Finding Valor (22 page)

Channie threw her arms around his neck and pulled him in for another mind-blowing kiss. There was nothing chaste about that one. Her mouth parted with a whimper, inviting him in. He traced her lips with his tongue before darting past her teeth. She tasted like lavender and honey. Salt and sunshine.
 

He had no idea how long they kissed, but his back and neck ached from his hunched posture. He spread his legs in an effort to lower himself to her height.
 

Channie pressed a quick kiss to his mouth then leaned back and took his hand. She led him back to her bed and tugged him down beside her.

Josh’s nerves returned with a vengeance. He focused on the magic behind his navel and tried to force another flashback…
I want to remember sex with Channie.
It didn’t work.
I need to remember. I have to remember! Come on!
Nope. Nothing. No more kisses. No wedding. No wedding
night
. “Channie, I—”

She pressed a finger against his lips, silencing his protest. “Sh…don’t think about it. Just…let me love you.”

Josh swallowed three times before he managed to croak out a single word. “Okay.”

“I can see your heart jumping through your shirt.”

He nodded, no longer able to speak at all.

Her pupils dilated as she slid her hot little hands under his t-shirt. “Take it off.”

Josh reached behind him and grabbed a fistful of fabric then pulled his shirt off over his head.
Now what?
He handed it to Channie.

She tossed it over her shoulder then straddled his hips.

Holy crap!

She lifted the star sapphire off his chest and examined it. “What’s this?”

“It’s an old family heirloom.” Josh was grateful for the distraction, but he had to keep Vince's identity a secret.

“Your mother gave it to you?”

“Does it look too feminine?”

“It matches your eyes.” She replaced the stone then traced every muscle on his chest and abs, but stopped when she reached his navel. “Is this okay?”

“Uh-huh.” His voice sounded like a strangled frog.

“Do you want to take
my
shirt off?”

Josh’s gaze instinctively dropped to her chest.
 

Channie laughed softly then unfastened the top button of her shirt.

She must think I’m a total dweeb.
Josh lifted his hands and gently brushed her fingers aside. It took him twice as long to unbutton her shirt as it should have. But he felt a little more confident when he noticed she was trembling, too. Her skin felt like silk under his palms as he slid her shirt off her shoulders. His gaze locked onto her plain, white bra.

She blushed and crossed her arms over her chest.

Josh averted his eyes. “Sorry.”

“No. It’s okay.” She lowered her arms. “I don’t know why I’m suddenly so shy.”

Josh lifted Channie’s shirt back onto her shoulders without touching her. He kept his gaze locked on her beautiful face. “We didn’t have much time to progress…physically, before our wedding night, did we?”

Channie shook her head. “The Book of the Dead gave us a deadline. We had to marry before the next full moon.”

“Maybe we should take things a little slower this time?” He should probably hand in his man card for suggesting that. But he wasn’t sure how to move forward, at least not without looking like a complete idiot. Besides, Channie needed to feel loved, not just desired, right?

She crawled off his lap and sat down beside him.

“Come here, babe.” Josh slid his arm around her back and guided her head to his shoulder. “Let’s just cuddle for awhile.”

~***~

Channie sighed as Josh pressed her head against his shoulder. She wanted to do a lot more than just cuddle—but Josh obviously wasn’t ready for more. She needed to be patient. And it did feel good to just lie in his arms and feel the beat of his glowing heart against her palm. Just the sound of his voice and the lemon and sandalwood scent of his skin comforted her. No, it was more than just comfort. He nourished her very soul. But it was selfish and dangerous to let him linger. Tears stung her eyes. “Josh, you need to go.”

“No, I don’t.”

Josh had never shown much concern for his own safety. She’d have to appeal to his sense of honor to convince him to leave. Even before he’d gotten his power-name, he’d never been able to ignore a threat to others. “What do you think Momma’ll do to Hunter if she finds him lurking on our property?”
 

“Shep’s out there too, so it’ll be the two of them against her.” Josh frowned as he chewed his lower lip, obviously fighting Valor’s influence. “Besides they’re looking out for her. She doesn’t know they’re here. Hunter and Shep have the advantage.”

