X Marks The O’s (Season’s Readings #2)

Chapter 5

V alentin rubbed Amorette’s back as she heaved, her hands desperately clutching her knees to keep from toppling forward in shock. He was impressed by how she handled herself in the face of death. In hindsight, he handled this poorly. He should’ve taken her somewhere safe and then delivered justice, but the moment he saw the blood on her perfectly full lips, his vision filled with red. No one touched his Amorette without paying the price. No one bruised her gorgeous skin without experiencing his punishment.

“Here.” He handed her a glass of iced water and helped her to the front of the café, easing her into a chair before striding toward the refrigerated display case. He seized a tray of chocolate-covered strawberries since they were the closest thing to breakfast in the shop and placed them on the table as he crouched before her. “Eat,” he ordered as she sipped the water. “It’ll help with the shock, and I need you to tell me everything.”

“What’s your name?” Amorette asked, suddenly staring at his ears, and Valentin cursed. He’d let too much of his glamour fall, and in the heat of the moment, he forgot about his pointed ears.

“Valentin,” he answered, capturing her smaller hands and pushing a strawberry into them. He couldn’t stop touching her. He needed to feel her pulse beneath her skin, to assure himself he’d arrived in time.

“Am I dreaming?” she asked, obediently taking a bite, and his thumb wiped the strawberry juice dripping down her jaw. Despite his title of Cupid, he didn’t love chocolate, but damn, did her lips around that fruit make it appetizing.

“No.”

“Then why are your ears pointed?” Amorette withdrew her hand from his hold and traced the outline of his ear.

“I’ll explain after you tell me why you’re in danger.”

Her expression soured, and she lowered her fingers. He instantly missed the warm electricity they sparked against his skin, but he watched mesmerized and heartbroken as she traced her split lip to wipe off some smudged chocolate. Valentin had the urge to kiss her pain away, but he held still, sensing the storm brewing inside her. Something about her aura told him he shouldn’t touch her. Not for this confession, so he handed her another strawberry before pulling his hands into his lap.

Valentin expected her story to gut him, but as she spoke of Doug, Cavitto, the stolen money, and the death threats against her and her family, it felt like a dull and rusted saw had carved into his chest with sloppy, excruciated cuts. It took all his strength not to react as she sobbed, and the fear in her eyes when she recounted kneeling on her asshole boyfriend’s carpet broke him apart. He longed to pull her into a hug, to promise this would never happen again, but her hands remained at her side, so he followed their lead.

Amorette finally fell silent, the magnitude of the situation hovering between them, and Valentin’s memory drifted to three weeks ago when he abandoned her. He had blamed the wrongness enveloping her on himself. A Cupid couldn’t get personally involved with mortals, and his growing attraction had muddied the waters. At least that’s what he thought had happened, but Amorette’s story told him that while he played a part in corrupting her emotions, the pollution surrounding her was born of Doug’s sins.

“I don’t have the money,” she finished, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “Cavitto knows who my family is, so even if I flee, my parents will pay the price. I don’t know what to do.”

“Even if you had the money, Cavitto wouldn’t let you live,” Valentin said, and Amorette stiffen with an almost tangible panic.

“Don’t worry.” He cupped her cheek, unable to keep his skin from hers any longer. “No one will ever touch you again. I’ll keep you safe.”

“My family? Doug?”

“Your family is safe, I swear it, but Doug? I’ve heard of Cavitto. He isn’t a man you cross. He isn’t a man you survive. Your boyfriend is either already dead or well on his way.”

“Ex,” she said forcefully. “He’s my ex. He did nothing when they pointed a gun at my face. I don’t want him to die, but he can rot in Hell for sacrificing me to them.”

“Trust me, he will,” Valentin growled. “They all will.” He stood up and slung his bow across his back, eyes not missing how Amorette tracked his movements appreciatively. “I could help you get the money, but you’ve seen him. You know his face and name and could identify him to the police,” he continued. “Cavitto can’t afford loose ends. The authorities don’t know who he is, and that he personally showed this morning up means your ex was in deep. This is more than just some stolen money, and he only let you leave because you were guarded. Perhaps he needed you absent while he dealt with sensitive issues. Either way, he will kill you. The only difference is if you return willingly, he might not go after your family.”

“What do I do?” Fear clogged her voice, and Valentin lunged for her, cupping her jaw in his broad hands.

“What do we do?” he corrected.

“Why are you helping me?” she asked, her fingers unconsciously coming up to cup his. “You barely spoke more than ten words at a time to me. Why do you care?”

“Because I don’t need words to pass between us to know I would sacrifice the world for you.”