Believe: The Complete Channie Series (26 page)

“How bad is it? Do I need stitches?”

“I can fix it. If you don’t mind a scar.”

“Will it hurt?”

“Not if I cast a pain-away spell first.”

“You can stop pain?”

“Sometimes.”

“It feels like someone is pounding my skull with a sledge-hammer.”

“I’m not a healer. I won’t mess with your brain.”

“Too late. What was that all about anyway?”

“When I made your shield stronger, I guess it also made it’s power over me stronger too. I’ve never felt so out of control in my life.”

As
soon as he was strong enough to stand, Channie helped Josh back to her room, wrapped a blanket around him and sat him down on her bed. He twisted his body sideways, so his shoulders were perpendicular to hers.

“It’s okay, Josh. I’m not going to assault you. At least, not while you’re injured.”

He lifted a corner of his mouth into a half-grin then lowered his gaze to the floor.

She said, “I’m just going to go get the medicine kit and a couple of towels out of the hall closet. I’ll be right back.”

When she returned to her room, Josh was sitting on the floor instead of her bed. She didn’t blame him for not trusting her. Not after the way she’d practically tried to rape him. She knelt down in front of him and opened the box containing Momma’s tinctures, salves and dried herbs—all of them magically enhanced.

Josh wrinkled his nose and furrowed his brow. “What is that stuff?”

“Medicine.”

“It looks like dead weeds mixed with Vaseline, and it stinks.”

“It also works.” Channie cast a pain-away spell to numb Josh’s scalp, cleaned his wound and then sealed it with magic.

“Wow.” Josh poked at the back of his head. “That’s amazing.”

Channie gently slapped his hand away. “Leave it alone until it’s done healing.”

“Sorry.” A violent shiver racked Josh’s body.

Channie said, “We need to get you out of those wet clothes.”

Josh’s eyes went wide. He wrapped the blanket more tightly around his body and hugged his knees to his chest.

“I’m okay.”

Channie wanted to assure him that she wasn’t trying to seduce him, but she wasn’t a hundred percent sure it was the truth.

She got Daddy’s robe, Momma’s wedding quilt, and a couple more clean towels then went back to her room. She set everything down next to Josh and said, “I’ll be in the hall if you need anything.”

Channie pulled the door closed behind her then leaned against it and slid to the floor. She buried her face in her hands but couldn’t hide from the glare of her shame that probed the darkest corners of her soul like a searchlight.

When
Josh opened the door, Channie fell backwards against his bare legs and had to claw the carpet to keep from tackling him. The heat of her lust dried her tears, but Channie refused to give in to her carnal desires. If Josh could control himself, well then, so could she.

He said, “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. Are you...okay?”

The sight of Josh standing there in nothing but a robe was too much temptation. Channie closed her eyes and turned away from him, trying to rein in Chastity’s energy.

He put his hand on her shoulder, making her tremble, and said, “You must be freezing. We better get you out of these wet clothes.”

She slid away from his touch and said, “Don’t say things like that unless you...unless...just don’t.”

“I’m sorry.”

“So am I.”

Channie yanked her two middle drawers open, grabbed the first things she touched and bolted for the bathroom.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and groaned—she looked like a cave-woman. Wet strands of tangled hair clung to her face and blood-stained sweatshirt. Her red-rimmed eyes had a wild, desperate look to them. No wonder Josh was afraid of her.

Channie used a little magic to detangle her hair and changed into dry clothes. She cleaned the bloody mess in the tub and on the floor as tears continued to stream down her face.

She still wanted to make love to Josh, but it was different now. She wanted to hold him in her arms and feel his heart beating next to hers. She wanted to comfort him the way he comforted her. She wanted to be as close as two people could be. 

She rinsed the bloody cleaning rag under the bath tap and wrung it out over the drain.

Maybe it wasn’t too late...if she could convince Josh that she’d changed her mind without being under the influence of magic. But the second she got close to him, his shield would turn her into a selfish, sex-crazed whore that didn’t care how much she upset him as long as she got her way.

Channie gave the rag an angry twist then slammed it against the side of the bathtub. It made a loud, but unsatisfying, splat when it hit the porcelain. She turned around and slid to the floor, slumping against the side of the tub.

