Cupid's Match

by Lauren Palphreyman

  “She’s right, Cupid,” says Cal slowly. “We can put Lila into protective custody at the Matchmaking Service, and you and I will go to meet the Arrows at the fountain and sort all this out. No one needs to get hurt.” His eyes flash silver. “Cupids cannot be matched.”

  “Has it ever occurred to you that I might be doing something for the greater good, Brother?” Cupid snaps, a storm suddenly behind his ocean-colored eyes.

  “No,” Cal snaps back, “it hasn’t. Because you don’t do anything unless it benefits you. What good can possibly come of this? We’ve had to expose our kind to a human, the Arrows are back in town, and now we’re all in danger. You’ve had your fun, you’ve met your Match, now please see reason.”

  They stare each other down, energy crackling between them. Selena coughs.

  “Sorry to interrupt the domestic, boys,” she says, “but do you want my help or not?”

  Cupid raises an eyebrow at Cal. Cal stares at him a few moments, cold fire brimming in his gaze, then reluctantly nods.

  “Good,” says Selena. “I’ll send out the message that Cupid’s Match is under our protection—and that if anyone harms any human on our territory, we will come for them. It should be enough deterrent for the Arrows, at least.”

  “Excellent,” says Cupid.

  She looks at him. “You know if they can’t get to Lila, they’ll go straight for the Finis.”

  “Counting on it,” he says, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Which leads to the second thing I want: its location.”

  She says nothing for a moment then shakes her head. “Sorry to disappoint—I don’t know where it is. But I do know it’s documented in a book: The Records of the Finis. It’s probably a good place to start.”

  “Wasn’t that the thing you were talking to that Curtis guy about?” I ask Cal. He’d mentioned it during his phone call when he’d driven us to the Love Shack.

  Cal’s shoulders tense.

  “You’ve been looking for it, Brother?” asks Cupid.

  “’Course I have.”

  Cupid’s expression hardens. “Right. And what exactly were you going to do when you found it?”

  “That hardly matters now, does it? I didn’t find it.” He looks up at Selena. “It’s not in the Cupids Matchmaking Service archives.”

  “No, sweetie, it’s not,” Selena replies. “The original copy was destroyed. But one of my sirens had a little . . . fun . . . with one of your cupids about twenty years ago. An archivist.” She licks her lips and smiles. “It’s not common knowledge, but he was digitizing some of the older volumes before he became so consumed by the song of the sirens that he went mad.”

  Cal gives her a cool look. “I knew the guy. Carter Matthews. He left the Service after your lot got their hold on him.”

  She inclines her head. “Still comes here sometimes.”

  “The Records of the Finis was one of the volumes?” asks Cupid, tearing a piece of bread from a baguette and putting it into his mouth. He’s clearly less bothered about the whole siren-driving-someone-mad thing than his brother is.

  “I believe so,” says Selena. “If you can access his login on the Cupids Matchmaking Service server you should be able to find it.”

  Cal pulls out his cell. “I’ll message Curtis now.”

  The baguette flies past my vision and hits Cal in the side of the head.

  Cal’s eyes flash. “What are you doing?”

  “Are you really that sure of Curtis’s loyalties, Brother? The Arrows are in town, Lila is in danger, and everyone knows we are brothers. What if he decides to find the Finis first and make different arrangements?”

  Cal sits, still and silent amid the low lull of chatter within the lagoon. Then he scowls and shoves his phone back into his pocket.

  Cupid grins. “Looks like it’s up to you and me. Just like old times, eh, Brother?” he says. “Although you’ll have to get it for me. I’m banished. I’ll never get into the building.”

  Cal fires him a dirty look. “Yes, please, allow me to be your personal assistant.”

  “Can’t you just log in from here?” I offer.

  Cal gives me a scathing look. “Of course not. The Cupids Matchmaking Service has details of every single human in the world. The system can only be accessed from inside the building.”

  I raise my hands. “Sorry. For a moment I forgot a dating service needed CIA-level security . . .”

