Believe: The Complete Channie Series

by Charlotte Abel

“Sorry.” HJ grinned at Channie. He didn’t look the least bit remorseful.

  Savvy jumped to his feet and nearly knocked Honor over as he shoved his chair at her. “Here, have a seat. Do you want something to drink? We’ve got diet Pepsi, diet root beer, diet…uh…not that you need to diet. I mean… We’ve also got regular soda, too. Wow. You look different. It’s nice to see you again.”

  Honor smiled up at Savvy as she gracefully sank into his chair. “I’d love a bottle of plain water if you have it.”

  “Sure.” Savvy lifted Channie’s feet off the ice chest before she had a chance to move them herself then pulled a bottle of water out of the cooler and handed it to Honor.

  Truth rolled her eyes. “I’ll take a diet Pepsi when you’re finished ogling my sister.”

  “Oh.” Savvy’s dark complexion could hide all but the most intense blush. So when his cheeks and ears turned red, Channie knew he wasn’t embarrassed. He was mortified. He grabbed a can of soda out of the cooler without even looking at it and tossed it to Truth. “Here ya go.”

  “Thanks.” She snagged it out of the air then frowned when she looked at the can. “I guess.”

  She’d asked for a diet Pepsi, but Savvy had given her a regular Dr. Pepper.

  Savvy grabbed a bottle of water for himself then dragged another chair next to Honor. They both stared straight ahead as they sipped their drinks, occasionally glancing at each other out of the corners of their eyes, grinning when they’d catch each other.

  Channie thought it was sweet that Savvy was so smitten with Honor. Both girls were beautiful, but Truth was a year older and it showed. She definitely had more curves.

  Serenity sighed. Channie followed the girl’s dreamy gaze straight to Zeal. He should be pushing his bike up the starting hill, but he was jogging towards them. Damn. He must have noticed Honor and Truth, too. Josh was going to kill him if he missed his first moto. “Zeal! Why aren't you on the starting hill?”

  “I need a different jersey. This one’s dirty.”

  That had to be the lamest excuse Channie had ever heard. Not only was his racing jersey clean, his extras were in the trailer.

  He peeled his shirt off over his head then did that guy nod thing lifting his chin as he winked at Truth. “Hey, chica, what’s up?”

  She narrowed her eyes as her gaze wandered over his bare chest. “From the way you’re undressing me with your eyes, I’d say you are.”

  “Truth!” Honor hid behind her palm, obviously distressed by her sister’s crude remark.

  Truth shrugged her shoulders. “Just saying.”

  Zeal laughed then stalked towards Truth and leaned in, as if to steal a kiss.

  She put her hand up, palm out, in the classic ‘don’t come any closer or you’ll regret it’ gesture. “Not interested.”

  “It’s been two years since I’ve seen you.” Zeal inched closer and opened his arms. “Can’t you at least give me a friendly hug?”

  “Not if you were the last manwhore on Earth.”

  Zeal froze. His permanent smirk slid off his face. “Wow. That’s harsh.”

  “I don’t lie. And I don’t sugarcoat the truth.”

  Zeal shifted his attention to Honor. “How about you? Can I talk you into a little hug?”

  Honor hunched her shoulders and crossed her arms over her chest. She shook her head in quick little side to side jerks that looked slightly spastic, but still cute and vulnerable.

  Savvy jumped to his feet, hands fisted and eyes blazing. “She’s not your type. Leave her alone.”

  “What crawled up your ass and died?” Zeal snatched his previously clean jersey up off the ground and yanked it on as he stormed off towards the starting hill.

  Serenity gazed after him, longingly. Even after that disgusting little display, she was still crushing hard. Poor kid.

  Zeal was lucky that Hunter and Kassie had made a detour to the concession stand. Hunter would have skinned him alive for coming on to his nieces. And if he had a clue that his sweet little Serenity had a crush on Zeal, the kid wouldn’t live to see his eighteenth birthday.

  Kassie flopped down in the lawn chair next to Channie. She opened the bag of Doritos she’d gotten at the concession stand then shook it at Channie. “Want some?”

  “Too much sodium, but thanks.”

