Tears filled Channie’s eyes when she realized Daddy was afraid to hug her.
He picked up the suitcase by the door and said, “Behave yourself, baby girl.”
Channie pulled out a kitchen chair and sat down. What the hell just happened? Momma and Daddy had never left her unsupervised before, and now all of a sudden they put her in charge of the trips? Either they had a lot more faith in her than she thought—or Momma had caught Daddy’s gambling addiction.
Channie went upstairs and checked on the boys. They were all cuddled up together like a litter of pups, snoring softly. With a little luck they should sleep past sunrise tomorrow.
Channie put on her nightgown, crawled into bed and texted Josh. She wasn’t familiar with the short-hand code the other kids used so it took her awhile to type it all out.
Call me if you are awake
When Josh texted her back, his nickname appeared in front of his message.
...r u ok
my parents left
...???
just call me
Even though she was expecting it, when “Gotta Be Somebody” blared out of Channie’s phone, she jumped and nearly dropped it before she fumbled it open. “Hello?”
“Hey, Channie, What’s up?”
“My parents took off to go gamble as soon as I walked in the door.”
“They go to Blackhawk?”
“I have no idea. They just said it was someplace up in the mountains.”
“How long they gonna be gone?”
“I don’t know. Momma said she’d call in a couple of days to check up on us.”
“Do you want me to come over?”
“Will your Momma let you?”
“She already went to bed, besides, she’s used to me slipping off during the night when I can’t sleep.”
“Alright. Come on over.”
“Sweet! I’ll be right there.”
Holy cow, what was she thinking?
~***~
Josh knocked on Channie’s front door seventeen minutes later. She’d barely had time to throw her clothes back on. She led him into the parlor and told him about Momma and Daddy’s plan to win enough money to pay off Daddy’s gambling debts so they could move back to Arkansas without going into specifics. He didn’t need to know about Dominance Veyjivik or her vow to torture and kill Channie’s family.
Josh grabbed Channie and pulled her hard against his chest.“I don’t want you to move. We just found each other.”
She inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with his unique scent of sandalwood and lemons. “I don’t want to move either.”
“Maybe you can stay with us.”
“Momma and Daddy would never agree to that.”
“Your parents are scared to death of you. You can do anything you want.”
Channie leaned back and tilted her head to look into his eyes. “I’d still have to live with the consequences.”
If Momma and Daddy were foolish enough to come out of hiding and offer the Veyjivik’s gold instead of blood, it would start a clan war—They would probably all die anyway, but Channie couldn’t live with herself knowing she’d deserted her clan when they needed her most.
She didn’t want to worry Josh, so she offered a less truthful explanation. “When Abby ran away, Daddy disowned her. He said that even if she came home and begged his forgiveness, she’d never be welcome under his roof again.”
“I won’t ask you choose between your family and me.” Josh loosened his grip and slid his hands to her waist. “Long distance relationships are hard, but we can stay in touch and I’ll come visit you every chance I get. How long do you think it will take your parents to win enough money to pay off your dad’s debts?”
The lump in Channie’s throat made it hard to swallow. She would never allow Josh to visit her in the midst of a mage war. “I don’t even know how much he owes.”
Josh said, “I hope it’s a lot,” and kissed the top of her head. They both froze, then leaned away from each other. “I just kissed you...and it didn’t hurt.”
He smiled and reached up to brush a tear off Channie’s cheek, but when he touched her face, it sent a jolt of pain through her head so intense she nearly passed out.
Josh shook his hand and swore then blew on his fingertips. “What happened? How come I can kiss your head, but I can’t touch your face?”
“Maybe my hair works as a barrier, like clothes.”
He raised his hand then slowly lowered it onto Channie’s head. His touch was as soft and light as a butterfly, but it triggered a full-body shiver. “Your hair is so beautiful.”
“Thank you. So is yours.”
Josh pushed the hood of his sweatshirt off his head. His hair was curlier than usual and slightly damp. He must have showered before she called. He blushed and said, “Do you want to touch it?”
Thoughts of home, mage wars and the Veyjiviks receded as Channie extended her hand. His hair felt like silk, baby-soft like the trips and so different from her own frizzy mass. Josh sighed and leaned closer as she combed her fingers through his curls. But when she accidentally touched his ear they both yelped and sprang apart.
“I’m so sorry.”
Josh rubbed his ear and said, “No, it’s okay. The pain only lasts for a second.”
“I don’t like hurting you.”
“I don’t like hurting you either. We need to figure out some way to protect ourselves.” He laughed and said, “We need cuddle clothes.”
“Cuddle clothes?”
“Turtlenecks, hoodies, sweatpants, socks...whatever covers the most amount of skin.”
Josh and Channie searched all the closets for cuddle clothes. Not surprisingly, the most modest clothing came out of Momma’s closet. Channie sent Josh back to her room and changed into a lightweight, green turtleneck. It was too long and more than a little bit tight, especially across the bust, but it was made out of stretchy fabric so it wasn’t uncomfortable.
Channie opened her bedroom door to find Josh sitting on her bed. His gaze drifted over her body. She felt naked, as he bombarded her with waves of lust. Channie folded her arms over her chest. “Cut it out!”
