Channie was shivering uncontrollably now. It would be so easy to just crawl under the covers and fall asleep. But if she did, they’d both be dead by morning.
Aunt Wisdom had given Channie, Josh and Hunter disposable phones to use in an emergency. This was definitely an emergency but the shack was miles away from a cell phone tower. She’d have to drive half way to Whistler’s Gulch, in a blizzard, down miles of switchbacks, to get a signal and she didn’t know how much longer Josh would last without heat. Fire first, then go for help.
She tucked the edges of the quilt around Josh and slid a knit cap onto his head then got dressed. She leaned over him and kissed his lips then clenched her jaw to keep her teeth from chattering. “I’m going to build a fire in the pit. I’ll be right back.”
He didn’t respond.
The fire pit behind the shack that served as their kitchen was out in the open, unprotected from the wind and driving snow.
Channie tried for half an hour to light a fire, but without dry wood, magic or shelter from the blizzard she knew it was futile.
Wait a minute …. What was wrong with her? Josh’s car had a heater.
She stumbled back to the shack, grabbed the keys off the nail inside the door and started the car. While the engine was warming up, Channie went back inside and wrestled Josh into his clothes and parka. She half carried, half drug him to the car and stuffed him into the passenger seat.
She gave the vehicle another five minutes to warm up then turned the heater on full blast. Josh groaned and slumped further down in the seat. He wasn’t responding to the warm air. She needed to take him to the emergency clinic in Whistler’s Gulch.
It would be risky. No one knew where the Veyjivik trackers were staying, but if Josh got within ten miles of them, they’d know it. And since everyone but Hunter was gone, they’d be suspicious about a strange, new mage in the area.
Trackers were worse than bloodhounds.
Channie rubbed Josh’s hands and patted his cheeks, but he didn’t respond. He needed help and he needed it right now. They’d just have to take their chances with the trackers.
She was grateful that Josh spent the first week of their honeymoon teaching her how to drive. She was also grateful that his four-wheel drive, cherry-red Rav4 had an automatic transmission. It would be hard enough negotiating the old logging trail in the dead of night during a blizzard. She didn’t need the added complication of a stick shift and clutch.
Channie turned on the headlights, put the car in gear and glanced at the gas gauge. It was riding on empty. At least Whistler’s Gulch was downhill all the way. She’d figure out how to get back after she got Josh to the clinic. One problem at a time.
Drifting snow had turned the pothole-riddled logging trail into a deceptively smooth, white road. It was a deadly illusion. Every time the tires slipped into a rut or bounced into a hole, Channie fought the urge to close her eyes and jerk the steering wheel in the opposite direction.
She leaned forward and squinted into the storm with white-knuckled intensity, but couldn’t see more than a few feet beyond the hood of the car. She fumbled her left hand along the steering column until she located the lever that controlled the headlights and switched to the high-beam setting. The falling snow seemed to change trajectories. Each pellet-shaped flake shot towards her on its own parabolic path, making her dizzy.
By the time she switched the headlights back to low-beam, the windshield had fogged up. Channie flicked her gaze to the climate controls for a split second. It wasn’t enough time to find the defrost setting, but it was plenty long enough for a hairpin turn to catch her completely off guard.
She slammed on the brakes and flung her right arm to the side, an instinctive and useless reflex, to protect Josh. The back end of the car fishtailed, hit a pine tree and rebounded back onto the road. They skidded and slid sideways for what felt like forever before the car finally stopped. Channie’s heart hammered against her chest as she visually checked Josh for injuries.
He rolled his head to the side and peered at Channie. “Where are we going?” His voice was weak and raspy.
“I’m taking you to the clinic in Whistler’s Gulch.”
“Why?”
“You’ve got hypothermia.”
“We can’t go into town. The trackers—”
“You were practically in a coma.”
“I’m fine. Turn around and go back.”
“You’re too weak to cast any more warmth spells. If we don’t find shelter from the storm, we’ll both die. And you need medical attention.”
