Bitten in Stone (Blackhaven Manor #14)

Chapter 1

Chapter one

“Are you sure you won’t stay with us?”

Adopting an indulgent grin, Ruger reached out and cuffed his brother-in-law lightly on the side of his head. “Skye was kind enough to offer me one of the rental cabins until I can find a place in town.”

“Okay, but if you change your mind…” Kol trailed off, leaving the invitation to settle between them.

“I’ll let you know,” he lied.

He appreciated the offer. Really, he did. But despite being mated and married for several years now, Kol and Remi still seemed to be in the honeymoon phase of their relationship.

Great for them. A bit nauseating for everyone else. He’d spent the past two days with them, and honestly, that had been enough.

Virtually everyone in the world had heard of Remington Raines.

At the height of his career, he’d been headlining global tours, playing to sold-out stadiums, and rubbing elbows with top celebrities. Between tour buses and afterparties, though, someone had to keep the fame train well-oiled and on track.

And while far fewer people had heard the name Ruger Raines, for the past decade, he had been that someone.

From schedules to finances, venues to contracts, he had devoted himself to managing his younger brother’s career. It had been a wild, sometimes exhausting, ride, especially in those early years, but he didn’t regret a single moment of it.

But all things came to an end.

Now that Remi had settled into domestic life, he had stopped touring and preferred to play festivals and other smaller events—something he had once considered beneath him. He had also walked away from his record label and decided to start producing his own music.

Ruger still helped out here and there, but it wasn’t the full-time position it had once been. For a while, he had considered taking on other clients, but ultimately, his heart hadn’t been in it. Helping his brother succeed had been more about Remi than the job itself.

As he approached forty, he found himself craving a quieter, more predictable life. In recent years, it had also become harder and harder to return to his house in the city after visits to the small mountain town of Echo Falls, Colorado.

So, when Kol had told him Blackhaven Manor was looking for a new event coordinator, it had seemed like a no-brainer.

“I’m sure he’ll be quite comfortable here.” A beautiful female with sapphire blue eyes and a waterfall of golden hair appeared on the other side of the counter. “Ruger.”

Of course, he had met Skye Maddock on multiple occasions, including his recent interview. She still unnerved the hell out of him.

Not that he would ever admit that…out loud. “Skye.”

She smiled in acknowledgement but otherwise didn’t comment as her manicured nails clacked over the keyboard. A click of the mouse popped open the center drawer of the desk, and she selected an old-fashioned brass key from one of the cubbies.

“You’ll be in the new cabin across the lake,” she said with a radiant smile as she passed it across the counter. “It’s a bit of a walk, but I thought you might appreciate the privacy.”

Attached to a leather tag that had his room number embossed in gold, the key looked like a relic from the 1800s. Yet, there was a charm about it that couldn’t be replicated by swiping a plastic card through an electronic reader.

He slid it into the pocket of his dark-wash jeans with a grateful nod.

“I would,” he confirmed. Especially since he would be calling the rental cabin home for the foreseeable future. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure.” She paused and tilted her head before adding, “You should visit the vendor booths on the east lawn.”

Then she turned and disappeared down a narrow corridor behind the registration area without another word.

Ruger stared after her, his brow furrowed. He did want to check out the vendors for the Fae Expo, but he had planned to settle into his cabin first, maybe grab some lunch, then familiarize himself with the castle and his new duties.

“Just leave your luggage here,” Kol told him as if nothing had happened. “I’ll have someone deliver it soon.”

“Thanks,” he responded distractedly, his gaze still on the empty space where Skye had disappeared. “Is she always so—”

“Weird?” Kol suggested with a quiet chuckle. “Yeah, pretty much.”

Fair guess, but that hadn’t been what he had meant to ask. “Reserved,” he corrected. “Is she always so reserved?”

“Sometimes.” Shrugging, Kol linked his arm through Ruger’s and began leading him across the hotel lobby. “Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it.” As they neared the cafe off the entrance, his lips stretched into a warm smile, and he lifted his free hand in greeting. “Hey, Flip.”

