Page 37 of Tall, Dark and Haunted

Chapter Sixteen

Rhiannon

Iwakeupto find Davy standing by the window and staring out at the sky. He looks so different with his new haircut. His sideburns-slash-mustache are gone, and he’s wearing jeans and a t-shirt instead of his twentieth century—or possibly nineteenth century—outfit. I know I need a history lesson, and more than that, I need to learn everything there is to know about my mates, but now isn’t the time.

There’s a wistful look on Davy’s face, and I know how much he’d be giving up if our plan doesn’t work. But at least then we’d have all the time in the world to get to know each other. Even if it’ll never be enough.

“We should get going,” Topher says softly.

He squeezes my hand and then rolls out of bed. Red’s still curled up next to me, but his eyes are open as he gives me a warm smile.

“Sun should be rising soon,” Davy says, still staring out the window.

We get dressed and ready to go. I kiss each one of the guys softly and slowly. But then there’s no more stalling. We have to meet Juniper before sunrise or it’ll all be too late.

We walk through the dark, silent town. Streetlamps light the way, but there’s no one out this early. The businesses along Main Street are closed, and the familiar gothic castle stands tall and silent, towering over Jewels Cafe.

“Do you guys think this is going to work?” I ask as doubt courses through me.

“It has to work,” Davy says.

“It will work,” Topher corrects him, his voice ringing with authority.

Red doesn’t say anything, but he wraps an arm around me in silent agreement. His eyes are gentle and warm as he smiles at me encouragingly.

When we approach the castle steps, there’s no sign of Juniper. My heart sinks as I realize the witch has stood us up or simply couldn’t find a solution in time. But then somebody coughs from the shadows.

“Juniper?” I ask.

She steps out and holds out her hand. “I have what you asked for,” she says and places an oddly shaped stone on my palm. “But there’s someone else here who needs to speak to you first.”

Before I can ask who, a middle-aged man steps out of the shadows. He’s got a handlebar mustache and his eyes look just like my dad’s.

“Hello, great-, great-, great-, great-granddaughter,” he says.

“Me?” I ask in surprise after checking behind me. “Do I know you? I think you have me mistaken for someone else.”

“I do not. You are Margam Rhiannon Scott. And I am Robert Scott, your grandfather. Your great-, great-, great-, great-grandfather.”

“You’re… him!” My eyes widen.

“I am him.” He smiles. I really hope we’re both thinking about the same him.

“Scott was the guardian of the Shifter Sanctuary when we died,” Topher confirms.

“My parents have an article about you framed in the living room,” I tell Scott. “You were the gamekeeper, and—”

“Guardian,” Scott corrects.

Topher takes my hand in his. “I hired Scott to protect the Shifter Sanctuary. I thought a bear would—”

“Wait, you hired? As in…” I try to wrap my mind around the fact that my mate was alive at the same time as my great-many-times-over grandfather. I mean, yeah, his outfit when we first met should have given it away, but I guess I just didn’t connect the dots.

“My family owned the sanctuary,” Topher explains. “We welcomed all sorts of shifters, big and small. But there was always a chance that a human or hunter might harm us. We had many a guardian over the years, and when our last guardian retired, I hired Scott.”

“We come from a proud line of bear shifters.” Scott slaps his chest. “I could have taken any enemy… until Jones showed up.”

“Henry Jones, the hunter who killed you,” I repeat the name that I’d read in that article.