“Why…” she tripped on her words as she floated down to earth. “I…”
“We have work to do,” he said with a wicked grin. “We don’t have time to waste.” He seized her hand as she scowled and led her toward the back of the restaurant. “Remember to stay close. We don’t know what we’re walking into.”
“I hate you,” Amorette humphed, but her words lacked conviction.
“No, you don’t.” Valentin winked. “You love it. You like living on the edge. We aren’t so different.” He leaned closer to whisper conspiratorially in her ear. “Plus, I love watching you ache for me. Imagine how sweet it’ll be if you’re a good girl and wait patiently for your Valentine’s Day gift.”
Valentine’s Day gift? If anyone else had said that, Amorette would’ve rolled her eyes with annoyance. But the promise on Cupid’s tongue? Her anticipation lamented the delayed pleasure, but the thrill of his praise kept her quiet. She would wait, the ache electrifying her almost as much as their hunt.
Amorette shifted on edge as they ventured down to The Rye’s basement. Valentin walked before her, seemingly unruffled by their encounter in the dim hallway, and she glared at his back. Her heart threatened to explode just being near him. How was he so calm? Didn’t he feel the dangerous sparks flying between them, threatening to consume them with destructive flames?
Valentin strode forward, every inch the legendary warrior, brutal weapon clutched in his fists. He’d given her another arrow, and she gripped it like a baseball bat. It was so large compared to her, she didn’t need to be an experienced fighter to inflict damage with it. One well-placed swing and her enemies would regret waking up that morning, but a sudden fantasy played out in her head of her and Cupid fighting side by side, equal in their skill.
“I recognize the scent of a man downstairs,” Valentin whispered, his body stiffening with awareness. “It’s a shame. This seemed like a nice place.”
“Do you really think this is a front?” Amorette asked, stepping closer to him.
“From the upstairs appearance, I would’ve said no, but the basement feels different. Evil hangs thick in the air.”
“Is Cavitto here? Doug?”
“No… I don’t scent them.” They rounded a dark corner and came face to face with a heavily locked office door. “Stay behind me and keep your eyes open. Things are going to happen fast.”
Valentin tested the handle, but when it didn’t budge, his hand found her stomach, palm flattening protectively over her. He pushed her back as he settled into place, and nocking an arrow, he lifted a powerful leg and kicked down the door.
The wood cracked into splinters upon impact, an orchestra of panicked male voices joining the groaning hinges, and Valentin lunged through the doorway, his towering frame filling every inch of space. Through the sliver of air between his arm and the wall, Amorette watched a man grab for his gun, but before his fingers could grip the handle, Valentin loosed an arrow. With a flash of gold, the arrowhead pierced the man’s hand, pinning it to the desk, and as he roared in pain, Valentin nocked a second arrow, shooting the man racing for them. It hit his shoulder, slamming him into the wall, and with an efficient,perfunctory scan of the office, Valentin shifted so the restrained men could see who stood behind him. The man bleeding on the desk snarled when he saw her, and Amorette shuddered as her memory flashed to him punching Doug so hard in the mouth, he spat crimson onto the carpet.
“The lady has something she would like to ask you,” Valentin said, his gaze studying her as her limbs shook imperceptibly. She shot him a panicked look, but he simply raised his eyebrows and jerked his head toward the office. Their eyes competed in a silent standoff, but despite the rigid structure of his shoulders and the deadly bow, his eyes were soft and full of grace. They spoke volumes, and Amorette understood. He wanted her to speak, to seize control of the situation and reclaim what they stole from her. An overwhelming realization flooded her as he gifted her that power. She could love this man. The person who not only protected her but gave her a voice in her own fate.
Armed Cupid at her back, Amorette strode into the room, gaze avoiding the pooling blood as she emulated Valentin’s confidence. “Where’s Cavitto?” she asked, settling before the desk. The man’s cold eyes surveyed her as if she was an insect invading his space, and he lunged for his gun with his free hand.
