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 opportunityto 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.
