by Libby Sparks
"Bones?" a voice called out a moment later and my attention immediately turned to the door. The dog’s tail suddenly began wagging fiercely as the door opened and a man walked in.
"Damn it," I cursed under my breath.
The man, hopefully my client, walked in and spotted me right away. His eyes went wide with shock that quickly switched rage. I could feel the tenseness of the hanging in the air around us as we both stood their frozen in place. Then, as if he had never been startled at all, he darted for the kitchen and returned within seconds holding a gun that was pointed at my head.
"Whoa!" I held up my hands in surrender. "You don't lock your door but you have a gun?" It was the only thing I could think of to blurt out at the moment. A feeling of stupidity crept over my instantly. There were a lot more intelligent things I could have said at that moment; particularly something to cool the situation down.
"Who the hell are you?" he yelled.
He approached me slowly and, if he didn't have a gun pointed at my face, I would have thought he was handsome. He looked around twenty five, my age. His straight black hair fell over one side of his face, contrasting against his pale complexion and bringing out his striking black eyes. He was both scary and beautiful at the same time, like staring into the heart of a fire.
"Fair question," I said as I kept myself pressed against the wall.
He raised an eyebrow. "So, answer it!"
"My name is Ari," I replied. "I was sent here to see you."
"Sent by whom? What the hell do you want?" He closed the distance between us in a few short strides and pushed the gun against my cheek. It was a stupid move on his part; he obviously didn’t know I had immortal strength. I knew instantly that I could grab the muzzle and end this argument, but fighting him didn’t sound like much fun.
"Hey, language, please," I scolded sarcastically.
"I'm not afraid to shoot this," he declared pressing the barrel tip harder into my skin.
“The fact that you feel the need to say that just tells me how full of crap you are.” I was playing tough but was trying to remember how to breathe on the inside. I may live forever, but I wasn’t invincible. "And I'm sure you don't want brains splattered all over your walls." I paused and grinned. "Or, maybe you do. Disgusting and rotten seems to be your theme."
I saw him blush and it only made me grin wider. He wasn't going to shoot me, I could sense his emotion. He was just startled. But why would an immortal need a gun? "Get the hell out my house!"
"Okay, okay, geez." I straightened out my jacket and began heading for the door. "Next time we meet I expect you to be gun-less, thank you."
"Get out," he commanded again through gritted teeth. I took a step out of the door and winced as it slammed behind me.
"Touchy guy," I muttered over my shoulder as I ran a nervous hand through my snow white hair. Maybe this would be harder than I thought. The possibility of a challenge didn’t actually seem to bother me all that much, though. Any break from the mundane would be nice, even if it came from a guy that had no sense of hygiene.
Chapter Four
I quickly brushed off the meeting as I headed back to Hayden's house. I suppose that could have gone a lot better but I would just try another day. After all, he was immortal. I had time and I wasn't getting paid.
When I entered Hayden's small apartment, I was greeted by a little creature barking at my feet. I groaned. Not another dog.
"Hayden?"
"In here!" her voice rang out from the bathroom. I walked around the small dog at my feet and headed in her direction. I leaned against the doorway as I watched Hayden twist her shoulder length hair into a bun.
"Hey," she greeted with bobby pins in her mouth.
"What's that?" I asked as I pointed down to the dog that had followed me to the bathroom.
Hayden sighed as she pulled the remaining pins out of her mouth. "That's Mrs. Adam's Chihuahua. She asked me to watch it for the weekend."
"The whole weekend?" I looked at the thing that I would hardly call a dog. "It's Thursday."
My best friend straightened out her green vest and fixed her name tag. "I know, but she is paying me and heaven knows I need the cash."
I shook my head and decided to change the subject. "Is that the uniform for the movie theater?" She wore black pants and a lame green vest.
"Yeah." She nodded then scooped up the little dog. "This is Spencie and believe it or not, it's a girl."
