Page 64 of Incurably Cupid

I groaned. “She might think you’re a nut job then, I’m sorry to say. I love being a cupid, but it’s been uncomfortable being around people who are deeply in love for as long as I can remember.”

“Your parents are deeply in love.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, and trust me, as an adult, I’m happy about that, but as a kid...”

“Less happy.”

“Way less happy. I would complain as a teenager, and they would just be over the top about it for a while, so I learned to stop saying anything.”

“Why did it bother you?”

I shrugged. “I’m not sure. I kind of always felt like love was a lie, or that it just never lasts. In my years as a cupid, I’ve matched so many people—not soulmates, but good matches—and many of the relationships died.”

Mesmer was quiet for a moment. “Are you worried about our relationship?” he finally asked.

I shook my head, pulling the covers up a bit higher on my neck because it was cold. “No. I believe in us. Even if others don’t make it, we will, and we’ll be happy.”

“Not all the time, though.”

I laughed. “No one’s happy all the time. It’s normal for relationships to have ups and downs. I plan on getting through the downs together as a team and enjoying the ups like crazy.”

He smiled, and it struck me how happy he looked. I’d known Mesmer for over a year now, and even though he’d often seemedcontent, I’d rarely seen him this happy. It made me emotional that I was contributing to his happiness somehow. This amazing, kind, giving, protective gargoyle. I felt very blessed. And a bit like I’d somehow cheated on a test I hadn’t even known I was taking.

Maybe I’d struggle with feeling like I wasn’t the best choice for him for a while, but it didn’t matter because I’d chosen him, and he’d chosen me. I just had to stretch my wings and grow a little as a person.

Hopefully, in many ways, we’d grow together. But I wanted to be someone more worthy of him as well.

I’d been lost in thought. When I looked up, Mesmer’s face was filled with heartbreak. “I wish you could feel what I feel. Maybe it would help you understand what I mean when I say that you’re perfect for me and that I only want you. I love who you are, Indie. You. No one else. I’m still reeling in amazement that you’ll be mine for the rest of our lives.”

Tears burned my eyes, and I reached a hand out across the gap of our beds. He reached out too, and our hands clasped.

“I love you, Mesmer.”

“I love you, Indie.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I caught a glimmer of something, but when I sat up in alarm, it was gone.

Mesmer sat up too, slower, and obviously in pain. “What?” His voice was hard as he scanned the darkened corners of the room.

I frowned. “Nothing, I guess. I thought I saw something.” Suddenly, from directly above us, what looked like glowing sparks of glitter rained down.

“Lyrica.”

Mesmer moved to stand by my bed, looking fully alert and lethal. I shook my head at him. “It’s okay. It’s just Lyrica.”

“Sweet dreams,” a disembodied voice said.

“That’s creepy,”I shouted after her, and I could hear her laughter in the hallway outside.

Mesmer sat down next to me, still looking wary. “I thought you could see another cupid present, even if they’re in the ether.”

I shrugged. “For most, I can, but not for the top-level cupids. Lyrica is one of the top levels. She’s very powerful.”

He held up a hand and watched as the glitter sank into his skin. “What did she do to us?”

I held up my hand and watched the glitter sinking into my skin as well. She’d sprinkled it all over us. I frowned. “I’m not sure. She does things a bit differently than us lower-level cupids. She has a different level of bonding magic than the rest of us, so really, it could be anything.”

Mesmer pulled me into a hug, and I sank into him, careful not to hurt him. I didn’t think I would ever tire of being close to him, and we weren’t even at the more physical side of our relationship yet. I knew I would love that closeness with him too.

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