Page 78 of Throwing Shade
“We’ll take an hour to rest,” he said, “and when we go to the substation, you do as I say and don’t fight me.”
“No problem.”
He shot me one last searching look, but I kept my most pleasant and innocent expression on my face and finally got a tight nod.
Even with a ratty blanket wrapped around him that hit mid-thigh, Laurent didn’t walk; he prowled. He stalked. Dress him up in a suit and he still wouldn’t lose all vestiges of his predatory nature. And yet, this beast of a man chose to surround himself with books and music, and made his home into a work of art.
There was still so much I didn’t know about him.
We made our way up the front sidewalk and he rang the bell.
A man in his late thirties with platinum blond bedhead that popped against his brown skin opened the door, tying the sash of a silk robe closed over his boxers and T-shirt. He raked a lazy glance over Laurent, but there was a piercing gleam behind the insouciance. This guy didn’t miss a trick.
“Let me guess? Date night?” The blond spoke with a posh British accent. “You all right, poppet?” he said to me. “Smack Laurent in the head once for yes and twice for no.”
“There’s no way you’re friends with Huff ’n’ Puff,” I said. “You’re far too delightful.”
The man stuck out his hand. “Naveen. My friends call me Nav, and you just earned your way into that highly sought-after circle. Treasure your position.”
I laughed. “Miriam. My friends call me Miri, and likewise.”
“I need a shower.” Laurent pushed past Nav into a warmly painted foyer. “Do you still have my spare clothes here?”
“Well, Goodwill didn’t want them,” Nav said, leading us into the living room.
It was a cozy room with inviting furniture in plush fabrics and a large honey oak coffee table, all buried under an explosion of toys.
I slugged Laurent. “You brought us to a house with a child? There are vamps after us. Are you crazy?”
“We’ll handle anything that shows up,” he said, rubbing his arm. “If they manage to get past all the wards.”
“Uncle Woooolllllf!” A toddler with ringlets and the same warm brown eyes as Naveen ran in on chubby legs, her green nightgown billowing around her. She held a stuffed bunny out to Laurent. “Arrrrr.”
“Arrrr,” he growled back.
She squealed in delight, hopping up and down in place. Seeing a blood-streaked Laurent wearing nothing but a blanket didn’t even faze her. She was either going to spend a fortune in therapy when she grew up or become a real-life Buffy.
“You know,” Nav said, “Uncle Wolf isn’t anything special. Uncle Nav’s secret weapon, on the other hand, is a marvel of length and…” He shook his head. “Let’s abandon that sentence right there, shall we?”
“Did we wake her?” Laurent said. “Sorry.”
“No.” Nav sighed, and picked the girl up. “Evani woke up an hour ago.”
“I’m waiting for Mommy,” she said, and sucked one of the bunny’s ears into her mouth.
“Daya had a delivery?” Laurent asked.
“Twins.” Nav motioned down a hall. “You know where the towels are. I’ll clean off the sofa for you, Miri.”
“No problem. I can do it.” I moved cups from a plastic tea set onto the coffee table. “Wait, Daya as in Dr. Kumar?”
“Yes. My sister.”
“No way! She delivered my daughter.”
Laurent frowned. “You have a kid? Why didn’t you mention it?”
“When should I have brought out the photos?” I said. “When we were fighting the dybbuk-possessed dude, the dybbuk-enthralled other dude, or escaping from the vampires?”
