Believe: The Complete Channie Series

by Charlotte Abel

  The rest of the messages were variations of “Forgive me, call me, where are you, and I love you.” Each of them shattered her broken heart into smaller pieces.

  She disconnected from her voicemail, pressed the number two button, and held her breath.

  Josh picked up on the first ring. “Channie! Where are you? Are you okay?”

  “I have no idea where I am. Why didn’t you tell me Kassie was your cousin?”

  “I thought you knew. What do you mean you don’t know where you are?”

  “I got kidnapped by this creep—”

  “WHAT! What do you mean you got kidnapped? What happened?”

  “Calm down, it’s okay. I killed him.”

  “WHAT!”

  “Quit yelling. You’re hurting my ear.”

  “Okay. Okay. It’s okay.” Josh did not sound okay. His voice was raspy and about two octaves higher than normal. “Look, Channie, hang up and dial nine-one-one. The cops can find you using the emergency locater in your phone.”

  “Didn’t you hear me? I killed a man.”

  “It was self defense? Right? I mean, you said he kidnapped you. Oh god...Did he...did he hurt you?”

  “He didn’t rape me.” Channie didn’t want to tell Josh that Harvey had nearly beat her to death. He was already hysterical and she couldn’t exactly cast a be-calm spell over the phone. “Look, Josh. I don’t want to talk about it right now, but trust me, I can’t call the cops.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m backtracking out of the woods until I find a road or a highway. I was unconscious when that creep drug me out here so I have no idea how long it will take.”

  “Channie, you have to call the cops.”

  “Damn it, Josh. You aren’t listening. He was a mage. I killed him with magic. There’s no way I can explain that to the police. I have to get to Aunt Wisdom before the next full moon. The cops aren’t going to just let me walk away and start hitchhiking again.”

  Josh threw such a fit over the phone Channie nearly hung up on him. He said, “Didn’t you learn anything from that creep? Promise me you won’t get in a car with another stranger!”

  “There aren’t any cars. There’s not even a dirt road. I’m out in the middle of nowhere... hold on a minute. I think I hear something.”

  She heard something all right. Other than the sound of Josh’s voice, it was the most beautiful sound in the world—tires on pavement.

  Channie saw a road sign in the distance, but it was too far away. She held her phone to her ear and ran up the hill until she could read it. She wanted to cry. “That son of a bitch drove me back to Oklahoma!”

  “Where in Oklahoma?”

  “Highway 80, sixteen miles north of Fort Gibson.”

  “Where the hell is that?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “Can you find a safe place to wait for me? Someplace public?”

  “I’ve gone as far as I can go. I’m gonna have to hitch a ride into town. I ain’t hiking sixteen miles.”

  “I swear, Channie, you’re going to give me a heart attack. Just stay where you are ‘till I get there, okay? Can you do that?”

  “You want me to camp by the side of the road? I’ll freeze to death.” She considered telling him about the gun, but didn’t know if that would comfort him, or further upset him.

  “Hang on a sec.” Josh muffled the phone, but she could still hear him. “Hey, any of you guys know how long it takes to get to Fort Gibson from here?”

  “Channie? I can be there in an hour.”

  “Even if you fly you can’t get all the way from Colorado to Oklahoma.”

  “I’m in Tulsa.”

  “What are you doing in...Oh yeah, you're here for Grands, aren’t you?”

  “I’m here for you.”

  “I don’t want you to miss Grands.”

  “Promise me you’ll stay put and wait for me. Can you do that?”

  “The only thing I can’t do is walk another step.”

  “All right, babe. I’ll get there as soon as I can. How much power do you have left on your phone?”

  Channie’s heart fell when she checked the battery level. “Not much. There’s only one bar left.”

  Josh swore quietly, then said, “Okay, go ahead and turn it off, but if anything happens, if anyone so much as looks at you, call nine-one-one immediately. Do you understand me?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Will you do it?”

  “I’m not an idiot.”

  “Yes, you are, but you’re my idiot and I love you. Now hang up.”

