"Does it work?" he asked.
"On most people. The chocolate stimulates endorphins to perk you up and the cinnamon makes most people think of home and mother's love." Tia smiled. "You'd be amazed how much science there is in magic."
Valerius took a hesitant drink. It was surprisingly good and did in fact warm him. "Thank you," he said.
Tia nodded. "You guys here for your car?" she asked Tabitha.
"Yeah. I didn't mean for us to disturb you."
"It's okay. I was waiting for Amanda to show up. I called her earlier and told her I made a talisman for her and Marissa."
Tabitha went cold. It wouldn't do for Amanda to find Valerius here. She was sure her sister wouldn't understand how she could be helping him. Not that Tabitha was ashamed for what she was doing, but it was still a complication she wanted to avoid for all their sakes. "Cool, but we need to get going. We have some things to do. Give Mandy a kiss for me."
"Will do."
Tabitha motioned for Valerius to follow her out the back door that led to the courtyard where Tia's Mitsubishi was parked beside her Mini Cooper.
She unlocked the car for him. "Get in, I'll be right back."
Valerius did as she asked and was surprised that the car had more leg room inside than what it appeared to have from the outside. Even so, he felt a bit cramped in it.
She ran back into the store and came out a few minutes later with a plastic sack. She got into the car and handed it to him.
"Your lamp oil," she said.
He was stunned that she had remembered it, especially since it had slipped his own mind. "Thank you."
She didn't say anything as she started the car and backed them out of the driveway. As soon as they were on the street, she popped the gear into drive and squealed off.
He sat quietly while she weaved them in and out of traffic at a rate that would have left him terrified had he not been immortal.
The interior of the car was so tiny compared to what he was used to that it was hard not to notice her. She drove like she lived: fast and on the edge.
"Why are you so intense?" he asked as she took a corner he swore left the car with only two wheels on the ground.
"My mother says I was born that way. She thinks Amanda must have gotten both shares of restraint while I took all the courage."
She turned serious as she shifted gears and whipped around a slow-moving car. "Actually, that's not true. The fact is that I'm what some call a magnet. My psychic powers don't lie in special abilities like my sister Amanda's do. Mine are more quiet. Intuition, psychometry. Things that are virtually useless to a human, but are highly prized by the Daimons."
She paused at a light on Canal Street and looked at him. "I was only thirteen when the first group of Daimons attacked me. I would be dead now if Talon hadn't saved me."
Valerius frowned at her words. She was right. Magnets gave off a powerful lure to Daimons. With her fierce nature and zest for living, she would be all the more alluring to them.
"Unlike most humans, I wasn't allowed to live in ignorance of your world. It was either learn to defend myself or end up dead. No offense, dead doesn't appeal to me."
"No offense taken. Having been dead for more than two thousand years, I can't exactly recommend it myself."
She laughed at that. "I don't know. Dead and in Armani. I think most people would be hurling themselves off buildings if they could come back loaded like you."
"I had just as much money as a mortal man and a lot more..." He let his voice trail off as he realized he'd almost said friends. That wasn't really true, but at least back then people who openly disdained him, with the exception of his family, generally kept it to themselves.
It wasn't something he liked to think or talk about.
"Lot more what?" she asked when he didn't finish his sentence.
"Nothing."
Valerius directed her to his house on Third Street down in the Garden District.
Tabitha let out a low whistle as they neared it. She pulled into the drive, which was shielded by a variety of greenery and stopped before the large, wrought-iron gate. She lowered her window and pressed the button on the security box.
"Yes?"
He leaned forward and spoke loudly. "It's Valerius, Gilbert. Open the gate."
The gates opened a few seconds later.
"Nice," Tabitha said as she drove down his circular drive and parked before the front door, right behind what appeared to be a run-down primer and red Chevy IROC that must belong to one of Valerius's employees. She couldn't imagine Val being caught dead in it and since he was dead...
"I take it that isn't yours, or did your brother just get really pissed off one day and nail it?"
Valerius didn't comment.
Tabitha paused to stare at the fountain in the bend of the drive that had blue lights at night. It was a tribute to the goddess Minerva and had been one of the reasons Valerius had chosen this as his home.
"Does Artemis know about that statue?"
"Since I'm still breathing, I rather doubt it," he said quietly.
He led her up the old stone steps. As soon as they reached the door, Gilbert opened it.
"Good evening, my lord." His butler didn't comment on the fact that Valerius was coming home wet.
There was something about the rigid, older Englishman that reminded Tabitha of Alfred from Batman.
"Evening, Gilbert." He stood aside to let the older man see Tabitha. "This is Ms. Devereaux."
"Very good, sir." Gilbert inclined his head stiffly to Tabitha. "Charmed, madam." Then he looked back at Valerius. "Would your lordship and madame care for something to drink or eat?"
Valerius looked at her.
"I'm fine."
"No, thank you, Gilbert."
The butler inclined his head to them, then headed toward the back of the house.
Valerius led her toward the left. "If you would, please wait in the library and I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Where are you going?" she asked, wondering at his suddenly somber mood.
"I need to change into something dry."
She nodded. "Okay."
He headed up the stairs.
Tabitha wandered through the arched doorway into a dark room that was covered from floor to ceiling with books. She was in a corner skimming titles when she felt someone come into the room behind her.
She turned to find a handsome man around her own age staring at her.
"Amanda? What the hell brought you here?"
"I'm not Amanda," she said, crossing the room so that he could see her scarred face. "I'm her sister Tabitha. And you are?"
"Otto Carvalletti."
"Ah," she said in understanding. "Val's Squire."
"Yeah, don't remind me."
She didn't need her empathy to feel his rancor. "Why do you serve someone you hate?"
"Like I have a choice. The council sent me here, so here I am, locked in hell."
"Bud, I don't know where you hail from, but I take exception to people who hate my town."
He scoffed at that. "I got no problem with New Orleans. I love this town. It's Count Penicula that I take issue with. Have you met him?"
"Count who?"
"The dick who lives here. Valerius. You know, old 'Don't breathe in my presence, you prole.'"
This had to be the strangest man Tabitha had ever met-and given the odd crew of friends she had, that said a lot. "Prole as in proletariat?"
He looked relieved that she got it. "Oh, thank God you have a brain."
She wasn't sure if she should feel complimented or not. "I'm still confused. Why did the Squire's Council send you here? Don't they know how you feel about him?"
"Since my father happens to be one of the board members, yes, they know. Unfortunately, no one else will take this post. And since Lord Valerius demanded someone who could speak Italian and Latin there weren't that many of us to choose from. Pompous windbag."
"What's so pompous about wanting someone who speaks your native tongue? I noticed Talon has taught Sunshine Gaelic; and every time Julian and Kyrian get around Selena, they immediately break into ancient Greek."
"Yeah, but they don't demand that their Squires know it. Notice Nick ain't real swift in Greek."
Tabitha snorted. "Nick's not real swift in English most of the time."
"Hey now, don't insult my friend."
"Nick happens to be one of my friends too and I love him like a brother, but that doesn't make it open season on Valerius."