I feel a lurch in my stomach. It's like I'm falling. Nausea washes over me in heavy waves and I squeeze my eyes shut, blocking out the four anxious faces - and Mino - watching me.

Then my feet seem to hit something hard.

I stagger forwards.

And, suddenly, everything feels very still.

The sound of dripping from the Cupids Matchmaking Service dungeons is gone. I can feel the sun hitting my face, even though I know that it's all in my head – in reality I'm sat in a dank cell under the gaze of Cupid and the others.

My heart is pounding against my ribcage.

For a moment I don't want to open my eyes. Wherever I am – it's Valentine's worst nightmare.

What could possibly scare someone so powerful?

Then I do.

"Hello, Lila," his voice comes from behind, making me flinch. "It's a little disorientating, isn't it?"

I spin around.

Whatever I was expecting to see, it wasn't this.

The floor is made of white marble. There are no walls, and a soft breeze twists around the tall stone pillars, lightly scented with citrus. I can see mountains in the distance – but in front of them at the edge of the space, is an eerily familiar stone statue – though she looks slightly different to how I remember her. My heart jolts.

"One of Aphrodite's temples," says Valentine. I turn my gaze to him. He's not looking at me; he's stretched back on a stone alter atop five marble steps. His hands are folded behind his head, and he's staring up at the high roof. As I watch him he slowly sits up then turns to me – swinging his booted feet down over the edge of the table. His shocking blue eyes lock on mine, and my pulse quickens. A grin spreads onto his face. "Or Venus, as you have come to know her."

I frown – momentarily distracted from the reason I'm here; to find out where the hearts are so that we can save Cal. I shade my eyes with my hand as I look at him, blocking out the glare of the sun.

"I though the Sim was supposed to put you into your worst nightmare," I say.

He chuckles.

"It's kind of pleasant here, isn't it?" He shrugs. "But it brings back bad memories."

He jumps down off the alter, then walks down the stairs toward me. I automatically take a small step back, but he doesn't stop when he reaches me – merely walks past me to the edge of the temple.

"Come," he says.

"I thought you had something to discuss with me," I say – folding my arms across my chest.

He turns, continuing to walk backwards toward the exit. His smile broadens, causing little dimples on his cheeks.

"I do," he says.

I give him a wary look, But I only have an hour in here. Maybe it's best to play along with his game to start with. I head after him, stopping as he sits down atop the steps leading out of the temple. He pats the marble beside him – gesturing I sit down. I exhale heavily, then comply – putting a good foot between us so I'm not too close to his muscular body.

"Where are the hearts, Valentine?" I ask.

He runs a hand over his head, then turns to me.

"What? No time for small talk?" His eyes gleam tauntingly.

"I'm not here for small talk. I'm here for the hearts. You're threatening to kill my friend."

His lip twitches.

"How long have they given you in the Sim with me?" he says.

"Not long. So you better start talking."

He laughs.

"You're a bad liar, Lila." He looks at me studiously. "They wouldn't want you with me for too long. But long enough for you to get the truth out of me. I'd wager we have a whole hour to pass together. Correct?"

I hold his gaze but say nothing. His grin widens, exposing bright white teeth.

"Excellent." His eyes glint with amusement as the soft sun hits our backs. "There's a lot we can do in an hour."

He stretches out his muscular arms, shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and cracks his knuckles.

"Are you scared of me, Lila?" he says.

"You won't hurt me," I say – surprising myself by saying it.

He looks at me.

"How can you be so sure?"

My eyes lock onto his.

"You need my heart for what you're to do," I say – reciting the message he left on the dead body. "To bring back Venus. Right? And – you need it on Valentine's Day. So I'm guessing you aren't planning on hurting me until then..."

His eyes glint.

"Want to know a secret, Lila?" he says.

"That's why I'm here..." I say.

"And, here I was, hoping you had come for my company," he says with a smirk.

"You know I'd never do that. What's the secret?"

He pauses, then his grin broadens.

"It's not just your heart I need."

My blood turns cold.

"What?"

He turns his gaze back to the green mountains ahead, leaning forward and resting his forearms on his knees.

"Yeah. Turns out the hearts of you and your match can be used to bring Venus through the barrier of the dead. Pretty sweet, huh?"

Cupid.

Anger surges, hot as fire, through my veins. I clench my jaw – glaring at him.

Not only does he have mine and Cal's life to ransom- he's also after Cupid's as well. Then something occurs to me – and some of the wild panic dissipates. Instead I force a laugh; bitter and twisted.

"You can't kill Cupid. He's an original. Immortal. Like you. Remember?"

He turns to me, rubbing a hand over his mouth as though in thought.

