Tabitha hung up the phone, terrified. She'd never heard so much fear in Amanda's voice. Worse, she knew her sister's powers-if Amanda had foreseen her own death...

Without hesitation, Tabitha called Acheron.

"Hey, Ash," she said, noting the way Valerius's attention turned from his pizza to her. "I have a problem. Amanda just called and said that she had dreamed her own death and last night I ran across something really spooky. It-"

Ash appeared before her. "What?" he asked.

Tabitha froze for a second as she realized what Ash had just done. He really was scary at times.

She hung up the phone again and repeated everything, including details about the ghost they'd seen the night before.

Ash got a faraway look in his eyes, tilting his head as if listening to someone.

"Can you see her death?" she asked him.

Ash stood there, his heart thumping wildly as he tried to clear the mist that surrounded Amanda and Kyrian's future.

He saw nothing.

He heard nothing.

Dammit. It was why he did his best never to let anyone too close to him. Anytime he allowed himself to care about someone or they were a part of his own future, he was blind to their destinies.

There was nothing but blackness where Kyrian and Amanda were concerned and he hated that most of all.

"Talk to me, Ash."

He looked back at Tabitha and heard and felt the fear and panic in her mind. Her thoughts that rambled as she sought a comfort he couldn't give.

Even her future was forbidden to him now.

"Her destiny was to be happy," he said quietly. But the key word to that statement was was. Free will could, and often did, alter fate.

What had changed?

Something must have and Amanda had glimpsed it in her sleep.

He held enough belief in Amanda's powers not to doubt her in the least If she foresaw their deaths, then it was a likely outcome unless he could find the cause and change it before it was too late.

Ash closed his eyes as he let himself feel the minds of the humans. He searched for what could possibly change Amanda's fate, but he found nothing.

Nothing.

Dammit!

Valerius was behind him now. Ash stepped aside so that his back wasn't exposed to the Roman.

"Tell me exactly what happened last night," Ash said to Tabitha.

Tabitha related the whole scene with the ghost while Valerius filled in a few details.

"Urian!" Ash called, summoning his Spathi contact.

Tabitha frowned. Ash was acting very strange and she could sense his worry. "Who's Urian?"

Before she finished the question another tall, insanely handsome man appeared in her kitchen. Dressed in black leather pants and a black shirt, he had white-blond hair and blue eyes.

He looked less than pleased as he narrowed those baby blues on Ash. "Don't take that tone of voice with me, Ash. I don't care who you are, I don't like it."

"Like it or not, I need to know what the Spathis are up to. More precisely, I need to know if Desiderius is back on the playing field."

Horror filled her.

Urian curled his lip. "Why are you worried about him? Des is a punk."

"Desiderius is dead," Tabitha said emphatically. "Kyrian killed him."

Urian scoffed. "Yeah, and I'm the Easter Bunny-see my fluffy tail? You don't just kill a Spathi, little girl. All you do is take him out of commission for awhile."

"Bullshit!" Tabitha snarled.

"No, Tabitha," Ash said, gentling his voice. "Desiderius's essence was released. But if one of his brethren or children wanted to bring him back, they could. It's not easy to do, but it is possible."

She was aghast that Ash had kept something this important from them. "Why didn't you ever tell us this?"

"Because I was hoping it wouldn't happen."

"Hoping?" Tabitha shrieked. "Please tell me you weren't pinning my sister's life and Kyrian's on a hope."

Ash didn't answer.

Meanwhile the true significance of the last few days settled fully on her shoulders. "So those really were Spathis I fought the night I met Valerius."

Urian snorted. "Trust me, little girl, you must have faced the neophytes. Had those been true Spathis, you'd both be dead now."

His arrogance was seriously starting to piss her off. Just who was this jerk anyway? "How do you know so much about them, Dr. Intellect?"

"I used to be one."

Her fury breaking, Tabitha rushed him.

Ash caught her and pulled her back. He lifted her up off the floor. Tabitha kicked and cursed as she struggled to reach Urian, who watched her with a smirk.

"Stop it, Tabby," Ash breathed in her ear. "Urian is on our side now. Believe me, he has paid for his allegiance to the other side more than you will ever know."

Yeah, right.

"How could you bring a Daimon into my house after what they did to me? To my family?" she demanded.

"Oh, I'm not a Daimon anymore, little girl," Urian said, his eyes flashing dangerously. "If I were-"

"You'd be dead," Valerius said, cutting him off with a sinister tone. "By my hand."

Urian laughed. "Yeah, right." He looked at Ash. "The arrogance of your Hunters truly knows no bounds. You should spend more time educating them about us, Ash."

Ash released Tabitha, then spoke to Urian. "I need you to go in and find out what's going on. Are there any left who might still be loyal to you?"

The Daimon shrugged. "I can probably dredge up a flunky or two. But..." Urian's gaze went to Tabitha. "If Des really is back, he'll want to finish what he started. May the gods help you all if he has been reincarnated. It's going to get bloody in New Orleans."

"Who would want to bring that monster back?" Tabitha asked.

"His children," Urian and Ash said simultaneously.

Tabitha still couldn't believe what she was hearing. But as she seethed, Urian's face finally looked compassionate.

Haunted.

When he spoke, the arrogance was gone from his voice. "Trust me, it's hard to let go of the loyalty you feel to a father who saved you from dying a horrible death at twenty-seven." Something in his tone said he spoke from experience.

"Is your loyalty to your father?" she asked.

Urian's face turned to stone. "I would have done anything for my father until the day he killed me and took from me the only thing that meant more to me more than my life. Any bonds I felt for that man were shattered instantly." He looked at Ash. "I'll see what I can find out."

