‘Hang on,’ said Terry, glaring at me. ‘If you need to go somewhere, that’s fine. But Claire wants to have dinner with me, don’t you babe?’
He was staring deeply into Claire’s eyes as he spoke, and immediately I thought of Sam, and his ability to calm people. The thought made me start to panic.
‘No, she doesn’t. Thank you, Terry, but not this time.’ I’m not sure why, but I was still trying to be polite.
Claire just looked at me blankly, so I took her arm and led her out the door. Terry followed us out. I stood there, not knowing what to do. I knew if I screamed someone would come out, but I also knew I’d feel pretty stupid if the guy accused me of over-reacting.
I looked around hoping to find a taxi. Terry continued trying to convince Claire to leave with him. At first he was just talking, but then he took Claire’s other arm and tried to lead her away.
And right as he did, much to my relief, a familiar voice sounded from behind me. ‘Leave the ladies alone.’
‘Sam,’ I said, relieved. ‘Terry was just leaving, weren’t you, Terry?’
Terry shifted his glare from me to Sam, but he didn’t let go of Claire’s arm. She just stood there, with a dazed look on her face.
‘I suggest you let go of her arm, and leave … now,’ repeated Sam, his voice calm but dropping down very low.
‘Bugger off mate; this is none of your business. The lady has agreed to have dinner with me.’
Terry stepped forward as he spoke, still holding onto Claire’s arm—he was only inches away from Sam.
Sam moved so quickly that I didn’t even see how it happened but Terry was face down on the ground, and Sam was standing over him. Terry’s arm was pulled up behind his back in a position that looked very painful.
‘Now, Terry was it? I’ll be escorting these ladies home, and you will not follow. In fact, you will never approach them again. If you see them, you will simply walk away. Do you understand me? I don’t want to have to repeat myself.’
Terry mumbled something that sounded like agreement, and Sam let his arm go. Terry got to his feet, dusted himself off and stood there rubbing his arm, scowling at Sam. When Sam took a slight step forward Terry turned and took off running down the street. I gathered then that he was no vampire after all.
‘I’m sorry I had to be a bit rough, ladies, but he didn’t seem to get the message when I asked nicely,’ said Sam, putting his arm around my shoulders and giving me a gentle hug.
‘Don’t apologise. I don’t know what it was about him, but something didn’t seem right. And when he started to pull Claire away from me I wasn’t sure what I was going to do.’
‘What just happened?’ asked Claire, shaking her head as if to clear it.
‘Sam just saved your neck, that’s what just happened!’
‘Wow, that’s so weird … I mean, I barely remember coming outside,’ she said, looking somewhat confused.
‘We came out to look for a taxi, then Terry grabbed your arm and that’s when Sam came up. Remember?’
‘Oh, well, yeah, sure,’ she replied, squinting a little like she was trying to focus. ‘Where did you come from Sam?’
I looked up at Sam, and raised an eyebrow in question. Indeed, where had he come from?
‘Funny isn’t it? I just happened to be walking past, and heard Lili’s voice. Quite a coincidence, eh?’ he said, smiling sheepishly.
‘Yes, quite a coincidence—an awfully good one, as a matter of fact, don’t you think?’
When Sam didn’t respond, I turned back to Claire. ‘So, Terry wasn’t quite as nice as he originally seemed, was he?’
‘No, he wasn’t,’ she admitted, shaking her head again. The fresh air seemed to be helping to clear her head.
‘I have a feeling he may have put something in your drink, Claire,’ said Sam.
‘Ah… maybe that last drink he bought me. Just as well I didn’t finish it then, isn’t it?’
‘Are you okay? Do you feel sick?’ he asked, his voice sounding concerned.
‘No, I’m fine … I think,’ she said looking at me. ‘I’m sorry about this—you know I was just flirting with him, right? I mean, you won’t mention this to Tom, will you? He doesn’t need to know anything about this at all, right?’
‘Your secret is safe with me,’ he assured her. ‘My car is just around the corner. Come on, I’ll drive you both home.’
