Seize the Night (Dark-Hunter #6) - Page 9
Tabitha hung up the phone, terrified. She'd never heard so much fear in Amanda's voice. Worse, she knew her sister's powers-if Amanda had foreseen her own death…
Without hesitation, Tabitha called Acheron.
"Hey, Ash," she said, noting the way Valerius's attention turned from his pizza to her. "I have a problem. Amanda just called and said that she had dreamed her own death and last night I ran across something really spooky. It-"
Ash appeared before her. "What?" he asked.
Tabitha froze for a second as she realized what Ash had just done. He really was scary at times.
She hung up the phone again and repeated everything, including details about the ghost they'd seen the night before.
Ash got a faraway look in his eyes, tilting his head as if listening to someone.
"Can you see her death?" she asked him.
Ash stood there, his heart thumping wildly as he tried to clear the mist that surrounded Amanda and Kyrian's future.
He saw nothing.
He heard nothing.
Dammit. It was why he did his best never to let anyone too close to him. Anytime he allowed himself to care about someone or they were a part of his own future, he was blind to their destinies.
There was nothing but blackness where Kyrian and Amanda were concerned and he hated that most of all.
"Talk to me, Ash."
He looked back at Tabitha and heard and felt the fear and panic in her mind. Her thoughts that rambled as she sought a comfort he couldn't give.
Even her future was forbidden to him now.
"Her destiny was to be happy," he said quietly. But the key word to that statement was was. Free will could, and often did, alter fate.
What had changed?
Something must have and Amanda had glimpsed it in her sleep.
He held enough belief in Amanda's powers not to doubt her in the least If she foresaw their deaths, then it was a likely outcome unless he could find the cause and change it before it was too late.
Ash closed his eyes as he let himself feel the minds of the humans. He searched for what could possibly change Amanda's fate, but he found nothing.
Nothing.
Dammit!
Valerius was behind him now. Ash stepped aside so that his back wasn't exposed to the Roman.
"Tell me exactly what happened last night," Ash said to Tabitha.
Tabitha related the whole scene with the ghost while Valerius filled in a few details.
"Urian!" Ash called, summoning his Spathi contact.
Tabitha frowned. Ash was acting very strange and she could sense his worry. "Who's Urian?"
Before she finished the question another tall, insanely handsome man appeared in her kitchen. Dressed in black leather pants and a black shirt, he had white-blond hair and blue eyes.
He looked less than pleased as he narrowed those baby blues on Ash. "Don't take that tone of voice with me, Ash. I don't care who you are, I don't like it."
"Like it or not, I need to know what the Spathis are up to. More precisely, I need to know if Desiderius is back on the playing field."
Horror filled her.
Urian curled his lip. "Why are you worried about him? Des is a punk."
"Desiderius is dead," Tabitha said emphatically. "Kyrian killed him."
Urian scoffed. "Yeah, and I'm the Easter Bunny-see my fluffy tail? You don't just kill a Spathi, little girl. All you do is take him out of commission for awhile."
"Bullshit!" Tabitha snarled.
"No, Tabitha," Ash said, gentling his voice. "Desiderius's essence was released. But if one of his brethren or children wanted to bring him back, they could. It's not easy to do, but it is possible."
She was aghast that Ash had kept something this important from them. "Why didn't you ever tell us this?"
"Because I was hoping it wouldn't happen."
"Hoping?" Tabitha shrieked. "Please tell me you weren't pinning my sister's life and Kyrian's on a hope."
Ash didn't answer.
Meanwhile the true significance of the last few days settled fully on her shoulders. "So those really were Spathis I fought the night I met Valerius."
Urian snorted. "Trust me, little girl, you must have faced the neophytes. Had those been true Spathis, you'd both be dead now."
His arrogance was seriously starting to piss her off. Just who was this jerk anyway? "How do you know so much about them, Dr. Intellect?"
"I used to be one."
Her fury breaking, Tabitha rushed him.
Ash caught her and pulled her back. He lifted her up off the floor. Tabitha kicked and cursed as she struggled to reach Urian, who watched her with a smirk.
"Stop it, Tabby," Ash breathed in her ear. "Urian is on our side now. Believe me, he has paid for his allegiance to the other side more than you will ever know."
Yeah, right.
"How could you bring a Daimon into my house after what they did to me? To my family?" she demanded.
"Oh, I'm not a Daimon anymore, little girl," Urian said, his eyes flashing dangerously. "If I were-"
"You'd be dead," Valerius said, cutting him off with a sinister tone. "By my hand."