"Okay," I mumbled as she shoved the oversized rat into my hands.
"If you could take her out later that would be great!" Hayden rushed passed me and grabbed her purse. I looked down at Spencie who was trembling in my hands. Can't anyone have a normal dog?
"Okay, I'll be back around eleven. Don't wait up for me." She grabbed the dog's face and planting a kiss on her nose. "Be good for Ari," she told it and headed out the door.
I glanced at the still shaking dog. "I don't know about you, but I'm hungry." I walked over to the fridge but was disappointed by the lack of good food. I sighed and grabbed my phone from my back pocket to dial the number of my favorite Chinese place.
Sitting down on the couch next to Spencie, I waited impatiently for my food to come. Nothing was on the television so I grew tired of flipping through the channels and tossed the remote onto the couch next to me. Spencie and I eye-balled each other every few minutes. Either the dog doesn’t like me or it wants something from me. After about twenty minutes, the door bell finally rang, causing me to jump in surprise. I quickly paid the delivery guy and then sat back down on the couch to share dinner with my shaky companion.
I hungrily chowed down on some sesame chicken and steamed veggies. Delicious. When I was finished, I threw away the trash and ripped open my fortune cookie. As I looked at the little slip inside I couldn’t help but laugh to myself.
The one you love is closer than you think.
I chuckled again and tossed it in the trash along with the wrapper and popped the cookie into my mouth. After flicking through the channels again and remembering that nothing was on, I decided to take a nap.
"Now, you behave, no funny business," I told the dog as I curled up on the couch with Hayden's blanket.
I rarely ever dreamed, but since I was half mortal they did happen every now and then. Now was one of those moments. I dreamed I was in a large and empty field, my chest was tight with...something. I couldn't place it. But it felt warm, hot even, and filled my body like sunshine on a blazing summers afternoon. The source seemed to radiate from my heart, growing and growing until I couldn't hold it anymore. Just as it exploded from my chest, I awoke.
I jolted upright, gasping for air, covered in sweat. It's almost as if I really had been consumed by the hot light of my dream. I flung my feet down from the couch only to be met with a yelp and a terrified squeal.
I looked down in surprise and found Spencie staring up from under my feet with wide eyes. I scowled at the dog before walking around it to the bathroom. Too bad that little rat couldn't have just been part of the dream. I’m definitely not a dog fan. When I emerged from the bathroom, I headed to the kitchen and found a note left from my roommate.
Ari,
Shift cut short at the theatre. Gone to work at the cafe, I already walked the dog. I should still be home by eleven.
Hayden
I glanced over at the dog, thankful I didn't have to stand outside in the cold waiting for her to do her business. The clock said it was only three o'clock so I grabbed my jacket and purse and headed out the door. I arrived at the cafe only ten minutes later and wasn't surprised to find that there was a line. I waited patiently and finally got to the counter behind a tall man in a blue checkered shirt and black hair that was slicked back over his scalp.
"Hey, welcome to Starbucks how may I help you?" Hayden asked automatically without looking up from the register.
"I'll take the mocha latte," I requested.
She glanced up and smiled in relief. "Thank God, you're here."
; "More or less. Can you go on break?" I asked as she made my drink. Hayden glanced back at a blonde teenager who was currently popping her gum. The blonde nodded to her. As soon as Hayden was finished with my drink, I paid for it, and we took a table together.
"I thought you said that you don't get paid for what you do?"
I shrugged taking a sip of my chocolate flavored coffee. "I don't."
"Then how do you constantly pay for things? I always wondered that."
"When I need money, it just appears. I'm linked to an account only the gods can use. Hades controls all the funds. He makes sure that the world's economy stays in balance and yet we can still have enough money to do the things we need to."
"No way," Hayden squealed in disbelief. "You could be rich!"
I shook my head. "No, it's Hades; God of the Underworld, he's not exactly out to make us rich, just himself. He's also God of Wealth and when he isn't collecting souls, he's tending to money business in the mortal world and for the gods. He doesn't really like to give out huge payouts and he’s not someone you want to mess with."
