First on her evening's agenda was a shower to wash off the grit and dust that her body wore beneath the PJ's.
She was just towelling off and wandering into her bedroom when she got another surprise. Michael and Alexi were coming toward her
through
the walls.
As one, they asked, “Are you all right?"
The towel wrapped around her in record time, they had both seen enough of her for this evening. The appreciation in their eyes was flattering, but the sneak attack was unwelcome. “Yeah, how are you? I mean, I didn't fight a werewolf."
Alexi looked embarrassed. “We gave him enough magic to complete his transformation. He had run out of power and was too proud to admit to his problem."
Michael followed up, “Alexi and I work fairly well together. It will be hard for you to choose. We also share the same talent and I didn't think that that was possible.” He seemed to have come to a sort of brotherhood with the Lios, and Tara hadn't heard that
that
was possible.
"Well, aren't we just the best of friends all of a sudden?"
"When you meet a warrior who is your equal, you have to admit it. We both admit that you are our equal, possibly our superior. It is a knowledge that we must have or our pursuit of you will be in vain.” Michael was speaking again.
Alexi was nodding in agreement. “It was a fact that Ranal forgot. He should never have challenged Carolyn's mate, he should have wooed the woman, not fought the man."
"Sound thinking. What did you do with him?"
"After we witnessed his transformation, we helped him to his steed and instructed it to take him to a portal. Hopefully he will be home and safe soon."
"And not showing up on my door again. But did you guys actually work together to recharge him?"
"We did.” They spoke in unison, the sun and the moon in appearance, and one in thought.
"Then did you need to reclaim your charge? I mean, you would have been depleted by the expenditure."
"We are fi...” A sharp elbow from Michael stopped Alexi's sentence.
"We are weak. Replacing our energies would be very thoughtful of you, Tara."
She laughed. She couldn't help it. Fiona had told her about this little peculiarity. With a deep sigh, she stepped forward and took Alexi by the shoulder. “Here you go.” She laid a kiss on his lips that started slow and soon took on a heat that caught them both by surprise. Magic flared between them and she used her mind to touch his body in several places that had him jumping in surprise. Giggling, and not a little aroused herself, she turned to Michael. His silver eyes glowed in his pale face, the black silk of his hair falling to his shoulders and begging for her fingers.
She took two steps toward him and he met her in the middle. Their kiss blew immediately from hot to scalding. She shuddered against him as his hands settled at her waist and she simply surrendered to his kiss. Magic was flaring all around her, sparking in the dim light of her bedroom, and it was only when the cooler air of the room kissed her breasts that she came, too, and stepped back. She slapped her towel back into place and backed up. “You should go now."
They were both aroused and their eyes were glowing with power. “Why should we go?"
"Because I don't fuck on a first date, this wasn't a date and I don't double team.” She pulled an invisible barricade between her and her advancing paramours. Slamming into it stopped them cold. “I will see you tomorrow for dress rehearsal.” She thought of something, “Can you walk through walls all the time?"
Alexi nodded, “It is my one great talent."
"And mine."
"Then you will be assigned to work inside the house."
"And you will need to keep us well charged with power."
The frank gaze of both of them made her blush. She was wishing she had a whole lot more clothing on than simply a towel, and when they disappeared into her walls, she breathed a sigh of relief.
How was she going to deal with wanting both the Light and the Dark? It kept her up half the night. The residual arousal kept her up the other half. Dammit.
All of her recruits from the night before were still willing to be employees and it was a relieved Tara who finished her calls and then headed over to the police station to give Ranal's general description to the police.
"Hey, Tara. What is the theme this year?” The desk sergeant was all smiles. He loved to come in with his wife and she clung to him every step of the way. It was his favourite time of year and the cards that he sent to her in appreciation were very graphic on that front.
"Murder and mayhem in the name of justice.” She had the attention of all four working members of the Shadow Falls police department. “A look at torture and haunting in ancient executions. Should be a lot of fun. Lots of stuff to pop out and scare the ladies.” She winked and signed the statement. The charge levied against Ranal was mischief as she wasn't going to endorse anything else.
"What kind of things?"
"Nothing that doesn't earn the eighteen or over rating.” She lied to them about her theme every year, it was part of the tradition. With another wave and a flip of her hair, she exited the building—right into the arms of her suitors.
"Good morning, Tara.” A short bow by Alexi greeted her. His blonde hair slithered over his shoulder in waves and fell almost to his hips. As he stood, she stifled a sigh at his golden good looks. Lord, he was pretty.
Mind you, with Michael standing next to him with his marble skin and midnight eyes, she was spoiled for choice. The timbre of his voice when he kissed her hand and said, “Good morning, Tara,” had her insides turned to jelly.
"Morning, boys. What brings you out this morning?"
"You of course, my lady. We wait for your choice."
"Well, the open street isn't the place to discuss it. Come with me.” She strode purposefully to her home, just five blocks from the station. Tara also studiously ignored the two cars that kept pace with them. The two driverless cars. Caro had warned her about that one as well.
The horses that could become cars, unicorns and anything else that they chose. It was a little much for a girl from a small town.
They walked a few steps behind her, one on the right and one on the left. They didn't say anything, just kept pace with her all the way.
The instant that they entered her home, she turned on them. “Guys, I am not going to make any decisions about my personal life this week. I have to get the haunted house up and running, get the other staff trained and take a long and hard look at my life in general and you two specifically."
"So which one of us do you favour?” They were both so earnest, her sun and moon.
"At this point, I will say neither. I cannot choose one of you over the other when I know neither of you at all. You will have one week to court me."
"What manner of courtship do you wish?"