Urian laughed. "Yeah, right." He looked at Ash. "The arrogance of your Hunters truly knows no bounds. You should spend more time educating them about us, Ash."
Ash released Tabitha, then spoke to Urian. "I need you to go in and find out what's going on. Are there any left who might still be loyal to you?"
The Daimon shrugged. "I can probably dredge up a flunky or two. But…" Urian's gaze went to Tabitha. "If Des really is back, he'll want to finish what he started. May the gods help you all if he has been reincarnated. It's going to get bloody in New Orleans."
"Who would want to bring that monster back?" Tabitha asked.
"His children," Urian and Ash said simultaneously.
Tabitha still couldn't believe what she was hearing. But as she seethed, Urian's face finally looked compassionate.
Haunted.
When he spoke, the arrogance was gone from his voice. "Trust me, it's hard to let go of the loyalty you feel to a father who saved you from dying a horrible death at twenty-seven." Something in his tone said he spoke from experience.
"Is your loyalty to your father?" she asked.
Urian's face turned to stone. "I would have done anything for my father until the day he killed me and took from me the only thing that meant more to me more than my life. Any bonds I felt for that man were shattered instantly." He looked at Ash. "I'll see what I can find out."
A bright orange engulfed Urian an instant before he flashed out of her kitchen. Even so, his malevolence still clung to the air around them.
"Damn," Ash muttered. "Urian and his dramatics. I have got to remind him to lay off the pyrotechnics when he comes and goes."
"That is one angry man," Tabitha said.
"You've no idea, Tab," Ash said. "And he has every right to his hatred." He shook his head as if to clear it, then spoke to them quietly. "While Urian is busy, I need for the two of you to stay together and watch each other's backs. Desiderius is the son of Dionysus, and Dionysus is still upset at me over what happened at Mardi Gras three years ago. I don't think he's stupid enough to help Desiderius, but I wouldn't put anything past either one of them."
He looked meaningfully at Tabitha. "Even if Daddy doesn't help him, Desiderius still has a lot of god powers that can be deadly, as you no doubt remember."
"Yeah," she said sarcastically as she recalled the way he and his Daimons had cut through her and her friends as if they were straw. "I remember."
He looked at Valerius. "Desiderius can manipulate people. Possess them, if you will. Tabitha is stubborn enough that the only thing that can possess her is the spirit of chocolate. We're lucky there. But Marla could be swayed. Otto should be safe. But the rest of your staff… you might want to think about giving them some time off."
By the look on Valerius's face, Tabitha could tell he'd rather be dead. "I can handle them."
"You have to sleep sometime. One of the servants could easily break into your bedroom and kill you. I don't think any of them love you so much that they will hesitate over Desiderius's orders the way Kyrian's cook did."
Valerius's nostrils flared.
Ash ignored the pain that Tabitha felt from Valerius. "I need you two together on this. I have to go warn Janice and Jean-Luc about what's up." He turned to face her. "Tabitha, pack a bag and move in with Valerius for awhile."
"What about my store?"
"Have Marla watch over it for a couple of weeks."
"Yeah, but-"
Ash's features hardened. "Don't argue with me, Tabitha. Desiderius is a major power with one hell of a grudge against you, your sister, and Kyrian. He's not going to be playing with the three of you this time. He's going to kill you."
Normally, she would argue with him just for spite. But she knew that tone of voice. No one argued with Ash for long. "Fine."
"You have your orders, General," Ash said sternly to Valerius.
Valerius gave him a rather sarcastic Roman salute.
Rolling his eyes, Ash flashed out of the room.
Now that they were alone, Valerius stared at her without speaking. Fury was burning so raw inside him that it actually hurt her.
"What?" she asked.
Without a word, he went to the picture on her buffet of Amanda's wedding and pulled the Russell Crowe picture off Kyrian's face.
He cursed. "I should have known when you told me her name was Amanda."
The look of repugnance on his face set her off. "Yeah, and my name is Tabitha, not Amanda. What has that got to do with anything?"
But he didn't hear her. She knew it.
He stalked quietly from the room and went back upstairs. She jumped at the sound of her bedroom door slamming.
"Fine," she said out loud. "Be a baby. I don't care."
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?"
"Yes. I know that Ash's presence in the kitchen hurt you, but I don't know why, and I felt your fury flare the minute you uncovered Kyrian's face." She reached up and placed her hand to his cheek. "My mother always said that still waters run deep. The only time your actions have matched your emotions was last night when we were making love and when you came up here and slammed the bedroom door."
