The Secret of Gisborne: A BBW Shifter Paranormal Romance (House of Gisborne Book 1)

by Alanis Knight

  “Marian, that was dangerous. What if someone had...”

  “Robin, just listen!” she hissed. “I missed the first part of things, but when I got there, I overheard them talking about a new tax. Blackstock wants the other Lords to add an additional ten percent tax to their kingdoms and then bring the resources together. He says they’re going to build roads, clinics... but I don’t think that’s what he wants at all. He doesn’t care about all that.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because after the other Lords left the hall, Blackstock told Gisborne he was afraid some of the Lords wouldn’t go for their plan, and he told Gisborne to ‘take care of it’.”

  “So you think they’re planning to kill them?” Robin asked.

  “I don’t think that’s their first plan. I think Gisborne’s going to threaten them, first. Because Blackstock told him if he couldn’t make them come around to see that they aren’t at the voting tomorrow at noon.”

  “We’ve got to warn them,” Robin said quickly.

  “How? I can’t get back into the castle at this hour. I’ll have no reason for being there.”

  “You’ll have to do it in the morning.”

  “Robin, I have a feeling tomorrow morning will be too late. Gisborne is bound to handle things tonight while the other Lords are sleeping.”

  “Yes, you’re right, of course. Then what can we do?”

  “The deliveries,” Marian said.

  “Hmm?”

  “Every night around midnight there’s a delivery. They bring in mead, wine, food... whatever Blackstock orders. There’s a covered wagon. Someone could slip in the back and ride in.”

  “That’s a good idea!” Robin said. “I’ll go myself.”

  “Robin, no! If they catch you...”

  “They won’t,” he said comfortably.”

  “But what if they do? They know your face. You’ll be arrested on the spot and probably hanged on the morrow!”

  “I’m not afraid, Marian.”

  “Of course you’re not, and that’s why you’re stupid. What about John? He wasn’t with you when you were arrested before.”

  “He’s too big to slip under the cover,” Robin pointed out.”

  “I’ll do it,” Marian said.

  “No! Marian, don’t be ridiculous!”

  “Listen, I’m the best option. If I’m caught, I can simply say I needed to speak to Mirabelle about something.”

  “And you think they’ll accept that?”

  “What choice is there? They’ve seen all your faces, and John’s too big. I’ll be fine, Robin. Trust me.”

  Robin paused, his eyes on the patch of ground that glowed beneath him in the flickering lantern light. He shook his head sorrowfully.

  “Alright. But I’m taking you on horseback to the meeting point. You’re not walking this late.”

  “Agreed. Wait... you have a horse?”

  “Of course I have a horse! We have several!”

  “Where? I saw no horses at your camp.”

  “Of course not,” Robin said with a sly wink. “You don’t think we’d keep them out in plain sight, do you?”

  “Hmm, I suppose not.”

  “Let’s hurry,” Robin urged her. “The sooner we get there, the better.”

  Back at the camp, Robin whistled. Out of the forest, a steed waded across the water, splashing through the rushing creek. Marian shook her head, clearly impressed.

  “Marian, meet Henry,” Robin said.

  Henry cleverly bowed his head and Marian patted the white streak that ran down his nose.

  “Glad to meet you, Henry,” she laughed, and Henry stamped his hoof and whinnied his own greeting.

  Robin quickly informed the others what was taking place at the castle. After a round of objections over Marian’s role, Robin finally convinced them it was the best option.

  “We have to go quickly, Robin,” Marian said. “We’ll have to meet the wagon early or the guards might see us.”

  “Yes, you’re right, of course,” Robin agreed.

  Robin quickly mounted his horse, and he reached his hand down to Marian, who took it and allowed herself to be pulled up on the horse’s gleaming auburn back. She wrapped her arms around Robin’s waist, and they took off at a gallop through the trees, the leaves rustling underneath Henry’s hooves.

  “The wagon comes on the east road,” Marian said. “We’ll have to meet it before the bridge or we’ll risk being spotted by the castle guards.”

  “I’ll ride up and ask the driver for directions and slow him down. You wait by the road and jump in while I have him distracted,” Robin said. “I’ll wait by the road for you when you’re done.”

  “Understood,” Marian agreed.

  They reached the road near the bridge well before midnight. Marian hid behind a bush just off the road while Robin sat on Henry’s back on the bridge. When the wagon approached the bridge, Robin pulled his hood over his face and rode toward it.

  “Hail, good sir!” Robin called to the driver, who cautiously began to slow down.

  “What’d’ya want?” the driver called, looking around as if expecting an ambush.

  “I only ask for directions to Wiltshire, sir,” Robin said politely.

  “Just keep going that way and turn north at first farm,” the driver said as Marian crawled under the white cloth that covered the wagon’s wares.