“Isn’t your aunt a healer?”
Channie stopped the car and checked her phone. Nothing. She drove another two miles before a single bar replaced the “no signal” icon.
Aunt Wisdom answered on the first ring. “What’s wrong?”
“We’re freezing to death—”
“Don’t say anything else. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“We’re not at the—”
“Are you in town?”
“No, we’re about—“
“Don’t tell me where you are! Throw your phone away and go back to...where you started. I’ll meet you there.” Aunt Wisdom ended the call without giving Channie a chance to tell her they were low on fuel. She called back, but Aunt Wisdom didn’t pick up.
They’d gone over this scenario too many times for Channie to have any hope that Aunt Wisdom hadn’t already destroyed her phone. There was no point trying to call her from Josh’s phone, but Channie tried anyway. Without success.
She opened her door and tossed her phone outside then drove another mile down the mountain before she found a switchback to turn around. They ran out of gas about a quarter mile from the shack.
“Josh, I need you to send a distress signal.”
“I don’t know how.”
Channie leaned across the console and put her frozen hand on his cheek. “Josh? Listen to me. A distress spell is instinctive, it’s usually the first spell a child casts. You can do it. I know you can. Just focus.”
“I’m so tired, I can’t even find my power-well right now.”
If they were going to survive long enough for Aunt Wisdom to come looking for them, they needed to do something to generate some heat. “Then make love to me.”
Josh opened his eyes halfway and curved the left side of his mouth into a crooked grin. “I’m glad you find me irresistible, but I’m too tired.” He closed his eyes again and said, “First thing tomorrow morning. Kay?”
“If we don’t get help soon. We aren’t going to live until morning. You’ll never have sex again.”
He blinked his eyes open and said, “What?”
“We are going to die within the hour. You will never ride your bike again, you will never see your parents or your brother again, and you will never have sex again. Got it?”
Josh reached for Channie’s hand, squinted his eyes and trembled as he used the last of his energy.
The spell was weak, but if anyone was in the area, they’d feel it. Hopefully it wouldn’t be a tracker.
Channie shook Josh’s shoulder, but he was unconscious again. He’d obviously given everything he had to fuel the distress spell. She knew better than to leave the car—but if she had any hope of saving him, she had to find help.
She kissed Josh’s cold, stiff lips, whispered, “I love you,” into his ear, then headed for the shack.
She focused on putting one foot in front of the other and hoped her sense of direction wouldn’t fail her in the blizzard.
It did.
At first, Channie thought she was dreaming. Hunter Feenie was leaning over her, shaking her shoulders, patting her cheeks. She brushed his hands away and groaned.
“Wake up. We need to get you back to the shack.”
“Josh?” She reached for him, but all she found was empty air.
“He’s already gone.”
To keep reading, download Taken.
~***~
I
n Praise of
ENCHANTMENT
“This book will make you believe in magic.”—J. Timothy King author of From the Ashes of Courage
“This unique addition to the paranormal romance genre deals with teenage sexuality in a nuanced yet discreet way ... recommended for fans of the Twilight series, Harry Potter, or paranormal romance in general.”— Jared Oliver Adams author of Whiteface and One Good Thing
"This book took me to places I've never been... Once I was
drawn in, I was unable to put it down until the end."— Shannon Dermott author of Beg for Mercy
"Magic, treachery, humor and thrills ... flat out fun to read. Five Stars!"—Ben Langhinrchs author of My Cozy Chair (review blog)
“The writing is superb, really polished plot and characters...a whole new world to get lost in.”—Jason Matthews author of The Little Universe and Jim’s Life
"Every girl wants their prince charming to be just like Josh. It made me cry and laugh and gasp ... a make your heart warm and tingle kind of love story!"
“If you crave excitement and danger with your romance and can't get enough of Stephenie Meyer, Suzanne Collins, or Cassandra Clare make room on your Kindle for Enchantment!”
