Blessed (7 page)

Biting her tongue, she tried to keep from arching her back into the phantom touch. Just before the finger reached her painfully tight nipple, it faded and vanished. Totally confused, and with sopping wet panties, she rested her head on her forearms for a moment. Okay, this was just too weird. He needed to knock it off if he was doing it. The last thing she wanted to do was have an orgasm in the middle of class, but how the hell was she supposed to ask him if he was magically seducing her without sounding like an idiot?

The lights flipped back on as Professor Ventan finished his portion of the lecture, and she sat up, staring at her empty notebook. Shaking her head, she blushed and realized that she must have been asleep and had an erotic dream. How utterly embarrassing. She only hoped that she hadn’t made any lusty moans in her sleep. A sense of relief filled her that she’d just been imagining it. Well, relief and a tiny slice of regret.

As soon as class ended, she walked back to her dorm with Rachel. Thankfully, Rachel didn't mention Eliana making any hot monkey sex noises. They talked mainly about the party last night, who was there and all that usual bullshit. She forced herself to focus on their conversation, to think only about normal things. It was easy to do with Rachel, she’d missed because she’d had to work at her new job at the cafe and wanted to know all the details.

“It was fun,” Eliana said as they crossed over the footbridge. The party that had seemed like the highlight of the week last night suddenly wasn't that important anymore. Funny how a visit from the gods changed her priorities. That and a wet dream to end all wet dreams. Her panties were still soaked. No, no more thinking about that.

“Fun? I miss everything, and all you can say is, 'It was fun.” Rachel flapped her hands. “Give me the dirt. Any cute guys? More importantly, any cute single guys?”

“Lots.” Eliana grinned at her friend and let herself get drawn into Rachel's enthusiasm. “A few freshmen, but mostly sophomores and juniors. Adam from your dorm was there.” She paused for effect and watched Rachel out of the corner of her eye. “And he asked about you.”

“Really?” Rachel perked up, and her eyes got sparkly.

They spent the rest of their walk talking about Adam and the party before parting ways and going to their separate dorms.

She found the door to her dorm rooms open and Chrissy sat typing away on her computer in their bedroom.

“Hey, roomie,” Chrissy said without looking up. “Your mom called while you were gone, said she couldn’t reach you on your cell phone. She asked you to call her back when you can, and she grilled me on how you're doing. I said you spent all your time studying and working. Oh, and that you joined a cult worshiping My Little Pony and that I finally convinced you to become a witch.” Chrissy gave her a grin and a wink before returning to her homework.

Eliana groaned and hung her backpack up. “Sorry about that, Chrissy, the battery on my phone is dead. My mom can be...intense about me. I'm her only child, so she's overprotective.”

“That's one way to put it. Scary as shit is another. Every time I talk to her she suggests another atheist book I should read.”

Rubbing her eyes, Eliana leaned against the post of her bed. She hated how her mom made Chrissy uncomfortable but nothing she said would change her mom’s opinion of her witch roommate. “I'm sorry. She's hardcore about her beliefs. And thanks for covering for me. Three years later and my mom still thinks it was a mistake to allow me to attend a public university.”

“Don't worry. I've got your back.”

Eliana checked her watch. There was enough time for a quick phone call before she had to run to her next class.

Her stomach filled with knots at the thought of all that had occurred earlier, and she shoved all of it into the back of her mind. She had to deal with the here and now, and that meant dealing with a mom who resembled a mama grizzly bear and her cub. If her mom felt like something was wrong she was apt to show up at the dorm and that was the absolute last thing Eliana wanted to happen right now.

After grabbing a bottled water out of their mini-fridge, she went into their small living area. She flopped back into the furry white beanbag and took a deep breath as she dialed her mom's number from her dorm room phone.

“Hello, Eliana.” Her mom must still be at work because her voice held that cool, professional tone she used in public.

Eliana's throat got tight as a wave of homesickness washed over her. As crazy as her parents were, they were still her parents and they loved her. It was nice to hear her mother’s voice and to take comfort from it, even if she could never tell her mom what was going on. If the owl had to visit her mom to wipe her memory, her dad would probably shoot it and get it stuffed for his study.

