It's all Cupid's fault (The Holidaze Book 2)

Chapter 12

Chapter 12
Mia had barely registered the strong arms around her, the flap of feathery wings, or the breeze upon her face before they reappeared in her own world. Cupid set her down quickly but she still recalled exactly how anywhere he touched her tingled delightfully,
He had held her closer than she could've anticipated, which left her both mesmerised and overawed. That's what it was like for a God to hold you in his arms. She quickly held in her sigh as she thought back to the shared kiss that she had never once forgotten. If only she could experience that again.
An awkward moment surrounded them until Mia noticed something she'd missed, “you have wings!”
She stared at the wonder before her that was the God of Love. In fact, she struggled to remove her eyes from such magnificence. She had told herself that she could ignore the perfect hair, face, body and everything else that Cupid was, until now. Seeing him with large, feathery wings protruding from his back only added to his transcendence.
“It's my way of getting around between dimensions,” Cupid admitted as he pulled his wings in and tucked them away.
“That's darn… cool,” Mia couldn't think of a word to describe such a dazzling sight, but she also needed to express her admiration.
“Let's get this truce thing going,” Cupid changed the topic.
“Fine, let's go to my office,” Mia shoved her childish reaction away and turned to the business at hand.
Mia didn't get another choice of being in his arms, but he did magic them to her office. When she walked in the door, all of her staff stared at Cupid and she sighed.
“Don't distract everyone,” Mia accused Cupid.
“They just know when the real matchmaker has walked into the room,” Cupid replied as he openly grinned at the room.
Every single person swayed towards that grin and Mia had to grit her teeth. She hated not only that he received all of that attention but that he didn't give her any of that attention.
“That's enough gaggling. Don't we have weddings to organise?” Mia clapped her hands and the spellbound room turned to her with a swiftness she hadn't expected.
“Mia, there you are. We have the Brighton’s wedding to discuss. There's also the flower arrangements for the Cutler wedding that have disappeared,” Gala said as she approached her boss. She came to a halt and stared gape mouthed at Cupid.
“You so need to turn off the charm,” Mia grumbled.
“This is all natural,” Cupid smirked at her.
“Gala, hello, over here,” Mia snapped her fingers and Gala turned her entranced face to see her boss.
“Oh, Mia, I didn't see you there,” Gala said.
“You were in the middle of talking to me when you were distracted. Right now I want you to download the last five years of statistics on people we married and whether they're still together or not,” Mia demanded.
“How would I know if they're together?” Gala asked.
“Come on, Gala, ring around and find out. I do know that you and everyone else here have a tally of who made it and who didn't. I know all about the outlandish bets you guys have made over the years.”
Gala said nothing but turned and made her way into Mia's office. Mia noticed her staff staring between her and Cupid only to focus on Cupid with a dreamy gaze.
“I'm not sure what this will say about your skill as a matchmaker,” Cupid goaded.
“It's simple, Gala gives me the name, I say whether I thought they'd make it as a couple or not. After that we go back to your depressing Holidaze and compare whether you matched them together or not.”
“No cheating.”
“I don't need to cheat,” Mia rolled her eyes.
By the time Mia entered her office, Gala already had a few of the pages downloaded. This was why Mia employed her, she did an excellent job.
“You can start with these, they're from last year. It'll take me a lot more time to go further back,” Gala said as she handed Mia the sheet of paper.
“Thank you,” Mia said as she pulled the paper towards her.
The list contained no other information than the couples names and when they were married. Immediately Mia began to mark down next to the couples names if she thought they were still together or not. Gala had included a photo of the couple so she easily recognised them.
“First page done, keep them coming, Gala,” Mia encouraged.
Gala did exactly that. By the end, Mia had a sheath of papers all with notations on how each fared as a couple. Mia waggled the papers at Cupid.
“Let's get back and do a bit of comparison,” Mia said.
“Fine, but then we call a truce,” Cupid insisted.
“I've agreed. Let's prove who's the best match maker,” Mia said with a smug smile.
Before Mia could anticipate the move, Cupid swept her into his arms and they vanished from her office. She pondered if this in any way disturbed her staff, but not a single one of them noticed her actions.
Landing in his office to see a grinning Devinah made Cupid scowl, but Mia beamed at the woman. Devinah had a pile of papers much the same as Mia's.
“Back so soon?” Devinah asked with a grin.
“I'm here to prove a point,” Mia replied with an equal grin.
“And I have all of this for you to get that result,” Devinah patted the pile next to her. “I actually cross referenced them down to the ones you married, so you won't have to search too hard.”
“Thank you.”
“You should be on my side,” Cupid chided.
“If you got off your butt and did your job right I wouldn't have to help her,” Devinah argued.
Mia ignored the bickering and focused on matching names and marital status to prove her point. At no time did she wonder what had caused the other two to quit making any noise, but she appreciated the silence.
“Cherub!” Devinah's delight made Mia lift her head.
