“You go on to your house, I’ll go back and try to smooth things over with Momma and Daddy—”
“The hell you will.” The wind yowled like a cat in heat, so Josh had to shout to be heard. “I don’t trust your Dad, or your Mom either for that matter. They’ll just wait until you’re asleep and disable you with another curse so they can beat you or something.”
“They know I’ll retaliate.”
“I won’t let you go back there by yourself, and I really don’t want your Dad to turn me into a punching bag.”
“Josh—”
“I mean it.”
Channie wasn’t about to let Josh anywhere near Daddy, so she gave in.
~***~
When they got to Josh’s house, they were both shivering uncontrollably. Josh fumbled with his keys as he unlocked the side door into the garage. “The fifth stair from the top squeaks. Try to avoid it. Mom’s a sound sleeper. But Elijah isn’t.”
The door creaked as Josh nudged it open, one inch, then two. A tumultuous noise made Channie instinctively cover her ears with her hands.
Josh said, “What the hell?” and flipped on the overhead light. It looked like someone had upset the canned vegetable display at the grocery store. He nudged several cans of green beans and stewed tomatoes out of his way and held the door open for Channie.
Joshua’s momma was on the sofa, propped up on her elbows. She was wearing men’s flannel pajamas and her hair was a mess. A bed pillow at one end still held the shape of her head. She blinked and squinted her eyes, “What’s Channie doing here?”
“What’s three weeks of groceries doing on the floor?”
“Poor man’s security system. I got tired of you sneaking in like a thief in the middle of the night.” She tossed the blanket onto the floor and stood up. “Channie? What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
Channie hadn’t even realized she was crying.
Josh slipped his hand around her waist. “Her parents came home early and were a little surprised to find me there.”
Mrs. Abrim said a very bad word. “What happened?”
Josh shrugged his shoulders. “They freaked out. Channie needs a place to stay until they cool off.”
“Of course.” Mrs. Abrim stood up, wove her way past the canned goods and wrapped her arms around Channie. Her compassion was so unexpected it broke down the last of Channie’s self-control. She dissolved into tears, and sobbed on her shoulder.
“Josh, go put clean sheets on your bed.”
“Got it.” Josh took the stairs three at a time.
“And bring down a set for yourself. You’re sleeping on the couch.”
“But, Channie needs me. I promise we’ll—”
“No buts, Josh.”
Elijah peeked over the stair railing and said, “If Channie’s scared, she can sleep with me.”
“Channie’s a big girl, Elijah. She’ll be just fine sleeping by herself.” She gripped Channie’s shoulders and held her at arms length. Her eyes moved back and forth as she scanned Channie’s face. “Right?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. I know I can count on you.” She gave Channie’s arms a quick squeeze then let go and went upstairs.
Josh came back a few minutes later—without any sheets, blankets or pillows—and flopped sideways in the chair across from Channie. One leg angled out in front of him, the other draped over the armrest.
“Mom has a migraine. She said to tell you she’s sorry for not helping you settle in, but she needed to take something and go to bed. And get this, she said I’m supposed to be sure you have everything you need.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and grinned at her.
Channie bit her lip to keep from smiling back at him. “I’ll be fine.”
“The stuff Mom takes for migraines makes her extra drowsy. Don’t lock the door when you go to bed, I’ll give her half an hour to be sure she’s out, then—”
“No. You aren’t sleeping with me tonight.”
“Oh, come on, Channie.” Josh reached out and picked up a strand of her hair, sliding it between his fingers. “I’ll behave, I promise.”
“No. She trusts me.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“I couldn’t be more serious.”
Josh continued to pout as he followed Channie upstairs. “Don’t you want some company, just until you get sleepy?”
“Goodnight, Josh. I’ll see you in the morning.” She blew him a kiss then closed, and locked, his bedroom door.
