Page 46 of Incurably Cupid

He looked back toward the river. “And now?” He shook his head ruefully. “Nothing feels so black and white anymore.”

I unclenched my hand when the bite of the key started making my hand ache. “You know you can’t have children... with anyone except your mate,” I reminded him softly.

He nodded, but facing away from me, I couldn’t read his expression—whether it was pained or accepting. “I know.”

On the wayhome in the taxi, his simple ‘I know’ kept replaying in my head.

It had sounded... accepting.

But I wasn’t feeling anything close to acceptance.

Instead, I was overwhelmed—drowning in a sea of conflicting emotions. Frustration, because I felt like an inept cupid. Overwhelmed by the sudden responsibility of finding soulmates for not just one, but five paranormals. And a deep, gnawing mix of guilt and wonder.

Wonder because, against all odds, I was falling for the gargoyle sitting beside me, and because somehow, Iknew—we had potential. I couldn’t explain how I knew; cupids weren’t supposed to see their own love matches clearly. But deep down, in some instinctual place, I just knew.

And then there was the guilt—the frustration of knowing that my feelings... and his... possibly reciprocated feelings—it all created a mess of tangled emotions.

If I found Mesmer his soulmate, I would lose him, and we would lose the possibility of us. If I didn’t find him his soulmate, I might always wonder, even years later, if he would have been happier with her.

“Hey, Mes.”

He turned toward me. He hadn't said much since we left the park. Normally, Mesmer wasn’t a big talker, so I wasn’t overly concerned. But the easy openness we’d shared before that conversation by the river felt like it had evaporated. I hoped it wasn’t gone forever—that maybe he just needed time to think things through.

“I know Felix and Yvette are dating now, so they’re good, but my mum and dad want to do a singles night at the Phoenix so Dieter and Astrid can meet and mingle a bit in a safe environment with my parents there to help them if things go sideways.”

I glanced at him, trying to gauge his reaction. “I think you should go as a single. There’s a chance your soulmate could bethere. Felix has already put up flyers all over town, and they’ve announced it on the community website.”

His broad shoulders tensed, and his face went completely blank. “You think I should go?”

I could read nothing from his tone, which made me nervous. I fidgeted with my bracelet and nodded. “I do.”

He looked at me for a long time, then nodded. “Then I will go,” he said quietly, and turned toward the window.

Away from me.

Chapter 16

Indie

“Love is patient.”

Cupid Inc. New Recruit Training Manual

When we returned to the hotel, Mesmer rested for a bit in his room. I took another shower and changed into some comfy clothes—sweats and a tee shirt. I added black fuzzy socks to keep my feet warm and did my best to blow-dry my wings—a difficult task considering most of my joints only bend the one way—but I did my best.

It must be nice for Mesmer to be able to bring out his wings only when he needed them for flying as a gargoyle. My wings were not that convenient. Cupids couldn’t really stuff them in the ether the way other supernaturals could. Fae scientists said it was because cupids had ether in our DNA.

Not that supernaturals reallystuffedtheir wings in the ether—that was a common misconception. If that were the case, cupids on Steadfast would get smacked in the face with rogue, bodyless wings all the time. In reality, they stored them in a personal ether bubble.

Completely different.

When my wings were dry, and I lightly oiled them to keep them from drying out, I climbed onto the bed and settled in.

“Feel better?”

“Yes. How was your time resting here while Mesmer and I went to the river?”

He snickered. “It was very productive.”

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