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

Win The Crown (Part 1)

Eyes blazing, I ran back to my room. I'm amazed I didn't waste the school in a giant temper tantrum. What was the deal with Felicia? Some people had an ESP sixth sense? That woman had a "screw Sophie" sixth sense. Unbelievable.

I was determined to take two minutes max to throw on the first thing I could that prettied me up. Except when I got there, I took five.

I knew Hannah's life was on the line, but I also knew that if I didn't look like I was happy to be here, Doucette would turf me out of school at the meeting. So I shimmied into my best dress.

A birthday present from Hannah, it was hot pink, with a fitted strapless bodice and full skirt in a tutu pouf. The dress had a fine purple mesh overlay with a large purple flower off-center on the waist. It was girly and flirty and so, so pretty.

I even threw on sparkly flats. No heels for me. I could barely walk in them, never mind run, and I wanted to be able to get myself out of any situation as fast as possible.

Quickly, I gathered my hair up into a twist, pulled a couple of strands down in front, and stuck a purple flower barrette in it.

A quick wipe of face and pits, some mascara, a swipe of shiny eyeshadow and shimmery lip gloss, and I was good to go. Now I looked like any ordinary girl about to attend her high school formal. Doucette wasn't bouncing me out based on appearances. Or Bethany's orders.

I raced down the stairs and yelped as a hand pulled me into a classroom.

It was Kai. He broke into that wolfish grin of his as he checked me out. "You clean up very well," he said.

He did, too, in his perfectly tailored black pants and suit jacket. But his ego was big enough. Compliment not necessary.

"This wasn't for you. It was for Doucette."

"Something you wanna share, Lolita?"

I groaned in disgust. "So I look like everyone else and he doesn't want to expel me at the meeting, which is now in less than two hours." Kai admiring me was just a happy bonus.

Kai's expression darkened at that news of our new deadline, but his eyes warmed as he appreciated me. "Goddess, you could never look like everyone else."

The combination of admiration and heat had my toes tingling.

I wanted nothing more right then than to be that totally slutty chick who made out with her boyfriend in a classroom during a dance.

"Right idea. Wrong time," I thought aloud.

Kai shook his head, coming toward me slowly. Stalking me. "Very right time."

I backed up, thunking into the wall, and still he prowled toward me, his eyes hard and glinting.

Screw it. One kiss couldn't hurt. I grabbed his lapels to pull him closer as he braced his arms on either side of my head. "One kiss," I breathed.

Given that we didn't break lip contact the entire time, technically, yes, it was one kiss.

Kai looked as mindwhacked as I felt when we pulled apart.

A flash of frustration crossed his face. "The crown first. This ... later."

"Okay," I agreed happily, with only the teensiest bit of anxiety as to what "later" might entail. "Have you seen Theo and Festos?"

Kai shook his head.

"Any thoughts on how we do this?"

"I'm guessing taking your classmates out so there's no voting population besides us is not on the table?" he asked.

I hesitated. Yeah, of course it wasn't, but that didn't mean I couldn't fantasize about it for a second. Because under Bethany's spell, they were just so irritating.

Kai's lips quirked in amusement. "Bloodthirsty, I like it. Okay, we steal the crown." His hands crept up my sides. "I have very nimble fingers."

"Don't make this harder for me than it is." I pushed him away. "We have to win it. Otherwise, Jack will say we cheated and Hannah will die."

"You have to win it," he pointed out.

"How am I supposed to do that? Bethany's charmed everyone to vote for her."

"Stage a coup."

I scrunched up my nose. "Would it work? With the entire school magicked into her?"

Kai massaged my shoulders. "We'll stop her. One crisis at a time."

No wonder Jack was the God of Tricksters. This entire quest to kill the campaign had been one tricky mess after another. Having Bethany as his very willing partner-in-crime only made things that much harder for me.

I arched my back as Kai's fingers dug into one particularly sensitive spot, my knee almost jerking out in amazing sensory overload. Ooh, yeah. That relaxed me quite nicely.

Kai chuckled.

"Let's find the guys then figure out how to overthrow her majesty."

Someone jiggled the door handle from the outside. Kai put a finger to his lips and silently propped the outside window open. We jumped out.

It was freezing, especially given what I was wearing. "You know, Jack and Aphrodite really deserve each other."

The coast was clear. We raced around to the back of the school where, thankfully, we found Theo and Festos.

"I wanted to fry that skinny bag," Festos said, "but 'the gay' wouldn't let me. Nice dress."

I gave a little curtsy. "You too, handsome. And check you out, Rockman. I can almost see why Fee thinks you're cute." Nah, I could totally see it.

Theo ignored me. "Much as I'd love to be Bethany-free, someone would notice she's dead."

Festos nodded. "Yeah. And breathe a sigh of relief."

"Especially since everyone, and I do mean everyone, is under her influence." I let them absorb that. "But for the challenge? Any—ooph!"

A loud BOOM! and the ground rumbling beneath us flung us all sideways.

The Gold Crushers and Infernorators were back, hammering at the wards.

Kai pulled me to my feet.

Theo turned to Festos with an evil grin. "Should we go meet them?"

"Oh indubitably." Festos' eyes hardened. "Stay here, kidlings." The two of them headed toward the back fence.