Goddess of Spring (Goddess Summoning #2)(89)

"You are not the Goddess of Spring?"

"No, I am definitely not the Goddess of Spring," Lina said. She was so relieved to final y be tel ing the truth, that she didn't notice that Hades' face had gone expressionless.

"So it has al been a lie," Hades said.

"I wanted to tel you, but I gave my word to Demeter that I would keep my real identity a secret." Lina tried to touch his arm, but Hades flinched away from her.

"The things you said to me... what we did together. It was al pretense?"

"No!" Lina felt her stomach knot as she watched Hades withdraw into himself. She reached out to him, but again he moved away from her. "I meant everything I said, everything I did. It's just this body that is a lie. Everything else has been real. I love you; that is real."

"How can love be based on a lie?" he said coldly.

"Please don't do this," she pleaded with him, trying to reach the man inside the God. "Don't let us part like this. We can't be together. I have to return to my own world, but let's not make hurtful words what we remember when we're apart."

"Do not beg for his love like a common mortal, Carolina," Demeter's voice interrupted Lina. "There is enough Goddess within you that you should have more pride."

Lina spun to face her. "You caused this! He does love me, he just feels betrayed because of your insistence on maintaining a lie. I don't blame him - how could he feel any other way right now?" Demeter raised on arched eyebrow. "You believe he loves you, Carolina Francesca Santoro? Then let us test your belief in this immortal's love."

With a flick of her wrist, Demeter showered Lina in golden sparks. Lina felt her body tremble and she was suddenly horribly dizzy. She closed her eyes, fighting against nausea. Then there was an odd settling feeling, like she had just stepped back into a comfortable pair of jeans. Before she opened her eyes she knew what she would see.

Across the room, the ful -length mirror - the mirror she had preened in just that morning -

reflected a new image. Lina's body was her own again. Gone was the lean young body of the Goddess. Lina's curves were fuller, and she was older and decidedly not perfect.

"You are a mortal." The God sounded strangled.

Lina shifted her gaze from the mirror to Hades. He was staring at her, his face a mask of shock and disbelief.

"Yes, I am a mortal," she said. Squaring her shoulders she dropped the sheet, exposing al of herself to him. "And I am also the woman who loves you."

Hades averted his face, and refused to look at her. "How could you have lied al this time?"

"And what good would the truth have done?" Demeter broke in indignantly. "You would have shunned her as you do now." Her tone turned sarcastic. "At least you final y possessed the body of a goddess, Lord of the Dead. The irony is that you have a mortal to thank for it. No true goddess would have you."

Hades clenched his jaw. While Demeter had been speaking his face had become very pale. When his eyes met Lina's she saw only anger and rejection reflected in their darkness.

"Leave my realm," he commanded in a voice that raised the hair on Lina's arms.

"Come, Carolina. Your time here is finished." Demeter moved to Lina's side and covered her with her cloak. Without another word, the Palace of Hades faded from around them.

Chapter 25

The chime over the front door of Pani Del Goddess jingled merrily, letting in another stream of customers as well as a rush of cold air.

"Burr," Anton shivered dramatical y. "Oh, poo! Winter is real y coming. It's just so hard on my skin."

"The weatherman is predicting an unusual y snowy season. You'd better stock up on moisturizer and get some sensible shoes," Dolores said, pointing down at Anton's feet.

"What's wrong with these?" Anton pouted, turning his feet this way and that so that the entire bakery could admire his glossy black eel-skin, pointed-toe, mock cowboy boots with their two and a half inch heels. "Lina," he cal ed from across the room. "Do you think I need new shoes?" Lina looked up from the cappuccino machine. She wanted to say that she didn't care about his shoes or the weather, or... but Anton's expectant expression reminded her that she had to pretend. She had to keep pretending, no matter how she real y felt.

"Honey, I think your boots are perfect. But just remember, my insurance doesn't cover fal s outside the bakery."

Laughter fluttered through Pani Del Goddess. The customers grinned and placed their orders. Everyone was happy. Business was booming. In the two weeks Lina had been back, she had been amazed at the changes Persephone had made during her six months. The Goddess of Spring had truly worked magic. Her advertisement campaign had been miraculous. New customers fil ed the shop day and night, most of them clamoring for anything on which they could spread the incredible new ambrosia cream cheese that was offered exclusively through Pani Del Goddess. Persephone's creation had definitely been a hit. And that wasn't al that the Goddess had changed. Instead of going in the direction of catering, as Lina had been thinking they should, Persephone had steered Pani Del Goddess into a whole new realm of business ventures, via the Internet. She packaged a wide variety of their specialty bread, gubana, added a smal tin of ambrosia cream cheese and shipped it al over the United States. For an outrageously high price. Their new Internet service was booming. Persephone had even hired an additional full-time employee who did nothing but service their Net orders.