A bright orange engulfed Urian an instant before he flashed out of her kitchen. Even so, his malevolence still clung to the air around them.

"Damn," Ash muttered. "Urian and his dramatics. I have got to remind him to lay off the pyrotechnics when he comes and goes."

"That is one angry man," Tabitha said.

"You've no idea, Tab," Ash said. "And he has every right to his hatred." He shook his head as if to clear it, then spoke to them quietly. "While Urian is busy, I need for the two of you to stay together and watch each other's backs. Desiderius is the son of Dionysus, and Dionysus is still upset at me over what happened at Mardi Gras three years ago. I don't think he's stupid enough to help Desiderius, but I wouldn't put anything past either one of them."

He looked meaningfully at Tabitha. "Even if Daddy doesn't help him, Desiderius still has a lot of god powers that can be deadly, as you no doubt remember."

"Yeah," she said sarcastically as she recalled the way he and his Daimons had cut through her and her friends as if they were straw. "I remember."

He looked at Valerius. "Desiderius can manipulate people. Possess them, if you will. Tabitha is stubborn enough that the only thing that can possess her is the spirit of chocolate. We're lucky there. But Marla could be swayed. Otto should be safe. But the rest of your staff... you might want to think about giving them some time off."

By the look on Valerius's face, Tabitha could tell he'd rather be dead. "I can handle them."

"You have to sleep sometime. One of the servants could easily break into your bedroom and kill you. I don't think any of them love you so much that they will hesitate over Desiderius's orders the way Kyrian's cook did."

Valerius's nostrils flared.

Ash ignored the pain that Tabitha felt from Valerius. "I need you two together on this. I have to go warn Janice and Jean-Luc about what's up." He turned to face her. "Tabitha, pack a bag and move in with Valerius for awhile."

"What about my store?"

"Have Marla watch over it for a couple of weeks."

"Yeah, but-"

Ash's features hardened. "Don't argue with me, Tabitha. Desiderius is a major power with one hell of a grudge against you, your sister, and Kyrian. He's not going to be playing with the three of you this time. He's going to kill you."

Normally, she would argue with him just for spite. But she knew that tone of voice. No one argued with Ash for long. "Fine."

"You have your orders, General," Ash said sternly to Valerius.

Valerius gave him a rather sarcastic Roman salute.

Rolling his eyes, Ash flashed out of the room.

Now that they were alone, Valerius stared at her without speaking. Fury was burning so raw inside him that it actually hurt her.

"What?" she asked.

Without a word, he went to the picture on her buffet of Amanda's wedding and pulled the Russell Crowe picture off Kyrian's face.

He cursed. "I should have known when you told me her name was Amanda."

The look of repugnance on his face set her off. "Yeah, and my name is Tabitha, not Amanda. What has that got to do with anything?"

But he didn't hear her. She knew it.

He stalked quietly from the room and went back upstairs. She jumped at the sound of her bedroom door slamming.

"Fine," she said out loud. "Be a baby. I don't care."

Valerius sat motionless on the edge of the bed as his mind ranted over who Tabitha really was.

The twin of Kyrian's wife had saved him. This was priceless, truly priceless. Here he'd spent the last two thousand years avoiding the Greek so as not to hurt him by reminding him what Valerius's family had done to him, and now this...

He clenched his teeth as he felt for Kyrian's betrayal. Valerius's grandfather, an exact look-alike for Valerius, had seduced Kyrian's beloved wife Theone centuries ago and used her to betray her husband. Kyrian hadn't been captured on the battlefield as befitted a man of his stature. He'd been drugged by the hand of his wife in his own home as he tried to save her, and then handed over to his mortal enemy.

Valerius's stomach churned as he remembered the weeks where his father and grandfather had tortured the Greek general for information and for fun. Remembered Kyrian's screams.

The sight of the man lying bloody and defeated haunted him to this day. Kyrian had lain there with his eyes pain-filled and empty. Only once during those weeks had their gazes met and the look in Kyrian's eyes was still seared into Valerius's soul.

Worse, Valerius remembered his grandfather laughing at dinner the night Kyrian had been crucified after Kyrian's father had tried to save him.

"You should have seen his face as his wife came in my arms right in front of him. I had his whore moaning and begging for my cock as he watched me fuck her. Too bad he died before he could see her face when I threw her out."

Valerius had never understood that cruelty. It was enough to defeat an enemy, but to use his woman in front of him...

And now he was sleeping with the identical twin of Kyrian's wife.

History did, in fact, repeat itself.

And Acheron had known and not told him. Why would the Atlantean insist on the two of them being together when he had to know what this would do to Kyrian? It didn't make sense. Any more than Tabitha saving him when she herself knew Kyrian hated him.

Jupiter knew the man had every right to wish him dead. No wonder Selena had hated him so passionately. As Kyrian's sister-in-law, it was a wonder she hadn't been even more violent toward him.

The door opened.

Valerius tensed as he saw Tabitha come inside. She didn't speak to him as she set about packing a small suitcase... of weapons.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"What Ash said to do. I'm going to move in with you."

"Why not go and stay with Kyrian and Amanda?"

"Because I trust Ash. If he says I should be with you, then I'm going."

"Will you be spitting on me as well?" The question was out before he could stop it.

Tabitha paused at his untoward question. "Pardon?"

A tic started in Valerius's jaw. "It's what your sister Selena does every time she sees me. I was wondering if I should make sure to keep a good lougie distance from you, too."

