Page 70 of Love & Heart Braking

I rubbed at my toes. “Something fell on my foot.”

Frowning, I hobbled over to the drawers and crouched. A metal bolt was sticking out of the blue T-shirt I’d dropped. “Where did that come from?”

This wasn’t with the T-shirt when I picked it up. I would have noticed the weight.

“It’s not mine,” Devereaux said, joining me.

I shoved the blue T-shirt off the bolt and blinked at the pointed end on the metal rod. It wasn’t a bolt at all. I stared. “It’s an arrow.”

An arrow that looked ancient.

Open-mouthed, I looked up at Devereaux, who appeared as baffled as me.

“You don’t know what this is?” he asked.

“No, but it’s an arrow. It must be for me, right?” The coincidence with me being a heart elemental was too large to ignore.

Devereaux reached for the bolt, and I snatched it away from him, nearly tripping over thin air in my haste to shift the arrow from his curious fingers.

“Don’t touch it!” I panted, my heart crashing against my ribs.

He held his hands up, crouching and staying rooted to the spot. “Got it. Any reason why?”

“The… the worst feeling just rose up when you tried to.” I exhaled slowly. “Vera said my power might be unstable. Is this what she meant?” Maybe I should test that out. I released my hold on my power. Magic rocketed down my arm. Pink power blasted from me with enough force to lay me flat on my back.

Groaning, I sat again, and rubbed the back of my head.

“Interesting,” Devereaux murmured, looking past me.

I glanced at his lamp that was now emitting a pink glow and popping out the occasional love heart. “Sorry. My power mixes weirdly with technology.”

I turned my glowing hands over. That was way more magic than usual. Vera was right about the unstable part, but she hadn’t mentioned that I’d have more power.

“With less of the curse shaking your magic, you’re stronger. Maybe that’s why this arrow appeared.” He eyed the metal weapon in my hand.

“I was just wondering the same.”

Focusing, I imagined the space in my wardrobe where I kept my bow. After banishing the new arrow there, I glanced down.

“Where did it go?” Devereaux asked.

A wrinkle formed between my brows. “To join my bow.”

He stood and extended a hand down. “Any guesses on what it’s for?”

I shook my head, unsure what to think about the latest gift from Venus.

All I knew was that when I let my pink arrows fly, joy and warmth filled me to the brink. But this arrow?

This arrow filled me with the exact opposite.

16

I scrolled through the matches on our system for the charity opposite me. We didn’t often see many charities because with their charm and grace, they found it so easy to date. The hard thing about this type was that they got okay matches with a ton of people. But to find a great match usually took time.

“Any luck?” The beautiful woman flipped her hair.

I tapped my finger on the desk. “There are several who would offer you a good match, but I’m not convinced they’re the guys for you.” And that was the exact reason she’d come in. She wanted more than an okay match. “I’m not going to set you up with anyone today. They’re not the right fit for you.”

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