Samuel swore aloud when the creatures attacked, he was unable to form his energy fast enough! He turned, ready to use his fists against the entities when the light from the single lamp within the alley dimmed. His eyes widened as the darkness formed around the young woman, leaving her attackers to bounce off what seemed to be a solid wall. Could it be... She had [i]his[/i] power? That would explain the convergence of the dark creatures, certainly, but how did a mere human come to have it? He could only stand there as the shadows diminished, watching the woman with shock written across his every feature as she thanked him, thinking somehow it was his doing.

This distraction was a perfect chance for the entities that had been slowly creeping towards him. With a snarl, the lead creature lashed out, long, wicked talons ripping through the wool and linen of Samuel's clothing to rake at his flesh. He gasped as pain erupted across his back and quickly spun around, one hand charged with power delivering a brutal backhanded slap that sent the monster head-first into a wall. There were too many of them to take on safely, at least while the human was beside him. Defensive maneuvers were needed. "Get the wall to your back." He called to his new companion, pushing her towards one side of the narrow alley. Once she had done so, he positioned himself in front of her, making the entities think twice about another aggressive attack. This bought him the time he needed he conjure the energy for an attack of his own.

Bringing his hands together, he pressed the first and second digits of each together, the warm glow of his power transferring solely to that point. "Once this is cast, we run. follow me and do not look back." He said, voice showing obvious strain as he concentrated. After a few heartbeats, he slowly pulled his hands apart, a ribbon of translucent, tangible power stretching out from between them. Glowing significantly brighter on the edges, it widened to nearly half a foot wide. As it grew, strange, fluid symbols shimmered into existence, flowing along the center line of the band. Once he deemed the spell to be charged enough, the taciturn man jerked his hands outward, snapping the connection between his body and the energy. The band split and encircled each creature, eliciting wails of pain and frustration from the beasts as they became trapped. 

Samuel reached back to grab the young woman's hand, then ran, pulling her along as he made for the small back door to the antiques shop. Not daring to take the time to unlock it, he pressed his free palm to the metal. It hissed as it heated, becoming red-hot, then white within seconds. A shove released the nearly-liquid bolt and the door swung inward. After quickly ushering the girl inside, he slammed it closed, the metal binding itself again rapidly in the cool air. Panting slightly, the Arabic man allowed himself to slump back against the wall, a light grunt of pain reminding him that he had been struck. 

After catching his breath, he brought his gaze to rest on the young woman he had just saved twice. Though it did not look like it was purposeful, he was certain she had used shadow magic- umbrakinesis. Such a rare gift- if one could call it such; he could not help but once again question how a human had it though. Such abilities were only found within creatures of the night, like... [i]him[/i]. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth, but he could not deny that this girl, this human he met by chance, might be just the thing he needed.