Tabitha would have laughed had he not been deadly serious. "Lougie. Interesting word for you. I wouldn't have thought you knew that one."

"Yes, well, your sister and my latest Squire have tutored me well on the mighty lougie." He stood up and moved toward the door. "I shall wait outside until you're through."

Tabitha kicked the door closed before he reached it. He turned with a supreme look of arrogance.

"What has crawled up your butt and died?"

"Excuse me?" he asked, his voice every bit as icy as his look.

"Look, there are a few things you need to know about me. One, I don't take crap from anyone. Two, I don't hold anything back. Whatever I feel about something or someone, I let it be known."

"I noticed."

She ignored his interruption. "And three, I am an empath. You can stand there and act all nonchalant as you want to, but at the end of the day, I feel what you do. So don't act all secretive and cold when I know better. It just pisses me off."

His jaw slackened ever so slightly. "You're an empath?"

"Yes. I know that Ash's presence in the kitchen hurt you, but I don't know why, and I felt your fury flare the minute you uncovered Kyrian's face." She reached up and placed her hand to his cheek. "My mother always said that still waters run deep. The only time your actions have matched your emotions was last night when we were making love and when you came up here and slammed the bedroom door."

He tried to move away, but she refused to let him. "Deal with me, Val, don't walk away."

"I don't understand you," he said, his heart pounding. "I'm not used to anyone liking me, especially not people who have every right to hate me."

"Why should I hate you?"

"My family ruined your brother-in-law."

"And my Uncle Sally was a loan shark who died when one of his shakedowns shot him dead in the street. Every family tree has an asshole in it. That's not your fault. You're not the one who killed Kyrian, are you?"

"No, I was just a child when he died."

"Then what's your problem?"

For an unreasonable person, she had moments of strange lucidity. "Every person I have met in this town who knows Kyrian has hated me from the moment they saw me. I assumed you would be like them."

"Well, you know what they say about assume... it makes an ass out of u and me. Jeez. I love Kyrian, but the man really needs to learn how to let go of the past."

He couldn't believe her. That she would be so accepting of him was...

She pulled him into a tight, oddly invigorating hug. "I know I can't keep you, Valerius. Believe me, I understand fully the life you have and the calling. But we are friends and we are allies."

He held her close as those words resonated deep inside him.

She let go and stepped back. "And we have things to do tonight. Right?"

"Right."

"Very good then, let's rocket."

He frowned. "Rocket?"

She gave him a silly grin. "My nephew Ian is addicted to the Power Rangers. I think I've been watching the videos way too long with him."

"Ah," he said, reaching for her suitcase. "Let's get you settled at my place and then we can head out tonight and see what Daimons we find."

Fearful of running into Tia and risking more questions, Tabitha called a cab to take them over to Valerius's house. Otto was already gone by the time they reached his mansion.

As expected, Gilbert met them at the door. He seemed stodgy as ever as he greeted them formally.

"Nice seeing you again, Gil," Tabitha said as Valerius handed him her suitcase. "Nice rigid stance."

Gilbert frowned before he looked down, then gave her a quizzical stare.

Valerius almost smiled. "Ms. Devereaux will be staying with us for awhile, Gilbert. Would you please have Margaret ready a room for the lady?"

"Yes, my lord."

Valerius started for the stairs, then paused. "After Margaret is finished, I would like for the entire staff to take a few weeks off."

Gilbert looked shocked. "My lord?"

"Don't worry. It's with full pay. Consider it an early Christmas present. Just leave a number on my desk where I can contact everyone to have them return."

"As you wish, my lord."

Tabitha felt Valerius's sadness. In spite of what Acheron said, Valerius did like Gilbert and seemed to hate the thought of the man leaving.

"Where are you off to?" Tabitha asked as Valerius took another step up the regal mahogany staircase.

"I was going to get new weapons. Would you care to join me?"

"Ooo," she said suggestively. "I've always been a sucker for a man with lots of weapons. Show me what you got, baby."

She wasn't quite sure if he was amused or not as he waited for her to join him. Tabitha followed him up the stairs, then turned down the long hallway on the right. He led her halfway down before he paused in front of a door and opened it.

Tabitha whistled low as she caught sight of his training room. It was huge, and held a variety of punching bags, mats, and dummies. One in particular looked like it had been seriously abused.

It also wore a bright Hawaiian shirt.

"Is this supposed to be someone we know?" she asked as she noted the stab wounds to the dummy's head.

"I plead the Fifth."

"I take it Otto doesn't participate in your training sessions."

He glanced at the dummy. "I guess you could say that in a way he does."

She shook her head as Valerius headed over to the closet. Inside was an arsenal she was sure the ATF would have some issues with.

"Grenade launcher?"

"EBay," Valerius said. "You can find anything on there."

"Apparently so. Who needs Kell when you have all this?"

He gave her a wicked grin as he strapped a long, lethal blade to his forearm. "What's my lady's choice?"

Tabitha pulled a small crossbow off a hanger on the door. "I've watched one too many Buffy reruns. I'm a crossbow girl all the way."

Valerius stood back while Tabitha picked her weapons. He had to admit that he enjoyed seeing a woman who knew how to take care of herself. She weighed and examined each one carefully with the precision of a pro.

He would never have believed such a thing could be a turn-on and yet his body was already hard for her. It was all he could do not to take her right now in the closet.

Tabitha looked over her shoulder as she caught the sizzling wave from Valerius. His black eyes blazed at her.

He was close to breaking, she could sense it. The fire of his desire reached out to her, igniting her own until she struggled to breathe.

