*CUPID'S MATCH BOOK 2* FIRST DRAFT
Lila receives an ominous Valentine's Day card.
Cupid & Cal are keeping a dark secret.
Fate is being interfered with.
And a sadistic, and extremely powerful banished cupid is intent on stealing Lila's heart. Literal...
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The darkness is thick by the time Cupid parks the car in a small parking lot on the cliff above the cove. A part of me had expected Valentine and his army to jump out of the shadows at us the moment we arrived, but the desolate coast seems deserted. When the engine cuts out, all I can hear is the wild song of the waves, crashing against the rocks and creeping onto the sand.
For a moment I feel a pang of panic, twisting inside my body.
What if I got it wrong? What if the hearts aren't here after all, and I've wasted the final hours that we have to figure this out?
But then I force the nagging voices away, my resolve strengthening.
No, this is it. It has to be.
Cupid catches my eye in the rear-view mirror.
"You remember which cave?" he says.
I chew on my lip nervously.
"I was only four years old," I say. "Hopefully I'll know it when I see it..."
He nods, a grin spreading on his face that doesn't meet his eyes.
"OK. Better start looking then! I'll get the weapons."
He opens the door and climbs out, letting in a whoosh cold air. I tense for a moment, the scent of the ocean involuntarily bringing back the memory of Valentine's blue eyes. When the door closes again, blocking out the wind and the memory, Cal turns stiffly in his seat to look at me. His slender shoulders tense beneath the grey sweater he's wearing. He takes a deep breath – seemingly struggling to meet my eyes. When he does there's a passion burning among the silvery flecks.
"Lila," his voice sounds a little choked.
"What is it, Cal?"
He runs a hand through his hair agitatedly, then looks at me again.
"I don't think I'm going to survive this..."
"Cal...you will. We all will. We're going to beat him."
"Lila," he says. "Let me finish."
I close my mouth and nod. He hesitates.
"I accept it," he says. "I accept my death. And..."
Outside we hear Cupid close the trunk of the car. Cal's eyes sharpen.
"Don't do anything brave. Don't do anything stupid. Not for me. If it's my time, it's my time. Don't let Valentine manipulate you. I've lived a long life. And I've had more than my share of loss. So has Cupid. I...he..." he sighs. "we don't want to live in a world without you."
I shake my head violently, dispelling the negative thoughts Cal has provoked.
"No...you're going to be fine. We're going to be fine. We'll get the hearts, destroy them, send Venus back, and get your life thread back."
