Believe: The Complete Channie Series (181 page)

Jonathan

T
HE
DISTANT
HOWL
OF
A
wolf disturbed Jonathan’s dream. He blinked and stared at the rough-hewn ceiling. It took him a moment to remember where he was. And who he was with. He smiled and rolled over.

River wasn’t in bed. And it was freezing in the hut. The grey light of early dawn poured through the partially open window. No wonder it was so cold.

“River?” Jonathan got up and looked outside. She wasn’t there. Maybe she’d heard the wolf’s howl and gotten up to go check on the horses. Or maybe she was out rounding up wolves for that merge thing. He hoped not.

Jonathan threw his clothes on and shoved his feet in his boots. He hissed with pain as he strapped on his prosthesis. River had told him not to wear it until she had a chance to make pads for it, but he couldn’t hold his bow without it. And he wasn’t going outside without a weapon. Not with a pack of wolves on the prowl.

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end when he noticed River’s bow under her bed. She never went anywhere without it. Something was wrong.

Jonathan strung his own bow, grabbed his quiver then ran to the stable. The horses were fine, but there was no sign of River. He cupped his hand around the side of his mouth and called her name. “River!”

The wolf howled again, but River did not answer. Jonathan threw Saucy’s hackamore on then led him outside and positioned his left rump against the barn. “I don’t have time to fool around. You’re going to let me mount from the right whether you like it or not.” 

Saucy didn’t like it at all. Jonathan vaulted on successfully the first try, but Saucy paid him back by slamming Jonathan’s knee against the barn.

Jonathan rode back to the hut and found River’s tracks heading east. “What the hell is she up to?”

Jonathan had faith in River’s survival skills, but the fact that she’d run off, unarmed, on foot, without telling him, tied his stomach in knots. The howling wolves only made it worse. She’d made it clear last night that they needed to do this together. At least her tracks in the otherwise unbroken snow were easy to follow.

Blood roared behind his ears when he spotted her discarded coat lying on the snow. He slid off Saucy’s back and picked it up. Her shirt fluttered in the breeze a few yards ahead of him—her boots, socks and pants marked the trail like beacons. He gathered River’s clothes but he wouldn’t be able to hang on to everything on horseback. “Shit!”

Jonathan hadn’t given any thought as to how he was going to get back on Saucy without a fence to climb on or a wall to pin the stubborn animal against so he could mount from the right. It was at least ten degrees below zero. River wouldn’t last long without clothes.

“Okay, think!”

Saucy turned his head toward Jonathan and blew puffs of steam out his nose, asking for a ration of feed. The horse knew that when Jonathan dismounted the ride was over and it was time to eat.

Jonathan patted his neck. “Sorry, no feed bags out here.”

For some reason Jonathan’s mind made the leap from feed bag to saddle bag. He stuffed River’s pants and shirt inside her coat then folded it all together. He set the bundle on Saucy’s back with the sleeves of the coat hanging down on either side.

Saucy twitched his hide as if trying to dislodge a fly, but that was his only reaction. Jonathan tied River’s boots together, stuffed her socks inside then hung them over Saucy’s withers.

Even though he’d been warned not to, Jonathan wound a handful of Saucy’s mane around his prosthesis. If he missed or spooked the horse, he’d get trampled and dragged to death before he could untangle himself. He vaulted onto Saucy’s back from the left without a problem.

Jonathan tucked the sleeves of River’s coat under his thighs, hung her boots around his own neck so they wouldn’t flop around on Saucy’s, then urged him into a mile-eating canter.

Jonathan called River’s name every five minutes, but the only answer he ever got was the howl of a wolf. When it got too close for comfort, Saucy crow hopped and tossed his head. Jonathan pulled his bow off his back, locked it into his prosthesis and reached for an arrow. He knew before he saw the whittled tip that he’d grabbed a practice arrow. The point was about as sharp as a crayon. But according to River, his bow was powerful enough to take down an elk. Of course she’d assumed he’d be using a hunting arrow with one of her razor sharp hand-knapped points to do it.