Josh shook his head and blinked as if coming out of a trance, then ducked his chin. “Sorry.”
“You’re going to have to learn to control yourself.”
“I said I was sorry.” He rubbed the back of his neck and grinned. “I can’t believe I’m saying this—it goes against my male nature—but maybe you could put a shirt on over that sweater?”
Channie grabbed a t-shirt out of her middle drawer and yanked it on over her head. “Is this better?”
“It depends on how you define better, but anything that hides your curves is going to make it easier for me to keep my thoughts off your body.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I was afraid you’d say that.” Josh sighed and said, “Why do you think my shield protects us from everything except skin-to-skin contact?”
“Probably because I’ve never made a shield before and don’t know what I’m doing.”
“Can you fix it? Make it stronger so we can touch? I’d really like to kiss you.”
“I’d like that too.” Just the thought of his mouth on hers made Channie lightheaded. If they could kiss, they could do other things too. If she strengthened his shield, it would be too easy to get carried away. Why complicate things? “I don’t want to risk losing what we have.”
Josh stood up and ran his hands down the length of Channie’s arms then hugged her to his chest and kissed the top of her head. “This is...amazing. I’ve never felt so...connected to anyone before. I shouldn’t be so greedy.”
Channie thought about the magical connection they’d shared earlier and said, “Did you notice anything...unusual at the award ceremony?”
“I didn’t just imagine that?”
“No. It was real.”
“What was it?”
Channie turned her head and rested her chin on Josh?
??s breastbone so she could look into his eyes. She didn’t know how to explain their magically bound hearts without the risk of Josh thinking she’d forced him into it. He’d specifically asked her about controlling someone’s emotions with magic the night he came over for dinner. She didn’t understand it herself, but she knew that it required two people with willing hearts to create a bond like theirs. Josh was just as much a part of this as she was. Channie decided to start with the basics. “It was heart-magic.”
“There’s more than one kind of magic?”
“Yes...and no. Magic exists in everything...water, air, rocks, plants, animals, people. A mage just learns how to manipulate it.”
“So it’s a skill you can learn?”
“If you’re a mage. Basic magic is instinctive. It’s all most folks ever use. Once we learn to focus our minds, all we have to do is think of the spell we want and tap into the energy stored in our power-wells to create it. The more powerful mages learn to manipulate magic in a more discreet and finite way.”
Josh slid his hands to Channie’s waist, leaned back and arched his eyebrows. “Huh?”
“Okay, it’s like biology and physics. It’s easier to work with magic flowing through a whole organism—which is what most of us do using energy from our power-well— than manipulate it on a cellular level, with heart-magic, which is what master-healers do.”
“And physics?”
“The only way to manipulate non-living matter is on a molecular or atomic level. It’s theoretically possible, but I’ve never met anyone that could do it.”
“So magic is like the force...in Star Wars.”
“What?”
Josh laughed. “It’s a movie. Actually it’s six movies. Come over sometime and we’ll have a Star Wars marathon.” His smile softened as he tilted his head to the side. “Do you think you’ll ever learn to control your new power-thing so you won’t go around zapping guys all the time?”
Channie said, “Not completely, my parents used an ancient binding-spell. The only way to control it, is to break it.”
“Binding spell?”
“You don’t want to know.” Channie shivered thinking about the Book of the Dead.
“Sure I do. I want to know everything about you.”
She shook her head, wiggling her chin into the hollow spot between Josh’s pectoral muscles.
He twitched and chuckled softly. “That tickles.”
“Sorry.”
“I don’t mind.” Josh kissed the top of her head. “So, tell me more about heart-magic. How long have you been using it?”
“I didn’t even know where my heart-of-hearts was until Enchantment chose it as a hiding place when my parents changed my name.”
“Where is your heart-of-hearts?”
“Inside my regular heart.”
“Do I have one?”
“Before the award ceremony, I would have said no, but I don't know how we could have experienced what we did if you didn’t have a heart-of-hearts. Your shield must be more powerful than I thought if it’s giving you the ability to use magic.”
“I used magic?”
“Not just any magic—heart-magic. Are you sure you don’t have any mages in your family tree?”
Josh frowned and pulled his eyebrows together, then parted his lips. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “The only thing I’m sure of is that I want to hold you like this forever...but I’m really tired. I’m about to pass out on my feet.”
“Do you want to sleep with me?”
Josh’s arms tightened around Channie. She clamped down on Chastity’s energy as soon as she realized what she’d said, but Josh’s lust very nearly overpowered her. Channie doubted she’d be able to control herself if Chastity’s magic supercharged Josh’s shield when they were this close.
She disentangled herself from his arms and said, “I meant real sleep...not...you know.”
“I would love to fall asleep with you in my arms and hold you all night long. I’ll behave, I promise.”
~***~
The next morning, as Channie drifted into wakefulness, yesterday’s events distilled into coherency like dew out of a warm mist.
She reached for Josh, but he wasn’t there. She peeked over the side of her bed and found him, asleep on the floor. He was lying pigeon-toed on his stomach with his hands tucked under his thighs. Shadows cast by the yellowed lace of her window curtains floated across his back like fallen leaves on water, shifting with the ebb and flow of his breath.