"If I wanted to kill my brother, that's a small hurdle – easily overcome." He holds my angry gaze, a smile toying at his full lips. "Let's play a game, Lila."

I narrow my eyes. My heart is pumping rage intoxicated blood through my body; I can feel my pulse beating hard in my ears. Suddenly I jump up to my feet. I march down the steps and stand in front of him – squinting down – the sunlight shining past the statue of Venus into my eyes.

"I'm done with your games. Tell me where the hearts are."

Valentine stands, bringing his body towering over me. I feel his body heat, even though we're in the Sim, not reality – and his masculine smell washes over me along with the scent of lemon carried in the summery air. My breathing quickens at his close proximity. He looks at me, something unreadable in his expression.

"If you play my game, to my satisfaction, I'll tell you where the hearts are. Otherwise – I have nothing more to say."

I glare at him- conflicted. I don't want to play his stupid games. But I need to find the hearts. We need to get Cal's life thread back, and allow Charon to take Venus to the afterlife.

"What game?" I hiss.

Valentine's eyes glint with amusement.

"We each ask each other three questions," he says. "The other answers truthfully. If I'm satisfied, for your third question, you can ask me where the hearts are stored. And I'll tell you."

"Have you always been such a controlling asshole?" I ask him, tilting my head to the side.

He grins.

"Is that your first question?"

"No."

His grin widens. His eyes linger on mine for a moment, then he sits back down on the marble steps. I hesitate. Then I sit down beside him.

"I'll answer anyway," he says. "No – I wasn't always like this."

He looks at me again.

"So – you'll play?"

"Fine."

"Excellent. I'll go first," he says. "What is your earliest memory?"

I look at him in surprise. He raises a thick black eyebrow.

"What?" he says.

I shrug, brushing a stray strand of hair out of my eyes.

"I don't know...I'd expected something a bit more...evil."

He lets out a low chuckle, his eyes still fixed on mine.

"Well?" he says.

I sigh.

"Um... I don't know. I guess playing on the beach with my mom. I must have been about four." A smile pulls at my lips despite of the situation as I remember it – building sandcastles and eating ice-cream. "It was mostly a good day."

"Mostly?"

I frown.

"Yeah. Later that day I wandered off while my mom and dad were talking. I went into a cave and thought I was lost - only for a few minutes before they realized I'd gone." I shrug. "But I was a kid – it seemed longer and scarier at the time. Plus," I add with a half grin, "they were both furious with me."

I turn to Valentine. He seems satisfied with my answer, but I think I detect a hint of sadness in his blue irises.

"Why?" I ask. "Why do you want to know?"

"I can tell you – but that'll be one of your questions used up," he says.

He raises an eyebrow and I shake my head. I want to find out something more useful. I bite my lip. All the things I could ask him race through my mind.

"You want to bring Venus back," I say. "Yet your worst nightmare, according to this sim, is being in her temple."

He gives a half nod, indicating that I should carry on.

"It doesn't make sense. Why is it your worst nightmare?"

He pauses, a darkness coming down over his face.

"It reminds me of something that happened a long time ago. Something I wish had not happened." I wait for him to continue. He gestures around him. "I lived close-by once, in Athens, with my brothers. We would come to this temple to receive orders off our mother. She didn't have a global corporation of cupids back then – though she had started to build it."

I frown.

"Cal said that..."

"That I was a 'momma's boy'?" He grins. "It's true – she preferred me to the others. I never had much empathy for the humans, unlike my two brothers. That was, until I met her."

"Who?"

Valentine gives me a half smile.

"It's my turn for a question first." He licks his lips then catches my eyes with his. "How did you feel when you first met Cupid? Did you know he was your match? Could you feel it?"

"I..."

Valentine's eyes bare into mine with a fierce intensity. I wonder why he is asking this question. It makes me uncomfortable – especially seeing as he was the one who orchestrated the match in the first place.

"Come on, play fair, Lila."

I feel a wave of irritation flush over me. Then I sigh and try to remember.

I recall the moment in the classroom – when Cupid's eyes had first landed on me. The way my stomach had plummeted, and my pulse had raced. I think about how – despite thinking he was dangerous, despite knowing I should stay away from him – I'd walked out onto his terrace to meet him at the party.

I think about how we'd kissed even though it could have ended the world.

"Yes," I say – holding his gaze defiantly. "I felt it. Your turn to answer. You said you didn't feel empathy for humans until you met her. Who?"

"A human," says Valentine – a faraway look crosses his expression as he stares at the rolling Greek mountains. "A girl. I don't know what she did but she slighted mother in some way. And so, mother – being not the most rational of mind - wanted her punished. Because I was her favorite son, and because she knew I'd have no problem doing something somewhat unethical – mother sent for me to come here and collect an order."

I raise an eyebrow in question.

