Cupid's Match

by Lauren Palphreyman

  She looks at Cal, a twisted smile on her face. A flash of understanding flickers across his eyes. “It will only work if shot by a mortal.”

  She grins and gazes around the room, taking in the bodies scattered on the floor, and the Myths still crouched with their hands over their ears.

  “But I believe we have one of those here, don’t we?” Venus says.

  I clench my fists. Adrenaline surges through my body.

  I am the only one who can save us.

  “Guards, seize Cal.”

  Cal frantically looks about the courtroom as agents swarm him. They grab his arms and the Finis clatters to the ground. He struggles but there are too many, and they drag him over to one of the black poles and bind him. One of the agents picks up the golden arrow and hands it to Venus. On the other side of the stage Cupid makes a move forward, but Venus glares at him and he stops in his tracks.

  “Lila,” Venus says, her voice ringing in my ears, “I speak to you now. As the only mortal in the room, I have a decision for you to make. You see, you have been a very naughty little Match. And not just for matching with my son Cupid, but for feeling something for my other son too.”

  My heart does a strange leap. What is she talking about? I don’t feel for Cal—not in that way.

  “Oh, I know all about that. I am the goddess of love after all. You can’t hide it from me, even if you can hide it from yourself.” She laughs. “But I digress. I can’t kill Cal, but I am going to torture him. I’m going to torture him in every way imaginable. He will beg for death by the time I’m done with him—but I won’t stop.”

  Cal begins to struggle against the pole, his eyes wide with panic. At the side of the stage Cupid’s face drains of color.

  “But you can make it stop, Lila,” she says. “You just have to do one little thing for me: you need to make a decision. You need to choose a brother.”

  She holds out the Finis in her pale hands, and her eyes fix on mine as I stare with horror over the top of the upturned bench.

  “To save Cal, you have to kill Cupid.”

  60

  I duck back down behind the bench, pressing my back against the hard wood. My heart is racing and my skin cold.

  To save Cal I have to kill Cupid.

  “Come on, little Match, we haven’t got all day.”

  There’s silence. I don’t move.

  “Very well. We’ll start with the Ardor.”

  There’s a pause and a whooshing sound, and then the air is filled with Cal’s contorted screams. My heart tightens.

  I can’t let them torture Cal.

  But I can’t shoot Cupid either.

  My mind feels dizzy, unfocused. Cal’s shrieks stall any train of thought and make my stomach turn. I peer over the top of the bench again. Venus still stands there, her hands extended; offering the golden arrow to me.

  I can shoot Venus. I’m the only person in the room who can.

  I can almost sense Cupid willing me to hide, to find a way out. But I have to do something. I take a deep breath, then resolutely stand up.

  “That’s right, little Match,” says Venus, “come to me.”

  I begin to walk toward the stage. Apart from Cal’s screams, the courtroom is silent. I can feel everyone’s eyes on me.

  “Lila,” Cupid says as I pass, “don’t do anything stupid. Do what you have to do.”

  I look away. I’m not going to kill him. I won’t.

  I’ll kill her.

  “That’s close enough,” Venus barks.

  She’s stopped me next to Cal. He is writhing in pain, his wrists bleeding where the cables are too tight.

  “Cal,” I whisper.

  He looks up at me, his silver eyes weary and unfocused. A drop of blood has congealed at the corner of his mouth. I want to reach out and help him. I’ve never felt so powerless.

  “Lila, I—”

  Suddenly another red-tipped arrow plunges into his stomach. He screams and I rip my gaze to where the Commander stands beside Venus, a quiver of arrows slung over his shoulder. Venus nods at him and he takes another and shoots it into Cal’s thigh. Cal cries out again, his body convulsing.

  “Stop it!” I shriek. “Stop it! Leave him alone.”

  Venus smiles. “You can stop it,” she says. “Kill Cupid.” She turns to a tall female agent standing nearby whose scowling face is bloody from the battle. “Carla, take the Finis to our naughty little Match and give her your bow,” Venus orders. “Guards—bring Cupid onto the stage.”

