Thinking about the transition from World War I to the roaring twenties reminded her that she’d seen a book on that subject in the massive floor-to-ceiling bookcase in the living room.
Leaving her empty plate on the table, she stood and walked over to the built-in bookcase. She reached for the book on the second shelf from the top. She heard a strange noise and a second later the entire bookcase came away from the wall and crashed toward her so fast that she couldn’t move.
Chapter Nine
Ronan was there, pulling her to safety. It happened so fast it was a blur. And not blurred because she was traumatized but because he had moved faster than any human could. And no human could have pushed away the heavy bookcase with such ease, not even the strongest man on the planet. It had to weigh a ton. Okay, not literally a ton but it had weighed a lot. Granted it wasn’t completely full of books but it was still a huge piece of furniture.
“What the hell just happened?” Sierra’s voice shook. Books encircled her on the floor but miraculously none had actually hit her.
“A bookcase almost crushed you,” Ronan said.
“I know that.”
“There’s no way that should have come loose from the wall like that. It’s almost like someone pushed or pulled it over,” he said.
“They did,” she said.
“Who? There’s no one here.”
“Hal is here,” she whispered.
“Who the hell is Hal?” Ronan demanded.
“The ghost upstairs. He used to be upstairs. Clearly now he’s gaining strength.” She waved her trembling hands. “I want to know about you.”
“I’m fine.”
“How did you move so fast and how did you push that bookcase away from me? It was too heavy for one person to move that way and you did it with ease.”
“What makes you think it was a ghost?”
“Because I see ghosts. I have all my life. But I’ve never seen what you just did.” She poked his arm as if to test his density. “Are you real?”
“I’m real. How long has Hal lived here?”
“Before he died or after?” she said.
“I need your help,” he said.
He didn’t seem the least bit fazed that she saw dead people. “Not until you tell me who you are.”
“I’m Ronan McCoy and I just saved your life. You could say you owe me.”
“Or I could say you’re not human. Would I be right?” Her mind was racing a mile a second. Was he some kind of ghost she’d never heard of before?
“You’re in shock,” he said.
A crash behind him had him turning superfast. He was poised as if ready to attack. But it was the gleam of his fangs that totally freaked her out.
She wasn’t alone. Ruby freaked too. “He’s a vampire!” Ruby shrieked.
Sierra didn’t bother shrieking. She focused her energy on getting the hell out of the house. She ran as fast as she could, praying the vampire wasn’t right on her heels, the few steps to Zoe’s house.
The moment Zoe opened the door, Sierra started talking. “Oh my God! Ronan is a vampire!”
Zoe gently put an arm around her shoulders. “You better come in.”
“A bookcase fell over and almost crushed me. I would have been killed if Ronan hadn’t rushed in and pushed it away from me. And by rush I mean go so fast I couldn’t even see him move.”
“Are you saying he pulled the bookcase down?”
“No, that was a poltergeist gangster ghost named Hal.” Sierra gulped back a sob. “I should probably tell you that I can see ghosts. I have most of my life.”
“So the house next door is haunted?” Zoe asked.
“Yes.”
“I knew it,” Zoe said.
“Do you see ghosts too?”
Zoe shook her head. “Not exactly.”
“Is…” Sierra’s voice shook. “Is Ronan some kind of—”
“He’s a vampire. So am I,” Damon said as he joined them in the foyer.
“You didn’t have to spring it on her like that,” Zoe reprimanded him. “Can’t you see she’s upset?”
“She’s not the only one,” Damon said. “Here’s yet another human trying to blow our cover.”
Sierra’s heart stopped and her ears started ringing. She couldn’t be hearing correctly. This couldn’t be real. “You’re … you’re all vampires?”
“Absolutely not,” Zoe said.
“Zoe isn’t a vampire,” Damon said. “She’s a witch.”
Zoe glared at him. “I’m not allowed to share that information with a human.”
“You didn’t. I did,” Damon said.