  Selena smiles as the three of us squabble. “Now, the small matter of my payment,” she interrupts.

  “Money?” I ask.

  Selena laughs. “No, honey,” she says. “We deal in information.” She looks at me, her brown eyes burning into mine. “I want a secret. I want a secret about Lila. Something no one else knows.”

  I feel a bubble of dread in my stomach. A secret? I don’t want to tell her anything.

  “Of course,” Cupid says. “The deal is done.”

  “You can’t just . . .” I begin angrily, but then stop when he whispers something into Selena’s ear. Selena’s eyes twinkle hungrily. Cal looks from me to Cupid, his expression unreadable. Discomfort twists in my stomach.

  When Cupid leans away from Selena, she looks at him for a moment before letting out a low whistle. “Well. I didn’t see that coming.”

  I fire a glare at Cupid. “What did you tell her?!”

  He looks at me, suddenly serious. “That’s between me and Selena now,” he says. “Sorry, Lila—we have to keep our end of the deal.”

  “That’s ridiculous, if it’s about me—”

  Selena clicks her fingers, signaling that our session is over. Instantly, the male attendant who led us here emerges from the mist swirling about the pool.

  “Please lead my guests out through the back exit,” she says. Then she looks back at Cupid. “I take it you’ll be meeting with the Arrows in the town square tomorrow?”

  Cupid grins wickedly. “Of course—no one threatens me and gets away with it.”

  “I’ll come too,” she says. “It’ll be a good way to emphasize the message—Cupid’s Match is off-limits.”

  21

  About an hour and a half later, we approach the exit to Forever Falls. My phone buzzes on the Aston Martin’s backseat. Charlie.

  I shove it into my pocket.

  I’ll deal with her and James later.

  “Are you sure Selena can stop them from coming after me?” I ask.

  Cal shakes his head. “She is just providing a deterrent to make them aim their forces at Cupid instead,” he says. “But this won’t be the end of it. Cupids cannot be matched. And we can’t watch over you forever.”

  “You’ll be fine,” Cupid says to me. “The Arrows won’t risk a war with the sirens. And if we can get to the Finis first, then there’s nothing they can do to me.” He grins. “Simple. But maybe I should take Lila to my house tonight. Keep her safe. Just in case—”

  “No,” Cal and I say in unison.

  The roads get narrower as we drive into Forever Falls. Cupid is making so many twists and turns that I’m not sure he knows where he’s going.

  “You’re going the wrong way,” I say after we take yet another wrong turn.

  “Just making sure we’re not being followed,” Cupid says, peering out of the side mirrors.

  Finally, we pull up to my driveway, and Cupid turns in his seat.

  “Going to make sure there are no Arrows lurking. Stay where you are.” He jumps out, leaving Cal and me alone.

  Cal twists around, his face apologetic. “I’ll sort this out, Lila,” he says. “He’s stubborn, with a complete disregard for others . . . but he can’t continue to put you in danger like this. Sooner or later he’ll either see sense or get bored. When he does, he’ll leave town and everything will go back to normal. I just need to make that happen before anyone gets hurt.”

  “
What’s the deal with the Arrows anyway? I know it’s against your rules and everything, but would it really be so bad if we’re matched?”

  Cal frowns. Outside, Cupid appears to check for a person underneath a plant pot.

  “Do you want to be matched with Cupid?” Cal asks finally.

  “Of course not,” I say a little too fast.

  A disappointed look crosses Cal’s face. “Your pupils dilated,” he says. “You find him—”

  “Jeez, Cal,” I say. “What is it with you and eyeballs? It’s not that. It’s just . . .”

  It’s just that despite the danger, and the Arrows, and James kissing Charlie, this is the first time I’ve really felt alive since Mom died. I bite my lip, annoyed with myself for thinking it.

  “I don’t know,” I finish lamely. Then I look at him squarely. “Nothing will happen with Cupid and me, okay?”

  Cal nods stiffly as Cupid’s face appears at the car window.

  “Coast is clear,” he says, opening my car door.

