“I wouldn’t say much more, my princess. You are an accessory to their kidnapping and possible murder,” Joseph said as he took her video recorder. “We wouldn’t want to leave behind any evidence, now would we?”
“You never said anything about danger,” Patricia said, backing away from them, “or this.”
“But, princess, where are you going? I owe you so much,” Joseph said. “Without you none of this would have been possible. You wanted immortality. I can still give you that.”
“No.” Patricia shook her head.
“Did you really think you would have him on his knees by asking nicely?” He smiled. “But then again you can ask so nicely.”
“What?” Patricia asked as she looked over at the condemnation on everyone’s face. “I just wanted the truth to be known.”
“You wanted to be venerated, and you will be,” Joseph said. “You don’t need a newscast for that. I will see that you are worshiped.”
“All I wanted was to be respected,” she cried.
Joseph tsked. “Your actions hold so very little of that.”
“Where are they?” Jonathan asked as he stepped forward.
“Oh, I would not do that.” Joseph crossed the distance in a heartbeat, taking hold of Amber. He laughed, this time revealing his fangs.
Jonathan turned to see the woman he loved in the monster’s arms. Patricia cried out in fear and shrank back against the rocks.
“Ah-ah-ah,” Joseph said when Jonathan took a step toward him. He placed his thumb over the trigger of the bomb. “They are in a vehicle not too far away, and it is rigged to blow.”
“Joe the fish is a vampire?” Jacques asked. “I so didn’t see that one coming.”
“The first of my kind,” Joe gloated. “I fell in love with my Selene, but when Adonis discovered our love, he cursed me so that the sun would burn my skin, and because of this, I could not meet my love the next morning. We had planned to run away and marry.”
“But I’ve seen a photo of you in the sunlight,” Jacques said.
“Yes,” Joseph said. “It is fitting, don’t you think, that my redemption lies with the goddess of love?” He laughed at the memory. “When I first used your blood to restore my fading youth, I was exhilarated to find that it also allowed me to walk again in the sun.”
“I remember the tale now,” Eros blurted out. “Hades promised to help you if I brought him Artemis’s silver arrow. But when you stole it, she, too, cursed you. She cast a spell so that the silver arrow would burn your skin.” He looked at Jonathan meaningfully.
“She did not. She blessed me,” Joseph said, his eyes turning red in anger. “I hunted a swan for her each night with a bow and arrow given to me by Hades. After hearing my tale and knowing all of my offerings to her, she gave me immortality and fangs with which to take the blood of my offerings to my beautiful Selene.” Joseph moved the hair away from Amber’s neck as he spoke.
She cried out when he nuzzled her neck. He looked at the moon. “To my fairest, Selene, the moon goddess. With this sacrifice I shall become invincible, greater than Zeus even, and I will restore you, my moonbeam.”
Chapter 17
Amber’s eyes never left Jonathan’s as she was held against the monster. To have finally found him, her son, her family was enough to make her heart full and to know what love truly was. I love you,” she mouthed the words to Jonathan.
“First to be cursed, perhaps,” René said as he entered the clearing, “but not the only.”
Joseph looked over at the new arrival, giving Jonathan enough time to retrieve the arrow in his side pocket and toss it to his son who withdrew his bow, nocked the arrow, and let it fly.
The arrow passed between Amber’s arm and her rib cage, striking Ambrosio right through the heart.
“Aaauugh!” he cried out as he fell to the ground. Jonathan dove to the ground to get the bomb’s trigger. He watched in horror as the madman’s finger pressed against the button.
Boom!
“No,” Jessie cried out as a large fire ball rose above the tree tops.
“We’re okay,” Gloria called as she, Mavis, and Katie came into the clearing with Harold.
“Thank God!” Jonathan said as he gathered Amber into his arms and kissed her soundly. He looked over to see Eros still smiling at them and not a cherub. Jonathan grabbed him and pulled him into the hug. “I love you,” he said as his mother put her arms around the three of them.
Jacques and Jessie hugged Katie and Gloria then turned and saw René standing over the vampire who had burned to ash as he stood watching. They walked over and pulled him into their circle.
“It is so sad,” he said, looking down at the remains of Ambrosio. “For one who claimed to have known love, he never knew the love of a family. It is what couples do you know. They have children.”
“So they do.” Jonathan laughed, ruffling the hair atop his son’s head. “Why didn’t you change into the cherub when I kissed your mother?” he asked.
“My mission is over,” Eros said with a wink, “with the exception of this.” He tossed the golden apple in the air. Jonathan patted his shoulder affectionately and then left to walk over where Joseph’s remains were burnt into the ground. He picked the melted remains of the video camera out of the ash and headed toward Patricia who was still cowering against the rocks. Her tears had smeared the makeup she wore.
He threw the camera on the ground in front of her.
She looked up at him and said, “I’m sorry.”
