Chapter 2
THE DAY BEFORE VALENTINE’S, ONE YEAR AGO
A ll that’s left is for you to take this.” The retiring Cupid extended the bow and arrow to Valentin. Despite his centuries, Paris looked barely fifty, the lines on his forehead only just creasing his skin. Grey peppered his blond hair with distinguished grace, but his muscular stature was that of a younger man. Humans spread tales of Cupid, a sweet cherub who shot arrows laced with romance, but Paris was living proof of their flawed assumptions. Cupids, like the race of Santas, were Fae warriors. Men of incredible power, they were the guardians of love, protectors of marriage, and while they aided humankind in binding their souls together, it was a ruthless job. Paris had held the position of Cupid for over two hundred years, but after his second century, he announced his watch had ended. It took another five years for the council to find a worthy successor in Valentin. A decorated soldier who had survived the impossible, Valentin’s election had been unanimous, and tomorrow would mark his first day as Cupid, a sacred title he would hold for centuries or until his death.
Valentin accepted the bow with reverent care, its golden metal its only delicate feature. Intricately forged, it was all harsh angles and threatening curves. It was a weapon of destruction, one worthy of an immortal guardian.
“May it serve you well,” Paris said, clapping Valentin on the shoulder. “I’ll miss it, but it’s in good hands.”
“I will bring honor to the role as you did.” Valentin tilted his head with respect.
“Of that, I have no doubt.” Paris smiled. “Now, before we get too sentimental, I will gracefully bow out. I have a flight to catch.”
Valentin quirked his eyebrows in a question.
“I finally decided to take a vacation.” Paris laughed.
“You a vacation?” Valentin meant the words to sound like a tease, but shock escaped his lips instead.
“I know, I know. I don’t recognize myself, but here I am, getting on a plane.”
“Where are you going?”
“A tropical cruise.” Paris smiled wistfully. “We kept it quiet so as to not disrupt the succession, but Venus and I are getting married.”
“Married? And you didn’t tell me?”
“You have enough on your plate, my boy. This job. It protects human love, but it keeps the reigning Cupid busy. It won’t leave you time for romance, and I didn’t want to smear my marriage in your face, knowing you’ll most likely spend the next decades alone.”
“Paris.” Valentin clapped his mentor on the back. “I could never resent you for what you found with Venus. I only wish I could be at the wedding.”
“If it makes you feel better, no one’s invited to the wedding,” Paris said. “We want it to be just us, the open sea, and our vows.”
“I’m happy for you.” Valentin smiled. If anyone deserved happiness, it was the man who’d dedicated the last two centuries to protecting countless couples. “I wish you and Venus every blessing. You deserve it.”
Paris grabbed his protégé and pulled him in for a hug. “We’ll speak soon. I’m always here for you, my boy… just not on my honeymoon. If you even think of bothering me while I’m on that cruise, I’ll punch you.”
“I’d like to see you try, old man.” Valentin laughed, leaning into his friend’s embrace. They had grown close over the past few years, and this goodbye pained him more than he expected it would.
“You have the potential to be a greater Cupid than I was.” Paris pulled back, his affectionate voice grave. “Just remember, Cupids are tasked with guarding love. We protect human romance, but we never get involved with their relationships. Our emotional interference disrupts their hearts’ ability to find their soulmate. It’ll be difficult. The urge to become personally invested will often be unbearably strong, especially in heartbreaking cases, but that’s not the job. We work in the shadows, never in their presence. Remember this warning when you witness situations that test your resolve. I struggled to remain aloof and unbiased at first, but to involve yourself directly in the love lives of humans is to doom fate. It’s the worst sin a Cupid could commit.”
EIGHT MONTHS AGO
Valentin smelled the shop from a block away. He was accustomed to the scent of chocolate, the sweet synonymous with romance, but this fragrance? It was magic on the breeze. For a moment, he forgot he wasn’t in the Fae realm. It seemed impossible to smell beauty that delicious here among mankind, yet the chocolate’s perfume wrapped him in warmth and desire. It settled in his chest, tugging him down the street with its siren’s call. He followed its pull, stepping invisibly through the crowded sidewalk. He stood a head taller than most men, his ice-blond hair shockingly enticing, his crystal blue eyes like oceans begging to be drowned in, yet no one noticed the hulking Adonis. His glamour was a necessity of his position, but he missed eyes on him. He saw everyone, but no one saw him. He understood now why Paris hadn’t announced his wedding. Cupid was a blessing to those who received his protection, but a curse of loneliness to the warrior who carried the bow.
