My Date From Hell (The Blooming Goddess Trilogy, #2)

What's another god at the party? (Part 1)

After a good night's rest, a scalding shower, much food, and several cups of adrenaline-surging espresso, I felt a renewed determination to face everything I had to accomplish. It helped that my accelerated healing abilities meant that aside from some stiffness, I was pretty much fine.

I stuffed any worry about Kai into a deep hole, put a door and padlock on it, and carried on.

I called a meeting.

Pierce was off somewhere dealing with Bethany issues. While we were waiting for Theo, I checked out Hannah's attire. "I miss your nerdy science T-shirts. Plus, you've been hiding cute tops from me, ya bag."

Today's indigo scoop neck, with a cool abstract graphic on it, was the latest example. I so would have borrowed it had I known of its existence. My own purple sweater and A-line skirt with flat brown boots felt a little plain.

"Check out how curvaceous these jeans make my butt look." She pivoted and did a little booty dance in my direction.

"You could wear a sack and still have a great backside. I hate your genes." Having a bestie with über-fabulous Swedish DNA rocking the blonde/chesty/leggy triple threat, could be tough at times.

Hannah pouted at me. "With your perfect goddess ringlets and new added height that gets guys noticing you without you looming over them like the freaking Tower of Babel? Boo hoo, babycakes."

I swiped a light purple gloss onto my lips. "You're jealous? Of me?" I fluttered my eyelashes at her. "Say it again. This time with more pout."

I was pretty pleased with the fact that since my true goddess identity had resurfaced, I'd gotten really fabulous dark ringlety hair, gorgeous green eyes, and a couple of inches in height. I maintained my high hopes for a jump from B to C cup.

Hannah made a rude gesture my way then swept her hair up into a sexy, messy twist with practiced ease. "No. Not jealous. Objectively observant."

I grinned.

Hannah poked me in the side. "What bone-headed thing did Theo do after he spirited you away the night of Persephone's murder? Be specific." I could tell she wasn't going to let this go.

The intent scowl on her face made me laugh, half-horrified. "You look evil."

"I can work with that. Begin."

Yikes. I began. Rather, I summed up. "Apparently, putting me into human form took dark magic that required a price. His powers." I still found it horrible to accept that Theo'd given up everything for me, even though he assured me it had been done of his own free will because he believed in humanity and in me. "You need to get the particulars from Theo. I don't know them."

I glanced at Hannah, expecting her to say something, and found her frowning. "Sorry."

"It wasn't your fault," she said. There was a knock at the door. Hannah crossed our bedroom to answer it and tossed back at me, "Just don't screw up."

No pressure.

As soon as Hannah opened the door and saw Theo, dressed in his usual black, long-sleeved T and baggy black pants, she pulled him into a tight hug.

"You told her," he said dryly, staring at me from over her shoulder.

"Yup."

Theo disengaged from her grip. "Don't worry about it, Saul. I'll be fine." He took off his heavy framed black glasses and blew on them to clean them, appearing completely unaffected by this past episode.

Once we were all seated on my bed, I began. "I need the memory spell lifted."

Theo held his glasses up to the light to check them before putting them back on. "I appreciate that, Magoo, but it's not that easy. A spell this complex can only be undone by the person who cast it. Or it runs it course and lifts when you're eighteen like it's supposed to."

"We can't wait for that," I said.

"Can't you go find whoever cast it?" Hannah asked.

"Trust me, I've tried," Theo said.

There was a moment of glum silence, which I broke. "Maybe I could blast the memories out. Somehow use my light to free them."

Theo looked doubtful.

"Got any other ideas?" When he shook his head, I pressed the fingertips of my right hand to the top of my head and the fingertips of my left to the side and sent a small ribbon of light from each hand into my head.

"I'm not sure about this," Hannah muttered.

I hit a block.

"What?" Theo asked.

"Hang on." I tooled around in my head.

"Soph, I don't think this is a good idea," Hannah said, concerned. "You might break something."

"It's fine. It's my light. What could go wrong?"

Let's pause to pay tribute to all the extremely dumb people throughout history who ever said that.

... Now back to me.

I blasted myself.