Cal gets out of the car first, lingering awkwardly outside as the white morning light shines down on him. Cupid catches my eye in the mirror; there's a longing in his eyes, mixed with sadness. He holds it for a moment, the air in the car suddenly heavy with a mixture of tension and apprehension. Then he averts his gaze and opens the car door.

"Cupid?" I say as he slides his legs outside.

He turns. I take a breath – finally saying what has been on my mind since yesterday.

"Are you worried?" I say. "About what they're going to say? About the match?"

He forces a grin, then waves his hand in dismissal.

"Nah," he says. "Come on."

He gets out of the car. I exhale, then climb out after him into the sunlight.

We all stand on the sidewalk a moment, Cupid and Cal's height making me feel small. A look passes between them. Both look hesitant. It does nothing to ease my nerves.

"We should smuggle a few weapons in..." says Cupid, "just in case things get ugly."

Cal gives him a sharp look.

"Absolutely not. The arrows won't work on them. There's no point."

"We can still fight their employees," says Cupid.

Cal gives him a look that suggests Cupid is an idiot. Cupid shrugs.

"OK, brother. I take your point."

"What?" I say.

Cupid looks at me.

"They'd see it coming. Plus...if we get to the point where a fight breaks out...well...we're already pretty screwed," he says.

"Do you think that's likely?!" I ask.

Here I was worried about what they were going to say... It hadn't really occurred to me that the Parcae were dangerous. But then I think back to the power that radiated off Morta, and the way both Cupid and Cal acted when they knew she and her sisters were getting involved.

"Not as long as you're both on your best behavior," says Cal. He looks at me, then his gaze slides pointedly over to Cupid.

Cupid raises his eyebrows and puts a dramatic hand to his chest.

"Moi? I'm always on my best behavior. In fact, I've always been the most amicable of us brothers!"

A look of disdain passes over Cal's face.

"Whatever," he says before he rolls up his sleeve to check his watch. "It's almost time. We should go."

Cupid nods.

Solemnly the three of us head toward the glass doors of the clinical looking, vast building. I look up over the revolving doors. There's a white plaque with a symbol of a loom above it, the words Parcae IT Systems written in bold lettering beside it.

My pulse quickens slightly.

"Hey, I never did get that coffee..." I mutter as we stare up at it – trying to lighten the mood more than anything. Cupid looks down at me and gives me an apologetic grin while Cal shakes his head.

"Well, no use gawping at the door all day. Shall we go inside, then?" says Cupid.

He steps confidently through the revolving glass door.

Cal glances at me – his eyes glinting silver in the early morning light. He looks like he's going to say something, but then he exhales heavily and turns away, following Cupid inside. I watch him. 

Then I follow - joining them at the other side.

The reception is huge – much bigger than the one at the Cupids Matchmaking Service – and the light that shines through the glass front of the building makes the white linoleum floor and walls seem brighter, too. There's a white reception desk straight ahead with a range of television screens behind it playing different news channels. In the center of them, a clock face decorates the wall – the roman numerals and large, heavy hands, a deep bronze.

It reads twenty-five past eight.

Five minutes until we meet with Morta...

Nerves twist in my stomach. 

Cupid looks at me and Cal, then strides purposefully toward it. The dread I sensed in him earlier is either gone, or well hidden. We go after him, our footsteps echoing around the high-ceilinged space. The reception desk itself seems abandoned, but as soon as we get close, one of the elevator doors at one end of the room pings open revealing a casually dressed girl – who looks around nineteen – with dark skin and a long black braid reaching down her back.

She strides purposefully toward the desk and meets it at the same time as us, taking a seat behind it. She looks at us and grins.

"Right on time. I've been expecting you," she slides her gaze to me. "They didn't let you stop off for coffee then? That sucks, girl. I'd offer you one from the machine," she looks pointedly across the room and I see a hot drinks vending machine by a couple of brightly colored sofas. "But in a couple of minutes time a bird will fly into the window, startling you, and you'll spill it – and, well, I'm the one who's got to clean that up, you know?"

I furrow my brows as she moves her gaze to the flat screen of her white mac. She types something, the clicking echoing around reception.