“Sometimes the truth must be hidden to protect the innocent. I hope you understand that now,” Jonathan said.
She nodded, looking up at Gloria, Mavis, and Katie who had all gathered around her. “I didn’t know about the bomb. Please believe me.” She sobbed.
Mavis reached out a hand and helped her up. “I can forgive, but if you ever try to hurt my family again, you will find yourself in deep shit.”
Everyone did a double take at her use of the word.
“I’m sorry,” Mavis said, looking at everyone. “It’s been a trying two days.”
“I won’t,” Patricia said. “I promise.”
“Then I think perhaps you need some protection against the evil this man did to us all.” Mavis looked at her son and then to everyone else who stood there. “What do you think?”
“I think she was abducted along with us,” Katie said.
“Really?” Patricia asked. “You would do that for me?”
“Only if you start protecting the innocent with your stories and not exploit them for your own fame,” Gloria said.
“Oh, I will,” Patricia said. “I’m turning over a new leaf with this.”
“Is everyone agreed?” Mavis asked.
Amber and Jonathan looked at each other and nodded.
Mavis helped Patricia up, and the ladies all followed Jacques who led the way back with a flashlight. Jonathan reached out and took Amber’s hand, and they walked together back towards the car, following behind the others. “I love you too,” she said and started to laugh.
The group could see the lights of the emergency vehicles, army, and media crews as they came out to the road. The army had cordoned off the silver balloon, placing a large tent over it.
“I’m so glad I removed that from the car now,” René said.
Charlene jumped out of her minivan and ran over to them. “Oh, my! You had me so worried.”
“We just went on a picnic,” Jessie said.
“What kind of picnic involves explosives?” she asked.
The media crew, upon seeing Patricia, raced over.
“I guess she got her wish to make the news after all,” Gloria said, watching as she refused all interviews and went to the ambulance instead.
Both Hank, in his army fatigues, and Tom, in his uniform, walked over to them.
“Why am I not surprised?” Tom asked Jonathan.
“I thought when you retired you’d get into less trouble.” Hank shook his head.
“It’s been a long night,” Jonathan said. “The van, you’ll find, belongs to Joe the fish.” He kidnapped my mom, Katie, and Mavis, along with Patricia.”
Amber noticed how he said the truth but in such a way as to change Patricia’s involvement.
“He tried to use them as leverage to take Amber away,” Jonathan said, looking over at her. He was so thankful Howard and René had arrived in time.
“Is everyone all right?” Tom asked.
“Well, Tom,” Jonathan said as he led him away, “when Joe blew up the van, thinking he was killing innocent people, he somehow managed to incinerate himself in the act.”
“And how did he do that?” Tom asked.
“He must not have been as careful when making that bomb as he thought,” Jonathan said.
“Hmm.” Tom shook his head. “Well, I’m grateful a killer like that is no longer on the loose.”
“I think it’s safe to say that you can close the case on the motel manager as well,” Jonathan said.
“One more thing,” Tom said, “what do you know about the UFO?”
“UFO? Where?” Jonathan asked as they went back toward the group. “We are by the base.”
Tom looked at all of them and shook his head. “I’d like to come by in the morning and get a statement if I may.”
“Absolutely, I’ll make sweet rolls,” Gloria said.
Jonathan went to stand by Jacques, René, Harold, and Eros. “I see you fixed the Pinto,” he said, looking where it was parked behind his truck.
René started to chuckle. “She is one fast pony.”
Jonathan looked at Harold. “I take it that your experiment worked.”
Harold looked over to his wife. “Indeed—oh, you meant the hover craft.” He cleared his throat and straightened his bowtie.
“I knew it would all work out,” Jacques said as he flipped a coin in his hand. “I found my lucky clover.”
He tossed it to Jonathan who looked at the golden medallion of a four leaf clover. “It’s the luck of the Irish, or so I was told.”
“By whom?” Jonathan asked.
“The Irishman I won it off of in a game of chance.”
“Based on that story, it doesn’t sound all that lucky,” Jonathan said as he tossed back the coin, and made his way toward Amber. He placed his hands on each side of her shoulders and hugged her to him. “Ready to go home?”
She spun around in his arms and hugged him to her. “Those words have never sounded so good to me.”
Can I give some of you a lift?” Charlene asked.
While Jacques, Jessie, Harold, Gloria, and Mavis climbed in her van, René and Katie went to the Pinto.
“There is one other thing,” Eros said as he joined his parents.
“What might that be?” Jonathan asked.
“There may be a deadline to giving this arrow and golden apple back, and thus preserving the god of love,” he indicated himself, “from the tyranny and wrath of Artemis for having stolen it in the first place.”
“I thought you borrowed it?” Jonathan lifted a brow and then sighed. “When is this deadline?”
“Isn’t that obvious?” Eros said. “It’s Valentine’s.”
