Chapter One
The Tour
That Evening
The Adventure Begins
Well, holy shit. When Gene had warned them that Elizabeth was a hot, broken mess, he hadn’t been kidding. In fact, he might have been understating the situation.
Michael could count on one hand how many times that he’d seen Elizabeth crying, and definitely none of them at the drop of a hat. Normally, it took something cataclysmic to push her that far over the edge.
Oh, but she was definitely there.
That she was weeping so openly, that told him all he needed to know.
Someone had seen some shit, and she was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
There was no doubt that coming there was just what she needed.
A.
Hideaway.
Here, they’d be able to help her find some peace as she worked through whatever chased her.
God knew that when he came here, he’d been in the same shape, but Ravensmire had a special kind of magick.
It healed—oddly enough.
Beyond the ghosts, the mystery, and the craziness, there was a healing energy here that soothed the battered soul. They’d all come here to find that peace.
Ian had been chased by a lunatic who wanted him dead after failing to kill him the first time, and he’d come here to hide.
Gabby had been running from her first marriage, her soul decimated by a man who was supposed to love her, and she came here to heal.
He’d come here to escape a man who pretended to love him, only to find the man who got away.
Now, she was here to find herself.
That was what the doctor should have ordered.
While so much murder, betrayal, and death happened here, it was oddly…calming.
Hopefully, now, she’d find herself on this journey.
“Shhhhh, it’s okay,” he said. “I’ve got you, Mom. We’re going to get you through this,” he cajoled, over and over again so she knew she wasn’t alone.
The whole time, Elizabeth held onto him, and it felt good to be with Michael.
She really did consider him her son. Of all the Archangels, IF she played favorites, he would have been her favorite one.
Again…
IF she played favorites, but she didn’t.
Truthfully, there was something about him that reminded her of her father. Charlie had been the same build and had the same wisdom. That was one of the reasons she loved spending hours talking to Michael.
He was wise beyond his years, and a gentle giant. The only other man who gave her that vibe was her half-brother, Duke.
“Thank you for letting me come here to lay low for a while,” she offered.
Immediately, he stopped her.
“Oh, hell, no. Let you? You are our partner here too. Not only that, but we want you here all of the time. This is home away from home. In fact, run away and stay here forever. This castle could use a mom.”
That made her laugh.
“Don’t tempt me,” she offered.
As he wiped her tears, Michael made her look up into his face.
“I’m sorry you’re carrying this burden on your soul. Let me help carry it. Let us help you get through this as your family, and people who love you.”
She closed her eyes.
“I don’t know who I am anymore, Michael. I lost me a long time ago. I don’t know if this is a mental breakdown, or I’m having a mid-life crisis. I just don’t know anything anymore. I feel like someone put me in a bottle, filled it with fizzy water, and shook it up. I’m ready to blow.”
Oh, he got it.
“I felt the same when I showed up here. I was so empty, but Ravensmire refilled it. Give it some time, and you’ll feel better. With each day, what chases me is further away.”
God.
She needed that.
Michael knew what would make her cheer up.
“Wait until you see the fainting goats.”
As soon as he said it, she paused.
“Wait. What? There are fainting goats?” she asked, sniffling.
Well, he’d called that.
Michael nodded.
“And horses. We’ll take a ride tomorrow across the lands, and you’ll feel light and better. Oh, and don’t forget about the barn cats. Apparently, you can’t have a barn without cats—something about the grain and feed not getting infested with mice.”
She smiled a little.
Oh, he knew his way to Elizabeth’s heart.
The woman was a lover of all things fur covered. She’d have a barn with animals if she could manage the time. All she could handle were some dogs, but they all knew the truth.
Someone loved pets.
Now, he had her full attention.
“There are horses too?” she asked.
He nodded.
Then, he began naming them off, so she would forget about her worries for a little while, and let Ravensmire soothe her broken soul.
“There’s MacBeth, Hamlet, Romeo, and Juliet. See the theme?” he asked. “Apparently, reading is not only fundamental, but based on Shakespearean stuff. Well above my brain, but I didn’t name them. The husband did. He’s the reader.”
She laughed.
“There’s a correlation? I didn’t catch it,” she teased. “And I’m the one who tells the kids that reading is fundamental, so…”
He kissed her on the top of the head.
“How about we get you inside, so you can get out of the chill? There are fireplaces, and we have dinner cooking.”
