Knotbind

Outside weddings. I loathed them.

Tiny bugs flew to close to one's ears, mouth, or nose. A light sweat formed among several individuals in the standing crowd. Judgemental eyes watched as the bride moved gracefully down the aisle. While hushed whispers were spoken like secrets being told among lovers. Despite the small annoyances, the wedding continued onward smoothly.

Juan, my best friend, faced his soon-to-be wife when she finally reached his side. He held her hands while staring into her eyes: lovingly and happily. The smiles on both of their faces make a wave of envy course through me. But, in all reality, I'm happy for him.

Bittersweet never did taste good in my mouth. When he asked me to be his best man, I wanted to grab him by the collar and ask: What the hell are you doing? I wanted to shake him hard for naming me his best man. I would rather plan his funeral. At least then I can plan the best going away party to match. (An idea we both agreed upon in our teen days.)

Ah, fond memories.

Destined mates. Soul mates is another name for them.

I didn't understand the concept. Well, not totally. How can one person literally be made for another before one was born? It didn't make sense. Considering personalities. Take Juan and Roxanna.

Juan was your average, responsible human. And Roxanna was, well, she was a fun going kistune. Juan was a social drinker. And Roxanna can't hold water if it wasn't the everyday drink.

I needed a drink. Flirting with just my eyes and smile wasn't helping the situation either. Sure, I wanted to continue wooing the pretty, black haired fox woman across from me. Roxanna's maid of honor. But this tuxedo was eating away at my skin.

As the two held hands and began the process of exchanging energies, I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. Ceremonies like this take too long. There was no way this should last for nearly two hours. All you doing is saying: I do. And bam, married. All the other stuff- so unnecessary.

When black beauty waved her lashes at me, I answered back with a smile of my own. She didn't giggle like I assumed she would. No, if anything, her face remained fixed in that flirtatious expression. Kind of creeping me out too. She reminded me of one of those unnatural smiles on barbie dolls’ faces.

Juan waving his hand in front of his bride's face catches my attention. At this point, my eyes moved slowly around the audience. Juan's mother, tears rolling down her face, threw me for a loop. While his father leaned further toward her, his mouth slightly ajar. Probably to voice his opinion once more on their wedding. They both didn't approve. That I know as a fact when they both approached me, on separate occasions, to either rant or convince me to help Juan end his relationship with Roxanna.

“What did you do now?” Juan, who now faced me, glared angrily.

I did promise him I would behave myself. At least until after the wedding. I went to tell him 6, until I heard my name whispered as a gust of wind blew. My face must have given me away because Juan narrowed his eyes slightly.

Gosh darn, I didn't think she would hold a grudge. Averting my gaze, I mustered up my small shame to tell him what I did. “I didn't want to love again, so I might have gave Cupid a piece of her own medicine."

“What?” The threatening growl in his voice made me want to coward under the table.

I was so dead. I knew it.

Looking back at him, I gave him an uneasy smile.“It's no big deal. I just shot her with one of those black arrows. Right between her perfectly shaped, featherly wings.”

He grabbed the collar of my shirt with both hands. “Saxon.”

“I did nothing wrong. Just got a little revenge.” In my defense, she needed to take responsibility for her actions.

“You shot Cupid, the goddess of all eternity love.” He shoved me back a little when he released me. “In the back, need I add. All because you were rejected by some girl you don't care about!” Shaking his head, he put a hand to his head. Something he did whenever I pushed him to his limits.

“But-” He silenced me by putting his palm up and then pointing his index finger at me.

“Speak and I'll disown you.” Dropping his hands to his side, he approached me again. “This is my wedding, Sax. And now it might be ruined because you gotten the most idiotic idea to shoot Cupid for a nobody you don't even want!”

Ok, so he was furious. “Collie wasn't a nobody. I really did like her.” She had nice long legs.

“You women hog idiot!” He went to grab me, but I side stepped by him.

“Now wait a minute, Juan. Calling me a hog is going too far.”

“I specifically told you to behave, Saxon.”

“How was I supposed to know she would be offended by a little tap?”

“Who shoots a woman in the first place? Especially the goddess of love and desire.”

“We have different philosophies on who to shoot.”

“Sax, that isn-”

“The fact that you shoot me is a miracle in itself,” said a silvery voice.

Both of us looked toward the aisle. Standing at the foot of the three small steps leading up to the raised platform was the Cupid I shoot out of anger.

She is easily the most beautiful lady I laid my eyes on. Her face was skillfully painted to highlight her small mouth, bright, brown eyes, and heart-shaped face. I was sure she had dimples if I could get her to smile. Which hadn't been my priority when I first spotted her flying. Her curly, brown hair reminded me of one of those fantasy hairstyles artists drew up for their special being. If I remember correctly, which I do, I wondered who fingers had turned her fine hair into such a grand masterpiece.

