Ezra pulled his phone out of his pocket. Oh crap, he was going to call the police.
She couldn’t mention Harvey in front of him. He’d be sure to sick the cops on his trail and who knows where that might lead. And she sure as hell couldn’t let the cops anywhere near Momma and Daddy. She knew exactly where that would lead. “I want to go home. Can we please just go home?”
Ezra arched his left eyebrow and locked his gaze on Channie. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
It wasn’t what Channie wanted at all, but she couldn’t let Momma and Daddy get their hands on Josh. And she needed to get them out of the house before Ezra called the cops. She nodded then reached up and touched Daddy’s cheek. His energy dropped from a homicidal rage to a much safer level of annoyance.
“I want Hunter to come too. Is that okay, Daddy?”
Daddy looked at Hunter as if he’d just noticed his presence. “What are you doing so far away from home, boy?”
Hunter glanced at Channie. She held her breath and bit her lower lip. Hunter gave her a tiny nod then squared his shoulders and locked gazes with Daddy. “Somebody stirred up a heap of trouble then run off and left the rest of us to deal with it. It ain’t safe for nobody no more.”
Daddy’s shoulders slumped as he rubbed the back of his neck. “All right. You can stay with us as long you need to.” He took his hand from his neck and pointed at Hunter’s chest. “If I catch you messing with Channie, you’re gonna wish you’d never been born.”
“Yessir.”
Ezra pulled his eyebrows together and frowned as he looked at Channie. She clenched her jaw to keep her chin from quivering then said, “Tell Josh …” Tell him what? “Tell him to stay away.”
Ezra said, “I’m sorry he panicked. But please, try to understand.” He glanced at Daddy then back to Channie. “He’s only a kid. And quite frankly, your father is extremely intimidating.”
Channie said, “Just tell him what I said.”
“But—”
“You heard the girl.” Daddy put his arm around Channie’s shoulder and puffed out his chest. “Your boy ain’t welcome on my property.”
Ezra closed his eyes for a second then opened them and stared at Channie. The look on his face punched a hole in her chest that left her reeling.
He sighed and shook his head. “All right. I’ll tell him.”
~***~
It took every bit of will power she possessed for Channie to keep from sobbing out loud as they walked to the car. Josh wouldn’t like the new arrangement but surely he’d understand why she’d done it. Ezra had no clue. He’d never forgive her.
Daddy still had his arm draped across her back. He gave her shoulder a squeeze and said, “What’s wrong, baby girl?”
The stress of the past half hour had used up the last of her fortitude. Daddy’s unexpected sympathy caught her off guard and crashed through her defenses. She turned into his side, clutched the front of his shirt and bawled like a baby. Between sobs she managed to sputter out a few words of explanation. “I … b-been … th-through hell.”
Daddy patted her back and said, “You wanna talk about it?”
“Home. Take me home.” They had to leave before Josh got close enough to feel her distress or for Momma and Daddy to notice the difference in his energy field. Channie sobbed so hard she couldn’t breathe.
“All right.” Daddy cast a weak be-calm spell on her that abolished her distress, but it also made her woozy and more than a little drunk.
He chuckled and said, “Let’s get you home.”
Channie sniffed, hiccuped once then sighed. She’d have to deal with her feelings at some point, but if she were lucky, Daddy’s spell would last until after she fell asleep.
Hunter’s mouth fell open when Momma opened the door to the Lexus and got behind the wheel. “What happened to y’all’s VW bus?”
Daddy said, “We traded it in when we got this here vehicle.”
Hunter ran his hands over the creamy-beige leather seat and brushed the side of Channie’s thigh. She jerked away from his touch but not nearly as fast as Hunter yanked his hand away from her leg. He locked his gaze on the rearview mirror and hugged the door on his side of the car.
Daddy said, “Abby told us things was pretty bad back home. She also told us you was spying for your momma’s kinfolk.”
Ah-oh.
