Author: catstark

From Inside the Grey House:

He brightened somewhat. “What are you looking for?”

Natalia shook her head. “That’s the problem, I’m not too sure. Since Edwin’s Red Tie Affair last year, I’ve been finding pieces of information on a possible confrontation between the Slayers and Vincent’s people, but nothing concrete. There’s a Slayer in the city that may have something more, but I’m not sure. I’ve been tracking him for the past three months and I think I have his routine down. The past three weeks, he’s been prowling Golden Gate Park for vampires. I’m going to break into his apartment while he’s out and rummage around.”

Charlie could only give her a wide-eyed look.

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t lecture me, Charlie. I know what I’m doing.”

He held his hands up in defeat. “I didn’t say anything.”

From Inside the Grey House:

“Vincent? Where are you going?”

“Don’t fret Natalia. I wouldn’t leave you chained in my dungeon unless you were the only one in it. But there’s something I must retrieve.”

He turned and left the room quickly. In his absence, she realized that Dean was repeating lines from the bible in a low voice. Something about the devil, she couldn’t make it out. The other two were staring at her with pure hate. She stared back, not feeling the least bit worried. Vincent waltzed back in, the grin still on his face. He was holding a flail in his right hand, slapping the thin leather strips in his left. Her heart and breath stopped for a nanosecond then started again, faster than before.

From Inside the Grey House:

As she walked calmly up the stairs, Natalia started twirling her own necklace, almost wishing she could hypnotize Vincent into giving her what she wanted. It had been nice being able to get her necklace back. She was now using her mom’s old necklace, as hers was lost in the woods. After taking her mom’s necklace out of the jewelry box, Natalia cut the string and sang the words, taking extra care to weave her will into the tiny silver beads. Lilly guessed once that the necklace and songs were probably a spell of sorts, but assured Natalia it was still all her own will at work. Her first trial with the new necklace had been on Anthony; she found she could still control him. She tried it on a rare occasion when they were alone in a room with Vincent.

From Inside the Grey House:

Natalia went into the building, acting as if she belonged there. The back door didn’t have a lock. Inside the building, Natalia went right for the stairs. She didn’t want to get stuck talking with an overly curious passenger in the elevator. Though this was a large apartment complex there were only four stories and only eight apartments per floor. In her other visits, it seemed as if the residents knew each other. Taking the elevator was never a good idea. Jeffery Tathers lived on the third floor; using the stairs didn’t prove much of a problem. On the third floor, she headed down the hall toward his apartment, digging out keys as if she were headed to her own apartment. In front of his door, she quickly took a look around, making sure no one was in the hall. She used her lock picking tools to unlock his door then slipped into his apartment and shut and locked the door.

From Inside the Grey House:

“Still. I don’t know.” He ran his hand through his thick, shaggy hair. “What if she dies?”

Rebecca looked her husband in the eye. “If she dies and Vincent is here, she’ll be turned. Pretty sure she’ll be turned if he isn’t here.” She cocked her head. “Are you worried Vincent will blame you for her getting shot?”

He opened his mouth to speak but stopped as he thought about it. During his silence, Rebecca plated some eggs and minute steaks that she made while he wasn’t paying attention. She grabbed some coffee and milk, then sat down near him. She started eating before he answered.

“I think I am.”

From Inside the Grey House:

“What did you learn?”

Joseph walked around the end of the bar and stopped just behind Vincent, pouring himself and Vincent each a glass of brandy. The good brandy was upstairs, but this would do just fine. He walked back around the bar and handed Vincent a glass, waiting until Vincent took a sip to answer the question. “His Lieutenants were each instructed to bring a human as a gift for their new Captain.”

“What’s he expecting to do in my club?” Vincent didn’t hide his anger.

From Inside the Grey House:

Vincent pulled Natalia out into the hall, yelling his frustrations. He had no idea why she killed the Slayer, and had no idea why that disturbed look was on her face. It was as if her one and only hope had been torn from her very soul. Mierka was in the cell, feeling for the Slayer’s pulse. If there was any indication of life, she could turn him and they could continue to question him. When Mierka shook her head and looked over, Vincent bared his teeth and snarled.

“Natalia. Natalia! Snap out of it. What did he do?” His voice was a cacophony of annoyance, frustration and concern. He was trying to be gentle, but the main Slayer was dead and Mierka had informed him that the other two could not talk. He needed to know what happened in the cell. The microphones hadn’t picked anything up; they had spoken too quietly.

From Inside the Grey House:

Lilly cleared her throat, indicating they should continue. It took a moment for Natalia to move; she was staring at the view. Before moving she concluded that it was not the same view as in her dream. Something was missing, but she didn’t know what. Lilly finally pulled at her arm. Natalia started walking again, still trying to see the view in her dream. It wouldn’t come. She closed her eyes and followed Lilly through the only open door. The master bathroom was larger, as was the round tub. The tub was to the left of center. There was a square shower stall about five feet by five in the far right corner. Next to it was a counter with two sinks. The toilet was in the far left corner, mostly hidden behind a curtain.

Lilly helped Natalia out of her robe and into the tub. There were stairs for this one too.

“Wouldn’t a shower make more sense?”

“You can shower later. I want to help you with your hair. More comfortable for both of us if you’re seated in the tub.”

From Inside the Grey House:

Kim did in fact leave the bar about an hour later. She had her arm around the waist of a man who couldn’t walk straight. The vampire was beautiful in her little black dress and high heels. Perhaps too nicely dressed for this area, but the man didn’t notice. He was dressed more appropriately in jeans and a sweatshirt from one of the local colleges. Kim was leading him across the street, not really paying attention to her surroundings. Natalia climbed down from the tree to better follow in the shadows and bushes.

From Inside the Grey House:

“Never again, this long without you.” She turned and slipped her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him. Her lips found his as her eyes closed. His hands pressed into her back, pulling her as close as possible, but his clothing were in the way. He continued the kiss, though, deciding to move slowly. There were some things he needed to discuss with her. For the moment, though, he massaged her back, kissed her deeply, and let her feel his desires.

Natalia pulled away first, needing to catch her breath. Her face was flush. “Hello, lover.”