“Yeah.” Josh grinned at her. “You like me a lot.”
“I do?”
“Come here.” His voice was seductive.
“No.”
Josh’s smile faded. A flicker of doubt passed behind his eyes. Apparently—thankfully—his shield was only skin deep. “Don’t you want to test it? That’s why you kissed me in the park wasn’t it? To test your power name before school started.”
“Yes.”
Josh dropped all pretense of seduction. “And all this time I thought it was because of my bean-pole body and awkward personality.”
Channie giggled in spite of herself. The relief that washed over her when the old Josh resurfaced was a revelation. She did like him—a lot.
He said, “So, do you want to test this thing or not?”
Hell, yeah, she wanted to test his shield, but for once she managed to keep her impulsive thoughts to herself. She said, “Maybe we should wait until after your last race, in case it doesn’t work.”
Josh frowned, pouting like a child that didn’t get his way.
Channie fought the urge to laugh. “We can test it as soon as you’re done racing. I promise.”
~***~
When Channie and Josh got back to the Abrim's tarp, Momma and Daddy both shot her looks full of meaning, but neither of them said a word. Momma’s narrow-eyed glare didn’t bother Channie in the least, but Daddy looked like he’d just won the lottery. He grinned at her and said, “It smells like someone burned a skillet full of onions.”
Channie just smiled. At least the stench masked the scent of Enchantment’s magic. But it didn’t mask the new and improved Josh. When she examined him analytically, Channie didn’t find any physical differences, but something had changed. Instead of a skinny, awkward kid, she now saw a beautiful young man with a lean, powerful body. His eyes had always mesmerized her—now, they held her prisoner. She could not look away.
Was the shield making him more attractive? She’d used Enchantment’s magic, so it was a definite possibility. Or maybe it was just his newfound self-confidence. He was chatting Momma up like she was his favorite aunt or something.
Channie was still trying to figure it out when a couple of girls walked by and stopped to talk to him. Josh flirted with them shamelessly, as if Channie weren’t even there.
She was already mad, but when Josh introduced her as, “Channie Belks, a friend of mine from school,” Channie’s stomach twisted itself into a knot. She tried to smile at the two girls, Amanda and Lauren, but her facial muscles refused to cooperate.
She couldn’t fool herself any longer. She was falling hard for Josh and the last thing she wanted was competition.
Channie nearly lost control when Amanda tousled Josh’s hair. She wanted to curse them both. Instead, she said, “Josh, What are you doing? They’re going to start the race without you.”
He grabbed his bike and ran up the hill.
The starting gate hit the dirt with a thud. Channie didn’t even blink. She saw the flash of sunlight on metal and the brightly colored uniforms of the racers as they flew down the track. She heard the cheering crowd and the announcer’s frenzied report of the race. She smelled the dust in the air and the sweaty bodies all around her. She registered every detail. But she couldn’t process it. All she could think about was Josh. And testing the strength of his shield...by kissing him.
If the crowd weren’t chanting, “Jet, Jet, Jet,” Channie wouldn’t have realized he’d won the race. Even Momma and Daddy were cheering for him. Channie clapped her hands, but her mouth was so dry she couldn’t talk, much less cheer.
When Josh showed up, he was surrounded by a crowd of rowdy kids. Amanda had both her hands wrapped around Josh’s upper arm. She was bouncing on her toes and squealing like a stuck pig.
“Oh my god Jet, you are so amazing!”
It took every bit of Channie’s self-control to keep from cursing the stupid girl.
“Channie? Did you see my race?”
“Yes.” Stay calm. Amanda doesn’t matter. Josh is not interested in her. Channie read his energy just to be sure. The little slut was annoying him. Good.
“Well? What did you think?”
Channie could barely think, much less follow the conversation with Chastity’s energy boiling inside her power-well. If she did not want to test his shield right here in front everyone, she needed to get control of herself. “It was nice.”
“Nice?”
Josh tried to squirm out of Amanda’s clutches, but she refused to let go. She sneered at Channie then turned to Josh and said, “Well, I thought you were fan-freaking-tastic. I can’t wait to see you race again next week.”