  Kassie nodded at Channie’s swollen belly. “You poor thing! You’ve got to be miserable in this heat.”

  “I’m okay.” Channie unscrewed the top off her bottle of Eldorado Spring Water and took a nice long pull. “How’s life treating you?”

  “Fan-freaking-tastic.” Kassie grinned then dug into the bag of chips. “We just bought a Kawasaki dealership in Longmont.”

  Channie couldn’t keep her jaw from falling open. “Congratulations. I’m so happy for y’all!”

  Hunter had gotten his GED then worked his butt off to pay his way through college. He quit dancing after Serenity was born, even though it meant a sudden and dramatic drop in income. He went to school part time and worked overtime as a motorcycle mechanic. It took him seven years to earn a bachelor’s degree in business, but he did it while supporting a family of four and without going into debt. He and Kassie scrimped and saved for years. They’d enjoyed life while doing it, taking advantage of all the free concerts, movie nights at the park and focused on raising their kids. But this was a definite step up.

  “Yeah, I can’t believe it either. HJ starts high school next year, Serenity will be in her last year of middle school and we finally own our own business. Life is good!”

  Hunter sat down then reached into Kassie’s bag and pulled out a massive amount of chips. He waved them in front of Channie’s face. “Want some?”

  Kassie elbowed him in the ribs. “They’re not good for the baby. Don’t tempt her.”

  Truth snorted and rolled her eyes. “As if you hadn’t just offered them to her five seconds ago.”

  Hunter leaned back and frowned. “What’s got your feathers all ruffled up like a wet hen in a high wind?”

  When Truth didn’t answer, HJ smirked at her. “She’s pissed off because Savvy’s in love with Honor and not her.”

  Truth’s mouth opened and closed several times but she didn’t say a word.

  Savvy and Honor both turned crimson.

  “What’s the matter, Truth? Can’t handle it when someone else decides to play the honesty game?”

  Truth glared at him. “There’s an ant hill under the bleachers, bug-boy. Go poke at it.”

  HJ had always been fascinated by insects. At thirteen, he was already planning to be an entomologist. “Good idea. Maybe I’ll grab a few to shove down the back of your shirt. Pay you back for that stinging spell.”

  A pair of strong hands slid over Channie’s swollen belly from behind. Josh kissed the top of her head. “Anyone want to guess who’s going to win this time?”

  Truth muttered, “Who cares?”

  HJ shouted, “Courage!”

  Serenity blushed and whispered, “Zeal.”

  Truth started singing the old kissing song that’d tormented kids with crushes through the ages. “Zeal and Serenity sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love—”

  Hunter gave Truth a look that shut her up immediately. “Over my dead body.”

  Josh lifted Channie’s feet, pulled a cherry Pepsi out of the cooler then sat down beside her. “Ya know, Hunter, the trips are only seven years older than Serenity. They’ll be twenty-five when she turns eighteen. Wasn’t there a ten year age difference between your parents?”

  Hunter narrowed his eyes. “Like I said. Over. My. Dead. Body.”

  “I need a drink.” Kassie tapped Channie’s feet then waited for her to lift them off the cooler to grab a diet Coke. “Chill, Hunter. We don’t live in the Ozarks. Serenity’s not going to date her cousins.”

  Josh rolled his eyes. “You aren’t related to the trips so neither are your kids.”

  “Whatever you say, Uncle Brother.”

  When Ezra and Liz ad
opted the trips, the boys had been so excited about being Josh’s brothers that they called him ‘Uncle Brother Josh’ for the better part of a year. Kassie thought it was hilarious and refused to let it go.

  Channie caught a flash of pink in her peripheral vision.

  Serenity whirled around and took off at a dead run. Josh, Hunter and Kassie were too engrossed in their debate to notice her sudden departure. But before Channie could bring Serenity’s distress to their attention, Savvy stood up. He mouthed, “I got this,” then strode off after her, hand in hand with Honor.

  Savvy had always had a tender heart. Right now, he only saw Serenity as a child in need of comfort, and he was obviously smitten with Honor, but there was no telling what the future might hold for any of them.

