Free Seize the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon

hard to believe he was anything special to her.
    "Do you sleep with all the Dark-Hunters?"
    She stiffened. "What?"
    "I was just wondering if you'd been with Acheron… Talon."
    She bucked him off of her at that. "What kind of question is that?"
    "I just met you and twice now you've offered yourself to me."
    "Oh, you arrogant jerk!" She grabbed her pillow off the bed and assaulted him with it.
    Valerius held his hand up to shield himself, but she didn't stop.
    "You are so stupid! I can't believe you'd ask me such a thing. I swear, I will never again be in the same room with you!"
    Finally the pillow bashing stopped.
    He lowered his arm.
    She nailed him with a final blow upside his head, then released the pillow. "For your information, buddy, I am not the town bike. I don't sleep with every guy I get near. I thought you were… Oh never mind. To hell with you!"
    She turned and stormed out of the room. She slammed the door so hard that it actually rattled the windows and shook the beads on her mirror and altar.
    Valerius lay on the bed completely stunned by what had just happened. She had beaten him with a pillow ?
    He knew from his encounter with her last night that she could have assaulted him with something much more painful, yet she had refrained.
    In all honesty, he was relieved by her untoward reaction. Her indignation had been too great to be feigned.
    And that brought a strange warmth to his chest. Could it be that she might actually like him?
    No. It wasn't possible. No one liked him. They never had.
    "You are worthless. I weep for the day Mother bore you into this world. I'm only glad that she died before she could see what an embarrassment you are to the family." He flinched at the harsh words that his brother Markus had repeatedly hurled at him.
    His own father had despised him. "You are weak. Pathetic. I should have seen you dead rather than waste the water and food it has taken to rear you."
    Their words were kind compared to what his Dark-Hunter brethren had uttered.
    No, there was no way Tabitha "liked" him. She didn't even know him.
    He didn't know why she was so receptive to his touch.
    Maybe she was merely a woman of strong passion. He was a handsome man. Not that he was vain about it. It was a simple statement of fact. Countless women had offered themselves to him over the centuries.
    But for some reason that didn't bear thinking on, he wanted something more than a one-night stand with Tabitha.
    He wanted…
    Valerius forced his thoughts away from that. He didn't need anyone, not even a friend. His life was best spent alone, far away from other people.
    Getting up, he dressed and left her room to go downstairs.
    He met Marla in the dining room.
    "Ooo, shug, I don't know what you did to Tabby, but you have her panties in a tight wad. She said to tell you to eat before she poisoned your food or did something worse to it."
    Valerius was surprised to see veal marsala and an Italian salad with garlic bread waiting for him. "Where did that come from?" he asked Marla.
    "Tony's from down the street. Tabitha sent me over there to get it. She and Tony aren't on speaking terms at the moment. God love her, she tends to make everyone irritated with her. But he'll get over it. He always does."
    Valerius took a seat and then bit into heaven. He'd never tasted anything better. Why would Tabitha have gone to such trouble for him?
    He was halfway through the meal before Tabitha came out of the door that led to her shop.
    "I hope you choke on it," she snarled as she headed toward the kitchen.
    Valerius swallowed his bite of food, wiped his mouth, then slid out of his chair to go after her.
    "Tabitha?" He pulled her to a stop. "I'm sorry for what I said. It's just…"
    "Just what?"
    "People are never nice for no reason." And they were never nice to him.
    Tabitha paused at that. Was he serious? "Was dinner okay?"
    "It was delicious. Thank you."
    "No problem." She pulled her hand away. "You probably know that it's already dark. I