by Viola Grace
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Copyright ©2008 by Viola Grace
First published in extasybooks.com, 2008
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CONTENTS
Tricking Tara
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue
Author's note
About the Author
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Tricking Tara: Book 5 of the Sisters of Silverwood
Copyright © 2008 Viola Grace
ISBN: 978-1-55487-170-4
Cover art by Martine Jardin
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
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Tricking Tara
Book Five of the Sisters of Silverwood
By
Viola Grace
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter One
She missed having Caro underfoot. Tara's days were bland and filled with nothing but preparation for the holidays without her friend. Phone calls just did not cut it.
The mechanical tricks in the house were just about set up. Only one task remained to her, the selection of staff from a series of volunteers. She hated volunteers.
Each person who came into the Simmons Haunted House was trying to capture some of her secrets. She changed them every year to preserve the mystery, and to protect her secret. She was the main source of effects in the house. Special effects indeed, if you could call telekinesis special. Mostly, she called it a pain in the ass. Hiding in her tower and controlling the effects around the house while three tours at a time ransacked her personal space was difficult, but controlling the curious ones who wanted to find her control centre was the hard part.
If only they knew that the engine for the haunted house was her in a room, sitting in a lazy boy, eating Ding Dongs and slurping Dr. Pepper. Not exactly a mysterious electrical system to the special effects, but it got the job done.
With brisk movements she pulled her t-shirt into straight lines and moved down the stairs from her tower. It was show time.
Taking a deep breath she opened the door to her home and stepped out onto the porch. There on the grass of her front yard were the applicants that she had contacted to work in her Haunted House for the season. Six men and three women stood in companionable silence, but two of the men stuck out. Damn. She had hired her elves by mistake. With only a paper resume to go on, she had selected the guys who stood out on paper as being up for a little silliness. So one Lios and one member of the Wild Hunt were standing with her workers. Crap. She had been dodging their introduction for weeks.
They had haunted her at the coffee shops she frequented, offered to carry her groceries and obviously, had finally decided to apply for the openings at her business. Because her business did not depend upon looks once the workers were all in costume, a phone interview was all that she gave. She may have to adjust her policy in the future. Their names had been carefully chosen to blend in, so Michael and Alexi were now just part of her monster crew.
Well, her boys were determined, so it was time to see what they could and would do. “Ladies and gentlemen, you have been selected to be this season's employees and we are running on the theme of old torture devices and unsettled victims of it. Four of you will be selected as tour guides and storytellers, the rest will participate in scaring the clients on the tours.” The grins that were lighting their features made her smile in return. Things were about to get fun.
"Oof.” The arrival of a half-transformed werewolf who scooped her up and ran off with her was unexpected, and since there was an audience, she did not free herself immediately. He didn't drop her, but kept running with her over his shoulder and into the woods behind her home. This was not the day that she had so carefully planned.
It was less weird and more creepy than anything her mind could have come up with, and Caro should have learned to clean up her loose ends. Her friend deserved a pinch.
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter Two
The absurdity of being hauled through the woods over the shoulder of a werewolf soon overtook the panic that his lunge had caused. Her shirt rode up with every step that he took and soon the rough texture of his fur was rubbing against her abdomen. She was going to have raw patches when this was all over. She hoped it was soon, she still needed to train her tour guides.
His fluffy tail wagged as he ran and she tried to keep her eyes off of his ass, but it was the only thing in her field of vision. Werewolf heiney was not high on her list of recommended views.
At long last he stopped and opened a door. They were deep in the woods and he dumped her on the floor of an abandoned gardening shed. Her landing was not graceful. “Oof. You could have put me down more gently."
"Carolyn. Where is she?” His muzzle had trouble forming around the words and he chewed them as he spoke in his deep snarl.
"Caro has been taken by her mate. She is gone.” Tara flinched as his claws dug into the floor on either side of her.
"No! She is mine.” He started to use those sharp claws to peel the clothing from her. In seconds she was clothed in her hair and skin with a few red and raw scratches put in for good measure. “They will come for you and then I will make them bring her back to me."
"Why did you remove my clothes?"
"There are a number of thorns and brambles surrounding this place. You will be clawed to hell if you try to escape.” The deep boom of his voice was sincere.
She felt a resounding pity that conflicted with her irritation. He really did seem to think that Caro was his mate, but she was in love with the handsome and inventive elf who had swept her off her feet. “Why don't you pursue her at Silverwood?"
"They will keep me from her. I know those elves. They are all focused on humans as the next source of magic."
"And you are not?"
"The Lios are pure magic. We do not need the contamination of human genes to produce our magic.” Pure pride was glowing through his half-shifted form.