~***~
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charlotte Abel was born and raised in Oklahoma. She spent many happy summers visiting relatives in Arkansas. She now lives in Colorado with her husband, Pete and loves hiking, biking, snowshoeing and skiing in the Rocky Mountains, but will always have a special fondness for the Ozarks.
Visit her at TheChannieSeries.com or CharlotteAbel.com
Twitter @charlotte_abel
If you enjoyed Enchantment I hope you’ll recommend it to your friends and take a moment to help maximize its exposure on Amazon.com and write a quick review.
~***~
So many people contributed to this process, I hesitate to thank anyone, lest I forget someone. With that disclaimer...I must thank: Carol Burkett for meeting with me every Monday afternoon to discuss her edits and argue over the Harlequin moments in each scene; Kris Kendall for beta-reading three different drafts (one of them about twice as long as this one); Daniel Noyes for his male perspective and help with Josh and Eli’s characters; The Finch family for sharing their knowledge of BMX racing. (My misrepresentation of the sport and its fictional participants was necessary to serve the needs of the plot. It’s actually a very wholesome and family-friendly sport.)
I want to thank Aaron and Becky Abel, for letting me take over the office in their oceanside home while I finished the final draft; my writing buddies from boot camp for their honest opinions and insightful suggestions; Orson Scott Card for encouraging me to turn the short story I wrote during his workshop into this novel.
I also want to thank my friends and family for their patience and support this past year. And for not whining (too much) when I neglected them for weeks at a time. Love you guys!
Last but not least, I want to thank Randi, Jen, Nadia, Katie, Tessa and all the “Life Sucks” readers, beta-readers and editors that believed in me. It was your 2,000+ reviews and awards for “Best Plot” and “Best Author” that first convinced me I was a “real” writer.
~***~
Beg for Mercy Excerpt
Read a bonus excerpt from Beg for Mercy by Shannon Dermott – available now!
This had not been a good idea. I’d known from the beginning nothing good would come from it. But my best friend, Maggie, had begged and begged. Her Irish green eyes had been intent on mine with a facial expression that wouldn’t take no for an answer. Even though my instincts had warned me against it, against coming to this stupid party and possibly risking the very lives of anyone around me, I hadn’t. Wasn’t this what best friends were for? Maybe not.
But, here I sat in a small disorganized circle, loud music pounding against the walls in muted thumps, secluded amongst the ‘elite students’ of my school. I had ignored the very reasons why I shouldn’t be in this room. This is where I’d made my second mistake of the night.
It was here where I posed the most danger to those around me. My eyes bounced around to the beat of the music watching everyone laugh and have a good time. Everyone wanted to be here except me. There was a sudden burst of laughter so boisterous I had to assume there had been a joke I’d missed while caught up in my own self repugnance.
My eyes roved around the room glossing over a huge wooden desk, an oversized brown leather sofa and a bookcase the length of the whole wall. This supposed library was just as big if not bigger than the size of any two rooms in my house. We all sat in the middle on an intricate plush rug with me as the odd person in a chain of paired couples. Desperately, I needed a way out of this mess before it got out of hand.
I first caught a glance at Maggie with her flaming red hair. Her eyes twinkled with delight in my direction. I tried to give her the silent look that would let her know that I wanted to leave as soon as possible. But she averted my gaze, her eyes in favor of the guy at her left, letting me know she wasn’t quite ready to leave. And who would blame her? She was sitting next to Brent Mitchell. I had heard his name come from her lips ever since the first day of our freshman year at Everett High. He’d been the one that she’d always pined over even while she dated other guys. So now he had finally asked her out. And for that one reason alone I’d tagged along to this party.
Following her gaze, my eyes then roamed over to Brent. In doing so I was reminded why she was so into him, with his dark tousled hair and brooding good looks. He wasn’t handsome in the traditional sense but rather a raw attractiveness that fit with his hulking body frame. And not only was he good looking but he was a star football player for our school’s team. He was a force to be reckoned with on and off the field. I was truly happy that Brent had finally noticed her.