Her body was toned, but not in the way a female weightlifter would be. She wore a two-piece, a top and skirt. Elegant yet ethereal are what I would describe her.

“Juan, you are right. I am an idiot.” The smile came easily to me. “Can't believe I shoot this lovely lady.”

Her eyes narrowed, but my attention turned to the buckling of my right knee. I glared at Juan when I caught myself on my left leg. And o’course I didn't miss the irony of my position.

“Goddess,” Juan stepped forward with his hands clasped. “Please forgive my idiot for his wrongful attack. I ask that you don't take your wrath out on Roxanna's and my wedding.”

“It didn't even hurt her. It's not like she fell from the sky.” I rose from my position.

“While I didn't fall,” she said while taking one slow step after the other. Once she was onto the altar, she rested her eyes on me. A soft anger flared in her pretty eyes. “You are very much responsible for this situation.”

Shoving a hand into my pant pocket, I took the few steps forward to place myself next to Juan. “I don't see how the arrow did anything. My studies led me to believe that arrows, any colored ones, don't have any effect on the being holder of the title of Cupid.”

“Your studies are flawed.” She folded her arms over her stomach.

I couldn't help my gaze being drawn to her bosom. Nice ones too, if I must say. “Oh really?”

“Cupid, about my wedding,” said Juan.

“I left you unfazed simply to make you a witness to my presence. I wanted to avoid back and forward thoughts.” She looked from him to me.

That is probably fair. Although I worked with the supernatural, even I still held my opinions on what and what isn't real. I wouldn't have believed beings outside of humans or aliens existed if I hadn't been shown the realm that co-existed without the human world. Who would have thought that one can stumble their way into the supernatural realm by mistakenly walking throughout gaps. Gaps that are invisible and scattered around the world.

“I can't fault you there, Goddess.” Juan huffed out a gust of air. All to my annoyance.

“I have no intentions of disrupting your ceremony union. You two are destined to be together.” She looked in Roxanna's direction. Happiness shined on her face briefly.

“Thank God,” Juan held a hand over his heart.

“Your friend, when he sought his revenge, made a remarkable mistake.” She turned that soft glare back on me.

“You said remarkable.” She really is going to leave me sad for the rest of my love life. I just know it.

“Remarkable as if a human shouldn't have been able to hit me there.” Her eyes narrowed and her bottom lip jutted out a little.

Adorable is what she looks like. “In my defense, you weren't really speeding.”

“Shut up, Saxon.” Juan didn't look my way. “Hitting you in the back means something?”

When she turned her gaze to my friend, it was my turn to be disappointed. Something about the way she looked at me brought out the charmingly, arrogant side of me. And her voice encouraged me to provoke a smile out of her.

“The 'exact' position does. For a being like me, the center of my back is significant. Where I shoot my arrows at the chest center of most beings' hearts, my heart's focus point is at the center of my back.” Her gaze met mine. This time a hurt glint shone in them. “Somehow you made a connection. You tangled your Strings of Fate with mine.”

“Strings of Fate, huh? Oh, ok.” Wait, so, that means…

Juan looked at me, eyebrows arched. “You've done it this time, Sax. You literally made Cupid your bonded mate.”

“Yes, he did.” She uncrossed her arms and approached me. She stopped within reaching distance and glared down at me.

Who knew I would find her tallness attractive? She looked to be about an inch or two taller than my 5’9 "height.

“I should probably tell you I'm not a believer in the whole destined mate thing.” I smiled, hoping my humor would shine through. “All I have to do is break your heart or something like that and boom: we are no longer bonded, right?”

“It's not that easy, I'm afraid,” she said, shaking her head slowly. “You shouldn't have been able to land that hit, but now that you did, our strings are knotted as one. This isn't a good thing.”

“All we got to do is untangle them. Simple. We just find–” Wait did she say being my mate is not a good thing. “What do you mean being my mate is a bad thing?”

“It's a bad thing because you're an idiot,“ Juan said, crossing his arms over one another.

I shot a glare his way. “I have good attributes. I'm very good-looking.”

“Yeah, right, good looking. Look who's getting married today,” Juan turned his head forward.

“It's only because of your mate bond. You literally are being forced to marry Roxie,” I retorted back.

“The bond only contribute a little, Smart-ass.” Juan turned to me.

I wanted to put him in a headlock like I used to when we were boys and arguing. The only reason I didn't is because he was still in his wedding suit. His wedding isn't over yet. I'll be a bad best man if I got him messed up before he got to share his first kiss with his soon-to-be wife.

“Gentlemen,“ Cupid's tone rose above our discussion. “That isn't the problem here.”

“I don't see why it isn't. We both have a mutual agreement that we don't want to be tried to each other.” Shrugging, I scratched the back of my head with an index finger.

Cupid sighed low. “The issue is my true mate isn't going to wait very long for us to unknot our bonds.”