Believe: The Complete Channie Series (100 page)

They must have been thinking the same thing. Minutes ticked by with neither of them moving. Hunter couldn’t detect any magical energy, other than the small amount protecting the cabin. So he decided to take a calculated risk.

He moved to a lower branch on the opposite side of the tree. He couldn’t see the cabin anymore, but at least he had a couple feet of pine between him that shotgun. He took a deep breath then exhaled slowly. He called out in a clear, but friendly voice. “Channie? Is that you?”

The window creaked. “Shep?”

“No. It’s me, Hunter.” He poked his head around the tree and grinned at Channie. “Are you gonna let me in?”

“Shep’s looking for you.” She grinned at him and stepped back, inviting him to climb through her window.

“I found him already. He’s staying—”

“No!” Channie pressed her fingers against his mouth. “Don’t tell me anything you don’t want Momma to know.”

“Oh, yeah.”

“But if there’s anything you
can
tell me…that she can’t use against us…I’d like to hear it.”

Hunter bit his lip as he gazed into her emerald eyes. He knew without asking that she wanted to know about Josh. How much should he tell her? He wanted to give her hope, but he couldn’t risk it. “I’m so sorry about your daddy and Abby.”

Tears leaked out of the corners of Channie’s eyes. “Did Shep tell you about your family?”

Hunter swallowed, once, twice, three times, as if the act of closing his throat could hold back the raw emotions trying to claw their way out of his chest. He clenched his jaw so hard his teeth ached.
Do not cry in front of her.

Channie wrapped her arms around him, guiding his head to her shoulder.

Hunter clung to her and buried his face against her neck.
I will not cry. I will not!

His whole body trembled with the effort, but a broken sob burst through his resolve…and then another. His chest heaved as tears streamed down his cheeks and drenched her shoulder.

Channie slid her fingers through his hair and rocked him like a baby. His tears slowed, but the frantic pace of his heart did not.

Even overwhelmed by grief, Hunter was not immune to her touch. How many times had he dreamed of this? How many times had he imagined her hands in his hair? Her arms holding his hard body next to her soft curves? Her heart pounding next to his? He’d imagined it all, and more, too many times to count. But this was wrong.

The white light pouring out of Channie’s heart proved that her love for Hunter was pure and chaste.

But his for her was not. He refused to defile her gift of compassion with impure thoughts or let the purple haze of his lust taint the glow of her sisterly love.

He unfisted his hands from the back of her shirt and gently pushed her away. “Josh is starting to remember you.”

Channie grabbed the front of his shirt with both hands. “Tell me!”

Hunter wiped his eyes on his sleeve. “I don’t want to put you in a bind if your momma starts asking questions.”

“You’re right.” Her shoulders slumped. She dropped her chin to her chest.

Hunter pried his gaze away from her body and studied his own hands, trembling in his lap.

Channie’s voice was barely above a whisper. “I can feel him sometimes, tugging on our bond.”

“He’s been getting flashbacks and every time he does, it activates the bond. He clutches his heart like he’s having a heart attack.”

“Is he okay?”

“Other than missing his soulmate, Josh’s just fine.”

“I miss him so much it hurts, but I don’t want him to come looking for me. I’m afraid Momma won’t honor her death pledge if he shows up.” Channie rose to her knees and grabbed Hunter’s shoulders. “You have to go back to Colorado and make sure Josh stays put.”

“He’s having flashbacks, but that don’t mean the remember-not spell is broken. Your momma’s magic is stronger than any of us ever suspected.”

Channie released Hunter. “The Book of the Dead gave her all sorts of dark powers, but she paid for it with her sanity.”

“When do you expect her to come back?” Hunter moved to the window and parted the curtains. He didn’t want to get caught.

“I don’t know. She’s looking for Aunt Wisdom.”

Hunter raised his eyebrows.

Channie shrugged. “She wants her help with the Book of the Dead.”

“If anyone can knock some sense into your momma, it’s Ms. Wisdom.”

Channie clasped her hands in front of her chin. Her energy field sparkled with pale, blue light. “Do you think Momma can be cured?”

Hunter wanted to kick himself for planting that irrational spark of hope. “I doubt it. But even if she were healed, do you think she’d be able to live with herself, knowing she murdered her own husband and daughter?”

Channie’s entire body slumped as she sank back down on the mattress. “She’d be better off dead.”

Channie
didn’t want Hunter to leave, but she could tell he was getting restless. The moon had already sunk behind the western ridge. “Is Shep going to be worried about you?”

Hunter turned around and stretched. “I need to take care of a few things, but I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Don’t do anything to put yourself in danger on my account.”

He quirked the side of his mouth up into a lopsided smirk. “Ain’t none of us gonna be safe until this war is over.”

