Writing Character Emotions

In this scene from Wulf, Luc has just learned that Wulf Gabriel called him from Batchelors, a restaurant/bar he'd helped friends Trink and Yvan open. Though a partial owner, Luc has never been to the location, and this is his first time stepping through the doors. The mention of Luc's eyes refers to his habit of wearing solid black contacts that cover his entire eye, giving people no hint as to where he's looking.

Alone, please. In the back...

Although Luc had loaned Trink and Yvan money for this place and been paid both early and handsomely for his trouble, he had never personally visited. Now, as he took in the manicured storefronts and immaculate streets, he saw why his advisors had promised the investment would return well. Ideal location for a restaurant. Less than a block from Tarth Technical College and its thousands of hungry students, right across the street from a tube train station and one block in either direction to both the Imperial and Kelthian business districts.

Inside on the left, a separate bar with dark leather. To the right sprawled a tasteful restaurant elegant enough for fine dining. Not full yet, but a lunch crowd was gathering. The faint scent of beef and onions made his stomach growl. Yvan's cooking still impressed.

A young woman in a crisp black and white suit greeted him. "Welcome to Batchelors, sir. May I seat you alone, or are you with a party?"

"Alone, please." He removed his dark glasses and tucked them into an inside pocket. "In the back."

The greeter's reaction was mild when she saw his eyes. Most flinched and averted their gaze, but she smiled. "This way, Mr. Saint-Cyr." She led him to a choice table at the rear.

It didn't surprise him that he'd been recognized. Through either the Thieves' Guild or Lucsondis and its various enterprises, he'd been at the forefront of the news on Tarth for a solid decade. And, after all, he was a part owner in the restaurant.

After taking his drink order, she activated the holographic menu on the table and left him alone.

Trink delivered the drink personally. "Your Kelthian whiskey, neat. Compliments of the house." He lowered the tray and his voice. "I was hoping you'd come. I didn't expect you this fast."

Luc indicated the opposite seat.

Trink slid into it. "Wulf made me promise I wouldn't get involved and that I wouldn't call you."

"I see." Luc tasted the whiskey. "This is excellent. What makes you think my visit here has anything to do with someone named Wulf?"

The man's eyebrows twisted in different directions. "I called your office seventeen minutes ago, said I was Wulf Gabriel, hung up, and here you are. First time I've seen you in two years."

Luc nodded in acknowledgment. "How do you know Wulf?"

"His agent suggested he attend our grand opening and he brought ten other models with him, a bunch of friends and one jackass lover who broke up with him right before we closed shop. Wulf was so torn up, Yvan and I took him upstairs and let him talk our ears off. He slept at our place for three days so he could avoid the guy. We've been tight ever since."

Luc stroked the lip of the highball glass. "Not that it's my business, but are you lovers?"

Trink brushed the backs of his fingers under his chin twice. Kelthian street people spoke in slang or with their hands. As the Harbinger, Luc had his own signals, well known on the street. This one meant "up yours" in the most polite sort of way.

"Why the call, Trink?"

"Wulf's in trouble."

Luc stilled himself, listening.

"When Yvan and I suggested he talk to you he smacked right out. Didn't know we knew you. Said he w—uh, well," Trink rubbed his neck. "Maybe you're better off not knowing what he said."

He decided against pushing for detail. "You thought I could help him."

"Yeah." He leaned one elbow on the table. "His agent's screwing him over. Agent's dad runs some kind of vid company Wulf wants to work for, but the guy won't hire him unless he signs with his son for five years. Agent threatened to blackball him. Ripped off his investments. Wulf's damn near broke, the way he tells it. I think there's more, but that's all he'd admit."

Luc sat back. "Any and all those things are easily remedied. If Wulf wants my help."

"Yeah, well..." Trink aligned two napkins with the infinite precision one gives to a task that delays the delivery of bad news. "He says you made him watch his father die."

The words struck like a blow to the chest. All these years and Wulf still didn't understand. He blew out a breath. "I'm sorry that's the way he remembers it."

"He didn't want me telling you any of this, but I can't stand to see a friend suffer."

Steepling his fingers, Luc sat back. "Can you get him to meet with me?"

"I'll talk to him. Not setting up anything he doesn't know about first. Just so we're clear—Yvan and I owe Wulf. He's brought us more business than we could hope to get on our own, just by showing up and bringing friends." Trink gestured around the room. "Our net worth is six times what it was when we first opened, 'cause of him. I know business. Yvan knows cooking. But Wulf—he knows people."