~***~
Momma and Daddy started calling Channie just after sunrise on Sunday morning. She refused to answer her phone, but she listened to their messages. The first five were from Momma, blatant threats of physical violence if Channie didn’t return the Book of the Dead immediately. The next dozen or so calls were from Daddy—death-threats directed at Josh for ruining his baby girl.
The last few messages had been respectful requests that Channie come home so they could work things out. She had no intention of talking to either one of them until they both apologized. And she wasn’t going home until she had their binding promise that they wouldn’t harm Josh or try to take the Book of the Dead away from her. Channie grabbed her backpack from under Josh’s bed and checked to be sure the book was still there. It was.
Momma would have no problem tracing the magic of such a powerful artifact. The only way for Channie to keep the book safely in her possession, was to keep it with her at all times.
She crept downstairs and borrowed a paring knife from the kitchen then locked herself in Josh’s room. She nicked her left index finger and dribbled a few drops of blood into the plastic buckle that fastened the pack then cast a touch-me-not spell. No one could open her pack but her without getting burned.
~***~
Channie was on edge all day Sunday. Josh kept trying to lure her into his room or the basement and Mrs. Abrim kept finding excuses to check on them. Channie didn’t mind the cookies and other treats, but the suspicious glances were insulting, especially since she’d done nothing to deserve them.
Later that night, when Channie refused to let Josh sneak into her room, he threw a regular hissy fit and stomped downstairs without kissing her head or saying goodnight.
Monday morning was a disaster. Josh’s Momma yelled at him for dragging his feet and refusing to get up.
He rolled his head from side to side and rubbed the back of his neck, sighing and groaning like an old man. “It’s not my fault. I can’t sleep on this damn couch.”
Guilt twisted Channie’s stomach. She wanted to trade places with Josh, but if she slept on the couch, there’d be no way to keep him from paying her a visit in the middle of the night. She doubted she’d have the will power to send him away.
Everyone was running late, so Mrs. Abrim insisted on driving them all to school, even though it would make her late for work. Josh pitched a fit worthy of Zeal, yelling about how humiliating it was to be dropped off at school by his mommy, but she didn’t back down.
As soon as they got out of the car, Channie knew the rest of the day was going to be pure hell. Girls came from all directions to crowd around Josh.
In all the rush, she’d forgotten to activate the itches-for-bitches curse on his shield. Previous experience with the curse kept most girls from touching him, but it didn’t stop them from flirting.
It wouldn’t have been so bad if Josh hadn’t flirted back. He was still pouting because Channie locked him out of his room but that was no excuse for the way he was acting.
She would have zapped him on the spot if his shield weren’t immune to Chastity’s punitive magic. The last thing she wanted to do was super-charge him and make him even more attractive to his drooling audience.
The only magic Channie could safely use to send the appropriate message was Enchantment’s, but she’d never used Enchantment’s power to fuel an actual curse.
The thought startled Channie and gave her a moment’s pause. She’d cursed more people in the past two
months than she had in her entire life.
Well, her life was different now. Persuasive magic wouldn’t do her much good against a member of the Veyjivik clan. She’d need Chastity’s raw power if she wanted to survive a confrontation with a dark mage.
But Josh wasn’t a dark mage. He wasn’t even a mage. He was a stubborn, arrogant, self-centered boyfriend that needed a gentle reminder that his girlfriend was watching his every move. She’d used Chastity’s magic to fuel a healing spell, there was no reason she couldn’t force Enchantment’s magic to cast a minor curse.
Except Enchantment resisted the misuse of its power more vehemently than Chastity ever had. The mild stinging spell she finally managed to cast wasn’t strong enough to be painful, but Josh flinched and jerked his head up when it zinged him. Channie slumped against the lockers with her hand over her heart. The spell obviously hurt her more than it had Josh, but the kicked-puppy look on his face nicked her conscience.
Josh was not a child that needed to be reprimanded. If they had a problem, they needed to talk it out like adults.
Channie tapped into Chastity’s power for the strength to catch up with Josh and ran after him. But when she grabbed his arm, he spun around and yanked free from her grasp. His jaw muscles twitched as he spoke through clenched teeth. “What the hell is your problem?”
