Page 104 of Love & Heart Braking

“I don’t know. It’s just… my parents were both of Venus’s line, yes, but I shouldn’t be this powerful. I should be weaker.”

She leaned back. “You don’t know how powerful your father was, right?”

“Not firsthand, but my grandparents knew everything. My father was open with family. I’m not saying that I’m Venus reborn or anything, not even close, but it makes you wonder if what Niera said was true. If one day, long after we’re gone, the gods will wake from their slumber. What if I’m a steppingstone of Venus’s power gathering again. What if this is the turning point for descendants?”

Soleil shivered. “Glad I won’t be around when they wake up.”

Same here.

I checked the clock behind me. “Ten minutes.”

“Good. I like to check over our appointments.”

Watching her screen, I scanned the three full columns of clients for me, Enzo, and Annya. We were getting through our waiting list, but the clients ringing in had upped too. In time, Enzo and Annya may have the odd hour free in the day to help Austin and Soleil with extra stuff like planning events, which would be great. “Is Austin doing okay?”

She shrugged a shoulder. “He whines about missing his family. I’ve had to convince him a few times that returning there will put them in more danger.” She switched to the Yearning Harmony booking program. There were around fifteen clients booked in over four cupids.

There was the possibility of bringing one of the cupids over to Yearning Hearts to help out if a lot of previous Pick Up clients wanted to stick around and give love a shot. We’d play that one by ear.

The door opened and closed apparently of its own accord.

With a muttered word to deactivate the charm, Austin was revealed, his blond hair as windswept as ever. His glacial blue eyes scanned the room. “Got the press release to the station in time.”

Soleil grabbed her jacket. “Guess you can stay another day.”

“Disappointed?”

She didn’t answer.

“Want to walk over with us?” I asked him.

Austin glanced at me. “Yeah, okay. Sure.”

This was the first friendly offer I’d made toward him since, well, what he did. I was starting to realize that Austin had been yet another innocent person trapped in the twelve’s web. Yes, I would always distrust his choices when it came to me versus his family. But then… I’d distrust anyone with that—except for Soleil. Perhaps that was why we worked so well. I had no family, and she’d disowned hers.

What Austin did was really shitty, and it had hurt. Maybe though, just maybe, we could find some friendly ground again. There was something to be said about him knowing a bit about my magic. On the one hand, I wanted to make sure he knew to never mess with me. On the other…

I had to constantly keep my guard up around most people. Not needing to do so as much around him was nice.

Soleil tossed out a no-gossip as we left Yearning Hearts, then whispered the activation phrase for the protective charms on the building as I locked the door.

“Had any luck with Bain and Devereaux on your betrothal contract?” I asked the phoenix as we set out.

Soleil tensed at the mention of her unicorn.

Austin pursed his lips. “Nothing yet. Devereaux seems to think if we got the right judge, the betrothal could be legally broken due to the content. There’s a gray area in the permissible legislation for a magically binding betrothal between fifty-seven and sixty years ago when my grandfather first accepted the Cinereses’ proposal. Sixty years ago, using family as a bargaining chip was legally okay. Fifty-seven years ago, it wasn’t.”

“When was the betrothal signed?” I caught Soleil’s inquiring look. Yep, it seemed I was extending a hand of friendship to Austin again. Shame on me if he bit me twice, but I believed in second chances.

He flipped up the collar of his coat. “That’s the gray part. Negotiations began sixty years ago. The deal was finalized fifty-seven years ago. Bain believes that there aren’t any judges in Nepos who would put themselves on the line to help me against the Cinereses.”

Soleil tensed again. “Bain doesn’t know everything.”

“No, yet I’m inclined to agree with him,” Austin said grimly.

“Our legal system sure doesn’t inspire me to do what’s right,” I muttered.

We followed the directions of our gold tokens, winding in a direction we hadn’t yet taken for a meeting.

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