Cupid's Match : CUPID'S MATCH BOOK 1

Chapter 31

I tentatively get out of the car and close the door behind me.

Cupid and Cal already stand on the pavement - a steady flow of people dressed in party clothes stream around them.

The air here is humid and smells like perfume and car exhausts.

"Where are we exactly?" I ask - joining them

The two brothers begin to walk down the colourfully lit boulevard- my supposed match a few steps ahead.

"Cupid knows someone who may have information on the Arrows," says Cal "We need to assess how real this threat is."

A few hundred metres down the road we stop outside a club. The word ELYSIUM hovers over the entrance, glowing pink against the dark night sky. A low beat vibrates from its open doorway and from it a long line of people extends all the way down the street.

I raise my eyebrow at Cal.

"Please tell me we're not queuing...." I say "We'll be here all night - can't he speak to his friend by...I don't know... phone or something?"

Cupid looks down and smirks at me. I notice the cotton of his shirt lightly clinging to his body in the LA heat - and feel myself flush slightly in the darkness as I stare at the outline of his muscles.

"Of course we're not queuing," he says "We're not going to the human part of the club - that's just a cover. And Selena doesn't have a phone - last time I checked Apple hadn't installed a waterproof app."

I get a grip of myself.

"What....?" I begin - but he has already walked towards one of two burly looking bouncers at the front.

Cal shares a half smile with me in an uncharacteristically friendly gesture, then follows his brother. I walk beside him.

When we approach, Cupid is whispering something into the security guards ear. The suited man nods.

"They're with me," Cupid says - gesturing at the two of us.

The bouncer nods again and stands aside.

Cupid leads the way down a dark corridor - strobe lights flash at one end and music pounds towards us from the main dance floor.

I don't see what good meeting anyone in these conditions will be; it's too loud to even think, let alone talk.

Before we reach the main room however, Cupid veers off to the left and stops at a small, unremarkable looking door. He leans against the wall beside it waiting for us.  As I reach it I notice that the image of a three headed animal has been scratched into the rotting wood above the door handle. 

A dog maybe?

Cupid watches us as we approach and then focuses his gaze on me.

He grins, the brightness of his smile briefly taking me aback despite the strangeness of this evening. I get the familiar feeling in my stomach that I'm falling as his eyes seem to take me in hungrily. 

My usual rationale for shaking this feeling would be that I have a boyfriend.

But do I have one any more?

Then he drags his gaze away from me and towards the door handle.

"Get ready for this," he shouts over the deep thud of the bass

He pushes open the door.

"Welcome to Elysium."