Make Me A Match (The Matchmaker) (18 page)

“I can’t have kids?”

He put his glasses on. “Did you want kids?”

Of course I hadn’t wanted kids, had I? But still, the
realization that I could match others but not myself didn’t sit well. I sank
onto the empty chair next to his, staring unblinkingly at the open book. I
hated the fact that I had no control over my own life. What right did this book
have to tell me what I could and couldn’t do? Who was anyone to decide my fate?

“Emma, I’m sorry—”

“Did you know this the entire time?”

He nodded. Not even a pause.

I sank back against the chair, the legs creaking with the
movement. I didn’t know how to feel. Oddly I felt cold…empty. All this time
he’d known. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Would you have come with me if I had? Would you have even
believed me?”

My anger flared. “Don’t give me that. You’ve had plenty of
opportunities since we arrived here.” I surged from my chair, too annoyed to
sit. “How do you know it’s true? Just because some stupid book says—”

“Sebastian.”

I shook my head, confused. “Who?”

“Seb…you met him at the airport.” Owen raked his hands
through his hair, leaving it mussed. He took off his glasses again, tossing
them to the tabletop. He wore them less often now, for some reason. “I told him
about the curse, but he didn’t care…he couldn’t help himself.”

“What happened?”

“He fell in love with his Matchmaker and…she ended up dying.
When he tried to save her, he almost died as well.”

It sounded so final. No getting around it. Jotham had warned
me that day in town. Even Owen had repeatedly told me we couldn’t have a
relationship, but I had just thought it was Owen being Owen.

“Happened to Petunia too.”

Unwillingly, I felt sorry for her. So we were all fated to
be alone. “If you knew all of this, then why are you researching?”

He looked away this time, focusing on the lamp resting on
the table. “Because you should be able to have a life, a family, like a normal
person.”

My heart warmed. He was trying to help, which made the fact
that he’d kept this from me a little easier to take. “Okay.” For a moment I
merely sat there, mulling over everything, trying to understand his feelings
for me, trying to understand the situation. “So then we keep it professional.”

He released a wry laugh.

Yeah, easier said than done. It was obviously what he’d been
trying to do all along…keep us apart. But maybe, just maybe if I kept it
professional too, then we could get past this attraction.

If I fell for Owen, he could lose his powers…or worse.

I couldn’t let that happen. He lived for those powers, for
his job. He’d be miserable without this stupid Consulate. Petunia suddenly
appeared, standing across from us. I hoped it was a mirage; unfortunately I
wasn’t that lucky. Freaking perfect timing.

She wore tight skinny jeans and a V-neck T-shirt that showed
off her massive double D chest. Wasn’t she violating some Protector dress code?
Shouldn’t she wear some sort of shapeless suit? I resisted the urge to curse
her out, trying to remember the heartache she’d apparently gone through. But it
was hard to believe she even had a heart.

She didn’t bother to look my way, but focused on Owen.
“Jotham is asking after you. Says it’s important.”

Owen slid me a glance. “Later?”

I nodded.

He disappeared, leaving me alone with Pain-in-my-ass
Petunia.

She reached forward and picked up his glasses. “He always
forgets them.”

She glanced at me, an odd look in her gaze as if she knew
something I didn’t. I had to resist the urge to gag. I got it…she knew him
better than I did. What’d she want, a trophy?

“You’re in love with him,” she stated boldly. “Owen, you’re
in love with him.”

I scoffed, crossing my arms, praying my face didn’t flush.
Who the heck was she to come in here proclaiming ridiculous statements? “I
don’t believe in love.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You can’t…oh my God, you’re
serious?” She released a sharp laugh, shaking her head. “Unbelievable.”

I didn’t bother to respond. She pulled out a chair and sat
at the table across from me, my silence not hint enough. “I understand why.
He’s amazing. He’s courageous. Loyal. Gorgeous. Brave. And when he laughs, the
entire world lights up.”

Laughed? I realized with a start that Owen rarely smiled
around me, let alone laughed. Of course, I wasn’t going to divulge that
information.

“But to him, you’re just a job. You’ll always be just a
job.”

Her words stung, although I showed no outward reaction.
“Don’t worry, I have no plans to fall in love with my Protector. I’d never do
something so stupid.”

