“Cupid, you need to come with us,” one of the intruders said. “The council has summoned you.”
Valentin’s heart sank. He knew this was coming. The moment when he would pay the price for ruining a mortal’s future. He knew it was coming, yet the reality still stung. For eight months he had grown to love her, and while he didn’t regret a single second they’d spent together, the time only made it worse. It would be excruciating to give her up after learning what her lips felt like, what her passion and affection unraveled within him. He would fight the council until his last breath, but what was one Fae against many? With defeat, he nodded, and two of the Fae seized his arms.
“Protect her for me,” he called over his shoulder to the dogs. “She’s the most precious thing in this apartment.”
“Wait!” Amorette launched herself off the couch. “I’m coming with you.” Her hand slipped around his biceps.
“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but you need to stay here,” the Fae leader started.
“Not today,” she snarled so fiercely, all four warriors leaned back in surprise. “I’ve had guns aimed at me, my family threatened, my café almost destroyed. Criminals lied to me, hunted me, chased me, and I have had enough of men telling me what I can do. Only one person helped me when I was in danger, and I won’t leave him when he needs support. So, shall we?”
No one spoke for a silent minute, and then Valentin chuckled. If he didn’t already love her, he did now. “Don’t argue with her,” he said. “I’ll go willingly as long as you listen to her.”
“Very well.” The Fae leader nodded, and they disappeared in a whirl of magic.
Amorette listened dumbfounded as the council read Valentin’s violations to him. The couple stood in the center of a circular chamber, and an older gentleman named Paris, who had been introduced as the previous Cupid, presided over the trial. She’d assumed Valentin’s resistance to being with her had been his fear taking precautions, but standing there and hearing his crimes recited aloud forced her to confront exactly what he’d risked to help her. Her stomach cramped with each word spoken. This man, this glorious, protective, gorgeous man, had jeopardized everything for her, and her heart broke with every listed crime. He’d saved her, and now he would pay the price.
“You are hereby stripped of the title of Cupid,” Paris said with a heavy heart. “Your weapons will be removed from your possession, and you are forbidden from crossing into the mortal realm.”
“What?” Amorette gasped. “No!”
“This is your punishment for your crimes against this woman.” Paris continued, and while his tone was harsh, his expression told her this trial gutted him to his core. There was tenderness in his eyes. An affection for his successor that turned his own words to poison on his tongue. “You altered Amorette Ellis’ future irrevocably with your actions. Her thread of fate burned to ash, leaving her incapable of finding a soulmate. Because of your involvement, you have condemned her to a loveless life.”
“No, stop!” Amorette screamed, desperate to be heard. “He saved my life. You can’t punish him.”
“He knew the rules,” Paris said, struggling to meet her gaze. “He was well aware of the harm his actions would inflict on your life and emotions, and for that, I am truly sorry, but he willfully disobeyed. There’s a reason Cupid is forbidden from forming bonds with a human.”
“But he hasn’t condemned me to a loveless future.” Amorette grabbed Valentin’s arm for emphasis. “I think I fell for him the first time he ordered black coffee at my café, but today sealed my fate. He didn’t ruin me for love because he’s who I love.”
Valentin stiffened, staring down at her in shock.
“I understand why you would say that, but it’s Valentine’s Day, and he is a Cupid,” Paris argued. “Your emotions are muddled.”
“People really need to stop telling me how I feel.” Her grip on his arm tightened. “Today, I interacted with two different men who claimed to care for me. One was willing to let me die for his sins, and the other sacrificed everything to ensure I saw tomorrow. Valentin knew this would happen to him, but he helped me anyway. You can’t tell me these are holiday emotions. That kind of dedication and sacrifice takes real love.” She paused, looking up at Valentin with the same surprise he wore at her discovery. “You love me.”
“Amor,” he whispered.
“I love you,” she whispered back. “I love that you sacrificed everything so I wouldn’t have to die, so my family didn’t die. I love that you like black coffee while I prefer chocolate. I love how you made me brave and didn’t treat me like I was helpless or inferior. You let me control my own fate, and I love that you didn’t hurt those dogs. I love you, Cupid.”
“She’s my mate,” Valentin said, shocking the entire room, and Amorette swore a weight lifted from his chest at the confession. “We fought today as one, my weapon just asdangerous in her hands as it was mine. I didn’t break any rules because she is my destiny.”
“Do you realize what you’re saying?” Paris asked. “If you’re wrong?”
“I know.” Valentin sobered.
“What?” Amorette looked wildly around, her brain experiencing whiplash from the day’s nonstop action and changes. “What are you saying?”
Valentin peered down at her with heartbreak in his eyes, and fear filled her chest. He opened his mouth to speak, but when only silence escaped his lips, Paris answered for him.
“You are human, and while you can engage with a Fae, your lifespan is too short for a meaningful connection. If a Cupid claims a mate, it’s for life.” Paris lifted the finger sporting his wedding band to illustrate his point. “Fate cannot be denied, and if a Cupid finds his mate in a mortal, there’s a way to ensure they live eternally alongside each other.”
Amorette gasped as her gaze flew to Valentin’s. “How?”
“I must shoot you through the heart with my golden arrow,” he said solemnly, fingers tracing her face. “If we truly belong together, you’ll survive the blow and live as long as I do, fighting for love alongside me.”
“If you’re wrong?” her voice shook.
“You die.”
