Page 38 of Captured By the Cupid

“It’s beautiful!” Aradia gushes, snatching it from my fingers. I tense, almost lunging for her, but they don’t burn her fair skin. Of course, they don’t. They no longer pulse with the ancient energy gifted to me by Chaos itself.

Oh, she will pay for taking the arrow right out of my hands later, but I’m too transfixed by her reaction. How she turns it this way and that, tracing her finger across the length until she arrives at the arrowhead.

And then, she pricks herself. Alarm quickens my pulse from the speckle of blood upon her index finger. I pause as she lifts her eyes, flicking them instantly to…Crescendo. And then, she licks her lips, lust storming her expression. What in all bloody fucking hearts? Oh, hell.

A second later, she’s leapt from the chair and made a beeline for the jester. My pulse explodes. Fire burns a jealous inferno in my veins. How could I let her touch the damned arrow?

“What the—ohnoohnoohno!” Cres practically squeals, stumbling into a run and playing Hall and OatesManeater.

Raging envy crashes through me when Aradia pounces on the jester and starts humping the side of his body. Seething, outright fuming, I charge for them as she knocks Crescendo to the floor.

“Eros, save me! Save me!” he screeches, trying to scramble out from beneath her.

Maddening thoughts tear through me of how I will possibly reverse the arrow’s effect on her. My fury breaks like waves against a cliffside as I reach for her. I’ll tear her off the damned jester and chain her to the bed if I need to.

And then, she looks at me.

Her expression turns playful, her smile wide and glimmering—so great and powerful, she punches right through every ounce of my anger. When she rises and lunges at me, practically climbing me like a fortress, the rage disintegrates.

The little Butterfly kisses my cheek, stunning me. “You’re so cute when you’re jealous.”

Fuck me.

Crescendo rises, utterly relieved. He switches the song to Sinatra’sI’ve Got You Under My Skinas she coils her arms around my neck and sways to the rhythm.

“I’ve never seen him so ruffled, my Lady. My hat’s off to you. Literally!” Crescendo sweeps off his jester’s cap, showcasing his smaller curved horns and jingling his bells. “Well, better make that ruffled cherub wings. He’s looking quite disheveled. Aww, do you need a hug, Eros? Prank-recovery pill?”

Aradia giggles at the same time that I screw my brows down. If I wasn’t holding the little Butterfly, I’d have ripped all those bells off his clothes and shoved them so far down his throat, he’d be shitting metal balls for the next month.

“I’ve got a song for you, Cres…” I stare daggers at him and finish, “Buried Alive.”

He whistles low. “Pranked by a mortal. Someone call Mount Olympus!” he shouts and dances a jingly jig. “Eros needs a prank intervention.”

Snarling, I grab the closest thing I can find, a vase of flowers, and I chuck it at him. Aradia laughs as the slimy little weasel ducks at the last second, but he knows better than to stick around.

“Guess love isn’t the only thing that’s blind around here!” he cackles.

I throw a fork at him. It bounces off the door when he opens it. “Little taste of your own medicine, Eros?”

I grip the edge of the dinner tray and throw it as hard as I can.

“Just rewards!” he squeals and closes the door just in time for the tray to clatter and crash to the floor.

And all this time, the little darling hasn’t stopped swaying and swinging those curls all around the air like fluttering rose petals.

Calming my riled breaths, I turn to her and can’t help the heat stalking my system when she kisses my cheek again.

My lungs tighten, jaw hardening as I eye her. “You know I’m going to beat your ass so hard for that, you won’t sit down for a week.”

“Yes!” she screams, throws her arms tighter around me, and bounces like a butterfly in a net.

“For fuck’s sake, woman! What the bloody valentines?” I wrestle between setting her on the floor or sinking my fingers into her plump little bottom. Given how much she clings to me, the second wins.

Kissing each of my stony cheeks, Aradia bobs her shoulders and tips her head back to say, “That means I get to stay! For a whole week!”

Fuck.

One day turnsinto one week. And every night, I swear I will take her back.

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