I had always loved Halloween—the costumes, the candy, and just the overall good nature of people on a night when we can be anything we want. But this year it was my saving grace.

It was peak season at the Reynard and between the continuous guest reservations and preparing the hotel for the holiday, I had been too busy to take care of the finer details of a "relationship." This also meant that it was difficult to get Archer alone to weasel answers out of him, but I hardly had time to dwell on it.

The hotel was quiet as I made my way downstairs well before the sun was ready to peek over the horizon. This was a new habit in my arsenal of Archer diversion tactics. He couldn't blame me for not wanting to have sex if I was totally exhausted at the end of the day. Not to mention, there was plenty to do to prepare for tonight's big ghost tour through the grounds.

Setting my coffee on a side table in the lobby, I unlocked and pulled back the gate from around the front desk. Despite Raven's misgivings, this was a perk to running a mid-sized hotel—no night staff needed, just an emergency number. It also made for good stories from our guests when they roamed around the dark first floor during the midnight hours.

I turned to retrieve my coffee mug and about jumped out of my skin. "Jesus Christ," I yelped, placing my hand over my speeding heart.

Soren was leaning against the grand staircase's banister watching me, one long leg crossed over the other.

Grabbing my coffee, I mumbled, "Don't you ever sleep?"

"You didn't know? Ghosts don't sleep."

"Funny. Is there something I can help you with?"

He pushed away from the mahogany railing and followed me to the desk. "I actually came down to ask you the same thing. For Hazel, Halloween was almost as big of a deal as Winter Spirits; she would always ask us for a few extra creepy favors, just to keep the guests talking."

Ever since I'd heard the conversation between Archer and his brother, I'd come to trust Soren more than I ever thought I would. He had tried to warn me, and I didn't listen. But more than that, he stood up for me against Archer. Of course, I couldn't let him know all the ins and outs of the unspoken truce we'd forged over the past few weeks, but I had to admit it was a relief to have someone to talk to besides Hunter and Archer.

"Actually, yes. I thought of a new tradition I wanted to try this year: Lights Out. All night tonight, starting at sundown, I'm going to shut down all the lights at the breaker, and every guest will have a battery-operated lantern." I took a sip of coffee and raised my eyebrows at him over the rim of the mug. "I already asked Archer, but two of you would be better than one...just freak some people out. Harmless fun, but do a little extra and scare the shit out of them for me," I said with a mischievous grin.

Soren raised an eyebrow and rubbed his palms together. "Sounds like a good time. Are you still doing the séance?"

"Of course. Hazel would turn over in her grave if I didn't. So, you're in?"

"Yes, I'll do it for Hazel."

The compassion and sorrow in his blue eyes spoke to his bond with my aunt. It was easy to see that her death left a gaping hole in him, the kind that ran deeper than just a caretaker and her charge.

I shuffled a stack of papers. "So, were you and Hazel ever..."

"Lovers?" He set his elbows on the desktop and cocked a brow.

"Yeah."

He shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. "No. Our relationship for the most part was always platonic in nature."

I quirked a brow and matched his posture. "For the most part?"

He clicked his tongue behind his teeth and knocked on the desk. "Check back with me when you finish the tome, and we can discuss. And I'm sure I'll see you around tonight."

"Seriously, Soren?"

He turned on his heels and said, "Get to work, Gemma. You have a busy day ahead of you."

"Thanks, asshole!" I called back, but I couldn't hide the amusement in my voice.

The man had an effortless way of getting under my skin and then making me smile. I liked that he didn't hide the more flawed qualities of his nature from me. And although his habit of telling me exactly what he thought annoyed me, it also earned my respect. I could handle his bossy nature knowing that it was driven by good intentions.

My day was anything but the fun-filled, candy induced coma of my childhood. Preparations for the evening events had made it one of the most exhausting on record, and it wasn't even over yet. As soon as I flipped the breaker, I ran into a snag with a few of the littler kids that were freaked out. But after directing them out into the rose garden where witches and ghouls were handing out candy, they came around. Everything was going according to plan.

While I supplied each guest with a battery-operated lantern for the night, I opted for Hazel's real one that she had used during the ghost tours. I found an old black, lace dress in her closet and a matching velvet cloak. The ensemble was very Morticia Addams meets Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and it made me feel like an essential part of tonight's haunted motif.