  “’Night, Cal,” I say as I step out, but he just makes a non-

  committal sound.

  Cupid walks me to my door. Inside, the light in the front room flickers as though the television is on. I hope that Dad has fallen asleep on the sofa; if he’s still awake then I’m in trouble—it must be nearing one in the morning.

  Suddenly, I’m aware of how close Cupid is standing. I can feel his body heat through the wrinkled blue shirt, and as the fall breeze circles us, I catch his summery scent mixed with dried saltwater. His eyes blaze fiercely, and I take a small step away from him, my back hitting the front door.

  Cal is right, I need to be careful.

  A rustling comes from inside the house.

  “Looks like Dad’s awake. All evening I was worried about the Arrows,” I say, “but this is how I’ll meet my untimely death.”

  Cupid’s face brightens, the intensity of his gaze replaced by amusement.

  “Well, I guess I’ll be off!” he says. Then he leans forward conspiratorially. “Parents don’t tend to like me.” He flashes me a grin and walks backward down the driveway. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “What—?” I begin, but he’s already getting back inside the Aston Martin.

  As the engine starts up, I turn back to the house and take a deep breath. I slip through the door and make to tiptoe to my room.

  “What time do you call this?”

  I turn around. My dad is standing at the foot of the stairs in his robe, his dark, gray-streaked hair ruffled at the back, as though he’s fallen asleep on the couch. Though his expression is serious, I catch a glint of humor in his eyes.

  “Sorry, Dad.”

  He shakes his head. “Half past one in the morning . . . I’m guessing it was a good party then?”

  “It was . . . interesting.”

  He gives me a look. “Interesting, huh? Are you drunk?”

  I shake my head.

  “Good. Do anything you’ll regret in the morning?”

  I followed a love god onto the balcony and now I have a group of cupids trying to kill me. But I shake my head.

  A smile tugs at his lips though he tries to contain it. “Well, get to bed then. We’ll talk more in the morning.”

  I hurry up the stairs.

  “Teenagers,” I hear him mutter to himself as I disappear from view.

  During the night I am awoken by a vibrating sound.

  I jolt upright, my heart thudding, and creep toward my window. Have the Arrows found me? As I peer out onto the tree-lined street, something stirs in the shadows. I catch the glint of a quiver and the black of an arrow, and inhale sharply. But then the shadows shift, exposing Cal standing stiffly in the cold.

  He has dressed entirely in black, camouflaged to match the darkness, though he can’t do anything about his blond hair, which catches the light of the streetlamps. His silvery gaze catches mine, and for a moment we are frozen, staring at one another. Then he takes a step back into the shadow of the nearest tree and disappears from view. I feel a smile tugging on the corner of my lips.

  Cal is standing guard. Despite Selena’s promise, he’s still making sure the Arrows don’t get to me.

  I consider bringing him down a hot drink, but he doesn’t seem exactly pleased that I’ve spotted him. I watch for a couple of minutes before turning away and getting back into bed.

  As I settle back into the warm haze of sleep, my phone buzzes again. Eyes half closed, I fumble across the bedside table, almost knocking over an old glass of water, and pick it up.

  “Hello?” I say.

  “Lila,” says Charlie quickly.

  My eyes jolt open as I inwardly curse myself for not switching my phone off before bed. I’m not sure I’m ready to talk to her yet. Nerves mixed with anger tangle in my stomach. I hate this. We never fight.

  “Listen, Lila,” she says before I can hang up. “Something happened—”

  “I know. You and James. I saw you kissing.”

  Saying it aloud somehow makes it real and my body stiffens. She lets out a soft groan.

  “Oh God, I’m so sorry, Lila—”

  Something ignites in my stomach and I sit upright. “Have you ever kissed him before?”

  “What? God, no! It’s just—”

  “You liked him though, didn’t you?” I demand. “Is that why you were always telling me my relationship was boring? That I needed excitement? Is that why you were so interested when you thought I’d made out with Cal or something?!”