  “Many thanks, kind sir,” Robin said merrily. “And a good evening to you!”

  The driver gruffly muttered something in return and slapped his reins against the horses’ backs, urging them back to a gallop. Marian peeked out of the wagon and winked at Robin, who nodded back with a very worried look straining his face.

  Marian pulled her head back under the cloth and held her breath. She could hear the tinkling of jars or bottles jostling together beside her and knew this must be a delivery of mead and wine.

  The wagon pulled into the darkened courtyard, and the driver jumped down and disappeared inside the castle. Marian cautiously peeked out of the wagon box. The nearby guards were having a conversation and were turned away. She clambered out of the box and slid around the wall, slipping into the shadows.

  Having cleaned their rooms, Marian was relatively certain she knew which rooms belonged to which Lords, so she crept silently up to one of the windows and stood on her toes to peek inside. Then she quickly ducked down.

  “Lord Winston, I must insist,” Gisborne’s voice carried through the window. “This plan is for the benefit of everyone in the kingdom. You simply must vote in our favor.”

  “And what if I don’t, Gisborne?” Lord Winston asked defiantly. “I know my citizens, and I tell you they cannot afford to pay another ten percent!”

  “If you don’t, then Lord Blackstock is prepared to withdraw his protection of your kingdom.”

  “B-but you know what that will mean! We already have enough trouble fighting off the outlaws! What will we do?”

  “Vote with us,” Gisborne said, “and the protection will continue. Lord Blackstock is even willing to send another five hundred soldiers to your kingdom if needed.”

  “Five hundred?” Lord Winston whispered in wide-eyed wonder. Then he quickly said, “No. I’m sorry, I cannot do it. Ten percent will mean my people starve, and I cannot allow that.”

  “Then you’ve left me no choice,” Gisborne said.

  Marian struggled to raise herself high enough to see inside the window without being spotted. She pulled herself up on her toes, grasping the rough stone sill with her fingers. Her eyes widened as she saw Gisborne approaching Lord Winston.

  “What are you doing?” Lord Winston demanded. “Get away from me at once!”

  Marian suppressed a gasp as Gisborne’s mouth opened, and two sharp fangs glinted in the moonlight. Gisborne wrapped his arms around Lord Winston, and even through the glass Marian could hear the sickening rip of flesh as those horrifying fangs tore into Winston’s neck. Lord Winston groaned piteously, and in an instan
t, his body went limp.

  Marian slipped, her fingers bloodied as they slid across the rough stone. She covered her mouth tightly with her hands to hold in the scream of terror that threatened to betray her location.

  What is he? she wondered. He’s... some kind of monster!

  There was no time to warn the others. Gisborne had already made his way to the guest chambers, and she would have no way to warn the others without being seen. She slipped through the shadows and watched as the wagon was unloaded. When the driver disappeared inside the castle along with his load, she slipped back into the wagon.

  A few minutes later, the driver emerged, and he pulled the wagon out of the castle courtyard and headed back down the road. At the bridge, Robin had dragged a log across the road, causing the driver to bring the wagon to an abrupt stop. He cursed, getting out of the wagon to drag it away from his path while Marian slipped out and disappeared into the trees nearby.

  As the wagon rattled away in the distance, Robin snuck up behind her.

  “Well?” he asked, and she started.

  “Don’t scare me like that!” she gasped, her hand covering her thrumming heart.

  “Sorry. What has you so jumpy?” Robin asked.

  “Oh, Robin!” she wailed, flinging herself against him. “It was horrible!”

  “You didn’t make in time?” he asked.

  “It’s more than that, Robin,” she cried, her voice muffled by his chest. “Gisborne... he’s... he’s some kind of... of... monster!”

  “Well, we knew that, Marian...”

  “No!” Marian shouted, pulling away from Robin and grabbing his shoulders firmly. “He’s really a monster! I saw him! He had these... fangs! And he bit Lord Winston in the neck! Killed him nearly instantly!”

  Robin’s upper lip twitched, nearly curling into a snarl. His eyes narrowed, and his hands quivered as they nearly balled into fists.

  “Vampire,” he growled.

  “What?” Marian asked.

  “I thought they were only legends... fairy tales,” Robin said.

  “What are you talking about?” Marian demanded.

  “Vampires... have you not heard the stories? Men who turn into bats, drink human blood, and never, ever die...”

  Marian shivered.

  “But those are just stories, Robin,” Marian said. “They’re not real!”

  “You said you saw him. He had fangs. He bit Lord Winston and killed him. He’s a vampire. The stories are real!”

  “No... no, they.. they can’t be,” Marian murmured, shaking her head.

  “We have to get back to camp,” Robin said. “We have to do something quickly or the whole village is in danger!”

  Robin whistled, and Henry dashed out of the trees. Robin deftly swung onto his back and pulled Marian on behind him. Off they sped toward the forest, toward the camp.

