Page 38 of Tall, Dark and Haunted

“Not just any hunter,” Scott says. “A wizard.”

“A wizard?” I gasp. I mean, I know there are plenty of wizards out there—I just never knew one had killed my grandfather. And I would never have thought a wizard could be named something as mundane as Henry Jones.

“He is the reason we’re all ghosts,” Davy explains. “He killed us all.”

“Not just us three and Scott,” Topher adds. “All the ghosts of Margam.”

“All of them?” My heart drops.

Scott nods. “The few who survived covered it up. Made it look like it was a hunter who shot a gamekeeper, nothing more. Had to, so the humans wouldn’t suspect there were shifters among them. And once Jones was caught and hung for his crimes, they thought they were safe.”

“Weren’t they?” I ask in surprise. “I mean, we? I mean…”

“Jones became a ghost, too,” Topher explains.

“I locked him in the basement,” Scott adds proudly. “I did what I was hired to do. I may have failed them all when they were alive, but with the help of the Port Talbot Coven, I captured his ghost. They locked him up, and I guarded him, as was my duty. I—”

“No one ever blamed you for what happened all those years ago,” Topher interjects. “You did everything you could to protect us.”

“I could have done more.” My great-grandfather’s shoulders slump.

“No, you couldn’t. And if anyone is to blame, it’s me,” Topher adds. “If I had known he’d be a threat, I would have hired a more powerful wizard to protect us. One that could fight fire with fire—or spells with spells, as the case may be.”

“Well, I should have—” my great-grandfather starts to protest.

“It doesn’t matter now,” I interrupt.

“Rhia’s right,” Topher agrees. “It’s all in the past.”

I nod. “And if we just do what Juniper says, we’ll have our lives back. Isn’t that right, Juniper?”

The witch—who had been quietly listening until now—starts to nod, but Scott cuts her off. “It isn’t safe,” he says.

“Cut me off again and I’ll turn your cock into a frog then drop it in a beautiful lily pad filled pond. It’ll never want to come back to you.”

Juniper gives Scott a look before heading off to inspect the castle and its grounds.

I turn to Scott. “What isn’t safe?” I ask him.

“Henry Jones has escaped.”

“He’s escaped?” Davy gasps.

“You couldn’t have said so sooner?” Topher’s eyes widen in obvious panic.

Red wraps his arm around me and holds me close.

“I tried to capture him, but it’s too late,” Scott says. “It’s either us or him or all of us.”

“That made no sense,” I tell him.

“I know.” He sighs and runs his hand through his hair. “The wizard is on the loose in Silver Springs. Haven’t seen hair nor hide of him meself, but I’ve heard he’s gone after multiple shifters in town. On all accounts, his magic isn’t strong enough yet, but with every shifter he attacks, his power grows. In time, he will succeed. And when he regains his powers, it’ll be too late. The only way to stop him is for the coven to return us all to ghosts… including him.”

I shake my head in denial.

“There has to be another way,” Davy echoes my thoughts.

He glances up at the sky again, and in this moment, I finally understand. The sky’s the one thing that he couldn’t see while trapped in Margam Castle. And now he can. He can feel the sun on his face. Feel the wind in his hair. Things that he missed for over a century. Things that I will never get to enjoy if I become a ghost.