Josh said, “Thanks,” but his gaze never left Channie’s face.
Amanda tugged on his arm until his ear was level with her mouth. She glared at Channie and said, “My parents will be at the track for at least an hour watching my brothers’ races. Come with me to our camper and I’ll show you how amazing I can be.”
Josh peeled Amanda’s fingers off his arm and said, “Not interested.”
Amanda tossed her hair over her shoulder, said, “Your loss,” and grabbed the arm of one of the other boys. She swung her hips as she sauntered off with the crowd of noisy kids towards the track.
Josh said, “Don’t let Amanda get to you. She makes a game out of seeing how many winners she can bag at each race. Just ignore her. I do.”
“Okay.”
Josh cocked his head to the side and studied Channie’s face.
“Channie? What’s going on? Do you feel alright?”
“I’m fine.” She knew she wasn’t very convincing, but she had to stay focused on controlling Chastity’s power.
Josh grabbed Channie’s elbows and steadied her while leading her back to their parents. She hadn’t even realized she was swaying on her feet.
He said, “Mrs. Belks, I think Channie’s sick.”
Momma had her hands full breaking up a fight between Zeal and Courage. Both boys had scratches on their faces and Zeal had a bite mark on his hand. Momma didn’t even look at Channie while she scanned her. “She’s fine.”
Mrs. Abrim seemed to float as she rose from her chair. She was as graceful as she was pretty. She felt Channie’s forehead with the back of her hand, then both cheeks with her palms. “You feel a little warm to me and your cheeks are flushed. Do you feel sick?”
Channie closed her eyes and shook her head. “No Ma’am.”
“Well, maybe you’re just tired. These races can wear you out if you’re not used to them. Why don’t you go take a nap in the trailer.”
Josh said, “Come on, I’ll take you.”
Momma grabbed Josh’s elbow and said, “And while you’re at it, take these three with you. If they don’t get a nap soon, we’re all gonna regret it.”
~***~
The boys fell asleep in Daddy’s arms on the way to the Abrim's trailer. He’d obviously cast a be-calm spell on the little devils. Daddy’s magic smelled like paper money and there was more than a hint of it clinging to the boys.
Josh said, “Do you want me to stay and keep you company.”
Everything after that happened all at once. Daddy cast a violent bolt of energy at Josh. It bounced off his shield and went straight back to Daddy. He deflected his own curse, glared at Channie, grabbed a fistful of Josh’s racing jersey and cocked his left arm back. His fisted hand looked like a sledge hammer.
Channie grabbed Daddy’s wrist with both hands, lifting her feet off the floor. His arm barely moved, but he turned his head to the side and glanced down at her out of the corner of his eye.
Josh should have taken advantage of the distraction and tried to slide out of his shirt and run away. Instead, he puffed out his chest, narrowed his eyes and raised his chin. “Get your hands off me.”
Channie didn’t want to curse Daddy if she could keep from it. He was strong as a bull and twice as dangerous, but his heart wasn’t as young and strong as Josh’
s. Chastity’s magic was more potent than it had been when she’d cursed Daddy before. If she wasn’t careful, she might kill him.
She put her feet back on the floor but held onto Daddy’s wrist. “What do you think we’re gonna do in here with the trips in the bed and your damn curse knocking Josh on his butt every time he looks at me?”
“I don’t like it—”
“You don't have to. Now let go of Josh and get out of here before I lose control.”
Josh’s aggressive body language wasn’t helping. Daddy was so mad the whole trailer shook from his barely contained rage.
Chastity’s magic churned inside her. “At least raise your shield!”
Daddy’s anger drained away along with all the blood from his face. He let go of Josh’s shirt, leaving behind a spider web of wrinkled fabric, and lowered his still fisted hand. “You and I are going to have a talk before this day is over, baby girl.”
“Don’t make me curse you.”
Daddy hunched over and turned sideways to squeeze out of the trailer. He gave Josh a parting glance that would have made most boys wet their pants—but not the new and magically enhanced Josh. He just smiled and waved good-bye. What an idiot.