How dare he talk to her in that tone of voice. She poked his chest with her index finger, emphasizing each word. “My problem, mister, is you! What do you think you’re doing? I could feel your lustful energy all the way from the other end of the hall.”
Josh pushed her hand away from his chest without touching her bare skin, but his rejection was more hurtful than any curse. He narrowed his eyes and said, “Whatever, Channie,” then shoved his fists into his pockets and stormed into Old Lady Windsor’s classroom.
English Literature was the only class they had together and they were wasting it by being mad at each other. Channie held her phone under her desk and texted Josh. If there were one good thing about Old Lady Windsor, it was that she couldn’t hear the high-pitched mosquito ringtones everyone used for text alerts.
Channie was ridiculously proud of herself for remembering to use “2” instead of “to.”
Josh refused to even look at his phone. Channie knew he could hear it, everybody except Old Lady Windsor could hear it, but he stubbornly ignored it—and Channie.
As soon as the bell rang, she jumped up from her desk and headed straight for Josh. Unfortunately, Eric’s girlfriend, Kassie, was blocking her path.
Channie had to grit her teeth to keep from cursing the both of them when Josh put his hands on Kassie's shoulders. Neither of them were generating any lust and all he said was, “Let me know when you find out,” but it destroyed any inclination Channie had to apologize.
By the time lunch hour rolled around, Channie felt like she was going to explode with hostile energy. Not only was Josh constantly surrounded by girls every time Channie caught a glimpse of him in the halls, but he refused to look at her. He made no effort whatsoever to apologize. And to top it all off, Channie was hungry. No one had time to pack lunches this morning, but even if she’d had any money with her, she wouldn’t waste it on the overpriced food in the cafeteria.
“Screw this. I’m going home.” Channie wasn’t ready to forgive Momma and Daddy, but she needed a place to stay. She started walking down the bike path towards her house, but she didn’t get very far. A large, warm hand settled lightly on her shoulder.
“Hey, you wanna get out of here?”
Channie spun around and wrapped her arms around Josh’s waist, hugging him to her and burying her face in his chest. “Do I ever!”
“Kassie loaned me her car until fifth period. What do you say we go get something to eat. I’m starving.”
~***~
Channie wasn’t thrilled about the fact that Kassie had loaned her car to Josh. You didn’t loan a vehicle to just anyone, unless you liked them an awful lot. Channie didn’t think she’d get much information if she confronted Josh head-on, so she waited until the hostess at Chili’s led them to a booth in the back of the restaurant. As soon as they were alone, Channie unwrapped her utensils, put her napkin in her lap and focused on keeping her voice nonchalant and friendly.
“What were you and Kassie talking about this morning after Old Lady Windsor’s class?”
Josh deflated. He slumped down in the corner of the booth, slid his hands to his lap, and exhaled loudly. “I can’t tell you.”
“Why not?”
“It’s private.”
Channie picked at a loose thread on the corner of her napkin. “I see.”
“No. You don’t. But I’m going to ask you to trust me on this one. Can you do that?”
Trust didn’t come easy for Channie, the people she loved had a habit of betraying or deserting her, but she didn’t want to fight with Josh anymore. She nodded her head.
When they finished eating, Josh said, “Can I ask why you got so upset this morning?”
“You mean when you were lusting after all those girls at school?”
“Is it possible, that what you felt was coming from the girls and not from me?”
Channie ducked her chin, but kept her gaze locked on Josh’s eyes. “Maybe.”
He put his hands flat on the table and leaned forward. “Look, Channie, I admit that all the attention is a huge boost to my male ego—even though I know it’s not real—but that doesn’t mean I’m interested in any of those girls. You’re the only girl I want.”
“I’m sorry, I never thought I’d be the jealous type, but I can’t stand the thought of anyone touching you. Maybe it’s because I can’t even hold your hand.”