"She wanted me to shoot the girl with an ardor – to fill her with an obsessive love. It was meant to punish her."

I fold my arms, giving him a somewhat disgusted look.

"And you did it?"

"I was going to. I tricked her into coming here, to this temple. I waited with a quiver full of arrows, behind one of these pillars. Only when I saw her...I couldn't do it."

He looks at me then shrugs, his shoulders heavy.

"There was just something about her that stopped me. She noticed me hiding and came to talk to me – as though I was a decent human being, not someone who had been sent to destroy her. And after that she came to meet me more often. I realized that we were falling in love."

I look at him curiously. I can't imagine a monster like this falling in love. He looks ahead.

"Venus found out," he says. "She told me to shoot her with the ardor – or she'd kill her. So..."

"You did," I say quietly, filled with horror.

He nods, turning to meet my accusing eyes.

"I did. Right in the heart. Here in this temple."

His face darkens and he looks away once more. I see the muscles in his arms bulge against his light blue shirt.

"Then Cupid came along." He shakes his head and his jaw hardens. "He should have known that her feelings for him weren't real – they were induced by the arrow. He's a cupid. He says that nothing happened between them in that time. But when the arrow wore off she stayed with him."

I notice his hand gripping the marble step he sits on, his knuckles whitening.

"Cupid's girl..." I say quietly – remembering how Valentine referred to her earlier in the school cafeteria. "She was with you first."

Valentine smiles but it doesn't quite reach his eyes – which have transformed into blue pools of danger.

"Venus put that poor girl through hell when she found out – and I could never forgive Cupid for taking her from me. Or myself – for being the one to shoot the arrow."

He gestures around him.

"And that's why this place is my personal hell," he says.

He looks into the distance a moment before rubbing his mouth – then turns back to me. He grins – the darkness lifting in an instant.

"Now – my turn for a question..."

"You didn't answer my question properly," I say.

He raises his eyebrows, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"How so?"

"You didn't tell me who she was. What was her name?"

"Well...aren't you astute..." he says, wiggling his eyebrows. "I can see it will be difficult to get anything past you."

I can't tell if he's mocking me or not. I frown.

"Just answer the question. Who is she?"

He pauses – something unreadable in his face.

"Psyche," he says. "Her name was Psyche."

The name is familiar to me.

"What happened to her?"

"My question now," he says.

"Fine. It's your last one."

He nods. His eyes lock onto mine.

"Do you know how powerful you are, Lila? How powerful you could be?"

"What?" his question surprises me.

His blue eyes twinkle violently.

"You obviously don't." He sighs. "But if you just let this all run its course..."

My heart beats fast.

"What do you mean?"

He smiles.

"You only have one question left. What will it be? What happened to Psyche? What do I mean? Or where did I hide the hearts?"

I can hear blood pumping in my ears as his eyes lock, tauntingly, on mine. I want to know the answers to all of those things.

But I know there's realistically only one option.

I exhale heavily in exasperation – looking out onto the scenic landscape from the foot of the temple. I wonder if I have time to push him on the other things he's said – but I'm sure our hour is nearly done.

Slowly I turn back to meet his gaze.

"You know what I have to ask you. Where did you hide the hearts?"

His grin broadens.

"I already told you," he says.

"What? No you didn't..."

Suddenly the feeling of nausea sweeps over me again, cutting me off mid-sentence. I catch Valentine's eye, alarm bubbling inside me.

No. I'm not ready to go yet.

"Looks like your time's up!" he says. "I'll be seeing you soon!"

"Valentine!"

His name escapes my lips as the scene around my lurches. I squeeze my eyes shut.

When I open them again Cupid and the others are peering through the open door of my cell at me. I hear a frenzied chorus of: What happened? Are you ok? What did he say? Where are the hearts?

I don't know where the hearts are, yet – I still need to figure that out. But I think that something else that Valentine said might be important.

I block out the babble of noise and focus on Cupid.

"Who's Psyche?" I say.

Author note: Hi! It's me! Here to bug you again! haha (you love it really!)!

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who voted for their favorite Cupid's Match CW Seed trailer! 

And thanks for all your feedback! I've sent a short summary of some of the comments I was seeing over to Wattpad already - and I'm meeting up with someone who works at Wattpad tomorrow where I can talk to them in more detail about what you've all said! 

(With that in mind - if there's anything else you want to tell me ahead of that - let me know!)

For anyone who didn't see the trailers - unfortunately you've missed the chance to vote - but here they are in full for you to watch now!

I LOVE THEM ALL SO MUCH!!! I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING!!!

TRAILER 1: KR Squared

TRAILER 2: Megs Calleja

TRAILER 3: Roboto Productions

Speak soon! 

Lauren 

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