  “John! Will!” Robin shouted as they splashed through the creek.

  Robin dismounted while Henry was still at a trot and pulled Marian off behind him. Shafts of light fell upon the forest floor as their tent flaps opened, and the men emerged, bleary eyed, but alert.

  “We’ve got a problem,” Robin said. “You’ve heard of vampires?”

  John chuckled heartily and said, “You mean the children’s stories?”

  “They’re not stories,” Robin said seriously. “They’re real.”

  Will snorted and burst into laughter. Slapping Robin heartily on the back, he said, “Good one, Robin! You almost had me going.”

  “Will!” Robin shouted, and Will’s smile quickly faded. “I’m deadly serious.”

  “What? But they’re stories, Robin,” Will argued. “They were made up to scare little children into coming home before dark!”

  “They’re not stories,” Marian said. “I’ve seen one.”

  “Where?” John asked, suddenly serious.

  “At the castle,” Marian said. “It’s Gisborne.”

  The group fell silent. No one spoke or even moved. Even Henry stopped his pawing of the ground and stood as still as a statue, his muscles quivering underneath his hide.

  “Gisborne,” Will finally said. “Are you certain?”

  Marian nodded and said, “I saw him kill Lord Winston. He had two huge fangs, and he bit Lord Winston on the neck and Winston just went limp.”

  More silence. Everyone looked at each other, unsure what to do or say.

  “We have to assume Gisborne has already killed the other Lords who wouldn’t comply,” Robin said. “So whatever Blackstock is planning is a done deal.”

  “I can’t imagine what he could be doing,” Marian said. “He says he wants to use all these taxes to build orphanages, but he doesn’t care about that.”

  “No, you’re right. Something sinister is going on, and we’ve got to find out what it is,” Robin agreed.

  “I’ll do what I can to find out something at the castle,” said Marian.

  “You’re not going back there!” Robin shouted.

  “Oh, yes I am!” Marian insisted. “Robin, someone has to find out what’s going on, and I’m the only one who has access!”

  “You can’t! You’ve seen Gisborne! And we have to assume Blackstock is one, as well. And who knows who else? It’s not safe!” Robin yelled.

  “And what do you think will happen if I suddenly neglect to show up for work? They’ll come after me... after Father! They know I need my job, and if I don’t show up, they’ll suspect something is wrong!”

  “She’s right, mate,” John said gently, clasping Robin’s shoulder. “She has to go back or they’ll know something’s up.”

  Robin opened his mouth to argue, but he could clearly see everyone was in agreement.

  “Fine, but you get out of there at the first sign of trouble,” Robin said.

  “I will. I promise,” Marian said.

  “I’d better get you home,” Robin said. “Find out what you can tomorrow, and meet me in the same place at dusk. Meanwhile, we’ll figure out what to do.”

  “Alright,” Marian agreed.

  Marian and Robin mounted Henry, and Robin took her back to the forest’s edge. She slid off the horse and glanced up at Robin.

  “I don’t like this,” Robin told her.

  “I know, but there’s no choice,” she said, and he nodded.

  Marian headed home with Robin watching from within the trees until she disappeared safely inside the cottage.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  The morning was chilly, but not freezing. Still, Marian shivered uncontrollably as she entered the castle courtyard. Her eyes flitted about her, glancing at every guard and wondering if they, too, were monsters like Gisborne.

  The morning chores were marginally bearable. The hours crawled by as she scrubbed the floors in the corridors, and she felt fortunate that she saw no sign of Gisborne or Blackstock.

  The noon hour approached, and she asked Mirabelle if she could take a break for a bite to eat. Not wanting a repeat of Marian’s fainting spell, she agreed. She gave Marian an apple and a hunk of stale bread, and Marian slipped off to the center courtyard to listen in on the voting.

  The group had already convened. Marian could hear the commotion as the Lords discussed the vote. Finally, she heard a loud banging sound on the massive table.

  “May I have your attention, please?” Blackstock’s voice rose above the others. “Voting is about to commence. I would like to hear from any of you who may have something to say on the matter!”

  “I have something to say,” a voice bellowed loudly.

  Marian’s heart thudded, and her stomach lurched. She knew that voice.

  “Lord Winston, by all means, speak,” Blackstock encouraged.

  How could this be? Marian wondered. I saw him die!

  “I just wanted to say that I may have made a grievous error, yesterday,” Lord Winston said. “I was prepared to vote no today, but after a great deal of thinking in my chamber last night, I have decided to vote yes. I encourage each of you to do the sam
e, as I believe Lord Blackstock’s plan will be highly beneficial to the citizens of all our kingdoms.”

  A great murmur broke out in the room as the Lords chatted amongst one another. Finally, the loud rapping on the table broke through the noise.