  As Carla walks forward with the golden arrow, five agents surround Cupid. His eyes flash dangerously. He throws one of them to the floor and punches another across the jaw before grabbing an arrow from Carla’s quiver and impaling the next agent with it. The remaining two agents take a tentative step back as Cupid raises his arms.

  “Don’t touch me,” he snarls. “I’m coming on my own.”

  He walks past them to stand a few feet away from me. I take the bow and arrow from Carla, the bloody-faced agent, my hands shaking. The Finis is cool between my fingers.

  “And before you get any ideas,” says Venus, “I am quicker and more powerful than you could ever imagine.” She looks at me coldly. “If you shoot the Finis at me, I will catch it, and then I will kill you. But first, I will kill your family, and I will kill your friends.” Her voice is suddenly laced with venom. “And as for your two lover boys, I will have them tortured until they forget who they are.”

  Her lips twist into a contorted smile. I think back to how fast she was when we were brought into her office and I know she’s right; I’ll never manage it.

  “Kill him, little Match. Kill him and I’ll let you, and Cal, and your family go free.”

  I look at Cupid. He’s planted his feet firmly, proudly, on the stage, acting as though his clothing isn’t ripped from where the agents grabbed at him in the dungeons. He holds my gaze. His ocean-like eyes are calm.

  Behind me comes another whoosh of an arrow and Cal’s elevated shrieks. I flinch. Cupid nods.

  “It’s okay, Lila. Do it.”

  My eyes sting. “I can’t,” I say, the bow and arrow trembling in my hands.

  He takes a step closer. “I’ve lived a long life,” he says. “You have to do it. You have to save my brother. You have to save yourself.”

  I feel a tear slip down my cheek and rub it away, not wanting to give Venus and all of the other cupids the satisfaction of seeing me cry. Behind me, Cal’s screaming doesn’t stop as more Ardors plunge into his flesh.

  “You can stop this,” Cupid says, taking another step closer. “Look at my brother. Look at him.”

  Hesitantly, I turn to Cal. His face is red from screaming. The drop of blood on his mouth has turned into rivulets. My heart clenches. I force myself to look away, back at Cupid.

  “Only you can stop this. She’ll kill you if you don’t.” He shakes his head, his eyes filled with urgency. “And I can’t live with that.”

  “I don’t want you to die,” I say, my voice quivering.

  He smiles at me and takes another step forward until we’re an arm’s length apart.

  “That’s quite close enough,” chimes Venus.

  Cupid stops in his tracks and I find my eyes drinking in every part of him. I want to reach out. I want him to hold me and tell me everything will be okay.

  “It’s okay, Lila,” he says. “I’m ready. After all these years of being alone, after all these years of thinking love was futile, I finally met you.” He smiles. “I finally found my Match.”

  His eyes shine with raw emotion. Behind me I hear Cal wheezing, coughing up blood.

  “Don’t!” he cries out through rasping breaths. “Don’t . . . kill . . . my . . . brother.”

  I look at Cupid and raise the bow. He nods reassuringly, his eyes unmoving from mine. My arm shakes. Tears spill
down my cheeks—I can’t help it.

  “Do it,” urges Cupid as Cal is struck again.

  I take a deep breath.

  “No regrets,” he says, smiling weakly.

  I steady my grip on the bow. “No regrets,” I whisper.

  I lock my gaze with Cupid’s.

  His eyes widen with panic; he can see what I’m about to do. He shakes his head but it’s too late. With a sudden movement I turn my bow toward Venus. I release the golden arrow.

  “No!” Cupid shrieks.

  I see it in slow motion: the blur of gold, the whoosh of air, and Cupid suddenly hurling himself into the path of the Finis. His eyes, still locked on mine, show only surprise. He opens his mouth as though he wants to say something.

  And the final arrow sinks into his heart.

  There’s a deafening thumping sound as his body hits the ground. I scream and the bow clatters out of my hands.

