Absent Shadows: Destiny Part 6

As I sat there, snippets of the strangest dream I'd ever had floated into my mind-something about Claire and Tom ... and vampires ... and ghosts. I couldn't quite remember the details ... or could I?

My heart started beating faster as realisation hit me with a thud. It wasn't a dream.

I got up, and carefully made my way into the main room.

'Hey,' Sam said from where he sat on the sofa.

'Good morning,' I replied, trying to keep my voice calm. 'Is Claire up yet?'

The memory of what had happened last night still seemed like a dream, but seeing him there, in the same spot where we'd sat last night, there was no doubt-my memories were real, not a dream.

'Not yet. It's still early-only half past seven. I'm surprised you're awake,' he said, his eyes boring into me. I felt my heart rate slowing down and the uneasiness subsiding.

'How did I ... I mean, I was sitting on the sofa, next to you,' I said, surprised at just how normal my voice sounded.

'You fell asleep, so I carried you into the room so you could get some proper rest.'

'Ah ... I see. And so, where's Tom?' I wondered how Tom felt about his behaviour. Did he regret what he'd done? Could he be trusted not to do it again?

'Not here. He's rather embarra.s.sed by what happened, and thinks you'll hate him. He couldn't believe that I told you everything ... says I should clear your memory too.'

I thought about that for a moment-about the saying that ignorance is bliss. But they also say knowledge is power. So which 'they' do you follow in a case like this one? Somehow I doubted there would be many who could advise me on this issue-I had to go with my gut.

'No, don't. I mean, I'm okay. It's all a bit strange, of course, but I want to believe. So, what are we going to tell Claire?' As the words left my mouth I realised what I'd said-we, not you. I was part of this now. I'd accepted it, and importantly, I'd accepted Sam. And it felt entirely right.

'Tom will tell her they were climbing on the rocks and slipped-he hurt his arm, and she b.u.mped her head and sc.r.a.ped her neck. He went to an all-night chemist and got some bandages-for his arm and her neck. She won't question it.'

As it turned out, Sam was right. Tom returned with the bandages and they wrapped his arm, then Sam took a bandage and carefully placed it on Claire's neck. When she woke a bit later, Tom told her his story and she seemed fine with it.

We spent the morning wandering around The Rocks again, and Tom even showed Claire where their fall supposedly happened. I was amazed at how easily she was convinced.

But I was even more amazed at my own feelings. Having made the decision to keep their secret, I felt this incredibly strong bond-with both of them. I even felt honoured that they trusted me. What did it all mean? Why did they trust me? Where would we go from here? My mind raced with questions for which there were no answers to be found other than by waiting ... waiting to see what the future held.

At least the immediate future was easy-in a few hours we'd be on the plane, heading back to Melbourne.

I'd forgotten my apartment keys, so I rang Debs to check that they would be home when I got there.

'Yes, we're here. I hope you had a lovely time in Sydney? It's a beautiful city isn't it?'

'Yeah, the weekend was great, Debs,' I replied, thinking of all that had happened.

'I'm glad. Now ... I've done a cheese platter and I want you to bring your friends up to meet us. We can have a gla.s.s of wine and a little chat.'

'Oh, I don't think they can. I mean, Claire needs to get home, and Tom said he had some errands to do this afternoon,' I said, keeping my voice calm. There was no way I wanted to take a chance that Ian might want to have a look at their injuries. No, that wasn't going to happen.

'Okay, well just you and Sam then. I want to meet him, Lili. I can't believe I agreed to you going without even meeting him first, but I insist on meeting him now.'

I looked at Sam, and he grinned. I could only a.s.sume he'd heard her question as he winked and nodded.

'Alright ... we should be there soon,' I replied, hoping I wouldn't come to regret the decision.

Not long after, Tom pulled the truck up in front of the apartment building, and Sam and I got out, leaving Tom to take Claire home. As the truck drove off, I felt my stomach drop.

'It'll be alright, won't it? I mean, Tom, alone with Claire?' I felt guilty that I hadn't thought about whether it was safe until now-after they'd already gone.

'Yeah, it's fine. Tom won't hurt her again. He's pretty careful anyway, but from now on, he'll be even more so. He really likes her, and he's really sorry about what happened.'

'Okay then, I'll take your word for it. So, are you ready to answer, like, a million questions?' I asked.

'Of course. I'll put on my best manners,' he said with a smile that nearly melted my heart.

The afternoon went better than I dared to hope. Debs seemed to really like him, and Ian even chirped up and seemed to enjoy the male company. We chatted and ate cheese and crackers and drank some wine. Well, I skipped the wine, and Sam only ate and drank a little, but if Debs noticed at all, she didn't comment.

Ian eventually excused himself on the pretence of catching up on some paperwork, but I suspected he'd gone into this study to watch the last of the football game that we'd interrupted. If Ian was anything, he was a loyal Melbourne supporter.

Debs asked me to help her take the plates into the kitchen, and as soon as we were away from Sam, she grabbed my arm and squeezed it.