~*~
Jonathan and Amber walked up the steps of the ruins of what once was the grand temple of Athena and looked out across the beautiful blue sea of the Mediterranean.
He paused to take her hand and kiss her fingers. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.” Amber nodded.
Together they placed the arrow and the golden apple on the altar and then stepped back.
They practically skipped down the stairs hand in hand as they ran down to the beach. Running across the sand, they played in the waves, laughing when they fell down.
“Maybe you can help me to remember,” Amber said, looking up into the face of the man whom she loved more than life itself.
He grinned wickedly. “I think we should just make some new memories,” he said before kissing her. “And we can start by you becoming my wife.”
The End
Afterword
Dear reader,
Thank you for reading Cupid’s Treasure - Mystery of the Golden Arrow the sequel to Treasure of the Jaguar Warrior. In this book I asked myself what were some funniest iconic symbols of love and Valentines. Cupid, love potions, the ugly duckling turning into a beautiful swan along with one of the greatest of loves the Greek and Roman myths had to offer came to mind. I hope you liked what I managed to do with them and enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Writing a paranormal series gives me the opportunity to delve into the fantasy of the mythology and let my imagination run loose with all the possibilities presented which has been a blast for me! Turning a Pinto into a super racing pony that can get some air is an absolute must the way I see it! Hahahaha!
If you loved the antics in this story you’ll be happy to know that it doesn’t stop here. The wacky characters of this book are let loose again in the next story in this series, The Leprechauns Treasure - Mystery of the Four Leafed Clover.
Just who will get lucky in love next?
Other works by Barbara Ivie Green
A delightfully enchanting series filled with light hearted humor, heartwarming romance, haunted histories, and ancient mysteries.
A tale of discovery, mischievous spirits, and Mayan mayhem!
What do you get when a mischievous ghost, a new divorcée, her helpful mother, the nosey neighbor, her hunky son, a leaky pooch, and a fed up gardener are thrust together for the Christmas season?
A fast paced, action-packed, mystical thriller that is just what the veterinarian ordered to start the new year-tun off right!
The first book in the series Paranormally Yours explores the hidden mysteries of the ancient myths surrounding the Mayan Sun calendar along with enough nonsense to make it all deliriously wacky!
To read more about Treasure of the Jaguar Warrior, click here
Journey to the land of the Pharaohs in the year 1863, where the search for treasure digs up more than a little danger!
Treasure of Egypt solves one of the greatest mysteries of the ancient world.
Discover for yourself the true origins of the Sphinx, as well as several misconstrued symbols in a journey that many readers have equated with Indiana Jones and Sherlock Holmes. Find out why so many readers have said it’s one of the best and funniest book they have ever read!
To read more about Treasure of Egypt click here
To view video trailer of Treasure of Egypt click here
About the Author
I love a book that takes me far away . . . to a time and place when the world was filled with mystery. Throw in some humor, nonstop action, a little romance and I’m pretty much hooked. Add to that an ancient mystery and I’m yours forever. . . . Well, at least until the book is finished. Hahaha!
My series Treasure of the Ancients delves into the greatest mysteries of the Ancient world. I have spent years researching ancient cultures and their languages. To me, understanding their ancient beliefs as well as their writing is not only fascinating, but essential to writing a solid book.
My new series, Paranormally Yours, gives me the freedom to take a few more liberties with the myths I am so fascinated by. You could say I jumped into the paranormal world with both feet in writing these lighthearted stories. We are still exploring the ancient mysteries of the world, but in this series everything of fantasy, myth, and legend can and probably will pop up.
I have spent years as a professional artist, (please see my blog or website to view art) but it wasn’t until a late blessing came into my life, which magically transformed my oils into finger paints, that the opportunity to write the books I’ve dreamt of finally came.
I am blessed to have the most amazing supportive husband and family. I also have the best dog in the whole world, (see his picture in the dictionary next to “best dog ever”) and his sidekick, Mr. Widdle, aka Wiz-man, whose name has been changed to protect
the little bugger. Let’s just say that it’s a good thing he’s cute because he has a few issues that were worse when he first came to us. He’s getting better, but at this time nothing is safe in the yard whether it’s edible or not, and the carpet is . . . well, soon to be ancient history!
Contact Information
Barbara Ivie Green loves to hear from readers!
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Biviegreen
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/barbaraiviegreen
Blog: www.barbaraiviegreen.blogspot.com
Website: www.barbaraiviegreen.com
Visit her blog or her website to see what is new and in the works for both her series and art.
Copyright Information
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Use of this eBook is limited to personal, non-commercial use. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, display, broadcast, or republish in any form, including, but not limited to, distribution or storage in a system for retrieval. No transmission, publication, or exploitation of the eBook in part or in whole is permitted without the prior written permission of the author, Barbara Ivie Green. This book may not be resold or uploaded for distribution to others.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Main Menu
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Cupid's Treasure - Mystery of the Golden Arrow Page 19