“Where is Cavitto?” Amorette threw herself across the desk and snatched the gun from the pooling blood before he could. She’d never held one before, and his blood coated her fingers as she leaped back to safety. Panic flooded her chest. She smelled the coppery scent, felt the sticky liquid, and her breath escaped her lungs in desperate gasps. The room was spinning, spinning, spinning. She was going to pass out.
A solid chest pressed against her spine as a hand pulled the gun from her grasp. The sudden pressure of Valentin’s weight grounded her, and with a shaky breath, Amorette reached back to grip his shirt with a white-knuckled fist.
“Still the terrified little bitch we found in that asshole’s bed this morning,” the man at the desk sneered, and his cruelty snapped her out of her downward spiral. “I see you get around. Couldn’t even wait for Cavitto to kill Doug before you decided to whor?—”
Amorette smacked him with the arrow, the look of surprise on his face matching her own. It wasn’t a hard blow, barely enough to knock his head to the side, but she wasn’t trying to hurt him. Only warn him that no one talked to her like that, not anymore, especially when the man at her back went feral at the insult. A tap to the temple from her was nothing compared to what Cupid would do if he didn’t watch his tongue.
“An arrow pins your hand to the desk,” she said calmly, pulling the golden rod to her stomach. “I have no interest in running you through with another, but if you continue to act uncivilly, I’ll step out of his way.” She nodded behind her, feeling braver by the second as Cupid’s weight urged her onward. “Now, what will it be? Tell me where Cavitto is or let vengeance have his turn with you?”
“It’s cute that you think your little threats will get me to roll over like a lap dog,” the man spat. “I didn’t become who I am by running my mouth.”
A crash jerked her attention sideways, her brain barely registering the golden arrow clattering to the floor before she saw the second man rush for them. He was massive, all muscle and no neck, and he bent forward, aiming to take both her and Valentin out in one blow. Amorette braced for the pain, but Valentin’s fist shot out inhumanly fast, his knuckles greeting the man’s throat. A strangled choking echoed throughout the office as his head flew backward at an awkward angle before he crashed to the tile, writhing in agony.
“As I was saying,” Amorette turned back to the man at the desk, shocked by how calm she sounded. “Will you tell me what I want to know?”
“Go fuck yourself,” the man said. “I’m dead even if I tell you, so your threats are useless.”
“No? Well, don’t say I didn’t give you a chance.” She stepped aside, shaking with nerves and exhilaration as Valentin moved to the desk. With controlled yet threatening movements, he placed his powerful hands on its surface and leaned forward. He said nothing. He didn’t move beyond what was necessary, but something in the room shifted. The atmosphere changed. Darkness weaved through the air, carrying malice and threats on their molecules. Amorette watched in a trance as Cupid didn’t speak, didn’t flinch, didn’t breathe, yet he commanded every atom in the office. Power wafted off him, infinite and damning, and she could barely breathe through the thick fear he wove like a tapestry around the men. All were silent for what seemed like an eternity, and then the man spilled every one of his secrets.
Valentin dropped the restaurant’s phone, letting it hang from its wire after his anonymous call to the police. There had never been enough evidence to raid The Rye, but their stunt in the basement had gifted the authorities probable cause on a silver platter.
“That was amazing,” Amorette gushed the second they moved out of earshot of the dangling phone, excitement pouring uncontrollably off her tongue. “You said nothing. Not a single word, but he told you everything. I’ve never felt power like that. It was terrifying but awe-inspiring. I never knew magic existed, and to see it in action. You are incredible.”
Valentin grabbed her waist without warning and shoved her into the restroom. With a resounding click, he locked the door behind them and then walked to each stall, kicking them open. When he found no one, he captured a bewildered Amorette by the hips and hoisted her onto the vanity.
“No, you… you are fucking incredible.” He slammed his mouth to hers, and with a moan, she opened her legs for him. He accepted the invitation, pushing his painfully hard cock against her core, thrusting gently to show her just how amazing he truly found her.