  The PA system squawked. “Okay riders, set ‘em up.”

  Josh jumped to his feet. It didn’t matter how many races Courage and Zeal won, Josh was always nervous before one of their motos.

  “On the gate.”

  Channie couldn’t see anything except the starting hill, table tops and jumps from her seat, but the race would be over before she could haul her pregnant butt out of the chair. It wasn’t worth the effort.

  “Riders ready. Watch the lights.”

  The gate hit the dirt with a dull thud.

  Something deep inside Channie popped.

  Two boys in red jerseys shot out ahead of the pack.

  A gush of water soaked her thighs and the seat of her chair. Oh, crap.

  “Josh?”

  He was muttering instructions to Courage and Zeal under his breath, even though they couldn’t hear him. Apparently he couldn’t hear her either. Channie reached out to him through their heart-bond.

  He spun around, eyebrows arched.

  She pointed to the spreading puddle under her chair. “I think my water broke.”

  The End

  FOR A LIMITED TIME, THIS box set includes River’s Recruit, the first book of the best selling Sanctuary Series. I hope you enjoy it!

  A beautiful, young shape-shifter discovers a lost backpacker trespassing in her territory during a blizzard. She has two choices: recruit him into her cult-like society, or kill him.

  Praise for River’s Recruit

  “I felt Jonathan's desperation right down into my bones and was crying right along with him. This story reached out and grabbed me, and didn't let me go until the very end. Charlotte Abel is on the top ten of my favorite authors list and her books are on my keeper shelf so that I can go back to her wonderful worlds that she creates as much as I want to! It doesn't get better than that!”—Jen Berg

  “This is by far the best book Charlotte Abel has ever written, loved the plot, simply amazing”—Karla Caldaza

  PROLOGUE

  River

  RIVER’S HEART POUNDED AS SHE tried not to think about how far underground they’d traveled; or how many tons of rock pressed down on the ancient tunnels; or how dark it would be if the flickering torches ran out of oil. She desperately tried not to think about how many people were breathing the limited supply of air.

  When she and Mother finally arrived at the entrance to the underground arena, an enforcer stepped in front of them, barring their way. “No children.”

  River squared her shoulders, stretching to her full height, but still had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze. “I’m not a child.”

  He glanced at River’s flat chest then arched an eyebrow.

  She gritted her teeth and tugged the front of her tunic aside, displaying the patronymic tattoos over her heart, proving she’d passed her thirteenth birthday.

  The heirs of Sanctuary Mountain tended to look down their noses at surface dwellers like River, but the enforcer’s eyes widened when his gaze fell upon the howling wolf of Asher tattooed over Issachar’s bow.

  That’s right, you simple-minded fool. The blood of two alpha’s flows through my veins.

  The enforcer tilted his head to the side without lowering his chin—showing respect without submission. “Forgive me, daughter of Asher and Issachar’s daughter. You may enter.”

  River followed Mother past the upholstered chairs of the ruling class, down seventy-seven steps, to the stone benches reserved for surface dwellers. Their friends and neighbors nodded in greeting as they took their seats on the front row. But no one spoke, as was proper on such a solemn occasion.

  The pit in the center of the cavern was at least twenty feet deep. The only entrance was directly across from River, blocked by an iron gate and guarded by another enforcer. Once the ceremony began, there would be no escape.

  The enforcer nodded to someone in the royal section then opened the gate. The creaking hinges echoed inside the cavern. Two barefoot servant girls in knee-length tunics entered the arena. They smoothed the sand with shallow-toothed rakes then disappeared back inside the tunnel.

  Eli, son of Zebulon’s daughter, swaggered into the arena wearing nothing but a loin cloth. His seventeen-year-old body still had the look of adolescence; but he carried himself with confidence. When he reached the center of the arena, he took a slow breath that expanded his chest then turned around and nodded at the gatekeeper.

  A deep growl rumbled out of the tunnel. The sound filled the viewing gallery and echoed off the cavern’s walls. River hugged herself when a huge, black wolf stepped into the arena. The beast’s tail pointed straight up … an alpha male.

  You were supposed to choose the strongest animal you believed you could subdue, but this was absurd.