Claire sighed again. ‘That would be really nice. I do feel a bit light-headed still … I wonder if he did put something in my drink?’
‘Who knows, but maybe you should stay clear of this place for a while,’ I said, gently pushing her from behind. ‘Let’s get out of here.’
We walked around the corner to Sam’s sleek black car. It felt so natural jumping in the front seat of that car, turning to watch Sam as he skilfully drove us out of the city and onto the freeway.
When Sam returned to the car after walking Claire to her front door, I confronted him.
‘So, how did you find us?’
‘I followed you last week. When you said you were having drinks with Claire I took a chance that you were meeting her at the same place.’
‘Ahhh, so you were there last week! I thought I was going nuts. I saw you, you know—out of the corner of my eye. But when I turned you were gone. How’d you do that?’
‘Haven’t I told you we’re fast, Lili? I knew that you’d spotted me, but I didn’t want to make a scene, so I left. Or rather, I went outside and watched from a distance.’
I knew I should be mad. If this was anyone else, I’m sure I would be mad. I mean, it was just the sort of thing I’d expect David to do, and I’d have been furious. But how could I be mad at Sam? I shuddered at the thought of what might have happened if he hadn’t arrived when he did. Then I laughed, remembering the look on Terry’s face just before he ran off down the street.
‘What’s so funny?’ Sam asked, looking confused.
‘Oh, I’m just glad you showed up when you did.’
I didn’t speak the rest of the way home. I just watched him drive, and stole a glance at him from time to time, wondering how I ended up being so lucky as to have him in my life. It seemed impossible that I’d only known him for three weeks. It felt like I’d always known him. And the idea of getting on a plane and flying back to California seemed more like a nightmare than a reality. Could I really go home, and leave this all behind? Or could I stay, and be the girlfriend of a vampire?
~~***~~
I woke with a start. I’d been dreaming that I was digging a hole that just kept getting deeper and deeper. Then I remembered the look on that girl’s face, and I felt sick again. God, I hoped I’d done the right thing. I kept telling myself there was no point worrying—it was in the hands of the police, and I couldn’t undo what I’d done—but my brain wouldn’t listen to reason.
I wished I could talk about it to someone, but I didn’t dare tell Debs … and Sam had enough on his mind at the moment. I’d just have to put it behind me. After all, the rain had cleared and left the sky a brilliant shade of blue. On a day like this, it was hard to believe that there were such things as evil vampires and ghosts. Surely the whole thing had been a dream, right?
Wrong. Sam was waiting for me when I arrived in the gardens for my morning run. The look on his face confirmed that none of this was a dream.
‘Tom’s taking me to do some more, uh, preparation today. But I’ll still see you after work.’
‘Okay. I’ll wait for you, of course,’ I answered, still feeling incredibly edgy and wanting all this to be behind us.
Sam looked at me with concern. I’m sure he took my agitation to be entirely because of the planned encounter with Zunios. ‘Please, don’t go behind my back and ask Michael if you can help tomorrow. I don’t want you there. I don’t want you hurt, and I don’t want to have to worry about trying to protect you either. You understand that, don’t you?’
‘Yeah, of course I do. But you need to promise me something. Promise me you’
ll come get me the moment it’s over, all right? No matter how it turns out. Promise me.’
‘I promise that, if I can, I’ll come see you the moment it’s over.’
‘If you can? Uh, sorry, but that’s not good enough. I want you to promise. I don’t want you getting … hurt … or anything.’
‘I’ll do my best, you can count on that. But enough of this. It’s a beautiful day and you came here for a run. So run. Enjoy the beautiful morning.’
I watched as he walked over the crest of the hill toward Michael’s. He was trying so hard not to be too serious, and I loved him for that. I could tell he was concerned about my feelings, and yet his whole existence could depend on the outcome of tomorrow night.
I did a few stretches then started off at a medium jog, picking up speed gradually until I was at my top speed as I ran past the spot where I’d dug up the gun. The girl was gone, or at least she wasn’t showing herself.
I kept running, doing several more laps than usual. Eventually I exhausted myself physically, but even so, my mind was still racing.
