Cupid's Match

by Lauren Palphreyman

  26

  After Cupid parks the Aston Martin at the bottom of Charlie’s drive, he turns around in his seat when my fingers are on the door handle.

  “Stay safe,” he says. “We’ll deal with these Arrows then come back to let you know how it went.”

  “You sure you’ll be okay?” I cast my gaze between him and Cal.

  Cupid grins. “We’ve dealt with worse than this in our time,” he says. “Plus, they can’t kill us without the Finis, which is always a bonus.”

  Cal just continues to stares straight ahead. As I open the door, I pause to give him what I hope is a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. He tenses momentarily; I sigh and let go, climbing out of the car.

  “Good luck,” I say.

  Cupid waves before driving off down the street. As I head toward the house, Charlie flings open the front door and rushes to me.

  “Are we going to follow them?” she asks.

  She’s dressed differently than usual—in skinny jeans and a black top instead of one of her stylish dresses. She seems to be resolute about not meeting my eyes—I guess she still feels bad about James.

  “We’ll need to set off now to catch up with them,” I say. “You ready?”

  She looks down the street. “Yeah, just give me a minute. I need to go and get something.”

  As Charlie goes upstairs, I head into the living room. I move one of Marcus’s construction magazines off the floral couch and onto the glass coffee table, then throw myself down into the cushions.

  As I’m waiting, my eyes pass over the cheesy family photos on the wall. Much to Charlie’s embarrassment, her mom makes them pose for them every year in her photography studio. My favorite is the one hanging to the right-hand side of the decorative mantelpiece; in it a sulking three-year-old Charlie has her back to the camera while her dad and a young Marcus laugh in the background.

  As I’m looking at it, I frown. There are marks in the wall beside it, and on the floor below it there is a thin dusting of ash—despite the fact they have a gas fireplace. I walk over and trace the holes in the plaster with my finger.

  Arrow holes?

  My skin prickles. Something doesn’t feel right.

  It’s then that it comes back to me. “Only cupids or humans who have been shown the arrows can see them,” I say softly.

  “That’s right.”

  I spin around. Charlie stands in front of me, a bow in her hand. In it is strung a single black arrow.

  My eyes widen. The Arrows must have got to her.

  “I’m sorry, Lila,” she says calmly. “I have to do this. You can’t be matched. They told me what would happen if you were.” She’s pulling her arm back to shoot when there is a flicker of movement behind her.

  “Drop the weapon, Charlie,” says a familiar voice. “You’re a cupid now—get pierced by this and you die.”

  Crystal stands behind my best friend, the black Cupids’ Arrow in her hand pressed against Charlie’s throat. She’s wearing the white suit I first saw her in at the Cupids Matchmaking Service, but now there is a quiver full of arrows slung over her shoulder. Her expression is set. I can see it in her face; she’ll really do it, she’ll kill Charlie.

  Panic swells in my chest. I don’t want to get shot but I don’t want Charlie to die either.

  Crystal pushes the arrow closer to Charlie’s skin. “Drop it.”

  With a sigh, Charlie lets the bow clatter to the ground. I release a breath as Crystal grabs Charlie by her hair and pushes her onto the couch. She keeps her arrow pointed at my friend’s neck.

  “You okay?” Crystal asks me.

  “Yes,” I say, forcing my voice to sound normal. “I never thought I’d be pleased to see you again. What are you doing here anyway?”

  Crystal spares a quick glance in my direction as Charlie whimpers on the sofa.

  “Charlie was part of my assignment—”

  “To match with my boyfriend.”

  She sighs and flicks her hair over her shoulder. “Yes, that was the assignment. I’ve been monitoring the two of them. I was pretty sure the match had been made successfully last night after what happened with the Capax, but I thought I’d double check after my shift, just to be certain. That’s when I discovered the surveillance went momentarily down in the early hours. That was suspicious, so I came here to check it out.”

  I cast my gaze back to Charlie. She’s watching Crystal warily, a mixture of vulnerability and anger on her face. I attempt to touch her arm to reassure her. She flinches.