I honestly hadn’t meant to imply that she’d been stupid to
fall in love with her Matchmaker, but I realized too late that’s how she took
it. I ignored her flushed face and turned, heading back down the aisle. I
didn’t care, because my thoughts were centered on Owen.

Did I make him laugh? No. Did I make him smile? No. Did I
make him happier? Apparently not. I paused at the end of the aisle, and leaned
against a bookshelf.

Maybe, just maybe, I was starting to fall in love with Owen.
But maybe, just maybe, he would never love me back.

Emma

“Better, but you still need to concentrate.”

“I am!” I snapped, glaring at Owen. He’d woken me up at six
a.m. only to lead me into the training room while I’d still been half-asleep.
And he expected me to be on my toes, in tip-top shape? For almost two weeks
he’d been relentless, determined to teach me how to protect myself. The attack
had obviously sent him teetering toward the edge. But frankly, I was tired,
hungry, and sick of him telling me what to do.

“Why don’t you find Petunia? I’m sure she’d love to train
with you.”

Over the days, it had become more and more apparent that although
Owen didn’t feel anything for Pet, she certainly felt something for him. Of
course, being the guy that he was, he hadn’t just come out and told her to back
off. No, he remained friendly, giving her hope.

I wanted to pull her aside and tell her to get over him,
that it wasn’t going to happen. But there was a tiny part of me that wondered
if maybe he was still friends with Petunia because he was attracted to her. And
why wouldn’t he be? She was gorgeous, while I looked like, well…me.

He crossed his arms over his chest, the gray T-shirt he wore
stretching across his broad shoulders. In that T-shirt—with his hair mussed and
his glasses gone, and those tattoos entwining up his arms—he looked more like
the kind of guy I’d see at the bars I used to frequent, not the Owen I knew.

“Not a bad idea,” he said. “Pet’s brilliant in hand-to-hand
combat.”

“I bet she is,” I muttered.

Apparently my joke had fallen flat. There was no mirth in
his gaze, only a cold relentlessness I didn’t like. “Close your eyes.”

I threw him one last glare before complying. Slowly, he
moved around me. I could feel his energy, could just hear the soft fall of his
footsteps as he traveled…then…nothing. He’d disappeared. I frowned, annoyed
that he’d used his powers again, but I knew better than to complain after he
set me straight last time.

You think demons and
vampires won’t use theirs?

I hated when he acted the aloof teacher, so determined to do
his job. When he was like this, it was hard to remember he’d kissed me, hard to
remember we were friends, and…more.

“What if we talk about our issues instead?”

His warm breath whispered across the back of my neck,
sending a shiver down my spine. “What issues?”

He was playing dumb in order to avoid the topic. “Owen, if I
fall in love, that person dies. I’d say that’s an issue, a big one.”

I could sense him at my left. “You don’t believe in love, so
it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Don’t,” I snapped, forcing myself to keep my eyes closed,
not wanting to see the arrogance in his gaze. “Don’t turn this into a joke.”

He sighed, standing in front of me now. “Listen to me.” He
stepped closer, so close his warm breath whispered across my lips. “Tonight is
the Consulate meeting. They have one every month. They’ll be busy, so it will
be the perfect time to escape.”

I opened my eyes, stunned. “We’re leaving?”

He nodded. “It was a mistake coming here, but I felt like I
had no other choice.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I demanded in a harsh whisper.

“Because there are spies everywhere, and you wear your
emotions on your face.”

“I do not!”

“You do.” He stepped back, putting distance between us, and
obviously trying to put an end to the conversation. “Now…concentrate.”

“Where will we go?”

He moved toward the wall where a variety of weapons hung.
“The only place that’s protected…the cottage. Fortunately, your aunt had the
good sense to have a fairy set a spell on the property. Only a select few can
find it. Now, relax. Concentrate, you must concentrate.”

Was he kidding? “You just drop the news that we’re escaping
tonight, and then you expect me to train? I don’t want to concentrate!”

“We have to act normal.” He pulled a saber from the sheath
pinned to the wall, the swoosh of metal against metal echoing across the
training room. “And normalcy is we train.”

So that’s why we were in the training room and not in my
bedroom…so everyone would see us; just a typical day. But I didn’t want to act
normal, and I knew one thing that would throw him off his game, the only thing.
I was about to step closer and kiss him senseless, just to get him to drop that
cold facade, when I heard the unmistakable thump of footsteps.

