Author: catstark

From Protector of the Grey House:

The room was in shambles. None of the equipment was whole. All the screens were blown out, the shelves were twisted metal, and the chair bled stuffing. The walls were blackened as if from an explosion. If a human or werewolf were here when the explosion occurred, they would not have survived. The onlookers could only hope Mierka was at full blood when she went on duty last night. Vincent took a moment to assess the damage, then motioned Joseph forward. His bodyguard went in without a thought, and turned quickly to grab Mierka as she attacked.

She was a mess. Her clothes were torn although she had no wounds. It was clear from her hungry attitude she had sustained massive damage and used a great deal of blood to heal herself. She was ghul.

Joseph released her slightly and allowed her to turn and sink her teeth into his flesh. He knew he could sustain the blood loss it would require to bring his woman back to sanity. Vincent beckoned to one of the humans and indicated he should remain at the ready when more blood was needed. The human nodded, handed off his weapon and bravely walked into the security room.

From Protector of the Grey House:

Natalia pulled herself out of Rebecca’s arms and stood, her anger at the creature and fear for the wolf’s life clashed in her head and clouded her mind. She watched helplessly as the wolf’s head was ripped off by the sharp, jagged edges of the demon’s hands. The Blitzkrieg’s neck nearly exploded as the glass and metal creature sliced through the wolf’s flesh and showered Rebecca and Natalia with blood. The human saw Rebecca start to change and, in that instant, understood the reality of the situation. The wolves gathered nearby, ready to try and take this monstrosity down. All of them would die if they did. Calm battle instinct gripped her mind and all thoughts stilled. She took two quick steps to Rebecca and knocked the woman to the floor.

From Protector of the Grey House:

Vincent stepped back from Anthony and crossed his arms. This time he truly was done with the subject. As Anthony still doubted somewhat that his neck wasn’t on the chopping block, he stood still for a few seconds. When Vincent raised an eyebrow, Anthony nodded and left. He exited through the front door, where his limo and driver waited. Though Vincent had offered him a drink, Anthony felt it best to leave without one, to prove a point. He didn’t feel the situation was resolved.

Vincent watched him leave from the ballroom door, and knew he needed to discuss the situation with Natalia. She had to release the man and they had to tell him the truth. It was too dangerous to keep Anthony in such a state. He caught movement to his left and turned to regard Joseph.

From Protector of the Grey House:

A thoughtful look took over her features and Charlie wondered if he should have said as much. Natalia simply stared at the floor, as she chewed on her lip. She understood why he would turn off the cameras in his bedroom, but why in that bathroom? On further thought it seemed strange he would turn any off at all. He liked to let people think he was paranoid and kept the cameras on as a matter of protection. So why would he turn any off…unless it was to hide the fact that he was never in that bedroom at all. Without a word, she turned and left the room.

Charlie sighed heavily and reached for the cell to call Rebecca. He wasn’t sure he’d need her, but he thought he might. He watched Natalia walk back upstairs as he requested Rebecca’s presence in the security room. Moments later, she walked in, as on the screen Natalia walked into her sitting room and look around slowly.

“What’s going on?”

“Natalia’s looking for Vincent. I didn’t know where he was. She didn’t believe me, and I showed her the screens. She said her rooms were missing and they are.”

Rebecca frowned, then a memory clicked in. “Oh, he’s…”

My furnace is out. It’s 4F (-16C) where I live. (Yes, we have people coming out to the house soon.) Here’s a steamy scene to help us all warm up.

From Protector of the Grey House:

Natalia felt the calm she felt pass to her lover through her blood. Rather than take it away, his feeding seemed to spread it and complete it. When he pulled away and turned her around to kiss her, she could see the same look on his face she felt on her own.

Vincent placed his hands on her checks and drew her lips closer. Every movement seemed to take a lifetime, but there was no longer any hurry to his thoughts or anxiety to his actions. The kiss was long and drawn out, unlike his usual frantic embraces when he tasted his blood on her tongue. The slow seduction continued, unhindered by the absence of time. Vincent knew that at any moment, someone, probably Joseph, would knock on the door and disturb this calm, slow dance. As time passed and no one knocked, his thoughts faded away and he became one with the touch of her.

Vincent placed her on the counter, caressed, and kissed her softly which caused her head to spin. Her smile of earlier continued to grow, until it was nearly a laugh. To laugh, she would have had to think, and the fog of her mind was too complete for something as complex as thought. She knew nothing but his touch and his stroke, as he had somehow found his way inside her. Euphoria set in slowly, climbed up their bodies and surrounded them in a hazy cocoon.