Daddy had his seat pushed so far back, it dug into Channie’s knees. She leaned forward and put a hand on his shoulder. “It was Aunt Wisdom’s idea. She told Hunter to pretend to switch sides so he could spy on the Veyjiviks. But when the trackers got close to finding me, Hunter risked his life to save mine. That blew his cover. He had to get outta town fast.”
Daddy turned sideways and shoved his hand between the bucket seats to shake Hunter’s hand. “I’m much obliged, Hunter.” Hunter grimaced as Daddy squeezed his hand. “But saving Channie don’t give you the right to take liberties.”
“Oh, no sir. I’d never disrespect your daughter. You have my word.”
Daddy let go and patted Hunter’s knee then turned back around. “If you think you might like to court Channie, let me know. There’ll be some rules, but as long as you follow ‘em you got nothing to worry about.”
“Daddy! I don’t want Hunter to court me!”
Daddy said, “Beggers can’t be choosers. You ain’t got many prospects. Hunter’s the only eligible mage in the area as far as I can tell.”
Hunter said, “I’d be honored to court your daughter, Mr. Kerns.”
Daddy said, “Don’t ever use that name. We’re going by Belks now. I recommend you change your name as well. You can keep Hunter, but you need something other than Feenie in case them damn trackers start sniffing around. I can get you new papers. How about Hunter Brown?”
“That sounds right nice. Thank you, Mr. Ker … Belks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“And if it ain’t too much trouble, do you mind making me twenty-one? So’s I can get me a decent job. If I’m gonna court Channie, I need to make a good living.”
Channie rolled her eyes then reached over and pinched Hunter’s arm. He just wanted proof that he was old enough to have his way with Carmen.
He jerked away from her but never stopped grinning.
~***~
When they got home, Momma said, “Stay in the car. I want to put a be-calm spell on everyone before we go inside. I don’t want you waking the entire house up.”
Not good. Daddy was probably going to take his belt to her.
Hunter took her hand and gave it a squeeze. Channie held on and took what courage she could from him.
As soon as Momma went in the house, Hunter said, “Mr. Belks, I don’t want you hurting Channie.”
Daddy said, “I ain’t the one you need to worry about. Prudence is mighty riled up, but it’s best not to interfere. You’ll just make it worse.”
Channie exhaled, not realizing she’d been holding her breath. Momma’s stinging spells were painful, but nothing like getting whipped with a belt.
When the parlor light flared on, Daddy sighed and said, “Come on. We might as well get it over with.”
Daddy’s be-calm spell was already starting to wear off. Channie was tempted to ask him to cast another one, but she’d need a clear mind if they started asking her about Josh. She trembled as she climbed the front porch steps. Daddy held the door open for her, but Hunter darted in ahead of her. Momma was standing in the entryway. Her energy field glowed red, but she didn’t take so much as a step towards Channie. They stared at each other for what felt like an hour. Channie wondered if maybe Momma was going to wait until tomorrow to punish her. The waiting itself was a punishment.
She gave Daddy a quick hug and said, “See you in the morning,” then turned towards the stairs.
Momma said, “Not so fast,” and struck like a snake, clamping her hand around Channie’s arm, digging her nails into her skin. “You took something that belongs to me. I want it back.”
&
nbsp; The Book of the Dead. “It’s at Josh’s house. I left it in my backpack, in his car.”
Momma jerked Channie around so fast it made her head spin then slapped her with her other hand.
Hunter said, “Hey!”
Channie saw him reach for her out of the corner of her eye, but Daddy grabbed him and said, “Don’t.”
Momma slapped Channie again, back handing her this time. “You stupid, ungrateful little whore.”
Daddy said, “Prudence. That’s enough.” He spoke quietly, but Momma let go and stepped back.
Momma’s violence stunned Channie. Usually she was the one that had to stop Daddy when he got carried away with his belt. Not the other way around. What the hell was going on?
Momma said, “What happened to your powers?”