I wandered the corridors, making sure all was well and grinning as I heard the loud bumps and disembodied voices coming from the walls. Archer and Soren were going hard on the scary shit tonight, and it made me irrationally happy that guests were getting their wits scared out of them—but only because I knew that's what they had come here for.

I felt like a success for once in my life, and as I listened to the guests' shrieks and giggles, tears sprang to my eyes. I could almost see Hazel standing in the hallway with me, enjoying all this mayhem as much as I was. Halloween had been one of her favorite days, and I wished more than anything that she could really be here to see what I'd done—so I could know if I'd made her proud.

When I reached the fourth floor, it was eerily empty. Most of the guests had congregated downstairs at the bar for half-price cocktails and dancing. The rooms were spaced farther apart due to their size and the flame in my lantern stretched my shadow along the walls. Ever since the séance, I had felt a little creeped out. Somewhere in the back of my mind I kept waiting for it to work and for Hazel to unexpectedly send us a sign.

I turned down the long corridor that led to my suite when the wick in my lantern flickered and went out. Lifting the rusted metal to my ear, I shook it and heard the sloshing of fuel inside.

"What the hell?" I whined. There was no way I was going to make it to my suite to find a flashlight in the dark without falling on my face. I inched my way over to the wall and placed my palm against it as a guide. Running steps and a breeze rushed past me.

"Archer? Soren? This isn't funny. Someone could get hurt." My voice echoed around me and no one answered.

A tickling sensation fluttered across the back of my neck, and I swatted at it, only to feel it on the outside of my ankle. "It's just your cloak," I told myself, moving toward my room.

I had taken no more than two steps when I felt the same dancing fingertips against my earlobe and then the bare space where my neck met my shoulder. I jumped and turned around, straining to see through the pitch dark. "What the fuck? Stop it, Archer, you're freaking me out!"

Nothing. Not a chuckle or one of his token sexy remarks. Everything was silent.

My heart raced and the hairs on the back of my neck stood. There was nothing to see, but I felt a presence, something watching me scurry in the dark. I spun around to head back the way I came when I crashed into a solid form. I opened my mouth to scream and just as swiftly a hand clapped over it.

"It's just me." The low humming sound of a male voice vibrated through my body.

I raised my hand and gripped his wrist, pulling his palm from over my mouth. "Shit, Soren! You scared the shit out of me!"

"You scared the shit out of me. I ran up here to see why you're yelling."

My heart softened, and I looked up at what I assumed was his face, even though I couldn't see anything. I imagined him watching me with his stoic, blue gaze. "Oh. Well, thank you." I paused and then asked, "Did Archer not hear me yelling too?"

"I don't know. We split up about two hours ago. Do you need help to your room?"

I debated what to say, and as much as I knew it was probably a bad idea, I said, "Yeah, actually. My lantern died and I can't see my hand in front of my face." I glanced down and realized I was still holding onto his wrist. I dropped it quickly as my cheeks flush. "Sorry."

"Give me your key."

I placed it in his palm, and he looped my arm through his, walking me to the end of the hall. The doorknob rattled and he released me, saying, "Stay right here."

Holding on to the doorframe, I listened as a drawer opened and closed before a beam of light swept through my living room. Soren returned and handed me the flashlight. Without saying a word, we scooted around each other until he stood in the hall and me in my room.

"Thank you," I said.

"You're welcome." He dipped his head, turned around to leave, but stopped in his tracks. "Hazel would have been proud of you."

I stared at his back, my jaw going slack. He was on a roll with acting civil...sweet...charming. "Thank you."

He started to walk away again but turned around abruptly. "I know I don't have the right to ask you to do anything, but...just imagine it's coming from Hazel."

"Okay," I slowly replied.

"Don't get so caught up in my brother that you miss out on all the other amazing things going on around you."

Warmth spread through my chest; he didn't have any idea that I knew about Archer's intentions, of course, but I could tell this was meant to be a subtle hint, warning me, yet again, to guard my heart.

This time, I wouldn't ignore him.

"I—I understand what you're saying. I think tonight reminded me of that."

"Good because you did this. You made tonight memorable for all thesepeople. I...Hazel would want you to bask in your accomplishments." Soren's lipstilted in a timid smile, and he walked away.