This house is a fortress and a prize and a trap. I’ll sacrifice it willingly if it will draw the fire of our enemies and thereby reduce their strength. I think it will be a while before they figure out the secret, and in any case there is no way that they can defend themselves against it except to cease their attack. Which they won’t, of course. 

A tar baby, Teresa says with a smirk. The house is a tar baby, and of course they won’t let go of it once they have their claws into it, just like the fox in the folktale. It will be a point of honor to keep throwing utmost force at it.

Teresa’s smile is genuinely predatory; Trevor merely looks ill.

***

As I begin revisions on The Shape-shifter’s Tale, I will be posting character interview excerpts for the main cast of the novel. This week’s excerpt comes from the interview with Emma, a forensic pathologist who returns from excavating mass graves abroad to find witch hunts unfolding at home.

Weekend Writing Warriors offers eight-sentence excerpts from a variety of writers; see the other excerpts here.

Publication Update: The Vampire Variations challenge story, now titled In the Laboratory of the Night, will be released in mid August from Glass Knife Press. At that time I’ll post a roundup of all the Vampire Variations stories currently available.