"Let me just find your appointment in the system. I'm Cassie, by the way."

A sudden bang causes me to jump, and adrenaline to surge through my veins. I turn hurriedly to see the imprint of a bird in the window.

"And there it is," she says – still not looking up. "I keep telling them we need to tint the glass to prevent that kind of thing, but will they listen?! Nooo."

I glance up at Cupid – who is leant nonchalantly against the desk. Cassie's words seem to have made no impact on him. Cal stands awkwardly, looking up and around at the ceiling as though giving himself something to do.

What the hell?! How did she know that was going to happen?!

"There, got you," says Cassie. "Do you want to take a seat? I'll let you know when Morta is ready for you."

She looks up over her screen at me.

"Oh, and it's probably safe to get a coffee now, honey," she says with a grin.

"I...uh...thanks," I stutter in response.

"Don't mention it."

She picks up some indie rock magazine and starts thumbing through as Cal goes and sits down rigidly on the bright red sofa across the room. Cupid puts a hand on the small of my back, and leads me over too. His eyes pass over Cal – sat upright, jaw clenched, tapping his foot against the floor – and he raises an eyebrow.

"Will you relax, brother?"

Cal's eyes narrow as they catch Cupid's face. He says nothing but thankfully he does stop irritatingly tapping his foot on the hard, white floor. His anxiety was making me feel even more on edge. 

I glance at the coffee machine, back at the girl on reception – who, as I do, looks up over the page and gives me a reassuring nod – and then back up at Cupid.

"What's with that girl?" I whisper. "How did she know about the bird...?"

Cupid goes to sit down on the blue sofa.

"Cassie? She's an oracle," he says. "A lot of oracles work here with the Parcae nowadays. I don't know whether they can read the code really well, or whether they have some influence in it." He shrugs, "Either way, they have some prophetic tendencies. Bit creepy, but nothing to worry about," He grins then looks over at the machine. "Go on – get a coffee."

I glance at Cassie again, warily, then I shrug and make my way to the machine. As it spits out a small, paper cup of black coffee, I hear a vibration behind me. Taking the cup, I turn as Cal picks up his phone.

"What is it, Crystal?"

I go and sit down beside Cupid – feeling again the distance between us. He's acting relaxed and nonchalant, but I can tell he's just as on edge as his brother.

"Seriously?" says Cal. "What are you going to do with the bodies?"

My pulse quickens. My blood feels cold.

Bodies?

"How many?" Pause. "Was it...?" Pause. "OK...Bye."

I glance at Cal as he puts down the phone – his expression dark.

"What is it?" I ask.

He exhales heavily.

"Crystal is at the police station with Charlie and Mino," a hint of disdain creeps into his tone as he mentions the Minotaur. "There's been an attack on the non-human part of Elysium - you know? the club we took you to meet Selena."

I nod - my pulse quickening. 

"Mino has used his mind control powers to keep the news within the paranormal community," says Cal. "But it seems pretty clear that Valentine is somehow involved. They've sent some cupids over to get the bodies."

Cupid leans forward in the sofa, resting his elbows on his knees.  

"How many?"

"Ten," replies Cal.

"Their hearts?"

"She doesn't know yet. They've only just found out about it."

I see Cupid's jaw harden. He leans back again, running a hand through his ruffled hair.

"I'm going to kill him," he mutters.

Cal's eyes glaze over as though he's thinking.

"Ten more to add to all the others..." he mutters.

"How many more does Crystal think he's killed?" I say.

Cal looks at me, his face tense. I can see the concern in his eyes. He hesitates, as though he doesn't want to tell me. I raise my eyebrows in question and he sighs.

"If the list me and Charlie worked on last night is accurate...at least a hundred."

I feel nauseous, my hand holding the coffee cup suddenly feeling weak.

A hundred?

The serial killing maniac, who is more powerful than any cupid I've ever known, who seems somewhat obsessed with me, has over one hundred zombies on his side...?!

"It looks like Valentine is creating an undead army," says Cal darkly.

A pinging sound interrupts me from responding. The three of us jolts our gazes toward the other side of the room. Cassie is stood beside the row elevators, the doors of one now open.

She smiles.

"Morta will see you now," she says.