Believe: The Complete Channie Series

by Charlotte Abel

  “In that old shack up by the quarry. Somebody fixed it up right nice. There was all sorts of protection spells around the place. All I have to do is keep ‘em charged.”

  “That’s where Channie and Josh stayed.” Hunter smiled, but it didn’t last. “How come you ain’t staying with Wisdom’s bunch?”

  Shep snorted and rolled his eyes again. “Whoa. I gotta quit doing that. Every time I roll my eyes it makes the world spin faster.”

  Hunter snapped his fingers in front of Shep’s face. “Hey. Answer the question. Why haven’t you joined Wisdom’s rebels?”

  “I cain’t.”

  “Why the hell not?”

  “On account of the Veyjivik blood flowing through my veins.” Shep rolled up his sleeve and exposed a nasty scar. “One of the master mages that joined Wisdom’s army caught me off guard and used my blood to cast a keep-away spell around the only entrance.”

  Blood was extremely powerful. Most spells only required a drop. “How much blood did he take?”

  “Let’s just say that neither you nor I are going to be able to get anywhere near Freedom Ridge during our lifetimes.”

  “I can’t believe Ms. Wisdom let him get away with that.”

  “She’s having a hard enough time keeping that ragtag bunch of misfits from killing each other. Most of them still believe you’re a spy for the other side and I’m guilty by association. Ms. Wisdom risked her life, and her position of authority, to come tell me there wasn’t nothing she could do about it. I’m an outcast, same as you.”

  “Well, at least the refugees are protected against Veyjivik trackers.”

  “There is that.” Shep’s head lolled to the right as his body leaned to the left.

  Hunter grabbed him before he fell off the log then tugged him to his feet. “I’ll help you get back to the shack then I’m gonna check on Channie.”

  “Okay.” Shep’s eyes rolled into the back of his head as he slumped forward.

  Hunter caught him around the waist and hoisted him over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry.

  The sun sank below the western ridge hours before they made it to the quarry. Shep wasn’t a big guy to start with and he’d lost a lot of weight since Hunter had last seen him, but that didn’t mean he was easy to carry.

  The quarter moon played hide and seek with the clouds, so Hunter cast a bright-eyes spell on himself, even though it drained more of his energy. If he stumbled and fell, he’d never get back up.

  Every muscle in Hunter’s body screamed in pain when he finally lowered Shep to the ground in front of the shack. The misdirection spells could use a re-charge, but Hunter was too tired. His hands trembled as he dug around for the key in the hollow stump. It wasn’t there.

  He found it inside Shep’s front right pocket.

  “Come on. Let’s get you to bed.” Hunter dragged Shep inside, stripped him down to his boxers then hauled him onto the bed. He rolled him onto his stomach and angled his head so his mouth hung over the edge of the mattress. He placed a water pail next to the bed and shook Shep’s shoulder.

  Shep groaned and tried to bat Hunter’s hand off his body.

  Hunter shook him again. “If you need to puke, use the bucket.”

  Shep nodded and groaned again.

  Hunter grabbed a quilt off the stack folded on top of an apple crate and draped it over Shep then climbed in bed beside him. He’d take a short nap and then head on over to Channie’s.

  He woke up to the sounds of retching, a foul stench and sunlight. He’d overslept. “You okay, Shep?”

  Shep’s only reply was a weak groan followed by a whimper.

  “I’ll take that as ‘no.’”

  Hunter found a teakettle full of water next to a hotplate. Ms. Wisdom had bought a gasoline generator for Channie and Josh after they almost froze to death, but it was out of fuel. “Is this water in the pot okay to drink?”

  “Yeah.”

  Hunter poured some into a tin cup and handed it to Shep. “Drink it slow.”

  Shep lifted his head and took a tiny sip. “I feel just as bad after drinking that expensive whiskey as I did after drinking old man Kerns’ moonshine.”

  “It don’t matter how much the booze costs. If you drink too much, you’re gonna pay for it the next morning.” Hunter took the cup of water from Shep and finished it off. “I need to go check on Channie. Are you going to be okay for a few hours?”

