Crimes of Cupidity (Heart Hassle Book 3)

Evert insists on taking me to get something to eat. Not that I object much. I’m not one to turn down food. We sit at a picnic table while I stuff my face. I just had breakfast not too long ago, and it’s not the best, but I’m not one to turn down food. Even when it’s something called a patty sack that resembles a, well…never mind. I’m kind of embarrassed that I ate it, to be honest. Also, Evert keeps making sack jokes now.

I’m about to ask Evert about what they’ve been doing while I’ve been gone, when, out of the corner of my eye, I see a flash of pink.

Pink hair, just like mine. “Is Lex here?” I mutter to myself as I get to my feet. “Hey,” Evert calls at my back as I start to walk away. I don’t heed him, and he curses and rushes to my side. “Where are you going?”

“I saw pink,” I tell him distractedly, pushing away from him again in the busy food ring.

“What? Dammit, wait up!”

I veer around fae as I try to find that head of pink hair again. I know I saw it. It was just here! I dip under giant arms, elbow past obstinate bodies, and all but fight my way down the dirt path until finally, finally, I spot the pink hair again.

The male is now leaning against the rail, watching the fighting yard, his pink hair slightly spiked up at the top of his head.

I stop dead in my tracks. That’s not a cupid.

But I’d know him anywhere.

“Sylred?”

At the sound of my voice, he turns, and then his face goes slack with shock. We both stare at each other for a moment, and my eyes travel over every inch of his handsome face. But I’m nervous. So, so nervous. Is his face going to change? Morph into one of disgust and hate like Okot? Is he pissed at me like Evert?

One second, he’s standing there, slack-jawed and frozen, and the next, he’s bolting toward me.

I startle and back up a step, but Evert is suddenly at my back, and I’m stuck. In the span of a heartbeat, Sylred is in front of me. He reaches out and lifts me up by my waist and swings me around, an amazing grin spread across his face while his kind eyes are alive with relief and joy. I open my mouth in a surprised squeal, but he catches the noise in his mouth as he crashes my body against him and devours me with a kiss.

Heaven.

That’s what it feels like. Not that I’m gonna say it out loud. I won’t do that, because with my luck, Raziel would pop up and totally kill our romantical buzz that we have going on. Angels can be real downers for the libido.

But oh my gods, Sylred is here, and he’s holding me and kissing me like he’s been waiting to do it his whole life, and it feels amazing.

I hear whoops and catcalls around us, but I don’t care. My arms wind tightly around his neck, and I hold him as close as he’s holding me. Our tongues dance together, and his hips grind against mine, making my neediness amp up. Evert left me wet and wanting, so I go from embers to a burning inferno in no time at all. When Sylred tries to pull away, I nip him on the lip and pull him back to me. He groans into my mouth, and I start to climb him.

Yeah. Climb.

Like, feet up his shins, arms scrambling over his shoulders, trying to hike him like a mountain trail. It’s not sexy.

He grunts awkwardly but manages to grab hold of me and stop my awkward movements enough to pull away from the desperate face-sucking that I was forcing on him.

I know. It’s embarrassing. But I’m really horny. Also, I missed him like pissing dudes miss the toilet bowl.

“Emelle,” he breathes, putting his forehead against mine. His grip digs into my skin where he’s holding me at the thighs like he’s afraid to let me go. Which I’m glad for, since I’d totally fall on my ass if he did let me go.

“I’m here,” I tell him. I realize that my face is wet with tears, and he brings one hand up to swipe them away.

“We couldn’t feel you. Couldn’t find you,” he says, sounding horribly pained.

“I’m so, so sorry.”

I press my cheek against his chest as he runs a hand up and down my back in that old familiar rhythm that he’s so good at.

“Where’d you find her?” Sylred asks, looking behind me to Evert.

“In the road talking to some spiked asshole. Spotted her wings and hair through the crowd,” he explains. “Just like she spotted you.”

I look up to study Sylred’s new look. “You have pink cupid hair,” I muse, bringing a hand up to run it through his tresses. His brows and five o’clock shadow are still blonde, but his full head of pink exactly matches mine. “My cupidity rubbed off on you, too. Are you mad?”

He takes my own hair between his fingers and rubs gently. “Don’t you know by now? I’m partial to pink.”

Gods, I missed him.

I snuggle into his chest again and just breathe him in. He smells like cedar and sweat and…

I lift my head up. “Are you carrying chocolate?”

He drops one of his arms down to reach in his pocket, and pulls out a small box. Taking it, I open the lid and see four little heart-shaped chocolates waiting inside.

