Page 87 of Love's Ace

He took two quick steps forward, and the flat of the blade caught my chin and jerked my head up. “Don’tlieto me.” Butthere was something behind his hard stare. “What did youdo?” He tapped my cheek with the cool metal, and Theo growled behind me.

“Stop it.” His hand came up, and I had to catch his wrist to stop him from cutting himself on the blade trying to get it away from me.

“Feisty. I’m surprised you aren’t changing right now, trying to tear me apart with teeth and claws.”

“If you want me to, I can—”

“Theo.” I cut him off, pressing back and dragging his hand over my chest. Over my heart.

Over the line.

“What happened?” Aiden waited for Theo’s growls to taper off before he spoke.

Telling him wouldn’t change anything. We were here, and I would fight if I had to… but if Aiden wanted to, he’d rip off my wings and kill Theo with ease.

If Aiden wanted to, he’d run us both through with the knife still held against my cheek.

“I shot Theo, but I pulled an arrow of Fate.” I paused, half expecting him to tell me it was impossible, that cupids could only pull the arrows they needed and we would neverneedan arrow of Fate to defend ourselves. When he didn’t, I pressed on. “When he rushed me, he ran us both through, and it shattered the vial of Ardor you gave me.” Aiden’s eyes flared wide and dropped back to my chest.

“So you’re under the influence of—”

“No.” I cut him off from the lie I’d tried to tell myself when I’d first realized what I was feeling. “No, not anymore. That first night, maybe. But it faded… it faded, Aiden, and the thread was still there. It happened the night you gave me the vial. It faded, and thefeelingswere still there.” My fingers spasmed, tightening on Theo’s hand in mine, and the thundering of hisheart almost drowned out the ringing in my ears from the hints of fear I felt. “He’smine, Aiden. My soulmate.”

I sat perfectly still as he stared at me, as the press of his blade told me he was still deciding whether he believed me. When he lowered it, I blew out a breath.

“A cupid’s aura is never wrong. It would be impossible for you to pull an arrow you didn’t need.” I didn’t know if I should feel worried or relieved. I settled on saying nothing. I did slowly climb to my feet, and I felt Theo follow my movement like a shadow, still keeping himself plastered to my back like his very presence there could keep me safe from the punishment that I knew Aiden should have already doled out while I slept.

“I didn’t pull the wrong arrow.” I sounded so sure, and I had to know that he understood. “I love him, Aiden. Iknowwhat love feels like.”

His eyes flickered again, a burst of color nearly prismatic.

“Impossible.”

“Look at the thread and tell me it’s not real. Tell me I’m lying, Aiden. I’ll give you my back right now and let you tear my wings out without saying a fucking word if you can tell me I’m wrong.”

Silence.

Silence that was so suffocating I was sure I could drown in it. I’d never heard of a cupid dying that way, but Aiden made it seem completely possible.

Finally, he nodded.

“You love him. Fine. Forget the fact that you’ve broken every law we have, that you attacked one of our own and Ishouldrip your wings straight from your spine for it and kill him in front of you… We’ll forget all of that, because it’s obvious you’ve been…” He paused again. “Influenced by Ardor and emotion.”

“I’m not—”

“We’ll forget all of that and remember that you’re one of my best, that up until this moment you’ve been exemplary at your job. So… we’ll fix this.”

I wanted to feel relieved, but I could tell by the way he saidfixthat Aiden wasn’t offering any solution I’d want to hear.

He leaned in closer, his eyes drifting from me to Theo. “You need to die.”

The snarl that tore through the air sounded like it should have come from the man behind me, but it was mine. I was violent when I put myself between the two of them, and it was only Theo’s hands on me that stopped me from rushing him and probably getting us both killed.

“It’s not going to happen, Aiden.”

“It’s the only way I can think to fix this. As long as you’re tied together, as long as he’s still a pretty little human doing his best to wear a mask to hide what a monster he is, you’re in danger. As long as his darkness can trail through your connection while he tries to put up walls to fight it, it will keep infecting you. I saw what you did, Wren.” Aiden’s voice was cold, but he still looked at me like he was trying to get through to me, like his logic madeanysense. “He can’t control the monster inside him, and it’s going to consume you both.”

“There has to be another way.” I could barely breathe around the fury building in my chest, the way it ate away at the edges of my vision in black spots. I had to glance down to check that the thread wasn’t going dark again. It felt the same, butIfelt like I could rip Aiden apart with my bare hands if it meant it would keep Theo safe.

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