“I know what you mean. I can’t stand the thought of another guy touching you either.”
Josh rubbed the back of his neck. He was nervous, but why? “Do you want dessert?”
“No, thank you.” In addition to a pulled pork sandwich, large Dr. Pepper and french fried potatoes, Channie had eaten half of Josh’s onion rings.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a little blue box. “Do you know what a promise ring is?”
Channie’s heart flip-flopped into her throat. “No.”
“It’s sort of old-fashioned, but it’s one way for me to show you—and everyone else—that we belong together.” He opened the box and revealed a delicate white-gold ring. Two diamonds glittered inside intertwined hearts. “You have completely captured my heart. I promise to do everything in my power to make you as happy as you’ve already made me. I’d do anything for you, Channie. No sacrifice is too great. Will you accept this ring as a token of that promise?”
Too choked up to speak, Channie pressed three fingers to her mouth and nodded. Joy, love, and passion flowed between them as a surge of heart-magic strengthened their supernatural bond. “It looks like an engagement—”
“It’s not.” Their connection snapped and disappeared. Josh licked his lips then swallowed. “It’s just a promise ring.”
Channie blinked back tears before they fell, but not before Josh noticed.
“Babe, we’re too young to get engaged. But I promise...I’ll love you forever.”
It wasn’t too young for mages to get engaged, or even married, as long as they could support themselves. But Josh was not a mage and this was not the Ozarks where you could hunt, fish, trap and grow your own food. Channie would be surprised if Josh even knew how to use a draw knife to strip the bark off a log, much less build a cabin.
“I’m not crying because I’m sad. These tears are happy tears.”
Josh heaved a huge sigh and pushed the box across the table with his fingertips. “I wish I could put the ring on your finger, but I don’t want to burn you.”
Channie plucked the ring from the box and held it up in the light.
A multitude of prismatic specks danced across the table and the front of Josh’s chest like a shattered rainbow.
“Are
you going to put that thing on, or just hold it all day?”
Channie grinned and slid the ring onto the fourth finger of her left hand. It was a little wiggly, so she pulled the loose thread from her napkin, unravelling the hem, and wound it around the ring.
Josh said, “What are you doing?”
“It’s a little loose. I don’t want to lose it.”
“Since we aren’t ordering dessert, we have enough time to take it back to Zales before fourth period and get it resized. Now stand up so I can get a hug.”
Channie wrapped her arms around Josh’s waist and pressed the side of her face against his chest, over his pounding heart. She said, “I never...in my wildest dreams...ever imagined anything this beautiful could belong to me.“
Josh kissed the top of her head. “Ditto.”
~***~
It took a whole week for the jewelry store to resize Channie’s ring, but it was worth the wait. The first day she wore it to school, no less than six girls stopped her in the halls and asked to see it. Kassie took Channie’s left hand and twisted it back and forth then blinked when a sparkle struck her eye. She laughed and said, “What’d you do, Josh? Rob a bank?”
Channie had already activated the IFB curse on his shield so she couldn’t even touch his sleeve. A warm sensation built inside her heart-of-hearts then exploded outwards as their magical connection unfurled.
Josh gasped when it buried itself in his chest. Love, passion and joy flowed back and forth between them.
Channie whispered, “I love you.”
Josh pressed a hand over his heart and mouthed, “forever.”
But they didn’t have forever. Each night as the moon waned thinner, Channie’s anxiety waxed stronger.
~***~
Channie woke on the sixteenth of November, too distraught to crawl out of bed.
Mrs. Abrim stuck a digital thermometer in Channie’s ear. She pulled it out after it beeped and said, “That can’t be right.” She did it again, in Channie’s other ear. “Your temp is a full two degrees below normal, you must be coming down with something.”
“Yes, ma’am. I believe so.” A severe case of dread.
“Do you want me to stay home with you? I have a few days of sick leave saved up.”
“No, thank you. I’ll be fine. But if you could bring me a little valerian or chamomile tea before you go, it might help.”