Believe: The Complete Channie Series (185 page)

Jonathan wore his pants to bed and River wore her tunic. The desire to mate still burned bright, but they managed to control themselves…usually. River collapsed into bed and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. She woke up when Jonathan spooned his body around hers.

He spread his hand out over her belly and pulled her closer. “I had a talk with Reuben.”

River’s body tensed. “And?”

“And you aren’t coming back with me.”

“But—”

“And I’d die before I’d mate with anyone but you.”

“No.” River flipped to her other side so she could see Jonathan’s face. She grabbed his shoulder. “Promise me that you’ll mate with someone after you merge. Even…” She forced the words past her wolf’s barrier. They came out as a growl, but still discernible. “Even if it’s not me.”

“I can’t make that promise.”

“Then let me stay with you.”

“No.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Please don’t make me give you a direct order.”

River’s eyes burned, but it was the burn of unshed tears. She had one chance to change his mind.

“If I promise to stay with your father, will you promise to do everything in your power to stay alive, even if that means mating with someone else?”

“I can’t.”

“What if it were me?”

“What do you mean?” He frowned.

“What if I were dying and the only cure was for me to mate with someone else. What would you choose?”

“This is ridiculous.”

“Would you rather I die?”

“I’d rather die than force you to make that choice.”

“That’s not the question. I was already burning up with fever when you found me after I merged. What if you hadn’t gotten there in time? Would you rather I mate with Gabriel or die?”

“You didn’t mate with anyone and you didn’t die.”

“Which is unheard of. You won’t be that lucky.”

“Then I won’t merge.”

River jumped out of bed and yelled, “You won’t have a choice!”

Jonathan climbed out of bed and wrapped his arms around her. “I’ll just stay away from wolves.”

She melted into his embrace. “I didn’t want to merge without you. I fought it, but the instinct was too strong.”

He ran his hand down the length of her braid. “How about this…I’ll do my best not to merge until we’re reunited, but if it happens, I’ll do whatever it takes to stay alive.”

“You have to mate with at least two women, preferably three.”

“What?”

“If you only mate with one, you’ll be bound to her. I want your heart to remain free.”

“Too late. It already belongs to you.” Jonathan leaned back and kissed her forehead.

“Do you promise?”

“Yes. If you promise to stay with my father until I come get you.”

“I do.”

“Thank you.” Jonathan gave her a quick kiss on the mouth. “Unbraid your hair and let me comb it for you before we go to bed.”

She did as he asked and sat on the edge of the bed. It was part of their nightly ritual.

When he finished combing her hair, he swept it off her back and draped it over her shoulder. He kissed the back of her neck. “Gabriel’s wounds have healed enough to travel. Reuben is going to get the drugs from Shula tonight.”

“We’re leaving tomorrow?” River’s lungs refused to draw breath. She wasn’t ready. She’d never be ready, but she’d thought Reuben and Jonathan would have at least warned her. She needed more time to prepare herself.

“Shhh…It’s okay.” Jonathan pressed a kiss to her temple. “We aren’t leaving tomorrow.”

“When?” River’s voice cracked.

“In about three days. Reuben is going to dose our food with an emetic to make it look like we’re sick.”

It made sense. It would be more believable if they appeared sick before they appeared dead. “I’m scared, Jonathan.”

“I’ve been put under before. It’s just like falling asleep.”

“What if we never wake up?”

“Did you know that Shula has the equivalent of a real medical degree? I had no idea there was so much modern technology inside Sanctuary Mountain.”

“Shula hasn’t been allowed inside Sanctuary Mountain since she joined us on the surface.”

“They can’t take away her knowledge. Reuben assured me that Shula will be able to mix and measure the right dose of anesthetic for each of us.”

“I don’t trust her. She wanted me to mate with Eli.”

“I don’t trust her either. Reuben agreed to watch her mix and measure everything. Eli and I are getting the same dose.”

“Is Eli going with us?”

“No, it’s just a precaution to be certain Shula doesn’t try to knock me off. It was my idea.”

River smiled for the first time in days. “That was clever.”

“You sound surprised.”

“I am.”

Jonathan growled quietly and rolled on top of River. He nipped her neck but didn’t break the skin. “Show a little respect, woman.”

River knew Jonathan was trying to lighten the mood. Her heart remained heavy but she smiled for him. “Woman?”

“I’m practicing my role as the legendary son of Ephraim.”

“If you believe it’s only a role, you’ll never survive.”

“I’m a trained soldier.”

“Have you ever led an army?”

“No, but—”

“How’re your archery skills?”

“Stop it. I need you to believe in me.”

“You need to believe in yourself. You need to know that you truly are the son of Ephraim.”

“Then tell me the big secret about merging. Reuben said once that happens, I’ll be converted.”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Why not?”

River’s wolf squeezed her throat shut every time she thought of telling Jonathan about shifting. “It’s frustrating me, too.”

“Yeah, right.”

River cupped Jonathan’s cheeks in her hands. “I don’t want to waste one second of our remaining time arguing.”

Jonathan smirked at her. “How do you want to waste our remaining time?”

“You could teach me a little more about the different bases of mating.”

River smiled when Jonathan’s heart skipped a beat. She loved the benefits of her enhanced hearing.

Jonathan

B
Y
THE
THIRD
DAY
, J
ONATHAN
was no longer able to crawl to the bathroom. If it weren’t the only one in the house, he would have just slept on the floor in front of the drain under the sink. He hugged the wooden bucket to his chest and dry heaved for what felt like the thousandth time.

