Chapter 8
T hey raced unseen for her parent’s home, her chest pressed against his back, and Amorette let herself enjoy how he rode the motorcycle. How his legs flexed and bent. How his hands fisted the throttle, how his biceps pushed and pulled their speed around every corner with precision. He handled the bike with power, grace, and dominance, and she wondered if he would handle her with such intensity. Amorette was grateful she sat behind him. The vision of him throwing her onto the mattress and caging her beneath him flooded her cheeks with a scalding flush, and it would’ve mortified her to have him witness her body’s uncontrollable reaction. She’d never been so attracted to a man before, but this longing went deeper than the physical. Perhaps it was why she always missed Valentin when he left with his black coffee. They barely spoke, but he was right. They didn’t need words to feel fate threading them together. There was a reason he never strayed from her thoughts.
They slowed as they approached her parent’s neighborhood, and without warning, Valentin pulled the motorcycle off the road and hid it behind a small patch of trees.
“They’re here,” he said, helping her off the bike, and Amorette sobered so fast, her skin stung with the cold. Men were here, waiting to kill her parents if she failed to repay Doug’s debt. “Be careful with this,” Valentin continued, pulling his bow from his back. He removed two arrows from his quiver and handed her one. “I don’t want you unarmed.”
He led the way through the neighbor’s backyard, his footfalls too silent for a man of his stature. Amorette followed his lead, clutching the arrow as she attempted to mimic his quiet steps. It was so large it looked like a spear in her fists, and one soft swipe of her finger against the sharp tip told her all she needed to know. This weapon would rip a man apart, leaving no chance for survival. Amorette shuddered at the imagery and stepped closer to Valentin, suddenly concerned she wasn’t brave enough to face the violence in their path.
“There.” Valentin pointed toward the bushes in the neighbor’s backyard, and Amorette squinted. Nothing was there, and she opened her mouth to ask what he was pointing at when the leaves rustled. An armed man shifted into view, and with a stifled gasp, she gripped the back of his shirt.
“He really sent men after my parents.” Violence electrified her body. Fear had controlled her entire morning, but seeing Doug’s selfish actions threaten her innocent parents burned her from the inside out with vengeance. It was cruel enough that they almost executed her, but it had been her choice to date the asshole. Her family didn’t deserve to be hunted like prey. “Is there only one watching the house?”
“That I recognize the scent of,” Valentin answered. “My gut tells me there’s a second, but too many humans live on this street for me to pinpoint who it is. Are you sure you want to do this? You can wait with my bike.”
“Yes, I’m sure.” She wasn’t, but she needed to do this.
“Stay close.” Valentin moved into position and raised his bow. He looked like a god with his ice-blond hair falling perfectly over his forehead, his eyes narrowing in on his target, his back muscles flexing as he pulled the string taut. For a breathless moment, Amorette watched Cupid in all his glory, and then he loosed the arrow.
The golden weapon shot with unnatural speed, piercing its target’s heart with perfect aim. The man fell into the bushes, dead upon contact, and Amorette studied the sprawled corpse with mixed emotions. She’d witnessed this blond Adonis kill two people today. Men that were willing to torture her and her innocent parents, but he had killed them all the same. She waited for disgust to poison her chest at the sight, but it never came. Part of her wondered if maybe she and Cupid weren’t so different. Maybe they both got off on delivering justice?
Bang! A shot rang out so loud, Amorette’s world went silent with deafness. She ducked, waiting for the pain, but with a scream she barely heard, she watched Valentin collapse, crimson soaking his shoulder.
Amorette lunged for him as he dropped to his hands and knees. Blood dripped onto the cold ground, the red too bright against the dead February grass. “Valentin!” Her ears cleared, registering her screams. He couldn’t die. She wouldn’t let him, but just as her fingers clutched his shoulders, a blur of motion caught her eye. A man raced across her parent’s yard, and with a painful twist in her gut, Amorette understood. They’d warned her. Any attempt to escape Cavitto would end with her family’s murder, and if he got inside their house?
“I’m fine. Are you hurt?” Valentin groaned as she seized him, but when she didn’t answer, he twisted with an agonized grunt. He followed her line of sight, and with bloody fingers, he lunged for her. “Amorette, no!”
But she was already moving. Her athletic form carried her over the short yard, the massive arrow clutched in her fist. He would not kill her parents. Over her dead body would she let Doug’s selfish actions cause her mother pain. Her mom, with her blonde hair, flashed through her thoughts. She pictured her dad’s black locks, their colors mixing in her brunette curls. Her memory played every Christmas, every Sunday breakfast, every phone call. Amorette treasured the memories of her mom curled up on the couch with the cat while she made her taste each new chocolate recipe she was testing. She loved how her father came to the café anytime she needed help with something heavy. No, her parents wouldn’t die today.