  “What did they do to you, Charlie?” I ask softly.

  A defiant look appears on her usually soft face. “You’re dangerous. You have to be stopped.”

  I feel a stab of hurt. I turn to Crystal. “Have they brainwashed her? Is she really a cupid now?”

  Crystal keeps her gaze on Charlie. “Yeah, she’s a cupid. Seems as though they shot her in here.” She nods to the marks I noticed in the wall by the mantel. “And no, she’s not brainwashed—not as such. She’s a new cupid, so she’s more susceptible to our laws. And she’s not exactly wrong.” Crystal looks at me. “You are dangerous.”

  I feel frustration building up inside of me. “What do you mean?! No one is telling me what is going on!”

  “I’ll get to that, but first—where’s Cal?”

  “He and Cupid went to go fight the Arrows at the square. Why?”

  A dark look crosses her face. Charlie struggles for a moment but Crystal pushes her back down with ease. “Why do they think the Arrows will be at the square?” she asks quietly.

  “I guess because the Arrows think I will be there with them.”

  Crystal raises her eyebrows. Suddenly I understand what she is getting at.

  “But I’m not there, I’m here. And if Charlie is one of them . . .”

  Instantly, Crystal swipes another arrow from her quiver and jams it into Charlie’s throat. Charlie and I cry out instantaneously.

  “What are you doing?”

  Crystal turns to me as the arrow crumbles to ash between her fingers. “Calm down. It’s just the Capax. We need answers, and we need them fast. What happened?” Crystal asks Charlie sternly.

  Charlie purses her lips. After a moment of internal struggle, she blurts, “The Arrows came after the party. They must have followed me. They shot me with a black arrow. They told me that Cupid had a Match, someone from the high school, and that they’d turned me to help them find her. They said they’d read my blog and if anyone could find out who it was, it would be me. Then they left.”

  Tears have started to form in her eyes.

  “Then what?” Crystal insists.

  “It started to come back to me—being hit by an arrow at the party.”

  Crystal nods. “That’s normal after being turned. Then what?”

  “And then I remembered the Love Shack and the Ardor. And Lila acting weird and going after Cal. I didn’t know for certain, but I thought she might know something. So I contacted her, and she told me everything.”

  I feel a flare of anger. She’s supposed to be my friend, and yet now she’s betrayed me twice.

  Crystal leans in close, menacingly. “And did you tell the Arrows who she was?”

  Charlie reluctantly nods.

  “And, final question—where are the Arrows now?”

  For a moment Charlie says nothing. She looks like she is trying to fight the urge to speak. A tear spills down her cheek, but when she turns to me, her watery eyes are triumphant.

  “They’re on their way,” she says. “They’ll be here any minute.”

  27

  Crystal plunges her hand into the pocket of her white trousers and pulls out her phone. She throws it to me.

  “Call Cal,” she instructs, her voice urgent as she pulls Charlie to her feet then swipes Charlie’s bow off the ground. The blond’s eyes
are darting anxiously around the room as though expecting one of the Arrows to jump out any second.

  I do what she says, my heart thumping in my chest.

  Cal picks up. “What is it, Crystal?” he says sharply. “I’m kind of in the middle of something.”

  “Cal! It’s me, we’re in—”

  Before I can say anything else, Crystal pushes me backward into the mantelpiece and the phone skitters out of my hand. A shattering sound fills my ears as Charlie’s front window explodes into tiny shards of glass. I look up just in time to see a black arrow plunge into the wall by my head then turn into ash.

  They’re here.

  A tanned, muscular male in a black suit jumps through the broken window into the living room, long dark hair tied back from his face. As he runs toward me, quiver jouncing over his shoulder, my eyes dart across the room to Crystal. She’s thrown Charlie back onto the couch and has her bow raised, ready to shoot. Then she fires.