If he could get close enough, the practice arrow might pierce a wolf’s hide. More than likely it would only infuriate the beast. Jonathan pulled his quiver around to the front of his body to look for an arrow with a sharper point and found one of Gabriel’s hunting arrows. He put the shaft in his mouth and dug his heels into Saucy’s sides.

Another set of tracks flowed out of the forest and merged with River’s.

Jonathan slowed Saucy to a walk and leaned over to get a closer look. The prints were as big as his palm. The thought of a wild animal tracking River sent Jonathan into a full-blown panic. He kicked Saucy’s flanks, urging him to go even faster. Not taking into consideration that the closer they got to the wolf, the less Saucy was going to like it.

Jonathan had his gaze focused on the ground so when Saucy put on the brakes, he had no time to react. He flipped as he flew over Saucy’s neck and landed on his back. The snow cushioned his fall, but it still knocked the wind out of him.

His bow was still attached to his prosthesis but miraculously unbroken. The feathered end of Gabriel’s arrow peeked out of a snowdrift ten feet to his right. Jonathan offered a brief prayer of thanks when he pulled it out and found the arrowhead in perfect condition. He found his quiver with three of his practice arrows. He didn’t waste time searching for the others. Or gathering up River’s scattered clothes. If he didn’t find her before the wolf did; she wouldn’t need them.

He pressed the medallion containing Franklin’s feather against his heart as he stumbled forward.
If you can hear me, Frankie, I need your help. Help me find River before it’s too late.

A low growl froze Jonathan mid-step. The sound came from behind him. The animal must have realized it was being pursued and circled back around.
Better me than River.

Jonathan nocked Gabriel’s arrow as he eased his body around. As soon as he caught a glimpse of the wolf in his peripheral vision, he recognized its black fur and white blaze on its forehead. It was the same wolf that’d chased him and Carrie out of the mine a lifetime ago.

The wolf’s eyes widened as if it recognized Jonathan, too. Maybe it did.

He didn’t want to kill the animal, but he couldn’t risk letting it get to River. He drew his bow and sighted down the arrow. The tip bounced with every beat of his heart.
Calm down.
He’d been hitting targets twice as far away as the wolf.
I can do this. River’s life depends on it.

The wolf turned, exposing his flank. Jonathan released the arrow just as the wolf leapt over a fallen log.

A yelp of pain meant he’d hit it. The prolonged whine and din of a heavy body crashing through the undergrowth, meant it wasn’t an immediate kill shot. He had no idea if the wound was fatal. A quick inspection of the ground on the other side of the log revealed a bloody trail heading deeper into the forest, away from River’s tracks. But Jonathan didn’t trust the wolf, or his marksmanship. He prayed as he ran, even though he didn’t trust God either. What little faith he had, died with Franklin.

Jonathan’s lungs burned. His legs trembled. The stitch in his side twisted his upper body to the right but he refused to stop. He ran until he couldn’t run any more. He fell face first in the snow, but was too exhausted to do anything other than roll onto his back. He felt as if every muscle in his body were cramping. Pain wracked his chest. Jonathan was young and strong, but maybe he’d pushed himself too hard. Even a healthy young man could have a heart attack if he exceeded his body’s limitations.
I’m so sorry, River.

Something blew a musky puff of air into Jonathan’s face. He opened his eyes, the only part of his body he had the strength to move. A huge, black wolf stood over him, looking at him with its head cocked to the side. At first, Jonathan thought it might have been the wolf he shot, but this beast was even larger and solid black, without a speck of white on him.

Every hair on Jonathan’s body stood on end but he wasn’t afraid. There was a static charge in the air, like right before a lightning strike.

