The_Demons_Wife_ARC by Rick Hautala Read Free Book Online Page B

replied, but before they could get the waitress’ attention, a
steady, loud beeping sound suddenly filled the restaurant. Fear swept through
the restaurant like a brush fire as everyone immediately recognized what it
was.
    A fire alarm.
    The problem
was…What to do about it?
    For what
seemed like entirely too long, everyone sat where they were, looking around as
though they didn’t see the clearly marked fire exits and were expecting a
waiter or the host to make an announcement—probably that it was a false alarm,
and that nobody should panic.
    But the fire
alarm continued its high, piercing beep-beep-beep. In the hubbub, Claire
couldn’t make out anything anyone around her was saying. She looked at Samael,
desperate to take a cue from him. He remained seated and appeared to be unfazed
by the sudden commotion around them. In fact, he seemed to be all but unaware
of it.
    “What do we
do?” Claire asked, barely hearing herself above the din of the alarm. She
didn’t want to panic…not in front of Samael, but she was worried because no one
“official” seemed to be responding to the alarm. She leaned forward in her
chair, waiting for him to say or do something.
    “I doubt it’s
anything to worry about,” Samael replied. She as much read his lips as heard
him. “It’s probably a false alarm…faulty wiring, I’d guess.”
    Claire bit
down on her lower lip and nodded. It made sense not to panic even when several
patrons arose from their tables and started for the door. When the first ones
to get there opened it, a funnel of dense, black smoke was sucked into the
restaurant. People staggered back, coughing as they scrambled away from the
exit.
    “Jesus!”
Claire shouted.
    She wasn’t
positive she heard correctly, but she thought Samael mumbled, “He’s not going
to help you now.”
    They made
intense eye contact as the uproar continued and intensified. Smoke was filling
the room fast, now, and people were knocking over tables and chairs, spilling
dishes and silverware onto the floor as they scrambled for another exit, away
from the smoke and—possibly—flames. A doorway at the far end of the room was
marked EXIT, but it was on the opposite side of the restaurant. Already it was
clogged with a long line of people, trying to flee.
    “The problem
is,” Samael said calmly, “no one is sure yet where or how bad the fire is.”
    Claire flashed
on scenes of the sinking of the Titanic and was concerned that people might be
running straight into danger, not away from it, but she and Samael remained
where they were, watching the mayhem swirl all around them as if they weren’t
the least bit involved. The expression on Samael’s face confused as much as
reassured her. He looked both upset and…pleased, for some reason.
    Like he’s
enjoying the chaos ,
Claire thought.
    “Well,” he
finally said, pushing his chair back and standing up. He brushed his hands
together, “I’d say lunch is on the house today, wouldn’t you?”
    Forgetting her
panic for a moment, she looked into his eyes and couldn’t help but smile. His
eyes were an island of sanity in a sea of madness as smoke rapidly filled the
room with a wide, dark pall.
    “What are we
going to—”
    But that was
all she got out, because all she could do was watch as Samael grasped the chair
he’d been sitting in by the back and then approached the window that had
offered such a nice view of the harbor. Without any hesitation, he heaved his
body around to one side and then flung the chair toward the window.
    The glass
exploded into hundreds of shards that glinted in the sunlight as they spilled
onto the carpeted floor and the restaurant’s boat deck outside.  The absolute
glee on Samael’s face made him look like a little boy setting off firecrackers
on the Fourth of July. His teeth gleamed wickedly in the sun when he turned to
her and, in a voice as steady and calm as if he were asking her to dance, said,
“Shall we?”
    The chaos in
the restaurant