"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.