Arrow to the Heart: A Cupid Romance

Chapter 43

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When I show up at Bree's door with an overnight bag, she just giggles and invites me in without question.

"So I take it your work thing didn't go well?" she asks as I set down my bag beside the couch. I sit down and pull her onto my lap, wrapping both arms around her waist and burying my face in her hair.

I take a deep breath, letting the scent of her peach shampoo calm my nerves.

I can't let Alvarez take her from me. I wouldn't fucking survive.

"Actually," I say, resting my head on her shoulder, "I had a run-in with your old Cupid—Diego Alvarez."

"Oh. And that's bad because...?"

"He's convinced I sabotaged him and he's out for revenge. I mean, I did sabotage him, just not exactly the way he thinks."

"Oh."

"And he found out about you and I."

"Oh."

"Yeah." I let out a long sigh.

"That's... bad, right?" She turns so that she can see my face.

"It depends on just how much he knows. I'm worried that he'll..." Make you hate me. Make you leave me. "...target you in some way."

"Okay so, what does that mean? What could he do?"

"Play with your emotions. Twist how you feel about... things."

Bree is silent for a moment, and I try to read her to get a sense of what she's thinking, but I don't get much.

There are limits to a Cupid's powers, even mine. The more someone's emotions become intertwined with our own, the harder it is to read them. I guess it's good—knowing your partner's every feeling might be a recipe for disaster. But I can't help but feel handicapped by my struggles to read Bree lately.

I want to know what she's fucking thinking, damn it.

"Well what would you do?" she asks. "If you were him, what would be your plan?"

It depends on how much he knows. If he was able to pick up on how I feel about Bree, then it's easy. Take away the woman I'm obsessed with. Make her despise me. Maybe lure her into the arms of someone else.

I can't fucking stomach the thought.

"He could try to turn you against me," I say.

"Could he do that?" she asks. "Like, with his Cupid powers? Could he just make me dislike you?"

"It's not quite that simple. He'd have to set things up just right, but yeah. He could."

"Couldn't you just use your powers to make me like you again?"

"I could, yeah, but..." I sigh. "Our powers only last so long. Mine last longer than most, but they still wear off."

"Well, then his would wear off too, right?"

"Yeah. Which is why, if he's smart, he won't just use his powers. He'll do more subtle stuff, find ways to manipulate you so that what you feel is real. A touch or two can help speed things along, but it can only last if it comes from a real place."

"That's crazy..." she says softly. "Cupids can just do that? Just break people up or stick them together on a whim?"

"Most of the time, yeah."