I met his brown eyes and caught him smiling at me with faint amusement. Startled that he’d been looking at me watch him, I adverted my eyes in favor of the guy next to him.
That guy, the man of the hour, was Jay Brisentine. He was tall, blonde, beautiful and the host of this senior party. Normally, I wouldn’t call a guy beautiful but there just wasn’t a better way to describe him. He too played on our illustrious football team but he was better known as the leader of the Lacrosse team.
His long time girlfriend, Kathy Peterson, was curled next to him with her dark hair, stormy eyes, and equally good genes. I couldn’t help but wonder what their kids would look like because if any couple would survive high school and get married it would be them. Their history together started way back in middle school.
Continuing my venture around the group, my eyes led me to Amanda Edmond. She was Kathy’s best friend and head cheerleader. Her fit of giggles had cooled as she tossed her bombshell blonde hair over her shoulder, her eyes settling on mine. Her pouty mouth turned into a frown. I was puzzled by her look of disapproval because she hadn’t protested against my being here in the first place.
Quickly, I looked away from her to give Flynn McCallister, leading bad boy, and Amanda’s boyfriend, a glance. He was the only other junior besides Maggie and me in the room. I could have known without looking that his sandy brown hair was swept up in a modern faux Mohawk, which had that slightly messy touch to it that hot guys alone could only perfect. And that his eyes were cold and blue, set on a face that was more than amazing.
Maggie made a noise to get my attention. My head snapped back to her. I didn’t quite get the message that I saw on her face. She gestured with her head at an odd angle. I gave her a quizzical look, mouthing What until I followed her eyes down to the center of our circle. What I saw chilled me to my very core. I really shouldn’t have come here tonight.
A hand on my arm jolted me. I turned to meet Flynn’s gaze. I hated how looking at him always seemed to melt my heart and render me speechless. It was the same effect he had on most girls including me, unfortunately. He was too gorgeous for words and worst yet he knew it. And being a junior and football team captain di
dn’t help his inflated ego either. It had only given him the respect of the seniors above him as well as the rest of the school. His abilities to throw the ball and lead the team to state the past two years had sealed his position as the most popular boy in school. He walked down the halls of school like he owned them and to tell the truth he did. I hated him because of it. Girls were aware of his reputation of breaking hearts yet they continued to throw theirs at him time and time again. But I wasn’t going to fall for his shenanigans. Nope, not me.
“Flynn, she has a choice you know,” a voice said from somewhere beside me. I turned my head to see it was Luke I-couldn’t-remember-his-last-name. He too, I realized was crush worthy but paled in Flynn’s shadow. It was hard to imagine that looking at him now. He was all golden skin and blond curls, looking much like the perfect California surfer. How had I forgotten he was sitting next to me? Staring at him only made me realize more just how cute he was.
Flynn and Luke were best friends but I had hardly paid any attention to Luke these past two years. I’d been too busy ignoring Flynn with the best of my abilities to know much about him. Then it dawned on me. I had forgotten to count Luke. There weren’t seven of us. Luke made eight. Each pair was a couple except Luke and me. Was I being set up with him?
Faintly, I remembered hearing that he’d broken up with his girlfriend a few weeks ago. But at the moment I couldn’t remember the full story. I was too busy trying to reconcile with how I’d allowed myself to get into this situation and how I could even be in the same room filled with what most of our classmates dubbed as the wealthiest and most beautiful people of our school, ‘the elite’. No one else in the school compared to them.
When I felt Flynn’s hand drop from my arm, I turned my head to look down at fate as it pointed at me. “Come on, what are you going to do?”
I looked up this time to find it had been Amanda who’d spoken. Her voice was filled with disapproval but not of the anger I would have expected if I’d been Flynn’s girlfriend. But that was not how I operated. In fact, I simply didn’t date. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. It wasn’t just a moral decision as most would assume. I did it because I didn’t want anyone to die.
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