“Closed-Hearted Goddess of Love, Bane of My Existence.”
Chapter XVIII
Demi
“Areyousureyouwant to do this?” Cassie asked, carrying a tray of s’mores stuff out to the deck of our cabin into the cool night air. Well, technically, it was just my cabin, because no one knew Cassie was staying with me. You know, except Roman, the pebble-throwing idiot.
I’d asked all the other women cast members if they wanted to come over for a little late-night get-together after another day of more photo shoots and a “getting to know you” brunch. But how do you really get to know anyone when a camera is always on you? It meant them all sneaking out, but they’d all enthusiastically agreed.
“I’m not sure about anything anymore.”
Especially after Roman’s midnight visit. I was sure it was another trick. Well, at least mostly sure. My goddess had other ideas. Ideas like asking him to crawl through the window and come inside. Yeah, I’d vetoed that one. I didn’t care how good he looked in his tight jeans and T-shirt under the moonlight. Okay, so maybe my heart had fluttered. Why it was choosing to come to life around him, I had no idea. Don’t get me wrong—it was still mostly dormant.
But his question last night. Did I care if people found love? It had pierced my soul. It made me think. Did I? Or did I care more about protecting them from love? About my guide and rules? Was that the kind of goddess or person I wanted to be?
It wasn’t the only quandary Roman had given me. What he’d said about the goddess side of me not being able to lie freaked me out. That couldn’t be true, could it? Maybe I should have asked Cassie, but she would definitely have questions. Questions that would lead to me admitting that I used to be in love with Roman and that someone, okay my divine self, swore we were soulmates and we were going to have little demi-babies together. I’d even named them. Yep, Hallie, Calliope, and Wilder were going to be the cutest kids ever.
Seriously, I needed to quit thinking about it, but it was all I could think of. Well, that and not making a fool of myself in front of the entire world, on top of wondering if I was ruining said world. Basically, I was a wreck inside.
That’s why I blurted as soon as I set down the tray of goodies near the built-in firepit on the deck, “Cassie, can our goddess sides lie to us?”
Cassie, already eating a piece of chocolate, paused mid-chew, the chocolate melting on her tongue buying her time.
“Lie to us?” she echoed, eyebrows lifting.
“Yeah. Is that possible?”
I lowered myself onto the stone bench.
Cassie sat beside me, her expression unreadable.
“No,” she said. “If you haven’t noticed, gods and goddesses love being right. Especially when it comes to their domains. It’s kind of the point of being divine.”
Not good news.
Like,awful.
“But . . . we’re only demigoddesses,” I said. “Maybe it’s different for us. Like we’re only half all-knowing.”
Cassie nudged me, laughing. “Do you want to tell me what this is about?”
I nibbled my lip. “Not really.”
“But you’re going to anyway,” she said. It was playful on the surface, but I heard theNo way you’re getting out of thisbeneath it.
Afraid of that, I pulled my knees to my chest and rested my head on them, turning toward Cassie, who was already tuned in.
I let the flames warm me, hoping they’d burn away the part of the story I didn’t want to tell. But there was no skirting the Roman part.
I let out a heavy breath.
“You know I locked my heart,” I said, voice low. “But there was . . . a little more to it. Okay, maybe a lot more. But promise me if I tell you this, you will find a way to make it not true. Please,” I begged.
“Demi, you know I can’t promise that. Just tell me, and if I can, I’ll find a way to hex whatever it is.”
“Oh, you’ve already hexed and poisoned him.”
Her jaw dropped.