When Daddy disappeared from view, Josh said, “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to piss him off like that. He looked like he wanted to kill you.”
“Me? What about the way you puffed out your chest and glared at him? You were practically daring him to hit you.”
“I was?”
“You ordered him to get his hands off you.”
“Huh. I did, didn’t I.” Josh scratched the back of his head and chuckled. “I guess your old man isn’t so scary after all.”
“Don’t be a fool. Daddy’s still dangerous. He obviously believed that I protected you with my own shield. If he finds out that Chastity’s curse can’t hurt you, he’ll kill you with his bare hands.”
Josh shut the door...and locked it.
“Did you hear a word I just said?”
He grinned and leaned against the door. “Are you ready to test my shield?”
“You’re incorrigible!”
“I know. Come here.”
Channie’s feet refused to move but all thoughts of Daddy and the outside world grew a little more distant with each beat of her heart.
Josh crossed the room and put his hands on her shoulders. Channie lifted her hands to his chest.
He leaned forward, lips softly parted and eyes half-closed. His breath warmed her cheek. Blood surged behind her ears, drowning out all other sounds. He’s going to kiss me.
“Wait!” Channie arched her back and pushed away from Josh. Her whole body trembled. “I’m not ready.”
Josh frowned, “What’s wrong? This isn’t the first time we’ve kissed.”
Channie closed her eyes and nodded her head. “I know. But that didn’t count.”
“Why not?”
“Because I made you kiss me. It was just a test. This is real.”
“Is it?”
Channie cringed. Heat flooded her cheeks. She knew Josh wanted her body, but that didn’t mean he also wanted her heart.
The right side of Josh’s mouth curved upwards into a crooked smile. “It’s real for me, too.”
He slid his hands down Channie’s arms. She shivered under his touch—until he reached the bare skin of her wrist. Pain flashed up her arm, across her shoulder and into her jaw. She jerked away from him and gasped. Josh swore and shook his hand, then popped his fingers into his mouth.
Channie rubbed her arm, tracing the path of the pain. “You...zapped me.”
“Oh man, I’m so sorry. Is that the first time you’ve felt it?”
“Yes.” Channie’s arm still ached. Josh must like her an awful lot to put up with this kind of pain on a regular basis.
“If it makes you feel any better, you zapped me too. I’m sorry the shield didn’t work, but thanks for trying.”
“With the amount of lust you’re generating, Chastity’s curse should have knocked you unconscious. Your shield protected us until you touched my bare skin. I guess it can only do so much.”
“So, what’s your curse doing now? Is it trying to zap me?”
“Yes, but since I already emptied my power-well, I can control it.”
“Come here, you.” Josh grabbed Channie’s wrist, above the cuff, and pulled her into his arms.
Her belly tightened involuntarily, shooting a wave of heat over her skin, until even her toes felt hot. Chastity’s magic protested, but it wasn’t back to full power yet, it was still manageable. Her mind screamed, ‘get away,’ but her body insisted she get closer—until Josh’s stomach growled.
Channie giggled and leaned back against his arms. “You’re hungry.”
“Yeah, but not for food.” His voice was deep, animalistic, with just a hint of aggression.
She squirmed out of his embrace, but kept her hands on his chest. She didn’t want him to think she was rejecting him. “I got a new phone. Can you show me how to use it?”
Josh moved his hands to her shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze, sighing as he exhaled. “Sure. Let’s go outside for awhile. I need some fresh air.”
Channie nodded. Fresh air and a little less privacy was exactly what they needed.
Josh sat on the end of a folding lounge chair and pulled Channie onto his lap. She’d seen lots of boys with girls on their laps at school and here, today at the race. No one seemed to care, not even the girls’ parents. But back home, you didn’t sit on a boy’s lap if you cared about your reputation.
When she leaned forward to get up, Josh grabbed her hips and said, “Where do you think you’re going?” But then he sighed and let go, holding his hands out to the side, palms up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
Channie settled back onto his lap, but slid closer to his knees. “It’s okay, I’m just a little nervous. I’ve never sat on a boy’s lap before.”
