Thursday
Ava and Duncan appeared in Jason’s house. It was time for them—rather her—to get Jason back on the right track. There was a lot to discuss. And while Ava normally didn’t tell her charges everything, in this case, what else could she do?
She’d really screwed up.
Now all she had left was making it right.
The sound of the shower running kept them both in the living room, though if Ava were alone…
Don’t go there.
I’m in enough trouble as it is.
And she really was. If it had been any other FID agent, Ava might not have been able to finish the case. Lose her fairy status. If she was at three hundred fifty years of service, like Christy, she would just retire. Heck, if she had made it to three hundred. But not after only two hundred sixty-five years of being a Fairy Godmother.
At least she could see this through to the end, getting Jason that HEA he needed.
She may not like the way it needed to go, but a file had never been wrong before.
Ava retracted her wings and took a seat on the couch. Duncan remained standing, arms on his chest, and leaned against the fireplace. He could have stayed small, but Ava would have been able to see him, so she figured Jason might as well know that Duncan was there. Might make things easier to stay on task.
“So what’s the plan?” he asked.
“Well, what you said—to get him back on track.”
“You don’t have to sound so excited about it,” Duncan said.
Ava shrugged. The shower cut off, and she sat up straighter, looking down the hall to peek at Jason. Okay, to see when he was coming. Yeah, that was her excuse.
That was right—she didn’t really want to “see” him.
Nope, not at all.
Duncan cleared his throat, and Ava’s shoulders slumped and she instead studied the coffee table.
She’d been just about here the other night, when she’d last kissed him…
“If she would have left things alone, everything would be fine,” Cupid said, appearing in the middle of the room, today dressed like a gangster from the Prohibition Era. Complete with fedora.
“Cupid, this is the last place you need to be,” Ava said. What was he doing here? She clenched her fists, holding back the desire to punch him in the face. Again.
Unfortunately, he bore no bruise from the other night—but gods had that power of fast healing.
“Why, Ava, it’s my job to help you.” The oily grin on Cupid’s face made Ava’s stomach roll, accompanied with a sickening feeling of guilt. Sickened at what he’d done, and what he could continue to do to screw this up for her.
Not to mention that tiny nagging feeling that he happened to be right, which only pissed her off more.
“Since when have you helped anyone that wasn’t yourself?” Duncan asked.
“I am a god. I do what I want.”
Duncan glared at him. “Drugging fairies? That’s low, even for you.”
“Spare me your moral compass, ambulance. Compared to what other gods have done in time’s past, to twist a piddly little fairy into submission—that’s nothing.”
Ava shivered. “If we disgust you so much, why do you even bother?”
“Because I can.” He took a step toward Ava. “Because it amuses me.”
A loud crack sent Cupid stumbling toward Ava.
She leaped out of the seat, prepared to—catch?—Cupid. Something. A quick glance at Duncan proved he hadn’t moved.
What in the world?
“Women are not your toys,” Jason said and twisted Cupid around. “I don’t know who you are, but get out.”
Ava froze, staring at her charge. Slightly damp. In a towel. And nothing else.
Holy Hades!
And he had a tattoo—a black tribal thingy on his right arm, weaving up and down the contours of his muscles.
She hoped she wasn’t drooling.
Cupid shoved Jason back. “You puny mortal, you have no idea who you’re dealing with.”
He stumbled but didn’t fall. “Don’t care. You don’t come into my house.”
Cupid raised a hand. “You cannot—”
Duncan stepped to Cupid. “Don’t.”
“You, get away from me.” Cupid shoved Duncan to the side. “How dare you attack me!” He raised his hand to Jason. “I can crush your soul in a moment.”
“Bring it,” Jason said, hands clenching into fists.
“Jason,” Ava said.
He brought his gaze to her—but it wasn’t a happy expression. Flames could have shot out of his eyes, and she wouldn’t have been surprised, he looked so furious.