“I know you can’t tell me anything about Josh, but if you get a chance to talk to him, tell him that I love him and that I’m counting on him to do the right thing.”

“Which is?”

“Study the words from the Book of the Dead. Practice magic. And stay the hell away from here.”

Hunter’s smirk shifted into a full grin. “He cursed Eric in the hall at Monarch yesterday.”

Channie’s eyes widened as she stood up. “He did?”

“Yeah. And apparently it wasn’t the first time.” Hunter chuckled. “According to Kassie, who heard it from Bee, Eric accused Josh of attacking him with a taser that day y’all got into it at school, but we both know what that means.”

Channie threw her arms around Hunter. “That’s fantastic!”

“I probably shouldn’t have shared it, but…I wanted you to know that things are looking up. I didn’t want to leave with you feeling so low.”

“Do you have your phone with you?” Channie’s heart ached, but it was from missing Josh, not activating the death pledge. “I want to send Josh a text.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Hunter frowned and shoved his hand in the front right pocket of his jeans…where he kept his phone. “Besides, text messages don’t work any better than phone calls without a signal.”

“I won’t tell him where I am or anything like that. And your phone will store the message until you get close enough to a tower to get a signal.”

Hunter pulled out his phone, but before handing it over, he snapped a photo of Channie.

Her eyes widened. “Delete that.”

“Josh’s been staring at y’all’s wedding picture ever since he woke up. He needs a new one. I’m getting tired of looking at it.”

Tears blurred Channie’s eyes as she tapped the onscreen letters
“I <3 U”
then hit send.

Hunter frowned. “I hope Josh figures out from the photo that you’re the one that sent the message. He already thinks I’m gay.”

“We’ve both seen your hands all over Kassie.” Channie shuddered as if the memory creeped her out. She expected Hunter to laugh so his sigh caught her off guard. “How are things between you two?”

He shrugged. “‘Bout the same.”

“Aunt Wisdom told me something a while back, after I’d had my heart broken. She said that someday I’d find a man willing to place my happiness above his own. A man willing to sacrifice everything for my benefit. A man willing to lay down his very life to protect me. I didn’t believe her at the time, but she was right.” Channie wrapped her fingers around Hunter’s bicep and gave him an encouraging squeeze. “Josh is the perfect man for me. I found my soulmate. So will you.”

He smiled and bumped her shoulder with his. “I don’t want no man.”

Channie laughed and shook her head. “You know what I meant.”

“Who was it that broke your heart? Someone from around here? Want me to give him a whooping?”

Channie’s face tingled as blood rushed to her cheeks. “Naw. I got over it. So will you.”

“I hope you’re right. I’m getting awful tired of being lonely and miserable.”

Channie huffed. “Falling in love doesn’t mean you’ll never be lonely again. I’ve never been so miserable in my life.”

“Would you change it? If I had the power to break your heart-bond and free you from loving Josh, would you let me?”

“I’d rather die.”

“That’s what I thought.” Hunter leaned over and kissed the top of Channie’s head.

She jumped, accidentally smacking his lip with the back of her head.

“Ouch!” Hunter pressed the back of his hand against his mouth then stared at the blood smear.

Channie knew Hunter wasn’t making a move on her. He was just being friendly. But kissing her head was something Josh used to do even before they could tolerate skin-to-skin contact. She didn’t want anyone’s lips on her head but his. “Sorry. You startled me.”

Sadness rolled off him in waves as he stared at her. “No. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “You should probably get back to Shep.”

Hunter’s shoulders drooped as he nodded. “See ya around, Channie.”

MAGIC MOMENTS

J
OSH
’
S
SHIELD
FADED
AS
HIS
pulse returned to normal. Too bad he couldn’t just keep the thing on all night, but it required too much energy. He’d run out of magic before morning. He punched his pillow a couple of times. The faint scent of lavender tickled his nose. The pain in his chest spiked then settled into a dull ache.
Channie.

He buried his face in the pillow and drank in its scent sweet, floral scent.
This is her pillow.
“How can I miss her so much when I don’t even know her?”

He clutched her pillow to his chest and drifted off. He was still dreaming of Channie when his phone alarm went off the next morning.

After a quick shower and an even quicker breakfast, Josh took a tour of the back yard. He found footprints along the north side of the storage shed where the ground was still soft from the last snow storm, but he couldn’t tell whether they belonged to him or Dad or an intruder. The foreign energy was gone. Maybe he’d only imagined it.

He set all the alarms on the house then pulled his car out of the garage and mounted his bike on the rooftop rack. He threw his racing gear in the back seat and headed for Greeley.