“Owen,” Josh called out.

Surprised, I jerked my gaze toward the open door. He moved
quickly into the room, his long legs eating up the parquet floor. Perfect
timing. Had Petunia sent him? But no…he looked serious, so dang serious that I
knew instantly something was up.

“What are you doing here?” Owen asked, his tone edged.

You could say they despised each other, these boys and their
egos. And yeah, I’d realized pretty quickly that they didn’t get along, and I’d
even flirted with Josh knowing it would annoy Owen. But I was tired of the
games, tired of the conspiracy.

Josh glanced my way and smiled. I flushed, feigning sudden
fascination with the hem of my tank top. Yep, really shouldn’t have flirted
with him. Owen shifted, stepping closer to me like a good caveman claiming his
woman. But he hadn’t really ever claimed me, had he? Heck, I wasn’t even sure
if he was actually dating Petunia or not. He said they weren’t, but I wondered
if Petunia realized that.

“You haven’t heard?” Josh asked.

Dang it all, why couldn’t Josh be my Protector? Yeah, he was
good-looking in his tight black T-shirt and jeans, but he didn’t compare to
Owen, and that more than surprised me. Clean-cut Owen who always followed the
rules, who rarely had a lock of hair out of place, fascinated me. With Josh, I
wouldn’t have to worry about that heated attraction. But the truth of the
matter was it was more than just attraction. I trusted Owen like I trusted no
one else.

“What is it?” Owen snapped, crossing his arms over his
chest, in no mood for games either.

Here he was lecturing me about not showing my emotions.
Amused, my gaze traveled from his broad shoulders to the hard planes of his
face. Owen was jealous. I resisted the urge to grin. Maybe he was more human
than I’d thought.

“They’re arriving.”

Startled, I pushed Owen aside to get a better view of Josh.
“Who?”

Josh’s gaze went immediately to me. “The Otherworld. I could
sense them from my room.”

Confused, I looked to Owen for explanation.

“How many?” he asked, not explaining in the least.

“Hundreds.”

“Shite.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “War?”

I stiffened. “Wait…what? War?”

Josh shook his head. “No, there was no sense of urgency,
only excitement.”

For some reason, I didn’t feel much better. Owen said a
monthly meeting was normal, but apparently not this kind of meeting.
Wait…Otherworldly? I raked my mind, trying to remember who they were.

Owen began to pace the room, his agitation obvious. “I
should have sensed them sooner.”

“Who are they, Owen?” I asked.

“Just Otherworldly members, friends of the Consulate,” Josh
explained.

Right. Friends. Then why was Owen pacing and rubbing the
back of his neck? I knew that look on his face well; he was plotting, his mind
spinning. But why? What had changed?

“No one to fear, nothing for you to worry about,” Josh
added.

I ignored the guy. I hated the way he talked to me so
condescendingly. Like I was a cute little Matchmaker who needed to keep her
mouth shut. He reminded me of Falconer. Owen might be a pain in the butt at
times, but he had never treated me like I was a dimwit.

“Was there a meeting planned?” Owen asked as he headed
toward the side of the room and grabbed his jacket. Although he wore a T-shirt
and jeans, with the jacket he looked like a preppy rich playboy. But he hadn’t
grown up rich at all. I’d misjudged him in so many ways. I had been right about
one thing…he thought it was his responsibility to protect me. Call me egotistical,
but I had a terrible, unsettling feeling that the reason Owen was upset was
because this meeting had something to do with me.

“No, no meeting planned,” Josh said. “Just the typical
monthly gathering.”

“Have you seen Seb?”

“Nope.”

“Damn, what about Petunia?”

Josh shook his head. “You need something? I can help.”

Owen ignored him and looked my way. “Emma, please retire to
your room.”

I stiffened, confused. There was that straitlaced guy again.
Just when I’d put him on a pedestal, just when I’d thought we’d gotten past
this leaving-me-in-the-dark crap. “You can’t be serious.”

“Indeed, I am.”

“Indeed?” I was furious, anger burning a path through my
veins. “Don’t do this, Owen.”

“Would you like me to escort her?” Josh asked a little too
eagerly.

I ignored him and shoved my palm into Owen’s chest. “Oh, no.
No. This is not going to happen. I’m sick of you treating me like a child.”

