Page 88 of Throwing Shade
“Because you’ll be unstoppable.”
My face heated, my brown eyes meeting his gleaming green ones across a crackling in the air, and I unbuckled my seat belt to better draw in a breath. It was as if I was back on his motorcycle in that moment when through my tunnel of fear I felt that first inkling of exhilaration.
Static skittered over my skin and I cleared my throat. “Uh… thanks.”
I longed to live up to his image of me, but I couldn’t. Alex had been dealt with, and we’d rescue Jude soon, but there was a difference between keeping my magic and being drawn deeper into this world as an active force. This may have been Laurent’s calling, but it wasn’t mine.
However, I couldn’t bear to think about how different my life might have been had this rock solid belief in my magic been present twenty years ago.
Laurent regarded me for a moment longer, then glanced at the house.
There was a twitch of a curtain.
“Better get the golem,” he said, and got out of the car.
I pressed my hands to my flushed cheeks, feeling like I’d lost something precious.
The rain pelting down quickly cooled me off, and I hurried after Laurent, splashing through a rainbow iridescence in an oily puddle.
Nav flung the back door open before we could knock. “You’re Banim Shovavim?”
I took a step back under the ferocity of his glower. “Is that a problem?”
Laurent cut Nav a hard look. “It’s not a problem at all, is it, Naveen?”
“Get your golem and go,” he said in a tight voice.
I opened my mouth to apologize, then shut it. I wasn’t at fault for the type of magic I’d been born with. His prejudices were his problem, not mine. “Done,” I said in a cool voice. “Emmett.” I walked into the airy kitchen. “Time to leave.”
The golem was squished into a tiny white plastic chair having a tea party with Evani. Green eyeshadow was applied from his lids over his eyebrows and onto his forehead and his lipstick was a clownish smear around his lips. The toddler, in contrast, wore a pirate costume.
“Fancy,” I said.
“Get me out of here,” Emmett muttered.
Evani pounded the table with her chubby fist. “Bad robot. Drink your grog.”
Emmett sighed. “Aye aye, Captain.” He took a delicate sip and she snatched it out of his hand.
“You’re doing it wrong. I’ll teach you. Like this.” She shot the imaginary drink back like she was at a kegger.
I choked on a laugh. This was entertaining as all get-out, but I didn’t want to spend a second longer when I clearly wasn’t wanted, and besides, I’d had years of practice extricating Sadie from playdates.
Toddlers were much like vampires. Offer them something else they craved more and all would be well.
“Evani.” I crouched down. “Emmett has to go home and have his nap now.”
“No.” Her lip trembled.
“How old are you?”
She sucked her lip into her mouth, watching me warily, then held up three fingers.
“See, that’s pretty old,” I said. “But Emmett isn’t a big girl like you.”
She nodded. “The robot is a baby.”
Emmett opened his mouth to protest and I smacked his shin.
