Chapter XI
Roman
I groaned the moment I saw her. Of course it was her. Demi Blake, jogging ahead of me like she was some sexy forest nymph. She shouldn’t have even been out of her cabin. Much less alone, running through the woods in shorts that showed off her shapely legs.
Did I realize my hypocrisy?
Yes.
But she was also the last person I wanted to see this morning. She was making my life a personal hell.
The headlines were asinine. Jazzy was thrilled. Free publicity. Off-the-charts buzz. Love Unscripted had never seen interest like this.
But the studio head had already messaged me. A not-so-subtle reminder: Cast members are off-limits. No scandals.
As if I needed the warning. As if I hadn’t already spent the last several hours trying to scrub her voice and the image of how stunning she’d looked last night from my head.
Worst of all was how it appeared that I’d crumbled at her feet and come off as a lovesick puppy.
For that I blamed Zeus. Not to say I wasn’t taken in by her and her story, but normally I would have never told her about the poster or lobbed such softball questions at her.
But here she was. Running. Intruding again. Undoing me without even trying. Or maybe she was trying.
Maybe that was her plan all along.
“You shouldn’t be out here,” I called. “It’s against the rules—and it’s dangerous.”
She turned away from me, not breaking her stride.
“Well, you shouldn’t be able to see me,” she shot back, then pointed skyward. “And I brought protection.”
I looked up.
A golden eagle circled overhead, wings stretched wide, catching the morning light. It was almost blinding.
I stopped running. It was my first time seeing one in person. Majestic didn’t even begin to cover it. I’d heard the rumors—whispers that Zeus had gifted Demi one. I hadn’t believed them. But now, watching the creature glide above her like a living sigil, I knew it had to be true.
It was a rare honor to be bonded to such a beast. A mark of divine favor, even. Zeus must have really cared for her.
If only the bastard would leave me alone.
Against my better judgment, I ran to catch up with Demi. My show was going to get canceled at this rate.
“What do you mean I shouldn’t be able to see you?”
She barely glanced my way. “Cassie,” she said, like that one single word explained everything.
I supposed it did. My blood pressure rose to unsafe levels.
“Your father assured me she wouldn’t hex me or my team.”
“I wouldn’t call this a hex,” she said breezily. “It’s more like a charm.”
“Charm?” I scoffed. “I don’t care what you call it—just don’t do it.”
She finally offered me the courtesy of really looking at me, one brow arched, her fresh face glowing in the early-morning light, free of glasses, looking more attractive than one should be allowed to.
This wasn’t helping the situation at all.
Especially because I had the sudden urge to tell her which poster I’d had of her.
It had to be Zeus.
I clenched my jaw. He wasn’t getting away with it this time. I couldn’t understand why he would want me to say such things to her. My job here was to help her find love with another cast member. Period.
“I don’t know why you’re complaining. It clearly didn’t work on you. If anything, I should be the one who’s annoyed. Can’t a girl just go on a run in peace?”
“You promised you would stay in your cabin.”
“Did I, though?”
I couldn’t help but chuckle.
That earned me a half smile—quick, reluctant, but far too dazzling.
We ran in silence for a few beats, side by side, our footsteps syncing like some cruel metaphor.
Then Demi picked up the pace. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
I matched her easily. “I promised your father I’d protect you.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t need your protection. I have Lady Goldy.”
“Lady Goldy is your golden eagle?”
“Yes.”
“A rare gift.”
“From my great-grandfather,” she sighed, full of meaning.
I wondered if she wasn’t happy with him either.
“You know he’s meddling, right?”
Her brow furrowed. “I figured he would. But how?”
“You didn’t think it was strange how easy I went on you last night?”
She stopped short, blinking. And then it hit her—like a switch flipped behind her eyes.
“Ohhh. That’s why you were nice. That makes much more sense. Anytime you’re kind to me, I’ll know it’s Zeus, not you. Got it.”
Her words landed harder than I’d expected. Not that I didn’t understand why she’d think that. But damn it—I was a nice guy.
“Okay, well, thanks for letting me know. Have a good day,” she dismissed me, and took off again.
It was classic Demi. Cutting me off with a smile and a wave, like she lived to see me dejected.
But she was on my turf now. And I wasn’t going to let her get away with it. I caught up with her.
“What is this?” I asked, waving my hand up and down.
She blinked. “What is what?”
