Finding Cupid

Chapter 7

POV: Eros 

"She fell asleep," Addy pointed out once the movie ended. Even though I knew, I still looked over. Sure enough, there was Alice on the floor by her dad's feet, hair mussed from moving in her sleep. Her eyes were closed most of the way, but I guessed she was one of those people who slept with their eyes open. "Here, I'll wake her up."

            "No!" They looked over at me and I bit my cheek, looking down at her sleeping form. She had been through enough today, and I remembered being in the same place as she was. Losing someone you loved was the worst thing in the world; she was going to spend a lot of nights awake wondering how he could be there one second and gone the next. She should sleep while she could. "I've got it. I'll carry her."

            Addy gave me a suspicious glance, but said nothing else. They watched as I knelt and scooped her up, cradling her against me like a baby. She instinctively curled into me, wrapping one arm around my neck and pressing the other hand onto my chest. She looked so peaceful in her sleep—none of the stress that normally lined her face was there. I barely felt the weight of her being there. She must have started to heat up in her sleep because I could feel her warmth through the layers of our clothes and damn Iris for planting the seed in my mind because I never thought this much of Alice before. Addy snickered a little and brought me back to my senses.

            "Well she certainly looks comfortable!" Addy laughed. Maria lightly swatted her on the head. "What?"

            "Addison Louise! Your sister is sleeping. Don't be rude." Maria scolded her lightly. Addy scowled in response, but she fell silent. "Thank you so much for coming, Eros. It was so wonderful meeting you, and thank you for understanding and being such a good friend to Alice."

            I didn't know how to respond, mostly because I had been pretty terrible to Alice, and did not deserve any of their kindness. I was the main reason their daughter had not been in touch with them for the past few days, and it was important that she remained informed at such a dire time. I nodded in response and, shifting Alice slightly so that it looked like I had a normal human amount of strength, started to walk towards the door. I had almost made it to the front door when Alice's father stopped me.

            "Eros?" His voice was unsteady, and I saw in that moment just how sick he really was. He asked Maria to wheel him closer to me, and then asked her to leave us so we could discuss some things. Once her and Addy were safely farther away, he said my name again.

            "Yes, sir?" Alice stirred lightly in my arms, and he paused to make sure she wouldn't wake up.

            "First of all, I believe I neglected to introduce myself. Edmund Parker. Pleasure. Secondly, and listen carefully, Cupid, or Eros, or whatever you go by, because I know what you are. If you hurt my daughter the way her mother hurt me, cancer or not, I will hunt you down. I will make sure you feel every ounce of pain Alice felt."

            "Yes, sir," I nodded. It was an empty threat. Not only was I a supernatural being—he could not even wheel himself to the door. He nodded in acknowledgement.

            "This will probably be the last time you see me, Eros. I am dying, quite frankly. But I don't want my daughter to see that. I want you to keep her busy, do you understand? I want you to keep her away from here. She never has been good with death. I don't want her to see me, okay?" He was shockingly calm in his proclamation, and I could not help but flinch when he said that he was dying. It was plain to see from the weakness of a form that had once been the picture of strength.

            "Yes, sir," I repeated. Then I snapped out of it. I was a God for crying out loud! I should not have to feel so insignificant next to a mortal whose life was so fleeting. "Your daughter has caused me more trouble than she is worth, Parker. I'm not going to have anything to do with her once we find the cure—"