She was relieved, but also confused. Why did Rebecca not
see it? He was clearly the white tiger. Those blue, blue eyes were
so unusual
in their hue.
How could she have missed the connection? He even walked like a
tiger. He took long, slow, deliberate strides. Just one look at him
and you would see the white tiger in him.
Rebecca, why do you deny him?
But Rebecca was laughing at
something he had said to her.
Does he know? Is he even aware of what had
happened?
Clayton had been very aware of what had happened. It had
started yesterday, when he spoke to her father.
George’s voice had hit him in the gut. It
was a peculiar, familiar tug. He had felt the need to protect
Rebecca and it had grown stronger as the night had progressed. He
had wanted to claw anyone who harmed her. The animal urge to
protect her rose inside of him and was at boiling point when he saw
George at the door. He had felt the hair rising at the back of his
head and if someone had touched Rebecca, even casually, he would
have torn his throat out with his bare hands. It was George’s eyes
that had jolted him out of the mood. They were the same black,
sparkling eyes he loved so much. George had sighed and it had
calmed him.
Clayton
had also realized something. He loved her. He had watched her
teasing Jonathan and making her father laugh and he loved her, the
way her eyes danced and the way she tried to warm everyone’s life.
The realisation had calmed and frightened him. He was in love with
a woman he had not even touched. Now that was a first for him. He
did not know what he would do.
Rebecca
smiled as she went to bed. Clayton was so cute and caring. He had
charmed her parents and they had liked him. She also felt calm
tonight. The Darkness had not come. It was the first time a man was
in her house and it had not come. Perhaps it feared her father and
mother together. It was so good to sleep without the hissing sound
threatening her, reminding her.
On the
way home, Jonathan and Jackie were silent for a long
while.
“
So, that was very pleasant, dear.”
Jonathan laughed. She was playing with him. She wanted him
to admit he was wrong and she was right.
We shall see about
that.
“
Yes, Rebecca’s parents are delightful. She is very lucky to
have them. And Clayton, he behaved.”
“
What? You bastard. Don’t even try that one on me.”
“
What, honey?”
“Oh, you are hopeless. Next you are going to tell me you
did not see your friend behaving like a lion.
Don’t you
dare!”
“
But I did not say that. You must admit that despite the
animal thing, he behaved pretty well. No accusations, no talking
butterflies...”
She
glared at him coldly.
“Okay,
he did look a bit strange when he first arrived. I don’t know what
that was about. Also, I admit fully that I saw the parents
‘talking’ and it was interesting to watch. Other than that, it was
pretty normal.”
“
Are you not concerned about all this?”
“Of
course I am. It is not every day that one of my colleagues and
friends becomes a lion and then a man in the space of 60 seconds. I
don’t expect that at a dinner party, only in a sci-fi movie. I just
don’t know what it means. Something is wrong with him. Brad Adcock
phoned me today to ask if Clay is okay. He says Clay asked him
questions about Rebecca and got all possessive about it. They met
for drinks on Friday and Clay just pretended they never had the
conversation. He says Clay was distracted and seemed
different.”
“Oh gosh.
What did you say?”
“
I told him he has been stressed and that he met Rebecca and
was interested in her, but she refused. He seemed satisfied with
that. I don’t know, honey. Brad is really protective over Rebecca,
and this thing with Clay could cause some problems between
them.”
“I
don’t know what to think. Should we be afraid
for
Clayton or afraid
of
him?”
*****
Rowena
and George loved taking care of their daughter. They never openly
discussed Clayton, but were very happy when their daughter went out
to dinner with him on Wednesday night. Rowena, desperate to move
the romance along, had prepared a delicious bath with red rose
petals for love for her daughter. They watched anxiously as she
dressed and she felt as if she was in high school all over
again.
When Clayton arrived, they fussed over him and he laughed
when they told him to take good care of their daughter. The
father had been dead serious when he said that, hoping it would
‘help’ the boy along to realize his role.
Clayton took her to a quiet, dark restaurant decorating in
soft peaches and pinks. It was very pretty and the food was
delicious. It was a pleasant dinner
and they chatted about
work. Clayton was too scared to talk about important things,
because he knew he would blow it. He would talk about the butterfly
and that would be it. He had promised Jonathan and Jackie that he
would have a normal conversation, no strange things. He had denied
his ‘lion ways’ and told them they were also going crazy. He was so
convincingly normal that they had started to doubt what they might
have seen. He had been his usual self and there was nothing to
support the view that he might be a werewolf or lion.
He so enjoyed talking to Rebecca, but
the absence of meaningful conversation was a void between
them.
Rebecca was also afraid to say important things to him.
What could she say?
I want to be with you, but I know, for a fact, that you
will run away into the night, never to return?
That there a small little
matter of The Darkness that will frighten you, or even harm
you?
What could she say?