“Hi, Mom, it's me,” she squeaked out and cleared her throat. “I'm returning your call.”

A second ticked by, and her mom said, “Is something wrong? You sound funny.”

She barely choked back a hysterical laugh at the thought everything that was wrong at the moment. Where did she start? Talking owls? Magical warriors? Or the fact that she was turning into a nymphomaniac about a certain hot professor? Yeah, all of those things would guarantee a visit from her mom, and probably her dad as well.

“Oh, no. I'm fine, just allergies.” She gave a cough that she hoped didn’t sound too fake. “You know how I am. As soon as it gets warm in the spring and cold in the fall, my allergies start acting up.”

“I see. And how is your roommate doing?” her Mom asked in a frosty voice.

“Chrissy is doing great. The soccer team might go all the way this year.”

“Is she still a witch?”

“Yes, she's still a witch, and, no, she's not trying to recruit me, and, no, I'm not falling for any religious scams.”

Guilt pierced her as she lied to her mother.
It's not entirely a lie. I'm pretty sure the talking owl and Professor Klemenson aren't trying to scam me.

Eliana toyed with the fluff of the beanbag. “Sheesh. I keep telling you what a great person Chrissy is, and all you care about is she worships a goddess,” she said quietly. She didn't want Chrissy to overhear them.

Her mom’s voice turned brisk and cutting. “I'm afraid your father and I sheltered you too much, Eliana. You don't know how persuasive these cults can be.”

“Mom, they aren't cults. Most of these religions predate Christianity and—”

“I know exactly what they are, Eliana. Made-up religions used to lure innocent and naive kids into bad situations. We celebrated Easter and Christmas with you because those events are more about fun and presents than anything religious. I never lied to you and told you Santa and the Easter Bunny were real.”

“Yeah, and you also let me watch the Scooby Doo Halloween special. After a lecture that lasted five hours about the religious fanatics trying to recruit people while wearing the mask of entertainment.” She regretted her words as soon as they’d left her lips and winced.

“Don't get sassy with me, Eliana. I'm simply trying to keep you safe. You have no idea how manipulative those religions can be. Oh, sure they say they’re looking out for your best interests and their god is going to do miracles for you. What they mean is as long as you keep giving them money, and doing what they say, they'll keep stringing you along.”

Tipping her head back to watch the curtains flutter in the breeze, Eliana rubbed her hand over her face. “Mom, please, can we not have this conversation again? I'm not going to be joining any cults or temples. So please try to be decent when you talk to Chrissy, okay? She's a great girl and my best friend.”

Oh, and be nice to the messenger of Athena if she stops by. She'll be in the form of an owl, so please don't let Dad get out his shotgun.

Her mom sighed. “We'll talk about this later. I have to go now, Ellie. I love you. Please stay safe and remember, studies before boys.”

“Love you too, Mom, bye.” She did love her parents to death, but their close-minded vision of the world got on her nerves.

As she tugged her dark gray sweater over her head, she started to laugh. Her mom would freak out if she realized the “boy” she was distracted by was her professor. Not to mention he was on a first-name basis with the same gods her mom thought were scammers. She would be sent off to an all-girls college in the Antarctic before she could blink.

****

David Primson squeezed the woman's blood off his hands and into the bronze offering cup. She strained with all her might to move as far away from him as possible while she made little whimpering noises behind her gag, but the shackles holding her to the wall gave her no wiggle room.

A tall, non-descript man, he knew how to blend into the crowd. People often described him as nonthreatening, even weak. Very skinny with dark hair and pale skin, he appeared sickly and did nothing to make people think otherwise. Around campus, he usually wore a typical professor's suit and tie, along with small, round-frame glasses. He thought of these clothes as a costume, a character and persona he could put on and take off as quickly as most people changed their shoes.

If his students saw the truth of his soul and the visions his mind contained, they would run screaming.

Walking carefully over to his altar, he knelt before it and added a mixture of herbs and minerals to the blood in the offering cup. Black marble made the altar that held a statue of the goddess Eris of the same stone. Chanting softly, he lit the brew on fire. The smell of blood and herbs filled the air with an acrid stench. The bloody woman chained to the wall behind him whimpered, muffled by her duct-tape gag.

