"Feles," he responded. "It's Latin for cat."
"Inventive."
"I was ten, I wasn't thinking about fancy names for cats."
"Fair enough, what would you call a cat if you got one now?" I asked.
"I'm not sure. When I've gotten cats before it's normally been from a shelter, so they've come with names." He picked up his wine and took a sip. "What about you? Any pets?"
"My grandma had a cat," I responded. "Mum always said I couldn't have one, so I'd make the most of it when I went to visit my grandparents."
There was a strange expression on his face as he looked at me, and I couldn't quite tell what it was, especially when we were just talking about cats. I supposed that it was mostly because it was a small thing on which we were aligned. I supposed it made sense. The matchmaking system did say that we were a good match, perhaps this was just a good example of that, even if it was only scratching the surface.
And I was hopeful that we'd discover more as time went on. Uncovering all of the things that might make us work together.Of course, there could be things that didn't, but that was a risk we had to take.
Chapter 11
ELOISE
It was hard to focus on my work when all I could think about was last night's date, and the fact that Cupid wasn't actually here yet.
A ping sounded from my computer and I managed to pay attention for long enough to click on the alert. I wasn't expecting Hades to have another hit, but now there was one looking at me from the screen, and even if I didn't fully understand why, I knew that this was bad news, even if the compatibility score was ninety-nine percent.
The door opened and Cupid strode in, his gaze immediately seeking me out. My breathing caught in my throat and I started regretting the end of the night kiss and the fact that was all it had been.
"Morning," he said.
"Hi," I responded, ignoring all of the others in the room even if it was still too early for them to know that anything was going on between us.
"I'll be in my office," he said, pausing for just long enough that it felt like an invitation.
I jumped to my feet without thinking. "I actually need to talk to you," I blurted out. "About Hades." I wasn't sure if the save would convince anyone that there was nothing going on, but at least it was a real reason for us to talk.
"Of course, why don't you come on through."
The others seem to have already decided we weren't doing anything of interest, or maybe they were just being silent in the hope that they could get more gossip-worthy information from us if they were quiet.
I hurried through to his office, my heart already racing as Cupid made his way into the room and set his bag down.
"So, Hades?" he asked. "That's a ruse I wasn't expecting."
"Well, I actually need to talk to you about Hades," I responded. "Not that I didn't want to see you after last night." I bit my lip, drawing his gaze there as I did.
"Good." He leaned in and my heart skipped a beat even as my eyes closed.
His lips brushed against mine in a soft kiss that was barely a promise for more.
"So, Hades?" he asked when he pulled back.
I cleared my throat. "We have a situation."
"Ominous."
"The system has matched him with Persephone," I said.
"Ah. That is an issue. But it's fine, we can fix that." He went behind his desk and powered up his computer.
"Will you show me how?"