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Vincent is used to getting his way. That is not so with Natalia. Spoilers in this section. I think this scene shows us more of Vincent than even the vampire would be willing to show.

From Inside the Grey House:

Vincent brought his favorite human as close as he could, exposing his fangs as he dipped his head to her vulnerable neck. His lips parted slowly to the soft rhythmic pulsing of her vein. His teeth scraped her delicate olive skin, making her arch her neck. She was such a willing victim. His hand traced down her elongated neck as his head pulled back. Both Natalia and Charlie told him of her reaction to the werewolf attempting to change her against her will. She had thrown Charlie out of her life. Would she do the same in this situation?

Vincent continued to caress her neck, allowing his hand to follow the curve of her breasts down to her stomach. He believed she would leave. Not only leave but disappear. He had a great network of spies, but even they had problems following her when she wanted to be left alone. She would disappear, perhaps never to return. He embraced her again letting her touch burn away his intentions.

He wanted her to stay. If it meant letting her be human and having her risk her life fighting to help him gain control, so be it. He would talk to her about changing her if she was dying during a fight, but he would never change her without her permission. Vincent wrapped his cool limbs around Natalia’s warm body, inhaling her scent as he took a deep breath.

“With your permission Natalia, and not a second before.” He kissed the back of her head gently and fell asleep holding his favorite human.

This entire scene is improbable, but every so often, I want this type of scene in a story or movie. Make it believable, for the story’s universe and I buy it.

From Inside the Grey House:

Natalia watched him go then made sure her backpack was securely on her back. She stood up and went to the edge of the balcony. She grabbed the top of the iron bar railing, lifted herself up and swung one leg, then the other over the top. Natalia turned to face into the balcony, gripped the bars very carefully and allowed herself to slide/drop to the balcony beneath her. Once her feet were on the edge of the railing, she let go of the balcony above her and jumped into the empty balcony without a problem. She took a few deep breaths then repeated the steps to end up on the first-floor balcony. From there, it was an easy jump to the ground.

On the ground, she hugged the wall, but ran quickly to the back of the building. At the corner of the building, she knelt down, looked around the corner, saw no one was around, stood and walked leisurely to her car. Once at her car, she opened the door, nodded to Charlie in the passenger seat, dug out her keys and started the car. They were out of the parking lot and well on their way before Natalia realized that Charlie was still staring at her in disbelief. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

If I had to choose who I relate to the most in this series, or rather, who I would want to be the most, it’s Mierka. Something happens later in this scene, that doesn’t really make sense to happen, but Mierka decides to do it anyway. Yes, I’m being vague. That’s the point of teasers, isn’t it?

From Inside the Grey House:

Natalia turned and sat up on the edge of the bed checking out the plate of food. There was a large sandwich and a glass of orange juice. She opened up the sandwich; saw lettuce, tomatoes and mutton. Since Vincent owned sheep farms, it was usually the main meat in the house. She picked up the sandwich, took a bite and enjoyed the flavor. After swallowing, she turned to Mierka, who was still studying her with that slight smile.

“What?”

“Do you wish to be changed Natalia?”

“Eventually.” She took another bite of sandwich, not sure where Mierka was headed.

“Have you ever thought about what you would do if something were to happen to Vincent before he changed you?”

Natalia swallowed her bite of sandwich. It went down hard, as it was only half chewed. She put the sandwich down, took a swallow of orange juice and placed the glass down on the tray. She stared at Mierka. “No, I haven’t.”

I like writing about creatures that self heal/heal quickly. As long as you know what can kill them, they don’t die.

From Inside the Grey House:

When he had taken enough from the second human, Joseph closed his eyes and blindly nodded to Kimberly. She grasped the end of the staff and pulled it out slowly as Joseph healed his wound. They timed it well, and he bled no more. Once healed, Joseph opened his eyes, looking for more blood. As the two donors slipped out the door, two more came forward to feed him. He smiled his thanks and took what they gave gratefully.

Charlie, not as quick as Mierka, came in as Kimberly was stepping away from Joseph. She still had the staff in hand. A third of it was covered in blood. Charlie smiled in admiration as he knelt next to Natalia. Vincent had a hand on her ankle, but he seemed more interested in staying between Natalia and Joseph, probably for her protection. Charlie placed a full water bottle on the floor next to her, along with some beef jerky, keeping the orange juice in his hand. He really didn’t know what to give her but figured the orange juice would be good for quick energy and the beef jerky good for iron to help her blood loss.

