3 Enchanted Winery

Roderick leaned back in his wingback leather chair. The aroma of her perfumed scent still hung in the air. It was a scent that definitely came from Valharinune. It wasn't strong unless of course you were a wolf. It hung as if she had dangled it just beneath his nose; as only a fairy nymph could do. It was like a fresh honeycomb scented with vanilla and a hint of wisteria.

Strange, the smell of a wisteria tree was one of his favorites. It reminded him of his mother, though it had been so long since his parents' deaths that he had no idea why he associated it to her; but there it was.

Normally he preferred nymphs. They were easy, carefree, seductive and ideally for him never ever interested in commitment.

They were perfect for a man who had no desire or time to be in any kind of committed relationship. The best relationships, he found, were the nymph escorts that he paid for.

His office door opened shaking him from his thoughts.

"Mamie," he said with an accent using the French informal word for grandmother.

Bernadette Leloup was a lithe woman in her seventies with large almond shaped blue eyes her grandson Roderick had inherited. She stood five foot ten and moved with an airy gracefulness that reminded Roderick of a model on a catwalk; always with her head held high. She wore a black satin wrap blouse which was fastened by decadent crystal buttons, red leather Versace pants, Jimmy Choo stiletto's and a gold and black Parisian silk scarf knotted around her pale slender neck. "Qu'est-ce que la nymph voulait?"

Roderick balled his hand into a fist and leaned forward placing it under his chin. He had no idea why she would even care about a visit from a nymph let alone ask him what she wanted. But as he had learned throughout the years total obedience was essential from the woman who had raised him.

"To host a wedding here." He often found that versions of the truth were the best way to answer her.

She let out an elegant cackle. "You must like her. She was definitely a beauty and your type."

"What do you know of my type. I never date brunettes." He scoffed as he leaned back into the leather of his chair and folded his arms across his chest.

"Merde your as poor a liar as your grandfather." Bernadette moved to the red velvet chair Violet had sat in ten minutes prior. She drew a deep breath and smiled like a cat that had eaten a canary, revealing pearly white teeth. "I can smell Valharinune. It hangs on her like a wet blanket. It's so sweet I can almost taste it. You will allow her to do whatever she wants here. Matter of fact I want you to pay a visit to Enchanted Winery and tell her so."

Roderick jumped up from his seat, "Merde, I run Leloup Hotels and your corporation and have done very well for you. It won't be lucrative."

Bernadette raised up from her seat like a cat about to pounce upon its prey. Her lips curled back slightly, "I don't fucking care about lucrative." She stood up then reached out to straighten his tie. "Besides, I wasn't asking you. I was ordering you." She smiled again, pecked his cheek with a kiss, and then made her way back out the door as if she were walking on air.

****

Roderick opted for the practicality of his range rover as he made his way from the coast into the hills toward Enchanted Winery. He would be obedient to a fault if that's what Mamie, his grandmother wanted.

The quiet drive helped to focus his thoughts. He hoped this night would be over and done with as quickly as he could manage it. She would refuse to bargain with him he was sure of it.

Well he would make sure of it.

He had no idea why his grandmother wanted to do business with Enchanted, but it couldn't be good.

Orange and brown fall colors morphed with green as the sun began to dip in the sky. Roderick inhaled the smell of the large redwoods and eucalyptus. Smell was everything to wolves and instantly he longed to be on his ranch, the one he inherited from his father when his parents died. His father's ranch; his ranch was just a few miles past Enchanted Winery.

Funny, he had never in his life given the winery any thought until now. They all knew it was where the portal was between this world and Valharinune.

But the truth is that modern two century post exodus wolves and vampires didn't give a fuck.

His grandmother's generation though was different. She grew up listening to old timers' stories along with her own grandmother's stories of the old world through the portal. The completely magical world.

Just as the sun cast its final rays of orange, darkness spilled through the woods and he arrived at the large wrought iron gates with the name Enchanted Winery scrolled across. Several rays of white light shot out from the ground beaming against the gates as he drove past. Delicate green colored filigree and tiny leaves that seemed to sparkle accentuated the letters which shimmered in gold creating a stark contrast from the dark iron gates.

He didn't know why but his palms grew sweaty as continued along the gravel path. He pulled in the designated parking area and sat for a moment. Through his windows he could smell the overwhelming stench of smoke and from what he could tell this was no ordinary fire.

It reeked profusely of dark magic.

No wonder she needed another venue. The fire wasn't able to be stopped by magic.

He wasn't sure if black converse sneakers were regular wine tasting attire, but he didn't care.

It's not like he was going to be drinking anything.

The main reason he felt more compelled to obey his grandmother was that it afforded him an excuse to visit Greystone Ranch down the way, the only place he felt any peace.

This was just a pitstop.

He followed on the heels of the wine tasting couple ahead of him. The blonde missed a step and Roderick leaped to catch her in his arms. They had clearly made the rounds of local wineries in the area. Just as the half-drunk woman wrapped her arms around his neck and giggled, he looked up to see none other than Violet Narcissus peering down with her deep green eyes.