What If Our Life Threads Bind?

Chapter 24.

Cassandra

This has started to tire me.

The darkness around me right now makes this street looks like an old photograph, a shade of grays and blacks pitched in together. I can feel myself blink although it doesn't make much of a difference. I can't hear anything either. I guess that should bring my heart rate down to the level of rabbit in a snare but I am the predator. Although, sometimes I feel like a prey but I have my eyes in front for a hunt.

Dawn is many hours away and till then I can only wait. Moving makes a noise and we wouldn't want our prey to catch us hunting now would we? But the problem is, if I don't move, I don't hunt and there's no way, I am going to let this go away.

It is supposed to be easy. I walked the same route at the same time for two months to the tapestry shop nearby to capture nothing but a heap of dust instead of the life threads that I had been seeking. It wasn't working-searching two threads in a factory of millions of threads.

My eyes glisten past the windowpane towards Austin, eyes closed-snoring into his pillow. It has taken me a month to get to his window and understand at what time he retires to bed. He has already seen me a couple of times, watching him sleep. I am tired of this and I can't take anymore risk. If he gets to know who I am....

I take a good look at him and tighten my grip over the chloroform dipped napkin. As if on cue, he shifts to his side and his breath hitches when he sees me, those brown eyes turning black and wide. I instinctively take a step back but recover as soon as I realize that I am wearing a mask.

"What the-" He doesn't get time to finish his sentence. I smack his mouth with my poisoned napkin and he struggles. He tries to wild out of my grip but I hold him still and after a few minutes, his eyes close. I hold his head in my arms and bring my lips to his, his mouth melting into mine.

I kiss him hard, pushing my body to his and letting us fall to his bed. I really wish he was awake right now and make out with me, like we used to do. I can never forget how his mouth tastes like. I slide out of his heat and take a strand of his hair, a smile creeping up my face.

...

I roll my eyes at the red and pink painted walls around me and pull myself up out of the red heart shaped armchair. I am almost knocked over by a stunning blonde with her hands on the keyboard typing furiously something. I look at her and the mug sitting next to her, a -My Valentine-written across it. I roll my eyes again and cleared my throat. The blonde woman looks up at me.

"Cass?...give me a second. I'll just let the boss know that you're here." She smiles a little and I nod, my eyes momentarily scraping over the pink light reflected back by a puddle-Matched written on with the pinkish red light.

A minute later with a sound of a ping, I was allowed to follow the blonde girl into a red room. "Mr. Eros will see you now." She said and I knocked on the door. I pressed my ear on the door and heard a small murmur of "Come in."

"Ah...Cass. How are you doing?"

"Since when did you start keeping a receptionist? And, how does she know my name?......and, why are you wearing a suit?"

"She's a robot. Scans everyone who comes in and registers it. Mother thought she would be convenient. What do you mean, I shouldn't be in a suit? What did you expect- for me to wear a diaper with a bow and an arrow and float?"

I grinned. "I did have something like that in mind." I said and he gestured his hand towards a chair in front of him. I take the seat and look him in the eye, raising Austin's life thread in the air for him to see.

"We discussed this, Cassandra. You asked us to make sure that Martha falls in love even though its not written. She is a demigod but we have entered her in our system and she has started to get attracted to a wide variety of boys. Now, whose life thread is this?"

"A mortal." I tell him and he doesn't move for a minute. His expressions frozen serious.

"Are you kidding me? This is dangerous, Cass. Why would you even think of that? Zeus will kill me for matching Martha's life thread with a mortal."

"I'll cover for you. Just do it."

"I don't know what you're-"

"Just. do. it." I grit my teeth and he sighs.

"Fine. I'll look into it. But this is against the laws. Whose life thread is it?"

"Austin Templeton." I whisper.

He scoffs. "No way. Your boyfriend?"

"My ex-boyfriend. Now do as I tell you to do."

"Mother told me about you and Zeus' son...You've been seeing each other, right? Are you sure Zeus won't get mad about this match?" He asks and I smile confidently.

"Trust me on this." I winked.

"If you say so... I will do the needful."

"How long will this take?"

"Give me time. Love takes time and then it spreads."

"...and then it kills you. Just like poison." I finished his line and he grins.

"Just like poison."