With a scream, Amorette launched herself at the man just as he reached the back steps, her body plowing into his so hard, they both rolled to the cold ground. All anger and limbs, Amorette climbed on top of him and aimed the arrow at his throat, shoving the tip against his skin so forcibly it drew blood. The man froze when his eyes registered the weapon, and then he paled as his gaze flicked behind her. An intimidating shadow shifted to hover over them, and Amorette’s heart slowed in relief. He was alive and moving. She hadn’t lost him.
Blood-soaked and feral, Valentin reached down and yanked the man clean off the ground with one hand, catching Amorette with his other as the sudden movement knocked her off his chest. “Where’s Cavitto?” he growled.
“Go to hell,” the man spat, his expression not nearly as brave as his words.
“Where is Cavitto?” Valentin repeated, his voice so low and dangerous that Amorette’s heart stuttered in both fear and arousal.
“Fuck you.”
“I’ll find him whether or not you tell me.” Valentin pulled him closer with a threatening growl. “It will only end better for you if you help.”
“I’m not telling you shit!”
“Very well.” Valentin turned to Amorette. “It’s your choice what happens to him.”
“What?” she stammered, unprepared for that request.
“He’s transgressions are against you, and he was attempting to kill your parents, so you decide his fate. Do we hand him over to the cops, or do I break his neck?”
“Oh…” Amorette paused, staring at the man’s shocked face. For a split second, she contemplated letting Cupid have his vengeance, but then she shook her head. “Police station.” Valentin had already killed two men and would undoubtedly kill more before her life was no longer in danger, but she didn’t like the idea of murdering a captive.
“Your wish is my command.” Valentin pulled golden twine from his gear and bound the cursing man in unbreakable knots.
“Are you okay?” Amorette asked after they located the man’s car and shoved him into the back seat. She would drive it to the station while Valentin followed on his bike. The idea of being alone with this attempted murderer scared her, but Valentin swore that no mortal could escape Fae bonds. He also promised that he could shoot while riding a motorcycle. Even if Cavitto’s man broke free, he would be dead before the seatbelt unbuckled.
“I heal quickly.” Valentin peeled the tear in his black shirt open to reveal the bullet wound. The flesh was already knitting back together, and Amorette sighed in relief.
“Thank goodness.” Her arms wrapped around him, pulling him into a hug before she realized she was moving, but it felt natural to surrender to his gravity. “I was so scared. I didn’t want you to die, but he was going for my parents. I had to choose?—”
“Fuck the rules,” Valentin growled, cutting her off with a kiss. Amorette yelped in surprise as he caught her waist and hoisted her into the air, pinning her against the hood of the car. Her legs parted instinctively, urging him closer as he deepened the kiss. Her surprise evaporated as his lips claimed hers, and she moaned so obscenely loud, she worried the entire neighborhood heard her. His hold tightened, pulling her flush against his powerful chest, and she gasped when his hard length ground against her core. Electricity sparked between them. It was as if two bolts of lightning had struck at the same time, and Amorette feared she wouldn’t survive the intensity. It was too much. He was too much, and she gripped his hair and tugged him harder against her mouth, encouraging him to take control of her body. Valentin responded to her unspoken need as if this kiss was a well-choreographed dance. He anticipated her every desire and answered with unbearable pleasure. He was all domination and fire, an angel and a demon as he owned her mouth without mercy, and this kiss would destroy her. It was perfection. It would be her undoing.
Valentin’s tongue pushed against hers, coaxing another moan from her voice, and without thinking, Amorette ground herself against him. A haze of intoxicating lust clouded her brain, and all she could think about was his hands gripping her hips. They guided her movements, heightening the bliss dancing through her, and she gripped his hair harder. She needed more. She needed to feel every inch of this perfect man, and hooking her leg higher on his hip, she rolled teasingly against him.
Amorette froze against his length, biting his lip in shock, and it was his turn to moan obscenely. There was no way he was that big, yet as Valentin pressed between her thighs, there was no mistaking the size. The reality made her lightheaded. He would never fit inside her, but she wanted nothing more than to take every inch. Heavens, what would it feel like to be filled by this man? She shouldn’t be thinking about fucking him after he’d just been shot. The size of him should send her running, but she rolled her hips again, aching to take his thickness to the hilt.
“Fuck.” Valentin jerked back as if he suddenly realized where she sat and who was watching. Amorette mourned the absence of his lips, but the man in the car caught her eye, and she laughed with embarrassment. She wasn’t normally a fan of PDA, but this Cupid and his sinful mouth would turn her into an exhibitionist if she wasn’t careful.
“You shouldn’t have risked your life like that. I was just about to stand up and stop him.” Valentin tangled his fingers in her dark hair and yanked her head back softly. “But fuck, that was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen a woman do.”