Crimes of Cupidity (Heart Hassle Book 3)

Iwon’t leave Ronak and Evert to die. I can’t.

“Take the girl to the portal!” I tell Sylred in a rush.

And then I go invisible.

Sylred shouts my name, but I’m already flying, racing toward the high fae that are trying to cut my genfins down.

When I get closer, I can see that Ronak has reverted to his feral state, just like I knew he would. I’m counting on his animal instincts to be as vicious as possible. Maybe with his animal loose, and me with my sneak attacks, we’ll be able to get away.

I fly up behind a high fae perched on the roof of a shop, who is aiming his arrow right at Sylred. Sylred doesn’t notice, because he’s struggling with the screaming girl in his arms. The fae has a full quiver of iron-tipped arrows over his back and a dagger at his belt. Putting my incorporeal hand above the hilt of the dagger, I go visible, grab the sword, and already have it stabbed through his back before he can let the arrow loose at Sylred.

The fae collapses against the roof, and I jerk the bow out of his arms while hiking the quiver over my shoulder and wing. Planting my feet on the domed roof, I notch an arrow and go for the high fae.

I was a cupid on earth’s realm for over sixty years. I am damn good with a bow. So when I let arrow after arrow loose, the wind doesn’t mess me up. The moving shadows don’t phase me. The smoke burns my eyes, but I just clear off the tears with my shoulder and keep shooting.

I take down three high fae before they even realize what’s happening. Before they can retaliate, I launch into the sky, my wings taking me over to another roof, and I land again before any of the other archers can start aiming at me.

Ronak is battling it out with two high fae and a phouka below, but I can’t see Evert anywhere. Ronak is a growling, snarling menace, but I can see blood dripping from his bare chest in multiple places, and I know even his feralness won’t be able to sustain him for long.

Notching three arrows at once, I let it fly at the phouka that’s trying to spit sparks at my mate. The arrows hit the creature in the neck, and it shakes its head and releases a furious and agonized screech.

I notch another three around, aiming for its head this time, but before I can let them fly, a high fae soldier lands on top of me, pushing me off balance and sending the bow flying out of my hands.

My body goes sprawling onto the rounded roof, and I can’t stop the momentum as I go rolling off the edge. I land in a heap on the ground, and just when I’m about to get my hands underneath me, the soldier is on me again, yanking me up by the hair. I scream in pain, only dazed for another second before I remember to go invisible again.

Because of my sudden absence, the high fae goes sprawling to the ground. When he gets up, I notice that his movements are oddly robotic, and when I take a moment to look at him, I notice that he looks strangely expressionless, too. Not like he’s hyper-focused and shutting his emotions out, but almost like he’s not even real.

But I can’t linger on that, so I use his disorientation to my advantage. I go physical and grab the dagger at his belt. I have it stabbed into his back, pinning his wing against him before he can get up.

I fly up again, out of his reach, and spot Evert fighting three more high fae inside one of the ruined shops. He’s fighting with only his claws and a broken table leg. He needs help. Just like Ronak, I can see that Evert is bleeding from several places, and even though he’s snarling and fighting back with everything he has, he’s tiring.

Flying through the smoke, searching desperately, I find a couple lifeless high fae in the rubble, fatal wounds torn through their bodies. I snatch up their swords and then fly back to Evert, dropping down beside him. He startles when I suddenly appear at his side, snarling when he sees it’s me.

I pass him a sword, intending to keep the smaller one for myself, but he takes that one too and shoves me behind him. “What the bloody fuck are you doing here?”

“I’m not leaving you!” I snap.

Evert growls at me, but then starts attacking the three high fae with new vigor, striking at the soldiers with a sword in each hand. He takes them out in seconds, before I even get the chance to go searching for another bow and arrow.

Heaving, he turns toward me, blood staining the blades of his swords. His face is mottled with rage. “Get the fuck out of here!”

Maybe before, I would’ve cowered at his super scary face, but I’ve dealt with genfin tempers enough to go toe-to-toe with them now. I glare back at him. “No.”

He snarls at me and grabs me roughly by the shoulders like he wants to shake me. “You are a stubborn pain in my ass!”

“Well, too bad!”

He opens his mouth to say something back at me, but pained screams ring out through the air, cutting him off. We look at each other for a split second before running outside. I stumble to a stop when I see that the screams are coming from a high fae on the ground, a feral Ronak attacking him savagely. The fae’s screams cut off when Ronak rushes forward, and then viciously rips out the fae’s throat with his teeth.

Spitting out blood and gore, Ronak spins in our direction, bloodied fangs and claws dripping onto the rubble.

“Ronak,” I say holding my hands up. “It’s us.”

But he doesn’t hear me, and there are no black eyes to show me he’s still there. His animal stalks forward and scoops me up, holding me protectively against his chest.

When Evert tries to come nearer, the alpha roars and gnashes his teeth.

“Fucking hell, Ronak!” Evert snaps,

“Evert!”

Our heads whip in the direction of Sylred’s shout.

“The portal!”

Urging us forward, Sylred turns and starts leading the way.

Knowing I have to get Ronak to follow, and that I’m the only one who can do it, I turn invisible for just long enough so that I can get out of his hold. I won’t let him stay here and fight alone. He may want to defend his people, but it’s my job as his mate to defend him. When I reappear in front of him, I’m careful to stay out of his reach.

“Come on, alpha,” I coax him. He moves to grab me, but I jump back, out of reach. “You’ll have to catch me,” I tell the alpha.

He growls in response, but just like I’d hoped, he starts following me. Turning, I sprint towards Sylred, Evert covering our backs.

With every step, I can feel Ronak gaining on me, growling his displeasure at me being for evading him.

“Here!” Sylred beckons, and I dart into the ruined building of what once was some sort of pub. The portal is already there, with other genfins rushing through it, some of them carrying the injured, but it’s wavering—blinking in and out at the edges.

“Hurry! It’s about to close! Go!” Sylred says.

Knowing that he and Evert won’t go unless I do, and also because I need to get Ronak through, I rush forward alongside others, just as I feel Ronak’s clawed hand clutching the back of my shirt.

We go falling through, landing in a heap on the ground.