Luc would have to talk to his advisors about investing more. "Aside from all this—Have you and Yvan considered other locations?"

"Sure. But not at the expense of setting up Wulf, if that's what you're getting at."

"Certainly not. I know a bargain when I see one." Patting his fingertips together, Luc asked, "What made you decide to call?"

"Wulf made me promise not to talk to you, but I figured that meant he could. So if you thought it was him calling and you came here to see what he wanted..." He shrugged. "I could answer your questions and I wouldn't have called."

Luc toyed with the drink. "I appreciate your tactics but I would have kept your confidence."

"Yeah." Trink held the tray against his chest. "But I'd know that I called."

He lowered one brow. "You did call."

"Not technically."

In a world where trust is a weapon and power marks the difference between life and death, Wulf is no stranger to betrayal. After the shocking murder of his father, Wulf learns the hard way that vulnerability can lead to devastation. But now, with danger looming, he finds himself at a crossroads: to survive, he must ally with the most feared figure in the empire—the enigmatic Harbinger.

Luc, the Harbinger, wields legendary power that leaves the empire trembling. With connections to the notorious Thieves' Guild, he has the means to keep Wulf safe in a world rife with chaos. But there's a catch: trust does not come easily, especially when that trust once cost Wulf everything. As he grapples with his growing attraction to the dominant and undeniably hot Harbinger, Wulf must confront his deepest fears and desires.

When Luc brings Wulf home, intending to protect him at all costs, a shocking revelation shatters their tenuous alliance. The protection they seek is no longer just about Wulf; Luc's teenage son is now also caught in the crossfire. What began as a potential alliance of convenience becomes a personal battle that ignites a fierce determination within the Harbinger.

In this charged tale of lust and power, Wulf must navigate the fine line between love and survival. Can he learn to trust again when everything he holds dear is at risk? Will Luc recognize that the stakes have risen beyond mere protection, leading them both into uncharted emotional territory?

Delve into a world of erotic tension and forbidden desire with Wulf. This enemies-to-lovers gay romance promises rich dark chocolate moments, enough champagne to fill a claw-foot tub, and the consummate skill of a master of pleasure.

Warning: Contains tantric sex and is not for readers seeking "clean and sweet" romance. Prepare for a journey filled with passion, redemption, and the thrill of danger in a far-future landscape where nothing is as it seems.

In this scene from Wulf, Luc is in his office when the new assistant he'd hired that day (the 6th in a long line of failures) enters. Note: this is Ms. Mead, whom you might recognize as the diminutive woman who later becomes Luc's right hand and trusted advisor, capable of managing Luc's enterprises on her own. But here, it's day one, and it's not looking good.

Now what?

"Excuse me, sir."

His concentration broken for the fifth time in as many minutes, Luc Saint-Cyr tossed aside his reading and leaned back in his desk chair. "Now what?"

The sixth person he'd hired this month to replace his former assistant stepped all the way inside, shut the door quietly, and approached his desk.

"I'm very sorry, sir. I know you didn't want to be disturbed for the next hour, but—"

He held up a hand to stop further apology. "What is it, Ms. Mead?"

"The gentleman on the holophone says it's urgent."

"They all say that."

"Sir, I know that. I'm a professional, but this —"

"Never mind." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Who is it and what's so urgent?"

"All he would say was that his name was Wulf Gabriel and that—"

"What!" Luc shot to his feet, making the woman gasp, and sending his chair flying backward into the credenza. Books on its top tumbled to the floor. "Why didn't you say so?" He made shooing motions at the startled woman. "Put him through immediately."

Eyeing him as if he were some wild animal, Ms. Mead edged out the door and snapped it shut behind her.

Once alone, Luc opened a desk drawer and swept everything on his desk into it. He stepped one foot into the adjoining bathroom, grabbed a brush, and dragged it through his short hair. A quick feel of his chin told him he didn't need a shave yet.

He slipped back into his office, seated himself at the desk, and waited for the image to glow into existence. Luc saw Wulf every day on Imperinet. The young man's face was on half the dentist ads in the Empire, and most clothing commercials.