'Oh, he's so handsome, isn't he? And so charming ... and well spoken ... any wonder you like him. But he seems much older than you. Did you say he was twenty-four? Anyway, I really like him, and I could tell that Ian did too. You're so much like your father. He was always good at picking friends. But of course you know that-look at your mother. Now, do you think Sam would let me do a tarot reading for him? I'd love to read his cards. But if you think he'd be embarra.s.sed, I won't ask. What do you think?'

She finally stopped, and waited for me to answer. I was glad that she liked him, as even though I hadn't been looking for her approval it felt good to get it.

'I don't know Debs. You can ask ... I don't know whether he had plans for tonight.'

'Well then, let's ask him, shall we?'

Sam was polite about it but said he did need to get going; however he'd take a rain check on the tarot reading, if that was okay with Debs.

I was surprised at how happy it made me feel-that simple little statement about the rain check. That meant I'd definitely be seeing him again. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I realised how stupid and insecure I was being-I mean, really ... Sam trusted me with the most intimate details of his existence, and here I was, concerned about whether he wanted to see me again. I'm such an idiot sometimes.

'Will you walk me out?' he asked, after he'd said goodbye to Debs and Ian.

'Sure, of course I will,' I said, suddenly feeling rather shy around him.

We walked out to the lift, and stood there in silence until it arrived. Then, as soon as we were behind closed doors, Sam put his hands on my shoulders and turned me so that I faced him. He looked into my eyes like he was searching for something-a serious look on his face.

'You're sure you're alright with all this? With everything I told you last night? You're not ... in shock or anything are you?'

'I'm fine, Sam. I mean, it's obviously a bit hard to believe, but I'm not scared if that's what you're wondering.'

'Well, that's a good start. And I can totally understand how you'd be finding it hard to believe.'

The lift stopped and the doors opened onto an empty foyer. We walked out toward the front doors, but stayed just inside. Sam glanced around, and I could only a.s.sume it was to be sure we were alone. Then he reached over, and placed his hands on each side of my face to lift it so that he could easily bend down and kiss me goodnight. Then he leaned back so that he could again search my eyes. His eyes were darker than before; the blue looked nearly black in the dim lights of the foyer.

'I hope you don't mind me saying this, Lili, but, well, it's just ... I've never met anyone like you before. I've never met anyone who I wanted to confide in the way I've done with you.'

'Never? You mean, no-one else knows?'

'Not a living soul,' he said, grinning.

'Not a living soul,' I repeated, shaking my head and swallowing hard. 'Well, I hope you don't come to regret confiding in me.'

'I won't. I only hope you don't come to regret knowing. I can still wipe the memory you know ... it's not too late,' he said softly, his eyes still searching mine.

'No. I want to remember everything. Your secrets are safe with me, I promise.'

I laughed, feeling embarra.s.sed by the intimacy, and hoping that the lights were too dim for him to notice that I was blus.h.i.+ng again.

He smiled, and took my hands in his, and brought them up behind his neck. Then his arms were around me, and he pulled me close to him. He held me like this for a few moments, and I could feel his breath on top of my head.

'I think if I'm not careful, I'm going to fall in love with you, Lili McIntyre,' he whispered, kissing my hair ever so gently.

I was surprised that I was still able to stand, as my legs felt like they had no bones in them. Or was he was holding me up?

'Oh, Sam ...' was all I could manage to get out, and even that was just barely a whisper.

He stepped back and kissed me gently, making my whole body tingle.

'I really must go,' he finally said. 'Will I see you tomorrow ... I mean, do you want to see me?'

'Of course I want to see you,' I managed to whisper.

He smiled again, and his eyes burned right through me making my whole body feel weak and yet electrified at the same time. And then he turned and went out the door without a backward glance. He was gone, but I'd see him tomorrow.

I went to bed early that night, but I knew I wouldn't sleep. There was so much going around in my head. Vampires-seriously, was I losing my mind? I mean, could it all just be a cover-up of some sort? Tom hurt Claire. So? Sometimes men get a bit carried away. But that doesn't make them vampires. What evidence was there? Ok, so Sam was able to make his eyes turn red and his skin turn a strange shade of grey. Maybe that was some sort of, oh, I don't know, some sort of hypnotism thing that he was able to do to me. It was all too much, this whole vampire story.

And yet, something told me I should believe him.

And then there was the kiss. That gentle kiss that had made my skin tingle and my heart pound so hard that I thought it would burst out of my chest. What would it be like if he really kissed me?

Then my mind drifted back to what Sam had said about the vampire hunters; about them having a vampire father, and a human mother. That would mean that s.e.x, between a vampire and human, is possible. It does happen. It could happen ... with me and Sam.

* CHAPTER EIGHT *.

'So, tell me ... was that a great weekend or what? My parents are crazy about Tom.' Claire was whispering and talking a hundred miles an hour.

