Author: catstark

From The Grey House:

The smell of the place hit him like a brick the second the door started to open. Vincent turned his head slightly, thankful he didn’t have to breathe. The smell was hard down here: this was a place of death and decay. He saw the crossbow point before he saw Mierka. Vincent smiled at her once the door was fully opened. The petite blond looked at his face carefully before moving the crossbow. He leaned in and kissed her cheek.

“Good evening my dear. I trust you are well?” When Joseph had approached him about bringing her into the family, Vincent agreed with no questions. She was incredible. She had been a spy in the French Revolution. The humans never suspected she was a spy or that she was vampire.

“I’m well. They’re waiting for you in the main room. Have been since this morning.” One of Mierka’s assets was her poker face. No matter the situation, she always looked slightly amused.

“Good.”

From The Grey House:

He stopped talking for a moment, as he let the memories run through his head. Natalia, not sure of the look on his face, aimed his thoughts back to his story of meeting Rebecca. “So, what happened after you and Rebecca stared at each other?”

Charlie grinned as his favorite story came back to mind. “We stared at each other for a minute or two before she unlocked the cage.” He grinned at her, huge. “We didn’t introduce ourselves until after we were done.”

Natalia laughed, feeling herself blush a little. It was odd to listen to him talk about another woman. “You didn’t even know her name?”

“Didn’t matter. I’d been dreaming about her for almost eight years. All I wanted was to be with her.”

“Was it as good as you dreamt?” Her voice teased.

In the lights of a passing truck, she saw him blush. “Better. She didn’t go away when we were done.”

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.