The Shadows Series: Black as Night

Off the Hook... for Now

Claire shot him a death glare. Back off. She struggled against Sam's tight grip.

"What are you talking about? I don't even know you." Technically, that was true; Claire only knew the boy's name and, now, where he worked. She never got to know any of her victims personally.

"Then why so defensive all of a sudden? Don't think I don't know what you're trying at. What my father did was years ago; tell Raymond to stop sending his dogs after him."

Claire blinked, her shoulders relaxing a little. He thought she was somebody completely different; he didn't have the slightest clue of the monster she really was. Relief fludded through her.

She gave him a confused look, deciding to play innocent. "Okay, I'm really lost here." 

"I can tell you're lying," Sam replied, faltering. Then he sighed heavily.

"So you really don't know anything of what I'm talking about?"

Claire shook her head, her long hair tickling her cheeks. She really had no clue who this "Raymond" guy was. Though she was curious; what could his father have done to make someone else send spies to murder him? Her mind came up with many horrible explanations, ones that only came from being a Shadow's daughter. Sadly, Claire knew all about torture- about killing... She sighed at the thought.

Sam released his grasp on her wrist. Claire pulled them back, rubbing at the tingling skin.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me," Sam apologized, running his hand through his dark brown hair stressfully. He really did look sorry, now a completely different person than he was a few seconds ago. Claire guessed he wasn't too bad of a person, just protective of his dad. "Would you like some more tea?"

Claire nodded, "Give me a discount on my meal, and you've got yourself a deal."

Sam grinned a little, taking her half-empty glass of tea and heading into the kitchen.

Claire grabbed a fork and ate her favorite meal, mulling over everything that had just happened. That Sam, he sure had a temper. And she had just barely scraped by without revealing what she really was. She needed to be more careful, especially around Sam. Hopefully he just thinks his mind was playing tricks on him. Hopefully.

Sam came back with her glass, now full of tea with fresh ice cubes. He set it down in front of her, then took away her empty plate. The rice had been delicious, even though it was a tad cold after Sam's inquiry.

He came out of the kitchen again, but this time he sat back down in front of Claire. It looked like he was warily assessing her; Claire pulled on her scarf with one hand and drank her tea with the other, watching him watch her. The atmosphere grew tense, then suddenly Sam smiled.

What was that all about? 

Claire decided she didn't trust Sam; despite his innocent, nice looks, it seemed he held a lot of secrets behind his dark eyes.

"Can I help you?" Claire asked, almost dryly. She didn't need to get involved with any human business; she just needed to pay for her meal and get home before her father noticed her long absence and sent his Shadow guards to retrieve her in front of Sam. Now that would just blow up everything. They might even kill Sam as a witness. The idea perturbed Claire.

Sam just shook his head slightly, then seemed to think better of it. His face became unreadable. 

"Your name," he said simply.

Claire's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. "My name?"

"Yes, your name. What is your name?"

Claire hesitated. She didn't know where Sam was going with this. Plus, she'd never told any human her name before. Claire really hoped she wouldn't regret this.

"If I tell you my name, do you promise that you'll leave me alone and let me leave?"

"Yes, I promise," Sam said, anxiety hinting in his voice.

Claire sighed. "Fine. It's Clairise. Now can I leave?"

Sam stood up from his chair. "Of course. Sorry to bother you."

 Claire got up, not forgetting to (out of common curtesy) take a few dollars out of her purse and lay them down as a tip, and headed towards the front of the store. She paid for her meal quickly, not missing the relieved sigh from the usher as she walked away. Claire huffed as she exited the restaurant, glad that the whole "Sam drama" was over. I guess I'll have to change my favorite restaurant now... she thought resentfully.

Cold air scattered Claire's hair in knotted strands as she strode across the parking lot to her car. Claire opened the door of her Mercedes and sat down on the tan leather seats, throwing her black purse to the side. She twisted the keys in the slot, enjoying the sensation of heat as she turned on the seat warmers.

As she glanced out the passenger seat window, she noticed a white piece of paper in her purse. Claire grabbed the piece of paper, which turned out to be a Gourmet Dumpling House business card. On the back, a note was written in curved, rushed handwriting:

Meet me at the cafe tomorrow

3 PM

See you there, Claire.

-Sam

P.S. That last part rhymed

Claire rolled her eyes. Great, a hot, annoying, temper-infused human boy wanted to meet her. Was he asking her on a date or something? If he was, then Sam was out of his mind. She could kill him in the blink of an eye. Worst of all, Claire wanted  to meet Sam. He fascinated her; she'd never met anyone like him.

What was she about to get herself into?