CHAPTER 1
Ash
“Istill can’t believe you persuaded me to sign up for this.”
“I can’t believe you’re running late,” my best friend’s amused voice rang in my Bluetooth headphones as I rushed down Portswood Road. “Actually, scratch that. Yes, I can. The day you’re early to anything is the day I announce I’m attracted to men.”
“Bite me.”
Cassie’s laugh was as colourful as her personality. “Darling, Iliterallyjust reminded you that men don’t do it for me. Even if they did, I wouldn’t be letting your disgusting fangs near me anytime soon.”
“They arenotdisgusting,” I insisted, skirting around a group of humans. It was early evening, and thanks to the copious bars that lined the street, there were swarms of students from the local university clogging up the pavement. “I brush them twice a dayandfloss. Given I can’t even get cavities, I think that should earn me a medal.”
I could almost hear Cassie’s shudder through the phone. “Listen, we’ve been over this. You can’t drink blood and not be disgusting. It’s plain nasty.”
As a witch, Cassie liked to tease me about the wholedrinking bloodthing. “It’s delicious.”
“It’s unnatural.”
“Blood is literally the most natural substance on earth and keeps me alive, but okay.”
I rolled my eyes, glaring at a human who didn’t move out of my path. For fuck’s sake, I wasn’t the tallest, butsurelyI wasn’t invisible?
Wait, actually, I was. I’d put a compulsion net on me so I could rush through the crowds at inhuman speeds.
Whoops.
Darting around him, relief mixed with anxiety as the escape room appeared in the distance. “Anyway, stop trying to distract me. I’m nearly there now, and I still need to yell at you for making me do this.”
“Listen Ash, I love you, but this has gone on long enough now.” I groaned internally at the no-nonsense tone Cassie was unleashing. “You need to get over Gareth.”
“I am over him,” I protested.
“Okay, then you need to move on. You broke up with him for a reason. You need someone who actually listens to you and cares about what you think. That’s why you’re doing this.”
Thiswas a blind date set up by none other than Cupid themself. They’d paired up with a huge matchmaking organisation,H2H,with the aim of helping you find yourperfect matchin time for Valentine’s Day.
While God had decided to gift both angels and demons with fated mates, the rest of us supernaturals weren’t so lucky. We had to rely on our own instincts and choose someone just like the humans did.
But with us, there was no divorce, or evenuntil death do us part.No, if we chose to mate with someone, then we were stuck together for the rest of eternity.
I thought I’d got it right with my ex, but fuck me, what a prick he turned out to be. My only saving grace was that I’d broken it off before we’d taken that final step and mated.
The ad for this event had talked the big talk, promising to set us up with themagical match that’s just right for you.
Somehow I doubted even the great Cupid would be able to sort out my clusterfuck of a dating life. Right now I’d settle for someone who listened to me. They could look like a literal troll, but if they paid attention to the words coming out of my mouth, I’d mate them in a heartbeat.
You might be thinking I’m not asking for much, but don’t underestimate how much I like to talk, especially when I’m nervous. Or excited. Or bored.
It’s like they forgot to install the off switch in my brain, letting me know when the words shouldstop.
So yeah. I got it. I was hard work.
But I wanted to find that person who didn’t think I was difficult. Who was actually interested in what I had to say.
Wasn’t sure they existed, but perhaps Cupid would have a better chance of finding them than I had.
A tall figure was pacing outside the shop. Every few seconds, he’d check his phone before resuming his impatient movements.