She stopped him, and with good reason.
“Before we go in, can I meet your husband?” she asked. “My other son?”
Yeah, Michael smiled.
She absolutely could, and he wanted that more than anything in this world. This was about introducing the two most important people in his life.
Together at last.
“Mom, I thought you’d never ask,” he said, holding out his hand. “He went back inside, and he’s waiting. Don’t tell him I told you, but he’s nervous that you won’t like him.”
She squeezed his hand in reassurance.
There was no need to have that worry.
None.
At.
All.
“I love him because you love him. You gave me another son, and that’s the best gift a mother could get.
The only two ways I won’t like him is if he hurts you, or he’s a serial killer.
PLEASE tell me he’s not a serial killer.
I need a break,” she admitted. “If I came here to find one living here, I’m taking the goddamn bridge. ”
He laughed.
“Oh, he’s definitely not going to hurt me, or kill anyone. I think you’ll get along with him. He’s got the same sense of humor as you do. He just wears a kilt, not cowboy boots.”
Well, then, she wanted to meet him. If Michael was calm and at peace, someone had some good energy.
“Show me around,” she said.
Because he knew where his husband was in the castle, back in the kitchen, he knew the shortest route to him would be to head to the back of the castle.
It looked as if they were taking the scenic route.
“How about we visit the animals first, and then, we’ll go inside? Ravensmire is big, and I know you want to see a goat faint.”
She snorted.
How did he know?
Yeah, she really did. That was so absurd a thing, how could she NOT want to see it in action?
“That works for me,” she said. “You’re the tour guide on this adventure. Lead away.”
Well, then, it was settled.
Taking her backpack, he pulled out his phone and locked the gate at the bottom of the driveway so that no one else could come up.
Now that they were all present and accounted for, they were locked in.
Per necessity.
If word got out in the US as to where she was, the paparazzi would make an appearance, and Ravensmire was OFF LIMITS to the vultures.
There were no bones here to pick.
Tucking his phone away, he walked with Elizabeth around the outside of the castle.
The fountain in the front was making water sounds, and it was lit up with some lights.
“It’s pretty,” she said.
She saw the fish swimming in the bottom of the heated fountain, and they were also adorable.
“Callen wanted to make sure that when the family came here, or people stayed here, it was an experience. It’s right out of a book,” Michael offered.
She laughed.
Why was she not surprised that her slick husband had his fingers all over this?
“I hope not one of his books. We all know how that ends,” she joked.
That amused him.
Yes, yes, he was well aware.
Bloody.
“Well, the place is haunted,” he joked. “That’s up his alley too.”
She sighed.
“Yeah, so I’ve heard. I’ve come to grips with it, I think,” she admitted.
He reassured her.
“Honestly, once we put everything where it needed to be, the place went silent. I think we’ve solved just about everything that needed to be answered.
Oh, and he didn’t mention how the painting of Ceit hanging in the great hall looked…familiar.
As in just like her.
Or that they still didn’t get the curse removed from Ravensmire. That was always lingering in the back of his mind, lurking.
As for her, Elizabeth was glad it was calming down. The last thing she wanted was psychosis on top of a mental breakdown. She could only handle so much.
“Really?” she asked.
As they walked through the darkening evening, they talked, and Michael was so damn happy to have her there. He missed being around Elizabeth. When they were home, he would often take a walk around the grounds with her.
Elizabeth had always been someone who would listen to his problems, tell him to stop dumpster diving for sex partners, and that one day, his person would arrive.
And she’d been right.
“Yes. We put the baby’s bones with her mother in the lake, and it stopped trying to kill people. That was the worst of it, pretty much.”
Elizabeth came to a dead stop and stared at him.
“I didn’t hear about the baby bones. I absolutely heard about the rest. Gryphen and Ian told me that something was haunting the lake, but I didn’t think they meant it was really trying to kill someone.”
He laughed.
And raised his hand.
“It nearly got me and Gabby. She fell in, and I went looking for those bones. Let’s just say, I wouldn’t swim in it again. It scared me that badly.”
Oh, Jesus.
She didn’t like that.
Marines, let alone Archangels, didn’t shy away from scary things.
That he was…
That said it all.
“And it’s not doing that now, right?” she asked. “Asking for a mental case ready to breakdown. That and the fact that The President of the United States is coming here for a Halloween wedding. The Secret Service will kick my ass.”
He kissed her on the temple.