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.
Not wanting to draw Ross's further ire for my lack of punctuality, I found myself 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 carefully constructed 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 greeted me briefly at the door, before ushering me to some sort of parlor where I was to sit and wait for Ross. The butler offered me a beverage, and when I declined, quickly 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, which evidently had been purchased for style over 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 white and gold candles
But this temporary mercy could not prolong the meeting I'd truly been dreading.
Not wanting to draw Ross's further ire for my lack of punctuality, I found myself 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 carefully constructed 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 greeted me briefly at the door, before ushering me to some sort of parlor where I was to sit and wait for Ross. The butler offered me a beverage, and when I declined, quickly 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, which evidently had been purchased for style over 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 white and gold candles