"Traditional. I want to learn what I can about each of you, your histories and families. Why you chose to become involved with the Silverwood project? All of it.” She looked them each in the eye. “For now, I want you to each go and to return at two-thirty with your version of a frightening costume for the house. Each of the employees will try and come up with a scary visage and their rate of success determines where they will be stationed, in the house or running the tour."
"Yes, Ma'am."
With a set of snappy salutes, her elves left her home and proceeded to their respective cars. She had three hours to make some phone calls.
"Are you sure that she is out running?"
The deep chuckle on the other end of the line had her smiling, “Yes, Tara. She is out. She has begun the Silverwood Running Club."
"Cool. Who joined?"
"All of the steeds, some goblin born elves, pure elves and a troll or two. They are all trying to keep up with her and ask her questions about human women at the same time.” Another laugh punctuated his statement, “It is finally a challenge that she looks forward to every day."
"I am really happy to hear that. I know that you just want her happy.” She paused for a second and then just jumped in, “I need to know a little bit about elves. Would you be willing to answer a few questions?"
Axom snickered on the other end of the line. “Sure. What did you need to know?"
"This is so embarrassing.” She took a deep breath. “How exactly do your people execute a regular courtship? I have kind of challenged my two to engage in a week of courtship and I have no idea what that will entail.” Caro's fiancé laughed out loud at her predicament.
"It isn't as bad as you are making it out to be."
"How bad is it? And stop laughing.” She wasn't very irritated with him, just a little irked that she had not thought to ask about the circumstances before throwing out the challenge.
"It isn't bad at all. They will bring you gifts, impress you with physical feats and try and convince you that they are the best match for you. That they are your soul mate."
"That isn't too bad, but I know that you didn't do all that with Caro."
"Do you think that she would have let me live if I had? It isn't her style."
A laugh bubbled up within her from the place that was reserved for loving amusement. “You are right there. She would have kicked you into next week and run off with that psycho just to piss you off."
"Psycho?"
"Yeah. Ranal. He has been sleazing around here, but Michael and Alexi ran him off."
"Who is Alexi?"
"The Lios that is here to persuade me to run off with him."
"He and Michael worked together?"
"Yeah. Axom, what are you getting at?"
"It is simply odd, that's all. We don't usually mix with those of the light court.” There was a pause. “If they get along, it will be easier for you to make your choice. And easier for your neighbours. Do you know his talent?"
"Michael or Alexi?"
"Either, both."
"They can both walk through walls."
The whistle on the other end was pure Carolyn. He must really be bonding with her to be so
in tune.
“This is going to be interesting. Keep me posted, Tara."
"Uh, okay. I will talk to you later, Axom. Say hi to Caro for me."
"Will do. Bye."
At the click in her ear, Tara blinked in puzzlement. Either Axom was rapidly coming into the twentieth century or he was absorbing Caro's vernacular some how. Either way, it had been like talking to a baritone Carolyn. It was comforting really.
Now if she could only figure out the sub text of their conversation she would be a lot less uneasy. Elves were nothing if not cryptic. And tall. And a pain in her ass, but a sexy one.
Tara went up to the first room on what would be the tour.
Heh
. This year was going to be fun. Each room was not about torture and justice, it was a fairy tale. The living room was her depiction of Red Riding Hood. It was slightly grotesque, but Red was standing by as the Wolf—who had obviously consumed Grandma—faced the animated portion of the room, the Woodsman. So it was the moment before the Wolf was cut open and Grandma was freed, but it was a gory moment. The axe came down as she controlled it and sliced the belly of the Wolf open to expose the recently eaten senior. It all worked like a charm.
Onto the next depiction and tableau in what usually was her dining room. She faced the horrible scene from Briar Rose when the mother-in-law was slaughtering the children. This one called for a second tableau when the evil queen mother got her comeuppance, and the children came back to life. Despite the horror that she wanted to instil, she wanted to leave each room with a feeling of a happy ending just a moment away.
She picked up the large iron key that she had had made for the next room. Bluebeard's chambers. The first room depicted the bride and her sisters gossiping and discussing the new wealthy husband that the youngest had landed, the second room was the chamber of horrors with the previous dead wives in various states of dismemberment, after which the key in Tara's hand took on a reddish cast. Even though she had designed it, she still thought it was cool. Bluebeard getting hacked to pieces was just the icing on the cake in the final cupboard. It was a fairy tale that had always made her uneasy as a very violent view of the married world.
Not exactly what you would want if you were thinking about finding a man and settling down, but it was one of the more brutal tales.
The final room depicted the ball featured with Cinderella, the next tableau however, showed the horror of the stepsisters and the butchery of their feet that had been involved in trying to fit the glass slipper on. One had hacked off her toes and the other her heels at their mother's insistence.
She shuddered a bit at the brutality, but it was part of the original stories and what made them such great morality tales. Those who engaged in wickedness or deception were punished, even before the hero had won his or her way in the world.
She triggered the action with the remote and the knife came down. Ick. Well, it should get some shudders and screams from the ladies as they left. So should one of the elves coming through the wall and picking up the shoe to offer it to one of the ladies. That should have them freaked out in short order.
Tara sighed and made sure that one by one all of the mechanics were operating and each room had its proper music. The music was key to setting the tone and a cheerful note offset the horror a little to well. Classical was always best.
When the doorbell rang, she was ready.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I commend you on your choices of horrific costumes. This year's theme is the Horror of Fairy Tales so small concessions may need to be made by you. There is a trunk full of costumes inside, and I know that some of you are very eager to see what you will be escorting people through, so come along."
She led the two trolls, the corpse bride, two deaths, three vampires and one werewolf with mange into her home.
She finally heard the question that she was waiting for. “I thought that this year was crime and punishment?"