2. Caleb

TWO

Caleb

The humming of afternoon traffic mixed with the chatter of diners at Rocksmith Café. I sat at a corner table reading an L.A. Dobbs mystery book. I’d picked up mystery books at first to help me better slip into the role of private investigator, and they’d grown on me.

I found that the more I read, the more invested I became in whether the characters would solve the mystery.

“You need anything else, Caleb?” Victory, one of my regular waitresses, asked.

I gave her a friendly smile over the pages of my book and nodded toward my half-full lemonade. “I’d love a top-up, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course. Be right back.” She zipped off, weaving between the café tables and clustered diners with ease.

Most of the patrons and employees here were supes, drawn by the feeling of safety in numbers. My senses had no trouble picking them all out for what they were, though quite a few of them were puzzled by the sight—and scent—of me.

An adorable selkie family with a new pup, a pair of half- human orcs, three tiger shifters having a business lunch, and a lone wolf shifter named Jaime were all seated on the patio. And me, of course. The fallen cupid who haunted the place, with mystery books and a bottomless lemonade. It was one of the small pleasures in my life, but the easy people-watching from my corner table was the real draw. Or it had been, before I’d gotten hooked on the lemonade.

Right now, I was keeping tabs on Amy and David, two star-crossed lovers who’d been separated for going on six years. But the heavenly Host knew that they were meant to be, and unbeknownst to either of them, they were walking down parallel streets, about to meet again.

Today was the day, and I felt it to the tips of my off-limits wings. Amy was in low spirits, grappling with what felt like an impossible decision. David was lost and restless, searching for purpose after losing another love.

They were both low, they were both lonely, and it was all about to change. I turned the page of my book, letting my senses unfurl, keeping precise watch on David’s progress down the Ave, and Amy’s down 42nd as they drew nearer.

Any second now… Amy reached the critical spot, and I exerted a little magical pressure on the traffic light. It turned early, the walk sign flashing. David huffed but started jogging to reach it rather than having to wait for the next light. He zipped down the sidewalk and made a hard turn into the crosswalk. The seconds were ticking down, but he kept up his pace. And thank goodness, because messing with traffic-light timing could have other unintended consequences.

When he finally reached my side of the street, he stopped, swiping a bead of sweat off his forehead. Amy was looking down, wiping a tear off her cheek as she walked straight into his broad back.

Gotcha .

“Oh, shit! I’m so sorry!” She fumbled, looking up with horror.

He spun, startled by both being run into and the familiar voice. “Amy? Are you okay?”

“David? Wow, it’s been… years.” She surreptitiously brushed her cheeks again, but the small movement wasn’t lost on David. He’d always been attentive. He was the perfect complement for Amy, who always put others first, even to her own detriment. She needed someone caring and unselfish, who wouldn’t take advantage but would put her first and treat her with respect. That someone was David.

I’d bet my last damn feather on it.

“Is everything okay? You look like you’ve been crying.” He searched for words as he gazed into her green eyes. “I mean, you look even more gorgeous than I remember, but I hate to see you upset.” He settled a gentle hand on her arm, and she shivered under his touch. It was a small reaction, but I couldn’t help my grin. She was still into him, and he had never gotten over her.

“It’s been a rough week.”

Honesty. They were falling back together so beautifully.

David caught his breath, eagerness rolling off him at the chance to be near her again. “Can we go somewhere and talk for a while? I’d love to hear how you’ve been. Maybe we can work through the rough week together.” He squeezed her shoulder lightly, and she nodded, bottom lip between her teeth.

I pushed a gentle suggestion toward him of a quiet coffee shop only a block over, where they wouldn’t bump into anyone else to interrupt the conversation .

“I know of a great coffee shop. Is your drink still an Americano, two extra sugars?”

She nodded in shock. “I can’t believe you still remember that.”

He smiled down at her, genuinely happy. “You’re worth remembering.”

The two walked off toward the coffee shop, side by side, with the first hints of rekindled attraction flaring around them.

Perfect.

I withdrew my focus, letting the café chatter and occasional horn-blasts from the traffic filter back in. No changes, except a new party of six seated a few tables away. Trolls, wearing a glamour to hide their bluish-gray skin. Victory was approaching with a tray full of drinks—including my fresh lemonade—when it hit me.

Fated mates, and now was their moment.

The lone wolf’s eyes were pinned to her, his lip curled in a protective half-snarl as she moved quickly toward the table of rowdy male trolls. I scanned the patio, letting my senses unfurl, assessing the options. The wolf was seated next to the selkie family, their sweet little girl playing happily with a pair of spoons, her back to the wolf.

Destiny could always use a little help.

Two more steps, and I nudged one of the wrought-iron café chairs across the patio into Victory’s path. She tripped, her human senses unable to react to the spatial change in time to avoid it. She let out a horrified screech as the tray lifted free of her fingertips, all seven iced drinks tilting forward with her momentum, straight toward the unaware selkie baby.

Jaime moved in a blur of wolf speed, inserting himself between the icy shower and the blissfully unaware toddler.

The drinks hit his chest with a crash, sodas and ice cubes making a mess of his tight T-shirt, and plenty of it splashing back to soak Victory’s white uniform shirt.

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! Shoot. Shoot, shoot—the boss warned me about one more mistake… I’m going to lose my job!” Panic flared in the air around her, but the wolf was rock steady as he settled his hand on her cheek. His aura was all possession, all heat as he spoke.

“It’s fine. Why don’t you and I go get cleaned up. Someone else can see to the table.”

“My boss?—”

“—never needs to hear about this. Come.”

“Okay. Yes, let me get you some towels. I’m so sorry, again. I don’t know how that even happened.”

The wolf followed her silently, but he cast a curious glance around the patio, having caught my interference with his superior senses.

