Stupid Cupid

Chapter Five

I found Damien still waiting in the conference room. He got up from his seat and together we started walking towards the kitchen.

"Well if this little mishap has taught us anything, it's that we need to up the intensity of our training."

I stared at my uncle, "'Mishap'? I almost died."

"Yes, well, let's not dwell on the past. Although, it would have been nice not to have you complain about my cooking every time I lose a bet, now that I think about it."

I playfully shoved him with my elbow, chuckling a bit. But then I sobered up, "I still want to talk about you assigning me a bodyguard."

Damien sighed, "I only wanted to keep you safe, Raya. There have been rumors about a monster uprising and the unrest between Cupids and Freyjas has been growing into something more than just a rivalry. Some even speculate that it's only a matter of time before the Cupids attack and a full on war breaks out."

My eyebrows shot up, "War? We've never done anything wrong to those snobs. I mean, I guess we could be more helpful in sending monsters to Helheim, and I guess we are a bit unprofessional with our matchmaking, but that doesn't justify going into war."

"I don't know all of the reasons myself, but I think it's safe to assume it's a bit more complicated than that."

We walked into the kitchen and I sat on a stool, catching the plastic water bottle Damien threw my way. I scrunched my eyebrows and thought about how a war would affect my life.

Damien continued, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Hadley. I didn't want to risk losing you. Not like-" his throat caught and he swallowed hard, and said quietly, "Not like Erica and Kayson."

I clenched my jaw in anger at the reminder of my parents' deaths, but I gently said, "Their deaths were not your fault, Uncle Damien. You couldn't have done anything to prevent it."

"I know that in my head, but..." He trailed off.

I stood up from my stool and walked around the counter to give him a hug, "I know."

Damien hugged back tightly for a minute, but then stepped back and cleared his throat, "Hadley had just moved here and was your age and proved to be very well trained. I saw an opportunity and I took it. I didn't introduce you two or tell you that she was looking out for you because I didn't want you to react like, well, this. I just needed to know you were safe without you trying to ditch Hadley or resist." He paused, "It just came as an added plus that she could also watch out for your shenanigans and settle them as best she could before they turned into another monkey incident."

I smirked a little, "But that's the best kind of shenanigans."

Damien shook his head, "You're lucky I tolerate you enough to pay off the zookeepers and police officers and everyone else involved."

"Tolerate? Please. I've got you wrapped around my little finger."

He snorted, "Not if I have to waste another $750,000 just to clean up your mess."

The kitchen door opened before I could respond. Lance walked through with Zayd in tow. Zayd was a thirty-something-year-old man with a lean build, dirty blond hair and perceptive gray eyes. I think I've heard him say a total of seven words, four of them being a very blunt— and incredibly rude, might I add— "you're a terrible fighter" straight to my face.

"You summoned us, Chief?" Lance bit into an apple after he and Zayd claimed the stools across from me.

Damien turned to Lance and Zayd, "Training needs to be improved upon. You being our top instructors, see to it. And make training mandatory for now on."

Lance shrugged, "Sure. Why the sudden need?"

"There has just been a draugr attack. It would seem the monsters are now comfortable enough to engage."

The intructors took in my cuts and bruises and my newly bandaged head. Lance clenched his jaw and Zayd sucked in a breath.

Lance spoke to me with a calm fury, "The draugr attacked you?"

As soon as I nodded, Lance and Zayd abruptly stood from their stools and marched towards the door.

I hopped down from my own stool and called after them, "Where are you going?"

Zayd turned back to me and, in a quiet and cold voice, said, "Hunting."

Lance growled out, "No one harms the heir and gets away with it."

Damien held up a hand and calmly replied, "The draugr is dead. Killed by a Cupid."

There was a stunned silence. Lance's thoughts were clearly displayed through his expressions, disbelief being the most apparent. Zayd's face, as per usual, remained expressionless.

These men were ready to willingly go hunt and fight a draugr for me just because I happened to be born a chief... What did I do to deserve that kind of loyalty? That devotion? They could have died in that fight, and they knew it. But they were willing to do it anyway. The magic Freyja instilled on the clan members to protect their chief is stronger than I thought. Not wanting to think about it any longer, I returned to the topic of training.

"I need better training. The draugr would have easily killed me if Hadley and Noah hadn't stepped in." Zayd's jaw ticked. "I knew I was bad at hand-to-hand combat but I didn't realize I was so unprepared for a fight with a real monster. I want to be ready next time."

"Hopefully there won't be a next time," Damien replied, "But I agree. That's why training will now be mandatory for everyone. Lance, Zayd, and I will head training for you and the rest of your Freyja classmates."

"Lance, too? No offense to you, Lance, but we both know I'm a better shot than you." I smirked.

Lance chuckled, "None taken. But it won't be gun's we'll be training with. I happen to be an expert on Greek and Norse mythology. I'll be teaching you everything I know so next time you won't be so caught off guard."

"I guess that's smart. I'm excited to start," I smiled.