“That book you’re so fond of stole them!” That wasn’t exactly what’d happened. Momma had found the spell to change Channie’s power-name in the Book of the Dead, setting up the events that followed like a row of dominos. But Channie gave up her powers, of her own free will to be with Josh. She didn’t regret her choice. Her only regret was sacrificing Enchantment’s magic to kill Harvey. If she’d known he had a gun in his car, she would have just shot the son of a bitch.
Momma’s magic burned as it swept through Channie, scanning her. That wasn’t necessary. You could scan a body without hurting ‘em.
“Your power-well’s sealed shut. Your heart-of-hearts is still beating, but it’s severely damaged. You have no control over magic at all, do you?” The satisfaction in Momma’s voice cut Channie to the bone.
Her eyes filled with tears. The memory of what she’d lost stung worse than her battered face. “No.”
“Serves you right.” The burn intensified as Momma continued to scan her.
Momma narrowed her eyes and sucked in quick breath, gasping through clenched teeth. She turned on Hunter and said, “How dare you defile my daughter!”
Time to put the lie to the test. “It wasn’t Hunter. It was a tracker.”
Daddy roared like an angry bear and tossed Hunter aside like a rag doll. “What tracker? What’s his name? I’m gonna kill that son of an Empty!”
Hunter said, “He’s already dead.”
Daddy stumbled backwards and collapsed onto a new sofa Channie had never seen. It groaned under the sudden weight then broke in half.
Momma said, “Monroe Belks! How many times do I have to tell you to take it easy on the furniture? And quiet down. There ain’t no be-calm spell in the world gonna keep them babies asleep with you howling like a banshee.”
Daddy pressed a hand over his heart and looked at Hunter. “Did you kill him? The man what ruined my baby girl?”
“No sir. Channie did.” Hunter’s eyes filled with tears as he gazed at Channie. Did he believe the lie? She felt bad for distressing him, but she couldn’t afford to set him straight. “And she ain’t ruined. It wasn’t her fault.”
Daddy swiped at his cheeks then nodded his head for a few minutes before speaking. His voice was rough, but kind. “I’m glad you see it that way, son. Mighty glad. You still willing to court her?”
“Yes sir. I certainly am.”
Channie wanted to punch Hunter. She fisted her hands and said, “I’ve been through hell and back and I don’t want to be courted. All I want is to go to bed.”
Momma said, “Not until I get my book. Now go get your useless hide back in that car.”
Josh should’ve come back by now. Everyone in the room was reading her energy field, but Channie couldn’t keep her mounting panic under control. Hopefully they’d attribute it to her fear of Momma.
She said, “Mr. Abrim was ready to call the police when y’all showed up. I think it’d be better if you just let Hunter go get the book.”
Hunter said, “I ain’t sure I can find my way back. You better go with me.”
Momma said, “How do I know you ain’t gonna steal my book and take off again?”
Channie placed her hand over her throbbing cheek and said, “I learned my lesson, Momma. Besides, maybe you can figure out how to get my powers back once you have the book.”
Momma narrowed her eyes at Channie. “I don’t trust you.”
“I promise to come home before sunrise and bring the book with me. I’ll even swear a death-pledge if you want. ”
Momma nodded and grabbed Channie’s wrist. “But I want you back here with my book in one hour.”
“Now hold on a dang minute.” Daddy yanked Channie out of Momma’s grasp and said, “That’s just plain foolishness. You don’t know what might happen between here and there. What if they git a flat tire or something? Just the fact she was willing to swear a death-pledge proves she’s trustworthy.”
Momma’s face turned beet red but Daddy and Hunter both covered Channie with their shields before Momma could curse her.
Daddy grabbed Momma around the waist with one arm then tossed his keys to Hunter.“You two git back here as fast as you can.”
Hunter grabbed Channie’s hand and said, “Yes sir,” then hauled her out the door without looking back.
~***~
As soon as they got in the car and shut the doors, Hunter said, “Is it true? Did that tracker rape you?”
Channie knew the best way to keep a lie believable was to have as many people believe it as possible, but she could feel Hunter’s distress. “He tried but the drugs he used to subdue my powers wore off in time for me to stop him.”
