Blessed by Ann Mayburn

I was on patrol that night.”
    Sudden recognition filled Eliana and she sat up straighter in the chair. “I saw you in the parking lot at my dorm. You’re the lady that threw that cat toy at me. Why did you do that?”
    “Because there was a bogey on the loose. I caught sight of him at the end of the parking lot. I threw the charm at you in case he doubled back and came for you.”
    “Uh, it was a charm? I thought it was a cat toy.” Eliana shifted on the chair in her wet shorts. She made a mental note to do an Internet search on bogeys. The list of things she didn't know that could kill her was getting longer by the minute.
    Mrs. Bherz laughed and set her teacup down. “You really don't know much about magic, do you? It’s hard to believe you’re so completely ignorant.”
    Eliana didn't say anything and picked at the dirt in her nails. Mrs. Bherz didn’t sound exactly complimentary when she said that. In fact, the other woman sounded downright suspicious.
    The rain picked back up again and tapped off the tin roof of the ranger station. Mrs. Bherz shifted forward in her chair, her silver earrings swinging in the light of the fire. She studied Eliana closely and she tried to keep from squirming beneath the woman’s heavy gaze.
    “The demon dog coming after you today was a Barghest. A nasty English demon, deadly, but not bright.”
    “What was that thing you threw at it?”
    “Oh, it was a dog toy.” Mrs. Bherz chuckled at Eliana's suspicious look. “I'm not poking fun at you. It was a foam dog toy soaked in holy water.”
    Trying not to be obvious about it, Eliana took a deep breath to see if she could detect some kind of psychic scent from Mrs. Bherz, but she didn’t notice anything. Then again she hadn’t smelled anything on the man blocking the running trail either. Maybe they were somehow hiding it from her. Fuck, if that guy wasn’t a Chosen, just a regular person, she wouldn’t stand a chance against a true Destruction Chosen. She was so dead.
    She needed to call Aiden. A sudden need to speak with him, to tell him what happened, to see him and hide in his arms filled her and she pated her pocket beneath the blanket to make sure she still had her cell phone with her. “Um, if you’ll excuse me for a second I need to make a phone call.”
    “Stay where you are. You aren’t going anywhere until you’ve answered my questions first.” Menace suddenly rolled in almost visible waves from Mrs. Bherz and Eliana wondered what the fuck was going on. “Why was a Satanist attacking you in my forest? He must have wanted something from you. He didn't kill you outright and there was no reason for him to toy with you first. What were you talking about with him?”
    “A Satanist?” Eliana squeaked. Mrs. Bherz continued to look at her with a penetrating stare. “I don't know. He kept on saying something about trying to get me to join him. Honestly, I've never even seen a Satanist before.”
    Mrs. Bherz continued to look intently at her. It reminded her of her mother's probing look when she thought Eliana was lying, and she fidgeted with her cup. “You weren't trying to make some kind of deal with him? A little helpful curse to take care of a professor failing you or a succubus spell to attract the attention of a certain boy? Or maybe he’d come to collect payment on a past deal you’d made.”
    “What? No! I don't even know what a succubus is!”
    Something tickled at Eliana’s mind, a weird feeling like her head was being poked at.
    “You expect me to believe you? That you don’t know what a succubus is?” Mrs. Bherz shifted in her chair and Eliana had the distinct impression that the woman was about two breaths from trying to kick her ass. “What kind of fool do you take me for? I have ways of making you talk, girl, ways you don’t even want to think about. Stop lying to me.”
    “I’m not lying, I don’t know. I was raised as an atheist, I don’t know anything. I just had my first day of the