  The words tumble out of my mouth, hot and angry. Words I didn’t even know were there. And I don’t even know if I’m allowed to feel this way. They kissed because of the Capax. It makes it worse, somehow.

  “Lila, it was never like that. I swear!” Her voice trembles.

  It only works if feelings are there to begin with.

  “Wasn’t it?!” My mind is flying over the past year. It reinterprets every joke they shared, every time she called in at the diner without me, every time she mentioned him.

  “Lila, you have every right to be angry with me. But it’s not what you think. It was—”

  “Oh? I have a right to be angry? Thanks.”

  “Lila. Please . . . it’s hard to explain it. You’ll think I’m mad.”

  “Well how about you try to explain it because—”

  “It was the arrow!”

  I fall silent. All I can hear is her heavy breathing on the other end of the line.

  “What did you just say?” My voice is barely louder than a whisper. My body is cold.

  “It was . . . it was the arrow. I was hit by an arrow. So was James.”

  Blood starts to pound in my ears. She saw the Capax that hit her? Neither of us speaks for a moment; my mind is still trying to process this information.

  “I know it sounds crazy,” she says, “but there were these—these people, and they were shooting arrows, I swear it. I got hit. Other people got hit too . . . and then the arrows just disappeared. But after that, all these feelings that I’ve been trying to hide, they all just came rushing to the surface, and . . .” Her voice wobbles. “Oh God, Lila, I’m so sorry.”

  As she starts to cry, something tightens in my chest and makes the back of my eyes hurt. I don’t know what to think. I don’t know what to feel. I don’t know what to do. She’s my best friend; we tell each other everything. And if she’s seen the arrow, maybe this is the perfect opportunity to talk about what’s been going on with someone who isn’t a paranormal matchmaking agent or a love god.

  This isn’t her fault, the rational voice in the back of my head tells me.

  Still, she didn’t have to kiss him, another voice demands.

  I stare blankly at the reflection of my conflicted face in the ornate dresser mirror. Charlie continues to sob. I exhale.

 
“I know,” I say.

  “You . . . know?”

  “I saw them too.”

  “It’s going to sound crazy, but I’ve been thinking,” she says, her voice quavering. “One of the new guys at school’s name is Cupid.”

  “Yeah.”

  “And then people got hit by disappearing arrows that made them all start making out.” I can practically hear the cogs working in her brain. “Like, some kind of love arrows. Cupid? Is it real?” she says.

  “Yes,” I breathe out, feeling a weight lift. “You’re not going mad, Charlie,” I say. “Look, there’s a lot I have to tell you, but you have to keep it quiet. I’m serious. No gossip blogs or newspaper articles or telling anyone.”

  “Okay,” she says with a sniffle.

  As the dawn breaks, I fill Charlie in on what’s happened over the past few days—the Cupids Matchmaking Service, Cupid, Cal, the Arrows, the bar called Elysium, and lastly, Cupid’s plan to meet the Arrows in the town square with Selena. She exhales slowly as I finish.

  “So, you’re Cupid’s Match?”

  There’s something almost triumphant in her voice, and I feel a small spark of annoyance that it’s probably because she thinks the way is clear now for her and James. But then she continues speaking and I’m sure I imagined it.

  “Dude,” she says in a low voice, “that is some serious . . . I mean, whoa.”

  “I know.”

  “And they’re meeting the Arrows later today? Are you going too?”

  “There’s no way they’d let me come. But I wish I could. There’s something about this whole thing that just seems . . . weird. I mean, weirder than all the rest of it, even. Like there’s something they’re hiding from me.”

  “It does all sound a bit far fetched,” agrees Charlie. “Maybe we should follow them, see if we can get some answers.” I can almost hear her grin on the other side of the phone. “We don’t need their permission, do we?”

  22

  The events of yesterday flood back as soon as the light of dawn creeps through my blinds. Even though I should be keeping away from Cupid, I feel an unbidden twinge of excitement when I remember him saying he would see me today. I push it back—he came to find me knowing that it would put me in danger. The fact that he looks like he walked out of a fashion magazine doesn’t change that.