Wow. To say I was floored was an understatement.
I scrutinized the barrels. “This is a pretty big secret.”
“It is. Can I trust you to keep it?”
“I think you must’ve already decided that I can. Otherwise you would’ve used that weapon to try to kill me.” I gestured to the crossbow hidden behind a barrel but within arm’s reach of the winemaker.
His smile broadened. “Do I have your word as a knight?”
“Yes.” I had no reason to out Adwin or Callan. As far as I was concerned, this was a secret worth keeping. “This seems like quite the underground enterprise.”
“We’ve been working on formulas for years, trying to perfect it before we attempt a more widespread introduction. We don’t want to give the common vampire any reason to reject it.”
“This is what you keep in that secret storage room I saw.”
He nodded. “Prince Callan had a ward set up that allows me to come and go through the tunnel without anyone being the wiser.”
I studied the residue that clung to the glass of the goblet. “For what’s it worth, it looks and smells the same to me.”
“Ah, but your senses won’t be as finely tuned as a vampire’s.”
Little did he know. “You said ‘we.’ Who works with you on this?” There was no way Adwin could oversee this enterprise as well as a serve as the royal winemaker to House Lewis.
“I have a team in place. Their identities are unimportant, but they are all carefully selected and committed to a blood-free diet.”
“But Prince Callan is your main backer?”
Adwin inclined his head. “It was he who hatched the scheme in the first place, once he realized I shared his misgivings about human blood.”
I took a moment to digest the news. The Horror of the Highlands drank synthetic blood. By choice. To say I was blown away was an understatement.
“Our ultimate goal is to create a substance that combines the nutrients of human blood with the look and taste of an excellent vintage.”
“But isn’t part of the appeal the look and taste of blood?”
He gave me a knowing look. “So some believe, but science tells us that it’s our attraction to what’s in the blood that informs our senses. I believe that if the nutrients are present in the wine, the vampire’s tastes will shift along with them.”
My fingers drifted to the top of the barrel. “You could change the world with this.” No more tribute centers. No more looking at humans as a food source.
“Which is why we’ve kept our endeavor secret for so long. Once we finalize the formula and determine that it’s fit for the general vampire population, we’ll begin to roll it out.”
“How do you intend to do that under the nose of House Lewis?”
He clasped his hands in front of him. “What we hope is that the royal family will share our vision of the future and become a partner in its distribution.”
And if they didn’t, I had no doubt they’d execute Adwin for treason. The royal family could easily consider the secrecy and subterfuge an attack on their House. I wasn’t sure what would happen to Callan. They couldn’t execute him, but they could certainly invent ways to make his immortal life miserable before the contract was up and he was returned to his birth family in Scotland.
“You’ve taken an incredible risk.”
A smile tugged the corners of his mouth. “Are you talking about the synthetic blood or sharing our secret with you?”
“The more who know, the more likely the secret gets out before you’re ready.” I couldn’t help but feel concerned for the winemaker’s safety. “What’s your plan if House Lewis doesn’t share your vision? You won’t be able to put the genie back in the bottle, no pun intended.”
“Prince Callan will handle that particular task. He won’t reveal my involvement unless and until they express a positive interest in the matter.”
Still, Callan would put himself at considerable risk. “How many vampires are out there who share your view, do you think?”
“More than you would expect.”
My gaze swept the room. “Will you tell the prince that I know?”
“I shall leave that to you.”
I nodded. I wasn’t sure whether it made sense to tell him. I didn’t want Callan to view me as a threat. Our relationship was complicated enough.
“If there’s anything I can do to help with this,” I offered. “I’m more than willing.”
Adwin’s eyes grew round. “You would risk your life for a cause that doesn’t affect you?”
“We’re all connected, Adwin. Just because I’m not going to end up at a tribute center doesn’t mean I have no stake in the outcome.”
The vampire’s features softened. “I knew I liked you from the first.”
A thought occurred to me. “You served as the royal winemaker under Queen Britannia, too, didn’t you?”
His chest inflated. “I did.”
“What was your relationship like with her?”
He chortled. “What do you think it was like? She was the queen and I was a lowly member of staff.”
“But by all accounts, she loved her wine. You must have been among her favorites.”
Adwin’s face tightened. “The queen had no favorites.”
“What about her relationship with the king? Do you think they loved each other?”
Adwin eyed me closely. “What’s this about?”
“My curiosity.”
He exhaled. “I suppose you’ve heard the rumors then.”
“Enlighten me.”
“There have been whispers over the years that the queen’s murder was plotted by her husband and House Duncan. That they used the battle as a cover for their plan.”
“Do you believe it?”
“I don’t give it much thought. My mind is preoccupied with other matters.”
I balked. “You don’t think it’s important that the king conspired with a rival House to murder his wife?”
Adwin regarded me. “And what if he did? You think King Casek should be made to step down? Who would replace him—Maeron? Do you think the realm would be better off?”
“You think the truth is unimportant?”
“I think the truth’s importance is relative to the outcome. Maeron is not ready to be king and the realm is not ready for another war.”
He made a good point. If the other Houses saw the potential to launch an attack on Britannia City, they’d seize it with gusto.
“King Casek is a fine vampire,” Adwin continued, “regardless of any questionable decisions he may or may not have made. This is a subject I’d leave well enough alone, Miss Hayes.”
“You disliked the queen.”
“I don’t know a living being who felt otherwise. She was a tyrant. Her ego would’ve doomed us all.”