The wolf’s fur was all puffed out, too. He shook his coat like a wet dog then sat on his haunches. Jonathan should have been terrified, but he wasn’t. He was strangely drawn to the animal. He sat up.

The wolf lowered his head and sniffed the air in front of Jonathan’s chest.

Weird
. Jonathan reached up and stroked the wolf’s shoulder before he could stop himself. A jolt of pure energy shot up his arm.

The wolf licked Jonathan’s face, from the base of his jaw, across his cheek, all the way to his temple.

Energy roared into Jonathan’s body. And with that energy came renewed hope. He could continue to search for River.

The wolf spun around and ran into the forest.

Something inside Jonathan assured him that the wolf wouldn’t harm River, but could he trust his instincts? No. Not when it came to River’s safety.

Jonathan ran until River’s trail inexplicably disappeared into a jumble of paw prints. He was no tracker, but even a novice could tell that she’d fallen in the snow—and that a wolf had been there when she’d done it. The only thing that consoled him was the complete lack of blood and the fact that his own close encounter with a wolf had been more magical than terrifying.

Jonathan searched in ever widening circles but found no sign of human tracks. The black wolf trotted out of the trees and yipped at Jonathan then disappeared back into the forest. Jonathan felt compelled to follow the animal. With no other trail to guide him, he decided to follow his instincts. He soon realized that he was following two sets of wolf prints, not one.

The aroma of a green-wood fire teased Jonathan’s nose. He recognized Gabriel’s voice.

“If you don’t let me—you’ll die.”

“I want Jonathan.”

The sound of River’s voice stopped Jonathan’s heart. Relief purged the adrenaline from his blood. The energy he’d gained from the wolf encounter was long gone. He leaned over and braced his forearms on his knees, too spent to do anything other than breathe.

“Jonathan isn’t here.” Gabriel sounded more angry than concerned. “I am.”

“You haven’t merged yet.” River’s voice was quiet.

“I don’t care.”

“Without your spirit guide, you’ll age and die before your first century.”

“And you’ll die within the hour.”

River was obviously still in danger. Jonathan stumbled out of the trees into a sheltered clearing and found her on Gabriel’s lap, sitting on a buffalo robe by a small fire, tucked inside his coat.

“River?” Jonathan was so out of breath, his voice was barely audible to his own ears, but somehow, River heard him.

A smile of pure joy spread across her face as she jumped to her feet. She didn’t look like she was dying.

An inappropriate blast of jealously clawed its way out of Jonathan’s chest, into his throat.

River was alive and that’s all that mattered. So what if she’d been sitting on Gabriel’s lap, buck naked. At least the boy still had his pants on. He was just sharing body heat to keep River from freezing to death. That’s probably what she was throwing such a fit about. She wanted Jonathan to warm her up, not Gabriel.

He opened his arms.

River flung her naked body against Jonathan’s chest.

He still had his bow attached to his prosthesis but he managed to wrap both arms around her. Wisps of steam floated off her head and shoulders. He buried his face in her hair and breathed her in. “What’s going on?”

“I merged with my spirit guide!” She palmed his cheeks with fever hot hands and smashed her lips against his.

He kissed her back then pulled away and gazed into her glowing, purple eyes. He’d never seen them shine so brightly. Their brilliance put the moon to shame—and warmed his entire body, heart, mind and soul. “Are you sick?”

“I smell your wolf!” She grinned at him. “Did you merge?”

“I petted him and he licked my face.”

River’s smile disappeared. “We need to find your wolf so you can merge.”

Jonathan glanced at Gabriel and caught him brushing tears off his cheeks. He returned his gaze to River’s pulsing eyes. He’d never seen anything like it. “Did you guys hear the wolves howling?”

River laughed. “One of them was me.”

“One of them was tracking you. But I took care of it.”

River’s laughter died.

The color drained from Gabriel’s face. “What do you mean you took care of it?”

“I shot it.”

