Author: catstark

From The Grey House:

Vincent stood with his hand on the doorknob, regarding the haggard looking woman in front of him. She had wiped away some of the blood, but there were still small traces. Her eye was starting to puff up, as was her nose and lip.

“Natalia, what a surprise.”

“We’re not done.”

“Shall we go to my office?”

She took the offered arm and they walked back to the cozy room in silence. He closed the door after letting her in, choosing to take a seat at his desk. After a moment’s hesitation, she sat at one of the chairs, trying to get comfortable. She ended up perched on the edge of the seat.

“You expected me to run.”

From The Grey House:

Natalia wondered, though, if he was trying to control her with his body. He could not kill her, but he could play her. He had started caressing her jawline with the thumb of the hand around her throat. He growled seductively into her ear, sending shivers down her spine. Hungry to play, she brought her hand to his face, caressed his cheek and neck with the back of her hand, then ran her fingers down his chest to the line of his pants. Her hand strayed, for a brief moment, to the top of the zipper, then moved around his pelvis to his cheek and stopped at the top of his leg. Her fingernails dug into his flesh, causing him to step even closer.

“It would seem, sir, that you would prefer to have me, rather than lose me to an Incubus.”

From The Grey House:

“I made government watchdogs watch demons, vampires and other critters that were killing humans. They’d take care of the killers and the militia group stayed safe and out of the radar. They weren’t out to hurt anyone, so I didn’t see the harm in helping them. They were sad to see me go.”

“What was the place like?”

“They ran the place like a military boot camp, but you could stay as long as you wanted. Three or four of the men who ran the place were ex-Marines. I’m not sure why they put the camp together and didn’t care. They had no problem with me being there as long as I didn’t ask too many questions and as long as I kept up. There were a lot of days I didn’t think I’d make it; but I did. I learned everything I could. It took me five years, but it was worth it. I can take on any man or woman that faces me and I know I can take out a young vampire.”

From The Grey House:

Vincent normally let his accountant take care of the paperwork, therefore when he arrived unannounced, Richard nearly fainted. Vincent was in the neighborhood and had nothing better to do then to pester his manager. Vincent enjoyed throwing Richard off balance. The surprise inspections kept Richard and the rest of the staff on their toes. The Ocean’s Edge was a five-star restaurant; Vincent expected it to stay that way, which was one of the reasons he was here at midnight on a Monday. It was early for Vincent, late for Richard.

From The Grey House:

“Don’t scratch her back; she’s badly cut up.” Her hand was on the doorknob.

“And you’re leaving without my permission because?” He was looking at Natalia, who was still standing in her jeans and gauze shirt that covered her torso from breasts to hips. The look in her eye was entrancing him. He had to try hard to remember his purpose here.

Rebecca snorted again and stepped out of the room. “Because three’s a crowd.”

From The Grey House:

“Interesting. The Slayer said that about me to her. I wonder which version will prove correct.” Vincent was still pacing, letting the banter continue, only half listening. He was concentrating more on the problem at hand. How to find the humans? He turned to his Alpha wolf. “Rebecca. I need you to go to the address Natalia gave us. Go now. Take a homing device with you. Find a way to plant it on her before she’s picked up. When you have a secure location, I’ll have two more wolves come out to meet you. I’m hoping she won’t be picked up until morning, but you never know.”

From The Grey House:

He threw Keith at the far wall then followed, going around the hole. The Blitzkrieg had changed to human form and retreated to the door, giving Vincent space to move. He was on Keith in seconds. The younger vampire was still conscious. Vincent was glad. He picked the man up and swung around, holding Keith over the hole by his shirt.

From The Grey House:

Vincent heard the desire in her voice but knew she could be faking it. They were playing each other, using their bodies to try and gain control. Vincent was having fun, but he was also fascinated. This woman was not afraid. She should be, even if she did have Anthony under her control. Either she had no idea what she was doing, and was therefore a child playing adult games, or she knew, and liked it. He found himself hoping she knew what she was doing. He preferred smart, beautiful women. He decided to try one more tactic to win control.

Since I didn’t post anything earlier, I thought it fitting to find this passage that is from the original The Grey House Book One. It’s been cut out and will be added to a prequel:

One of the things that Natalia liked about the San Francisco was its churches. Most of them looked like European cathedrals. The one she was standing in front of was a copy of the French cathedral, Notre Dame. Natalia smiled at the churchgoers and entered behind a family of five. The three kids were complaining a little. They wanted to go to the park across the street. Natalia silently agreed.

Today, when I woke up, my fiance let me know that there was a package at the front door from a very good friend of mine. It contained a postcard and two packages of coffee. Reading the postcard made me think of how wonderful and loving my friends are. (They are seriously fabulous.)

Therefore today, rather than share something from The Grey House, I want to share something from Hell’s Junction about love. What follows is something I believe about love said through the main character Cassie:

“Love is eternal, Cassiel. Doesn’t matter if it lasts one second or one lifetime or ten thousand lifetimes. If someone loves you, you’ll remember it for the rest of your life and so will they. One person can love another for many reasons: to get into their bed, to steal from them, to gain emotional control over them. Because they feel so strongly for the other person that they need to let the other person know, no matter what the reaction will be. In the end, the reason for the love doesn’t matter, one learns from love. If the love is real, the person learns trust and understanding. If the love is fake, they learn to guard themselves a little better. Love is a hard lesson, but love is worth it, especially if it’s real.”