  “Bring me another cup of water before you go. Only get it out of the rain barrel.”

  Hunter set the cup on an apple crate next to the bed so Shep could reach it easily. “I got some bad news, too.”

  Shep pried his eyes open and squinted at Hunter. “What?”

  “Money and Abby are dead.”

  “Channie told me. She said her momma killed ‘em.” Shep licked his chapped lips. “It’s hard to believe.”

  “She got messed up in dark magic and went batshit crazy. She ain’t the same woman that used to look the other way when we’d steal food outta her garden.”

  “Channie said she wants to kill her, too. Perform some sacrificial ritual to lift a curse.”

  “We’ve got until winter solstice to figure out a way to save her.”

  “Channie said she was gonna do it on summer solstice.”

  “That can’t be right.” Hunter’s heart leapt into his throat. “Everything’s supposed to happen on winter solstice. Are you sure that’s what Channie said?”

  “Positive. But you can ask her when you see her.”

  Hunter slid his feet into his boots and dug his wallet out of his back pocket. He slipped a hundred dollar bill into his right boot then tossed his wallet with the rest of the money on the bed. “If I don’t come back by sunrise tomorrow…use that to get your ass outta here.”

  Shep pressed the heels of his palms into the sides of his head. “Give me a few minutes to wake up and I’ll go with you.”

  “You don’t need to wake up. You need to recover.” Hunter smirked at him. “And after drinking two thirds of a bottle of Jack, even a healer as skilled as Ms. Wisdom couldn’t cure that hangover.”

  “It’s dangerous out there, Hunter. There’re trackers everywhere.”

  “I can take care of myself. But as soon as you can stand up without puking, you need to recharge the misdirection spells around this place.”

  Shep propped himself up on his elbows and grimaced. “I wasn’t planning on coming back here anytime soon.”

  “I have a motorcycle hidden in Sheriff Black’s garage. I paid him three hundred dollars to keep an eye on it for a month. Don’t let him cheat you outta more.”

  “Three hundred dollars?” Shep widened his eyes, then immediately slammed them shut and groaned. He shielded his face with his palms as he squinted his eyes open again. “Where’d you get that kind of money?”

  Hunter slid his arms into his jacket and inhaled the comforting scent of new leather. “It’s a long story. I’ll fill you in when I get back.”

  “Hunter?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Be careful. You’re a pain in the ass, but you’re all the family I have left.”

  Hunter strengthened the misdirection spells around Channie’s cabin, draining himself in the process. He crept closer, darting from tree to tree. The cabin looked deserted. No kerosene lanterns in the windows. No smoke drifting out of the cookstove chimney or fireplace. No expensive vehicle parked in the front yard. But that didn’t mean Channie’s crazy momma wasn’t in there. She could have parked that car anywhere.

  He didn’t want to sneak up on Channie and scare her, or risk getting shot again. But he didn’t want to announce his presence until he was certain Channie was alone.

  The front yard was barren, except for a few new saplings and shrubs, but the old pine tree in the back yard, just outside Channie’s bedroom window, was still there and still magic free. It was so large that any spell cast onto it would be absorbed in a matter of minutes. Prudence was powerful, but she wasn’t that powerful. No one w
as. Not even Josh. Casting a long-term spell was a lot harder than blowing something up with a single blast of raw energy.

  Hunter smiled as he climbed into the tree, remembering how he’d done this last spring. He’d intended to ask Channie if he could escort her to the gathering, but had chickened out at the last minute. He couldn’t help but wonder if things might have turned out differently for them if he had. “Dang it. No point thinking about that now.”

  Hunter tossed a pinecone at the window. The quiet plink raised the hair on the back of his neck. He held his breath until he felt dizzy then tried again. This time he tossed two. Plink, plink.

  The window creaked open about two inches. Hunter held his breath again, hoping Channie’s face would appear and not her momma’s.

  It was neither. There was no mistaking the double-barrels of a shotgun poking through the gap. Hunter’s heart raced. It was hard to hear anything over the rush of blood behind his ears. He waited, hoping whoever was behind the trigger would call out so he could identify them.

  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 phon
e, 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.”