“Is it fair to let them risk their lives so we can cuddle?”

Josh’s energy field glowed with guilt and grief. He sighed and let his hand slide down her back. “You’re right.”

He’s leaving.
Channie’s hands seemed to have a mind of their own. They refused to let go of Josh’s shirt.
This is what you wanted. Let him go.
 

How many times had she given him up, knowing she’d never see him again? The first time was when she’d thought he’d gotten Kassie pregnant. Then again when she thought the Book of the Dead was demanding she marry Hunter. And the last time, when she’d bound herself to Momma with a death pledge, trading her life for his.
 

She’d gladly die to save him, but she didn’t have the courage to watch him leave again. She drank in his musky scent as she pressed her mouth to his. His stubble scratched her face, but she cherished the sensation. She traced the ridges of his muscular chest then slipped her hands around his neck, holding him in place.

He moved his hands to her wrists and tugged. “You aren’t making it easy for me to go.”

He’s really leaving.
Channie’s cry of grief sounded like a wounded animal.

A wave of calm washed over her. Apparently Josh also remembered how to cast a be-calm spell. She slumped against his side.
 

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I won’t go far. I’m going to join Hunter and Shep. We’ll protect you.”

“No!” Panic fought against the be-calm spell. She forced the words past her numb lips. “You have to leave. Momma’s too strong. You can’t save me. All you can do is save yourself. Go home, Josh. And take Hunter and Shep with you.”

“If you know me at all, you know I can’t do that.” Josh cast another, more powerful, be-calm spell on Channie. She fought it, but it was too strong. Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes as he tucked her into bed. He pulled the covers up, under her chin then leaned in close and whispered, “I’m sorry.”

~***~

Hunter and Shep tried to talk Josh into going back inside to be with Channie, but his conscience wouldn’t let him. He kept in constant contact with her through their bond, but since she was unconscious, all he got was something like white noise. He checked on her in person every half hour and cast another calming spell on her around two o’clock when she mumbled his name. He resisted the overwhelming, and constant, urge to touch her. He’d lost the right to do so when he’d knocked her out.

But when he heard Vince drive up a little before sunrise, he slid one arm under her knees, the other behind her back and lifted her onto his lap. Who knew how long it’d be until he saw her again? He held her against his chest until Hunter climbed into the loft.
 

“Do you need any help getting her down?”

“I’ve got her.” Josh stood up and shifted Channie over his shoulder, fireman-style. “Just stay below me, in case this ladder trips me up.”

Josh took his time and made it down without any problems. He carried Channie outside and laid her on the sleeping bag in the back of the Rav4. He didn’t like the idea of Channie making the trip without wearing a seatbelt, but she was unconscious, not asleep. The shoulder harness could cut off her air supply and suffocate her without ever waking her up. He brushed the hair off her forehead then pressed his lips against hers.
 

It was a long trip, so he cast one more calming spell on her. But that time, he used the sapphire to magnify and enhance his magic. “Stay asleep until you’re inside the safe house. Do what you must to stay alive, but know in your heart and mind that escape is impossible.”

Magic surged out of his chest. Exhaustion took its place. He leaned against the side of the car, too weak to stand on his own.

Vince grabbed Josh’s arms. “What did you do?”

“The spell?”

Vince nodded.

“I used the sapphire and ordered her to stay asleep until after she was in the safe house.”

“That was stupid.” Vince frowned at Josh. “Not only is that an open ended spell—which explains why you’re drained—but Channie won’t be eating or drinking anything if she’s unconscious. I can’t set up a safe house overnight. You need to amend the spell.”

Josh couldn’t believe he’d done something so stupid. He took one of Channie's hands in his. “Wake up enough to take care of your bodily needs, but remain sedated. As if you’re sleepwalking.”
 

“That’s better.” Vince tugged the brim of his hat, jamming it down tighter onto his head. “Hunter, Shep, come here.”

They set down the boxes of canned food they’d pillaged from Channie’s cabin and ambled over.

Vince sighed and rubbed his forehead with two fingers. “Assume Josh knows nothing at all about magic. Start at the beginning, as if he were a child, and teach him everything. Make him practice until the basics are second nature.”

