Believe: The Complete Channie Series (161 page)

Jonathan

“
I
DON
’
T
THINK
I
COULD
find my way back here; even if I wanted to. How far away is the shelter?”

“About twenty miles.” River gave Jonathan an appraising look. “Can you walk that far?”

He could still do twenty miles in Army boots with a hundred pound pack on his back, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to follow River into the woods.

Dressed in buckskin and armed with a primitive bow and arrows, there was no way she didn’t belong to a cult. If the twelve-inch leather sheath strapped to her boot was any indication of the blade she carried, he’d need to watch his back.

She gave off a tough-as-nails vibe, but there was a certain vulnerability about her, too. What was she doing wandering around in the wilderness, all alone? Maybe she’s a runaway.

Jonathan’s only other choice was to keep going and hope he could climb to the mine he’d spotted half way up the mountain. It would be a lot harder without his prosthesis.

He’d take his chances with Little Miss Pocahontas. He hoped she’d loosen up and tell him a little about herself during the hike. His curiosity was killing him. “So, what’s your name, kid?”

“River, daughter of Asher and Issachar’s daughter. And I’m not a kid.”

“What’s with the pedigree?”

River narrowed her eyes at him. “Lineage is very important to my people. I don’t expect you to understand.”

“Genealogy is important to my people, too.” Jonathan had never been bitten by the roots bug. Dad had tried to trace their line back to Scotland, where they’d obviously originated, but couldn’t get any further than his great-great-grandfather, the gold miner. “So, you’re Asher and Issachar’s daughter?”

“Asher was my father. My mother was Issachar’s daughter.”

“That’s a little confusing. Why not just use your mother’s name?”

“Only alpha males are named.”

“Alpha males? Like what, a wolf pack?”

River’s eyes widened for a split second. “No more questions.”

“I’m just trying to pass the time.”

“Alright, then. How about you answer my questions?”

“Why don’t we take turns?”

River fastened a series of toggles and loops around the hood of her parka, snugging it around her face. “How old are you?”

“Twenty-one. You?”

“Eighteen.”

At least she was legal. “River’s a pretty name, for a pretty girl.”

She rolled her eyes at him, but the corners of her mouth twitched up. “Are you trying to impress me?”

Jonathan kept his stump behind his back as he walked and tried to fake the confidence and cockiness that used to come so naturally. “I’ve got a ton of cheesy pickup lines. How about—”

“What’s a pickup line?”

Seriously?
“You know…what guys say to girls to let them know they’re interested.”

“Interested in what?”

She was either flirting with him or incredibly naive. Either way, he needed to be careful how he answered. “It’s a way for a guy to let a girl know he likes her and wants to spend time with her.”

River’s lips twitched again, but this time she wasn’t able to hold back her smile. “You like me?”

“What’s not to like? Any girl that can shoot a bow is sexy as hell.”

River’s smile disappeared. She stepped sideways, away from Jonathan. “I’m not going to mate with you.”

“Whoa!” Jonathan stopped and held his hand up, palm out. “I wasn’t implying—”

“Sex is the same as mating.”

“Sexy just means attractive.”

“I’m not trying to attract you.”

“I was just trying to be nice.” Jonathan rubbed his face with his hand. The tips of his fingers were completely numb. So was his nose. Not good. He pulled his prosthetic out from under his elbow and dropped it on the ground. It pained him to lose it, even though it was broken, but his real hand was more valuable. He tucked his numb fingers under his left armpit and prayed it would be enough. “How long until we get there?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve never made the journey on foot.”

River

R
IVER
LOST
COUNT
OF
THE
number of times Jonathan stumbled and fell. Each time, it took longer for him to get up. And each time, she had to fight the urge to help him. She should just leave him and let nature take its course. It’s what the law demanded. She nudged his shoulder with her boot. “Get up.”

Jonathan staggered to his feet. By journey’s end, he was weaving and slurring his words like a drunk. He was no longer shivering, but that was a bad sign. His lips were as blue as his eyes—also a bad sign. But the cleansing station was deserted when they got there and that was a very good sign.

The cleansing station wasn’t off limits to the general population of New Eden, but since enforcers were the only ones allowed to cross the borders, no one else ever needed to use it. So, although River knew where the station was, she had no idea what to do when she got there. Luckily, someone had carved detailed instructions into the wooden door of the pre-cleanse hut:

WARNING! Do not enter the post-cleanse hut until after completing the first cleanse unless given clearance by a commanding officer. Follow all instructions exactly. Failure to do so is punishable by death.

Failure to follow any rule was punishable by death. What had she gotten herself into?

1. Use the outside access door to build a fire in the post-cleanse hut’s stove prior to cleansing during freezing weather. Failure to do so may result in death due to hypothermia.

River sent Jonathan into the pre-cleanse hut to get him out of the wind then jogged over to the post-cleanse hut to build the fire. She brushed the snow off the tinder box and raised the lid. Not only did she find lint, wood shavings and a striker; there was a bundle of tallow-dipped twigs. Enforcers spared no expense. She’d have a roaring fire in no time.

When the kindling caught, River double checked the flue then closed the access door. She waited until smoke flowed out of the chimney in an unbroken stream for three seconds then deemed it safe to leave the fire and go check on Jonathan.

