“Thank you.” Roxy met his gaze with a steady one of her own. “I wouldn’t have done this if I’d thought of an easier way. Why you had to date that skanky b-word I’ll never understand.”
“You have a picture of this Shelby, do you not? I would like to have a look at her so I know who to handcuff on sight.”
“The problem is, she’d probably like it.” Roxy muttered.
“I wouldn’t know,” Soren scowled.
“Sorry. But she just strikes me as the type, is all.”
“What type is that?” Abraham arched an eyebrow as he turned his head in Roxy’s direction.
“The kinky type.” His assistant blushed but before she lowered her face, Soren noted a distinct sparkle in Roxy’s eyes.
Well, well. So the pixie had a thing for gargoyles. You could never tell about people.
A loud noise erupted from outside and Abraham went on full alert, his head whipping around and his body coiled for action.
“What is it?”
“Nothing, sir. Just some caterers and a downed cart full of service wear.”
Soren ran his hand through his hair and sighed. His thoughts trailed back to the events leading up to today. It seemed like a bad dream, but every time he glanced down at the cocker spaniel glued to the side of his leg he remembered the urgency. It wasn’t just him he had to be concerned about.
Hailey snorted, giving the interloping canine the stink eye.
“Come on, Hailey. He can’t help it.”
Can too. My Daddy. She shook her head and turned her back on both of them in protest. She leapt up onto his leather couch and buried herself in one of his mother’s crocheted afghans.
“Well, she’s upset with you.”
“Don’t I know it?” He walked over to his desk and sat down, Reggie clinging to him every step of the way.
“The contestants will arrive within the hour. I’ve taken the liberty to work out their accommodations with Mrs. D. She understands the urgency and we’ve hired some help for the duration of the event.” Roxy thumbed through some papers.
“I would like a list of all who are supposed to be on premises and if there are any witches among them.”
Roxy nodded. “I’ll get it to you.”
Carrick frowned.
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Just be charming and look for one of these ladies as a possible partner. You have to find a way to break the spell.”
Soren’s shoulders slumped. “One week. It seems so impossible. Why can’t we find another witch?”
Roxy met his look with a wave of her hand. “It’s not that easy. There are one or two that resonated some witch talent in the questioning, but that won’t be the answer. Let your wolf help. He never liked Shelby from the start from what you said. Besides, I already checked. It would take me longer to find a witch who could counteract the spell than it would to try and beat her at her own machinations. The Witch’s Ball is coming up and you won’t find anyone free this late in the game. It’s nearly Samhain and everyone’s made their plans.”
Soren shifted uncomfortably in his chair. She was right. His wolf hated the woman and if his fae publicist couldn’t find a witch then…well. He was screwed unless by some miracle one of these women actually connected with him.
But wait…Abraham.
“Didn’t Carrick say you could sense magic?”
“I can.”
“Can you point them out to me when they arrive? It might save some time.”
“Yes, sir. I’d be most pleased to do so.”
“I almost didn’t show you this, but it came in the post this morning.” Roxy held out an envelope, Abraham snatched it from her before she could hand it to Soren.
“That is my job, woman. It might be tampered with.”
The glitter of pixie dust swirled around Roxy’s rigid form. “I would never allow anything to harm Soren. He’s practically family.”
“Then let me do my job.” Abraham’s icy glare softened as he gave Roxy a smile. “Would you leave me to observe bumbling caterers and fashionistas all day?”
“No…”
“Okay, then. No more letters without them coming through me.” Abraham held the envelope to his face and sniffed. He grunted, pinching the paper between his fingers.
“What is it?”
“The letter is spelled as I suspected.”
“What do we do?”
“Pix it.”
“What?”
“Throw some of your pixie dust on it. The magic will be confused and focus on that while we read what’s inside.”
Roxy nodded, a mischievous light coming into her eyes. “I might just like you after all.”
A rumbling laugh came up from Abraham’s throat and Soren didn’t miss the look that passed between them. “You two…”
Roxy opened the envelope, enveloping it with pixie dust.
“Is it safe now, you think?”
“Yes. Read it quickly and then we’ll burn it.” Abraham’s eyes flickered over the bespelled paper and he quickly walked over to the fire place and opened the flue. He lit the logs with a lighter from the pocket of his black trousers and made his way back to where Soren and Roxy were standing.
Soren took the card from her and removed the enclosed card. On the front was a picture of an hourglass.
One week to go baby…then you’re mine.
Shelby
His inner resolve snapped back into place. “I’m going to kill her.” His body tingled as he fought the change, his voice deepening with the desire to rip out her heart.
“Now now…let’s try to be rational about this. She cast a spell to reduce you and everyone in the house to full time wolfdom if you don’t find a mate by the next full moon, right?”
“Unfortunately,” he said, watching out the window as more trucks and people infiltrated his estate.
“Look. You’re in a unique situation. You’re Soren Rochester, America’s prince of pet food and puppies. These women are used to what they’ve seen on television. All you have to do is convince one of them to fall in love with you. It can’t be that hard. Everyone loves dogs, right?”