  “He’s dead!” booms Venus, clapping her hands together with glee. “She did it! She really did it! She killed Cupid! CUPID IS DEAD!”

  The courtroom is suddenly filled with noise but I can’t hear any of it. I fall forward toward his body, crumpling to my knees beside him. I throw my head onto his unmoving chest.

  “Cupid!” I scream. “You can’t be dead, you can’t be. I didn’t mean to, I . . .”

  Dimly, I feel a hand on my shoulder. Crystal has grabbed me and is pulling me around to look at her. I push her away and she slaps me across the face. I look up, startled.

  Venus is laughing. Behind us the battle between the Myths and the army has restarted, but I don’t care about any of that. I pull away from Crystal and grab Cupid’s hand. Whatever she wants, it doesn’t matter. Nothing matters anymore.

  Cupid is dead. Cal is still shrieking with gut-wrenching grief behind me.

  “He’s gone. I killed him.”

  Crystal leans close to me and whispers, “He’s not dead.”

  “I killed him. I . . .” My gaze snaps to her face. “What?”

  “He’s alive. But we haven’t much time,” she whispers urgently. “I lied before, back at Cupid’s flat. I didn’t bring the replica of the Finis to the Matchmaking Service—I brought the real thing. I wanted to tell Cal, before, in the dungeons, but we were interrupted. I knew Venus would find out—she’s too smart.”

  “So Cal had the replica?” I look down at Cupid’s body. His hand twitches in mine. He’s not dead.

  “Stay dead, Cupid,” Crystal snarls through gritted teeth.

  “Aye-aye, Captain,” he croaks, his eyes still closed.

  He squeezes my hand, and for a brief moment I see a small half smile on his face before he wipes it of expression once more. Relief floods me.

  I look at Crystal, then at the dead body of the executioner just a few feet away. I catch a glint of gold in his quiver.

  “That means the real Finis is . . .”

  She nods, holding my gaze. “You’re the only one who can do it, you’re the only one who can kill her.”

  Venus is no longer surrounded by agents; they are all fighting. The goddess catches my eye and grins. Moving with exaggerated slowness, she gets down from the stand and makes her way toward me. My eyes dart to the body of the executioner. Can I make it in time?

  I scramble toward it, my heart racing in my chest.

  “You killed my son,” says Venus, her voice quiet and childlike. “You thought it would save you . . . but I lied.”

  I reach the cold body as she looms closer. I can see it. I can see the Finis.

  She advances toward me, her movements quick. Her sickly scent washes over me and makes me gag, but I clutch the quiver to my chest.

  “You must be punished, little Match.”

  Her hand bears down on my throat and my feet are wrenched from the ground. Dots begin to form in front of my eyes. I can’t breathe. One hand scrabbles against her slippery skin while the other feels for my weapon.

  “Let her go!” Cal screams from behind me. “You promised you’d let her go. Let her go.”

  Venus’s lips convulse into a cruel smile. She laughs as darkness begins to creep over me. This can’t be it. This can’t be the last thing I ever see. My fingers fumble over the ends of arrows. I pluck out an arrow, praying it’s the right one. I struggle to stay conscious as I feel my final breath escape from my lungs.

  With the last ounce of strength I have left, I plunge the arrow into her heart.

  Then darkness.

  61

  When I open my eyes again, a white ceiling floats above me and my ears are filled with a steady beeping sound. I swallow. My throat feels like it’s on fire and as I try to raise my head, it feels like it’s going to explode.

  I squeeze my eyes shut again, staying still so as not to cause more pain.

  What is going on?

  Then it all comes flooding back to me. I remember thinking that Cupid was dead. I remember Venus’s face inches from mine. And I remember plunging an arrow into her heart.

  Was it the Finis?

  Suddenly, I scramble into a sitting position, ignoring the pain. My eyes widen. I look around. I’m in a hospital ward. On the chair next to me is my dad, his eyes closed and his chest softly rising and falling. As though sensing me regaining consciousness his eyes flicker open.

  “Lila,” he says in relief. “I was so worried.”

