The weakness for Chris is his metabolism – so far not much has forced him to push himself, except that jaunt to hell. And that taxed the vamps as well. Also, they have an issue that if they go without blood they ramp down. And during the day their reactions are super dulled. Arkady is barely able to form sentences, Tanya is wobbly and not as fast. Heck in one of the short stories she’s shown to be very easily distracted and pretty ditzy when she’s tired AND blood deprived.
As for Creek…. that man needs a kicking. I was glad when Garth kicked it but wanted some in book catharsis… except there’s no real way for that to happen without the main character KILLING A PRESIDENT. I also want Alexis Bishop to get some form of comeuppance. I almost feel that in Forced Ascendant the Shouting rant from Chris needed to happen AFTER they were freed. Or that they should’ve been captured, then the demons did their PROPER attack and they have to let the team go to salvage things. But on a second listen knowing the context of the other books it still flows well. Just wish Alexis got another mental slap.
Or a scare in her home by Lydia. Just reminding her that they CAN get her. If they wanted.
Nathan… Nathan I struggle with. He’s clearly been in the Washington game too long. Trying to find ways to control Declan whilst still being a good guy. I think he needs a humbling moment, or at least a reality check where the main gang finally get one over on HIM and he suddenly finds himself having to go cap in hand. He’s cordial but he’s pulled too many bait and switches on them.
But all that needs to happen in a main book (Aside from the Alexis one… that could be a darker story, showing the behind the scenes cleanups against people who hurt Chris and Tanya by their friends).
Creek NEEDS to be taken down or at least relegated in a main story.
Krupp…. yeah she got turned into a bit of a maniac when to start with she was just a very dedicated agent who got completely blocked by her own departments. And then went a bit mad with it and tried to take out Declan. A short story showing her maybe missing the supernatural. Or turn it on its head and have her turn up at Demidova tower…. to apply for a job on the security detail. I think she’d make an excellent addition to the gang AND, weirdly, a counter Caeco, as she’d be able to fill everyone in on the FBI. And it’d give Caeco a different point of frustration than just Declan – suddenly Caeco has her dirty laundry being aired by Krupp, or the Team Demidova gets a bit mistrustful of her when she needs them because she’s not been straight with them.
So many side characters, too, I’d love to see more of. But John is excellent at bringing people we thought were side stories back in as big players or pivotal.
As for Nephilim… yeah, maybe some more. Or people they’ve met who turn out to have been children of former fallen angels? I could see Mac and Jetta having a trait of it; maybe some more from other areas.