What could she offer him or promise him? So she consoled herself
with the thought that at least she could enjoy his smile, his
laughter and his beautiful blue eyes. He told her a joke and she
threw her head back to laugh. Like lightening, he leaned over her,
his hand close to her face. She was stunned and realized that a
waiter had almost spilled a glass of wine on her. He had tilted the
tray and the glass was slipping off when Clayton caught it. It had
happened so quickly that she was motionless. The waiter was also
shocked that Clay had moved so quickly across the table. For a
moment, they were all still, suspended in time. Then Clayton moved
back, glass in hand.
“
Sorry, Princess, but you were about to be baptized in wine.
Not that I would have minded. You would look quite lovely bathed in
wine,” he said softly.
“Thank you.
I
would have
minded.”
“Come, we need to go, before your father
sends the
police after me.
”
When she
arose, he did it at last. He lightly placed his hand on her back
and a bolt of electricity shock through them. She shivered and he
withdrew his hand.
“Oops, sorry!” he said, unable to comprehend her body’s
response t
o him.
It was
completely unexpected.
God, I want to touch her again, to see if it
happens again.
Rebecca was silent.
Oh God, it was here. It was trying to frighten him
away. No, not now. Let him kiss me, hold
me and love me
first, not now.
“
Oh, it’s okay. Clayton, do you....”
“
What?” His voice was sharp.
“
Oh, never mind. Let’s go.”
She wanted to ask him to make love to her and hold her,
because she did not know whether
he would be with her the
next day. How could she say that to him? He was already upset about
something.
In
the car, he put on strange, gothic music which was depressing
her.
God, it
is happening too soon. He is walking away already.
She was just getting to love
his quirky ways, the way he always seemed to have ink on his hand,
the way he ate meat like it was the last time he would ever see it,
the way he had looked at her with such longing. It was going too
soon.
“So, is everything arranged for Double
J and their
trip to the mountains?
”
“
Yes, they tell me you don’t want to be there. Why,
Rebecca?”
“
Because I am a difficult person. My life can be complicated
in ways you cannot understand. Because it is too difficult for
me.”
“Tell me, please, Rebecca, tell m
e. I want to help
you.
”
“
Oh Clayton, please, just let it go. I do not want to discuss
it. I... things are not what they seem. I am not what I
seem.”
“Rebecca, do not treat me like a child. If you do not want
my friendship, just say so. But those games are tiring.
I
have heard it all. What can you say that would so different? Please
spare me the drama, okay?
”
“Fine, I
will spare you the ‘drama’. I have nothing to say about the matter.
Is that satisfactory?”
“
No, but at least you are being honest.”
He
did not
speak to her again, but took her inside, where her
parents were pretending to be watching television. Since they
never
watched television and had not
owned one since Rebecca had left, their ploy was embarrassingly
obvious.
“
Would you like some coffee?”
“Yes
, Clayton will definitely have coffee. Come, my
boy, sit here and tell me about your work. Jono tells me you do
mostly legislative drafting these days.
”
“Yes, I have tried to cut down the litigation, mostly
opinions and drafting. I have a good team that doe
s any
litigation. The drafting is fun, but takes too much time. Do you
still practice?
”
“No, not really. My wife freaks out every time I do a case.
I try to do the occasional
one, if it is interesting. It
keeps the muscles moving, you know.
”
Rebecca had gone to the kitchen and as she walked in, she
had an odd sense. She looked at the two men sitting there and there
was something so similar about them. She stared for a while, the
tray in her hand, confused by the idea that they looked like father
and son. She shook off the notion. Her father had dark hair and
dark eyes and Clayton was the exact opposite.
Perhaps all lawyers look
alike.
“
Sweetpea, are you okay?”
“Yes, Dad, of course. Now, are you
boring my mother with legal speak?
”
“No dear. I am watching this programme on TV. Let them talk
about it, otherwise your father will want to tell
me
about law
. Anyway, it will stop you and Clayton
from fighting.”
“
Mother! We are not fighting.”
“Yes,
you are. You have that stubborn look in your
eyes and he looks like you just beat him up. What are you fighting
about?
”
“Nothing.”
Rowena
looked at her husband.
Come on, help them. She is so scared she is going to
collapse!
Don’t interfere, woman. Let it be.
Now!
Okay. Nag!
Wimp!
Let’s see if you say that when one of your Darkness friends
visits!
“
Stop it, you two. I hate when you do that!”
“
No, Rebecca. This is fun. They are having a fight. It is
delightful. How do you two do that?”
“How do you know they
are fighting?
”
“
Can’t you see? Their eyes are clashing.”
“So what
are you two fighting about?” Rebecca asked sweetly.
“Okay, Sweetpea. You have made your point.
We
, including
your mother, will stop interfering in your
business.”
“We were
fighting because your daughter’s too
stubborn.
” Clayton
interrupted.
Her
father laughed. “And you thought, if you force the issue, she would
give in. How funny. You poor man. Did she terrorize you? She hates
to be told what to do.”
He
was laughing hard now
, remembering how Rebecca had defied
him and always won.
“
What is the right strategy with her?” Clayton asked, watching
her face, as it turned red. She would definitely not be happy being
talked about as if she was not there.
“I
have found that you
need to charm her. Let her defenses go
down, then wham, ask for what you want. It works with her mother
and always worked with her.
”