"Grace," Julian said with an edge to his voice. "Don't challenge him. There's no telling what consequences it might bring."
"That's right, mort-"
"You touch her," Julian said to Cupid, interrupting him, "and I will take that dagger at your side and cut your heart out with it."
Cupid slid farther away from Julian. "By the way, you left out some really important details."
Julian gave him a shuttered glare. "Such as?"
"Such as the little fact you slept with one of Priapus's virgins. Man, what were you thinking? You didn't even bother to remove his robe from her when you took her. You knew better than that. Why would you have done such a thing?"
"If you recall, I was rather angry with him at the time," he said bitterly.
"Then you should have picked one of Mom's followers. That's what they were there for."
"She wasn't the one who killed my wife. Priapus was."
Grace felt her lungs seize at his words. Was he serious?
Cupid ignored his hostility. "Well, Priapus is still raw over it. He seems to view it as the last insult where you're concerned."
"Oh, I see," Julian growled. "Big brother's mad at me for daring to sleep with one of his consecrated virgins while I was supposed to just sit back and let him murder my family on a whim?" The fury in Julian's tone sent a shiver up her spine. "Did you bother to ask Priapus why he went after them?"
Cupid rubbed a hand over his eyes as he let out a ragged breath. "Yeah, remember when you routed and defeated Livius outside of Conjara? Livius called out for vengeance against you right before you beheaded him."
"It was war."
"And you know how much Priapus always hated you. He was looking for an opening to go after you without fear of retribution, and you gave it to him."
Grace looked to Julian, but no emotions whatsoever showed on his face.
"Did you tell Priapus I wanted to see him?" Julian asked.
"What are you, crazed? Hell, no. I mentioned your name and he about blew a gasket. Said you could rot in Tartarus forever. Believe me, you don't want to be near him."
"Oh, trust me, I do."
Cupid nodded. "Yeah, but if you kill him, you'll have Zeus, Tisiphone, and Nemesis to deal with."
"Do you think they scare me?"
"I know they don't, but I really don't want to see you die that way. And if you'd stop being pig-headed for three seconds, you'd realize it yourself. C'mon, do you really want to pull down the wrath of the big man?"
By the look on Julian's face, Grace would say he really didn't care one way or the other.
"But," Cupid continued, "Mom pointed out that there is a way to break the curse."
Grace held her breath as hope flitted across Julian's face. They both waited for Cupid to elaborate.
Instead, Cupid trailed his gaze over the dark interior of the restaurant. "Do you believe people eat this sh-"
Julian snapped his fingers in front of Cupid's face. "How do I break the curse?"
Cupid leaned back in the booth. "You know everything in the universe is cyclical. As it began, so shall it end. Since Alexandria caused the curse, you have to be summoned by another woman of Alexander. One who also needs you. You must make a sacrifice for her and-" Cupid broke off into laughter.
Until Julian reached across the table and seized his shirt in his fist. "And?"
Cupid knocked his grip away and sobered. "Well…" Cupid's gaze slid to Grace and Selena. "Would you excuse us for a minute?"
"I'm a sex therapist," Grace told him. "There's nothing you can say that will shock me."
"And I ain't about to leave this booth until I hear the juicy tidbits," Selena said.
"All right, then." He looked back at Julian. "When the woman of Alexander summons you, you can't put your spoon in her jelly jar until the last day of your incarnation. Then, the two of you must unite carnally before midnight and you must keep your bodies joined until the sun rises. If you withdraw from her at any point, for any reason, you will immediately return to the book, and the curse continues."
Julian cursed and looked away.
"Exactly," Cupid said. "You know how strong Priapus's curse is. There's no way in hell you'll ever make it thirty days without boinking your summoner."
"That's not the problem," Julian said between clenched teeth. "The problem is finding a woman of Alexander to summon me."
Her heart hammering nervously, Grace sat forward. "What does that mean? A woman of Alexander?"
Cupid shrugged. "Well, she has to have Alexander in her name."
"Like a surname?" she asked.
"Yes."