  The tension inside the cavern grew with each passing moment as Eli crept forward.

  The wolf curled its lips back over glistening teeth, wrinkling its muzzle. It lowered its head and slunk to the other side of the arena, hugging the smooth stone wall then stopped right below River.

  A rim of white completely encircled Eli’s dark blue irises. His hands trembled as he reached towards the wolf.

  River fought the urge to cover her eyes. If Eli didn’t conquer his fear, the merge wouldn’t work.

  The wolf growled then launched its body into the air. It clamped its jaws around Eli’s wrist and jerked its head to the side, throwing him to the ground.

  A woman on the other side of the arena screamed. River recognized Eli’s mother, Shula, just before she exploded out of her clothes and shifted into a light gray wolf. A collective gasp, followed by a murmur of disapproval, swept through the crowd.

  Shula knocked a councilman and two of his mates out of their seats as she charged down the stairs and leapt into the arena below.

  The wolf released Eli and backed away from him, amber eyes darting back and forth between the man and this new threat.

  Eli cradled his bloody hand against his naked chest and scrambled to his feet. “Stay out of this, woman! You dishonor me.”

  Shula tucked her tail between her legs then darted towards the exit. The enforcer opened the gate and let her pass without so much as a glance.

  Eli swiped his bloody hand across his belly then reached out again. This time, when the wolf attacked, Eli embraced it, wrapping his arms and legs around the animal’s body. He clung to the wolf as it writhed, snarling and gnashing its teeth.

  A burst of blinding light forced River to blink and turn away.

  When her vision cleared, Eli was gone.

  The wolf lay on his side, panting, tongue lolling in the sand. It seemed like an eternity before he clambered to his feet and opened his eyes. Instead of amber, they glowed with sapphire light.

  River expected the crowd to burst into riotous celebration, but there was only a mild ripple of applause.

  She looked up at Mother and arched her eyebrows, not certain if she was allowed to speak yet.

  Mother smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Shula’s interference tainted Eli’s victory. If she were not Zebulon’s daughter, the council would punish her.”

  River wouldn’t wish that fate on her worst enemy.

  The crowd filed out of the arena to regather in the council chamber. H
eavy aspen log tables divided the cavern. And the people.

  The heirs of Sanctuary jostled each other, vying for spots close to the granite altar where the high council members would sit.

  River’s people politely assembled on their side of the cavern, even though it was standing room only.

  Servants darted in and out of tunnels, bearing platters of food and pitchers of wine. The surface dwellers’ tables were just as heavily laden as the heirs of Sanctuary, but the food was much simpler. River longed to sample the delicacies on the other side of the cavern, but she was not a thief.

  The chattering crowd quieted when Zebulon entered the cavern. He smiled at the crowd but his gaze sent a chill down River’s spine. “I wish to welcome you all on this most joyous occasion.”

  So, he was going to ignore Shula’s sin. River searched the crowd of Zebulon’s mates, concubines and descendants arranged behind him in order of importance, but did not see Eli’s mother. She spotted their neighbor, Reuben, with his mate and son, Gabriel. He grinned and waved at her.

  River ignored the twinge of jealousy and waved back. Gabe was three years younger than River, but he was also Zebulon’s grandson. The enforcers wouldn’t dare deny him entrance into Sanctuary. Nor would they cut off so much as a finger, even if he gorged himself on the delicacies from the Heir’s tables. But none of Reuben’s family touched a crumb of the precious food.

  Zebulon swept his arm towards the tunnel to his right with a flourish. “I now present my esteemed grandson, Eli, son of Zebulon’s daughter.”

  The crowd cheered and clapped but the tunnel remained empty. A beet-red flush mottled Zebulon’s neck and face. “Eli! Get out here.”

  Eli stumbled out of the tunnel, blinking and squinting. His unlaced breeches hung low on his hips. He wore no vest, boots or tunic. Blood seeped through the bandage on his wrist where the wolf bit him.

  River cringed, expecting Zebulon to chastise Eli, but the old man roared with laughter. “I see my blood runs strong in your veins! How many did it take to quench your fever?”