"Here," she said, handing him one of the polished steel stakes.

He stepped back and slid it into his pocket. Before he could comment, the door from the hallway opened to admit Gilbert. "Ms. Devereaux?"

She turned to find the butler nearing her. "Yes?"

"Your room is prepared."

Valerius cleared his throat. "Please make sure it's to your liking before the servants leave."

"Okay," she said, knowing he needed some breathing room. In truth, she did, too. If she didn't get out of this room for a few minutes, they were both going to be naked and sprawling.

Tabitha left the closet to follow Gilbert back down the hall to the other wing. He led her to a room at the end of the hallway, then opened the door.

Tabitha gaped at the palatial room. It was, after all, the very best. She wouldn't expect anything less from Valerius and still the room was awe-inspiring.

It was decorated in dark navy blue and gold. The lush navy duvet was already turned down for her.

Gilbert headed for an intercom, then stopped himself. "I don't suppose there will be anyone here to answer if you call," he said under his breath.

"You don't want to leave?"

He looked a bit startled by that. "I've been with Lord Valerius a long time."

By the note in his voice, she could tell "long" had a meaning all itself.

"Are you another Squire?"

He shook his head. "They don't even know I exist. It's why Lord Valerius changes Squires out so often. He took me in when I was fifteen and he was stationed in London. No one else would have me."

She frowned at his words. "Why didn't they make you a Squire?"

"The Squire's Council refused to grant Lord Valerius that request."

"Why?" she asked, not understanding it. The Council had let Nick Gautier in when Kyrian had asked and heaven knew that boy had an extremely shady past.

"They don't think much of the general or his requests, I'm afraid."

Tabitha growled low in her throat. She'd never been the kind of person who could stand those who sat in judgment of others. As her Aunt Zelda so often said, but for the grace of God, there go I.

"Don't worry, Gilbert. I'll make damn sure no one messes with Valerius while you're gone. Deal?"

He smiled at her. "Deal." He bowed to her, then took his leave.

Tabitha crossed the room only to discover that her clothes had already beea unpacked and everything placed neatly in drawers, the armoire and in the bathroom.

Wow. A woman could get used to this kind of treatment.

She sorted through her weapons, which had been placed in a drawer by themselves. Her favorites were the retractable knives that fastened to her wrists with Velcro. A high-pressure release shot them from her arm into her hands, but you had to be careful or they would cut a nasty wound into the palm.

She lifted her pants leg and slid another stiletto into her boot and tucked a butterfly knife in her back pocket. Most of her weapons were illegal, but she had enough friends in the police department that they didn't harass her for them.

She was pulling on a long-sleeved sweater to cover up her arms when someone knocked on her bedroom door.

Opening the door, she found Valerius on the other side. He had to be the most handsome man she'd ever seen. His hair was still damp, pulled back into his almost requisite ponytail, though to be honest, she preferred it loose and wild.

His chiseled features betrayed nothing, but she could sense delight in him.

"I'm on my way out to patrol."

"I'm ready."

The amusement she sensed doubled. The lines in his face also softened and it was all she could do not to pull him back into her arms.

Really, no one should be so tempting.

He widened the opening for the door. "Come, my Lady Dangerous, your Daimons await."

Tabitha led the way down the stairs where Otto was waiting for them.

He must have come back while they'd been upstairs.

"There's an alert going out to New Orleans," he said to them. "All the Squires except the Blood Rites are being evacuated. Ash is also bringing in a couple more Hunters from upstate and Mississippi. Did you know about this?"

"No," Valerius said. "I didn't realize an alert had been issued."

"Are the Addamses leaving?" Tabitha asked.

Otto nodded. "Even Tad. They're transferring the control of the Dark-Hunter site up to Milwaukee until the alert breaks."

Amanda's words of warning went through Tabitha's head. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and called to check in on them as Valerius and Otto spoke to each other.

She was relieved the minute she heard Amanda's voice. "Hey, sis," she said, trying to sound normal. "What are you guys up to?"

"Not much. And yes I know about the alert. Ash has already moved in here along with some Dark-Hunter named Kassim."

"Why aren't you being evacuated?"

"It'll just follow us, Ash said. He thought it better that we fight on our own ground than to be someplace unfamiliar. Don't worry, Tab. I really do feel better with Kassim and Ash here."

"Yeah. I know Ash would never let anything happen to any of you. You guys take care and I'll talk to you later. Love you."

"You, too. 'Bye."

Tabitha sighed as Amanda hung up and her stomach contracted even more with unfounded fear.

Why was she so nervous?

"I'll make sure all the help is out of here by tonight," Otto said before taking his leave.

Valerius gave an imperious nod.

As soon as they were alone, Tabitha struggled to get rid of her somber mood. "Do you know a Dark-Hunter named Kassim?"

"I know of him."

"What do you know?"

Valerius adjusted his coat sleeve around his wrist. "He was an African prince in the Middle Ages. He was stationed in Jackson, Mississippi, until Ash moved him to Alexandria a few years ago. Why?"

"He was moved into Amanda's house, so I was just curious about him." She indicated the front door with her thumb. "Shall we?"

He took her hand as she started away from him. "Whatever this is after all of you, we'll get them, Tabitha. Don't worry."

The sincerity of his voice cut through her. "You would protect your mortal enemy?"

He glanced away. When his gaze came back to hers, it seared her. "I will protect your loved ones. Yes."

There was no reason for him to do such a thing. None. She had no doubt that in his place, Kyrian would go back upstairs, lock his door, and do nothing.

But Valerius...