Charlie absolutely allows his emotions to lead him.

From Inside the Grey House:

Charlie watched in horror as Vincent used his strength against Natalia. Fear for her life wrapped around his thoughts and he felt himself changing. A growl escaped his throat and was cut short by a hand on the back of his neck and an angry voice in his ear.

“You attack our boss, and he will kill you. She brought this on herself! You defend her now; I won’t stop him from punishing you!”

Rebecca’s words penetrated his mind and Charlie changed back into human. He gave her a sheepish look and muttered under his breath. His wife shook her head, grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the room, headed for the dungeon. If she threw him down there, Vincent would not. Charlie didn’t fight her, knowing full well that she was right. It wasn’t his place to fight Vincent. Charlie allowed himself to be taken to the dungeon, where his Alpha wife shackled him in one of the smaller rooms.

“How long?” His voice was full of defeat.

“Until I tell him why you almost attacked him. He’ll decide when to let you go.”

“Great.” Charlie watched Rebecca leave the room and heard her lock the door, trying to figure out what he had been thinking, wondering how many times he would end up in the dungeon due to his worry for Natalia.

Apparently, the “norm” when writing a character is that the character, unless stated, is white…

I don’t remember when I came across this statement, but it blew my mind. I’m not entirely sure that I write (or read) this way, but I can tell you that I don’t care what race my characters are, unless stated. Usually my main characters are white or Latino/Latina (sort of – they live on other worlds than this).

When I think about a character, unless it is specifically stated what their heritage/race is, I really don’t care what they are seen as. I picture the character on screen (yes, big dreams) and realize that I want diversity and that’s about the end of it.

Therefore, when you are reading my novels, please decide for yourself what race they are (unless stated).

Thank you.

From Inside the Grey House:

“Congratulations. In the past two years, you have fought against most of the vampires in Vincent’s house. You will never fight Mierka or Dr. Elving, as neither fight in these battles for their own reasons. Vincent has allowed you to fight him on occasion, with varied results. At this time, there is only one other vampire you have not fought who wishes to fight you. It is now time for you to fight me.”

The crowd quieted, as the implication set in. Joseph never fought against anyone unless he felt the fight would be worth it. All waited for his next words, but Natalia spoke first. She knelt in front of him, her face shining with respect.

“I’m not ready, sir.” She felt his hand on her shoulder and she lifted her head to meet his gaze.

He spoke quietly again. “You are more ready then you realize.” He raised his voice. “Rise, child and accept my challenge.”

From Inside the Grey House:

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:

Natalia ducked as the staff came toward her head. She used her own staff to sweep Ben off his feet. The vampire fell hard as his weapon clattered to the ground. Natalia wasted no time in swinging hers toward his chest. Ben grabbed the end of the staff before she connected, trying to pull the weapon from her hands. Natalia held on, letting him pull her forward. She rolled over him, letting go of her staff to grab his dropped one. He was on his feet before she was, but she expected it. The vampires would always be faster than she was; as a result, she had to be smarter.

Ben was her last conquest with the staff. He had been using the weapon since he was human over one hundred years ago. He practiced with his favorite weapon often. He could easily beat anyone he came against. Most of Vincent’s vampires were reluctant to fight with staves even though they were typically too well fed to be taken down by a simple wooden stake. Natalia thought the fear was psychological. Whatever kept them from using the staff made it easier for her to get better at it. She had already beaten everyone else while using the staff. Ben was her final test, and he was very skilled.

To me, this shows that Vincent relies on technology too much, and his people often are able to handle things better than he can. This is a very small part of the larger scene, of course.

From Inside the Grey House:

“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.

Natalia heard her lover, her love, asking her what happened, but she couldn’t form the words. He asked her again, his frustration coming through far more clearly. Mierka came out of the cell waving Vincent away as she spoke to him. Natalia still had trouble listening and couldn’t make out the exchange between the two vampires. After a few moments, Vincent let Natalia go and Mierka knelt down beside her.