I rubbed my eyes with my left hand, holding the phone with my right. I was barely awake.

'Yeah, Debs really liked Sam too-she said he was charming and wanted to do a tarot reading for him'.

'Oh, he's charming alright. And so is Tom. My only disappointment is that I'd been hoping for a bit more romance if you know what I mean. b.u.mmer that I fell on those rocks like that. I really don't remember much about Sat.u.r.day night at all. So ... tell me ... what about you and Sam? Was there "romance in the air" for you two?' she asked, laughing.

'If you mean did I sleep with him ... nooooo. But there is definitely something there ... I mean, I really like him.'

'Well then, I guess we'll just have to come up with a plan for another weekend. Maybe we could go to the wine country and stay in a bed and breakfast-one with an open fireplace. Wouldn't that be romantic?'

'Sounds great to me, but I'll leave it up to you to organise. You ask Tom.'

'Oh, he'll be in on it. He was so sweet when he dropped me home last night. Kept asking me how I felt, and did my head hurt, or my neck. He was so concerned. And when he left, he kissed me goodnight. Oh ... My ... G.o.d ... it was, well, let me just say I've never been kissed like that before!'

'I'm happy for you, Claire. I mean, Tom seems really nice. And I'm glad he seems to like you as much as you like him.' I was, in actual fact, very glad that Tom seemed to like her so much. Hopefully, he liked her enough not to ever hurt her again.

'Oh, I've gotta go. My boss just walked in-and he looks like he didn't have a romantic weekend either. 'I'll call you.'

When I walked into the kitchen a few minutes later, Debs was on her way out the door for her Monday at the museum.

'I'll be back around four, and Ian should be home by six. It would be nice for us to have dinner together. You can wear one of the new outfits we bought last week. Oh, and ask Sam to join us if he's available. He's such a charming young man,' she said as she closed the door behind her.

I was really anxious to see Sam this morning-my 'charming young man'. I wanted desperately to hear his voice, to see his face. The whole weekend in Sydney felt so surreal, and I needed confirmation that I hadn't dreamt the whole thing.

It didn't seem too cold outside, so I threw on a pair of track pants and a long sleeved t-s.h.i.+rt, put on my running shoes, and making sure I had my keys, I headed out for my run. I hoped that he'd be waiting in the gardens. Was that a bit presumptuous of me? He had said he'd see me today.

As I made my toward the gardens, I couldn't stop looking at each person I pa.s.sed. Sam had said there were vampires everywhere. Did that mean that anyone I pa.s.sed could be one? Everyone looked the same as they had every other morning-normal. But so had Sam ... looked normal I mean ... until he didn't. A cold s.h.i.+ver ran down my spine as I let my imagination run wild-imagining eyes turning red, and skin turning grey on the face of every person pa.s.sing me.

Then I remembered what Sam had said about the shadows. I s.h.i.+fted my gaze from their faces to the ground. Did each person have a shadow? When they were alone, it was simple, but when I pa.s.sed large groups it was nearly impossible to tell. I looked up again at the faces. It was useless.

I made it to the gardens, and approached the tree where I'd seen Sam twice before, but he wasn't there. Disappointment made my feet feel heavy, and my desire to run fade. I thought perhaps I should just walk today-after all, if I took my time, maybe he'd eventually turn up.

I headed down to the right, and as I cleared the tree I noticed a slender woman dressed in a long cream coloured dress. It looked like it could be one of those fancy dresses the Indian ladies wore-a sari I think they called them. She was standing beside one of the benches and as I got closer, I could see that she was talking to someone who was just out of my view. Two steps later I could see the person sitting there-it was Sam.

My first reaction was excitement to see him, but that quickly turned to jealousy when the woman turned and I saw her face. She was absolutely stunning-long black hair, dark almond shaped eyes, and flawless skin. Everything about her was delicate and refined. And Sam was smiling at her with this look of admiration on his face. I felt like I might be sick and my mind was spinning with speculation.

'Not interrupting anything, am I?' I finally said, not even trying to hide the sarcasm in my voice.

'Interrupting? Of course not,' said Sam, standing up and taking a few steps toward me. 'Lili, I'd like you to meet Crystal. Crystal, this is Lili.'

I stepped back involuntarily, and just stared at them.

'Ah, so this is the lovely Lili,' said the woman, her voice nearly as beautiful as her face. 'You've put a smile on his face, Lili. And that is something that none of us have been able to do for a very long time.'

I wasn't sure if her use of the word 'lovely' with my name was meant to be ironic, but I took it that way. Between that, and her implied intimacy with Sam, my jealousy began to change into full blown anger.

'Have I?' My voice was so sharp I hardly recognised it.

'Yes, you have. I noticed it last week. He was smiling, and it was most unlike him. I quizzed him about what he'd been up to until I finally got him to admit that he was going to Sydney with you for the weekend,' she said, seemingly unaware of my bubbling anger.

'Enough of that, Crystal, you can't go telling her all my secrets,' Sam laughed.