He reflected on the glory of his goddess as he descended into his spiritual center. Eris was brilliant, able to turn the hearts and minds of humans against one another through a single whispered word. Stupid humans were so easy to manipulate. All he had to do was know what their secret wishes were and convince them they deserved to achieve their desires, no matter what the cost.

This was why he’d chosen to teach philosophy. His students would often reveal their inner desires in their debating. Things they wanted more than anything else in the world. He could pull those needs out, search for those who would do his bidding, and corrupt those who could cause the most harm.

A flicker of doubt moved through his mind as he descended, his physical body breathing in scorched blood, his soul feeding on the pain trapped in the smoke. Dark seers had alerted their gods and goddesses to Eliana's coming. She would be a powerful warrior of the Creator if allowed to pass her time of Choice and become a full Chosen. It was his job to stop her.

He had seen Athena’s messenger talking with Eliana and had informed his goddess at once. Eris had been delighted. Athena was a fierce opponent in battle, but shackled by the requirement that her followers be as chaste as she was. Athena was the eternally virginal Maiden of Battle. Only virgins could enter her service. Eris ordered him to find a willing and attractive male to assure Eliana lost her virginity before Athena made her decision. He had asked why he didn't have the girl raped. Eris told him it had to be a willing decision on Eliana's part to give up her virginity.

Kyle, a vicious young man with a taste for cruelty, had been more than happy to take on the task when David approached him on Eris's behalf. He’d found Kyle last year after Eris asked he take him on as a student. While David didn't doubt his goddess's wisdom in using Kyle as a tool, he found the boy to be dull in everything but his taste for blood.

Kyle had failed to connect with Eliana so far. He’d spoken to her at a party, but that was about it. To make up for his failure, Kyle had brought the woman chained to the wall as a sacrifice. David hoped it would be enough to sweeten Eris's mood.

Opening his eyes, he found himself kneeling in the familiar white marble hall. This was his personal place to commune with his goddess. She wasn't there in her physical form. She rarely left her private temple. To have an actual visit from her was an honor he had only experienced once when she’d picked him as her Chosen twenty years ago. A giant white marble statue depicted Eris reclining leisurely on a couch while she played with the long ropy intestines of a slain man at her feet.

Flanking both sides of the hall were smaller statues representing Eris's thirteen children. Minor gods and goddesses, they served their mother and reveled in her destructive schemes. They were Battle, Dispute, Famine, Rape, Lawlessness, Lies, Murder, Oathbreaker, Oblivion, Quarrel, Ruin, Sorrow, and Toil.

“My goddess, I have come before you as your humble servant. Your will is my life,” he intoned as he waited for her presence.

The torches flickered and gutted, and a cold wind moved through the hall. As always, he was alternately terrified and exalted as the goddess’s presence filled his mind.

“What news do you bring me, servant?” It was a woman's voice, but it held the echoing shrieks and groans of the dying within.

Taking a deep breath, he said, “Kyle has failed to seduce the potential Chosen, my goddess.” He tensed, awaiting the punishment he was sure was coming for his failure.

“There is still time. My seers have assured me of Kyle's success. If he does not claim her maidenhead in two weeks, I want you to kill him and take care of it yourself.”'

His shoulders sagged in relief at her words. While she couldn't hurt his physical form here, his spiritual form would feel just as much pain, and it would not die. The torture could continue for a long time.

“Your will be done, my goddess. I will not fail you. I will paint the walls of Athena's Temple either with her maiden blood or her heart blood.” He prepared to ascend to his physical form, but a solid wall of power stood between his soul and his body. He began to tremble with fear.

“David,” Eris's voice purred in his head, the screams of terror increasing in pitch. “You have to pay the price for Kyle's failure. I need you to be dedicated to my will. I need you to remember the price you pay for failure. I need you to remember that I expect my work done quickly, David.”

Shakes wracked his body, and his stomach twisted in terror. A cold hand landed on his shoulder, and he screamed shrilly. Spinning around, he saw the statue of the god Rape standing behind him with an expressionless face. His large marble manhood stood out from his robes.