Arrow to the Heart: A Cupid Romance

Chapter 55

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My thoughts in this moment are slow. Very slow.

The first thought is ow, that hurts.

The second is there's an arrow sticking out of my chest. Which I guess means that there's part of an arrow inside my chest.

The third is there's a hole in my new magenta turtleneck.

And I just finished carefully seam-ripping all the tags out.

And fourth, it occurs to me that this is probably a very bad thing.

Which might be why Eli is suddenly hovering above me making that face.

That's the face someone makes when they're about to tell you everything will be okay, but they know deep down that it won't.

He calls out to Dec and he races over.

If he's here, does that mean we won?

Dec drops to his knees beside me.

"No no no," he murmurs. He lifts me so my back rests on his thighs. "No no no no no."

He says it almost like a chant—like a prayer.

"Bree, no," he says, shaking his head. "You can't do this to me. You can't."

Eli stands up and shouts to someone.

"You don't want Saint as an enemy? Then help her!"

A woman rounds the corner—the Fates' leader. Her eyes widen as she looks at me.

"I..." she says. "I don't know what we can do for her, I..."

"What do your precious fucking prophecies tell you will happen if she dies, huh?" Dec shouts, his voice rough and broken. "Because I swear to god I'll level your whole fucking empire. You've got a whole goddamn floor of magical shit in this building. So you run upstairs and you find something to save her right fucking now or I'll kill every last one of you, you hear me?"

The woman takes off in a sprint, shouting to a few others.

It all feels like it's happening in slow motion. Everyone is shouting over the agonized cries of many of the Fates still writhing in pain. The faces above me are blurring in and out. Bodies are running past.

I'm pretty sure I should be freaking out right now, but it's like I'm numb to all of it.

Is this what shock feels like?

I watch in fascinated horror as blood pools around the arrow wound, and I can't help but bring my hand up to touch it. It doesn't seem real.

My mind has trouble making sense of it, but something is wrong. Something isn't making sense.

When I hold my fingers up to the light, instead of blood, I see a warm gold fluid that shimmers in the light like moonstone.

Before I can process it, Dec takes my hand in his, inspecting it with urgency.

"You... you have it too..." he says, hope flickering in his eyes.

Eli and Dec crowd around me.

"What is that?" Eli asks. "What's happening?"

"It happened to me earlier. My blood came out that gold color and when I removed the arrow, I healed. I thought it was the ring, but..."

"It's affecting Bree too?"