Since he’d lost all his sponsors, Josh wasn’t wearing anything that might identify him. Lots of newbies showed up in baggy jeans and t-shirts. If no one recognized him, no one would give him any crap about ditching finals at Grands. He signed in as Valor Veyjivik, unsponsored amateur, and paid cash to race.

With his missing memories, Josh felt as if he’d just raced the previous weekend, but in reality, it had been more than four months. He couldn’t help but wonder if his more muscular body would be faster or slower. Strength was important, but so was quick reflexes and that was definitely a “use it or lose it” kind of skill.

Josh warmed up and took a few practice runs, gaining confidence with every lap. But when it was time for his first moto, his pulse sped up. His heart pounded in his chest as he pushed his bike up the ramp to the gates.

“Okay riders, set ‘em up.”

Josh clicked his feet into the pedals and stood up. A familiar sensation of tightness spread from the back of his wrists to his forearms as he rotated his hands forward on the grips.

“On the gate.”

He shifted his weight back, over the rear tire.

“Riders ready.”

His entire body tensed, coiled like a spring. A twinge of apprehension crept up Josh’s spine. But it had nothing to do with pre-race jitters. Foreign energy prodded his body. His shield automatically popped into place.
Magic.

“
Watch the lights.
”

Josh scanned the crowd as the random cadence began. He couldn’t tell who was transmitting the energy, but it was coming from the far end of the track, near the finish line.
Behind Mom and Elijah
.
What the hell were they doing there?

Josh’s tongue stuck to the roof of his suddenly parched mouth. Dad must have talked to her last night and told her about Josh’s plans to race today. Panic squeezed his chest as another tingle of power prodded his shield. Was it the same person that had been snooping around Dad’s house last night?
Are Mom and Elijah in danger?
He doubted it was a coincidence that the mage was hiding behind his family. But why? For protection? Was he using Mom and Elijah as a shield? Or did he hope to lure Josh into a trap?

The reason didn’t matter. Josh had to protect Mom and Elijah. The fastest way off the track was across the finish line. He exploded out of the gate when it hit the dirt with a metallic thud. Josh was the first one into the hole shot.

After that, it was all instinct. He was barely aware of the other racers, falling even further behind, as he flew over the jumps.
Faster. I need to go faster.
He accelerated out of the second turn and powered through the rhythm section. The crowd was on their feet as he rocketed across the finish line.

The announcer’s mic squawked. “It looks like we have a new track record. Valor Vey…jay…vick? Sorry for butchering your name, but congratulations, you’ve just broken the track’s record for best time, set just last year by ‘Josh the Jet’ Abrim…”

Josh tuned him out, dropped his bike and tried to shove past the growing crowd of people pawing at him as if his success could somehow transfer to them through touch. “Excuse me! I need to get through.”

Someone stage whispered, “Probably needs to avoid a drug test.”

“I don’t have time for this. Get out of my way!” Red energy rolled out of Josh, knocking people over like palm trees in a tsunami.

“Shit! I’m sorry.” Josh hadn’t meant to hurt anyone. A quick glance around didn’t reveal any life-threatening injuries, so he shifted his focus back to Mom and Elijah. And found them standing inside a bubble of shimmering, blue light…with a mage. Everyone else within a twenty foot perimeter was flat out on the ground. The stranger had protected Mom and Elijah. He was
still
protecting them. Who, or what, was he protecting them from?

Josh’s ears burned when he realized that
he
was the threat. He helped people to their feet as he waded through them, resisting the urge to apologize.

The mage stepped out from behind Mom, but he kept his chin down, hiding his face under a wide-brimmed, black hat. He was dressed all in black—jeans, long-sleeved shirt, boots and gloves. It had to be at least eighty degrees inside the arena. Why was he dressed for a blizzard? And why was he hiding his face?

The mage waited until Josh was only an arm’s distance away then lifted his chin.

Josh flinched when he saw the man’s disfigured face. It resembled a wax mask that had been left in a hot car too long. But it wasn’t the man’s scars that sent a chill down Josh’s back and raised the hair on his neck and arms. It was the intensity of his gaze and the color of his midnight-blue eyes. Eyes that looked just like his.

“Hello, son.”

Josh’s mind reeled. The ground seemed to tilt beneath his feet. “What are you doing here?”

“That’s no way to greet your long lost father.”

The man was a dangerous and powerful mage. Josh should be terrified, but all he felt was anger and a flood of emotional pain. Red light pulsed out of his stomach. “You, Vengeance Veyjivik, are not my father.”

Vengeance’s gaze locked onto Josh’s. “I go by Vincent Javick now. But you may call me Vince.”

Mom reached out and cupped Josh’s cheek with her palm. “Josh—”

“No!” Josh ducked away from her. He pointed at Vince but leveled his gaze at Mom. “I don’t care if we share the same DNA, that man is
not
my father.”