From Protector of the Grey House:

“We have learned nothing.” All three turned to regard the still seated Mierka. “This is a safe environment, with Vincent close at hand. It’s too controlled a situation.”

“What would you suggest?” Natalia’s voice showed intrigue.

Mierka extracted herself from the comfortable leather chair and vaulted over the desk in one smooth motion. She stood in front of Natalia and spoke to her only. “Let me try to seduce you, but not here. I’ll feed you my blood, then see what you allow.” She gave a small bow, then looked back into Natalia’s eyes. “With your permission, of course.”

Natalia blushed a bit as she regarded the petite woman in front of her. She wasn’t opposed to the suggestion, but Mierka had never made any indication there was an attraction. The human thought about it for a moment, then decided. She gave Mierka a smirk.

“All right. Sounds fun. Let’s see what you can do.”

From Protector of the Grey House:

“Anthony contacted Julia last night. She in turn spent most of today trying to call the house. None of our landlines or cell phones work. Anthony’s does. Someone called our service provider and had our service suspended as of this morning. Julia’s taking care of the issue.”

“Did she try reaching the farms?”

“Those lines are down as well. She’s sent humans to investigate. We’ll know more when she does.”

“Where’s Diana?” They were gathered at the head of the steps, the center of the second floor.

“Three doors down. She may not be awake. She had her tests today.”

Vincent was already on the move, at her door before Joseph could finish. He knocked on the door and entered her room before anyone else reacted. Diana and another young woman were entangled in the sheets asleep. The other woman woke before Diana did, but Vincent ignored her, stormed to Diana’s side of the bed, and sat her up before either could react. The other woman started to protest, but one deadly look from the vampire and she stilled, intimidated into silence.

The first word the random generator… generated was “Europe”. Heck, I barely say what area the book takes place in, let alone other areas in the world. Therefore decided to pick something kind of randomly.

From Protector of the Grey House:

“I have a feeling she’s hurt…”

“It probably means she is.” Her voice was soft but panicked.

The vampire stood. “Get dressed. We leave soon, and you’ll be needed.”

Vincent shouted for Joseph as he left the room. Diana kissed her woman goodbye and readied herself for the early departure. Joseph, who once again anticipated Vincent’s mind, was on Lorraine’s phone. He informed their pilot of the early departure. Lorraine stood by him, dressed in a light summer dress, and spoke with Rowland and Maxine. Anthony had already gathered the others from House LeGris.

They were out the door, headed to Lorraine’s airstrip in less than half an hour. They were in the air fifteen minutes after that. Joseph made sure Diana sat in the cockpit with the pilots to make sure she was out of the way. Vincent paced the length of the airplane, which made the others nervous. Lorraine, who had come along for support, tried several times to calm him down, but nothing worked. Rowland and Maxine also came along just in case reinforcements were necessary. Two hours into the flight, Joseph grabbed Vincent by the arm and forced him into the separate bedroom at the end of the plane.

From Protector of the Grey House:

“I didn’t feel like being smug about this. None of this makes me feel good.”

Vincent repositioned her and brought his lips to hers. He gave her a long, deep kiss, and continued the embrace until all the hesitation was gone from her touch. Certain of the look he would see on his lover’s face, Vincent pulled away gently from the kiss and gazed into Natalia’s eyes. “Then come back to me Natalia and let this all dissolve. Tell me what you know about Donald, and we will take care of the situation. You will no longer have to worry about revenge, only of life and blood.”

Natalia’s sigh turned into a slight sob. It would be so easy to lay her troubles at Vincent’s feet. Someone else could go after Donald while Vincent sucked the blood out of her willing body. Vincent, sensing her thoughts, lowered his lips to her neck and growled against her skin. He knew she wouldn’t allow him to change her this day, but she seemed to consider it more and more. Soon, she would say yes, and he would have what he wanted.

From Protector of the Grey House:

He took the stairs at a leisurely pace, but his mind thought of the possible confrontation in the bedroom. If Vincent were awake, he might have to explain things. He pulled out his phone to text Mierka, but knew there was a chance she would not respond. In the sitting room, he paused for a moment to allow her to respond. When none came, he continued on his way, his phone in hand. It did not go off, but by the time he reached the tower bedroom, he knew what to say if the master were awake.

Joseph opened the door and looked surprised to see his woman sitting with her back against the headboard and Vincent stiff on the bed, the stake still in his heart.

“I thought you would have woken him by now.”

“I woke him. He was beside himself with anger. I offered my blood, but he wanted my head.”

“And staking him again will assuage that anger?”