Page 9

“You’ve heard of me?”

“Of course I’ve heard of you. You’re the source of all chaos in the universe.”

Basanti snorted.

I ignored her. “But I’ve never heard ofyou,” I told Cupid. “You’re truly not an angel or a god?”

“I am not.”

“And yet you have wings.”

“Yes.” There was that spark in her eyes again.

“So what are you? Something older?” I asked, thinking of the ancient Immortals.

Her response was cryptic. “No. I’m something new.”

“What kind of some?—”

“It’s a long story. What I am is not important.” Her words cut through mine like a guillotine. “What’s important is that we send those spirit animals back where they came from before they decide to get frisky again and take over your entire castle.”

“Spirit animals?”

“Creatures from another dimension. You drew them here when you turned that on.” Cupid indicated Leila’s experimental machine. “The machine also put the spirit animals into an agitated emotional state. I calmed them down.”

“By shooting them with your arrows,” said Nero.

She nodded. “Yes. That’s my specialty: using my magic to influence the emotions of people and beasts. I can make someone feel calm or angry or sad. I can also make them fall in love.” Her gaze cut to Alec, who’d arrived at Storm Castle during dinner.

A slow, sly smile curled Alec’s lips. Yeah, I’d bet he would love to have Cupid’s powers. He was such a playboy.

Meanwhile, the sparkling animals had gathered around Cupid, and she was talking to them like she knew them. “Ok, Ruby, Jade, Ginger, Onyx…” She rattled off what I presumed were the creatures’ names. “I’m going to need you guys to go back through the void to your own dimension now.”

A chorus of overlapping creature noises answered her all at once.

“What did they say?” I asked Cupid.

“Honestly, I haven’t got the faintest idea,” she replied. “I’m just the spirit animal tracker, not the spirit animal whisperer. But they understand me.” She frowned. “Or at least Ithinkthey do.”

She must have been right about that because the spirit animals turned around and vanished from sight. Sierra sniffled in disappointment.

“Are theyactuallygone this time?” Leila asked.

I didn’t blame her for being skeptical. We thought we’d banished them before.

“They’re gone,” replied Cupid. “All but one.”

I saw it too. The shadow cat hadn’t left with the others. Instead, it was strutting back and forth in front of Angel, trying to get my cat’s attention.

Angel gave him a cool look, clearly unimpressed by the show.

“Shadow,” Cupid said to the shadow cat, “I don’t think the lady’s interested.”

Shadow ignored her. Instead, he tried to impress Angel by jumping on top of her and giving her a big nip in the back with his sharp fangs. As thoughthatwas the surefire way to a lady’s heart.

Angel fought back like the apex predator that she was, but that didn’t seem to discourage Shadow at all. If anything, it made him bite her with even greater enthusiasm.

“Shadow love Angel!” Sierra clapped her hands as Shadow chased Angel across the room. “Angel has boyfriend!”