“Interesting denial—considering you registered to race as Valor Veyjivik.”

“I wanted to race without drawing attention to myself. I didn’t want any drama.”

Elijah made a point of looking all around at the people brushing the dirt off their clothes, then grinned at him. “No drama, huh?”

Hunter had mentioned that Elijah knew about magic. Josh gave him his best ‘shut up or else’ glare then turned his attention back to Vince. “You never answered my question. What do you want?”

Vince put a gloved hand on Josh’s shoulder. “We need to talk.”

Josh twisted away from him. “So talk.”

“Isn’t there someplace more private?” Vince lowered his shield. A sign of good faith? Or a trick?

Mom slipped her arm around Josh’s waist. “I’m sorry, Vincent, but you can’t just drop in on us after nineteen years and expect us to trust you.”

Vince lifted his hands, palms out and stepped back. “I understand your concern, but I promise you, I mean no harm.”

Josh didn’t want to be alone with Vince. But it
would
get the man away from Mom and Elijah.

Mom’s body trembled against Josh’s side, but she managed to speak with authority. “You need to give us a little time to get over the shock of your sudden appearance. Call me tomorrow. If Josh wants to speak with you, we can arrange a meeting.”

“This can’t wait until tomorrow. It’s important.”

“It’s okay, Mom. I’ll talk to him.” Josh gave her his best impression of a reassuring smile then turned towards Vince. “My car’s in the parking lot.”

Mom grabbed Josh’s hand. “You don’t have to do this.”

He pulled her into a hug and whispered, “Yeah, I sort of do. It’ll be okay.”

They were about halfway to Josh’s car when Vince sighed. He shoved his hands in his coat pockets. “The years have been kind to your mother. She’s just as lovely as I remember.”

“You stay the hell away from my mother!”

Vince took a deep breath through his lipless mouth. “I was merely being polite.”

How in the world had this man seduced Mom? She’d claimed it was a one-night stand—a moment of weakness when she’d had too much to drink and a handsome stranger swept her off her feet—a stupid mistake with a happy ending. Whatever had scarred him must have happened after they met. “Did she even recognize you?”

The corner of Vincent’s mouth quirked up. “You mean because of my scars?”

That’s exactly what he meant, but Josh had spoken without thinking. He may not trust Vince, but that was no excuse to be cruel. “It’s been eighteen years since she’s seen you. And you were only together that one night.”

“I was still recovering from my injuries when I met your mother. I used a glamour spell to hide my disfigurement.”

“A glamour spell?” Josh picked an empty Coors can off the ground and tossed it into the recycling bin standing right next to it.

“It doesn’t work on other mages. So, I’m forced to warm my bed with Empty women. Which, of course, is how you came to be.”

A volatile cocktail of emotions clouded Josh’s mind as well as the air around him. “My mother is not a ‘bed warmer.’”

“That was a rather unfortunate choice of words. I’m sorry.”

“What did you do? Cast a come-hither spell on her? That’s worse than getting her drunk.”

“I’ve never resorted to come-hither spells. And I only use the glamour spell to create the illusion of how I
should
look. I’ve adjusted it over the years, replicating the effects of aging.” He smiled and waved at a toddler in a stroller. The child grinned and laughed. Not the least bit put off by his appearance. “I’m not trying to trick anyone.”

“Why haven’t you tried to meet me before?” Josh jerked the driver’s side door open. How many times had he fantasized about meeting his biological father? Of course that was before he’d learned he was a member of a dangerous clan of evil mages. “Why now?”

Vince eased himself into Josh’s car, as if bending over was painful. If those scars covered the rest of his body, it probably was.

“I didn’t know of your existence until a few months ago when Rider told me he’d made your acquaintance. I’ve been looking for you ever since.”

Rider? The name sounds familiar…I wish I could remember everything Hunter and Diego told me.

The sudden rush of information gave Josh a headache, but it wasn’t nearly as painful as the ones the flashbacks had given him. He still wouldn’t have been able to point Rider out in a crowd, but he remembered every word that Hunter and Diego had spoken since he woke up in the basement. With a little luck, he’d be able to fool Vince.

“What did you just do?”

When Josh opened his eyes, Vince was glaring at him.

“Nothing for you to worry about.” Josh needed to be more careful. Vince was more aware of magical energy than he was. He didn’t want to appear weak by admitting he’d lost his memories. “I should have killed Rider when I had the chance.”

“Why? He holds you in the highest regard.”

“Then why’d he rat me out?”

“Rat you out? You mean…to me?”

“I’d already be dead if he’d told Dominance.” Josh couldn’t believe how easily the name rolled off his tongue. This total recall was amazing. Too bad it didn’t work on his lost memories.