Love Your Entity(7)

“How did you get into my U-Haul van?” she asked them.

“You left it unlocked,” Damon said.

Ronan stood there and watched as Nick introduced himself to Sierra. It didn’t take them long, even traveling at human rather than vamp superspeed, to unload the pieces of furniture. Bed, bookcases, a dresser.

Ronan took the boxes of books that Nick handed him at the front door. He noticed that one was full of the same book by one person. S. J. Brennan. Suddenly that confusing thing about deadlines, one of the few bits he’d picked up from her thoughts earlier, made sense.

“You must really like this author’s books,” he noted as he set the box in Sierra’s bedroom.

Sierra nodded. “She’s one of my favorite authors.”

“Not surprising since you are S. J. Brennan,” Ronan said.





Chapter Three

Sierra eyed him suspiciously. “How do you know that? And what’s with the detective helping me to move in?” Damon and the other guy had moved so fast, Sierra hadn’t had time to protest. She was becoming increasingly brain-dead. She just wanted to crawl into her bed, but couldn’t. Not yet.

“Damon is just being friendly,” Ronan said.

“As in he’s your friend, not mine. He’s not really a cop at all, is he? You both set me up.” Sierra rubbed her fingers over her forehead. A massage therapist had once told her it was a good way to release stress.

“Hi, welcome to the neighborhood,” a woman said from the bedroom doorway. “My name is Daniella Delaney, the owner of Heavenly Cupcakes. I can’t believe I’m talking to S. J. Brennan! I really enjoy reading your books.”

“Thanks, but I think it would be best if you all left now. Especially you.” She glared at Ronan.

“What did you do?” Daniella said, joining Sierra in glaring at Ronan. “Do you know how lucky we are to have her move into the neighborhood?”

“My uncle left his house to me but Ronan refuses to leave. Then Damon came and lied by saying that I might own the house but not the property around it,” Sierra said.

Daniella frowned. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“Right.” Sierra felt like hugging her. “My point exactly.”

“What does your lawyer say about all this?” Daniella asked.

“I can’t reach him at the moment,” Sierra said.

“I’m staying upstairs until her lawyer gets back and we settle this. Sierra is drawing up a temporary agreement for me to sign,” Ronan said.

“Don’t sign it!” The order came from a newcomer, a tanned blonde wearing stiletto boots, a spandex micromini skirt, and a tight T-shirt. She’d just removed her faux-fur coat.

Sierra was starting to feel like she was in the midst of some bizarre flash mob scene taking place in her own bedroom. “Who are you?” Sierra demanded.

“My name is Tanya and I’m your biggest fan. I’ll move in with you instead.”

A crash from the kitchen drew everyone’s attention. Sierra headed there, and everyone else followed. Or so she thought, but the truth was that somehow the three men entered the kitchen first, as if intent on protecting their womenfolk. Sierra was surprisingly touched by the chivalrous gesture.

“What does a ghost have to do around here to get a little attention?” Ruby demanded. “Oh wait, I guess I have to smash something.” She pointed to the kitchen wall clock now broken on the floor.

“Is that oak?” Daniella asked in a tense voice.

Sierra looked down. “It’s plastic.”

“It was plastic. Now it’s broken,” Ruby said. “This is so frustrating! I’ve been waiting so long for someone to finally see me and now that you do, you don’t pay any attention to me.”

“I’m a little busy here,” Sierra said.

“Right. Everybody out,” Tanya ordered. “The muse is calling her and Sierra has to write now.”

Ruby fluffed her hair. “So I’m a muse now? Can she see me?” Ruby floated over and waved her hand in front of Tanya’s face. “No.” Her luminescent face reflected her disappointment before she returned her attention to Sierra. “Are you afraid of me?”

“I’m not afraid,” Sierra said.

“You should be,” Ronan said. “Look what happened to that guy in the Stephen King novel when his biggest fan got hold of him.”

“I would never do anything to upset my favorite author,” Tanya assured her. “I’ve read your books about a thousand times.”

“I didn’t know you liked reading,” Daniella said.

“Usually I don’t, but I loved these books,” Tanya said. “Especially the latest one. The sex was really hot.”