She turned but only got as far as the foyer before Ronan appeared in front of her. He didn’t appear out of nothing the way ghosts did, although it was pretty damn close.
“You have to stay,” he said.
“No I don’t. I am totally out of here.”
“My sister’s soul depends on you.”
The anguish in his voice should not have gotten to her but it did. Still, she tried to hide that fact by using sarcasm. “Is she a vampire too?”
“No.”
“So you want to steal my soul and give it to her?”
“No, nothing like that. Where do you come up with this stuff?”
“I’m a writer,” she muttered.
“Which means you have a vivid imagination,” he said.
“Not so vivid that I ever imagined I’d inherit a house full of vampires,” she shot back.
“And ghosts. Don’t forget the ghosts.”
“The ghosts were no surprise. You are the surprise.”
“Just so you know, the house is not full of vampires. My family lived here before I was turned. The house is mine by Vampire law.”
“Yeah, well, it’s mine by every other law,” she said. “Like the state of Illinois law.”
“Vampire law trumps all others.”
“Says you.”
“Check it out with your lawyer.”
“Right. I’ll do that,” she said sarcastically. “I’m sure he’s up-to-date on all the intricacies of Vampire law.”
“If you leave then you will lose the house,” he said.
“And if I stay I will lose my life.”
“No you won’t. Where did you get such an idea?”
“From you. You’re a vampire.”
“I’m not going to kill you.”
“So you just want to turn me into a vampire?” she said.
“No.”
“Then what do you want?”
“I’m trying to tell you, but you won’t give me a chance.”
“I’m too scared to think straight,” she muttered, before pointing to the mirror in the foyer. “Wait, I can see your reflection.”
He nodded. So did his reflection. “That’s right.”
“Are you trying to punk me or something? Is this some kind of reality show gone bad?”
“I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“The fact that you aren’t really a vampire.”
“How do you figure that?”
“If you were, then I wouldn’t be able to see your reflection,” she said.
“That’s an urban myth, dating back to the days when mirrors were backed with thin sheets of silver. At that time, most vampires were not able to see their own reflection. No one else could see their reflection either.”
“Right.” She looked around. Vampires seeing their reflection? She didn’t think so. She’d seen a few episodes of the first season of the BBC version of Being Human. The vampire on that show couldn’t see his reflection, although he was dark and sexy. Maybe Ronan was an actor like that one, only American not British. “So where are the hidden cameras?”
“They don’t work in this house. I’m assuming it’s because of the ghosts haunting the place.”
Bingo. He’d just confirmed there were cameras. Wow, she’d almost fallen for that vampire stuff. Maybe this could be tied into some publicity for her book. As far as she knew there was no mention of television coverage in her promo plan or her publisher’s. Unless they hadn’t told her because they’d wanted to surprise her?
What about the bookcase? Maybe they’d replaced it with a fake one like on TV. And the freaky-fast speed? A hologram or special effects or something. She didn’t know the details. “So this is a reality-show hoax.”
“No, the cameras to which I was referring would be part of the area’s surveillance system.”
“The city of Chicago is watching you all?”
“No.”
“So you are watching the city instead?”
“No, just our small corner of it.”
“How do I know this is real?” she demanded. “I mean that you’re real.”
He held his arms out. “You can touch me, feel me.”
“No way.”
He looked hurt. Like she should care? If she was talking to a real vampire, she needed to get the hell out.
Then he got angry and, as he did, his eyes did something strange and his fangs appeared. “I swear on my sister’s soul, I’m a vampire,” Ronan grated. “Get over it!”
Looking at him now, she finally accepted his word. She took one step back, then another. “Look, it was one thing inheriting a house with a ghost or two. But moving into a nest of vampires is quite another. You say this was your house at one time and that it should be yours again. Fine. You can have it. Life is too short for this crap. Not your life of course since you are immortal. Or is that an urban myth as well?”