Hunter sighed as he exhaled icing the windshield with his breath. He started the car then ran his hands over the dash. “Where’s the damn de-fogger?”
Channie pulled the instruction manual out of the glove compartment and programmed the climate controls.
Hunter was quiet until they merged onto highway 36. “I meant what I said.”
“About what?”
He shifted his gaze to her face then back to the road. “I know you ain’t a virgin, but I don’t think you’re ruined. I’m still willing to court ya.”
“I’m married.”
“You was willing to carry on with Josh iffen you’d had to marry me.”
“We’re heart-bound!”
“And you don’t feel nothin’ for me?”
“Not since I met Josh.”
“But you did … before?”
“I don’t know, Hunter. It doesn’t matter. There’ll never be another man for me. Josh is it.”
“But things have changed. Y’all cain’t be together.”
“Josh and I will figure something out.”
“Well, just so you know, I’m here if you change your mind.”
Channie slammed her palm against the dash. “Don’t do this to me!”
“I ain’t doin’ nothing to you, I’m just telling’ ya how I feel.”
“And it’s making me miserable. I don’t want you sitting around waiting for me to change my mind. It ain’t happening!”
Hunter snorted then glanced sideways at Channie and smirked as he rolled his eyes. “I ain’t no girl. I intend to have me some fun while I wait, but I didn’t want you to see me with other women and think I’d fallen out of—“
“Don’t say it. You are not allowed to say that.”
“Not saying it won’t make it go away. But I’ll shut up and pretend I ain’t head over heels in love with you, if it makes ya feel better.”
Channie turned on the radio and cranked the volume up so loud she felt the bass vibrate in her chest then closed her eyes and leaned her head against the window until the car rolled to a stop.
She wasn’t surprised that Hunter found his way back to Ezra’s neighborhood without any help. But she was surprised when he punched in the correct code at the gate.
She turned off the radio and said, “How’d you do that?”
“I just paid attention when Josh did it earlier. You never know when something like that’s gonna come in handy.”
Channie didn’t want to knock on the front door and wake up Ezra and Carmen. She especially didn�
�t want to face Ezra after running off the way she did. “Let’s go around back. Josh used a rope ladder to sneak out of his room. Maybe it’s still there.”
It wasn’t. But the light was on in his room. Channie picked up a pebble and tossed it at the window thirty-five feet above her head — and missed.
Her feeble attempt was followed by a sharp tink tink tink as Hunter’s pebbles found their mark. He grinned and said, “Not the first time I’ve done this.”
Josh opened his window and leaned out. “Channie?”
“Yeah. Let down the ladder.”
Josh helped Channie over the window sill then wrapped her in his arms. “I knew you’d come back.”
Hunter scrambled in after her and said, “We ain’t got much time so none of that lovey-dovey stuff.”
“What do you mean ‘you don’t have much time?’”
Channie pressed her ear over Josh’s heart and inhaled his delicious scent. “We came for the Book of the Dead. If we’re gone too long, Momma’ll get suspicious.”
Josh dropped his hands and stepped back. “I see.”
“I don’t think you do.” Channie’s eyes stung. “I didn’t want to leave with them, but I didn’t have a choice.”
“Really? What about running away to California?”
“I haven’t even seen the trips yet. And what about Elijah? They all know we’re back. How are they going to feel if we up and disappear again?”
“So what does this mean for us?”
“We’ll just have to figure out a way to see each other when Momma and Daddy aren’t around. Now that Abby’s back, I imagine Momma and Daddy are going to spend every minute they can in Blackhawk.”
Hunter said, “Channie’s folks think I’m courting her. I’ll get her out of the house and then you and Carmen can meet us somewhere.”
“Carmen’s not interested in you.”
“She will be as soon as Mr. Belks gets me my papers proving I’m twenty-one. But I need to get Channie back home, so let’s just go get the damn book.”
Josh scooped his keys off his dresser and tossed them to Hunter. “You go get the book. I need to talk to my wife.”
Hunter rolled his eyes. “Where’s your car?”
TAKEN: Book Two Page 12