"I didn't know he was in charge of that. Where does all the money come from?"
"I don't know the details of it. I do know that some of the money comes from loose change you find on the street or what's lost in couches all over the world. Not all of it gets collected by people. Hades works in mysterious ways. As far as I'm concerned, I don't care where the money comes from as long as it's there for my use when I need it." I couldn’t help but smile at myself. It was true that I didn’t care one bit about where the cash came from as long as I could have it when I needed it.
Hayden cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Could you buy a house or something?"
"It doesn't exactly work that way. I can't just go on a million dollar shopping spree. If I could get my hands on that amount of money and I spent it all, it would look oddly suspicious and he would notice. I'm given a monthly budget and I can't draw attention to myself," I explained.
"Cool, I get it. You're, like, on an allowance." She giggled at the sound of such a mortal term applied to me. "So, how did your meeting go?"
I blushed. "Not so good. He's...um...he's a little hard to handle. He might take some warming up to."
The bell for the door rang and I unconsciously glanced over at the guy who entered. Immediately I recognized him as my client and yelped as I tried to cover my face with my hands.
"What's wrong?" Hayden asked.
"That's him," I whispered to her, still covering my face from his view.
"Who's him?" She glanced over at the guy.
"My client!" I wiggled my eyebrows in his direction, trying to stress my point. Hayden's face lit up with recognition.
"Oh! The hot immortal man," she whispered as she stood but I grabbed her wrist and forced her to stay put.
"No, he's dangerous," I spoke too loudly and got the attention of the guy.
His eyes met mind and I could tell he recognized me. "Hey, you," he greeted and walked over to us. He didn't seem angry like before, just kind of curious. "You're that girl who broke into my house."
I would have died...if I could.
"You broke into his house?" Hayden raised her eyebrows at me in total shock.
I winced. "No, it was unlocked and I just...invited myself inside."
My client raised an eyebrow curiously. "I'm gun-less today. Would you like to continue our little meeting?"
"There was a gun?" Hayden cut in.
"You should go back to work," I muttered pushing her away. I didn't know how dangerous he could be. Immortals were unpredictable. She sighed, gave my client one more approving look over, and headed back to the counter. I was about to stand up and excuse myself but the guy slid into Hayden's seat before I could. His black leather jacket smelled new and blended in with his entirely black outfit.
"You're just going to sit with the girl that broke into your house? Don't you want to kill me?"
He shrugged. "We're in public. There are witnesses. Plus you're hot," he added and took a sip of his coffee.
"Hmmm," I mumbled and looked away, really unsure of where to go from here. I wasn't used to doing things this way. "I'm Ari," I introduced sticking out my hand.
"Yeah, we've already established that." He grinned and took my hand. His was nice and warm, like sunshine on my skin. I snatched my hand back immediately. "I'm Adam."
I nodded in approval then drifted off into silence.
"So, why were you in my house harassing my dog?" he asked.
"That thing is a monster. A bear, at the very least," I retorted.
"Bones is a Saint Bernard; not a bear," Adam corrected, sounding offended.
"Why do you have such a huge dog when you live in an apartment? It has got to be a pain in the ass to walk him."
Adam shrugged as if he didn't really care. "I like him."
Well that didn't tell me much.
"Back to my question," Adam said.
"Oh right. I'm here to help you."
He raised an eyebrow with mild interest. "Help me with what?"
"Your love life," I answered easily.
Adam laughed loudly. "Did Seth put you up to this?"
I shook my head, passing off his comment. "No, my job is to find you a soul mate." I sounded more casual than I felt.
Adam laughed again and it made me realize how weird that sounded when I said it aloud. "Come on, I know Seth told you to do this." He continued to laugh.
I was getting really aggravated. "No, I don't even know who Seth is!"
"Right, right. Okay, where is he?" Adam stood and began looking around.