He tried to move away, but she refused to let him. "Deal with me, Val, don't walk away."
"I don't understand you," he said, his heart pounding. "I'm not used to anyone liking me, especially not people who have every right to hate me."
"Why should I hate you?"
"My family ruined your brother-in-law."
"And my Uncle Sally was a loan shark who died when one of his shakedowns shot him dead in the street. Every family tree has an asshole in it. That's not your fault. You're not the one who killed Kyrian, are you?"
"No, I was just a child when he died."
"Then what's your problem?"
For an unreasonable person, she had moments of strange lucidity. "Every person I have met in this town who knows Kyrian has hated me from the moment they saw me. I assumed you would be like them."
"Well, you know what they say about assume… it makes an ass out of u and me. Jeez. I love Kyrian, but the man really needs to learn how to let go of the past."
He couldn't believe her. That she would be so accepting of him was…
She pulled him into a tight, oddly invigorating hug. "I know I can't keep you, Valerius. Believe me, I understand fully the life you have and the calling. But we are friends and we are allies."
He held her close as those words resonated deep inside him.
She let go and stepped back. "And we have things to do tonight. Right?"
"Right."
"Very good then, let's rocket."
He frowned. "Rocket?"
She gave him a silly grin. "My nephew Ian is addicted to the Power Rangers. I think I've been watching the videos way too long with him."
"Ah," he said, reaching for her suitcase. "Let's get you settled at my place and then we can head out tonight and see what Daimons we find."
Fearful of running into Tia and risking more questions, Tabitha called a cab to take them over to Valerius's house. Otto was already gone by the time they reached his mansion.
As expected, Gilbert met them at the door. He seemed stodgy as ever as he greeted them formally.
"Nice seeing you again, Gil," Tabitha said as Valerius handed him her suitcase. "Nice rigid stance."
Gilbert frowned before he looked down, then gave her a quizzical stare.
Valerius almost smiled. "Ms. Devereaux will be staying with us for awhile, Gilbert. Would you please have Margaret ready a room for the lady?"
"Yes, my lord."
Valerius started for the stairs, then paused. "After Margaret is finished, I would like for the entire staff to take a few weeks off."
Gilbert looked shocked. "My lord?"
"Don't worry. It's with full pay. Consider it an early Christmas present. Just leave a number on my desk where I can contact everyone to have them return."
"As you wish, my lord."
Tabitha felt Valerius's sadness. In spite of what Acheron said, Valerius did like Gilbert and seemed to hate the thought of the man leaving.
"Where are you off to?" Tabitha asked as Valerius took another step up the regal mahogany staircase.
"I was going to get new weapons. Would you care to join me?"
"Ooo," she said suggestively. "I've always been a sucker for a man with lots of weapons. Show me what you got, baby."
She wasn't quite sure if he was amused or not as he waited for her to join him. Tabitha followed him up the stairs, then turned down the long hallway on the right. He led her halfway down before he paused in front of a door and opened it.
Tabitha whistled low as she caught sight of his training room. It was huge, and held a variety of punching bags, mats, and dummies. One in particular looked like it had been seriously abused.
It also wore a bright Hawaiian shirt.
"Is this supposed to be someone we know?" she asked as she noted the stab wounds to the dummy's head.
"I plead the Fifth."
"I take it Otto doesn't participate in your training sessions."
He glanced at the dummy. "I guess you could say that in a way he does."
She shook her head as Valerius headed over to the closet. Inside was an arsenal she was sure the ATF would have some issues with.
"Grenade launcher?"
"EBay," Valerius said. "You can find anything on there."
"Apparently so. Who needs Kell when you have all this?"
He gave her a wicked grin as he strapped a long, lethal blade to his forearm. "What's my lady's choice?"
Tabitha pulled a small crossbow off a hanger on the door. "I've watched one too many Buffy reruns. I'm a crossbow girl all the way."
Valerius stood back while Tabitha picked her weapons. He had to admit that he enjoyed seeing a woman who knew how to take care of herself. She weighed and examined each one carefully with the precision of a pro.
He would never have believed such a thing could be a turn-on and yet his body was already hard for her. It was all he could do not to take her right now in the closet.
Tabitha looked over her shoulder as she caught the sizzling wave from Valerius. His black eyes blazed at her.
He was close to breaking, she could sense it. The fire of his desire reached out to her, igniting her own until she struggled to breathe.
