Magical PR 101

Chapter 2

WHILE THE NIGHT brought dreams of bloodthirsty vamps, carnivorous roses, angry bosses, or some combination thereof, the morning brought one small miracle. Jim had been hauled away on a PR crisis of his own: Enchanted Cruises, a fae-friendly cruise line that W&B represented, had run into a bit of a problem with a kraken. Fortunately, the ship was unharmed, but the passengers were more than a little displeased to discover their stop at what was supposed to be the island of St. Thomas turned into a tour of the giant sea monster's head. Needless to say, the client wanted all hands on deck in every sense of the phrase, and Jim left for Florida as soon as he heard the news. While I wasn't usually prone to bouts of schadenfreude, I'd take any excuse to avoid facing the boss for a little longer.

But this temporary mercy could not prolong the meeting I'd truly been dreading.

I arrived at the gates of the Rossi estate five minutes before the clock struck midnight. After giving my name to the man in the guardhouse, the gates creaked open, revealing the most lavish and overdone landscaping I had ever laid my eyes on. Geometrically trimmed hedges and trees bordered shaded cobblestone paths to sculpted flower beds arranged in a symmetric fashion across the entire front lawn. In the east corner, I spotted an artificial grotto with fake stalagmites and hints of sparkling gems that were very likely not artificial. But most garish of all was the fountain--at the center of a shallow, Olympic-sized pool of water stood a statue of Lilith, the first vampire, the naked stone of her body partially obscured by a large snake coiled about her legs. Surrounding the pool's edge were marble renderings of beasts of legend: centaurs, dragons, griffins, and of course, weres, all bowing in fealty to the vampire queen. The extravagant Baroque architecture of the Rossi home seemed almost modest in comparison.

An elderly butler with a funny white mustache greeted me at the door, ushering me to some sort of parlor where I was to sit and wait for Ross. The butler offered me a beverage, which I declined. He exited the room at an abnormally fast pace for someone of his advanced years.

While I waited, I attempted to make myself comfortable on the stiff, white couch, made for style rather than comfort. Clearly, the Rossis interior decorator had spared no expense. The parlor was mostly white with accents of gold and silver, and a crystal-encrusted chandelier with real gold candles hung overhead. Flames leaped in a stone fireplace engraved with the Rossi rose several times over, but the fire was fake and added no real warmth to the room.

"Corrie."

I clutched my hand to my heart. He really needed to stop sneaking up on me like that. Recovering, I nodded at him coolly. "Ross."

He arched a brow at my less-than-friendly tone, but chose not to comment. Smart man. "Shall we?" he asked, offering me his arm as escort.

"Planning on giving me a tour?" I quipped.

"Something like that."

I glanced nervously at his arm. The prospect of being so near to him made me feel slightly queasy.

Ross rolled his eyes, "Come now, Corrie. I promise I won't bite." He paused for a moment. "Well, not tonight."

"Couldn't resist saying that last bit, could you," I muttered, taking his arm.

Ross steered me through the dining room and into a surprisingly well-stocked kitchen. I twisted my head, peering at the modern electric stove and enormous stainless-steel refrigerator.

"That's where we keep the bodies," said Ross.

I gaped at him.

He dragged me to the fridge, and released my arm to open the french-door freezer. "Here's where we store the hearts," he said, tossing a box of frozen peas at me.