PROXY

R
IVER
’
S
VISION
TUNNELED
. N
O
. T
HIS
isn’t supposed to happen. The son of Ephraim would never shoot a wolf. Had he shot his own spirit guide? She swayed on her feet. If Jonathan’s arms hadn’t been wrapped around her, she would have collapsed.

Jonathan tightened his hold. “Gabriel, bring me that buffalo pelt. I think River’s going into shock.”

“What did the wolf look like?” Gabriel’s voice was strained, but he sounded much calmer than River felt.

Jonathan wrapped the buffalo robe around River then sat down and pulled her onto his lap. “We have to get her back to the hut.”

Gabriel leaned over and grabbed Jonathan’s shoulders. “What color was the wolf!”

“Take it easy, kid.”

Tremors shook River’s body, making it hard to talk. She locked her jaw and spoke through clenched teeth. “Answer him.”

Jonathan stroked the hair off her face and kissed her forehead. “I’m not even sure it was a pure bred wolf. It had black fur with a white stripe between its eyes.”

River and Gabriel spoke at the same time. “Eli.”

“Excuse me? What does Eli have to do with anything?”

Gabriel squeezed his eyes shut, as if he were in pain. “Where’s the body?”

“When I said I took care of it…that might have been a bit of an exaggeration.” A crimson flush raced up Jonathan’s neck. “I only wounded it. Once I get River back to the hut, and I’m sure she’s okay, I’ll hunt it down and put it out of its misery.”

River and Gabriel both shouted, “No!”

“That’s cruel.” Jonathan shook his head. “It could take days for it to die.”

River grabbed the strap of Jonathan’s quiver and pulled it around so she could examine its contents. Relief flooded her veins. “You only have practice arrows. Unless you hit a vital organ, and the wolf bleeds out before it can heal, he should be able to dislodge the arrow and survive.”

Jonathan frowned but he didn’t argue with her. Now, all she had to do was persuade Eli not to tell anyone that Jonathan had shot him.

“I didn’t use a practice arrow. I had one of Gabriel’s hunting arrows in my quiver.”

Gabriel dropped to his knees and held his head in his hands.

A twig snapped. River froze. Neither Jonathan nor Gabriel reacted. Another twig snapped, followed by a groan and the swoosh of something crashing through the underbrush. She recognized Eli’s voice as he muttered under his breath. “I’m going to kill that son of a bitch.”

Now that she’d merged with her wolf, River’s hearing was much more acute, even in her human form. “Gabriel, I think I heard something.”

She nodded towards the noise and prayed he’d understand what she was getting at.

“I’ll go check it out.”

“Take your bow.” Jonathan reached around River and grabbed Gabriel’s arm. “An injured animal is extremely dangerous. But if you see a solid black wolf, don’t shoot it. He’s tame.”

Gabriel was gone for less than ten minutes. When he returned he stopped on the other side of the fire and motioned for River to join him.

She squeezed Jonathan’s arm and stood up. “I need to speak with Gabriel for a minute. I’ll be right back.” 

“Are you ever going to tell me what’s going on?”

“Yes. Soon. Just…be patient a little longer.”

River wrapped the buffalo robe more securely around her body, even though merge fever scorched her veins. She knew how much it upset Jonathan for anyone to see her naked.

Gabriel gripped River’s shoulders and gazed into her eyes. He reminded her of Reuben as he spoke with quiet authority. “It’s not bad. The arrow’s lodged in Eli’s butt. He’ll be sore for awhile, but he’ll live.”

“At least we’re under quarantine. Eli will have time to heal before he has to report for patrol duty. No one needs to know about this.”

Gabriel dropped his gaze to his boots.

“What’s wrong?”

“Aunt Shula’s at the ranch. She wasn’t happy when she found out that you’d left with Jonathan.”

“Shula won’t care if Jonathan is a son of Ephraim. She’s not going to let this go unpunished.”