Reggie whined.
Soren glared at him. “But why a bachelor show?”
“Because, genius, I had a week to work with. These girls had to be screened at least a little and let me tell you, there weren’t a lot of viable candidates despite the numbers that turned out.” Roxy slammed her folders onto the table in front of her. A smattering of pixie dust flew from her fingers.
She was getting irritated with him.
“I would move back if I were you, sir.” Abraham raised an eyebrow.
“What do I do?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve got the planning part taken care of. But here…” Roxy picked up the remote control to his plasma television and grinned. “I think you should at least start by watching Extreme Bachelor. Looks like you’re going to need all the help you can get.” She tossed it into his lap and sauntered out of his den and out into the hall.
He was doomed.
Abraham snorted and turned his back on both of them, his gaze once again fixed to the yard outside.
Hailey snorted and gave him a dirty look. Reggie crouched next to the bookcase, the ripe scent of fresh poo wafting through the air.
“Oh, Reggie.”
He really needed to find a witch to help him change Reggie back, but the shops he’d gone to just looked at him like he’d lost his mind.
“Excuse me. Do you have someone who could change my golden retriever back into the gardener?” Yeah. Brilliant.
Soren reached for a handful of tissues and went to investigate. The pile that greeted him was simply staggering. “Ugh.” He scooped it up and tossed it in the plastic lined garbage can in the corner of the room. Reaching for the clean-up spray he kept for emergencies, he squirted some on the stain and scrubbed at it with some more tissues.
“That’s it. You’re sleeping in the garage until this is over, bud
dy.”
Reggie whined and curled into an unhappy ball in the corner of the room.
He flipped on the remote and tried to ignore the plaintive whine of the newly transformed dog.
It was going to be a long day.
***
Allyse worked the register at the bookstore, hoping something from the job fair took fruit. It wasn’t that she disliked her job, but it just didn’t give her enough hours. That and the pay wasn’t that great. But still, it did give her an inside track to the hot new releases and today she been eyeing a spicy shifter ménage. Why couldn’t things like that happen in real life? Cara, who also happened to be manager on duty that day, approached and poked her in the arm.
“Did you hear anything yet?”
“Nope. You?”
“I have an interview on Monday at Skyler Laboratories. Something may come out of it.”
“Do they even know you’re looking?” Allyse couldn’t help but grin.
“Nope. The less they know the better my life will be.” Cara rubbed her arms on her sweater. “Jeez, you’d think the air conditioner was getting ready to pop out snowballs. It’s freezing in here.”
“I know.” Allyse quirked her lips up. “I have to bring a sweater every time I work. Some days it’s hot and others…well. Let’s just say I need to invest in some padded bras.”
Cara snickered. “You are so bad.”
A ping came across Allyse’s phone, and she popped it off her hip for a quick look after a quick glance to make sure no one was waiting in line.
“Huh.” She opened up her email. Extreme Bachelor official acceptance was the subject line.
“What?”
Wonders never ceased. “I just got a job offer.”
“For what?”
“Extreme Bachelor.”
Cara blinked and flicked her with a rubber band. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“Ouch!” Alysse held up her hand. “Don’t get too excited. It’s probably for something behind the scenes like we talked about before. I’ll find out more when I email them back.”
Cara yanked the phone from her grip and scanned the email. “Umm hmmm. You better pack for on screen, babe, because that right there says different.”
“Excuse me? Are you open?” An angry woman glared at them from the entrance to the checkout line.
“Oops.”
“Meh. Don’t worry about it.” Cara waved the woman down. “Hey, did you by any chance see my car keys? I left them on the break room table.”
“On the floor in the office,” she replied absently as she rung up the irritable woman and sent her on her way.
“Really?”
“Yep.” Allyse waved toward the next customer that walked up and swiveled her head toward Cara. “No way on the email. How could it?”
“Because you are one sassy package, that’s why. Help me ring up this line of customers shooting daggers at us and we’ll start planning what you’ll wear. But first get me a mocha from next door.” She held out a ten and Allyse grinned.
“As long as you’re buying.”
“Huh. You get this job and you’re sneaking me in.” Cara winked at her and flagged down the next customer.
Chapter Four
“No way.” Allyse clutched the invitation in her hand and stood at the closed gates of the Rochester estate. She waved the email at the stylish woman with the clipboard standing in front of her. “This was supposed to be for a behind the scenes job on the show, not for a close up on camera looking for a husband.”
“I understand, dear, but if you’ll get back in line with the others, we’ll get all of this sorted out in a few minutes, okay?”
“Others?” Allyse’s stomach sank. This was so not going how she’d planned.
“Other contestants. Everything will be explained shortly. Now, if you’ll just get in line?” The woman’s voice drifted off in a distracted hollow tone, her attention taken up by a large catering truck approaching the gate.
“You need to go around back. This is for guests only.” She jabbed her finger at the driver’s window and Allyse stopped listening.
