Author: catstark

From The Grey House:

Vincent turned, going back into the house. Joseph stayed for a moment, watching the creatures of the night. A stray thought flitted through his mind, something someone told him once, right before his change. A fortune teller stated he would never be a sire to a child. He thought it an odd turn of phrase, but while human, never had children. In all his years many years as a vampire, he had never sired anyone, either.

The old vampire never met anyone he wanted to change, and now he was being asked to change Natalia. The first time he faced her, when she mentioned knowing him, dreaming of him, he walked away, knowing it was best. He had dreamt of her too. Of bringing her a goblet of blood and calling her child. It made no sense against what the fortune teller stated, but then, they didn’t really see the future. At least, the fully human ones did not.

From The Grey House:

He stared at her for a moment. “Look, Nat. I know this sucks, but you did the right thing.”

“Doesn’t make it hurt any less.”

They looked at each other for a moment as the truth set in.

Finally, Charlie sighed. “I paid your tab already. Let’s get you home. I’ll call Rebecca and find out if they have an update.”

Natalia nodded and stood. “Sounds good.”

Charlie stood and followed Natalia out the restaurant. Out the door, they turned west on Union. It was a nice clear morning, with a soft breeze blowing off the ocean. It carried with it the smell of salt and seaweed. They were in Little Italy, and near enough to Chinatown that the breeze also carried an undertone of Asian and Italian cuisine. It was odd, but familiar and comforting.

From The Grey House:

Natalia breathed deep as her stomach turned. She wasn’t sure it was from the chloroform they used or laying down for a long time. Either way, she stayed steady until it passed. As she sat there, Zechariah called from the front seat.

“Ah, you’re awake. Did you enjoy your nap, Natalie? The trucks windows are tinted. No one will see in. And don’t try to take off the blindfold. I will knock you out again.”

She didn’t say anything, as there wasn’t anything to say. Natalia sat back and listened to the sound of the traffic and the low hum of the conversation, trying to figure out where they were going. She started counting, trying to discern how long they were driving. When they finally stopped, she figured they had been driving for around two hours. As she didn’t know how long she had been out it was hard to know how far a drive it was from her home. Also, they could have driven around in circles for all she knew.

From The Grey House:

Vincent woke from his dream with a frustrated howl. His hands were balled into fists, with the sheet entwined in his fingers. He loosened his grip and smoothed out his red silk sheet, checking for damage. Assured it was not torn, he threw the sheet back and rose from his bed.

The curtains were drawn back revealing the protected deck. Joseph was placing a laptop and a manila folder on the wrought iron table. Vincent walked out to the deck and accepted the folder Joseph handed him. He glanced at the papers inside; quickly scanning the small amount of information Markus and Joseph had gathered on Natalia. He put the folder aside, feigning disinterest to stare out the window toward the ocean. He had lived in many different places with many different views. The ocean was his favorite.

From The Grey House:

“Zechariah’s right. The devil has already claimed you.”

Natalia gave him a devilish smile; her eyes were glinting with delight. “And he will again.”

Vincent watched as she turned gracefully and sauntered over to him. She walked as a queen in her own castle. Once standing before him she ran her right hand up his left arm to the back of his neck to tangle in his hair. Her left hand went to his right arm and squeezed his triceps lightly. He allowed her to pull his head down for a kiss. His arms wrapped around her when the kiss grew deeper. Careful of her back, his arms had gone to her butt and shoulders. It was an awkward position, but he still managed to crush her to him.

From The Grey House:

He unlocked the doors and waited until they were settled, and the car started before asking. “What about Bethany?”

“I can’t have a human friend, or rather, I can’t have a friend that can’t take care of themselves anymore.”

Tears started in her eyes and he could hear it in her voice. Charlie left the parking lot, not wanting to be in a parked car for too long. It invited too many questions. As he drove, he placed a caring hand on her knee. He wasn’t trying to flirt with her, only to offer comfort, as he had many times before.

From The Grey House:

She paused, took a few deep breaths, then took a pull at her shake. She had to admit; the shake was delicious. It was more dark chocolate than milk chocolate. She set the cup in the cup holder. “It was late at night at a truck stop. The place had a huge parking lot. I was going to my car for something. Guy came out of nowhere, put a knife to my neck, and demanded my wallet.” She paused again. Charlie glanced over; her jaw was clenched tight. “A big trucker came out of the restaurant about that time and yelled. He thought I had forgotten my stuff in the restaurant; wanted to make sure I remembered it. The mugger let me go and ran off.

“I’ve taken some sort of martial arts my whole life. Gymnastics and yoga and all sorts of other classes, but a guy with a knife was able to get the better of me. I knew then that I had to get more training. If I couldn’t take down a man, there was no way I could take down a vampire. And then there was you.” She turned to look at him again and caught his sideways glance. “I didn’t want to be afraid to be with the man I wanted to be with. I was furious with you too. I went to the camp with the vague idea that I needed to know how to defend myself. I worked harder there than I ever have before; learned things I had never thought about learning. It felt good to work and learn like that.”

From The Grey House:

“What do you want?”

“A lot of things. But I’m not sure you’re convinced I could be an asset.” Her tongue was turning faster than her mind. Though she was looking for new allies, now was not the right time for that. And a vampire ally while hunting a bloodsucker would probably be a bad idea.

“An asset to whom? Me?” He let her go and took a step forward. He had to be careful not to step on Anthony’s feet. “Humans are assets in two ways: as food and as cannon fodder.”

“Anthony, stand.” Anthony did as bid, forcing Vincent back. “You forget, sir, that you were human once, and so was Anthony. I need you.” The look on her face and the tone of voice revealed how she needed him, but he didn’t think she noticed. “And I’m going to make you understand that you can use me. But for now, Anthony will walk me out. I’ll release him when I’m safe and I’ll make sure he comes back here.”

From The Grey House:

“How much do you know of this situation?”

“I saw enough. I’ve sent Markus to L337. He’ll be able to find some information about the lady.”

“Good. Follow them and make sure she releases Anthony.”

“Yes, sir.” When Joseph left, he took almost the same path Natalia and Anthony had taken. Vincent watched until his bodyguard was out the door.

From The Grey House:

Slowly, deliberately, Vincent walked out of the office, down the hallway and out into the main room. Scanning the crowd, he found the quickest route through the guests to the private corner. Anthony and his mystery woman were still speaking softly. He stood unnoticed for two minutes. Vincent was not a happy man. He wanted to pull Anthony away from her, but he knew from experience that to rip a hypnotized person away from the hypnotist was a very bad idea. Instead, he cleared his throat. Twice.