27. Piper’s Discovery
Chapter twenty-seven
Piper’s Discovery
I don't usually go looking for people.
I've always figured if someone wanted to be found, they would be in good time. It’s served me remarkably well.
Today, however, I need Tristan. I talked to my solicitor and he doesn’t yet have clear-cut answers but he has some urgent questions about two documents. I want Tristan’s help and opinion on what I should do, what he intends to do, what Duncan may have found.
Mrs. MacLeod looks up from arranging flowers in the entrance hall.
"Have you seen Tristan, Mrs. MacLeod?"
"His lordship is at the stables."
"Perfect. I'll only steal him for five minutes."
She hesitates.
"He... may be occupied. It might be better to await him here."
"I won't interrupt." I smile, pushing on. "I'll drag him away from whatever fascinating conversation he's having with horses. It’s important…"
Mrs. MacLeod opens her mouth. Then closes it again. "As you wish, lass."
Murphy bounds happily ahead of me across the courtyard. The air is cool and smells of rain and hay. The stable doors stand partly open.
I step inside. The horses shift quietly in their stalls. Somewhere farther back I hear voices.
Justin MacLeod's. And Tristan's.
"...always apologize."
"I always will."
I smile as those two talk. I round the corner. Then stop.
Everything inside me stops.
Justin has one sleeve rolled above his elbow. His head turned slightly. Tristan is holding his wrist.
His face is buried against Justin's arm. For one impossible second... my mind refuses to understand what my eyes are seeing.
Then Tristan lifts his head. His mouth—
No.
No!
There’s blood. Blood dripping from … fangs? Dark red blood against impossibly pale skin.
Justin turns and sees me. His eyes widen.
"My Lady—"
Tristan turns suddenly. The instant our eyes meet ... every ounce of color drains from his face. The world tilts beneath my feet.
The notebook slips from my fingers and strikes the stone floor with a crack that echoes through the stable.
Neither of us moves. None of us speaks. I hear my own heartbeat. It’s too fast and loud in my ears.
"What ..."
The word barely leaves my lips. Tristan takes one careful step toward me.
"Piper."
I stumble backward.
"What ..."
Another step.
"Please, Piper, let me explain."
"No!" I shake my head violently. "No!"
Nothing about this makes sense. Nothing! The elegant man who pours my tea. Who argues about wallpaper. Who laughs when Murphy sits on his foot. The man who educates me on Scotland with books. The man who plays piano for me. The man who stands beneath the stars with me.
Blood. He’s drinking blood. His mouth is red from it. And he has fangs.
Justin freezes, saying nothing.
"Don't come any closer," I say as Tristan starts towards me.
His entire body stills. He obeys immediately.
Justin presses a clean cloth against his arm with practiced ease. Practiced. The realization strikes almost as hard as everything else.
My voice shakes. "You’re hurt."
Justin blinks. "No, I’m not, lassie."
"He bit you!"
Tristan speaks softly. "Yes, I was taking some of his blood." Silence. A terrible silence. "I can explain."
I laugh. The sound comes out brittle.
"I'd love to hear that explanation."
"I imagine you would."
Justin steps forward.
"Miss Monroe—"
I hold up a hand.
"No."
He stops.
"I need..." I cannot breathe properly. "I need someone to tell me I'm hallucinating."
No one speaks. I look at Tristan again. The impossible calm. The unnaturally pale skin. The eyes that suddenly seem older than anything I've ever known.
I think of the questions I'd laughed away. Photographs. Stories. Portraits. His careful words. His strange answers. His impossible knowledge of the castle.
Every piece suddenly falls into place.
"Oh my God." The whisper escapes before I can stop it. "You're..."
I can't even say the word. He says it for me. Quietly. Without looking away.
"Yes, Piper, I'm a vampire. A very old vampire."