Author: catstark

From The Grey House:

Anthony arrived before the waiter returned, so Vincent made light talk. When two goblets were presented to him, Vincent smiled, thanked the man, and slipped him three twenties. Vincent believed strongly in rewarding loyalty.

Anthony smirked at the gesture, clinking goblets with his leader. “You pay them more than anyone else. Why tip them for wine?”

“It’s not wine.” Vincent stated between sips. The liquid held no sustenance; the taste was all he wanted.

Anthony took a small sip. A look of real surprise crossed his face. “How?”

“I get what I pay for.” A mischievous smile floated across his face, then faded. “What have you learned?”

From The Grey House:

“No, this is where we negotiate. What can you do for me?”

“Blood or money.”

He frowned at her. “Don’t play stupid. You’ve already proven you’re not.”

Natalia nodded her agreement. “Human has to try.”

He laughed.“All right. Of course, I want your blood. Especially since you’ve already offered. As for money, I was changed when I was a railroad worker in the late 1800s. I learned to save. I need a place to go. If you want the information, you’ll get me contacts out of the city, away from here.”

She didn’t even pause. “Where?”

“How far East can you get me?”

“I know a couple people in Washington, D.C., one in Boston.”

“Friendly to my kind?”

“I wouldn’t have listed them if they weren’t.”

From The Grey House:

Natalia woke with a start from a dream that left her foggy and confused. Her bed was moving, and lights kept flashing. Her mouth was dry, her shoulder hurt, and her stomach was growling at her. The dream came back to her in bits and pieces as did her surroundings. Charlie was beside her, asking if she was all right. A piece of her dream floated into her memory and she bolted upright in the seat. The belt tightened around her and dug into her shoulder. She howled with pain, startling Charlie. He pulled over to the side of the road and stopped.

From The Grey House:

“Natalie. Don’t disappoint me.” He did not hide the annoyance in his voice. It was the same voice he used before whipping or beating her.

Not wanting to be beaten yet again, Natalia gritted her teeth. If only Bethany wasn’t in danger… but Vincent was taking care of that; she had to play along until the vampire could act. Natalia, her mother’s face swimming before her, reached around her neck to the clasp. Sighing, she undid the clasp but didn’t move her hands. The necklace had been around her neck since age ten. She still remembered the day her mom showed her how to make it and the songs she needed to sing to weave her will into the beads. She felt something unwinding in her head. Natalia suspected it might be the control she had over the people she hypnotized.

Remembering how she felt when her mother died and gave back her memories, Natalia reeled the feeling in and clamped a hard mental hand on her control. Understanding gripped her. It was not just the necklace, but her will that made the hypnosis work. She could keep control of those she hypnotized without the necklace, but probably still needed it to get someone under her control. Knowing she could later retrieve her mother’s necklace that still lay in her jewelry box, Natalia made her decision. She opened her eyes, slipped off the necklace, and handed it to Zechariah.

From The Grey House:

“To what do I owe the pleasure? Did Vincent send you to throw me out?”

Her directness surprised Anthony into looking at her. He had been leading her toward a less crowded corner, not really paying attention to her. Not having a retort, he settled for the inane. “I gave my name, what’s yours?”

Natalia stood looking at him, then started twirling her necklace. “I’ll give you more courtesy than you gave me. My name is Natalia Mirela Liliana Dveski. My first name comes from my mother’s mother. It means ‘born on Christmas Day’. Mirela Liliana was the name of my mother’s grandmother. Mirela means ‘to admire’.” Her voice was slowing down; becoming melodious. Anthony was caught in the reflection of the dancing silver beads. As he was not yet hers, she continued.“Liliana is pure simplicity. The meaning there will not be a surprise. Can you guess? It means lily. Put them all together and you see that my name means: ‘To admire the lily born on Christmas Day.’ Do you think that is a fitting name? Am I a lily to be admired?”

Anthony’s eyes closed slowly as she spoke. He swayed a little but steadied when she asked her questions. “Yes. A lily. I must find one for you. But there are none as beautiful as you. I apologize-”

From The Grey House:

“Crap.”

Charlie gave up the stealth and shoved the door open. He turned on the light as he walked in and then stopped. Something crunched under his boot. Backing up carefully, he looked down and became angry and scared. He had stepped on her already broken cell phone. He knelt and touched the broken pieces. Had she tried to call for help? Her phone was completely dead; he couldn’t even turn it on.

Charlie stood and continued his search of the house. The kitchen was the only other room with anything out of place. Whoever took her came while she was eating breakfast. There was a bowl of congealed cereal sitting on the kitchen table. A hard piece of half eaten toast was next to it, along with a glass of orange juice. A breeze came through the open window and ruffled the paper napkin being held down by the butter stained knife.

From The Grey House:

Jordan’s hand shot out. The magic field it was trapped in zapped its fingers before it could touch Vincent. Vincent smiled.

“I told you I could control you.” Vincent straightened as Jordan started beating against the magic field. The mage, a strong one, chanted louder. Jordan was screaming in rage and pain before he finally stopped and fell to the ground. Smoke rose from various places and the smell of burnt fur and skin made Aaron gag. The vampires and other guards were unaffected.

From The Grey House:

Both women turned at the low voice. Vincent was leaning against the wall by the door, which was across from the end of the couch. He was dressed in a black tuxedo with a dark blue shirt, and matching handkerchief in his pocket. He looked dressed for an elegant evening out. He had been at the symphony with Mierka and some business partners. He did not enjoy being called away; his body language showed his feelings.

From The Grey House (This trilogy takes place in the Bay Area. Of course I’m going to mention the Golden Gate Bridge):

Once in the car, Vincent attempted to turn the talk to more pleasant topics. His tone was light, but his body language revealed his anxiety. He was waiting on phone calls. They reached the Golden Gate Bridge before Vincent’s phone rang. It was Rebecca. She was talking quickly, as if talking to voice mail. It meant she couldn’t answer questions for fear of being overheard and couldn’t move to a quiet location for fear of losing the quarry.

“Hi! It’s me! Just wanted to let you know I’m at The Hook Up. My friend is waiting for people to show up I think, but no one seems to be home. If anyone calls for me, tell them to come join me. I’m bored.”

From The Grey House:

“She runs on the beach after her shift. Likes the privacy.”

Vincent leaned back in the leather chair and looked beyond Richard to the bank of television screens. There were three cameras that pointed toward the beach. He didn’t see anyone on any of them. Richard looked in the same direction then got up and pointed at a screen showing part of the deck. There was a table with a bottle of water, a towel and a backpack on it. Its two chairs were still set on the floor rather than in the storage area, as they should be.

“She’ll set everything right before she leaves. Always does.”