Before she could stop herself, she pulled his lips down to hers and kissed him fiercely. The taste of him permeated her head. How she wished she had nothing more to do tonight than to pull him upstairs and make love to him.

If only she could...

Sighing regretfully, she nipped his lips and pulled back. She felt his reluctance as he released her. Forcing herself to let go of him, she stepped away, opened the door, and walked outside.

Otto was heading up the driveway from where his car was parked on the street as they left and it dawned on her that he still wore his black jeans and sweater from that afternoon... he hadn't morphed into tacky Otto tonight. He actually looked like a grown-up.

"I forgot something," he said. He handed Valerius a device that looked like a small transmitter. "Just in case. The Council wants everyone tagged so that if something happens we can pull you out."

To her amazement, he handed her one as well.

"Thanks, Otto."

He inclined his head to her. "You two be careful. Talon will be out around the Square tonight along with Kyrian and Julian. They'll also be scoping on Ursulines around Sanctuary and Chartres, and the French Market. You guys might want to patrol somewhere else."

"We'll hang around the northwest side of the Quarter. Bourbon, Toulouse, St. Louis, Bienville, and Dauphine."

Valerius cringed as soon as Bourbon came out, but didn't say anything.

"Ash is taking the cemeteries," Otto continued, "Janice will be down along Canal, Harrod's, and the Warehouse District while Jean-Luc takes the Garden District. Ulric is in the Business District and Zoe is at Tulane. Which leaves Kassim, who has been told by Ash that if he, Amanda, or Marissa leave Kyrian's house before dawn, he'll be toast."

"Who's Ulric?" Tabitha asked.

Otto gave her a droll stare. "He's the Dark-Hunter from Biloxi who arrived about half an hour ago. He's blond, so try not to stab this one should you meet him in an alley."

Tabitha was offended. "What? It's not my fault I stab all the fanged people. They shouldn't look like Daimons."

"I didn't look like a Daimon, but you stabbed me."

Otto laughed.

"Yeah, well, you looked like a lawyer so I had to kill you. It was a moral imperative."

Valerius shook his head at her. Sobering, she looked back at Otto. "How many Squires are left in town?"

"Just me, Kyr, and Nick. The last ones out were Tad and your ex Eric and his wife, who hopped a chartered flight about an hour ago. Everyone else from Liza on down is out of here until Ash gives the thumbs-up to return."

"What about the Weres?" Valerius asked.

"They're all hanging close to Sanctuary to protect their young and women. Even Vane and Bride are bunking over there for the time being."

"Will the Weres help us at all?" Tabitha asked.

Otto shook his head. "They view this as a human problem and don't want to get involved."

Tabitha huffed at that. "I can't believe them."

"You don't know much about animals, then," Otto said. "It's why Talon wants to keep an eye on the club. The Apollites and Daimons know that once they're inside Sanctuary, no one, not even Ash, can touch them."

Tabitha laughed at that. "Ash doesn't have to touch them to kill them."

"Excuse me?" Valerius and Otto asked simultaneously.

"What?" she asked them. "You didn't know that? Ash is seriously impressive in a fight. He'll take your ass outpermanently before you even know he's there. He moves so fast you can't see him half the time."

"Sounds like Corbin," Otto said. "She's a teleporter. She'll poof in, stab a Daimon, and poof out before it disintegrates."

"Corbin?" Tabitha asked.

"A former Greek queen turned Dark-Huntress," Valerius said.

Tabitha rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, not friendly to you?"

"Do I really need to answer that?"

No, he didn't.

"Yeah," Otto said, "but she's a walk in the park compared to Zoe and Samia. You say 'Roman' around them and you better cup yourself fast." He looked at Tabitha. "Well, not you, but those of us with things to protect down there have to."

"Okay," Tabitha said, stepping away from him. "And on that most interesting note, I think it's time we headed off." She gestured toward the beat-up red IROC that was parked on the other side of Valerius's gate. "Mind if we borrow your car, Otto?"

Valerius looked horrified.

Otto laughed evilly as he pulled out the keys. "Be my guest."

Valerius spoke up instantly. "I have my-"

"This'll work," Tabitha said as she winked at Otto and took the keys.

Valerius was rigid. "Really, Tabitha, I think-"

"Get in the car, Val. I promise you it won't bite."

He looked less than convinced.

Laughing, she started down the driveway toward the IROC.

To her surprise, Otto called out after them, "You guys be careful. I may not appreciate either one of you, but I don't want the bad guys to win."

"Don't worry," Tabitha said as she kept walking. "This time, I know what to expect."

"Don't be cocky," Valerius said, giving her a gimlet stare. "It was a far better man than I who said, 'Pride cometh before the fall.'"

She took his words to heart. "Good advice." She looked over his shoulder. "Night, Otto."

"Night, Tabitha. Take care of my car."

Valerius actually cringed.

She stifled her laughter at his reaction. "Mmm," she said, taking a deep breath of air that was all New Orleans as she opened the small gate next to the drive to let them outside the grounds. "Smell the beauty."

Valerius frowned at her. "All I smell is the stench of decay."

She gave him a menacing glare as he joined her on the sidewalk next to Otto's car. "Close your eyes."

"I'd rather not. I might step in something and then I might bring it home and smell it all night."

She gave him a disgusted look that he took in stride.

"You're the only woman I know who can smell this rancid air and think it pleasant."

She shut the gate. "Close your eyes, Valerius, or your nose might be the only part of you that is in working order tomorrow."

Valerius wasn't sure if he should obey her or not, but he found himself reluctantly doing so as he drew up short.