She carefully kept herself from mentioning his less than appea
ling state. It did not seem to be a deliberate shift. If she guessed right, he wanted Caro because he was stuck. “Why don't you ask Alexi for help? He is one of yours."
"He is one of your courtiers. He will not help me to get my own mate."
She couldn't control her surprise. “That is odd. The members of the Wild Hunt all work together to win the ladies."
"They are fools who need the help. The Lios win their own women.” He was menacing her with his claws again and she was naked. She wisely shut up.
The small room was covered with a layer of dust and rubble, some of which was now digging into her unclothed backside. A corn husk broom leaned against one wall, showing the care that this little shed had once been blessed with. The waning daylight coming through the grimy windows gave her a burst of relief. As soon as it was dark she would leave. With or without a rescue by her suitors.
She had staff to train.
The wolf's head jerked to attention as the angry whinny of a horse broke the silence. Cursing followed confirming the brambles that her captor had mentioned. She was on her feet when he turned to her and snarled for her to sit down. She grudgingly complied when he waved his claws at her. He was out the door in an instant.
There was a banging, a crash and a lot of snarling coming from outside the little shed, so she decided it was time to leave.
Tara lifted her hand and pulled the broom toward her. As it came to her hand and she took her position astride it, one of her rescuing heroes came through the wall. Nice trick. She didn't bother waving at him, merely used her talent to tear away the roof and fly into the night sky, using the broom for balance. Michaels's eyes grew wide as he watched her nude form fly into the inky darkness, the last she saw of him was him standing with his hands on his hips, laughing like a loon.
She gained the altitude that she needed and located her house, then made a beeline for it. There was no time for taking a leisurely flight, she was getting really cold. Her nipples were beaded and rock hard, her skin chilled and rough. Naked broom flying was not a sport that should be indulged in after August, certainly not in October. Her feet skimmed the treetops, the telekinesis was a pillar of power under her, bending the limbs as she passed. Most people thought that you could actually fly when telekinetic, it was a little less than true. What she could do was to propel herself upward on a column of her talent, pushing against the ground. As the ground rose and fell, so did she. The tree line gave her the stability that she needed to gain the speed that was required for forward movement. So home she went.
The flash of red and blue lights made her sigh. One of her eager recruits must have called the cops when the freak took off with her. Damn, now she had to try to land on the roof. She slowed her approach to a slow glide, dipping into her backyard before rising slowly to the tower on the third floor. As soon as she settled her feet on the rough asphalt, she used her mind to pop open the small window leading to her private sanctum. Keeping a locked door between her and the police that were now crawling all over the house, she got into the pyjamas that she kept in a small drawer in her study and went to confront the panic mongers who had called the cops on a werewolf.
"Can I help you, Officers?” Her hair was wild, she could feel it, but her calm demeanour belied the report that she had been kidnapped.
"Sure, Tara. We had a report that you had been kidnapped by a werewolf and taken from your home. With witnesses.” Odd things tended to happen around her so the stress on the witnesses was a signal that they had to take this seriously.
"He was one of the rejects that had applied for a job. He was trying to prove that he had the costume and was ready for the work."
"Then how do you explain how you came to be back here and in your study?” It was Officer Matt that asked that one. He had been one of her monsters the first year that she had taken over from her parents. A good zombie, but no imagination.
"That is a mystery that will have to remain, gentlemen. I am here. I am sound. The goober who took off with me has been dealt with in a humane manner and I have no doubt that I will see him here soon."
"You are expecting the kidnapper to return?"
"Well, the police knew I was taken from the house and yet, here you are. Some things are inexplicable.” She delivered that line with a wink. Matt had been trying to get into the brain of her home for years. She couldn't blame him for taking the opportunity. However, she knew that if she had been anyone else, who could not simply make a shield between herself and her attacker, she would have felt differently. “Can we continue this discussion tomorrow? I am really quite exhausted by my ordeal."
"Yeah. I suppose so.” Matt was once again taking charge of his companion. “Let's go, Scott. She can come and make a statement tomorrow morning."
"Thanks guys. It's appreciated.” During the entire course of the conversation, she had been moving them down the stairs by the simple matter of walking toward them. When they turned to see the front door behind them, she smiled. “See you tomorrow.” She punctuated her statement with a yawn.
The instant that the two officers were out of her house, she heaved a sigh of relief. She locked and bolted all the doors and turned to view the interior of her home. A lot of people would not be comfortable living in a house that was a torture chamber with disorienting floors and paints along the walls. For Tara, it was home.
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.
S
he 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.
[Back to Table of Contents]
Chapter Three
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.