I nodded and turned to watch Junie skip toward us, her ponytail bouncing, her sundress catching the breeze.
Cassie grinned. “Ooh, this is getting interesting. It’s like an episode ofAll My Immortal Children.”
“Oh, ha ha.”
But Cassie wasn’t wrong. This was starting to feel very soap-opera–ish. I was half afraid to find out what happened next. Did I have an evil twin? Did Roman? Was I about to get sacrificed to a volcano?
Junie landed beside me with the grace of someone who believed the world belonged to her. She snuggled into my side as if it were the most natural thing in the world and like I somehow belonged to her.
I wrapped an arm around her, instinctively protective. “Junie, where’s your grandma or dad?”
“Don’t worry,” she said, waving a hand like a tiny queen. “I sent Lady Goldy to tell them where I was.”
“You were able to call Lady Goldy?” Only Zeus and I should have been able to do that.
Junie nodded solemnly. “I know I should’ve asked, but I haven’t seen you in days,” she said dramatically, as if it had been months or years. “And I missed you. And I knew you missed me.”
Oddly . . . I had.
“I did miss you,” I said, squeezing her tighter. “But you can’t run off from your grandma or dad. It’s not safe. You shouldn’t be by yourself.”
“My goddess will protect me,” she said sweetly, but there was a glint in her eye—impish and knowing.
Roman had warned me her goddess was naughty. But how naughty were we talking?
“Even if that’s true, honey, you have to promise me—no more running away. If you want to see me, ask your grandma to bring you over, or call Lady Goldy and she’ll let me know.”
I was still weirded out that my golden eagle was apparently at Junie’s beck and call. More disconcerting was thatit brought me one step closer to entangling myself with Roman.
“I promise,” Junie sang.
“Very good. Now let’s go find your grandma.”
“Oh, don’t worry,” she said, settling deeper into my side. “My daddy will be here soon.”
“How do you know?”
Junie leaned in, her voice a whisper wrapped in mystery. “She told me.” She pointed at her chest.
Cassie snorted. “I like this kid.”
Junie leaned across me, her tiny hand brushing Cassie’s arm.
“I like you too. We haven’t met yet, but I know you’re Demi’s very best friend.” No five-year-old should sound that sure of herself.
Cassie blinked.
I blinked.
Junie was a little scary. Not in a horror movie way. In a divine-child-who-knows-too-much kind of way. Like she was going to tell me something I wasn’t ready to hear.
“Well.” Cassie stood, grinning from ear to ear. “I think I’d better skedaddle. I don’t want to get in the way of . . . fate,” she said, teasing me.
I narrowed my eyes at her. I wasn’t sure this was fate. At. All.
“You can stay.” My voice pleaded with her to do just that. I wasn’t sure I was ready to be near Roman again. Not when Cassie had me a tiny bit believing he might still be a true love contender.
Maybe I should have talked to my father about how true love works. He shouldknow, being the OG god of love. Perhaps he had a pamphlet or stone tablet about it. Anything to help a girl out. I probably should have asked more questions before I’d left. But I’d just assumed when it found me, I’d know, and my heart would unlock.
