Sunday, August 26, 2012

Deleted Scene! - It had to be.


This week on the TTC/MasterKoda Virtual Blog Tour we are sharing deleted scenes. This week my guest is Nikki Noffsinger, author of Cursed Awakening published by XOXO Publishing.  Enjoy! 



Deleted Scene: Nikki Noffsinger
TTC-VBT


            When I wrote Cursed Awakening, the first rough draft I had put it over three hundred pages. Now there wasn’t anything wrong with that but when I did the read through (one of many), I noticed that many of the storylines and ideas I had were taking away from the story. One of my favorite deleted scenes from the book takes place at the college that Ivy has just began attending and a certain wolf just can’t stay away. Enjoy!

Homecoming
            Ivy was still on the fence about going to the Homecoming carnival. She had made several friends but still large crowds made her skittish. Okay, they did more then make her skittish; they border lined on giving her crippling panic attacks. Determination though was driving her though to get over yet another challenge. Lorna had offered to come along for support but then at the last minute Lorna was going to be unable to go due to she had to go to the next town over and check on a safe house where three teenage boys were being fostered since they too had fled their own commune. So that left Ivy going solo to the event. For a total of sixty seconds, she let the worry and past wash over her. Then she let it go and turned the door knob and set out for Homecoming.
            The college grounds were packed. There were booths set up that sold food, t-shirts, and fun things. Ivy laughed at the Justice League themed booth from the Science Department. For just a few dollars she could pick a super-hero and have them “arrest” a student or teacher in attendance.  She waved at a girl in one of her classes who was sitting in Justice League jail and getting her picture taken with the Incredible Hulk. She still was a little nervous but the more she walked around and visited the booths and waved at fellow students, her nerves began to relax. Just as she was going to head to get something to drink, someone startled her from behind. Ivy turned and there was Jacee and her boyfriend Xander who happened to be the brother of a man she hadn’t been able to get out of her head. Jacee was dressed in leg hugging denim capris and an off the shoulder pink top. In the dictionary under the word “perky” there had to be a picture of Jacee. Xander held up his hand and grinned.
            “Now you didn’t think girlfriend that you would be hanging here alone did you?” Jacee’s voice was filled with laughter.
            Ivy sighed with a smile. “Actually I figured by now that the mother ship would have come and snatched me by now.” She joked.
            Jacee laughed as she wrapped her arms around Ivy, “Girl you are too funny and guess who we brought with us? Guess!”
            Before Ivy could answer, Nyx strolled up with that sexier than should be allowed half grin, next to his brother. Ivy had to force her jaw to work and prayed her voice followed suit.
            “Hello Nyx, how are you?” her breath nearly stopped when he walked the few steps towards her.
            Nyx hadn’t exactly known why he had insisted on coming with Jacee and his brother but it all boiled down to this woman. She was beautiful yet there was something inside her that touched his animal spirit. He had watched her from afar as she’d perused the booths, spoke to people, laughed, and had let down her guard. Ivy was gentle and intelligent yet despite whatever burdens life had placed upon her, she exuded strength. More and more the woman had been in just about every thought he had. His brothers knew something was up and it had been damn hard trying to block his mental pathways from them. His grandfather had simply chuckled when he’d been lost in thought and accidently took off the oil cap instead of tightening it resulting in oil dripping into his face. There had been only one of his kind to ever mate with a human and had it not been for his grandfather; Jacee’s mother would have been exiled or worse. Jacee’s mother had died soon after Jacee was born and some had said that it was because Skye had broken their laws that the Great Spirit was angered. His grandfather, Night Horse had quieted those voices and had made sure that Jacee’s mother had been honored. He also gave Jacee’s father a place to live at New Hope.
            Nyx looked down into those soft eyes of Ivy’s and smiled so that she could see his even white teeth, “I’m doing pretty well. The question is how you are?”
            Ivy felt as if she’d been touched even though he had not laid a finger on her. She licked her lips and could have sworn she heard a low growl come from him.
            “I’m doing okay. A lot better actually since there is someone to talk too. All my classmates seem to be on dates or working booths. I was just going to head over by the Student Union and see what food they have for sale.”
            Jacee grinned between Ivy and Xander, “We were actually going to check out the rides. I’m dying to go on the Ferris Wheel. You should come with us and then we can all go and get something to eat.”
            Ivy had never been on a Ferris wheel. She started to protest but Nyx put an arm around her shoulders and whispered, “Don’t worry Ivy, I got you.”