  There is a whooshing sound and for a moment I think her arrow is going to hit its target. But then the Arrow agent advancing toward me dodges, grabs me by the throat, and slams me into the wall. Pain bursts across my back. I grapple against his grip, struggling to breathe as he raises a black arrow.

  Over his shoulder, I see that a female Arrow with dark wavy hair has just tackled Crystal to the ground. She can’t help me.

  I manage to knee my attacker in the groin. When he grunts and momentarily loosens his grip, I take the opportunity to thrust my weight forward. Then, using Cupid’s move from earlier, I hook my leg around his and push.

  He falls heavily to the floor, almost taking me with him.

  I stumble over him and start to make my way to Crystal, who has thrown off the female agent, but another pair of hands grab my shoulders from behind. As Crystal launches a Capax, I pull my head out of the way so that it plunges into my second attacker’s shoulder. Whoever it was flies backward.

  Crystal pulls Charlie to her feet and looks at me urgently.

  “We need to go. My car’s down the street. GO. NOW!”

  We take off out the door, the three black-clad agents close behind. As we hurtle toward the street, arrows stream through the darkening sky around us. Crystal points her car keys at a pink Bentley parked on the road, and I hear the sound of the doors unlocking. She throws Charlie inside and then looks around for me, pulling her own bow back up and sending a few arrows flying back toward our pursuers.

  Just when I think I’m going to make it, the muscular agent suddenly grabs me again and I go flying to the ground. I feel a searing pain in my knees as they scrape against the concrete. I try to climb back to my feet but the Arrow is upon me.

  He turns me over so that I’m lying on my back then puts his foot on top of my stomach, holding me in place. I cry out, struggling against his weight as he raises his bow and points it directly at my heart.

  “For crimes against cupids, I sentence you, Lila Black, to the Cupids’ Arrow, then death,” he says in a thick Italian accent.

  I fight with everything I have, clawing at his leg, but I can’t break free. Panic consumes me. There is a sudden whooshing sound and for a moment I think I’m hit.

  I scream.

  But then the agent crumples to the ground beside me.

  I lurch up into a sitting position and look around frantically. Then I see it—a black arrow jutting out of the agent’s shoulder. It crumbles to ash. On the other side of the street, Cal stands with his bow raised, his blond hair illuminated by the light of a streetlamp that’s just clicked on.

  Relief fills me.

  He gives me a subtle nod before powering down the pavement after the other male Arrow. Seconds later, Cupid appears by my side. He scoops me up onto my feet just as, a few feet away, Selena, her brown eyes blazing, snaps the neck of the female Arrow. She looks both beautiful and terrifying in a black tank top and skinny jeans.

  Cal has now reached the end of the street and fires arrows into the darkness. The third agent is nowhere to be seen.

  My heart pounds as I turn my gaze to Cupid. He looks at me steadily, a flash of concern behind his eyes.

  “You okay?”

  I nod, my breathing fast, then check to see that Crystal is all right. She is, but she’s surveying Cupid and me warily. Cupid follows my gaze and nods at her in greeting. She merely scowls.

  “What happened?” he asks, turning back to me.

  “Charlie, she’s a cupid now.”

  He exhales heavily as Selena approaches with Cal, whose expression is unreadable as I fully extract myself from Cupid’s arms.

  “About time!” Crystal says to Cal.

  After throwing her a sharp look, he frowns. “We shouldn’t have left you,” he says. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine. I’m fine.” I look at the three of them. My whole body is still shaking from the adrenaline. “What do we do now?”

  Cupid runs his hand through his hair. “Let’s get Charlie and Crystal back to my place. Selena—the other Arrow got away. Can you come back with us, see if Charlie knows anything about where he might have gone?”

  The siren nods, then looks at me and smiles. “Glad you’re okay, honey,” she says before heading to Crystal’s pink car.

  “We need to hurry up and get a hold of the Finis,” Cupid says. “And to do that we need to get that copy of the book from the Matchmaking Service.” He looks at Cal. “And by we, I of course mean you.”

  Cal narrows his eyes. “I don’t know when your problems suddenly became mine.”