“I’m not a baby.”

“You are when it comes to magic.” Vince locked his gaze on Josh’s face. “Since Channie won’t wake up during the trip back to Colorado, there’s no reason Hunter and Shep can’t take her. I need to stay with you.”

“No. You need to be sure Channie believes she’s in danger, or better yet, that I am. Tell her who you are and that you’re using her as bait to catch me. We can’t afford to let her become complacent about her captivity. If she stops trying to escape, she’ll die.”

“I should have been a part of your life from the beginning. I should have taught you all you need to know about magic.”

Hunter and Shep shared a look. They picked up the boxes of stolen food and jogged towards the woods in an obvious effort to give Josh and Vince some privacy.

No one could ever take Ezra’s place in Josh’s heart, but maybe, there was room for more than one father. “You’re a part of my life now. And you always will be. Anyone can teach me the basics of magic. But right now, you’re the only one that can keep my wife and
your grandchild
safe.”

Vince's eyes softened. The corners of his mouth lifted. “You don’t fight fair.”

Josh pushed away from the car then wrapped his arms around Vince's boney shoulders and gave him a quick hug. “I’m glad you found me.”

Vince hugged him back, harder and longer than Josh expected. “Me too son. Me too.”

~***~

Josh’s heart ached as he watched Vince drive off with Channie. Their now one-sided bond throbbed in time with his pulse. But he refused to wallow in self-pity. The sooner he took care of Prudence and retrieved the Book of the Dead, the sooner he would be reunited with Channie.

He’d started using the crazy woman’s name instead of thinking of her as ‘Channie’s mother.’ He needed to dehumanize the bitch before he killed her.

Josh turned towards the woods and cupped his palms around his mouth. “Hunter? Shep?”

A shrill whistle echoed all around him. There was no way he could tell which direction it’d come from. “Stop playing games and get back here.”

Another whistle was his only answer.
 

“Damn it!” Josh trotted off in the direction he thought Hunter and Shep had been going but within five minutes of entering the woods, he was utterly lost. There wasn’t so much as a hint of a trail. He had no idea how to find the hut, or even Channie’s cabin. “This isn’t funny!”

This time, there wasn’t even a whistle to let him know that he’d been heard. Josh swallowed his rising panic.
Calm down and think…use magic!

Josh pulled his sapphire out from under his shirt and held it in his palm.
Lead me to Hunter.

He turned around in a slow circle. When he’d turned forty-five degrees to his right, the gem flickered. It pulsed faster and grew brighter and warmer as he continued to turn. When he faced the opposite direction from where he’d started, it glowed steady.
Bingo!
 

He used the gem as a compass and corrected his course every time it flickered. It wasn’t a perfect system. Josh was so focused on the gem he tripped over stones and roots. He smacked his forehead on a low branch and got tangled in thorny vines. It seemed as if the forest itself were his enemy.

“I thought plants were supposed to work with mages, not against them.” Josh froze, shocked by his own stupidity. He closed his eyes and imagined a path opening up through the forest, leading him straight to Hunter. Magic gushed out of him. Josh dropped to his knees. The spell was taking too much power. He whispered, “stop,” right before he passed out.

When Josh opened his eyes, he found Hunter and Shep both leaning over him, much too close. Hunter offered him a hand. “Hey, buddy, you okay?”

Josh nodded and let Hunter help him sit up. “What happened?”

Hunter shrugged. “We ain’t exactly sure. Your magic don’t work the same as ours. But from what we can figure, it looks like you tried to rearrange the forest.”

Josh scooted over and leaned against a tree trunk. He was still dizzy. “I couldn’t find you guys, so I used magic to create a path from me to you.”

Shep arched his eyebrows. “You can do that?”

“Apparently.” Josh chuckled, but it fell flat. “Although, I probably shouldn’t.”

“Probably not.”

Josh glared at Hunter. “Why’d you run off and leave me?”

“Your daddy told us to teach you magic as if you was a toddler.”

“You leave children alone in the woods?”

“A distress spell is one of the easiest spells to cast. It’s pure instinct. When a kid lags behind on using magic, you have to get creative.”