Page 5 of Tall, Dark and Haunted

Chapter Three

Rhiannon

“It’sgoingtobe okay,” Red says. “Just try not to think about it.”

“Yes, perhaps we should all introduce ourselves,” Topher suggests.

Is he joking? He wants to exchange pleasantries while I’m dripping celestial water on the carpet, with my arse and tits exposed to the world and all its ghosts. This is definitely some sort of perverse hell. Someone somewhere is having a really good laugh at my expense.

At least that someone isn’t the tour guide and her entourage, since they can’t see me. Come to think of it, they’re not even here anymore. In all the chaos, I completely missed the moment she and all the unruly seniors moved on, leaving me alone with the three ghosts.

“I’m Rhidian, but everyone calls me Red,” the bird shifter says, oblivious to the fact that I’m pointedly glaring at the back of his head. “I’m a kite shifter.”

“You’re not a kite,” I retort. I’ve heard of the inanimate object shifters from Shifter Bay before, but he’s definitely a bird.

“Excuse me?” he asks quizzically.

“You’re a bird.”

“Yes, a kite.”

“No. You can’t possibly be a kite. You’re a bird.”

“Good lord,” Topher growls at Red. “The girl clearly doesn’t know her birds.” His tone softens slightly as he tells me, “He’s a red kite. A bird of prey.”

“Oh, so he doesn’t shift into the sort of kite that has a tail?” Well, now I feel a little silly. Although I’m not sure why. I never pretended to know the first thing about birds of any kind, let alone the big, scary kind.

“Well, he does have a tail, but not the sort with bows and ribbon.”

“A pretty nice tail, in my opinion,” Red adds, glancing over his shoulder at me. Then he seems to remember I’m naked and quickly turns back.

“And I’m Christopher Talbot, at your service,” Topher says, with the stiff politeness of another time as he turns around and gives me a low bow.

I almost let out a scream when his face comes level with some of my naked bits, but his gaze is averted. He keeps looking toward the window as if he’s seen something fascinating out by the ruins of the old abbey. His sarcastic tone is gone, but it’s impossible to miss the glint in his eye. He’s enjoying this.

“We call him Topher,” Davydd says, “and you can call me Davy. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss—?”

“Rhiannon,” I mutter in response. I debate whether or not to share my full name—I really don’t want to have to explain why my parents called me Margam—when the floor starts to shake.

“Should we check on… you know?” Red asks Topher with a gesture toward the stairs.

Topher shakes his head. “There’s no need. There’s never been a need.”

“But we haven’t seen anything like this since…” Davy trails off with a nervous glance at me. “Well, you know…”

“Since what?” I demand. “What’s happening?”

“There’s nothing to worry about,” Topher says. “It’s a problem for the living, not for us ghosts.”

I try to ignore how something in my chest clenches at his words. There’s something final about having someone confirm that I am no longer alive.

“Why am I here?” I ask.

“Er… You’re dead,” Topher says. He still hasn’t turned back around, and our gazes meet. He gives me an almost tender look for just a fraction of a second before he looks back towards the window.

“That’s not what I meant. Why am I at Margam Castle? Is this where everyone goes when they die? Is that why it’s haunted?”

“No. Ghosts haunt the place where they died,” Davy says. “At least, that’s the case with all the ones here.”