"Now take a deep breath," she said, her sultry voice in his ear. It sent a shiver over him as he did it.

"Do you smell the dampness of the river with a hint of Cajun gumbo scenting it? Not to mention the Spanish moss?"

He opened his eyes. "All I smell is urine, rotten seafood, and river slime."

She gaped at him. "How can you say that?"

"Because it's what I smell."

She growled at him as she got into the car. "You're a tough sell, you know that?"

"I've been called worse."

Her gaze turned serious and sad. "I know you have. But new times are upon you. I'm taking that stick up your butt out and tonight we're going to cut loose, kick Daimon ass, and-"

"I beg your pardon?" he asked in an offended tone. "The what up my where?"

"You heard me," she said with a wicked smile. "You know, half the problem people have with you is that you don't laugh much and you take yourself and everything else way too seriously."

"Life is serious."

"No," she said, her passion glowing in her blue gaze. "Life is an adventure. It's thrilling and scary. Sometimes it's even a bit boring, but it should never be serious."

Tabitha saw the hesitancy in his eyes. He was so unused to trusting people and for some reason, she wanted him to trust her. "Come with me, General Valerius, and let me show you just what life can really be and why it's so damned important that we save the world."

She watched as he opened the door handle like a man who was touching a baby's dirty diaper. She'd never seen anyone sneer more. It was quite impressive.

But he didn't say anything more as he got into the car and she dropped it into gear and squealed away from the curb.

Valerius wasn't expecting much to come of this night; but he had to admit that he did like the vibrancy of this woman. The zeal with which she lived. She was fascinating to watch. No wonder Ash had befriended her.

When one was an immortal, the freshness of life had a way of dying even more quickly than one's body had. As the centuries blended together, it was easy to forget the human side of oneself. To remember why humanity needed saving.

It was hard to remember how to laugh. Then again, laughter and Valerius were virtual strangers. Until Tabitha, he'd never really shared a laugh with anyone.

Tabitha had the enthusiasm of a child. Somehow she had managed to hold on to her youthful ideals even in the face of a world that didn't entirely accept her. She truly didn't care what he, or anyone else, thought of her. She went through her life doing what she needed to do and handling everything on her own terms.

How he envied her that.

She was a powerful force to be reckoned with.

Valerius laughed in spite of himself.

"What?" she asked as she whipped the car around a corner so fast that she practically threw him into her seat.

He righted himself. "I was just thinking someone should name you Hurricane Tabitha."

She snorted. "You're too late. My mother already did. Actually, she named me that the first time she visited my dorm room and saw the chaos of me without my sister Amanda around to pick up after me. You should be grateful that after twelve years of living on my own, I finally learned to pick up for myself."

He shuddered at the thought. "Truly, I am grateful."

She cut the car sharply into the Jackson Brewery parking lot and whipped it into a parking space that wasn't really supposed to be a parking space.

"The police will tow the car."

"Nah," she said as she shut it off and placed a small silver medallion on the dashboard that had her name engraved on it. "This is Ed's route and he knows better. I'll get my sister to hex him and his brother if he tries."

"Ed?"

"One of the cops assigned here. He keeps an eye out for me. We used to go to high school together and he dated my older sister, Karma, for years."

"You have a sister named Karma?" Valerius asked.

"Yes and it's very apt. She has a nasty tendency to come back and hurt anyone who does her wrong whenever they least expect it. She's like the big, black spider, lying in wait." The words weren't nearly as amusing as the gesture Tabitha made where she held her hands up and nibbled like a rabid mouse. "Just when you think you're safe from her wrath... bam!" She slapped her hands together. "She knocks your feet out from under you and leaves you lying on the floor, bleeding profusely."

"I do hope you're joking."

"Not at all. She's a scary woman, but I love her."

Valerius got out of the car, then paused as a thought occurred to him. Every time he turned around, she pulled out another relative. "Just how many sisters do you have?"

"Eight."

"Eight?" he asked, stunned at the number. No wonder he couldn't keep them all straight. He wondered how she did.

Tabitha nodded. "Tiyana who goes by Tia. Selena and Amanda you know. Then there's Esmerelda, or Essie, as we call her. Yasmina or Mina. Petra, Ekaterina who goes by Trina mostly, and Karma who refuses to have a nickname."

Valerius gave a low whistle at her roll call.

"What?" Tabitha asked.

"I'm just pitying whatever poor males lived in that house with all of you. It must have been truly frightening at least one week out of every month."

She gaped, then laughed out loud. "Was that a joke from you?"

"Merely a frightening statement of fact."

"Yeah, right. Well, truth be told, my father did spend a lot of time at work during that time of the month and he did make sure that all our pets were males so that he wouldn't feel too terribly outnumbered. What about you? Did you have any sisters?"

He shook his head as she joined him over on the passenger side of the car and they headed toward Decatur Street. "I only had brothers."

"Whoa, just imagine if your father had married my mother, we'd have had the Brady Bunch."

He scoffed at her. "Hardly. Believe me, my family made the Borgias look like Ozzie and Harriet."

She cocked her head at him. "For a man who prides himself on being prim and proper, you certainly know a lot of pop icons."

He didn't comment.

"So how many brothers did you have?" she asked, surprising him with her quick return to their previous topic.

He started not to answer and yet it came out before he could stop himself. "Until a couple of years ago, I thought I only had four."

"What happened then?"

"I found out that Zarek was one of them, too."

Tabitha frowned at his disclosure. "You didn't know while you were alive?"

Guilt and anger tore through Valerius at her innocent question. He really should have known. Had he ever bothered to look at Zarek when they were human...