Gabriel quirked the side of his mouth up into a crooked grin. “It’s my arrow in Eli’s ugly ass. I’ll tell everyone that it was an accident. I got so excited when I saw a buck in the forest, I didn’t take the time to be sure I had a clear shot. I didn’t see the wolf lurking in the underbrush. It’s a simple case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“You know there’s no excuse good enough to escape punishment for shooting Eli, even if they believe that ridiculous story.” The penalty for injuring another through carelessness was twenty lashes. “I can’t let you take the blame for this!”

“Jonathan’s life is already in danger. Shula will see to it that his beating will be so severe he can’t survive it.” Gabriel pressed River against his chest. “Your fever’s climbing. You need to persuade Jonathan to mate with you.”

“He needs to merge with his wolf first.” River disentangled herself from Gabriel’s embrace. “Have you seen him? A solid black male?”

“He’s waiting for something.” Gabriel nodded towards the forest behind Jonathan. “Probably for Eli and I to get out of the way.”

Merge fever was scrambling River’s brain. She couldn’t think. “Doesn’t Eli know who shot him?”

Gabriel nodded. “But he agreed to go along with my plan.”

“Why? He hates Jonathan!”

“He hates him even more now.” A smile flickered across Gabriel’s face. “You’re Jonathan’s sponsor. Eli doesn’t want you to be punished any more than I do.” Gabriel wiped a tear off River’s cheek with his thumb. “If the whipping doesn’t kill you, Jonathan’s execution will.”

River’s hand shook as she wiped the sweat off her brow. “Jonathan is my responsibility. I’ll claim that I shot Eli. Reuben knows that I borrowed some of your arrows for this hunt. The evidence will support my claim.”

“No.”

“But…twenty lashes!”

“I’m stronger than you. I can handle it.”

“Oh, Gabriel.” A sob escaped River’s throat. She threw her arms around his waist and kissed his neck, the only spot she could reach. When had he gotten so tall? She stepped back and wiped her eyes with a corner of the buffalo robe. “How will you get home?”

“Saucy knows Sugar and Red are at the hut. I’m sure that’s where he’s headed. But just in case he decides to go all the way back to the ranch; Eli and I will double up on Old Red. That’ll leave Lightning and Sugar for you and Jonathan.”

Gabriel smiled. This time it was genuine. “Since he’s got an arrow in his ass, Eli’s going to have to ride draped over Red’s back like a dead man. That alone is worth a few lashes.”

River’s eyes filled with tears. She appreciated his attempt to make light of a very serious situation. “Thank you.”

Gabriel leaned down and kissed her forehead. “You’re running out of time.”

“
Where’s
he off to?” Jonathan nodded at the spot where Gabriel had disappeared into the forest.

“He’s going to take care of the wolf you shot.” The forest tilted sideways. River’s fever was progressing faster than she expected.

Jonathan tightened his grip around her waist. “Whoa. Are you okay?”

“I need you to merge with your wolf and mate with me.”

Jonathan swept River off her feet. But instead of going to the spot of ground that Gabriel had prepared in front of the fire; he carried her to Lightning. “We need to get you back to the hut.”

River squirmed in Jonathan’s arms. “Put me down.”

“Okay, okay.” He set her on her feet then kissed her forehead.

She grabbed the laces of his breeches and untied them with a single yank.

“Whoa!” Jonathan grabbed her left wrist and jumped back. “What are you doing?”

Panic and shame burned through River’s fever-addled brain. She couldn’t let him mate with her before he merged. She dropped her gaze to her feet. “I’m sorry.”

Jonathan hooked a finger under her chin and lifted her face. “I can’t wait to make you mine completely. But I won’t do it out here with nothing but a buffalo hide between you and the cold, hard ground. And definitely not while you’re sick. I want your first time to be special.”

“I smell your wolf.” River smiled. He was downwind, but close enough that she could still detect his scent. She pushed Jonathan in the right direction as her vision greyed.