"Sit down, you're drawing attention to us."
He leaned forward a little. His coal black eyes caught and held my hazel ones. He spoke quietly so only I could hear. "Prove it then."
I leaned back in my seat. I couldn't come up with any real proof off the top of my head, especially here in public.
"Exactly," Adam said looking smug.
Something inside me boiled. "I know your secret!"
His grin faded but he tried to keep the shocked look from his face. "What secret?"
"You're immortal," I whispered.
The remaining bit of his smile immediately disappeared and I felt myself swell with pride. It was like I had just won a childish fight and I would have stuck out my tongue if I hadn't been in public.
"How do you know that? Did my mother send you?" His eyes swept across the room to make sure that no one was eavesdropping.
"You're my assignment. I have an entire folder of information about you so I can find you your soul mate," I explained and hoped to sound convincing.
Adam leaned back in his seat appearing very confused. "Who the hell are you?"
"I'm Cupid's daughter."
"You're joking," Adam accused. A scowl replaced my smile as I glared at him.
"I figured you of all people would believe me," I muttered after a minute.
Adam shook his head then glanced down at his watch. "This has been great and all but I got to go back and walk the bear."
He stood, took his drink with him and started toward the door. I glanced back at Hayden who was looking at me with questioning eyes. I stood up, grabbed my drink, and then ran after him. He was standing on the curb of the street unsuccessfully hailing a cab.
"Fine, I will come with you," I announced as I joined him at the curb. He looked back at me, surprised.
"Huh?"
I rolled my eyes. "I'm coming with you. It's part of the job. I have to be around you in order to find your soul mate. It's the only way I will be able to sense them."
"You can't come with me."
"Why not?"
"Because you're tiny and annoying. And you don't like my dog." Another cab flew by.
"Too bad," I said with a shrug. "You're stuck with me."
"Great," Adam mumbled and continued to try and hail a cab. He failed to get even the attention of one. I stepped in front of him and held out my hand. Immediate
ly one cab pulled over and I opened the door for Adam to get in. He rolled his eyes at me but silently got into the cab anyway. I followed him inside with a huge smile of victory on my face.
"It's just because you're hot," Adam muttered bitterly under his breath.
I shrugged unaffected by his words. "Hey, whatever works."
Chapter Five
The cab took us to Adam's apartment but I refused to enter that place if it was still trashed. I waited outside the building while he got his dog. It took him about ten minutes but eventually he exited the building with the bear on a leash. The dog came over to me and a big drop of drool dropped from his mouth and onto my shoe.
"Gross, that’s disgusting," I murmured as Adam pulled the dog away and started walking down the sidewalk. I noticed that he no longer had his drink while mine was still full and in my hand. I quickly caught up to him and we walked in silence for a while.
I studied him as we walked and noticed that he held the leash as if the dog wasn't even on it. Bones trotted next to his master, like a little puppy.
"So, you're the daughter of Cupid? I wasn't aware he could fall in love," Adam commented out of nowhere. I dropped my now empty coffee in a trash can we passed.
"She didn't," I answered.
"Wait, 'she'?"
I sighed and kicked a pebble into the bushes. I hated this stupid story. "Yes, my mother is Cupid, like, the Cupid. But she never fell in love. She spent an eternity alone and wanted to share her life with someone. Only, the rules state that she couldn't. So, she found a loop hole."
"And that loop hole was you?"
I nodded. "She came to Earth, searched for someone who had no destiny to fall in love and then seduced him. She became pregnant with me and the rest is history." We crossed the quiet street and entered the huge wooded park.
"So...you're not completely immortal, then?" Adam sounded almost a bit disappointed.
"Yes and no," I replied as we kept strolling through the park. "I will live forever, but I grow tired, I need rest, and I need to eat. I'm sort of like a half breed."
"That's cool," he said with a shrug. "So Cupid isn't a fat baby with wings and a bow and arrow?"