Josh hunched his shoulders and shivered then blinked his eyes open. He yawned and said, “Morning.”
Channie propped herself up on her elbows. “What are you doing on the floor?”
“Behaving.”
“You were behaving last night.”
“Yeah, but you weren’t.”
Channie sat up and even though she was fully clothed, pulled the covers up under her chin. “What do you mean?”
“You were having some pretty good dreams.”
Abby used to complain about the way Channie talked in her sleep. “What did I say?”
Josh wiggled around to face her, but remained on his belly. He folded his arms and rested his chin on the back of his wrist. “It wasn’t what you said, so much as what you did.”
Holy crap. “Wh… what did I do?”
“Nothing I didn’t enjoy.” The corners of his mouth curved into a lopsided grin as his cheeks reddened. “But when I realized you were asleep, I felt like a perv, so I just moved to the floor.”
“Why didn’t you wake me up?”
“I didn’t want to interrupt what was obviously a very good dream.”
Channie resisted the urge to pull the covers over her head and changed the subject.
“Do you mind keeping an eye on the trips while I take a quick shower? They’ll wake up any minute and I don’t dare leave those little monsters unsupervised.”
Josh yawned again and sat up. “Sure, anything in particular I should do if they wake up?”
“No, just don’t let them kill each other or tear the house apart.”
When Channie opened the door after her shower, the aroma of pancakes led her to the kitchen. Josh was standing in the middle of the room—a crocheted pot holder and cast-iron skillet in one hand, a spatula in the other. The triplets were staring at a large pancake clinging to the ceiling.
Josh said, “I barely tossed it. There’s no way that thing should have gone that high.”
The smug look on Savvy’s face was all the explanation Channie needed. Most mages weren’t able to cast spells until they were at least eight-years-old. But then again, she’d never heard of a sixteen-year-old mage and an Empty binding themselves with heart-magic either. The power that flowed through Momma’s line was extraordinary. Channie couldn’t help but wonder how much of that was due to the dark magic practiced by her ancestors.
When the pancake fell from the ceiling, Josh caught it in the skillet then opened the cabinet under the sink.
Channie put a hand on his shoulder before he could throw it in the trash and said, “We don’t waste food. That one’s Savvy’s.” She pretended not to notice when the little devil slid it onto Zeal’s plate.
After breakfast, Channie sat the boys down and said, “Granny and Grandaddy left on a little vacation. They left me in charge so you better behave.” They took the news a lot better than she thought they would.
Savvy said, “How long they gonna be gone?”
“I don’t know. But Granny said she’d call us in a few days to check on us.”
Josh’s phone whooped like a tornado alert siren. He rolled his eyes and said, “It’s my mom,” then flipped it open. “Yeah.”
“Fine...I’ll be home before noon.”
Josh grimaced and held the phone away from his ear, even the triplets stopped fighting over the syrup to listen to Josh’s momma yell at him.
“I am sick and tired of you running off without so much as leaving a note to let me know where you
are—”
“If you were so worried, why didn’t you call last night?”
“If you don’t get your ass home in the next twenty minutes, consider yourself grounded for the next week.”
“Fine!” Josh slammed his phone shut and said, “I gotta go.”
Channie glanced sideways at the trips and said, “Thanks for coming over this morning to fix breakfast for us.”
Josh quirked an eyebrow, but he went along with Channie’s plan to keep his overnight visit a secret. “Anytime. Call me if you need anything.”
Channie ducked her chin as she stacked the breakfast dishes on the table. “Don’t tell anyone, okay? Especially not your momma.”
Josh kissed the top of her head and said, “I’m not stupid.”
~***~
Channie spent most of the morning at the park with the trips. It was a warm day so she sat at the new picnic table in the pavilion—the city didn’t waste any time replacing the one Daddy had stolen—and did her homework while the boys played and fought with each other.
When her phone started playing “Gotta Be Somebody,” Channie’s heart flip-flopped into her throat.
“Hi, Josh.”
“Hey, Channie. I just called to let you know that I can’t call you today.”
“Why?” Her heart stopped mid-flip and slid to the floor.
“Mom’s punishing me and taking my phone after this call.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“Me too, I just didn’t want you to think I was ignoring you, but she’s standing here listening to every word I say and timing this call. For every minute we talk, she’s grounding me an extra day...so I guess I’ll see you at school.”
Ten minutes after they hung up, Josh started texting Channie—from Elijah’s phone.
She fed the trips peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch and supper both, but no one complained. She didn’t give them baths or try to put them to bed on time, but just let them play until they fell asleep on the floor, then carried them to bed.
Channie’s phone woke her up a little after midnight. It was just an ordinary ring tone so Channie assumed it was either Momma or Daddy calling from a pay phone to check on her and the boys.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Channie, you awake?”
“Josh? Did your momma give you your phone back?”
“No, I’m still using Elijah’s.”
“That’s awful nice of him.”
“Not really. I’m paying the little twerp five bucks to use his phone and another five to not tell on me.”