Valentin rounded the corner, and the scent of chocolate increased tenfold until he stood before a quaint café. Fragrant coffee joined the aromas, and his eyes traced the sign hanging above the door. Amorette’s Café . It was a beautiful name for a shop filled with handmade delicacies, for a brunette so perfect it was as if the gods had fashioned her.
Valentin froze, his skin burning cold as he registered her. A group of customers had hidden her when he first approached, but as they stepped away, she came into full view, and Valentin’s world stopped spinning. She was the most exquisite thing he’d ever seen, like a painting pulled from the canvas and given breath. Her long, wavy brown hair was the color of dark chocolate, her eyes matching the enticing shade. Her ponytail swung as she moved behind the counter, and his fingers twitched at his side with the urge to wrap the hanging locks around his hand and pull them back like the string of his bow. She was much shorter than him, and the angle would force her to look up through those thick eyelashes. He could picture her now, ponytail choking his fist, neck exposed, that chocolate smudge on her cheek begging to be licked off…
Valentin jerked as if he’d been slapped. What was wrong with him? She was human, a stranger, a fruit forbidden for his kind. Images like that never slipped unwanted into his imagination, and that he kept fixating on the chocolate staining her soft skin unnerved him. He needed to leave. To get far away from this shop before he broke his sacred vows.
SIX MONTHS AGO.
Two months. He stayed away for two months, but as if a needle had stitched a threat between him and that damned brunette, Valentin found himself back at Amorette’s . He lingered outside, a battle waging in his chest as he watched her steam milk for the cappuccino she was preparing. Her hair was down this time, but the urge to wrap it around his fist was no less overwhelming. He shouldn’t go inside. He should leave this gorgeous creature alone, but that small and wicked part of his soul argued that a latte wasn’t a sin. There were no rules about caffeine fixes and harmless ‘have a nice day’ comments. As long as he didn’t get emotionally involved with her or her love life, there was no harm in ordering a drink. He worked long hours, too long, and he often wondered how Paris lasted centuries on the job. Valentin was so tired he could sleep for a year, and he’d been Cupid for only six months. He needed a coffee… or fifteen.
Rationalization fully in place, Valentin removed his cloaking magic and walked into the shop. The intoxicating fragrance was even stronger inside, and he wondered if it was truly the chocolate wrapping him in obsession or if it was her presence drawing him ever closer.
“Hi, welcome to Amorette’s. What can I get…” the brunette trailed off when she saw him, freezing behind the register. Valentin knew how he looked. At six foot five inches with muscles forged on the battlefield and blond hair the color of ice, he was an otherworldly sight to behold. It was why he rarely allowed humans to witness his true form. Most had this exact reaction, even though they only saw the outfit his glamour presented and not the severe uniform clinging to his body.
“I… um… sorry, what can I get you?” she recovered quickly, and her attempt at professionalism made him smile. It was a mistake coming inside. At least outside, a pane of glass had protected him from her beauty, but standing before her was like being stabbed repeatedly in the chest. How could a human woman be this lovely?
“Black coffee,” Valentin answered, noticing how her skin pebbled with goosebumps at his deep, melodic tone.
“Black coffee?” she asked in surprise. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“One black coffee, then,” she said good-naturedly as she grabbed a cup and placed it under the carafe. When it was full, she twisted back and set it on the counter. “Will that be all?”
“Yes.” He couldn’t say more. He shouldn’t be saying anything, not when an aching longing begged him to take her hand as he accepted his drink, to feel her skin press against his.
She tapped the register with a soft laugh, and Valentin handed her a ten-dollar bill, fully aware of how ridiculous it was to order a black coffee in a chocolate shop. The beautiful brunette counted the change and attempted to give it to him, but he snatched up the cup and stepped back from the counter.
“Keep the change.” He didn’t smile as he turned and fled the café. He shouldn’t have come inside. Everything about her, from her eyes to her fingers to her voice to her curves, called to him. If she wasn’t so obviously human, he would have been convinced that magic had drawn him to her.
THREE MONTHS AGO
“One black coffee.” The brunette smiled, holding out the steaming cup before he even reached the register.
