And I had a governess, if you really must know. She drilled these names into me until I could have recited them in my sleep.”

And the result was that, close to two hundred years later, with her governess and all she had known long gone, Lilia still remembered those silly names. And she still thought the same thing she had back then.

“And no,” she finally answered his first question. “I don’t believe in fate. What would be the point of living if everything was already preordained, all your choices already made for you?”

Vincent turned onto his side, his body tight alongside hers. With two fingers, he picked a stray strand of hair that tickled her forehead and tucked it away.

“I do,” he whispered. The same two fingers were now caressing her cheek, then sliding down to trace her lips. “I believe in fate. I believe that you became a vampire and lived for so long just so we could meet some day. Just so we could drive each other crazy—”

She nipped playfully at his fingers and he smiled as he continued.

“—and get on each other’s nerves and become Mates.” He leaned down and finished so close to her lips that his words were a caress. “Just so I could love you and try to make you happy today.”

His kiss was sweet and slow, the very antithesis of his desire, hardened flesh pressing into her hip. Lilia was glad for that kiss; it kept both their mouths busy, and stopped him from saying anything more than might cause her throat to clench even more tightly. Even more importantly, it stopped her from saying something sappy, like of course you make me happy, or if I hadn’t met you, my life would hardly be worth living. At times like these, words tripped her tongue and made her feel foolish.

Besides, she had always believed actions spoke louder than words.

Deepening the kiss, she slipped a naughty hand between them. Fated or not, Vincent was her Mate, and that was quite enough for her.


~*~

We hope you've enjoyed this week's flash fiction entires! We need a new theme for next week, so give us your suggestion in the comments. Yours may be the one picked for next Fridays Flash Fiction Post!