  There wasn’t much traffic on the two-lane highway, but every time a car crested the hill, it made Channie’s heart skip a beat. She wished she’d asked Josh which car he was driving so she’d know for sure what to look for.

  Channie shrugged out of her backpack and nestled it between the roots of a blackjack tree. She shoved the gun and its magazine to the bottom of the pack, then sat down on top of it and rubbed her sore shoulders.

  Something lurking in the blackjack’s twisted limbs overhead raced across a wet branch. It released a mist of water that clung to Channie’s hair and beaded the waxy red, brown and gold leaves carpeting the ground beside her. She hugged her knees and shivered.

  Her entire being—heart, mind, body and soul—ached to be reunited with Josh.

  Channie’s heart stopped when a small jeep-looking red car with a temporary license plate slowed down and pulled off the road. It was the same car she’d seen in her vision.

  She left her pack and ran to Josh. He leaped out of the car, wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off the ground. They were both sobbing when he set her down and cupped her face in his hands—in his bare hands that did not burn her skin—and kissed her.

  This kiss was better than anything Channie had ever imagined or dreamed a kiss could be. It was paradoxically chaste and passionate at the same time—the perfect, lust-free, curse-breaking, fairy-tale-kiss of true love.

  Magic flowed between them as they kissed. A disembodied voice whispered, “Break Chastity’s curse and lose your power; watch love bloom and passion flower. For every choice there is a cost and the things you lose are forever lost. You have until the full moon sets to bind your hearts with no regrets.”

  Josh pulled away from Channie and gasped. But he kept his hands on her face and wiped her tears with his thumbs. “Did you hear that?”

  Channie nodded. “I’ve heard it before. Have you?”

  “No. Where’s it coming from?”

  “The Book of the Dead.”

  “We have a choice?”

  “Apparently.”

  “If we break the curse...you won’t be able to do magic anymore?”

  “Enchantment’s magic is dead. Chastity’s magic is all I have left.”

  “And?” Josh’s eyes darted back and forth as he gazed into hers, still cupping her face in his palms.

  Magic flowed through Channie’s veins like snowmelt down a mountain stream. She couldn’t imagine living without it. But she loved Josh more than life itself and she didn’t need to imagine how miserable she’d be without him—she already knew.

  She doubted The Book of the Dead would release her from its decree that she marry a royal mage. But she would rather sacrifice her abilities in vain, than give up the chance to be with Josh without trying.

  The stakes were high, she could lose everything. The odds were stacked against her, the book had proven its malevolence repeatedly, she had no reason to trust its latest promise of love and passion. But she was her father’s daughter after all. She put all her chips on the table and said, “I choose you.”

  That’s all it took. Three little words and the curse was broken.

  Josh’s mouth fell open as he ran his hands over his chest and belly. “Whoa. My shield is gone. Did you just break the curse?”

  Channie searched everywhere but found no trace of Chastity’s magic. It was not weak, not subdued, not sedated—it was gone. Stunned, s
he blinked and nodded her head.

  “Are you alright? I know how much magic means to you.”

  Josh had no way of knowing what magic meant to a mage, but Channie didn’t want him to think that she regretted her choice.

  “As long as you love me—and we’re together—I’ll be fine. Better than fine. Kiss me, Josh.”

  She didn’t need magic to know his thoughts weren’t entirely chaste this time. Her’s sure as hell weren't, but the only fire she felt was the good kind. No curse burned her skin or tried to claw its way out of her to harm this beautiful boy that loved her as much as she loved him.

  They stood by the side of the road and kissed for fifteen minutes before Josh pulled away from Channie and retrieved her backpack. He opened the passenger side door and tossed it into the back seat.

  Channie said, “Whose car did you borrow?”

  “It’s mine. It was supposed to be for my birthday, but...Dad decided to go ahead and give it to me a little early. He thought it might motivate me to prepare for Grands.”

  Josh had never needed any motivation other than his desire to win. He’d used his motivational gift to come find her, leaving Grands and his Olympic dreams behind.