I swallow the lump in my throat. “You…you’ve still been carrying chocolates in your pockets for me?”

He pops one in my mouth and gives me a peck. “Every day. Because I knew you’d come back to us.”

Well, melt my heart. Am I crying over chocolates? Yes, yes I am. But it’s not just about the chocolate. It’s the fact that he never gave up on me.

“You’re a good mate, Syl.”

“You deserve it.”

Gah. This guy. He always says the right things.

“Can I put you down now? You’re kind of heavy with the wings.”

Never mind.

“Oh,” I sigh. “I guess so. Except I kind of missed you guys carrying me whenever I got tired. I had to walk forever during my mission to save the princess. Also, Evert was mad at me, so when we had hello sex, he wouldn’t let me come. I’m kind of enjoying the friction to be honest,” I tell him plainly, rocking my hips a little. “Will you give me an orgasm?” I ask seriously.

Sylred blinks at me for a moment, and a blush spreads across his cheeks. “Umm…”

Rebel heads swing in my direction, and one fae with a sandy scalp raises his hand. “Hey, I’ll give you an orgasm, sweetheart!”

Several of his buddies at the food table chuckle.

“I’ll rip off your fucking head,” Evert says evenly, one hand in his pocket. He looks super nonchalant when he threatens people.

At the expression on Evert’s face, the fae and his friends quickly swallow their laughs and turn back around, looking really interested in their plates.

Evert looks over at me wryly. “Can you not request orgasms in a camp full of rebels?”

I sigh. “Fine.”

Evert grabs hold of me and lifts me gently from Sylred, placing me back on my feet.

“Back to that other thing you mentioned,” Sylred says. “It’s believed that the princess was executed,” Sylred tells me gently.

I shake my head. “Nuh uh. That rumor isn’t true. I totally rescued her,” I say, rocking back on my heels proudly. “Well, the Horned Hook helped, but still.”

Sylred opens and closes his mouth, at a loss. Evert looks around, as if worried others might have overheard me. “Let’s take this elsewhere,” he says.

“Okay, sure. I want to see Ronak, anyway,” I tell them as we start walking out of the food area and to the dirt roads.

Evert and Sylred share a look. “What?” I ask.

“Were you just over there?” Evert asks Sylred.

Sylred nods gravely. “Yeah. I wasn’t supposed to return for a couple of days, but maybe we can get on the list again? Considering the circumstances…” His voice trails off as they look at me.

“It’s worth a try,” Evert says.

“What are you guys talking about?”

They continue on, pulling me along with them. The guys both tuck me between them so that I’m squished in the middle as we continue walking down the path. Our legs brush up against each other, and they both reach down and thread their fingers through mine. It seems like the three of us can’t help but touch each other. I felt like I’d only been gone for a couple of days, and I missed them a lot. I can only imagine how it’s been for them to have me missing for a month.

We approach a group of cabins all set up within a few feet of each other, and I realize that I’m looking at the genfin part of the rebel camp. There are genfins all around, including some of them in a small fighting ring, practicing combat while in their genfin animal states.

“Is Ronak here?” I ask, straining my neck to try to see if he’s in the ring.

I don’t see him, but there are two genfins circling each other, along with two genfin spotters in the ring with them, making sure their animals don’t go too far.

“Not exactly,” Sylred says as they pull me toward a cabin. Evert reaches for my other hand and then Sylred raises his arms to knock. Seconds later, the door swings open.

We’re greeted by a genfin female with an ashy blonde head of hair and tail. Her furry wings are folded up behind her, and I can see two genfin males further inside the cabin. They’re all wearing the leather rebel fatigues, and they pause what they’re doing to stare out at us. She’s pretty, and has the muscles of a warrior.

Her brown eyes widen slightly as her gaze bounces between Evert and Sylred. “Covey Fircrown,” she says, though I don’t miss the slight tremble in her voice. My cupid senses pick up on something from her. Part of my cupid powers allows me to sense love or heartbreak, but sometimes, I can also sense other things. And right now, I’m sensing that this female is longing for my genfins—and it’s strong.

Like…huge wafts of it are going up my nostrils and making my nose tickle with the need to sneeze. Her intense longing brings out an overwhelming sense of panic and possessiveness in me that I didn’t even know I was capable of.

If I had a genfin tail, I’d totally wrap it around my guys right now in a public display of claiming. But I don’t, so instead, my irrational emotions take over, and I watch in horror as I lift up Sylred and Evert’s hands in front of my face and then lick them.

Yeah. Lick.

Like a four-year-old who licks the toys she doesn’t want to share.

And judging by their collective faces, I just made things awkward. Whoops.