Crystal turns to me - her blue eyes wide and alert. She plunges her hand into the pocket of her white trousers and pulls out her phone.

She throws it to me and then pulls Charlie to her feet.

"Call Cal" she instructs - her voice urgent "Speed dial three."

I do what she says, my heart thumping in my chest.

The Arrows are coming.

I thrust the phone to my ear as it starts to ring. In front of me Crystal swipes Charlie's bow off the ground. It's starting to get dark now and her eyes dart anxiously around the room as though expecting one of the agents to jump out from the shadows any second.

Cal picks up.

"What is it Crystal?" he asks sharply "I'm kind of in the middle of something..."

"Cal!" I interject quickly "It's me...we're in..."

Before I can say anything else the blonde agent pushes me and I fly backwards into the mantelpiece. The phone drops from my hand and I'm about to cry out when a shattering sound fills my ears.

I throw my hands over my face as the window to Charlie's front room disintegrates into tiny shards of glass that are projected across the hardwood floor. I look up just in time to see the black arrow that pierced through it plunge into the wall and turn into ash.

They're here.

I turn to the hole where the window was moments before.

Almost immediately a tanned, muscular male in a black suit jumps through into the living room, a quiver full of arrows over his shoulder. He swiftly pulls out a black one and runs towards me. My eyes dart across the room to Crystal. She has thrown Charlie back onto the couch and raises the bow, ready to shoot.

She fires.

There is a whooshing sound and for a moment I think her arrow is going to hit its target.

But then the agent advancing towards me dodges, grabs me by the throat and slams me into the wall.

Pain sears into my back.

I grapple against his grip - struggling to breathe - as he raises the cupid arrow.

I urgently look for Crystal. A dark haired female dressed similarly to my attacker has just tackled her to the ground.

Panic consumes me.

She can't help me.

I struggle against him for a few more moments and manage to knee him in the crotch. He grunts and his grip momentarily loosens. I take the opportunity and thrust forwards. Then, remembering the manoeuvre Cupid showed me hours before, I hook my leg around his and push.

He falls heavily to the floor, almost taking me with him. 

I can't believe it actually worked.

I stumble over him and start to make my way to Crystal - who has just thrown off the female agent.

Another pair of hands grab my shoulders from behind as I'm halfway across the space. The blonde receptionist shoots a Capax towards us - I pull my head out of the way and it plunges into my second attacker's shoulder. Whoever it was flies backwards.

Crystal pulls Charlie onto her feet and looks at me urgently.

"We need to go" she says "My car's down the street. GO. NOW!"

We take off towards the door. Crystal pushes Charlie out into the street and we tumble out after her; the three agents just metres behind.

We hurtle down the path as arrows stream through the darkening sky around us. Crystal, a few metres ahead of me, points her car keys at a pink Bentley parked by the road and I hear the sound of the doors unlocking. She throws Charlie inside and looks around for me – swiping the bow back in front of her and sending a few arrows flying past me.

I think I'm going to make it when the muscular agent suddenly grabs me again and I go flying to the ground.

I feel a searing pain in my knees as they scrape against the concrete. I try to stumble back to my feet but the dark haired Arrow is upon me.

He turns me over so that I'm lying on my back then puts his foot on top of my stomach, holding me in place.

I cry out, struggling against his leg, as he raises his bow and points it directly at my heart.

"I sentence you, Lila Black, to the cupid arrow" he says in a thick, Italian accent.

Panic consumes me. I can't escape.

He pulls the black arrow back – ready to shoot.

I claw at his leg – trying to break free.

There is a sudden whooshing sound and for a moment I think I'm hit.

I scream.

But then the agent crumples down onto the ground beside me.

What?

I throw myself up into a sitting position and look around frantically. Then I see it – a black arrow juts out of his shoulder. It crumbles to ash. Across the other side of the street Cal stands with his bow raised; his blonde hair illuminated by the light of a street lamp beside him.

Relief fills me.

He gives me a subtle nod, before powering down the pavement after the other male Arrow.

Seconds later Cupid appears by my side and scoops me up off the ground.

Just metres away I see Selena snap the neck of the female Arrow. She looks both beautiful and terrifying in a black tank top and skinny jeans. Her brown eyes are blazing. Cal has now reached the end of the street and fires arrows into the darkness – the third agent nowhere to be seen.

I turn my gaze up to my supposed match – my heart pounding. His hands are still around my arms and he looks at me steadily. There is a flash of concern behind his eyes mixed with a kind of hunger that makes my nerves feel even more out of control.

"You OK?" he asks.

I nod weakly, looking behind to check that Crystal is alright. 

The blonde agent is surveying us warily.

Cupid follows my gaze and nods at her in greeting. She merely scowls.

She really doesn't seem to like him.

"What happened?" he asks softly, turning back to me.

I shake my head.

"Charlie" I say "She's a cupid now."

He exhales heavily as Cal and Selena approach. There is an unreadable expression across the Matchmaking Agent's face.

"About time" Crystal calls over to him.

He gives her a sharp look then frowns.

"We shouldn't have left you" he says. "I'm sorry."

I shrug Cupid's hands off my arms and shake my head.

"It's fine." I say, smiling weakly "I'm fine."

I look at the three of them. My whole body is still shaking from the adrenalin.

"What do we do now?" I ask.

Cupid runs his hand through his ruffled hair.

"Let's get Charlie and Crystal back to our place. Selena – the other Arrow got away. Can you come back with us, see if Charlie knows anything about where he might have gone?" He says

The siren nods. She looks at me and smiles.

"Glad you're OK honey" she says.

She turns and makes her way towards Crystal and the pink car.

Cupid turns his gaze back to Cal and I.

"As for us...we're going to go on a little trip." He says "If we're going to be attacked again, the sooner we can get hold of the Finis the better. We're going back to the Cupids Matchmaking Service. We need to check out the archives."

Cal frowns.

"How do you expect to do that?" he says sternly "Lila's a human and you're the number one Undesirable."

A smile flashes across his face.

"We're going to break in."