Josh said, “I’m sort of new at this, too. If I ever do anything you don’t like—just tell me and I’ll stop.” He sounded sincere...but then he slid his hand from her back around to the side, curling his fingers over her ribs. “If I do something you especially like—be sure to tell me that too.”
Damn it! Channie liked it alright. And he wasn’t touching anything he shouldn’t. But her eyes were almost level with his. If she fell into those sapphire depths, who knew what might happen. All he had to do was slide his fingers up a few inches...
Channie arched sideways and pressed her arm against her body, nudging his hand lower with her elbow. “I’d especially like it if you showed me how to use my phone.”
Josh sort of growled, but he got the hint. “Fine, hand it over.” He didn’t even need the instruction book. He grinned and took a picture of himself then programmed Channie’s phone so his face appeared on the screen whenever he called her.
He said, “Do you like Nickelback?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never heard of them.”
“I have just the song for my ringtone.”
She didn’t want to read too much into it, but when Josh dialed her number and “Gotta Be Somebody” started playing, Channie’s heart skipped more than a couple of beats.
He handed her phone back to her and said, “When you want to call me, just press and hold the number two button.”
“You should be number one.”
“That’s really sweet, but I programmed that number to call nine-one-one, which is the first thing you should do in an emergency. It’s not unusual for people to panic during a crisis but even if your mind goes blank, you can remember to press the number one because it’s …”
“The first thing to do in an emergency. Got it.”
Josh took a picture of Channie with his phone and reprogrammed it with her number stored in the number two spot. He used the same song for her ringtone and said, “This is our song now, so you can’t ever use it for anyone else’s ringtone.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
~***~
Josh plugged a set of earbuds into his phone and handed one of them to Channie then played their song all the way through. When it ended, he said, “Channie, I need to know if my shield can protect me from the full force of your curse. We need to test it.”
“Now?”
“I need to allow time to recover before the award ceremony if it doesn’t work.”
“Alright.” Channie’s whole body trembled as she relinquished control of Chastity’s power. It rushed out of her like water through a broken dam. But this time it was different. This time, there was no horrifying jolt as the curse shot out of her like a bolt of lightening. This time, there was no sudden, debilitating weakness. And this time, there was no writhing victim on the ground, clutching his chest on the verge of a heart attack.
Josh said, “It’s working. I can feel your magic pouring into me, but it doesn’t hurt.” He slid both of his hands to Channie’s waist and lifted her off his lap. “In fact, it feels so good it should probably be illegal—I’m sure it’s addicting.” He stood up and ran his hands through his hair. “I’ve never felt anything like this before. It’s amazing. It’s—”
Josh opened his mouth and gasped as his shield pulled the last of Chastity’s energy out of her power-well. He didn’t grab his heart or cry out in pain. He closed his eyes and ran his hands over his chest, across his belly and down his thighs.
Channie had to sit back down to keep from falling over. Or charging Josh like an angry bull. Except...she wasn’t angry. She was...she was wanting to tackle that boy, wrestle him to the ground and rip all his clothes off.
Where did that come from?
Channie shook her head to clear the lust from her mind, but it didn’t do much good. She’d felt attracted to boys before, but not like this. She sniffed the air looking for traces of magic. Had somebody cast a come-hither spell on her?
Josh paced back and forth in front of the trailer. “I feel...super-charged. Like I could win a dozen races, one after the other. Like I could—”
Josh stopped—mid-stride, mid-sentence, mid-breath—and stood perfectly still, all expression wiped clean from his face.
“Josh? What’s wrong?”
He blinked and said a very bad word. But he said it without emotion, without raising his voice. “I have to go tell my coach to forfeit my races before the award ceremony.” His voice was flat, monotone.
“Why?”
Channie’s question seemed to resurrect all Josh’s emotions. He pointed his index finger at her like a gun and yelled at her. “Because there is no way this isn’t cheating!”