Read Divine by Mistake for Free Online Page B

know for sure that I was having the Mother of All Bizarre Dreams.
    “Shannon.” I rasped as clearly as I was able. She didn’t even blink.
    “And what is my name?”
    Jeesh. Maybe she was drunk—the woman never could drink. One little sniff of tequila and she was off into some blonde la-la land. Deep breath—nope, I didn’t smell any alcohol.
    “Your name is Suzanna.”
    She leaned even closer to me and shook her head slowly from side to side. This time she seemed more able to force herself to meet my gaze. I couldn’t help noticing that the fear that had been flickering through her eyes was now shadowed by pity.
    “No, my Lady.” Her gentle-sounding, strangely accented answer rocked me. “My name is not Suzanna, it is Alanna. And you are not Shannon, you are my mistress, Rhiannon, High Priestess of the Goddess Epona, daughter of The MacCallan, betrothed to and soon to be handfasted with the High Shaman ClanFintan.”
    “Bullshit.”
    “I know this must be difficult for you, my Lady, but come with me. I will help you ready yourself and I will try and explain how this came about.” She did sound concerned as she helped my numb body move forward down the hall and through a door which stood ajar to the right of us.
    The room we entered conjured images of those PBS specials that first show current-day ruins, which look like a jumbled, confused mess of old stone and decaying columns—then they morph a computer image over the ruins so that the audience can see what the original supposedly looked like in all its glory. This room definitely looked like one of the computer-morphed images. The floor and ceiling were smooth marble. It was hard to tell if the gold color came from the stone or the many wall torches. The symmetry of the walls was interrupted often by cutout niches, which looked to be carved into the stone at varying heights. In the niches lighted candles nestled in odd-looking golden holders (gosh, I really appreciated a room accessorized with gold), giving the walls the appearance of being set ablaze by faceted jewels. Along one wall hung an enormous mirror in front of which sat an elaborate vanity. The mirror was softly fogged by steam wisping up from a deep, clear pool of water that bubbled up from the center of the floor, and overflowed out in a fast-running stream which emptied itself into another pool in an adjoining room. The air was so warm and moist it felt caressing. Just breathing it made me feel relaxed, and the smell reminded me of something…
    “It’s a mineral spring!” Even my voice responded to the room’s healing aroma and Suz/Alanna didn’t have to strain to understand me.
    “Yes, my Lady.” She seemed pleased that I had enough sense to identify the metallic smell of the water and speak semiclearly (a little like walking and chewing gum). “Here, let me help you out of your robe.” Which she did, quickly and expertly. Then she motioned for me to follow the rock steps down into the steaming water. It was deep, but there were several comfortably smoothed ledges conveniently placed all along the near side of the pool, and I sank gingerly onto one with the sigh of the truly dirty. I watched through half-lidded eyes as Suzanna/Alanna gathered sponges and small pots and bottles from the vanity, poured me a glass of dark red something from a waiting pitcher into yet another golden goblet, then knelt on the side of the pool near my ledge.
    I gratefully accepted the goblet and sighed in pleasure at the taste of a wonderful cabernet. Then, as if she did it every day, she lifted my arm that was not holding the goblet, and began running a soapy sponge down it. I yelped and pulled away.
    “My Lady, you need be readied to meet your betrothed.”
    “I can—” (swallow, take a breath) “—wash—” (swallow) “—my—” (breathe) “—self!” I slammed the goblet down next to her and whispered forcefully, “And don’t think you can lull me into forgetting the bizarre crap you just