“This,” I repeated, more frustrated than I wanted to admit. Mostly because of how good she looked in those athletic shorts and that form-fitting hoodie. And don’t even get me started on the parts of her that weren’t covered up this morning—her eyes, mesmerizing in ways I had no business noticing.
“What happened to the tents you used to wear? The dingy hair? The glasses?”
She tilted her head, amused, keeping the perfect stride of a professional athlete.
“Why? Do you miss them?” she taunted.
“No,” I stuttered. “I mean, that’s not the point.”
“So, what is your point?”
We rounded a bend and plunged deeper into the forest. The ground grew damper, soft with dew. Her golden eagle flew low behind us, keeping guard.
“My point is that your one-eighty doesn’t exactly feel genuine. Like you didn’t do enough damage to my show while running the Bureau, so you came here to finish the job in person.”
She stopped. Turned. Glared.
The kaleidoscope of colors in her eyes danced furiously—almost dangerously. It was terrifying. Beautiful.
“If you think for one moment I want to be here,” she said, voice trembling, “you can rest assured it’s the last place I want to be.
I’m sure my father’s told you—this is a quest. And you know my .
. . secret. So you know that it means there’s a good chance that at the end of filming, I won’t be able to live in our world.
I won’t even know it exists.” Her voice cracked.
“So don’t worry—your precious show will be safe. The world will be safe from me. And happiness will reign once again. Mortals will get to fall in love with whomever they choose, even if it ends terribly.”
She took a breath, eyes blazing.
“Honestly, I should be the one worried you’ll sabotage me. Make sure there is no way I’ll find true love and complete my quest. Maybe that’s why Zeus is interfering—making you be nice to me. He’s leveling the playing field.”
Then she bolted. Her footsteps faded into the trees, leaving me standing there alone.
Feeling, quite honestly, like a prick. It hadn’t dawned on me what it would truly mean to Demi if she didn’t find love.
Yes, I thought she had no business running the Bureau, but it should have occurred to me that if she couldn’t live among us, she wouldn’t be able to know about us.
Which meant she wouldn’t just lose her job.
She would lose her memories. Her father.
No wonder Eros was so adamant that I help her.
But why allow Zeus to send his daughter on such a quest, if the consequences of failure were so dire? Not that anyone had say over Zeus. But why was it so important that Demi find love? The urge to find out swelled inside me. I felt certain that I was missing the bigger picture.
Damn it.
I ran after Demi.
Lady Goldy swooped low, warning me. The closer I got, the more aggressive her flight became—circling, diving, watching. Her sharp, dark eyes locked on to mine, calculating and judging me.
I held up my hands, palms open. “I mean no harm,” I whispered, hoping she understood.
She hesitated. Then veered off, letting me pass.
As I approached Demi, there was a flash, blinding and sudden.
It looked a lot like a bolt from Zeus. What was he up to?
I didn’t have time to wonder. The light was followed by a crack like thunder and the splintering roar of wood.
An aspen tree crashed across the path in front of Demi, its pale trunk shattered, leaves trembling in the air like startled birds.
I watched Demi lithely jump over the downed tree like she’d trained for it, but her foot caught a branch, and she tumbled to the ground.
“Demi,” I shouted, vaulting the fallen tree.
She was on all fours, groaning and swearing under her breath. Her hoodie was streaked with dirt, one knee scraped raw, her braid half undone. But it wasn’t the injury that stopped me cold. It was the look on her face. Pain, yes. But also fury. And something else—something like betrayal.
I crouched beside her, unsure if I should reach out or give her space. Lady Goldy landed nearby, talons digging into the bark of the fallen tree, eyes locked on me like she was ready to strike if I made the wrong move.
“You okay?” I asked, voice low.
She didn’t answer right away. Just pressed her palm into the earth like she was trying to ground herself. Or maybe trying not to cry.
“I’m fine,” she said finally, though her voice was anything but. “That was one of Zeus’s bolts, wasn’t it?”
“I believe so.”
She looked up at the sky with a murderous glare. “And here I thought he loved me.”
“Gods are interesting creatures. Their brand of love isn’t always human.” Although I couldn’t imagine what purpose knocking down a tree served. But like I said, gods did not think as mortals thought.
“Thank you, Dr. Phil,” she deadpanned. Her snark was clearly unaffected by the fall.
Demi tried to stand, but her knee buckled.
Instinctively, I reached out and caught her, sweeping her up into my arms.
She stared wide-eyed at me, frozen.