  “I’m so sorry—”

  “We’ll talk about it later. Your chariot awaits.” Josh bowed and swooped his hand towards the car. “Actually, it’s a Rav-4, but you have to admit it’s a pretty sweet ride.” He didn’t quite pull off the nonchalant attitude. Channie could tell he was barely holding himself together. But if he wanted to pretend everything was okay, she could certainly understand. She wasn’t ready to deal with all she’d lost either.

  Josh’s stainless steel water bottle was the first thing Channie noticed when she got in. “May I have a sip of your water?”

  “Drink as much as you want.”

  Instead of using the bite-valve, Channie unscrewed the top and gulped down half the contents before she felt Josh’s hand on hers.

  “Slow down, babe. There’s more where that came from.”

  Channie wiped her mouth on her sleeve and said, “I’m just so thirsty.”

  “When’s the last time you ate?”

  “I’m not sure. What day is it?”

  “Saturday. Do you still want to go to your Aunt’s house? Now that the curse is broken?”

  “The full moon is on Wednesday. I want her help figuring things out before then.”

  “Can we get a room in a hotel first? I haven’t had a full night’s rest since you left. I’m exhausted. I promise, I won’t try to seduce you.”

  “Ever?” Channie bit her lip and blushed, embarrassed by the disappointment in her voice.

  Josh chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “Not until you’re ready.”

  No one in Ft. Gibson wanted to rent a room to a seventeen-year-old boy. Josh finally found a rundown, rent-by-the-hour motel in Muskogee that didn’t ask questions. He unlocked the door and immediately apologized for the dank room with no view or room service. He yanked the thin, smoke-stained drapes closed and rubbed the back of his neck. “They don’t even have a mini-bar.”

  The place smelled like mildew, but Channie didn’t care. “The only view I want is standing right in front of me. And since I don’t even know what a mini-bar is, I won’t miss it.”

  Josh put his hand on the small of her back and led her to the bed, then perched on the edge of a folding metal chair with bent and wobbly legs. It was the only furniture other than a nightstand with a reading lamp and a boxy television set bolted to the wall. He said, “Do you want to take a hot bath or something? It might help you relax.”

  “That sounds wonderful.”

  She started to get up, but Josh laid his hand on her shoulder and said, “Stay here. I’ll go run the water for you.”

  As soon as she heard the water splash into the tub, Channie realized she needed to pee. She’d gone once in the woods before finding the highway, but that was hours ago.

  She got up and found Josh leaning over the tub, scrubbing it with a washcloth.

  “That’s good enough. The tub’s stained, not dirty.”

  He jumped at the sound of her voice then chuckled. “I thought I told you to stay in bed.”

  “You did. But, I need to pee.”

  “Oh, okay.” He wrung out the washcloth he was using as a cleaning rag and draped it over the side of the tub then stood up. His cheeks turned pink as he looked at the floor and scratched the back of his head. “Do you have everything you need? Do you need me to go find a drugstore?”

  It took Channie a few seconds to figure out what he was talking about. “No. I’m fine. I haven’t renewed the moon-curse since the night Elijah kissed me.” Who knew when she’d start having regular cycles again, probably not for a very long time.

  Josh exhaled through pursed lips, which of course, made Channie want to kiss him. He grinned at her and said, “I guess now that my shield is gone...I’m no longer a sex-god.”

  “You are to me.”

  “That’s all I care about, but it’s weird, not having to worry about magic.”

  Channie felt as if he’d punched her in the belly. She was thrilled to be free from the curse, and she wouldn’t go back to the way things were—even if she could—but without Chastity’s powerful magic, she felt as if a part of herself were missing. It was worse than when Momma and Daddy changed her name.

  “Aw, Channie, I’m so sorry.” Josh tucked a strand of hair behind her ear then cupped her cheeks in his palms. “Maybe your aunt can figure out a way to give you back your powers.”

  She knew the loss of her abilities was permanent, but she couldn’t bear to think about it, much less discuss it. “I’m just tired.”