Josh watched us from the sidelines, amusement in his blue
eyes. “My, isn’t she a hellcat.”

“This is none of your business, Frenchie, so stay out.” I
turned my glare to him, which only seemed to make Josh more amused.

Owen took my hand, drawing my attention back to him. “We
don’t know what’s going on, Emma. It would be best if you went to your room.”

“No, what would be best—”

“Enough.” Lord Falconer’s voice carried through the chamber,
echoing against the stone walls and startling me silent. His footsteps were
slow and steady as he made his way toward us, those black robes sweeping across
the mats in a hypnotic movement. I’d never liked him, and the fact that he’d
overheard our private conversation made me more than uneasy. “There’s a
meeting, and Emma is needed.”

Suddenly, heading to my room didn’t sound so bad. I bit my
tongue, resisting the urge to argue.

“What’s going on, my lord?”

Falconer’s gaze flicked toward me. “We shall proceed into
the meeting arena.”

He hadn’t answered Owen’s question, and apparently didn’t
feel the need to, as he turned and strolled back toward the door. We had no
choice but to follow.

“Owen?” I whispered as we fell into step behind Josh and
Falconer.

He gave a slight shake of his head, telling me to keep my
mouth shut, and I would…for now. My suspicions had been right; this was about
me. Why would Falconer want me otherwise? No, not want,
insist
I come along? I pulled at the hem of my tank top, feeling
ridiculously underdressed in my workout clothes.

We turned the corner and started toward the double doors
ahead. I could hear the low rumble of conversation coming from the arena and my
nerves flared. How the hell were Owen and I going to sneak out now?

“There has been a meeting called,” Falconer finally
explained as we headed toward those doors. “By the Otherworld.”

“Why?” Owen demanded.

I worried that Falconer would take offense by Owen’s hard
tone. We didn’t need any more attention than we already had, and we sure as
heck didn’t need any more enemies. I shoved my elbow into his side, but he
ignored me.

“Why is everyone here?” he demanded again.

Falconer paused outside the doors and turned to face us.
“The members of the Otherworld are worried about an impending attack.”

Okay, but what did this have to do with me?

“We’ll discuss it at length inside.” With a wave of his
hand, the doors opened. A variety of ethereal creatures filled the room,
conversing in low, murmured voices. Fairies and dwarves, angels even. They each
shimmered with their own powers, beings so beautiful that it almost hurt to
look directly at them.

“They’ve always been here,” Josh whispered next to me.
“You’ve just never been able to see them until now.”

The roar of conversation died down to a soft murmur as
beings turned, sensing our arrival. Curious faces focused on Falconer, and then
shifted to me as if they knew immediately who I was…what I was capable of.

“Please, come to order,” Falconer cried out, his voice
echoing across the room. There had to be at least two hundred beings in
attendance in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. So many faces, the room
blurred before me.

“Why?” Owen demanded again. “Why are they upset with the
Underworld?”

“There is a rumor circulating,” Josh whispered.

“What?” I asked, but before he could answer, Falconer
gripped my arm and led me down the steps. Helplessly, I glanced back at Owen,
but I knew we had no choice but to follow along for now.

Jotham, along with the other Consulate members I’d seen when
I first arrived, was seated at the high table. I focused on his kind face as we
made it to the platform. At least he was here. At least I had one person on my
side.

“Sit, my dear.” Falconer pulled out a chair at the end of
the table.

I lowered myself carefully onto the hard seat. Murmured
conversation started up once more, a wave that rolled over the crowd,
threatening to drown me. I could hear the whispered words of those closest to
me…they were wondering if I were old enough, experienced enough, powerful
enough. Maybe I wasn’t, and what would they do if I couldn’t help?

The torchlight provided an eerie glow of light and shadows
that danced across the strange faces in the crowd. I searched for Owen,
focusing on his familiar form as he settled in a vacant chair in the third row.

“You’ve arrived because you’ve heard the rumors,” Falconer
said, pacing the platform slowly. “You’ve heard the rumblings of the
Underworld. You feel that they are restless, gathering, and you don’t know
why.” He turned toward me. “This is why. Our Matchmakers.”

A flush of heated red rushed up my neck and into my cheeks,
but no one seemed to notice my discomfort, and they continued to stare
unabashedly at me. I knew how those monkeys at the zoo felt.