Shula squatted down next to his bed. She slipped her arm behind his neck and pressed the lip of a glass bottle to his mouth. “This will stop the vomiting.”

Jonathan took a tiny sip. His nausea improved immediately.

“You need to drink it all to neutralize the emetic.”

After three days of vomiting, he’d do anything to make it stop. When he finished the potion, Shula slid her arm out from behind his neck then leaned over and kissed his forehead. A hot tear splashed onto his cheek. It wasn’t his.

Why is Shula crying?

“Where’s Eli?” Jonathan’s words slurred together as if he were drunk. The room spun. His vision blurred.
This isn’t right.
Eli was supposed to take the same potions. Reuben was supposed to watch. In his desperation to stop vomiting, Jonathan had deviated from the plan. “I’m not going to wake up, am I?”

“I’m so sorry, Jonathan. But I won’t let another woman’s son steal Eli’s place in history.”

Jonathan stuck his fingers down his throat. His gag reflex was completely gone.

River

W
HEN
R
IVER
WOKE
UP
IN
her own bed, she knew something was horribly wrong. She tried to sit up, but her body refused to cooperate. She couldn’t even lift her hands. Her mouth was so dry she could barely speak. “Jonathan?”

Gabriel’s head seemed to appear from nowhere. “River?”

“Where’s Jonathan?”

Gabriel buried his face in River’s pillow and sobbed. The hair on the top of his head brushed her cheek. It took a tremendous effort, but she managed to roll her head to the other side, away from him. She refused to think about why she was in her own room or why Gabriel was crying or why Jonathan wasn’t lying next to her.

“I’m so sorry.” Gabriel brushed the hair off River’s brow.

“Don’t touch me.” She knew he was only trying to comfort her, but it should be Jonathan’s fingers on her face. Jonathan’s scent in her nose. Jonathan’s voice in her ears.
Not Gabriel’s.
“Where is he?”

“I have to tell Shula you’re awake.”

“No.” River barely had time to blink before Shula arrived with a mug of broth.

“Go away.”

“Stop acting like you’re the only one that’s ever lost a mate.”

Shula’s words attacked the fragile shield of denial River held in front of her heart. Jonathan was lost. But that didn’t mean he was dead. River clung to that tiny shard of hope even though its jagged edge sliced her to the core. “What happened?”

“He didn’t make it.”

“What do you mean he didn’t make it?”

“He died.”

“NO!” She pressed her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. But her sense of hearing was too acute to block out the words.

“He must have had some underlying weakness. He started vomiting blood on the third day. There was nothing I could do.”

“You’re lying! You killed him.”

“You need to drink this.” Shula slid her hand behind River’s neck and brought the steaming mug of broth to her mouth.

River used what little energy she had and shoved the mug away, sloshing the hot broth onto Shula’s hand.

She hissed in pain then stomped out of the room. She returned a few minutes later with a green bottle in her hand.

“I’m not drinking any more of your poison.” River clamped her jaw shut.

“If you insist on acting like a spoiled child, I’ll treat you like one.” Shula climbed into bed behind River and clamped her knees around her head like a vice. She held the bottle in one hand and pinched River’s nose shut with the other.

River’s lungs screamed for air. Her heart raced in a futile effort to deliver increasingly lower levels of oxygen to her starving cells. But she refused to open her mouth. Her vision blurred then went grey around the edges before she passed out.

River’s traitorous lungs only managed to gulp one mouthful of air before Shula poured her wicked brew down River’s throat and clamped her jaw shut. She choked, gagged and spewed a good portion of it out her nose, but in the end she had to swallow.

“You’re just making it harder on yourself. You might as well cooperate, since I’m not going to stop until I’m sure you’ve taken the full dose.” River continued to fight until she couldn’t remember what she was fighting for. Whatever Shula had given her addled her brain.

“Are you ready to drink some broth now?”

River could barely keep her eyes open. Her mind was in a fog but she knew she didn’t want any damn broth.

“What are you doing, Shula?” Reuben sounded angry. River hoped he wasn’t mad at her. “I told you, no drugs.”

“She purged for three days. Add the two days she’s been asleep…do the math, Reuben. If she doesn’t at least drink something soon, she’ll die.”

“Get out.”

Shula slammed the door as she left.

Reuben sat on the edge of River’s bed and stared at his hands. He looked broken. That, more than anything else, confirmed her worst fears. “It’s true?”

Reuben nodded.

How could this happen? What about the prophecy? Was none of it true?

“Will you drink a little broth? For me?”

River would fight Shula all day and all night but she couldn’t deny Reuben’s gentle request. She pressed both hands against her heart and drew her knees to her chest. “It hurts so much.”

Reuben scooped her up and carried her to the kitchen. He held her in his lap like an infant and spoon fed her half a cup of broth.

“I can’t take any more. I’ll get sick.”

“It’s alright. You did good.” Reuben stood up with River still in his arms. But instead of taking her back to her own bed; he carried her to Gabriel and Jonathan’s room.

River buried her face in Reuben’s shoulder. She couldn’t bear the sight of Jonathan’s pristine bed. The omegas had already purified this room. His scent was completely obliterated. “No, Reuben. I can’t.”

Reuben laid her next to Gabriel, who wept, even as he slept.

“He lost his best friend. Maybe you can comfort each other.”