            By the time they made it to what was known as Greek Row where two sororities and two fraternities sat were carnival rides. Ivy tried to reason with herself that she wasn’t going to die or make a scene. She began to wring her hands but Nyx took her one in his very large one and winked at her. He bought their tickets and waited in line. Jacee was bouncing up and down and Xander was talking with Nyx who was poking fun at Jacee. Ivy was quiet and according to Xander was looking “white as a sheet”. Ivy watched as the colorful carts going up and around. Her breathing was starting to come in pants.
            Nyx could sense her fear as could Xander and Jacee but they said nothing. Jacee and Xander got into the next car and she waved at Ivy who managed to wave back weakly. Then it was Nyx and Ivy’s turn. Part of Ivy wanted her to run and keep on running. The other part was kicking her in the tail and telling her to get over it! Ivy took a breath and let Nyx lead her towards the cart. The moment she sat down she gripped the arm bar till her knuckles were white and closed her eyes as she felt the Ferris wheel move up.
            She began to feel herself tremble and hated it. Just as Ivy was about to start screaming from panic, she felt a warm and strong arm wrap around her and pull her to a hard, strong, and that woodsy-patchouli and spice scent that clung to him. Immediately, her breathing and body calmed and she could open her eyes. The wheel was making another rotation.
            “Ivy, you’ve never rode on a Ferris wheel have you?” he asked.
            She shook her head, “Sure, I ride them all the time.”
            Nyx laughed. “The first time I rode on one, me and my grandfather had stopped at this small circus. My grandfather was always finding some new adventure for us to do that usually ended up in one of us getting a lecture from my mother. Anyhow, I had never ridden on one before and neither had he. We were both excited but I think he was a little more though. It was neat how it would get us to the top and we could see for miles before pulling us down enough that we could feel the air rushing. We had loved it so much that we bought tickets for two more rides. When we got to the last ride, we weren’t as excited. We’d had a lot of hot dogs, cotton candy, soda pop, and peanuts to eat.”
            He was relieved to see Ivy amused and paying attention to him rather than her fear so he continued, “So we were nearly over the last hump when suddenly all that circus food began to rebel and rebel in a big way. My grandfather was feeling pretty much the same way. We both probably looked like crazy people sitting there with our hands over our mouths. The carnie took one look at us and thought to just speed up the wheel so he could get us both off before we threw up. He didn’t think that idea through because right before our cart could get to the platform, well you can guess what happened.”
            Ivy burst out laughing. She couldn’t stop laughing. Nyx thought there was no sweeter sound than the laughter that came from her lips. She was looking up at him; those eyes that said so much and those lips that were a perfect bow; the kind of lips that were meant for kisses. Everything in his mind and heart told him to claim her; to hold her to his body and kiss her. God he wanted to. They were so close together he could feel her breath on his face like a teasing caress. His spirit animal howled; he had recognized his mate and wanted the man to claim her, but he couldn’t. The ride had come to a halt and he got out of the cart and offered her his hand. He saw the confusion on her face and he loathed himself in that moment for causing the hurt that had flashed on her face before she tucked it away.
            Ivy had been too close to kissing Nyx. What was wrong with her? She hadn’t had a romantic thought about any many since…well she just didn’t entertain those thoughts unless they included men with the last names of Pitt, Depp, and Fimmel. When she got off the ride she would put as much distance between the two of them as she could. She glanced at him and almost sighed. For moments, short moments that felt much longer; Ivy had felt at ease, normal, and what it would be like to have a man like Nyx. No doubt, he would make some woman happier beyond her wildest dreams. Sadly, she’d never be that woman.
***
            Nyx was running the perimeter of his family’s lands. His mind was going over and over that Ferris wheel ride with Ivy. On the ride home, his brother had told him that Ivy had a lot of guys interested in her but she hardly paid them the time of day. Who wouldn’t want to date Ivy? Who wouldn’t want to make her theirs? Who wouldn’t want to wake up every morning with a woman like her next to them? Jacee had chattered on and on about Ivy. The woman’s laughter still echoed in his head. Someday some man would want to possess her; to claim her. A man would hold her in his arms and kiss those lips…and that was enough. Nyx howled up towards the sky that held a thousand stars. Traditions be damned and even laws for that matter. Ivy would have no other but him and that was all there was to it. There was no other option.

About the Author

            Nikki Noffsinger is a 37 year old mother of two children and has always loved writing and creating stories from a young age. She lives with her family in a mid-sized Indiana town. Aside from writing she has an eclectic taste in both music and art, loves to travel, and has a great love of all things that go “bump” in the night.

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