Page 19 of A Shade Too Far
“That won’t happen,” I said. “Zev isn’t about to target kids who are friends with a cop’s daughter.”
“That’s your reassurance?” Sadie crossed her arms.
“Yeah. He’s practical. That’s the best guarantee. Now, I need your promise.”
The loaded silence stretched on so long I scrambled together ways to keep Ryann from charging her with violating the Lonestars’ prime directive.
“Please,” I said.
“Is this why you had me watching Buffy?” She tossed her hair. “Some kind of primer?”
Eli pressed his lips together and looked away. It didn’t matter if it was in the middle of a serious talk or an argument, should Sadie’s melodramatic streak rear its head, her dad would want to laugh.
Generally, I carried on in a rational manner until he’d recovered enough to participate, because it was kind of funny, but right now his uselessness and my daughter’s theatrics put my temper over the top.
“Busted,” I snapped. “It was my deepest wish that you take it as a how-to guide. Careful who you date, make sure I get checked regularly for brain aneurysms, and remember that sister of yours I always joke about?” I shrugged, spreading my arms wide.
The two of us glowered at each other before the child caved.
“Fine,” she muttered, dropping her defiant glare. “You have my stupid fucking promise.” She kicked her bag across the room and stormed off.
Eli lost it, his shoulders silently shaking.
“And you! Way to help me navigate a tough parenting scenario, Detective Chuckles.” I smacked him with a cushion. “Quit laughing already. Seriously. God, I hate you.”
“That was worth it.” Wiping tears from his eyes, he went into the kitchen.
What a disaster. Sadie didn’t seem to care about my magic, and I don’t think she was scared for herself, but I hadn’t predicted that her friends would be the variable to set her off.
Eli returned with Ryann’s cookie tin.
“Is this what we’re doing instead of joints these days?” I joked weakly.
“I could bust the kids smoking up at the skate park on Tenth.”
I shook my head. “Better not. One of them is Helen’s son.”
“Helicopter Helen?” He shuddered and bit into a treat.
I’d selected one with the perfect ratio of sugar crystals to cookie when Eli spoke.
“Do you remember what it took for me to see magic?” He touched the faint scar on his arm from where Laurent had clawed him. “Sadie saw it simply being around that vamp. You still want to go through with this? What if he did something to her?”
I put the box on the coffee table, my stomach sour. “He didn’t. He gave me his word.”
Eli shot me a look like I was being stupid.
“I’ve shared with you how and why I’ve come to this conclusion multiple times.” I crossed my arms. “You’re one of the people who knows me best. I’ve always considered things carefully, can’t you trust that I’m doing that now more than ever?”
“I’m trying, Mir.”
I plumped up a pillow with a bit more force than necessary and settled it behind my back. “Really, because you seem pretty keen to listen to Ryann, despite everything I keep telling you.”
“You want me to align myself with a vampire when you won’t give the same courtesy to this Elizabeta, who’s a former officer.”
“I’m not asking you to exchange friendship bracelets with him. I’m saying that in the interests of not insulting the dangerous supernatural creature, we should accept his help with a smile and a sincere thank-you. And it’s totally different with the Lonestar. You haven’t been harmed by vampires.”
“Yet,” he said.
