The Heart of Love

CHAPTER NINE

Two Thousand Years Ago

Sardina, Greece

Eros

You have a fucking job to do, Eros, about time you started fucking doing it. It's the only thing going through my head as I carefully knock out the palace guard in an alley behind the palace. I didn't hurt him overly much, he'll just take a well deserved nap, and give me the opportunity to take his place.

I chose this guard for a reason, because he was their captain, and he was loved by his men, just enough for me to be able to take his form.

A shudder comes over me as my bright blue eyes fade to a knowing grey, my blonde darkening to a black and the lines of age falling on my face. I smiled slightly at Zora, when I dropped him on her for the duration of the day, she was happy to do this small favor for me. Especially since she was now free of the brothel.

"The Princess, she's the woman you mentioned before yes?" Zora whispered.

Another thing many don't know about me, Love never lies. I physically am incapable of lying, and it's been a constant source of irritation for me throughout the millennia, though I've found ways around it.

"She is."

Zora nods solemnly, and I doubt she knows that I caught her brushing away a lock of the guards hair from his face as he slept.

"She is very beautiful," Zora murmurs, fretting over the guard some more.

"It's not her beauty, Zora..." Why am I explaining to her? I can't have Psyche, I'm disguised now so I can figure out a way for her to become married to another. "It doesn't matter. If he wakes up before I get back, summon me."

Zora nods solemnly again, and I leave the small home she's bought for herself, and head for the palace, sure to take the exact route the guard does every morning.

Several guards call out to me in greeting, and I feign interest and knowledge about their days. In the guards room, they gossip with each other, worse than old women.

"Another prince for the princess," one remarks.

"She deserves better than a prince," another comes back.

Even the guards protect Psyche, I wonder if they know that one of their ilk tried to take her against her will the other night.

"Captain?" One calls to me.

I turn my head towards him with a raised brow.

"Your spear," he murmurs, gesturing to the spear that turned to dust in my grip.

Fuck, Eros, get control of yourself.

"It was about to splinter already I'm sure," I murmur, stepping neatly around the need to lie, reaching over for a new spear, I gather the two guards that are on duty with me and together we march to the library, where Psyche will be greeting her newest suitors.

Once I catch sight of her, I release the breath I didn't know I was holding. I've missed her...even in the span of hours since it was that I last saw her.

I take a step forward on instinct, about to touch her, but I stop myself from going farther forward, reminded that I'm disguised as a guard, and I'm here to find her future husband. Someone for her to...love.

Everything in me recoils at that thought. She will love someone else. Touch someone else. I need to not picture that right now, it's extremely counterproductive to me ever picking a husband for her.