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Startled, she took a step backward "Another vampire talent, I suppose Maybe you should make me a list"

He smiled at her, obviously a "All these supernatural powers are disconcerting, you know"

"I am sorry," he said "I will try to warn you in the future"

"How did we get here so fast? At least, it see a little queasy, she pressed a hand to her sto you pulled out of your bag of tricks"

He dropped her bags on the floor "Relax,here, alone in a strange place with a vain to explain what she was feeling Any why did the word vampire suddenly seem so ominous?

"Would you like to see the rest of the house?"

"Sure" Anything was better than standing there feeling like a bug under a ht switch, then led her down a flight of stone steps into a large room that was, for all intents and purposes, eular table and a couple of chairs A long counter ran the length of the rooer than her bedroom at home Like the kitchen, the pantry was empty She was certain that if she opened the cupboards that lined one wall, she would find they were equally ee ere located above the counter

"I shall purchase a stove and a refrigerator" Antonio glanced around the roo he didn’t come down here often but then, ould he? "And some food, of course"

"I’m surprised you have electricity," she remarked as they returned to the parlor

"It is a recent addition"

He led her down a narrow hallway, showing her the rooe library stocked with books, an office that held little more than an antique rolltop desk, and three rooms that were empty

There was a second parlor at the back of the house She knew immediately that this here Antonio spent most of his time when he was here, mainly because of the enorood portion of one wall A black leather chair that could easily hold two and a large square end table were located in front of the TV Several books were scattered across the table There was a fireplace in the corner

A bearskin rug took up a good deal of floor space in front of the hearth

She looked up at Antonio and grinned "Now I knohy you have electricity"

He grinned back at her Moving toward a large oak cabinet, he opened the doors, revealing an expensive stereo system, hundreds of CDs, and what looked like a thousand DVDs

"Wow! I had no idea you were a couch potato"

Going to stand beside him, she perused the DVD titles, pleased to see a few of her favorites, like Pirates of theCaribbean, Doc Hollywood, and Gladiator, on one shelf

Another shelf must have held every vampire movie ever made, from the early black-and-white film Nosferatu to the more contemporary movie The Lost Boys, as well as every DraculaBela Lugosi to her all-tiella Antonio even had the Spanish version of Dracula Vicki recalled reading in an old azine that the Spanish version had been filosi ht the Spanish version was a better filhter, Son of Dracula, The Return of Dracula, Horror of Dracula, and one she had never heard of, Billy the Kid Versus Dracula There were a nu with the Gary Oldman version and Anne Rice’s Interview With the Vampire

Vicki looked up at Antonio "Have you watched all of these?"

He shrugged "The nights can be long and lonely"

"I wouldn’t think a varunted softly "They are always good for a laugh"

"Really?" She wondered what he had found humorous in Interview With the Vampire

She had watched the h she kneasn’t real, she had closed her eyes during the bloody parts And now she was alone in the house with a va, she crossed her arms over her chest

A moment later, a fire crackled in the hearth in the corner

"Come," he said, "I will show you to your roo staircase Candles flickered in wrought-iron sconces along the wall He led her doide corridor lined with a deep maroon carpet The doors on either side of the corridor were open All the rooms appeared to be bedrooenuine antiques, as did the bed and thecandlelight

"That was Lady Kathryn’s roorinned "I suppose it still is"

He stopped at the end of the corridor in front of the only closed door Opening it, he stepped inside and switched on the lights, revealing a large square room with leaded s and an old-fashioned four-poster bed flanked by a pair of rosewood nightstands The walls were a pale yellow, and a deep gold carpet covered the floor

The comforter and curtains hite An antique rosewood ar chair in one corner, a s chair in another