"Here," she said, handing him one of the polished steel stakes.
He stepped back and slid it into his pocket. Before he could comment, the door from the hallway opened to admit Gilbert. "Ms. Devereaux?"
She turned to find the butler nearing her. "Yes?"
"Your room is prepared."
Valerius cleared his throat. "Please make sure it's to your liking before the servants leave."
"Okay," she said, knowing he needed some breathing room. In truth, she did, too. If she didn't get out of this room for a few minutes, they were both going to be naked and sprawling.
Tabitha left the closet to follow Gilbert back down the hall to the other wing. He led her to a room at the end of the hallway, then opened the door.
Tabitha gaped at the palatial room. It was, after all, the very best. She wouldn't expect anything less from Valerius and still the room was awe-inspiring.
It was decorated in dark navy blue and gold. The lush navy duvet was already turned down for her.
Gilbert headed for an intercom, then stopped himself. "I don't suppose there will be anyone here to answer if you call," he said under his breath.
"You don't want to leave?"
He looked a bit startled by that. "I've been with Lord Valerius a long time."
By the note in his voice, she could tell "long" had a meaning all itself.
"Are you another Squire?"
He shook his head. "They don't even know I exist. It's why Lord Valerius changes Squires out so often. He took me in when I was fifteen and he was stationed in London. No one else would have me."
She frowned at his words. "Why didn't they make you a Squire?"
"The Squire's Council refused to grant Lord Valerius that request."
"Why?" she asked, not understanding it. The Council had let Nick Gautier in when Kyrian had asked and heaven knew that boy had an extremely shady past.
"They don't think much of the general or his requests, I'm afraid."
Tabitha growled low in her throat. She'd never been the kind of person who could stand those who sat in judgment of others. As her Aunt Zelda so often said, but for the grace of God, there go I.
"Don't worry, Gilbert. I'll make damn sure no one messes with Valerius while you're gone. Deal?"
He smiled at her. "Deal." He bowed to her, then took his leave.
Tabitha crossed the room only to discover that her clothes had already beea unpacked and everything placed neatly in drawers, the armoire and in the bathroom.
Wow. A woman could get used to this kind of treatment.
She sorted through her weapons, which had been placed in a drawer by themselves. Her favorites were the retractable knives that fastened to her wrists with Velcro. A high-pressure release shot them from her arm into her hands, but you had to be careful or they would cut a nasty wound into the palm.
She lifted her pants leg and slid another stiletto into her boot and tucked a butterfly knife in her back pocket. Most of her weapons were illegal, but she had enough friends in the police department that they didn't harass her for them.
She was pulling on a long-sleeved sweater to cover up her arms when someone knocked on her bedroom door.
Opening the door, she found Valerius on the other side. He had to be the most handsome man she'd ever seen. His hair was still damp, pulled back into his almost requisite ponytail, though to be honest, she preferred it loose and wild.
His chiseled features betrayed nothing, but she could sense delight in him.
"I'm on my way out to patrol."
"I'm ready."
The amusement she sensed doubled. The lines in his face also softened and it was all she could do not to pull him back into her arms.
Really, no one should be so tempting.
He widened the opening for the door. "Come, my Lady Dangerous, your Daimons await."
Tabitha led the way down the stairs where Otto was waiting for them.
He must have come back while they'd been upstairs.
"There's an alert going out to New Orleans," he said to them. "All the Squires except the Blood Rites are being evacuated. Ash is also bringing in a couple more Hunters from upstate and Mississippi. Did you know about this?"
"No," Valerius said. "I didn't realize an alert had been issued."
"Are the Addamses leaving?" Tabitha asked.
Otto nodded. "Even Tad. They're transferring the control of the Dark-Hunter site up to Milwaukee until the alert breaks."
Amanda's words of warning went through Tabitha's head. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and called to check in on them as Valerius and Otto spoke to each other.
She was relieved the minute she heard Amanda's voice. "Hey, sis," she said, trying to sound normal. "What are you guys up to?"
"Not much. And yes I know about the alert. Ash has already moved in here along with some Dark-Hunter named Kassim."
"Why aren't you being evacuated?"
"It'll just follow us, Ash said. He thought it better that we fight on our own ground than to be someplace unfamiliar. Don't worry, Tab. I really do feel better with Kassim and Ash here."
"Yeah. I know Ash would never let anything happen to any of you. You guys take care and I'll talk to you later. Love you."
"You, too. 'Bye."
Tabitha sighed as Amanda hung up and her stomach contracted even more with unfounded fear.
