Page 100 of Magical Midlife Conclave

“Everyone’s in the back,” Austin told the others. “We’ll walk through the house to get there. While we walk, there are a few things you need to know…”

He tried to explain as concisely as possible, keeping an eye out for gnomes as they neared the front door. None of them jumped out.

The door opened by itself. Dolls crowded the stairs, looking down at them or through the spaces in the banister as if they were in prison. The wood carving on the landing showed a picture of a tiger being chased through the hallways by dolls. Ivy House was taunting Kingsley.

“Cute,” he said dryly.

“I didn’t see any of those when I visited,” Nina said evenly, bristling.

“Me either,” her sister said, grabbing hold of the third of them. “Yazanth lives with all this?”

“You get used to it.” Austin led them through the center of the house. “Kinda.”

He felt the crowd walking behind him.

“Despite the…animated dolls, this place is gorgeous,” someone said. “My God. I’d never leave if I lived in a place as beautiful as this.”

“Agreed,” a woman said. “Look at the woodwork. Exquisite.”

“Look at that rug,” someone else said. “It kinda changes as you look at it, see?”

“Oh yeah,” a man replied. “Very interesting.”

Austin hadn’t had a chance to talk much about the business side of this territory, too preoccupied with everything else going on. If he could just calm down all the aggression and plays for power—if he could get the naysayers out of the way—he could have some meaningful meetings. It wouldn’t be a bad thing to get a few production cairns into some shifter territories, even if just for shipping purposes. There was an opportunity there; he just needed the time to discuss it.

Mr. Tom waited in the doorway leading off to the kitchen. “Welcome. If you’ll follow me, the miss is waiting for your arrival.” He looked down the line of shifters following Austin, didn’t bother greeting them, and stepped out to lead. “Those infernal garhettes are running around like this is some kind of carnival. Watch yourself if you get a drink off any of them. They might serve you all manner of things you didn’t ask for and don’t want. They’ll take the shirts off your backs if you give them half the chance. The clothing will come back with so much starch that it will be walking on its own.”

Austin hadn’t spent much time in the house since the garhettes had arrived to help out, and now he was glad. They were probably doing an amazing job, and that fact would severely ruin Mr. Tom’s day.

“That must be the butler that gives flak,” someone murmured from behind them.

“I would never!” Mr. Tom said, half looking back to deliver his outrage. “You must be thinking about those busybody garhettes, asking all manner of questions. I know what small talk is, and asking about one’s past is hardly that.”

Austin grinned at Kingsley, whose demeanor had become stoic. Ever since being chased around by the dolls, he hadn’t been able to totally relax here. Austin didn’t blame him.

“Grandma Mimi has been handling the restoration of Ivy House,” he told the murmuring shifters, still noticing all the little details. “You could wander around for an entire day and only capture part of the historic riches this place has to offer.”

“Should you really be telling this to new acquaintances?” someone asked in the back. Sounded like Black-Haired Ron.

“Ivy House has its own defense system,” Austin said with a smirk. “Magically speaking, this house is alive. It is listening to you right now. It has the ability to trap you in its depths. In here, it isn’t just the dolls you have to worry about. You wouldn’t want to step out of line. That’s the only warning I’ll give you.”

“When do we get a tour?” a woman asked.

“Thursday, if you like,” Austin said.

The alphas continued to murmur behind him as they reached the back door. Mr. Tom opened it and stepped out, peeling off to the side.

“Drink, sir?” he said to Austin.

“Scotch, neat.”

“Kingsley?” Mr. Tom said.

“Same.”

“No gratitude needed, I assure you.” Mr. Tom sniffed. “I am used to those raised in barns.”

Kingsley gave Mr. Tom a flat expression but continued walking with Austin.