Chapter 20 The Betrayal

Chapter 20 The Betrayal
Dante's POV

Vanessa stood in the streetlight, and nothing about her looked right.

Her eyes glowed faint red in the darkness. Her smile was wrong—too wide, too sharp. And the demon projection stood beside her like a loyal pet, its massive form flickering in and out of reality.

"Vanessa?" Maya's voice broke. "What are you doing?"

"What I should have done years ago." Vanessa's voice was different too. Deeper. Older. "Taking what belongs to me."

I pushed Maya and Lily behind me, putting my body between them and whatever Vanessa had become. "You're not Vanessa. Who are you?"

"I'm exactly who I've always been. You're just finally seeing it." She took a step closer, and the demon projection moved with her. "Did you really think a demon would give up after we lost tonight? We're patient, Dante. We plan ahead."

My blood ran cold. "You were one of the twelve."

"Wrong. I was the thirteenth. The one the Council didn't detect because I've been here for thirty years, hiding in plain sight, being Maya's best friend." Her laugh was cruel. "I've been feeding on her pain since Marcus destroyed her. Every tear she cried on my shoulder, every moment of self-doubt, every time she questioned her worth—delicious."

Maya made a sound like she'd been punched. "You were my friend. My best friend. I trusted you."

"And that trust made you taste so much better." Vanessa's red eyes fixed on Lily. "But you know what will taste even sweeter? That little girl's wish magic. Pure, innocent, powerful. If I bond with her, I can rewrite the Valentine magic entirely. Turn this whole town into a permanent feeding ground."

"Over my dead body," I said.

"That can be arranged." Vanessa gestured, and the demon projection lunged.

I grabbed the coffee table and swung it like a bat. It passed right through the projection—not real yet, just a manifestation of dark wishes. But the projection's claws were real enough. They raked across my chest, tearing through my shirt, drawing blood.

I stumbled back, and Vanessa laughed.

"You're mortal now, Dante. No powers. No divine protection. Just a human trying to fight something you can't even touch." She walked past me like I wasn't there, reaching for Lily. "Come here, little girl. Let's make your wishes come true."

"NO!" Maya threw herself between them.

Vanessa backhanded her. Maya flew sideways, hitting the wall hard. She slumped to the floor, dazed.

Rage exploded through me—white-hot, all-consuming rage I'd never felt in three thousand years. I charged Vanessa, human fists swinging, knowing it was suicide but not caring.

She caught my wrist and twisted. Bones cracked. I screamed.

"Pathetic," she spat. "The mighty Cupid, reduced to this. Elena was right to give up on you."

"Elena's coming," I gasped through the pain. "She felt the demon magic spike. She'll be here any second—"

"Elena's busy." Vanessa's smile widened. "There's a demon attacking her museum right now. Funny how that worked out. Almost like I planned it."

My heart sank. We were alone. No backup. No help coming.

Vanessa grabbed Lily's arm.

The little girl screamed, trying to pull away, but Vanessa's grip was iron. "Your wish magic is going to reshape this entire town. And there's nothing anyone can do to stop it."

"You're wrong," a new voice said.

My grandmother's ghost materialized in the living room, blazing with golden light. "You made one mistake, demon. You threatened my great-granddaughter."

She raised both hands, and light poured from her palms—not the gentle glow from the museum, but searing, burning brightness that made Vanessa shriek and release Lily.

"Get them out!" the ghost shouted at me. "I can hold her, but not for long!"

I grabbed Maya with my good arm, pulled her to her feet. She scooped up Lily. We ran for the door.

Behind us, Vanessa roared—an inhuman sound that shook the walls. "You can't run forever! In three days, Valentine's Day, the magic peaks! And when it does, I'll have everything I want!"

We burst into the street. Golden projections filled the neighborhood, but none of them moved to stop us. They were just wishes, powerless until Valentine's Day made them real.

But Vanessa was already real. Already powerful. And she knew exactly how to use Lily's wish magic to become unstoppable.

"Where do we go?" Maya gasped, clutching Lily tight.

"The museum. If Elena's still alive, she'll have answers." I looked at my broken wrist, at Maya's bruised face, at Lily's terrified eyes. We were hurt, exhausted, betrayed by someone we trusted.

And we had three days to stop a demon from taking over the entire town.

My phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number:

You want to save Lily? Come to the Sweetheart Bridge at midnight. Alone. I have information about Vanessa—who she really is, how to stop her. But if you bring anyone else, or if you tell Maya, the deal's off. You have one hour. -V

V. The same person who'd texted Maya about Marcus being a demon. The same person who'd known everything before it happened.

This was obviously a trap.

But what choice did I have?

"Take Lily to Elena's museum," I told Maya. "Get inside the wards. You'll be safe there."

"Where are you going?"

I couldn't lie to her—the wish-bond wouldn't let me. But I could choose my words carefully. "To meet someone who might know how to stop Vanessa."

"Dante—"

"Trust me." I kissed her forehead, tasting blood and fear and desperation. "I'll come back. I promise."

I ran before she could stop me, before the bond let her feel that I was lying.

Because I didn't know if I'd come back.

I just knew I had to try.

The Sweetheart Bridge was dark when I arrived, lit only by a few old lanterns. A figure waited in the center.

As I got closer, I saw who it was, and my blood turned to ice.

Not because I didn't recognize them.

Because I did.

The person who'd been texting us, who knew everything, who'd been manipulating events from the beginning—

Was Elena.

She smiled at my expression. "Surprised? You shouldn't be. I've been playing this game for three thousand years, Dante. Did you really think I didn't have a plan?"

"You?" I could barely speak. "You've been helping Vanessa?"

"Not helping. Using." Elena pulled out a folder thick with papers. "Everything I told you about breaking Maya's binding was true. But I left out one detail. When a Cupid falls in love and loses their powers, that power has to go somewhere. It doesn't just disappear."

Understanding hit me like a freight train. "It went to you."

"Every bit of divine energy you lost falling for Maya, I absorbed. I'm stronger now than I've been in centuries." Her eyes glowed pure gold. "Strong enough to challenge the High Council. Strong enough to take over as the new head of all Cupids. And on Valentine's Day, when the magic peaks, I'm going to use Lily's wish magic to rewrite the rules entirely."

"Why? Why would you do this?"

"Because I'm tired of serving," Elena said simply. "Tired of watching humanity waste the gifts we give them. Tired of creating love matches for people who throw them away. It's time for Cupids to rule, not serve. And you, my dear Dante, are going to help me."

She snapped her fingers.

Golden chains erupted from the bridge, wrapping around my wrists, my ankles, my throat. I couldn't move. Couldn't speak. Could barely breathe.

"Vanessa is working for me," Elena continued. "The demon projection she summoned? I taught her how to do it. The twelve demons we 'destroyed' tonight? They'll regenerate by Valentine's Day. And when they do, we'll have an army."

She walked toward me, running one finger down my cheek. "You asked me once what happens when a Cupid falls completely. I told you they lose all their memories. That was a lie. Those memories don't disappear, Dante. I've been collecting them. Every Cupid who ever fell in love—I have their knowledge, their power, their divine essence. You're just the latest addition to my collection."

She pressed her hand against my forehead.

Pain exploded through my skull. I felt her pulling, tearing, ripping memories from my mind. Three thousand years of existence, bleeding away like water through my fingers.

The last thing I remembered was Maya's face.

Then everything went dark.