When his eyes landed on me and paused, I couldn’t stop the smile and nod, cluing him into the fact that it was me. With a human, I’d never tip my hand, but here, there was no harm. Knowing what I was would only push him to pursue what his wolf knew was right, even though he had been consciously fighting it because Victory was human.

Almost.

My senses didn’t lie, and somewhere decades back, she’d had a wolf ancestor. It was probably why she was drawn to this place, even though she couldn’t have had more than a drop or two of werewolf blood in her veins.

I left a few bills under my empty lemonade cup to cover the club sandwich plus a generous tip and then hit the sidewalk. My office was a few blocks away, and I was eager to tick Amy and David off my list of couples.

Victory and her wolf hadn’t been on the list, but fallen or no, I couldn’t resist the pull of new love. My cupid instincts wouldn’t let me.

I let myself into my silent sanctuary, the familiar tang of old linoleum and a hint of dust soothing after all this time. The lights flickered overhead, revealing my well-worn desk and cracked green Naugahyde chair, with a visitor kicked back in it.

“Gabriel. What are you doing here?”

“Don’t sound so thrilled to see me, now.” He grinned, not bothering to do more than oscillate back and forth in my chair. I dropped my messenger bag into the client chair and propped my hands on my hips.

“I’m always thrilled to see one of my brothers, you know that. Just concerned. Is everything okay… upstairs?”

He snorted. “Fine, fine. Same old. Harmony, peace, and more gold than Fort Knox ever dreamed of. I’m here to see how things are with your mission. I had a feeling we’d reached a pivotal moment.”

That gave me pause. Pivotal moment? Each couple on my list was pivotal, in my opinion. They’d made their way on it because I’d screwed up, a fact I could never take lightly. So what could be so pivotal about Amy and David. Unless?—

“Ah, I did give a wolf a little push this afternoon, but they were fated, and he was spiraling.”

He nodded, grin growing wider, as if he had one of those pies and I was the unsuspecting asshole about to get whipped cream up my nose.

“You know the Host is pro-love, whatever form it takes. Supes don’t usually make our list because they don’t need help, but if you think they did, I’m not one to argue.”

He could argue, though. My instincts? They had proven more than once to be wildly off base. And he was right that supernaturals didn’t make the list, only humans. If I was wrong, and it hadn’t been the moment for Jaime and Victory, I could have just set off a terrible chain reaction. Lead pooled in my stomach. What had seemed so right a few minutes ago was suddenly seeming very, very dangerous.

“Hey, don’t start second guessing yourself.” Gabriel rose from my chair and came around the desk to put his hand on my shoulder. “Your instincts were always good, and you’ve spent seven years now making up for past mistakes. That couple you matched today was solid. That’s why I’m here, to give you an extra set of names.”

I was floored. Stunned. “You want to give me an assignment? But I haven’t finished the list. I’m close, but?—”

“This couple is time sensitive, and the Host says you’re the only cupid for the job. Consider it… a turning point.”

Resolve flooded my chest. This opportunity to prove myself was priceless, and I would not mess it up, not this time. “Consider it done.”

Gabriel smiled, the expression broad, making me feel that I was missing something, like an inside joke. With a snap, he poofed out of my office before I could ask.

I sighed and dropped into my comfortable old green chair. There, on my desk, were two new headshots with names written on the back.

My new assignment.

So, what was I missing? I drummed my fingers idly on the desk as I focused on their faces and let my senses soar out, feeling for their locations.

There.

With Gabriel involved, I couldn’t say I was surprised to find them both a block away, in one of the shops on the Ave.

Instinct demanded I grab my bag and go check them out. Were they already a couple, or was it pure coincidence that they were together in a shop right now, just when Gabriel visited? Either way, it was too good an opportunity to miss.

I walked down the busy streets, minivans with too many bumper stickers getting honked at by cussing cabbies as people walked every which way, their heads down with eyes locked on phone screens. I didn’t see the appeal, but I had a leg up on the average person. I could sense everyone around me—their moods, their emotions. It might have been overwhelming, but I was wired to handle it. I tried to respect people’s privacy and only use my powers when I could intervene for good.

And right now, I was getting close to two people, both in interesting moods inside the… what was this place? I’d never come across it before. It must be new. I’d spent years walking up and down the Ave to and from my private investigation office, but never before had I seen that sign on the awning.

The Bookish Cat.

It was forest green, which matched the ivy crawling up the outside of the red brick building perfectly. The windows were clean, no writing on them, simply the spines of hundreds of books, stacked enticingly. And sure enough, there was a calico cat curled up inside the display window, eyes flicking with bored judgment over every person walking past on the sidewalk.

I paused, considering my match, both of them inside. They were in opposite parts of the store. The woman was closest, near the windows. In fact, if I ducked a little, I could see her through the shelves in the display window. She was a petite redhead with a dusting of freckles over her button nose.

She was sad, though. A ripple of grief floated around her, and her raincoat was belted tightly, as if to ward off more than the light drizzle of a Seattle afternoon.

I stretched farther, finding the man toward the very back of the store, hidden behind one of the bookcases. He was filled with intense longing, and I didn’t think it was for a book. It had clearly been a while since this man had gotten laid.

Welcome to the club, man.

Done assessing, I stepped inside. A bell chimed merrily overhead, but I ignored it. I was intensely focused on the couple. I needed to see the man, see if anything about him gave me a clue.

I strode past two stacks, not paying attention to anything else in the shop, until a signature I hadn’t sensed in years stopped me dead in my tracks. I scanned the shop quickly, and the world seemed to disappear under my feet when I spotted her behind the cash register.

Was I flying? No, that wasn’t possible. I hadn’t had my wings since the day I left her.

Josephine.

Holy Shit.