  “I’ll bet you’re hungry too. Go ahead and take your bath. I’ll go see if I can find a pizza joint that delivers to this flea-bag motel.”

  The bath felt wonderful and gave Channie a chance to gain a little perspective. At least she was safe from the Veyjivicks’ trackers. Without magic, she was just another empty—unworthy of notice if not quite invisible...and she and Josh were together again. They could be a normal couple now and that was worth any sacrifice.

  The aroma of basil, oregano and pepperoni found its way into the bathroom and made her mouth water. She was weak with hunger and had to sit on the edge of the tub to dry herself off. When the last of the water gurgled down the drain, she heard Josh’s voice on the other side of the bathroom door. Was the pizza delivery boy still here? She wrapped a towel around her body and pressed her ear against the door.

  “… I know she’s pissed, and I’m sorry you’re having to deal with her, but after that first race, it’s not like I had a chance to win.”

  Josh’s momma already thought Channie was interfering with his racing career, this wasn’t going to help matters.

  “… No, we’re cool. It was just a huge misunderstanding.”

  Channie couldn’t help but wonder what reason Josh had given his parents for her sudden and dramatic departure.

  “… She wants to see her aunt that lives out here before we head home. I’ll keep you posted ... Love you too, Dad. Bye.

  Josh knocked on the bathroom door and handed Channie a shirt through the crack. It was one of his racing jerseys. “I didn’t find any clean clothes in your backpack, I hope you don’t mind me looking, but I didn’t think you’d want to put your dirty clothes on after your bath.”

  Channie’s eyes filled with tears as she pulled Josh’s shirt on over her head. His Olympic dreams were just as important to him as magic was to her. He’d sacrificed everything to come get her. She wrapped her wet hair in a towel and opened the door.

  Josh took one look at her face and sprang to his feet. He grabbed her shoulders and bent down to peer into her eyes. “Channie? What’s wrong?”

  “What will missing Grands do to your chances of getting to the Olympics?”

  He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “There’s always Rio in 2016.”

  “If we
leave right now, and go back to Tulsa—”

  “If I would have won my first moto, we might be able to make it back in time for finals, but...I didn’t.”

  “You didn’t win?” Josh always won.

  “The competition is a lot tougher at Grands and I wasn’t exactly focused on the race.”

  “Because of me?”

  Josh let go of Channie and took a deep breath. When he exhaled, his whole body sagged. “Why did you leave me, Channie?”

  Channie tried to touch his cheek. He flinched—a movement too subtle to be anything other than an involuntary reaction. But it revealed the depth of his pain. How would she feel if the situation were reversed? If Josh had misinterpreted an innocent act of compassion on her part and run away without giving her a chance to explain? She’d be hurt and angry too. All this pain, hers as well as his, could have been avoided if she’d just trusted him.

  “Don’t you know me at all? I’d never cheat on you.”

  Channie’s first instinct was to blame her behavior on Chastity’s influence or the Book’s curse, but she could have chosen to respond differently. Magic had the power to heal and curse. It could entice, seduce and influence, but it couldn’t force anyone to act against their will. It couldn’t take away free choice.

  “When I saw you with your arms around Kassie, I let jealousy turn me into a crazy, psychotic bitch.” She lowered her gaze to the filthy carpet beneath her feet. “How can you ever forgive me?”

  “That’s what you do when you love someone.” Josh wrapped his arms around Channie and kissed the top of her head, then chuckled and said, “Old habits die hard.”

  “I don’t want that old habit to die. I like it when you kiss my head.”

  “Mmm… me too, but I like this better.” He kissed her forehead, both cheeks and her nose.

  Channie wove her fingers through his hair and pulled his face down to hers. Josh smiled against her lips and said, “I think you better go put your clothes back on.”

  “But they’re dirty.”

  “So are my thoughts.”

  “When did you start believing sex was dirty?”

  Josh rubbed the tip of his nose against Channie’s. “I don’t think sex is dirty. But, I know how you feel about it.”