Uriel reached out and pulled Synder into a one-arm hug and kissed him on the forehead. “Take care of yourself and don’t overdo things. No need for you to stress out my niece or nephew.”
Synder leaned his head back, looking at Uriel. “How did you know?”
“You’re on guard duty. Usually, on cases like this, you’d be out looking for clues. And you kept frowning as if something stank while you made the fruit bowl. And there were other things I've noticed over the past couple of weeks.”
Synder sighed. “We were going to tell you. We just wanted to wait a bit longer. I’m not as young as I used to be and I’m just a bit worried.”
“Everything is going to be fine. Make sure you rest when you need it. Let Shanna help you out more.”
“You sound like Kayne,” Synder smiled.
“We just care about you.”
“I know.”
Uriel hugged him once more, then left and appeared in his penthouse, feeling good and happy for his friends. He knew how much they wanted more kids, and even though vampires were powerful, it was difficult for some to carry a baby full-term, but he knew that Synder would be just fine.
* * *
Friday morning,Uriel walked up to the main building of Valleywood Studios and marveled at the changes. It had been one year since he'd set foot so close to the property. He knew that Azazel had done a few renovations but he wasn't expecting the entire building to be outfitted with window walls. Sighing, he walked into the spacious reception area with couches, tables, and chairs on either side of the room. Behind the reception desk was a large screen showing one video after another. Uriel remembered what the area looked like before, and although it was welcoming, it wasn't as aesthetically pleasing.
Azazel really put a lot of money into this, didn't he. What exactly is he trying to accomplish?
Putting the thought aside for now, Uriel walked over to the reception desk and took off his hat and glasses. It was a silly disguise Khray insisted he wore when he went out as Blue Lennox. Uriel wasn't sure how it worked, when he was certain others recognized Blue's face, but to ease Khray's fears he went along with it.
Uriel had told Yoko to meet him at the studio and wasn't sure if she had shown up yet. He knew how much the cat shifter was a stickler for being on time, and Uriel couldn't blame her. But according to Khray's notes, unless he had to be on the set or in the studio, Blue was late to everything else.
"Excuse me," he said to one of the three receptionists sitting behind the desk, who hadn't looked up when he walked in.
"Yes," one receptionist said, just as another voice came from behind Uriel.
"'Colleen, I'll take it from here."
"Oh, Yoko, you're here," Colleen the receptionist said. "Well then, I'll leave him to you."
"Thanks," Yoko said and pulled Uriel away. "It's gotta be weird for you to walk into a building and not have people recognize who you are. They're new, so don't worry about it."
"Not really," Uriel said. "Besides, I'm here for business."
Uriel looked at Yoko, who was a beautiful, petite Bombay cat shifter. She was energetic as always and had an endearing personality that seemed to show up in whatever color she wore her hair that day. Uriel smiled, liking the red-and-black ombre color of Yoko’s hair that went perfectly with her goth fashion sense.
They got on the elevator and Yoko pulled out a folder from the messenger bag that was slung sideways over her shoulders. "I brought the documents you asked for," Yoko told him, handing the folder to him.
"Thanks," he said.
Uriel took it and scanned through the notes Blue Lennox had made when he'd signed the contract. In the folder was also the script with scribbles that Blue had made, that Uriel thought would add more depth to his character, but was never brought up at the contract signing. He'd asked Khray about why Blue never brought it up and the response was he wanted to wait until he got a chance to speak with the director. Well, since Blue couldn't do it himself, Uriel would do it for him.
They got to the floor where the meeting was going to be held and Uriel was surprised to see someone standing there and seeming to be waiting for them.
"Mister Blue Lennox," the man said in a pleasant tone. However nice his voice sounded, his expression said otherwise.
"Yes, that's me," Uriel said.
"Mister King told me to wait here for your arrival and to show you to the conference room, where everyone who arrived on time is waiting for you to start the meeting." His reprimanding tone didn't go unnoticed by Uriel, and it grated on his nerves.
Why does Blue Lennox bring out hostility from people on their first meeting?
This wasn't the first time it happened. When he judged the cooking show, Steven Falcon, an action star, seemed to have a problem with Blue being there. If Uriel hadn't known that it was Benito LaCava who was trying to kill Blue Lennox, he would think everyone in the entertainment industry were suspects. Uriel had ignored the first incident with Steven Falcon, but he would not do it a second time with the no-name kid in front of him.