A tiny child with perfect, fluffy wings, wearing only a sash smiled down upon Mia. It's golden curls billowed around its head, and in its hands was the smallest bow Mia had ever seen, with no arrows in sight.
Mia peered at it for a long moment as the cherub glowed its glory of a smile upon her. Music filled the air and Mia twitched uncomfortably. The cherub swooped down to the table where Mia had her work in different piles. Mia leapt back and scattered her efforts everywhere.
“I thought they were all gone,” Devinah said in wonder.
“It had better not try and stick me with an arrow,” Mia screamed as she darted further away.
On seeing Mia's fright, the cherub stopped moving closer to her and raised a hand as if to placate her. The joy on the cherub's little face faded as it crept away.
“Everything's as well as it can be, Cherub. Come forward, we will not harm you,” Devinah sang the words in a comforting melody. She made coaxing movements towards the cherub, but that only made the cherub move further away. “Caramia, I need you to call the cherub to you,” Devinah encouraged.
“What? No way! I don't want it shooting me with arrows. Then I'd end up stuck falling for him or you,” Mia gestured wildly between Cupid and Devinah.
“Please, I'm begging you to call it to you. Cherubs left here so long ago that to see one again lightens my heart,” Devinah pleaded.
“Not happening!”
“The cherub chose you. It chose you, Mia. It means you have a significance here. The cherubs are the very welcoming force that is our world. No harm will come to you,  nor will any arrows come your way. The cherub welcomes you.”
“Cherub, come here,” Cupid commanded.
Mia watched with interest as the cherub pouted, crossed its arms and refused to go anywhere near Cupid. That sparked something inside Mia. If the cherub came to her then it would prove that Mia was a much better matchmaker than Cupid. Her fear of the small baby vanished and her heart lightened.
Without a word, Mia turned to the cherub and grinned. Her fingers shook a little as she reached towards the flying child armed with a bow.
The strangest but most welcoming song filled the air and danced along a delightful melody that brightened something in Mia that she couldn't explain. It took Mia a moment to notice that it came from the cherub. It's bow had turned into a harp and the cherub plucked at its strings.
“They don't speak. The harp is their voice as the bow is their instrument,” Devinah whispered.
Mia couldn't answer because she found herself enchanted by the sound of the harp and the glorious smile on that small child's face. The cherubs smile glowed angelically and that only left Mia more enraptured.
Her fears fled and she grew more confident in the cherub's presence. Why would she find a cute baby scary? These were the most delightful beings she had ever seen.
“I can't imagine how you worked for that annoying God for so long. Has he treated you so badly that you had to leave?” Mia crooned to the cherub, which nodded its head, and she grinned in triumph at a sullen Cupid.
“I never treated them badly,” Cupid insisted, but Mia ignored him.
“As long as you don't attack me with your arrows, I'll look after you,” Mia crooned.
“You don't even belong in this dimension,” Cupid growled out his protest.
“It doesn't matter what dimension I'm from. If you treat anyone well they tend to hang around you a lot more often,” Mia cheerfully stated.
At Mia's words, a whole host of cherubs sprang into existence. The room they were in rang with the echo of harp song as the cherubs gathered around Mia. Every cherub had a dreamy smile aimed at Mia, and at no time did they spare a glance for Cupid.
“I can't believe this,” Cupid waved an irritated hand and all of the cherubs turned to him.
Together the harps turned discordant and all of the cherubs poked their tongues out at Cupid. Mia started to laugh. It looked like the cherubs had the same opinion of Cupid as she did.
Although none of them had probably enjoyed his kiss the way that she had. The reminder of the kiss they shared always threatened to take away her focus for the moment. The way his lips had explored hers, the heat, and the way he made every part of her tingle raced through her mind.
“Damn cherubs! Traitors the lot of you,” Cupid growled and that brought Mia back.
“I think they're sweet,” Mia said warmly as one leaned in to peck her on the cheek and left with a giggle.
“They're not here to be in any way sweet! The cherubs have a job to do and they haven't done it in ages.”
“Are they supposed to be out in the world matching up couples? You stole their job with the use of the Match-a-Magic,” Devinah snapped and a cherub went straight to her side and began playing music for her.
“You're outnumbered now,” Mia snickered.
“We're working on a truce here and what a few cherubs think means nothing,” Cupid scoffed.
“I actually think that it says a hell of a lot,” Devinah replied smugly.
Cupid couldn't answer when he knew that she was right. Having the cherubs focus actually was more telling than just being the God of Love. It vexed him to know that she was right.
The God of Love and the delighter of the world watched the cherubs dance and play around Mia. Cupid tried hard to hide how much it bothered him.
If the cherubs wouldn't come to him, it would spell his doom. They had chosen a new God of Love and shunned him. That much stood out to him.
Cupid had let the Match-a-Matic take too much control and it could cause him to lose his world. How could he have done something so monumentally dumb?