Cupid used the distraction to his advantage. He shot a blinding silver light wave at Jason. Jason hit the floor with a thud, cursing.
The light blinded Ava as well, so all she had was hearing. Then the distinct pull of an arrow on a bow ripped through the silence.
She lunged at the sound. Made contact with Cupid. The arrow, though, fired a moment before.
“Jason, duck!”
“Enough!” Duncan said, his low timbre freezing everyone in the room.
Finally, Ava’s eyes focused. Jason crouched on the floor, staring at the arrow hovering a few inches from his face, hazy with a green shine. His eyes were wide, and he raised his hand to block the arrow. Cupid stood in the center, bow in hand.
Instead, Duncan snagged the arrow out of the air, his wand glowed with its own green shine from the magic he’d cast. With one hand, he snapped the stick in two.
Cupid snorted. “I have an infinite number of those.” Another appeared in Cupid’s bow.
“Just go, Cupid,” Ava said.
“Get out, all of you, or I call the cops,” Jason said.
Cupid laughed. “Your police cannot hurt me.”
“But I can,” Ava said, moving herself between Jason and Cupid. “I’ll go to Jupiter if I have to.”
Cupid snorted. “As if you have any power.”
Ava opened her mouth to say something, but Cupid didn’t let her finish. “I am only here to help. Get your charge back focused on his HEA. So you can be finished here.”
“What do you care?” Duncan asked.
“I don’t,” Cupid replied.
“So why are you here?” Ava asked.
He waved his hand. “The sooner you fix your little charge, the sooner you can return to my bed.”
Disgust rolled through Ava and she tensed as her stomach roiled, fearing she’d throw up. “What makes you think I’ll ever let you near me again?”
“Because I’m me.”
“Whoa,” Jason muttered as he stood. “Ego much?”
“This is nothing,” Ava said, glancing over her shoulder.
“So you were with him?” Jason asked in a low voice.
“Long story,” Ava said.
Cupid sighed. “Really, Ava, you should be thanking me.”
“For making my life miserable?” Ava felt Jason’s hand on the small of her back. She hoped it was so he could pull her out of harm’s way, if necessary.
“For making your life’s work easier. That’s what I do, you know. Bring people together.”
She snorted and crossed her arms.
Cupid leaned in closer. “Do you think this is the first time I’ve ever meddled with your cases?”
“This is different. I didn’t ask for your help,” Ava said.
Cupid rolled his eyes. “Do you really think you’re a very good Fairy Godmother? I’ve had to help you with nearly every case you’ve had for the last two hundred years.”
“That’s not true,” Ava said, trying to stand tall and not let Cupid know how much his words rattled her. “I’m different, but I still get the job done.”
Cupid shook his head. “If you think so.”
“I know I do. Without your help.” She crossed her arms, again going for the strong. If she didn’t, she might wind up on the floor crying.
Because so many little things started nipping at her memories—little niggles that maybe, just maybe, Cupid spoke the truth.
And she really did suck at her job.
“Go on. Finish this up without my help. See how far you get.” Cupid dusted off the edges of his jacket. “Soon you’ll be crawling back to me, pleading for help, because you can’t get the job done and you’re too proud to ask your trio for help.”
With that, Cupid vanished. As did most of the tension in the room.
Most.
Well, maybe some.
Ava turned to Jason. “Uh—”
Jason still didn’t look happy. Sexy as sin in that towel that was starting to fall down his hips a bit, but…
“We should talk,” Jason said. He glanced at himself. “Let me get dressed.”
“Yeah, good idea,” Ava replied.
No, you don’t have to.
Ugh.
She seriously had to get a grip.
As Jason walked back toward his bedroom, Duncan came over to her.
“Was Cupid telling the truth?”
Ava shrugged, attempting to play it off. “If he’s meddled with my cases, I didn’t know about it.”
Duncan nodded. “Think I need to do some research.”
“Might be good.”
Damn Duncan for bringing her back to reality and what she was supposed to be doing.