Category: Uncategorized

I like being able to work from home during winter. It’s safer for me and my car, and for most of humanity in snowy areas. But really, this pandemic needs to end.

From Protector of the Grey House:

Vincent was simply smiling; waiting for what he knew was coming.

After letting Morgan get close for about three minutes, but not actually letting him hit her, Natalia started to feel it. Her thoughts were being picked clean from her mind as Morgan learned her movements and gained confidence. Her tactical side took over as Morgan was allowed to attack her semi-successfully over and over again. Finally, her mind clear of scattered thoughts, she began to show him what she was really made of. Because she allowed him to win for a few minutes, he didn’t give up easily. The calculating warrior took over. She landed more and more blows, making them harder and fiercer and far more precise. Finally, her scattered mind completely consumed by battle adrenaline, she swept him off his feet, swung the staff to his neck and pressed hard against his throat.

“You can’t choke me, human.”

My birthday is in 18 days. My fiance got me a set of crochet hooks. I decided to try my hand at something different. We’ll see how it goes.

From Protector of the Grey House:

“I still don’t understand why you want this Vincent, but by the time you fall asleep, you will regret giving me control.”

He saw the look in her eye and understood her smile. He wondered, as she stood above him grinning, whether or not he had made the right decision. Until he realized, there was no decision in his actions, only desire. In the end, he didn’t regret one single action. She did get him to scream many, many times. Somehow, he managed not to change her.

Woke with a large headache… probably due to dehydration. Drink water folks. Lots of it.

From Protector of the Grey House:

Vincent’s speed increased as he walked to and up the stairs. He heard Joseph snicker but ignored his friend, and wondered what stage of undress Natalia would be in. He crossed his sitting room in less than a second, noticed her absence in the bedroom and went into the bathroom. She stood by the mirror, drying her hair. She was in her silk robe, and it was untied and open. Every part of his body wanted to grab her and possess her quickly. Except there was something they needed to take care of. He went to her slowly, pressed himself against her, and pulled the hair dryer out of her hand. He turned it off as he placed it on the counter.

The first word that came up today? ‘or’ That work shows up 129 times in this novel. I decided to go with a different word.

From Protector of the Grey House:

Vincent placed his hands on her waist, lifted her slightly and sat her on the counter. It was marble and well built. They had used it before. He nuzzled her neck, and wondered if he could take her blood, or if she had lost too much to Wayne. “None of the women I’ve loved have ever been as stubborn as you. Or as incredibly frustrating.”

Natalia’s mind stopped as his words seeped into her brain. It was the closest he had come to saying he loved her. She had never expected to hear it. Since her declaration two years ago, she hadn’t repeated her words. Had never felt it necessary. She closed her eyes. “Have any of the women you’ve loved been like me?”

This is from The Usual, which was published in Enter the Maze, my short story collection. Re-reading the passage, I feel it needs a re-write…

From The Usual:

“A case of frogs arrived in New York on day. When the case was delivered, all the frogs were dead. It was a huge crate. Four foot squared, maybe more. Filled with frogs. They were shipped by boat from Japan. They’re a type of frog that can change gender if needed. We think they did while on route. There was no food, no space for the frogs to move, but they found a way to procreate. There were tadpoles, all dead. The adults tried to eat each other. Most suffocated. It was nasty. We were called in because the delivery man was found with a bullet hole in his head right next to the crate.”

“Why is it unsolved? Sounds pretty cut and dry to me.”

Robert took a slow sip of beer. When he set it down, he twirled the glass on the bar, making the condensation circle bigger. “There was a bullet hole with no gun powder, no exit wound and no bullet. We couldn’t figure out how the hole got there, but it looked like a bullet. We never found the person who ordered the frogs. They used a fake name and used off shore accounts to pay the people in Japan. No leads. Dead case.”

Today, I woke up and exercised… yeah, that happened. 15 minutes on the treadmill. Haven’t used that in a while. I hope this becomes a trend.

From Protector of the Grey House:

Her aim was true, and the sword flew in between the demon’s legs, tripping it. She grabbed the sword off the floor where it landed and ran to the demon’s head. It was on its face but turned over and roared at her. There was no emotion on her face as she brought the sword up and slammed the sword into its eyes. It gave the same shriek as the first and slid apart. Natalia pulled her sword from the debris and turned back to the wolves. Rebecca was staring at her, her face a blank mask. Charlie and Doug were giving her odd looks. She sighed as she walked to them, knowing now who had leapt to her rescue.

From Protector of the Grey House:

Her hand went to her neck, where the marks were still evident. Her silver necklace had been pressed into her skin hard enough to pierce the skin in a few areas. She was grateful her necklace had not broken.

“How did you escape?” Mierka’s voice was almost too quiet to hear.

Natalia turned her head to look at the lady. She sighed heavily and continued. “The one who believed me gave me back my cell phone in secret. When I was sure they had all left the house, I used my cell phone to call the police.” She paused, an odd look in her eye. The youngest Slayer, Ashley, gave her back her cell and confirmed she believed Natalia. She shook her head and continued her story.

From Protector of the Grey House:

Natalia was dressed in a short tight white skirt and tight striped burgundy and white top. Her burgundy sandals snaked up her legs, tying just under her knee. She danced and moved with whoever wanted her, letting the men touch her but not possess her. Rebecca and Mierka stopped their discussion to watch her interact with the other humans, then started to discuss their plans for the evening. When the drinks came to the table, Rebecca went to grab Natalia. She came willingly as she was rather thirsty.

Natalia sat at the table and smiled to the two women. “The two of you should be dancing.”

“Maybe in a bit.” Rebecca raised her glass. “A toast. To friendship in unexpected places.”

Natalia smiled warmly, raised her glass as did Mierka. The three laughed as they toasted and took a drink. Natalia set her glass down and turned to Mierka as the woman tapped her on the shoulder. Once Natalia faced her, Mierka reached out, took the human’s head in her hands and brought her lips closer. Mierka kissed Natalia deeply and slid her tongue against Natalia’s.

Again the struggle not to share spoiler scenes. Though this gives a little away, I don’t think it gives too much away. Enjoy!

From Protector of the Grey House:

Natalia dropped the drugged juice and slowly stood. She had to find…someone and tell them…something. Her mind no longer actively working, she tried to go…somewhere. Natalia crashed to the ground hitting the table and tray with her arm on the way down. The soup bowl went flying, spreading stew all over the floor and couch. She lay on the ground and tried desperately not to fall into the blissful dark abyss of sleep. Natalia saw someone walk to Vincent’s trusted friend. Her line of sight was low, as she had collapsed headfirst. She looked up with crossed eyes, trying to make sense of the harsh yellow shirted figure standing next to the now grinning Franklin and couldn’t. Her mind slipped to the cold metal in her hand and her survival instinct took over. Her last unhurried action before fading into a deep sleep was stuffing the fork into her jean pocket.

Yeah, brain is blank slate, therefore enjoy the daily prompt!

From Protector of the Grey House:

Natalia took her time going downstairs to the security room, and tried to think of where Vincent and Mierka might be. All the bedrooms were occupied; they weren’t in the sitting room, library or ballroom. That left Vincent’s study, the large meeting room, or the dungeon. She could look in all the remaining rooms and would if the guard in the security room didn’t want to help her. At the door to the security room, she took a deep breath then opened the door. Charlie grinned at her as she entered.

“Hi! What’s up?”