Any attempt at intimacy would unleash the monster inside her as long as she was under this evil curse. Unless …

Channie looked in the cabinet under the sink to be sure she had plenty of sanitary supplies then cast a moon-curse on herself.

Within minutes she was on the floor curled into a ball of agony. She considered using magic to ease the cramps, but was afraid that without the distraction of the pain, she might still be vulnerable to the seductive power of Josh’s shield.

“Channie?” Josh knocked on the bathroom door. “Are you okay?”

She crawled to her knees then pushed herself into a sitting position, her back against the side of the bathtub. “Yes. Come on in.”

The door creaked open. Josh held the edges of his robe together with one hand as he knelt on the floor in front of her and filled her with the warmth of his compassion. It felt so good to be close to him without Chastity’s craziness trying to take over. Enchantment soaked up his energy and returned it back to him full of love and passion. 

Josh reached for her as if he were going to stroke her cheek, but changed his mind and put his hand on his knee. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“I fixed it so I won’t be tempted to...do bad things whenever I’m near you.”

“How?”

Channie’s face felt as if it were on fire. Her reluctance to discuss her monthly cycle with Josh was a little ridiculous after the way she’d begged him for sex. But she couldn’t help it.

“I used a moon-curse on myself.”

The color drained from his cheeks as he gently placed his hand on the side of Channie’s head. “What’s a moon-curse?”

Back home, women didn’t talk about their monthly cycles in front of men. It was different here. Channie was shocked the first time she’d overheard some boys at school complaining about how bitchy their girlfriends were when they were “on the rag.”

“It’s what I’ve been doing to the other girls when they get out of control.”

“You made yourself start your period?”

Channie ducked her chin and nodded her head. She’d never explained how the moon-curse worked and Josh had never asked her. But he wasn’t stupid. A single tear slipped out of the corner of her eye.

“Oh, baby, that can’t be good for you.”

His heart-felt concern and lack of embarrassment made the situation a little less humiliating. 

She said, “It’s worth it. Now we can cuddle and fall asleep without worrying about me getting out of control.”

He slipped one arm around her back and the other under her knees then stood up effortlessly, as if she didn’t weigh anything at all, and carried her back into her room. Channie clung to him as he turned back the covers then let her arms slide off his shoulders as he laid her gently on the bed.

Josh pulled the blankets up under her chin and chewed the corner of his lower lip for a few seconds then perched on the edge of her bed.

Channie put a hand on Josh’s back, his muscles were knotted and hard across his shoulder blade. She tried to rub the kinks out, but without success. “Don’t you want to get under the covers?”

“Yeah. But you aren’t the only one with self-control issues.”

Josh got up and smoothed out the blankets. He clutched his robe securely around his body and laid down on top of the covers. He patted his chest and said, “Come here.”

Channie laid her head over his heart and closed her eyes.

Josh kissed her cheek...and screamed.

“
Josh
! What happened?”

“My mouth.” He touched his lips and grimaced.

“What’s wrong with your mouth?”

“It feels like I kissed the inside of an oven. Did I burn you?”

“No, not at all.”

Channie sat up and took Josh’s hand but he jerked it out of her grasp before she could lift it to her lips.

“I need to see if I have the same reaction.”

He said, “I hate hurting you,” but offered her his hand.

The instant her lips brushed his skin, a white-hot pain seared her mouth. She jerked her head back and screamed. It felt as if she’d pressed a glowing coal against her lips. When she recovered enough to speak, Channie said, “I must not be strong enough to make your shield a hundred percent effective.”

“Why don’t you recharge your batteries and then try again?”

“What if I make your shield too strong? It’s hard enough resisting you as it is.” Channie wished she could talk to Aunt Wisdom. She’d know what to do.

Josh took both her hands in his. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I say we try again.”

Aunt Wisdom wasn’t the only source of knowledge. Channie wasn’t supposed to touch Momma’s books, much less use them, until she was eighteen, but she was already more powerful than Momma and Daddy combined. It was stupid not to take advantage of such a valuable resource just because of some silly rule. “Alright, but I want to do a little research first.”