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?"