  Cupid looks at me pointedly. “They’re not just my problems. Don’t you want to protect Lila?”

  “Want?” Cal says. “I’m assigned to look after Lila. Despite having Selena on our side, the Arrows are still going after her. I should have known their feelings about the match would outweigh any fears of the sirens. This has gone too far. I’m taking her into protective custody.”

  “You’re assigned to stop me and Lila from matching,” Cupid says, “and until I get hold of the Finis, I’m not going anywhere.”

  “You cannot be matched. You know what will happen!”

  “Help me, then!” Cupid says, passion sparking behind his eyes. “Help me get the Finis and I’ll get out of town.”

  I look from one brother to the other. Cal’s jawline is hard, his expression unwavering.

  “If you get the Finis you’ll leave?” I say to Cupid. “And the Arrows will get out of town? Everything will just go back to normal?”

  Cupid looks at me, a hint of regret passing across his features as he nods. I feel a twinge of disappointment, but after everything that’s happened, surely it’s better for him to just go. Surely it’s better for him to leave before these unbidden feelings deepen. We can’t ever get together. That much is obvious.

  “Nothing will ever go back to normal,” says Cal, eyes fixed on his brother. “If the Arrows can’t kill you, they’ll go back to Lila. She’s an easier target.”

  “So you’ll watch over her,” says Cupid.

  Cal’s chest rises and falls deeply beneath his fluffy maroon sweater. “She will never be safe—”

  “She will if we make an arrangement with the Arrows.”

  “What kind of arrangement will they possibly accept?! You’re not thinking straight.”

  Cupid’s shoulders slump. “I’ll swear an oath on the Styx. As soon as I have the arrow, I’ll swear I won’t come back to Forever Falls in Lila’s lifetime. Draw up the paperwork. I’ll sign it.”

  “An oath on the Styx is unbreakable,” says Cal.

  Cupid inclines his head, holding Cal’s gaze. “I know I’ve caused a lot of trouble, Brother,” he says. “I shouldn’t have come here. But I had to find her, I had to know if it was true; I had to find my Match. You of all people should understand that. You fell for a human once—”

  “Don’t.” Cal’s
tone is final.

  There’s a lull of awkward silence.

  “I just want the Finis,” Cupid says eventually, “and then I’ll go.”

  A flicker of suspicion crosses Cal’s face. “Why do you want it so much?”

  Cupid pauses. “I don’t want to die, Brother. If I get the Finis before they do, I’ll have a fighting chance.”

  As he speaks, something flickers behind his eyes, something that makes me wonder if he has another motive. But then it’s gone.

  No one says anything for a few moments.

  Finally Cal frowns. “It’s the only way to get rid of you?”

  Cupid grins, the tension broken. “Yup.”

  Cal exhales heavily. “Fine. I’ll help you get this damn arrow. But then you get out of town.” He looks at his brother distrustfully in the dim light. “And Lila is coming to the Matchmaking Service with me to find The Records of the Finis. I’m not leaving her alone with you.”

  28

  As Cupid drives us back to his house, I look out of the rear window at the headlights of Crystal’s pink Bentley. Dread mixed with guilt bubbles in the pit of my stomach as I think of the prisoner in the car. What’s going to happen to Charlie? Will she have to get a job at the Matchmaking Service like the other cupids? Will she always hate me?

  Thinking of her pointing an arrow at my chest makes my heart hurt. Charlie has been my best friend ever since I can remember. Even though she kissed James, I know we would have worked through it. But now it’s like she’s not even the same person.

  “What’s the Styx?” I ask, turning back around.

  “Long story, but it’s a mythological river,” says Cupid. “You include a clause about it in any legal contract and the contract can’t be broken. Pretty shady stuff. I didn’t check the small print of an agreement I had going with this bull-headed guy back in the seventeenth century—ended up trimming his hedges for the next five months.”

  “So you really are going to leave?” I ask.

  “Yeah.” He catches my eye in the rearview mirror and sighs. “Yeah. Once I have the arrow.”