Page 83 of A Shade Too Far
“Not willingly and only temporarily. I’ll explain, but this goes no further. I need everyone’s word on this.” I gave Naveen a pointed look.
“I promise,” he said.
Eli nodded but Sadie reluctantly shrugged. I didn’t push it.
Nobody said much as I told them about the KH and my ban. I didn’t say why it had happened, but from Naveen’s shrewd glance, I suspect he’d figured it out. Sadie and Eli looked shell-shocked at this new facet of the magic world—and yet another reveal about my abilities.
“First things first,” I said briskly. “We all need to pack and move to a hotel temporarily.”
Sadie looked at her father. “Dad?”
He put his arm around her. “We’ll figure out where we stay.” They looked like a self-contained duo, their bodies angled in together—and away from me.
“Come home with me,” Naveen said. “We’re warded up and no one will think to look there.” At Sadie’s doubtful look he added, “There’s a guest room. It’s my sister’s house, but Daya would love to see you again. And Evani, my niece, she’s three and having an older kid like you to play with would make her so happy.”
Eli would never agree. It would take time and slow, careful steps to get him to trust anyone magic after tonight’s shit show. Even me.
He looked down at Sadie, who nodded.
“Are you sure?” Eli said. “This is a huge imposition for people you’ve just met.”
I flinched like I’d been punched, but none of them saw it. Naveen, a virtual stranger, was welcomed into their lives when I’d had to fight for every tiny grain of trust in this area? Case in point, tonight. They’d cozied up to Zev until he’d scared them, and even then, the “us” against “them” vibe had not been drawn along family lines.
“It’s no imposition,” Naveen said. “Laurent charged me with keeping you all safe.” He smiled slowly at Eli. “I’m happy to do it.”
Be logical, Feldman. Naveen had wards—I was dying to know how and why—and a hotel didn’t. Obviously it was the better choice. This wasn’t personal.
“Wonderful,” I said.
“Then we’ll gladly take you up on it,” Eli said.
“Miriam?” Naveen raised an eyebrow.
I straightened, already planning out all the bags and things I’d need to take to Naveen and Daya’s. Hopefully their refrigerator would be fixed by now, but if not, the Moka pot and a lot of takeout recommendations were in order. This might actually be a lot of fun. I could smooth things over in my family by showing them more of the secret world of magic and introducing my friends.
I noticed belatedly that Naveen was still waiting for me. “Yes, sorry?”
“I said,” he repeated, “do you have a place you can stay? We only have one guest bedroom and I’m imagining you don’t want to crash on the floor.”
Oh.
I walked over to the trash can and threw out the tongue depressor, swiping at my damp eyes. “Tatiana’s,” I said once I returned.
Sadie bit her lip. “Did he mean what he said about not hurting my friends? Or any of us?”
“Yes. If nothing else, Zev stands by his word.”
“Okay.” My daughter had been pushed past meltdown into a weird calm, like being in the eye of a hurricane, and I couldn’t imagine what would happen on the other side, but I shoved those worries down for now. Getting us all to safety was more important.
Eli prodded her gently. “Go on. We should pack quickly.”
“I’ll wait for you out here,” Naveen said.
Sadie went into my place and Eli disappeared through the door in our shared fence.
Naveen eased himself into one of the patio chairs. “They’ll come around.”
“Sure.” I draped a leg over the arm of mine. “Hey, you never called me back.”