But then, he was his father's son.

"No," he said sadly, "I didn't."

"Yet you knew him?"

"He was a slave in our house."

She looked aghast. "But he was your brother?"

He nodded.

Tabitha was as confused as he'd been the night he learned the truth. "How could you not know?"

"You don't understand the world I lived in. You didn't question certain things. When my father spoke, it was truth. You didn't look at servants, and Zarek... he wasn't recognizable in those days."

Tabitha felt a wave of grief so profound that it made her ache with him. She wrapped her arm around his and gave a light squeeze.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm standing beside you so that Zarek won't whack you again with another lightning bolt. You said he wouldn't hurt innocent people, right?"

"Yes."

She smiled at him. "Call me Shield."

Valerius smiled in spite of himself as he placed a hand on her forearm. "You're such a strange woman."

"Yeah, but I'm growing on you, aren't I?"

"Yes, you are."

Her smile widened. "Fungus are us. Next thing you know, you'll actually like me."

The problem was, he already did like her. A lot more than he should.

"Where are we going?" he asked as she scooted him down Decatur toward Iberville and away from where they might run into one of the crew who begrudged him every breath he took.

"Well, it's early still, so I figured an early perimeter check followed by an intense search of the Abyss, which is a club I am sure you have never stepped foot into. A lot of Apollites like to hang there and I've dusted quite a few Daimons in and about the area."

"Isn't that one of the clubs Acheron frequents?"

"Yes, but since he's in the cemeteries, I have a feeling the Daimons will be congregating where they think it's safe."

He couldn't argue that.

Tabitha led him over to the Magnolia Cafe.

"Are you hungry again?" he asked in disbelief as she entered the restaurant.

"No."

"Then why are we in here?"

"Don't worry about it." She went to the counter and ordered five meals to go.

Valerius was completely baffled as he glanced around what most people would call a "homey" place. It had red-and-white checked plastic tablecloths and small tables and chairs that someone might find in a normal home.

It most definitely wasn't the kind of place Valerius ate at, but it did look like Tabitha's cup of tea.

When the orders were ready, Tabitha grabbed them up and led the way back to the street.

Valerius followed behind her, curious about what she was going to do with them.

His curiosity ended in a dark alley. She left the bags of food, then pulled him out by the arm. He heard people scurrying in the darkness.

"You're feeding the homeless," he said quietly. She nodded. "Do you do this a lot?"

"Every night about this time."

He pulled her to a stop and stared at her. "Why?"

"Someone has to." When he opened his mouth to speak, she placed her hand over his lips. "I know all the arguments, Val. Why should they work when people like me are willing to feed them for free? You can't save the world. Let someone else take care of them, etc. But I can't do it. Every night when I come out here, I know they're there and I know they're in pain. One of the men, Martin, was at one time a prominent business owner who got sued and lost everything. His wife divorced him and took the kids. And since he had dropped out of high school and was fifty-six when he had to go bankrupt, no one would hire him. He worked for me in my store, but it wasn't enough to support him and he didn't want to take charity, so he slept in alleys. I wanted to give him a raise so badly, but if I did that, I'd have to give one to everyone and I can't afford to pay every part-time employee in my store thirty thousand dollars a year."

"I wasn't going to say anything about that, Tabitha," he said quietly. "I only wanted to tell you that your compassion for other people overwhelms me."

"Oh." She offered him a tenuous smile. "I'm just used to people condemning everything I do."

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "I don't condemn you, my lady. I only admire you."

Her smile turned full fledged and floored him. She squeezed his hand with hers, then did the most unexpected thing of all. She put her arm around his waist and started walking down the street with him.

Valerius felt so strange. He'd seen lovers do this for centuries, but had never had anyone do it with him. Hesitantly, he draped his arm over her shoulders and just let the warmth of her body and touch seep into him.

There were no words for what he felt right now. It was a very common thing they were doing. People shouldn't touch so intimately in public. And yet he'd never known a better feeling than to have this odd woman by his side.

The breeze brushed strands of her hair over his hand. It was soft and light and brought images to his mind that he shouldn't have of her wild in his bed. Untamed.

And it played havoc with his body.

They didn't speak much as they walked through the dark city where the humans went about their business oblivious to the danger that was hanging over them. It was eerily peaceful.

It was a little after midnight when they made their way over to Toulouse Street. The Abyss wasn't the typical New Orleans club scene. It was dark and far from inviting like most of the more touristy places that beckoned the mainstream inside.

Tabitha led him down a long alleyway that was narrow and a bit spooky in feel.

"Hey, Tabby," a tall, African-American man greeted her as he was checking the IDs of the couple in front of them. He was bald with tattoos marking every inch of exposed flesh... even his hands.

"Hi, Ty," Tabitha said. "How's it going tonight?"

"Not bad," he said with a wink as he waved the couple in. "Who's your friend?" he asked, raking Valerius with a frown.

"Val. He's a friend of Ash and Simi's, too."

"No shit?" Ty said before he extended his hand to Valerius. "Ty Gagne. Nice to meet you."

Valerius shook his hand. "You, too."

"You two have fun, and Tabby, no weapons tonight, deal?"

"Yeah, yeah, Ty. No bloodshed. Gotcha."

Once inside the club, Valerius was taken aback by the sea of black-garbed humans. It looked like a Dark-Hunter convention. It was extremely easy to pick out the tourists who had stumbled inadvertently into the club or maybe had been dared into it. There were more body piercings and tattoos than he'd ever seen in one room in his entire two thousand years of living.