I wanted to believe that I’d done the right thing. I wanted to believe that this girl, like those three that Elizabeth had spoken to, had been able to let go and leave this place. I wanted to believe that’s how it worked. But the look on her face still haunted me.
~~***~~
Sam arrived right at five, as he said he would, but something was different. Perhaps it was determination that I saw on his face … or battle readiness. There was no hint of a smile, and he looked … distant. I tried to lighten the mood by cracking a few jokes, but he didn’t laugh. He just looked down and refused to make eye contact with me.
Fear started to overwhelm me. Maybe he blamed me for this after all. If he hadn’t met me—if I hadn’t been a distraction—maybe none of this would have happened. Or was it something else? Maybe it was worse than that. Maybe he was just getting bored with me—this stupid human that could never really be a part of his life.
As we walked along, Sam kept his distance, walking a bit further away from me than usual, and even though I’m sure we would have looked exactly the same as we had any other day, I knew there was definitely something wrong.
I kept trying to convince myself that he was just nervous. That was the most likely thing, right? I mean, who wouldn’t be nervous in his situation. In just over twenty-four hours his entire existence could be changed forever. He could be killed. And so could Crystal and Michael. I couldn’t even bring myself to think about what would happen if they lost. Surely they wouldn’t lose. This was what Michael and Crystal did all the time, right? And this time, they’d have the help of Tom and Sam, and Erranase, and Henry and Elizabeth—not to mention all the other ghosts. No, they’d be fine. They had to be fine. It couldn’t end any other way.
When we got to the apartment building, I asked Sam if he’d like to come up to say hello to Debs. Maybe together she and I could take his mind off things.
‘How about we just go for a walk … along the water,’ he said, pointing toward the old docks.
‘Sure,’ I replied, fearing the worst. Was he about to tell me he didn’t want to see me anymore?
The cold wind whipped around, sending my hair flying in all directions. Sam reached over and brushed a few strands away from my eyes, and when I looked up there was a deep frown on his face.
‘What is it, Sam? Are you nervous about tomorrow? Is it confirmed? Have you heard?’
‘No, nothing’s confirmed yet. Erranase will contact Zunios tomorrow. We’ll know then. If it’s on, I’ll head out with Tom again, for more … training.’
The way he said ‘training’ was odd. Of course they were brushing up on their fighting skills. It made sense.
‘Okay, sure,’ I said, trying to sound casual even though my heart was racing.
‘And how was work? Was Michael there? Did he seem okay?’ asked Sam, his voice tight and anything but calm.
‘Yeah, he was there. He seemed fine—no different than always.’
‘That’s good.’
There was definitely something bothering him. He wasn’t one for making small talk, and he was lousy at it.
‘Can I do anything? I mean … to help, you know?’
Sam stopped, and turned to face me, looking me squarely in the eyes—only this time, there was nothing calm in the way he looked at me.
‘You should stop seeing me. In fact, you should book a flight back to California, and get out of here before this goes any further.’
My worst fears had come true. He didn’t want me around anymore. I swallowed hard, my head spinning. Then a hopeful thought surfaced … was he just trying to protect me from whatever might happen tomorrow?
‘What are you saying? I’m not leaving, not yet anyway. We haven’t … talked about … this,’ I stammered—not prepared for this particular conversation. ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I’m not leaving early. If you don’t want to see me anymore, just say that … is that what you mean?’
He hesitated before answering, and I found it hard to keep breathing as I waited for his response.
‘Our relationship … you know it can’t end well, don’t you? I’ll never age. This is it for me, assuming that I don’t get destroyed tomorrow that is. But you, well, you’ll mature into a beautiful woman, more beautiful every year. At first our age difference may not matter, but eventually you’ll tire of me.’
‘Sam, what’s brought this on all of a sudden? I know you’re worried about tomorrow, so please, let’s talk about this another time, when you’re more relaxed—when we can both think clearly.’