  I look around through bleary eyes. Two figures stand outside the door, facing away from me.

  “Dad?” I say through sudden tears.

  He reaches forward and pulls me into a hug. On hearing our voices, the two figures in the doorway turn around. I am overcome with relief.

  Cupid and Cal. They’re okay.

  As they enter the room, I notice Cal’s subtle limp and the bruising around his wrists where the cables bound him to the metal pole.

  My dad pulls away. “I should get a doctor, tell them you’re awake. You gave us quite a scare. It’s a good job these two young gentlemen were around to get you to a hospital. They’ve watched over you this entire time.”

  He looks approvingly at Cupid.

  “Some scaffolding fell on you, Lila,” my dad says, seeing my confusion. “The doctors said you might forget. I’ll go and get someone now.”

  Behind him, Cupid grins as my dad kisses me on the forehead and hurries out of the room. He throws himself into the chair beside me while Cal lingers by the door.

  “Got to be careful of that scaffolding, lovebug,” Cupid says, winking. He’s wearing gray sweatpants and a white cotton T-shirt. He looks tired, but unharmed.

  “What”—I cough, my voice a croak—“what happened?”

  I rub my throat. Cupid picks up a jug on the side table, pours a glass of water, then hands it to me. I take a gulp. It cools the fire in my throat and I attempt to speak again.

  “What happened?” I ask again “Is She dead?!”

  Cupid nods, his face suddenly serious. “She nearly killed you. You managed to grab the Finis as she was choking you, and you stabbed her in the heart with it. After that she kind of imploded.” He shakes his head. “You were thrown back with the force of it, and you knocked your head pretty hard against the wall. For a moment we thought . . . we thought—”

  “We thought we had lost you,” Cal finishes quietly from the doorway.

  I’m surprised by the intensity of his tone. But when I glance over at him, he looks away.

  “What about Venus’s army?” I ask.

  Cupid shrugs, taking a glass of water for himself.

  “They were never truly behind her. Once you destroyed her, a few of the more extreme agents tried to fight us—the Commander, members of the Arrows—but they were outnumbered. It wasn’t hard to beat them. There’s a lot of work to be done to bring order back to the Matchmaking Service. They’ll be holding an election at the end of the week
to nominate a new leader.” Cupid looks at Cal, still standing rigidly in the doorway. “It won’t surprise you that my rule-abiding brother over there is one of the forerunners for president.”

  Cal gives Cupid a reproachful look, but I notice that he seems to be fighting a smile.

  “What about the others? Charlie, Crystal?”

  Cupid nods. “All fine.”

  I sigh with relief and take another sip of water. “Sorry I shot you.”

  Cupid’s face cracks into a grin and he waves a dismissive hand. “Nah, don’t worry about it,” he says. “It was quite invigorating. I saw my whole life flash before my eyes, and I’m quite an interesting guy. It was like watching a movie.”

  “Plus you did jump out in front of me.”

  He laughs. “True. Anyway, we have something to show you.”

  I look at him curiously and he gestures to the hospital corridor, where my dad is talking to a doctor. I can tell from his expression he is telling one of his dorky dad jokes. She laughs and his face lights up.

  Is he flirting?!

  I look at Cupid, suddenly catching on. “Are they . . . are they matched?”

  I can barely hope to believe it. He’s been so down and alone for so long. Cupid nods. I look at the two brothers, and then back at my dad. He gives me a small wave from outside.

  “I thought everyone only had one match,” I protest. “You said so yourself. That once a person’s match was gone, they would be alone forever.”

  Cupid shakes his head. “Not anymore,” he says. “Now that Venus is gone, the rules are gone too.” He grins. “We’re free,” he says, squeezing my hand. “You freed us all. And not only does that mean that your dad is free to love again, it also means that us cupids are too.”

  His eyes twinkle mischievously. “I hope that doesn’t ruin the whole forbidden love thing I’ve got working for me.”

  “So you’re sticking around then?” I ask, serious.

  He nods. “I’m staying right here with you. You saved me. You saved all of us. Everything is different now.”