She pulled away and he felt her absence immediately. What was it about her?
Unwilling to think about it, he quickly bathed, then dressed. He found Tabitha in her bedroom, sitting in the chair and flipping through one of her books.
Tabitha looked up as she felt Valerius's presence. He stood silently in the doorway. He appeared to be completely in his element, except for the clothes that didn't quite fit.
Getting up, she offered him a kind smile. Once she reached him, she unbuttoned the cuffs of the sleeves that were a little too short for his arms and rolled them back on his forearms.
Then she untucked his shirt.
"I know it's not your style, but it looks much better this way."
"Are you certain?"
He looked delectable. "Oh yeah."
He held a long, retractable sword in his hand. "The only problem is if I don't have long sleeves, I can't wear this."
Tabitha sucked her breath in at the quality of his weapon. "Very nice piece of work. Is it Kell's?" she asked. Kell was a Dark-Hunter stationed out in Dallas who made a lot of the heavy weapons the Dark-Hunters used.
"No," he said with a deep breath. "Kell doesn't deal with anyone from Rome."
"Excuse me?"
He took the weapon from her. "He's from Dacia and his people waged war against mine. He and his brothers were captured and taken to Rome to be gladiators. Two thousand years later, he's still rather upset at all of us."
"Okay, I've had it with this. Why doesn't Ash stop them from treating all of you like dirt?"
"How can he stop it?"
"Beat some sense into them?"
"It wouldn't work. My brethren and I have learned to just leave the rest of them alone. We're few in number and there's no need in even arguing."
Tabitha growled. "Fine, let them all rot then."
Valerius placed his sword on her dresser and left it there before the two of them went back outside.
Tabitha quickly led him away from the sidewalks so that no one else could toss a bucket at them and kept her arm wrapped around his. "You know, I don't see how you can do your duties with Zarek taking potshots at you from Olympus and the rest of the losers on the street gunning for you."
"I learned quickly to avoid Bourbon Street and leave it for Talon or now Jean-Luc to patrol while I take the areas where no one knows Nick."
"And Zarek?"
He didn't comment.
They turned down Dumaine Street. Neither spoke. They hadn't gone far when Tabitha felt a weird sensation whip through her. "Daimons," she whispered, unaware she had spoken until Valerius let go of her.
He pulled a dagger from his pocket as he turned around in the street as if trying to catch a scent.
There was nothing.
Tabitha could feel the evil presence, but she couldn't pinpoint it either.
Something whistled before an unexpected wind danced down the street. It carried the sound of faint, maniacal laughter.
"Tabitha..."
Her blood ran cold at the sound of her name whispered out of darkness.
"We're coming for you, little girl." The laughter echoed loudly, then faded into nothing.
Terrified, Tabitha couldn't breathe.
"Where are you?" Valerius called.
No one answered.
Valerius wrapped Tabitha in his arms as he reached out with every sense he possessed, but could find no trace of who or what had spoken.
"Tabitha?"
Valerius turned sharply at the sound of a voice directly behind him.
It wasn't human. Nor was it Daimon. It was a spirit. A ghost.
It opened its mouth as if to scream, then evaporated into an eerie mist that ran over and through her, leaving her body completely cold.
It was as if something had actually brushed her soul.
Valerius could feel Tabitha shaking, but to her credit, she didn't scream or lose control of herself.
"Is it gone?" she asked.
"I think so." At least he no longer felt it.
"What was that thing?" she asked with a tiny trace of hysteria in her voice.
"I'm not sure. Did you recognize it or the voice?"
She shook her head.
A human scream rang out.
Valerius let go of her so that he could run toward the sound. He knew Tabitha was right behind him and he made sure he kept her there. The last thing he wanted was to leave her behind for that thing to attack.
It didn't take long to reach the small, dark alcove where the scream had originated.
Unfortunately, they were too late. A body lay on the street in a heap.
"Stay back," he told Tabitha as he inched closer to it.
Tabitha started to argue, but didn't really want to see what was obvious. To be honest, she'd seen more than her share of dead bodies.
Valerius knelt down and felt for a pulse. "He's dead," he said.
Tabitha crossed herself, then glanced away. As her gaze touched on the building, she frowned. There on the old faded brick was bloody Greek writing. Tabitha could speak the language, but couldn't read the Greek words. "Do you know what that says?"
Valerius looked up. His face turned to stone. "It says, 'Death to those who meddle.'"
As soon as he read it, the words vanished. She swallowed as a new wave of panic swept through her. "What is going on here, Val?"
"I don't know," he said before he pulled out his phone and called Tate, the parish coroner who was a long-time friend of the Dark-Hunters.
"I'm surprised Tate will talk to you," she said after Valerius hung up.
"He doesn't like me, but after Ash had a talk with him, he's learned to tolerate me." Valerius rejoined her. "We better go before Tate arrives with the police."
"Yeah," she said, feeling sick to her stomach. "Do you think we should call Ash and tell him what happened?"
"We don't really know what happened. There wasn't enough time for a Daimon to kill him and steal his soul."
"So what does that mean?"
"Have you or your sister conjured up anything?"
"No!" she said indignantly. "We know better."
"Well, something seems to have your number, Tabitha, and until we find out what it is, I don't think I should let you out of my sight."
Tabitha couldn't agree more. In all honesty, she didn't want to be out of his sight. Not if that... thing was going to come back.
"Tell me something, Val. Are Dark-Hunters any good against ghosts?"
"Honestly?"
She nodded.
"Not a damn bit. In fact, if we're not careful, we can become possessed by them."
She went cold at his words. "Are you telling me that if that spook comes back, he could take you over?"
Valerius nodded. "And God help you and the rest of this city if it does."