Rex was given a new change of clothes and a new security badge. He was even given an apology from the communications manager, once the vampire had recovered from his close acquaintance with the wall. But Eve was not kinder to him after the incident. She ignored his presence for the rest of the night, while she worked, and attempted once again to retire to her penthouse without him in the morning. At least she suffered his presence in her office without once complaining that he'd overhear important strategic information and that he might have been a spy from Bones R Ours Corporation. That point was raised by the communications manager, after his apology no less. But Eve waved it off. She had more important things to worry about than a werewolf corporation.
Or, as it turned out, it was the werewolf corporation that was most on her mind, but not quite in the same way. For just before retreating to her office, she addressed Isobel almost casually, as if making small talk:
"If we are up against humans, Izzy, then who should we ally ourselves with?"
Isobel gave a frightened look. Evidently she was not prepared to offer an opinion on such a sensitive matter.
"Shall I get the security manager on the line for you?" she asked.
"No need," Eve answered. "I already have an idea. Who would you say is a man's best friend?"
"Dogs?" Isobel ventured.
"So they say. And werewolves next to dogs."
"So we'll have to fight werewolves too?" Isobel asked, terrified. She threw a glance at Rex, who was sitting quietly in a corner. He had been instructed to not break anything, and was trying hard to obey.
"No. But I think that's what the humans would expect the least: an alliance between vampires and werewolves," Eve pointed out.
"That's because it can't be done," Isobel noticed.
"It's never been done before," Eve conceded. "Which is why it will be a surprise."
"I'm sure the werewolves will be even more surprized than the humans," Isobel said.
"I'm sure they will," Eve admitted. "But they will have fair warning. I'll need you to stay up till nine in the morning, so you can schedule a meeting for me with the CEO of Bones R Ours corporation. Wake me up when you have the time, so I can prepare. And don't let them delay it for another day, it needs to be today, the sooner the better."
"But they'll want to have the meeting during daytime!" Isobel said, terrified.
"That's what I have a non-vampire bodyguard for," Eve answered. "Don't worry, I won't take anyone else with me. They won't want me to either."
And with that, she left for her penthouse.
***
It was noon by the time Isobel managed to get through to the secretary to the CEO of Bones R Ours corporation. It was two in the afternoon before she managed to plead her way into scheduling a meeting. But she managed to make it for that afternoon, and even arranged for it to be close to their closing time, which was as close to evening as she could get.
Eve was pleased with her secretary when she woke her up, and offered her the night off for the next night, but the girl refused.
"I'll be too worried to sleep anyway," she confessed.
Eve nodded.
"I'll find you in my office when I return, then," she said.
She didn't offer the girl any more signs of affection. It was not in her nature, and she felt that this, most of all, was not a time to get emotional. But she would have otherwise given the girl a hug, if anything as some shred of moral support for the evening ahead, she wasn't sure if for the secretary or for herself.
Even Rex was not happy to be going into the wolves' den. He was, once again, unable to retain full human form, and his wolf ears and tail were showing. But there was no tail-wagging this time.
"Not a spy, then," Eve thought.
She'd half suspected him from the start. It seemed rather odd that a werewolf would not be given employment at Bones R Ours. She'd even suspected him of faking his clumsiness. But the downcast look on his face now was reassuring.
***
Unlike Blood Lust Tower, which had always been in the heart of the city, the Bones R Ours campus had been originally built outside what was then already a sprawling metropolis. But the city had been spreading at rapid pace, and by now the campus was surrounded by a labyrinth of streets lined with cafes and fancy shops and beauty parlours for humans and unhumans alike. Even a few skyscrapers had popped up close by, dwarfing the buildings of the corporation's campus. All this development had somehow robbed the campus of some of its grandiose and imposing character. But once on the other side of the gates, Eve could see the campus had not lost its primary function. Surrounded by two layers of thick walls arranged in concentric circles, with the main buildings nested at their center, the campus was a veritable fortress.
The sun was still up at five in the afternoon, the hour of the appointment, and Eve shuddered under her thick layers of sunscreen as she got out of the car. She had chosen Rex to drive her that day, because her usual driver, being a vampire, could not be asked to risk his life in such a manner.
This time, Rex was there to hold the car door for her, carrying a large black parasol, which he did his best to position over her face. Together with the veil hanging from her large hat and the sunscreen, they managed to keep the effects of the sun to a mere stinging sensation, nothing she could not withstand for the sake of her employees' lives. Her body and hands, being protected by multiple layers of clothes over the thick layer of sunscreen, didn't even feel the sting.
Inside the fortress, it became evident that the werewolves had prepared for her. All curtains were pulled back, allowing as much sun as possible to come in through the wide windows. The corridors she was led through were lined with mirrors, which amplified the sunlight and threw it at her from all angles. She wondered if the mirrors had been brought especially for her, or if they were part of the werewolves' usual defences against any intruders. Meanwhile, Rex kept running around her, trying desperately to cover all angles with the useless parasol. Had it not been for her veil and sunscreen, Eve might have burned to death before reaching the CEO's office.
Grand Alpha James Smith, CEO of Bones R Ours Corporation, had at least deigned to meet her in person. Cautious without being cowardly, he had surrounded himself with all the top managers in lieu of guards. They crowded the office, and had the unwilling effect of dimming the light that streamed through the wide windows, blocking it with their bulky bodies.
"James, darling, it's been ages! How rude of me not to visit more often," Eve said, forcing a smile. "How is dear Martha? And the pups? They must be all grown up by now."
She seemed all smiles and friendliness, which made the werewolves even more cautious. They had expected an antagonistic approach, especially after her long walk through brightly sunlit corridors. James, caught on the wrong foot, tried his best to be civil by inviting her to sit.
The seat they had prepared for her was another challenge. It was as low as a footstool, and would have made the werewolves in their executive chairs tower over her. Eve declined with another forced smile.
"Oh, but I'm not tired at all! I think I'll stand," she said, knowing full well that etiquette would force the males to stand as well, as long as the lady was not seated.
"As you wish," James said dryly. "I hope we will not keep you long. Shall we talk business? Just what brings a vampire into our humble home?"
There was an audible growl in the word "humble", which Eve chose to ignore. She smiled again her most polite smile.
"I am here to offer my help," she said cheerfully.