Blessed (The Chosen Book 2)

by Mayburn, Ann

  She winced as she realized the words sounded a little, no a lot, insane when she said them aloud. “I'm so sorry, Professor. I must still be drunk from last night.”

  She gave her cheek a light slap and looked at the tree. Nope, the owl was still there, and it was glaring at her. Now that she looked closer she realized it wasn’t like any owl she’d ever seen. It was pure white and the gleam of its feathers had an almost iridescent sheen. And she was pretty sure owls didn’t have glowing purple eyes, at least not the owls where she came from.

  “Drunk from last night? You're too young to be drinking.” Professor Klemenson appeared distracted.

  “Priest of Odin, are you this woman's Mentor? Why have you been so slack in your duties? She knows nothing of me, or the Chosen.” The bird scolded him and ruffled its feathers. “How am I to evaluate her for my goddess when she's chattering like a scared monkey?”

  She stared at him and to her surprise he gave the owl a small, differential bow before tugging her along with him so they returned to her spot beneath the tree. Bending to gather her books and sunglasses, he said softly, “My apologies. I haven't had the chance to approach her yet.”

  What in the hell was going on? Was he talking to a bitchy owl, or was she having some kind of mental breakdown? She pinched her arm to see if she was still dreaming, but everything stayed the same.

  Turning to look at Professor Klemenson, the owl said, “Get on with your training, Mentor. We cannot have her screaming every time I visit.” With a poof of amethyst light, the owl vanished.

  Professor Klemenson handed her sunglasses back. “What's your cell phone number?”

  “Huh?” was the most intelligent thing she could come up with. She stood staring at him with her sunglasses dangling in one hand. He smelled so good, warm and masculine. He was close enough to run her hands over his broad chest and down the flat surface of his stomach. Yep, she’d officially lost control of both her mind and her hormones.

  “Your cell phone number. You do have a phone, don't you? I never see a girl these days who’s not talking or texting on one of those things.”

  “Uh, cell phone. Yeah. I have one of those. My number is 555-1354.”

  Professor Klemenson shot her a look as though he was unsure about her mental capacities, and she strived to appear normal.

  “Good. Now sit down and go back to reading your book as though nothing happened. I'm going back to get my things, and I’ll call you before class starts.”

  Professor Klemenson handed her the book she’d dropped, gave her a polite smile, then shook her hand for anyone watching to see. The rush of desire filled her body again as her fingers lingered in his after the handshake. He gave her another odd look as he turned to leave. Standing there in shock, she watched his perfect butt as he walked back toward his things.

  She glanced up into the branches of the tree to make sure they were talking owl-, squirrel-, and grasshopper-free and leaned back on the trunk in a daze. Okay, get a grip. You're not crazy unless Professor Klemenson is part of your delusion as well. He talked to the bird as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Yep, no big deal. I must have missed the part of the campus tour where they mentioned the rare talking owls as part of university life.

  Her phone rang in the side bag of her backpack, and she dug it out. The display said, Klemenson A., followed by his number. Flipping open the phone, she glanced over at him as he gathered his things from the bench and held his cell phone in one hand.

  “Hello?”

  “Eliana, stop looking at me. I'm trying to keep the other students from paying any more attention to the situation. You staring at me while we both talk on the phone is not helping.”

  “Oh, um, sorry.” She held the phone to her ear while she opened the book on her lap. Then she flipped it around when she realized it was upside down. “There, is that better?”

  “Yes, thank you. I'm sure you're pretty confused about what's going on right now. I'll explain as much as I can before class starts, but I'm afraid we don't have much time. Can you meet me in the library after class?”

  “Sure,” she said quickly and grimaced. “Um, no, actually I can't. I have another class after this, and I said I would meet some friends in the cafeteria for lunch. I can meet you after that, say around one o’clock?”

  “That'll work. It's important you keep to your normal life as much as possible in public. Your friends and family must not think anything is out of the ordinary with you. The last thing you want is to have your owl friend pay a visit to your family to wipe their memory.” He paused and blew out a breath. “Things get strange when that happens, and it's hard to lead a double life. We try to keep the lies to a minimum.”

  “Double life? Forgive me, Professor, but can you please tell me what the hell is going on here? I'm pretty sure I'm having a nervous breakdown.”