Many of the regulars knew Tabitha on sight.

"Hi, Vlad," Tabitha said to one emaciated, tall man with skin so pale it was translucent. He wore a white ruffled shirt, blood-red velvet tuxedo jacket, and black slacks. His long, black hair hung around his gaunt face, and his eyes were covered by a pair of round, black sunglasses.

"Good evening, Tabitha," the man said, before he smiled to show Valerius a set of fangs. He saluted them with a brandy snifter that looked like it held blood. Valerius's Dark-Hunter sense could tell it was red vodka. Vlad's long, skinny fingers were covered with silver claws.

Valerius felt an urge to laugh and show the man his own set of real fangs, but refrained.

"Vlad is a fifteenth-century vampire," she told Valerius.

"Son to Vlad Tepes and named for my esteemed father," Vlad explained in a faked Transylvanian accent.

"Really?" Valerius said. "I find that fascinating since Vlad's only son, Radu, was slain by the Turks when he was eighteen. Vlad's only surviving child was a daughter, Esperetta, who now lives in Miami."

"Vlad" rolled his eyes. "Really, Tabitha, where do you find these people?"

Valerius did laugh as the fake vampire drifted off.

Tabitha joined him. "Seriously," she said, sobering. "Is there any truth to that bull you just spieled?"

He nodded. "Ask Ash. Retta's husband was made into a Dark-Hunter around 1480, I believe, and she followed him over. Her husband is one of the few Dark-Hunters who will actually speak to me in a civil tone."

"Kewl!" Tabitha stepped back as another Goth princess walked between them.

She indicated a stairway with the tilt of her head. "There are three bars here and an area called the Library. Daimons are usually found lurking in the Library or the Sound bar. The other two are the Main bar and the Aphrodite bar. Oh, and I should probably warn you that Eros and Psyche tend to haunt the Aphrodite bar as well, so you might want to leave that to me in case they show up."

"Hey, Tabby!" a plump blonde said as she grabbed Tabitha in an overbearing hug. "You seen any vampires tonight?"

"Hi, Carly," she said, casting an amused look at Valerius. "Not tonight. Why?"

"Well, if you find one, send him my way. I'm ready to be bitten and made immortal."

Tabitha rolled her eyes. "I told you they can't do that. It's a Hollywood myth."

"Yeah, well, I wanna be mythitized. So if you find one, tell him I'm in the Library, waiting."

"Okay," she said with a nod. "I'll do it."

"Thanks, doll."

Valerius rubbed his eyebrow as the blonde woman left them. "You know a lot of interesting people."

She laughed at him. "This from someone who takes orders from a man who's been walking around for almost twelve thousand years, not to mention that you actually do know the daughter of Count Dracula. I don't want to hear it from you, buddy."

She had a point with that.

"Could you relax?" She tugged his coat collar up before she untied and then started mussing his hair.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to make you blend in. It would certainly help if you didn't look like you were constipated right now."

"I beg your pardon?"

"C'mon," she said, brushing her hand against his lips as she tried to smooth them. "Stop curling your lip and looking like you're afraid you're going to catch something. It's not like you can die or anything."

"You're the one who should be worried."

She made a rude noise at him. "This from a man whose culture actually invented bulimia. Tell me, how many times did you visit the old vomitorium anyway?"

"We didn't all do that, thank you."

"Yeah, right." She drifted off.

Valerius hastened his steps to catch up to her. The last thing he wanted was to be left alone with the strangeness of the people gathered in this place. Granted, they couldn't hurt him, but they were disturbing nonetheless. He couldn't imagine why Acheron preferred to "hang" at a place such as this. It was so loud that he couldn't hear himself think. The lights played havoc with his eyesight, and the skeleton and bat decor...

It just wasn't where he would spend his spare time if he had any choice in the matter.

But Tabitha blended in with an eerie kind of conformity. This was her environment. Her people and culture.

There was nothing stodgy about anyone here.

She led him toward the dance floor, where she was hailed by a woman with an extremely tall, electric blue mohawk.

Valerius watched in horror as Tabitha dashed across the floor to dance with the woman and what appeared to be a man dressed in shiny plastic that was held to his body by large silver buckles. The man's eyes and lips were painted black and his hair looked as though it had never been brushed.

Tabitha didn't seem to notice as she swayed to the loud, thrashing music. She was lovely.

She didn't care who watched her. There was no such thing as decorum or rules that held her back.

She merely was.

And he loved her for that.

Laughing at something the man said, she swooped low to the floor, then came up with a limber rhythm that ignited more fantasies than he would have thought possible. Every masculine part of him was aware of her. Aware of the softness of her face, the way the lights made her skin luminescent.

The way her body moved like liquid to the pounding beat.

She looked at him then. The minute her blue eyes met his, his groin jerked with needful anticipation.

Smiling, she crooked a finger for him to join her.

Valerius actually took a step forward before he caught himself. Dancing wasn't something he did in public. As a Roman, his father had thought it crass and lowly, and had forbidden all of them to partake of it. As a Dark-Hunter, he'd never thought to learn.

Unwilling to embarrass her before her friends, he stepped back.

Tabitha paused, then said something to the man and woman. She kissed the man on his cheek and hugged the woman, then joined him.

"Let me guess, Romans have no rhythm?"

"Not any that I wish to share."

She smiled even wider. "I would put that to the test, but having seen you dance, I..." Her voice trailed off as her gaze went past his shoulder.

Valerius turned his head to see what had her transfixed. He spied the Daimons instantly.

There were five of them.

And they were headed toward the exit with a small group of women.

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