Crimes of Cupidity (Heart Hassle Book 3)

It’s been a week since the prince was defeated, and we’re back on the genfin island working on repairs. Well, my mates are actually working on repairs. I’m actually sitting in the street with my back against the building watching as all four of them, hammer, saw, lift, and install materials as they rebuild the town. And they’re shirtless. All four of them.

Sweat glistens off their skin, and I have no shame as I sip on my fairy wine from a straw and watch them.

“How does he have that many muscles?” Mossie asks beside me.

Without pulling my eyes away from my mates as they work, I ask, “Which one?”

She tilts her head in thought and steals a sip from my bottle before passing it back. “Well, all of them have impressive muscles. But the big mohawk guy and mister Strength over there have muscles on their muscles.”

I sigh appreciatively and take another long suck from the straw. ‘Yeah.”

She’s currently taking a break, while I’ve been grounded. Just because I made one roof cave in, they all freaked out and told me to sit out here where I can’t get hurt and wait until they’re done.

Mossie, along with many other fae, volunteered to come here to help clean up the wreckage from the prince’s attack. It’s slow work, but with all of the different fae breeds working together, the genfin island will be put back together again. The dead have all been honored and buried, and the people are trying to move on, though it will take time.

Mossie takes one more drink and then stands. “Alright, you continue to ogle your mates, while I go clean.”

“Let me help,” I say, jumping to my feet.

She holds out her hands to stop me like she’s fending off a monster. “No! No. You stay right here.”

“Oh, come on, I only knocked over one bucket!” I protest.

She pets the flower petals on her head before tossing the vines over her shoulders. “Yeah, but ‘knocked over’ is an understatement. You actually tripped over the bucket, sending soapy water all over the floor, and then when that poor fae tried to catch you, you slipped and smacked him in the face with a handful of your weird sandman dust. Then when he fell, passed out cold and muttering about sex dreams, you tried to catch him and ended up face-first in the crotch of a genfin elder. Whose robes you then accidentally lit on fire with your demonesque fire-touch, as you called it.”

I glare at her. “Yeah, I was there. I don’t need the recap.”

She giggles. “I’ll see you at the feast. Oh, and before I forget, I have two new names for you to add to my love list.”

I shake my head at her, suppressing a small smile. At the rate she’s going, she’ll have a harem of a hundred different fae. “Things with your arid earth sprite not going well?” I ask.

“I’m quite sure I’m nearly making him almost jealous,” she says matter-of-factly.

“Oh. Good.”

She nods and gives me a wave. “See you later!”

I’m left alone to enjoy the view of my mates again, and when Evert bends down to grab a piece of wood for the wall, my head tilts with the motion, giving me a delectable view of his toned ass.

“Seriously hit the mate lottery,” I mumble to myself as I take another sip of wine.

“You did.”

My head turns up in surprise at the voice, and I see Viessa, the genfin female, settle in beside me. We sit there for a moment in total awkward silence. I shift nervously beside her and take another sip of wine, because I don’t know what else to do with myself. We both continue to watch the guys work, which is also uncomfortable as hell. Is she watching how Ronak’s biceps flex as he lifts that huge piece of stone? Is she appreciating Evert’s rear end or Sylred’s tanned skin? I don’t know whether I should ask her what the heck she’s doing.

Besides my four guys rebuilding the shop across the way, I recognize her mates working on the street, refilling the holes blasted into the dirt and laying down cobblestones on top.

After another moment of tense silence, Viessa holds a hand out for the wine. “May I?”

“Umm, sure.”

I pass the bottle over and she takes a long, long, long sip.

I raise my brows, but don’t say anything as she passes it back.

I steal sideways looks at her. She’s beautiful and strong looking, and I can see why the guys thought about making her their mate. I don’t like it one bit. I also don’t like the wafts of longing I’m still feeling from her.

“I’d like to ask a favor from you,” she says, surprising me.

I turn to look at her. “…Okay,” I say tentatively.

She meets my eyes for the first time, and I see the heartache there. “I’d like…I mean, I’d appreciate it if you would possibly think about granting me the honor of one of your Love Arrows.”

My brows furrow in confusion. “What?”

Shame crosses over her face as she tilts her head toward her mates. “They’re good genfins. Strong. Caring. Loyal. I’m lucky to have them.”

She says it in a matter-of-fact tone, but there’s pain there, too. When she turns back to face me again, her eyes shine with unshed tears.

“But I don’t love them. I’ve tried. I can’t,” she says with a pitiful shrug. “And they deserve better. I want to love them so much,” she says, surprising me with her vehemency. “But…”

Her eyes drift back to my genfins, and I understand.

“But you still love my mates,” I guess.

She nods. “I don’t want to love them anymore. And female to female, just know, I would never try to come between you. I can see how much they adore you and how much you adore them. That’s what I want. I want that kind of love in my own covey. I know you don’t owe me anything. You might even hate me. But please,” she says, her voice pleading now. “If you can find it in your heart to help me…”

“I’ll help you,” I tell her with a determined nod. “But you have to have a fondness already there. You have to want to love them,” I warn her.

She nods emphatically. “I do. I swear on my life I do. Please,” she says, gripping my hand. “Please help me love them the way that they deserve.”

I don’t even hesitate. “Of course.”

A look of relief crosses her face. “Thank you.”

“Close your eyes.”

Immediately, she does as I ask, and her lids flutter closed.

I lift the Love Arrow from my back and take her hand. Using the sharp tip of the arrow, I pierce her fingertip.

“Now go to them,” I say quietly.

Still with her eyes closed, I help her to her feet and guide her toward her covey. As soon her mates see her, all three of them smile and move to greet her. In seconds, she’s enveloped in their presence, and I whisper in her ear. “Open your eyes.”

She does, and I slip away, trailing Flirt Touches across her back as I go.

I wait on the other side of the road, watching.

She beams up at them, each of them touching some part of her, and when her genfin tail lifts and starts tangling in the tails of her mates, I feel it.

It’s newly born, and it’s fragile, but it’s there.

She meets my eye and beams, mouthing a thank you before the four of them walk away. And the smile on my own face doesn’t fade for the rest of the day. Because I think I might have just made the most significant Love Match of my entire cupid life.