Tabitha smiled. "I'm just kidding. I know what you mean. I can feel it, too."
Tia looked up at Valerius, who was still shivering. "Why is he frozen and wet?"
"Long story," Tabitha said. She had a feeling Valerius wouldn't appreciate her telling her sister about his psycho brother. "This is my sister Tiyana. Tia for short."
"Hi," Tia said before she grabbed Valerius's arm and pulled him toward the entrance to her store.
He gave Tabitha a panicked look.
"It's okay. She's mostly nuts, but doesn't have a mean bone in her body."
"I don't want to hear about my insanity from the loon who stalks vampires in her spare time. You should see her," Tia said to Valerius as she hauled him through the narrow shop that was lined with shelves of all manner of gris-gris, charms, voodoo dolls, candles, and tourist items. "She thinks any guy in black is a vampire. Have you any idea how many men in New Orleans wear black? She's frightening. Really."
Tia turned toward her clerk. "Chelle, watch the store for a minute," she said to her employee, who was stickering a new batch of alligator-tooth key rings.
Tia led them through the back door to the storeroom. She sat Valerius down on a barstool and then pulled out a large box of Mexican ponchos, before she grabbed several of them and wrapped Valerius in them.
She went to the bathroom and came out with a towel. "Dry his hair while I make him something warm to drink."
"Thanks, sis," Tabitha said as she took the towel from her.
Valerius was taken aback by the untoward kindness. No one had ever treated him this way... like he mattered. Like they cared. "I can dry my own hair."
"Stay under the ponchos and get warmed up," Tabitha said as she pulled the tie from his ponytail. Her tenderness amazed him as she carefully towel-dried his hair, then combed it with her fingers.
Tia came back with a large, steaming skeleton mug that had a warm, odd smell to it. "Don't worry. It's not a potion. Just a homemade cinnamon-chocolate blend that I sell at Christmas that's supposed to ward off melancholy." She handed it to him.
"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.