Ruger followed his gaze, his brow furrowed in confusion when he spotted an unfamiliar face behind the counter. The new addition to the staff didn’t surprise him. While the hotel didn’t necessarily have a high turnover rate, Skye did have a reputation for collecting strays.

Himself included.

In all the years he had been coming to the castle, however, he had rarely seen anyone behind the counter at that time of morning other than Emrys.

Petite, with a fair, radiant complexion and enormous lavender eyes, the male possessed the kind of ethereal beauty that marked him as fae. Whether pixie, faerie, or something else, Ruger couldn’t say. Not yet anyway.

Glossy hair the color of starlight teetered atop his head in a messy knot, the locks shimmering with streaks of lilac in the sunlight that poured through the windows.

Four small silver hoops were stacked along the cartilage in each of his elongated ears, and a tiny diamond glittered on one side of his button nose.

“Hello, Kol.” The fae welcomed their arrival with the kind of smile that could melt the winter frost. “And this must be our new event coordinator.”

Ruger glanced to his side with a raised eyebrow. “Did you tell everyone I was coming?”

“Of course,” Kol answered dismissively. “This is Phillip Casey, but you can call him Flip.” His hand swept toward the male, then back. “This is my brother-in-law, Ruger Raines. You can call him whatever you want.”

“Asshole,” Ruger muttered under his breath.

“Yes.” Kol gave a resolute nod. “You can call him that, too. In fact, I encourage it.”

He rolled his eyes but remained silent, knowing anything he said would only embolden the guy.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you…” The barista trailed off, his voice lilting in question.

“Ruger is fine.”

Flip smiled and dipped his head in understanding. “Can I get something for you this morning?”

He pointed over his shoulder toward a chalkboard menu hung high on the back wall. Ruger glanced at it to be polite, but ultimately, he ordered the same thing he always did, no matter where he went.

“Just a black coffee.”

“You got it.”

“How much do I owe you?” he asked, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet.

“On the house,” Flip said as he poured coffee into a paper cup, secured the lid, and slid it across the counter. “Welcome to Blackhaven Manor.”

“Thanks.”

Coffee in hand, he said his goodbyes, then followed Kol across the lobby and down a long corridor behind the grand staircase. They walked in silence past bars, lounges, and a couple of restaurants until they came to a set of double doors with port windows.

“So, where is Emrys?” he asked as they stepped out onto a wide paved patio with a metal bench and a handful of potted plants.

The late morning sun shone brightly from a cloudless sky, its rays glittering off the surface of the lake at the bottom of the hill. Early autumn in Colorado could be turbulent, with temperatures rising and falling as Mother Nature struggled to shake off the last remnants of summer.

The current weather, however, was mild and held only a hint of chill in the breeze that blew down from the mountains. Still, the distinct fragrance of fall carried on the wind, the scent of creeping decay from the changing leaves.

Kol slowed and pointed to one of the paved paths that disappeared into the tree line. “He’s working at the forest cafe.”

“There’s a forest cafe?”

“It just opened a few weeks ago, and it’s been pretty popular, especially among our treehouse guests.”

Ruger bobbed his head to show he was listening while secretly thanking the gods that Skye had offered him a cabin rather than one of the treetop suites in the woods. While he didn’t have the same fear of heights as his brother, he didn’t relish the idea of climbing a ladder just to get to his room.

A new cafe. New cabins by the lake. A new arched bridge that stretched across the water. Clearly, there had been a lot of changes around the castle since his last visit.

“Are you sure about this?” Kol asked as they made their way toward the dozens of tents and canopies set up in neat rows on the manicured lawn. “Visiting is one thing, but living here is a lot different from L.A.”

That was definitely an understatement, but Ruger hadn’t made his decision on a whim. In fact, the move had been a long time coming.

“I’m sure,” he answered with a crooked grin. “And you know you don’t have to babysit me, right?”

Kol waved him away with a flick of his wrist as he stepped up to a table to examine a variety of jar candles. “I’m on break.”