  Professor Klemenson strode across the small footbridge leading to the religious studies hall as he talked. “No, you're not having a nervous breakdown. You're part of a small and elite group of people known as the Chosen.”

  “The what?”

  “Chosen, as in Chosen by the gods and goddesses to serve as their warriors on earth.” Professor Klemenson cut her off as she began to speak. “Listen. I'm going to be inside soon, and I don't have much time. I'm also a Chosen, and I'll be your mentor and help guide you through all of this. I'll answer your questions and explain things the best I can, but we do not have the time right now. I wish this had happened differently, but I'm afraid Athena forced my hand on this.”

  Professor Klemenson paused outside the doors and she watched as he rubbed his hand over his face. “Look, you're the first person I’ve ever had to mentor, so please bear with me. I need you to get through the rest of the morning as normally as possible and to meet me at the library after lunch. Can you do that?”

  The unreality of the situation made her want to break into hysterical giggles. Here she sat, talking with the man of her dreams about gods and goddesses she wasn’t even totally sure were even real. She swallowed a hysterical giggle. “Okay.”

  “Okay?” He laughed and her nipples hardened at the husky sound. Shit, even his laugh was sexy. “Okay you believe me, okay you don't think you're crazy, or okay you're going to run off and try to tell someone about talking owls and psychotic professors?”

  His teasing made her feel better, and she managed to relax a little bit and think. “Okay I'll keep my cool and wait to talk to you. But you have to promise to explain everything please. And what do you mean Athena forced your hand? Is that the name of the owl?”

  Professor Klemenson chuckled. “No. I need to get to class now, and so do you. Remember, keep it as ordinary as you can, and I'll see you at the library, second floor. If anyone asks why, say you needed the extra credit and you're helping me with some of my fellowship research.”

  Chapter

  The seconds dragged by as Eliana’s mind raced, turning over thoughts of the strange afternoon she’d just experienced. She accepted the idea that she wasn't going crazy as the class wore on, but she still wasn’t sure exactly what the fuck was going on. Trying to keep Professor Klemenson's words in mind, she chatted with Rachel and compared notes on the upcoming test while trying to act normal. The only time she had faltered was when the two professors came into the room.

  She wondered if Professor Ventan, in his purple velvet smoking jacket, was a Chosen, too. Trying to imagine the portly old professor as a magical warrior just didn't work. He certainly didn't have the same presence Professor Klemenson did. Every person in the room turned to look at him when he entered the room, and it echoed with the now-familiar sighs of the female students. Even with her mind going through a mini-meltdown he was still the hottest man she’d ever seen.

  Her eyes locked on his butt as he wrote on the dry erase board, and his lecture faded to a drone. She gave herself a mental shake and tried to focus. This is pathetic. Her gaze dropped to her laptop. I have to get my hormones under control around
this man. As if I don't have enough going on right now without adding a mountain-sized crush on my professor, who is possibly delusional.

  The lights dimmed as Professor Ventan set up the projector. In the near dark, she chewed on the end of her pen and stared at Professor Klemenson. Even though he faced her, she couldn’t see his face clearly. She began to imagine what it would be like to sit across from him in the library. Close enough to touch, but just out of reach. She fought back a yawn as her lack of sleep and hangover caught up with her.

  Chewing harder on the edge of her pen, her breath came out in a soft hiss as the phantom touch from yesterday returned. Warm, soft fingers traced themselves over her lips and down the edge of her jaw. Shifting, she clenched her thighs tight when she noticed Professor Klemenson watching her intently. For a moment she swore she saw a beautiful deep green glow around him, but it faded as her body warmed further beneath the phantom touch. She had no idea what was going on, but she was certain it had something to do with Professor Klemenson. Was he somehow touching her with magic? The idea wasn’t as preposterous as it would have been before she had her little chat with the talking owl. And if he was touching her, why was he doing it? Was he trying to turn her on? He’d given no indication of being attracted to her in any way, yet the feeling of being touched was one of the most sensual experiences of her life. Maybe she was losing her mind, but gods did it feel amazing. The touch went lower now, tracing a descending circle over her breast toward her nipples. It was unreal how amazingly good it felt. Rich and decadent, the scent of Professor Klemenson's cologne washed over her and she drew in a shuddering breath.

  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.