Why was she so nervous?
"I'll make sure all the help is out of here by tonight," Otto said before taking his leave.
Valerius gave an imperious nod.
As soon as they were alone, Tabitha struggled to get rid of her somber mood. "Do you know a Dark-Hunter named Kassim?"
"I know of him."
"What do you know?"
Valerius adjusted his coat sleeve around his wrist. "He was an African prince in the Middle Ages. He was stationed in Jackson, Mississippi, until Ash moved him to Alexandria a few years ago. Why?"
"He was moved into Amanda's house, so I was just curious about him." She indicated the front door with her thumb. "Shall we?"
He took her hand as she started away from him. "Whatever this is after all of you, we'll get them, Tabitha. Don't worry."
The sincerity of his voice cut through her. "You would protect your mortal enemy?"
He glanced away. When his gaze came back to hers, it seared her. "I will protect your loved ones. Yes."
There was no reason for him to do such a thing. None. She had no doubt that in his place, Kyrian would go back upstairs, lock his door, and do nothing.
But Valerius…
Before she could stop herself, she pulled his lips down to hers and kissed him fiercely. The taste of him permeated her head. How she wished she had nothing more to do tonight than to pull him upstairs and make love to him.
If only she could…
Sighing regretfully, she nipped his lips and pulled back. She felt his reluctance as he released her. Forcing herself to let go of him, she stepped away, opened the door, and walked outside.
Otto was heading up the driveway from where his car was parked on the street as they left and it dawned on her that he still wore his black jeans and sweater from that afternoon… he hadn't morphed into tacky Otto tonight. He actually looked like a grown-up.
"I forgot something," he said. He handed Valerius a device that looked like a small transmitter. "Just in case. The Council wants everyone tagged so that if something happens we can pull you out."
To her amazement, he handed her one as well.
"Thanks, Otto."
He inclined his head to her. "You two be careful. Talon will be out around the Square tonight along with Kyrian and Julian. They'll also be scoping on Ursulines around Sanctuary and Chartres, and the French Market. You guys might want to patrol somewhere else."
"We'll hang around the northwest side of the Quarter. Bourbon, Toulouse, St. Louis, Bienville, and Dauphine."
Valerius cringed as soon as Bourbon came out, but didn't say anything.
"Ash is taking the cemeteries," Otto continued, "Janice will be down along Canal, Harrod's, and the Warehouse District while Jean-Luc takes the Garden District. Ulric is in the Business District and Zoe is at Tulane. Which leaves Kassim, who has been told by Ash that if he, Amanda, or Marissa leave Kyrian's house before dawn, he'll be toast."
"Who's Ulric?" Tabitha asked.
Otto gave her a droll stare. "He's the Dark-Hunter from Biloxi who arrived about half an hour ago. He's blond, so try not to stab this one should you meet him in an alley."
Tabitha was offended. "What? It's not my fault I stab all the fanged people. They shouldn't look like Daimons."
"I didn't look like a Daimon, but you stabbed me."
Otto laughed.
"Yeah, well, you looked like a lawyer so I had to kill you. It was a moral imperative."
Valerius shook his head at her. Sobering, she looked back at Otto. "How many Squires are left in town?"
"Just me, Kyr, and Nick. The last ones out were Tad and your ex Eric and his wife, who hopped a chartered flight about an hour ago. Everyone else from Liza on down is out of here until Ash gives the thumbs-up to return."
"What about the Weres?" Valerius asked.
"They're all hanging close to Sanctuary to protect their young and women. Even Vane and Bride are bunking over there for the time being."
"Will the Weres help us at all?" Tabitha asked.
Otto shook his head. "They view this as a human problem and don't want to get involved."
Tabitha huffed at that. "I can't believe them."
"You don't know much about animals, then," Otto said. "It's why Talon wants to keep an eye on the club. The Apollites and Daimons know that once they're inside Sanctuary, no one, not even Ash, can touch them."
Tabitha laughed at that. "Ash doesn't have to touch them to kill them."
"Excuse me?" Valerius and Otto asked simultaneously.
"What?" she asked them. "You didn't know that? Ash is seriously impressive in a fight. He'll take your ass outpermanently before you even know he's there. He moves so fast you can't see him half the time."
"Sounds like Corbin," Otto said. "She's a teleporter. She'll poof in, stab a Daimon, and poof out before it disintegrates."
"Corbin?" Tabitha asked.
"A former Greek queen turned Dark-Huntress," Valerius said.