It seemed most of the Manor’s guests had also decided to take a break that morning to enjoy the beautiful weather while they browsed the merchant stalls.

Ruger rarely had the opportunity to see so many Otherlings gathered in one place, and it had always been one of his favorite things about the hotel.

Werewolves, witches, demons, shifters, and fae all mingled with bright smiles and cheery greetings. Only the vampires were missing, but he imagined he’d see plenty of them come nightfall.

Selecting one of the smaller candles in a startling shade of neon green, Kol held it up to his nose and sniffed. “Oh, that’s nice.”

Ruger arched an eyebrow when he caught sight of the price tag stamped on the bottom of the jar. “They’re kind of expensive.”

“But they’re Everlast Candles.”

Yes, he had seen the company name written out in elegant script on the banner tacked to the back of the tent. Supposedly, the candles had been bewitched to burn forever without ever needing to be replaced. If that was true, he didn’t know why there were so many different sizes available.

And with prices starting at fifty bucks, the proprietor would have to do a lot better than “nice” to catch his interest.

It took a bit more convincing, but eventually, Kol conceded, and they continued down the greenbelt.

A number of stalls offered the typical convention souvenirs, with brand logos slapped across everything from T-shirts to keyrings.

He also spotted a surprising number of beauty-related booths that offered services like hair braiding, body art, and makeup.

They passed a tent that had a number of self-playing instruments on display. The guitars, especially, seemed to be popular among customers.

A tiny faerie at a florist tent offered potted flowers and plants that she claimed would never die.

The spot next to her had been claimed by a mage selling protection amulets and fortune charms. A little farther down the row, an elf offered a number of natural remedies for conditions like insomnia and anxiety.

Halfway along the second row, Kol paused to investigate a table laden with handcrafted jewelry. Since none of the pieces caught his eye, Ruger waited off to the side, passing the time by people-watching.

It was during this private game that he spotted a couple of males at a tent across the way. He wouldn’t consider anything about their appearance particularly notable, other than the fact that they looked very similar to one another.

Average height. Lean builds. The same sharp cheekbones and hooked noses. Same dark, wavy hair, though one had his locks pulled back at the nape while the other had left his to drape loosely around his face.

Logically, they could just be a couple of hotel guests, but something about the way they moved made him think otherwise.

“Who are they?” he asked, nudging Kol with his elbow.

Turning, Kol squinted against the sun as he followed his gaze. “Oh, that’s Aether and Ivy Celeste.”

Ruger frowned as he turned the names over in his head. “Why does that sound familiar?”

“They’re event planners. Sort of. They’re responsible for the lobby’s magical transformations for all of our big events.”

Right. Now he remembered. Skye had mentioned he would be working closely with Aether and Ivy in his new position at the hotel. She hadn’t offered many details about the pair or what that work would entail, and he hadn’t really thought to ask.

Now, he was beginning to think that might have been a misstep on his part.

“What are they doing here?”

Kol gave him a smile that held a bit too much pity for his liking. “They’ll start on preparations for the Halloween festival tomorrow morning once the convention ends.”

“And?” All of the details had already been hammered out before his arrival. His only job was to oversee the work. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Nothing,” he hedged, but he wouldn’t meet Ruger’s gaze. “Um, do you want to meet them?”

Well, at least he now understood why Skye had suggested he visit the outdoor market.

While he should probably take advantage of the opportunity, he shook his head. He still had another day before he officially started his new job, and he wasn’t really in the mood to volunteer for drama.

And judging by Kol’s cagey demeanor, the brothers had it in spades.

“I’ll meet them tomorrow.”

His gaze lingered on the duo for another moment before he turned back to his brother-in-law. He didn’t think he had imagined the relief in Kol’s expression.

“Well, I guess I should get back to work. If you need anything—”

“I’ll let you know,” he promised.

Despite living in one of the most densely populated cities in the country, he wasn’t used to being around so many people. Thankfully, his new position didn’t require him to interact with guests, but he supposed he should get used to the hustle and bustle of the castle.

And he would. Tomorrow.

Right then, he just wanted to get to his cabin and shut out the noise.