Luc envisioned the classic beauty of Wulf's face, the strength of his jaw, the warm whiskey brown of his eyes. On his dresser at home was a picture of himself with Wulf and his parents, taken days before Thomas Gabriel's death. Before all their lives had unraveled. Before he'd—

Focus.

Luc unclenched his fists and flattened his hands on the desk. Still no holo-image. The heap of untidy books on the floor drew his attention, but judging by the angle holopics usually took, Wulf wouldn't see them. How would it appear if the call started and he was on his knees on the floor with his ass in the air? Still... Luc rolled his chair back and pushed them out of sight with his foot.

No image yet.

Luc started to press the button on his desk to call Ms. Mead, but hovered one finger above it. What if she was putting Wulf through and mangled the connection because he'd distracted her?

He folded his hands again, and waited. On the floor by the right front leg of the credenza lay another book. He scooted his chair over and pushed at it with his foot, but it wedged itself between the legs and wouldn't budge.

The indicator on his desk still showed no sign of a call.

He loosened his collar, flicked at a speck of dust on the desk, and folded his hands once more. He rolled his thumbs around each other. He tightened his collar back up. Muttering curses, he got down on the floor and straightened the damned books, dusted himself off and sat back down.

The door opened and Ms. Mead crept far enough inside to shut it behind her. Head down, hands clutched in front of her, she wet her lips.

Luc stood and went around the desk. "You lost him! Don't tell me you lost him!"

"No, sir." Ms. Mead peeked up as he approached. "He told me to forget it. He said he'd changed his mind and it wasn't important."

Wasn't important... Brought up short by those words, Luc went so still the motes of dust in the air came into perfect clarity. As if the universe had suffered as harsh a blow as his heart. The first contact he'd had with Wulf in twenty years and it wasn't important.

He turned his back, shoulders rigid, jaw tight. "Did he say he'd call back?"

"Um, he..."

His breath felt shallow and too, too fast. He stopped himself from turning his head. "Go on, Ms. Mead."

She cleared her throat. "No, sir. The call came in on a private channel. I couldn't get a number to return it. I asked, but he wouldn't give me one. I was trying to track it when I realized I should let you know what happened. I'm sorry, sir."

He jammed his tongue against his teeth. Hands clenched at his sides, Luc turned his face enough to show he listened.

"I'll make sure he goes straight through if—I mean, when he calls back. Is there anyone else I should know about?"

Was there anyone else who could tear apart his life just by dropping a call? Not trusting his voice, he shook his head.

Behind him, the door opened, clicked shut. Footsteps receded. No outside noise intruded. The lonely silence of the oversized room rang in his ears like a death scream.

Luc staggered the ten steps to the windows overlooking Tarth City Park. Sunlight's radiant caress warmed and soothed his skin.

If only it could reach his heart.

In a world where trust is a weapon and power marks the difference between life and death, Wulf is no stranger to betrayal. After the shocking murder of his father, Wulf learns the hard way that vulnerability can lead to devastation. But now, with danger looming, he finds himself at a crossroads: to survive, he must ally with the most feared figure in the empire—the enigmatic Harbinger.

Luc, the Harbinger, wields legendary power that leaves the empire trembling. With connections to the notorious Thieves' Guild, he has the means to keep Wulf safe in a world rife with chaos. But there's a catch: trust does not come easily, especially when that trust once cost Wulf everything. As he grapples with his growing attraction to the dominant and undeniably hot Harbinger, Wulf must confront his deepest fears and desires.

When Luc brings Wulf home, intending to protect him at all costs, a shocking revelation shatters their tenuous alliance. The protection they seek is no longer just about Wulf; Luc's teenage son is now also caught in the crossfire. What began as a potential alliance of convenience becomes a personal battle that ignites a fierce determination within the Harbinger.

In this charged tale of lust and power, Wulf must navigate the fine line between love and survival. Can he learn to trust again when everything he holds dear is at risk? Will Luc recognize that the stakes have risen beyond mere protection, leading them both into uncharted emotional territory?

Delve into a world of erotic tension and forbidden desire with Wulf. This enemies-to-lovers gay romance promises rich dark chocolate moments, enough champagne to fill a claw-foot tub, and the consummate skill of a master of pleasure.

Warning: Contains tantric sex and is not for readers seeking "clean and sweet" romance. Prepare for a journey filled with passion, redemption, and the thrill of danger in a far-future landscape where nothing is as it seems.