‘I am thinking clearly; more clearly than I’ve done for quite some time in actual fact.’ He sighed heavily. ‘Look, Lili, I’ve seen it all before. I’ve seen it happen with Tom, over and over again. Girls are attracted to his roguish charm and good looks. But then they grow up, as humans always do, and his charm wears off. They evolve, he doesn’t. It will be the same for us. You’ll tire of me, sooner or later, and you won’t want to be with me.’
‘Me? Not want to be with you?’ I couldn’t believe he’d even think that.
‘Yes. You’ll grow up. For now, there’s this romantic notion of being in love with a vampire, but it won’t last.’
‘Sam, I started falling for you well before I knew you were a vampire. My attraction to you had nothing to do with that.’
‘Is that what you think? I don’t. The attraction was because of what I am, whether you knew it for what it was or not.’
‘No, Sam, that isn’t true … it can’t be true …’ but as soon as I said the words I doubted them. The attraction had confused me. The logical side of me hadn’t wanted to get involved with anyone—let alone someone that didn’t ‘mix well’ with people.
‘You know I’m telling the truth, don’t you?’
‘Well, maybe at first. I mean … I don’t know. But my feelings for you now, they’re based on who you are, not what you are. Please, don’t ever doubt that.’
He looked at me with such sadness in his eyes that it nearly broke my heart. ‘I don’t know if we can ever be sure of that.’
‘Well, I’m sure of it. I know that I’ll grow old, and you won’t. And it will hurt, one day, when we have to part. But that doesn’t have to be now.’
‘Lili, I’ve never felt this way about anyone. Not before I was changed, and definitely not since. I can’t imagine existing without you. But you, you’re so beautiful, and vibrant, and … you need to meet someone who can give you all the things you deserve in life. You’re going to want children and grandchildren. And you’ll want someone who will grow old gracefully with you, who will smile and take your hand as you gaze at your grandchildren playing in a park. You deserve all those things and so very much more. You deserve someone that I can never be, not even for you.’
The pain on his face nearly broke my heart. I struggled to find words that would make him happy again.
‘Sam, none of that means anything … if it c
an’t be you, I don’t want it. Please don’t worry. We’ll work something out—there has to be a way. I won’t be the one leaving you. I’ll grow old, whether gracefully or not, but I won’t leave you.’
‘You may think that … now … but you don’t understand. You’ve never really come to grips with what I am.’
‘I know exactly what you are, Sam. You are the most wonderful, thoughtful, caring, protective, not to mention attractive, man that I’ve ever met. I couldn’t ask for anyone better than you. He wouldn’t exist.’
‘You don’t understand,’ he said, his voice trailing off. He looked out over the water for what seemed ages, then finally turned to me and spoke quickly. ‘Lili, I’ve killed humans today—with Tom.’
I looked at him, and I tried to keep my face calm, but I’m sure my eyes widened a little. It was just so unexpected, that was all.
‘They were bad men. Tom had been following them for a few days. They were selling drugs to school children. I’m not sorry. They will not be missed by society. But Lili, they were humans, and I drank their blood.’
‘I see.’ I was taken off guard, but I wasn’t angry, or afraid. ‘It’s okay, really.’
‘No, it isn’t okay. You must hate me now. And there is nothing I can do about it.’
‘Sam, I could never hate you. I love you. Nothing can change that. Not now. Not ever.’
He gathered me up in his arms, and held me tight, and it felt as if he were afraid the wind would carry me away if he let go.
‘I love you too, and I don’t ever want to lose you. I’m sorry about today. Tom says it will sharpen my senses, and make me stronger for the fight tomorrow, should it come to that.’
‘If it makes you stronger, then I’m not sorry. I’m glad you’ve done it. I want you as strong and quick witted as possible. I want you to come to me tomorrow night, when it’s all over, and tell me again that you love me.’
‘I will tell you I love you every day, until the day you die, or the day you ask me to stop—whichever comes first.’
The relief I felt was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. My worst fears hadn’t eventuated, but instead, Sam had sworn his own love for me. Sam loved me. That was all that mattered.
Destiny (Absent Shadows Trilogy Book 1) Page 17