"Let us go, then." He gathered the bags under one arm, then held out his hand.
"Just let me get my keys."
"You will not need them."
"No?"
"No." He wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close against him.
"Relax."
"How can I relax when I don't know what you're going to do?"
"There's nothing to be afraid of. Close your eyes and trust me, my sweet one."
Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. She experienced a sense of movement, as if she were flying, a sudden queasiness in the pit of her stomach, followed by a feeling of weightlessness, as if she had left her body behind.
"Are you all right?" His voice sounded in her ear.
"I don't know. Am I?" Opening her eyes, she glanced at her surroundings, murmured, "Oh my," when she saw the castle. It sat on a verdant hill, looking almost iridescent in the moonlight. A long curving driveway stretched away from the front of the house.
There were trees everywhere, all heavy with fall foliage. The air was thick with the scent of rain, damp earth, and moss.
"Welcome to my home," Antonio said.
Taking her by the hand, he led her up the stone steps. The door opened as if by magic.
Candles sprang to life, lighting their way through a narrow foyer tiled in black and gray and into a large parlor with vaulted ceilings and tall, leaded windows. Tapestries hung on three of the walls, depicting a variety of hunting scenes. Other than that, there were no pictures or decorations in the room. The furniture was heavy and dark. A massive stone fireplace, the mantel higher than the top of her head, took up most of the fourth wall. A fire sprang to life in the hearth.
Startled, she took a step backward. "Another vampire talent, I suppose. Maybe you should make me a list."
He smiled at her, obviously amused.
"I'm serious," she said, frowning. "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 seemed fast." Still feeling a little queasy, she pressed a hand to her stomach. "Don't tell me," she said. "Just something you pulled out of your bag of tricks."
He dropped her bags on the floor. "Relax, my sweet one. I know you are nervous at being here, alone in a strange place with a vampire."
Nervous didn't begin 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 microscope.
"The kitchen is this way."
He flicked a light switch, then led her down a flight of stone steps into a large room that was, for all intents and purposes, empty save for a rectangular table and a couple of chairs. A long counter ran the length of the room; there was a pantry at one end that was bigger 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 empty. Several large windows were located above the counter.
"I shall purchase a stove and a refrigerator." Antonio glanced around the room. She had a feeling he didn't come down here often but then, why would 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 rooms on either side. There was a large 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 was where Antonio spent most of his time when he was here, mainly because of the enormous television screen that took up a good 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 know why 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 Dracula movie ever made, from the first black-and-white one starring Bela Lugosi to her all-time favorite starring Frank Langella. Antonio even had the Spanish version of Dracula. Vicki recalled reading in an old movie magazine that the Spanish version had been filmed on the same set as the Bela Lugosi movie and that many critics thought the Spanish version was a better film. Sandwiched in among the others were Dracula's Daughter, 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 number of Hammer Dracula films, too, along 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 vampire would want to watch movies about vampires."
He grunted 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 movie on TV with Bobbie Sue. Even though she knew it wasn't real, she had closed her eyes during the bloody parts. And now she was alone in the house with a vampire. A real vampire.
Shivering, 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 room."
He led her up a winding staircase. Candles flickered in wrought-iron sconces along the wall. He led her down a wide corridor lined with a deep maroon carpet. The doors on either side of the corridor were open. All the rooms appeared to be bedrooms. Only one was furnished. The chair and table looked to be genuine antiques, as did the bed and the mirror, though it was hard to be sure in the flickering candlelight.