Allyse gritted her teeth and made her way over to the group of six women who, like her, waited for direction. She didn’t miss the behind the hand comments and slant-eyed stares. Her curvy form seemed to invite them. Today, she’d worn a new black and white floral top and soft flowing black slacks with new strappy black heels. Her long, dark hair was twisted into a loose updo with tendrils of curls fluttering down the sides of her face. She’d even splurged on a new tube of lipstick she couldn’t really afford, but it was important to make the right impression with the people who mattered.
Out of the corner of her eye, Allyse spotted a camera crew filming them from afar and her stomach did a funny little flip. She turned her head and recognized the hostess for the show standing next to the coordinator and swallowed the lump that had grown in her throat. She’d helped behind the scenes on a few shows, but never had she even considered herself a candidate for the hand of a man she didn’t even know. It was, in her opinion, ludicrous to think you could meet someone and know, in a date or two, if there was chemistry enough to warrant a lifetime commitment. How awkward would it be to tell someone oh hey, I sort of forgot to tell you I’m a witch that can sniff out car keys like a prized spaniel and oh, by the way, if you ever want your roses to grow, just pass me the word and I’ll make sure they get the memo.
Besides, she never aspired to being married. No one had ever really made her think of it. For her, marriage meant forever, and she didn’t abide by the modern sensibility that you could dump someone like you changed your socks. The only man in her life was Mr. Stinky, an irritable little Chihuahua who’d claimed her heart long ago. She was happy. He didn’t hassle her about her curves or needle her about hogging the bed. Nope. He was a perfect little pouty faced angel and she was mad for him.
He was pissed as hell at her right now, too. Leaving him with her mother wasn’t normally an issue, but the little guy had taken one look at her luggage and given her such an evil glare she still had the scorch marks. He’d gone right up to the top of the stairs, staring down at her like an angry gargoyle.
All she had to do was get through the next few days, collect her check and hope it was enough to help put a dent in her mom’s doctor bills. It made her sick to think of how little insurance actually covered. She had to do something to help make ends meet and work she would. It was late afternoon and, from what the email said, they should be entering the property to get settled.
The hostess walked away from the film crew and joined the other women.
“Attention, ladies. If you could all join me here at the gates, we’ll get started.”
The group of well dressed women gathered closer, but Allyse stayed where she was. She could hear just fine. The sheer amount of luggage from the females surrounding her precluded her from moving far. She glanced down at her single rolling carry-on bag and winced. More clothes would probably have been good, but what few pieces she had were flexible and she could coordinate.
“Thank you. I want to welcome each of you to a special session of Extreme Bachelor. My name is Roxy Warren and I’m Mr. Rochester’s publicity coordinator. While you’re here, you’ll be staying in a preselected room…”
“Excuse me.” A shapely blonde woman in a short blue dress raised her hand, interrupting Roxy mid-sentence. “You mean we don’t get to pick our rooms?”
Roxy narrowed her eyes. “No. They have been assigned for simplicity’s sake. Dinner will be tonight at seven. You will be given information on what to wear and coordinate with a staff member to assist with your time here. For those who are unaware, the entire week you will be on camera in all public settings. I expect professional behavior from you ladies and look forward to working with you during the selection process. Good luck!” She held out her arm and took the hand of the woman approaching the front of the crowd. “Most of you follow the show and you already know this amazing lady. Le
t’s give her a hand!”
The women in the group clapped and called out. Trying to stem her growing irritation, Allyse clapped politely and smiled. It was only a week. She could do this. On camera or off, she could hold her own.
A stylish middle-aged woman took the mic and raised her hands to the applause.
“Okay. Yes. Thank you, Roxy. I’m Amanda Caldwell and I will be your hostess for this mini special of Extreme Bachelor. If you watch the show you’ll know our seasons are several weeks long. In this particular case we won’t have the length of time to work with, but what we will have is a quality broadcast. The film crew will be on site capturing you as you go about your day and interact with both each other and our bachelor.
“For those of you unfamiliar, he is seeking a wife at the end of a week’s time. It is our hope that one of you lovely ladies will be that lucky girl. Now, as we enter the property, be aware that you have all signed documents regarding filming rights. You will be presented with an itinerary and will be assisted as needed. Go forth and may you find your heart’s desire here at the Rochester estate.”
The gates swung open and several young men approached to take the women’s luggage. Amanda nodded to the film crew, and they came toward the entrance. Roxy led the way as the group made their way up the main walk into the house. Allyse sighed and began dragging her rolling suitcase behind her. It was going to be quite a week. She wasn’t sure about finding the answer to her prayers within these walls, but she hoped maybe for a chance at one.
Chapter Five
“There are seven of them.” Soren watched the women parade in a line up to the property and trudge up the walk. A wall of cameras was already set up in his den and, despite himself, he took in each of them with interest. The hostess of the show was here and this was really happening. He had a week left.
“You can do this.” Mrs. D. patted his arm.
“How?”
Westmore Wolves Series: Shapesifter Collection Bks 1-5 Page 23