Warrior Rising (Goddess Summoning #6)(14)

Two glowing orbs popped into the air and floated to rest on Venus’s open palms.

“First I gift you with the language you must know,

so that as soon as you’re here you’ll be ready to go.

So now is the time to begin the task I ask of you—

ensoul these bodies that you may complete the job

Love would have you do!”

Venus threw the glowing orbs at the bodies like she was a major league pitcher.

Kat gasped and choked. She sat up coughing and rubbing a hand across her forehead. Jacky moaned and pressed her hands to her chest in the exact place her wound had been.

“Oh, god, I feel like utter crap,” Kat said. “How much champagne did I drink, anyway?” She cleared her throat and blinked her eyes. “What’s wrong with my voice and where the hell—” Her words broke off as her vision cleared. She stared, wide-eyed, at three gorgeous women who where watching her like she was a new species of flower that had just bloomed.

“Kat, I think I’m having a heart attack.” Jacky moaned again. “Since when do hangovers feel like heart attacks?”

Kat pulled her vision from the three ridiculously attractive women and turned to look at the person who lay beside her and who was talking like Jacky, but didn’t sound anything like her and…

“Holy f*cking shit! Jacqueline? Is that you?”

The beautiful blonde blinked several times, trying to clear her vision, and continued to rub her chest. “Who else would it be, the goddamn Easter Bunny? Why do you sound wrong? God, am I going deaf, too?”

“Have no fear, Jacqueline and Katrina. You are safe and well and under our protection,” said the woman who was standing closest to them, and was probably the most stunning of the three.

Kat closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. “Drunken hysterical dream. I’ll never drink that much champagne again. Promise. Time to wake up now and deal with my horrendous hangover.” She opened her eyes.

“You are not dreaming, mortal woman,” said the regal looking woman in flowing white robes trimmed in sky blue.

Then the statuesque woman with the unusual gray eyes stepped forward and spoke. “We have altered your fate. Instead of allowing you to perish in the modern world we have plucked your souls from your shattered bodies and brought you to the ancient world. You may thank us.”

The woman who had spoken first frowned severely at the gray-eyed woman. “Give it a rest, Athena. They don’t need to thank us. It’s not like they asked for this. And besides that, the whole abasing yourself before the gods thing doesn’t work in the modern mortal world.”

“This isn’t the modern mortal world,” snapped the gray-eyed woman.

“Really? I hadn’t noticed. I thought—”

“Okay, what the f*ck?” Jacqueline said, sitting up.

“Jacky?” Kat ignored the bickering women and turned to face her friend.

“Kat? Is that you in there?”

“Yeah, it is.”

“But you’re not you. I mean, you’re nothing like you. And what the hell are you wearing?” Jacky reached out to touch a drape of the burgundy-colored robe and her eyes became riveted on her hand. “Katrina Marie Campbell, what is going on? Why. Is. This. My. Hand!”

“We can explain everything,” said the regal woman. She nodded to the most gorgeous one. “Go ahead, Venus; explain everything.”

“Well, it’s really quite simple. You two got in a horrid accident after you left your girlfriend party. I’d been watching you through my oracle.” She paused and smiled. “I am Venus, Goddess of Sensual Love, Beauty and the Erotic Arts.” She pointed to the gray-eyed woman. “This is Athena, Goddess of War, blah, blah.” Then she gestured to the regal woman. “And this is Hera, Queen of Olympus. Anyway, as I was saying, I’d been watching you through my oracle and I witnessed your accident. I just couldn’t let you die like that, so I snatched up your souls. Not long after that, Hera’s temple was defiled and Polyxena, Princess of Troy, and her, uh, maidservant, Melia, were killed. So we did some quick thinking, quick healing, and quick re-ensouling. And here you are—yourselves, but in different bodies. See, I told you it was really quite simple.”

“I—I—I—” Kat sputtered.

“I’m white!” Jacqueline sprang to her feet, staring down at her new body. “Oh, Jesus god-f*cking-bless America! Jesus! Jesus! I feel faint. My heart! Kat! I’m dying!” She reached out blindly and Kat hurried to her side, gripping her hand.

“You’re not dying. We’re dreaming. That’s all.”

“Why in the goddamn hell would I dream I’m white?” Jacky cried as she clutched Kat with one hand and fanned herself with the other. “My heart, lord, my heart. The pain!”

“Darlings, I told you that you’re not dreaming,” Venus said.

“What is wrong with being white?” Athena asked.

“It’s a drunken nightmare,” Kat said, trying to stay calm and use her best counselor’s voice. “We’ll wake up in a second and find out that we passed out in your living room, again. Remember last New Year’s?”

Venus stepped up to Kat and Jacky. She sighed heavily. “I didn’t want to do this, but you need to accept what has happened.” She waggled her slender fingers until the air began to glow with diamond dust and then she flicked the dust at them saying, “Remember…”