Valentin had fled the café three months ago, telling himself to stay away, but two weeks later, he had returned. The random caffeine stops had turned into weekly visits, but he argued seeing her once in a while held no harm. With each passing week, the need to see her became increasingly unbearable. He never spoke more than necessary, resolved to only order coffee and study her face while she poured the liquid. They didn’t exchange names, although he guessed it was Amorette since she owned the café. All they traded were coffee and cash, and smiles on her part. He rarely let a grin grace his lips, and he tried to prevent his voice from saying more than please and thank you. Some days tested his resolve more than others, though. Her spirit was infectious, and it amused her that he declined her offerings of handmade chocolates. She tried every visit to tempt him with her newest creations, and when her attempts failed, she sought to wrangle full sentences out of him. She experienced greater success on that front, and despite his best intentions, he found himself answering her more and more. Her triumph made her smile, which only encouraged his voice. He always kept his thoughts innocent, even though her dark hair begged to twist around his wrist as he pulled, but he locked that fantasy away in a cage to grow feral and ravenous.
“You sure I can’t tempt you with anything else?” She waggled her eyebrows as she accepted the ten-dollar bill. She tried to give him change every week, but he refused, letting her keep the large tip. He liked how her face lit up when she tucked the extra bills into her apron. Owning a business was stressful, even one that seemed successful, and if he couldn’t speak with her the way he craved, he would leave her with something that brought a smile to those full lips.
“No thanks.” Valentin gripped the coffee and backed up, holding her gaze as long as he could.
“Maybe next time,” she teased as another customer stepped up to order. “One of these days, I’ll convince you to buy chocolate in my chocolate shop.”
THREE WEEKS AGO
“Here you go.” She handed him his weekly coffee, but unlike their other encounters, her smile failed to reach her eyes, and Valentin’s heart constricted painfully in his chest. Every time he walked inside this café, she was all smiles and teases. He said little, but she didn’t mind filling the silence with her attempts to seduce him with chocolate. If only she knew she was trying to convince Cupid to eat sweets. Her teasing would become insufferable. Valentin almost wanted to break the rules and tell her just to hear her rant about the guardian of love only drinking black coffee. But today she was a different woman. The spark was gone, and as a Cupid, he sensed the rancid stench of souring love swirling around her.
“Keep the change,” Valentin said, careful not to touch her skin as he handed her the bill. He had never noticed an aura of love surrounding her before, and he had assumed it meant she was unattached. He could never love her, never have more than these stolen moments, but his selfishness hoped no other man had claimed her. Sensing the turmoil tugging at her spirit made him realize that there was something worse than another holding this glorious creature’s heart, and it was someone damaging it.
“You don’t have to keep tipping me,” she said, her voice tired. “It’s just black coffee.”
Valentin leaned into his power, pushing aside his own longing. This was his calling, and if her love was suffering, it was his job to protect and heal it. He remained silent as his spirit wove through her emotions, searching for her fraying threads, but after a few seconds, it retreated into his body. He frowned in confusion. She was clearly upset, the residual sorrow tied somehow to her love, but nothing spoke to him. There was nothing within her for him to seize hold of and defend.
“I didn’t mean to offend you,” she said quickly, and he realized she assumed his frown was for her refusal of the tip and not the confusing emotions pulsing through her spirit. “I just meant…” she trailed off as if she didn’t have the strength to argue.
“You didn’t.” Valentin rearranged his features into a neutral expression, even though he wanted to wrap her in his arms. For the first time in his brief career as Cupid, he was helpless to heal someone’s love. He had grown too attached to her, her smiles clouding his judgment. This was what Paris had warned about. Never get involved with a human. It ruined their chances at happiness, and with a sickening in his gut, he realized he had broken the one absolute rule. He cared for her. He adored her laughter and her teasing. He dreamed of her lips, her hair, her curves. His growing affection was ruining her relationships, and she stood before him in desperate need of Cupid’s aid. Yet he was powerless to defend her romance.
Valentin stared at her, memorizing her face as she shifted uncomfortably beneath his scrutiny. He wouldn’t be back. He wouldn’t let his selfishness harm her future.
“Okay, good,” she said softly, tucking the change into her apron. “I’ll see you next week?” He didn’t answer, and her look of concern surprised him. “Right?” she asked, and her tone shattered his heart. It never occurred to him that she enjoyed their interactions as much as he did, but the disappointment on her face proved he needed to leave this beautiful human alone. Her emotions were evolving as well. Her attachment to him had grown like a flowering weed, determined and unexpected, yet undeniably lovely.
“Goodbye.” Valentin turned and strode out into the cold before she could speak, refusing to glance back even though it killed him. How could he feel so strongly for a human? For a woman he had fallen for in the brief moments she served him coffee?