It was much warmer inside the pre-cleanse hut, but Jonathan didn’t look any better. He’d managed to prop himself up by sitting in a corner with his back against the wall, but he was barely conscious.

River built a fire in the stove then poked at his legs with the toe of her boot until he opened his eyes.

Jonathan

J
ONATHAN
WOKE
UP
WITH
A
start. “Stop kicking me.”

“Then stay awake.” River pointed at a stack of wooden boxes on the opposite wall. “I need you to take off your clothes and put them in Reuben’s trunk.”

“Whoa, don’t you think we should get better acquainted before we get naked?”

River whipped her bow off her back and had an arrow aimed at Jonathan’s heart in less time than it took to blink. “I’m not going to mate with you!”

Jonathan tucked his knees against his chest, guarding his vital organs. “You’re the one demanding I take off all my clothes.”

River lowered her bow and eased the tension on the string, but she kept the arrow in place.

Jonathan glanced at the boxes. They each had an old-fashioned biblical name carved into the hinged front. “Why do you want me to put my clothes in a box?”

“So the omegas can…” River sucked in a noisy breath then exhaled with a sigh. “Just do as you’re told.”

“Why do you want me naked?”

“Do you bathe with your clothes on?”

“I don’t see a bathtub.” The only thing in the one room shack, besides the pot-bellied stove, was the stack of boxes.

“The cleansing pool is outside.”

“I’ll freeze to death.”

“It’s a hot mineral spring.” River took the arrow off the string and slid it into the leather quiver on her back.

“Are you going to join me?” Jonathan rubbed the back of his neck and plastered a bored expression on his face, hoping that would counter the eagerness in his voice.

“I haven’t touched you, so there’s no need.” She set her bow on top of the box with the name ‘Eli’ carved on the front.

“You still think I’m carrying some horrible disease?”

River crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s a precaution. There are certain protocols that must be followed.”

“Sounds serious.”

“It is. Now, please, take off your clothes, put them in the box and get in the cleansing pool.” She turned on her heel and stomped outside, slamming the door behind her.

Jonathan managed to unzip his jeans, but the button gave his frostbitten fingers all sorts of trouble. His stomach clenched as he examined his hand. The frostbite might blister, but it wasn’t severe enough to require amputation.

He stripped down as fast as he could, but he left his boxers on. Jonathan wasn’t exactly modest. He’d showered with the guys in his unit everyday for months, but River wasn’t a guy and she’d already made it clear she had no interest in anything physical with him.

He couldn’t see the hot spring, but a cloud of steam rising out of the ground marked the spot. Jonathan yelled as he ran. It was the fastest—and most miserable—ten-yard dash he’d ever run. He didn’t know which was more painful; the arctic blasts driving pinpricks of snow and sleet into his bare chest, or the hot water on his frozen skin when he plunged into the rock-lined pool.

The water smelled like rotten eggs, but that was a small price to pay for the pure bliss of finally being warm again. He gave in to his exhaustion and closed his eyes. He was almost asleep when he heard River scream.

River

R
IVER
RETURNED
TO
THE
POST
-cleanse hut and used the stove’s outside access door to add another log to the fire then went back around to the front to read the next steps of the cleansing protocol.

2. Enter the pre-cleanse hut. Remove all clothing, weapons and gear. Place in your assigned cedar box.

“That’s done. What’s next?”

3. Proceed directly to the first cleansing pool. Soak for forty-five minutes. Douse with clean water twenty times immediately prior to exiting. (If you did not have direct physical contact with an outsider or spend more than three days in their world, you may skip steps one through three.

“Now they tell me.” She could have built the fire from inside the hut. Oh well.

4. Enter the post-cleanse hut. Dress in purified clothing.

5. If you’ve consumed any outsider food or liquid, an eight hour purge followed by a three day fast is mandatory.

River opened the door and frowned when a sour, musty odor assaulted her nose. At least it was warm inside. The stove had only been going for about ten minutes, but the hut was small and easy to heat. She propped the door open, hoping to air out the stench before it was time to go get Jonathan.

What was causing that smell? Three bunk beds lined the right wall. She checked each one and while none of them smelled especially good, they weren’t the culprit.

She checked the six cedar chests on the opposite wall, but the purified clothing inside smelled wonderful; lavender, sage, cedar and smoke. She saved Reuben’s box for last.

River hated it when Reuben had to leave the safety of New Eden and venture into the outside world on a mission. She was so afraid she’d never see him again. That he’d get sick and die before completing quarantine, like Father. But when Reuben returned he always smelled clean, pure and
safe
. She closed her eyes and drank in the scent before closing the lid.

There was a smaller, unmarked cedar box next to the door. River lifted the lid and found the source of the odor—a pile of vomit-stained rags.

River slammed the lid and backed away from the box. Why hadn’t the omegas cleaned this up?

A chill raced down her spine. It wouldn’t be the first time disease wiped out the entire omega camp assigned to the cleansing station.

River’s pulse roared behind her ears. A gray fog tunneled her vision. She dropped to her knees and buried her face in her hands. Her
bare hands
that had touched the contaminated box. River screamed and ran out of the hut, shedding her coat, vest and tunic as she flew towards the cleansing pool.