Awakening: A Timeless Series Novel, Book Four (27 page)

“Thank you,” I whispered and held tight to her hand.

It was a small amount of hope Nakari offered, a small amount that I would hold close.

I stared out the window
, watching the trees fly by, counting down the hours till we arrived. It was silent again, but it wasn’t an awkward silence as it had been before. Instead it was a comfortable quiet, calming after all we’d been through.

It wouldn’t be long, as Nakari said, till we made it to Edmonton. But would
Callon be willing to see me, or would his heart still be burdened with the betrayal he thought he’d seen with his own eyes?

My stomach began to churn, nervous
about what his reaction would be, but we didn’t have any other options. We needed his help. He was my last lifeline.

The lights of Edmonton came into view as we neared. Tall office buildings lit up with soft yellow lights crept into the low clouds, illuminating the city. Cars
dotted the roadway despite the late hour. We passed over a large river, the snow glistening off the frozen surface. Street by street passed till Jahlem slowed, and we stopped in front of a red brick building.

Plywood covered half the windows on the
three-story building, and plastic flapped in the wind on others.

“Let’s go,” Nakari said
, opening her door.

I hesitated, not knowing if I should come or not.

Jahlem opened my door, taking my hand and helping me to the icy surface. Apparently I was supposed to come. Goosebumps ran down my neck, excitement and fear tracing through me. What if Callon didn’t want to see me? What if he ran?

I stumbled
, and Jahlem’s arm came around my waist to help support me. Nakari stopped at a door with a construction sign that read “keep out.”

“We
have to go up to the third floor,” she said. “We’ll go together.” She looked at me.

I nodded
my understanding, and Darrien pried the door open. We stepped inside, away from the cold wind’s chill, and climbed the old wooden stairs. Step-by-step, I crawled my way up, and step-by-step my legs became weaker and weaker. What was going on with me? By the time I’d made it to the third floor, I was panting.

I leaned against the wood
en rail, Jahlem holding on to my arm and looking more and more worried. Nakari glanced back as she stopped in front of a black door, and then jumped inside.

My heart began to race. Was he in there? A moment later
, my question was answered, as Nakari appeared and shook her head.

Nakari and Darrien strode back to us, her eyes evaluating my condition. I didn’t need any of them to tell me
. I knew I’d somehow gotten worse.

“I’ll jump her down,” Nakari said
. “This is taking too much out of her.”

Nakari touched my hand
, and we jumped the two flights of stairs. I leaned against the wall as we waited for Darrien and Jahlem.

“I knew there was a chance he wouldn’t be here,” Nakari said
, staring out the open construction door. “There’s one more place here and then another in Calgary. We’re not giving up.”

I stared at her back, her long auburn hair moving in the breeze. She wasn’t giving up, but I didn’t know how much longer it would take. We were running out of time.

“Here,” Jahlem said as he took my arm again and helped me out and into the car.

I buckled in, hoping the next stop would provide more hope.

Jahlem drove down city streets, taking turns when his GPS told him to. Half an hour later, we stopped outside of a tan brick building that was also under construction. Plastic and plywood covered the upper four story windows, while the street level seemed to already be completed. No lights shone in the darkness, and I was starting to lose hope.

Nakari opened her door and glanced back.

“I’ll stay here,” I said, knowing I’d just hold them back. “You go, and you can come for me if you find him.”

She nodded
, and Darrien followed. Jahlem sat in the car with me, his eyes constantly glancing at me in the rearview mirror. He didn’t need to say a word. His actions expressed everything. His constant fidgeting in his seat, his hand brushing back his auburn hair—he was growing anxious.

The SUV doors opened. Nakari and Darrien sat down without speaking. Callon wasn’t there either. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the door. We were running out of options.

Jahlem drove on, but I didn’t bother to watch. What good would it do me? It’d only make me anxious, nervous about what was to come. It would only make that clock tick faster, knowing that at any moment Marcus might decide to wreak havoc with my powers again. And the fact that I was growing weaker likely meant I wouldn’t be able to fight back like I had in the meadow.

Skylar’s face once again flashed
before my eyes. He’d died because I wasn’t strong enough, and knowing the risk just being around Darrien, Jahlem, and Nakari made it all the more frightening.

The SUV rolled to a stop, and I looked up. We’d stopped beside a large park, and across the street sat what looked like city lofts. Nakari sat quietly studying the brick complex. We’d made it to Calgary sooner than I
’d anticipated.

“I think we should all go,” she said nervously. “He’s got to be here.”

“Why?” I asked. “What makes you so sure?”

“I had some friends do some research for me.”

“Research?” I questioned.

“Everyone’s been searching for him, both in person and through trails like bank
accounts and credit card usage. But he’s too smart for that. Callon’s always been careful, using cash only to avoid being tracked. He has many alias, most of which aren’t known…” she hesitated. “But when we were engaged, he told me things that even his brothers didn’t know. He has several bank accounts under company names, which then divert to other companies and so forth. It’s taken them a while, but they tracked him down to these three places.”

She reached for my hand.

“I know it’s risky, but I’ll jump you up the stairs. He’s going to be here. I can feel it.”

I glanced at the clock. It was five a.m., exactly fourteen hours since we
’d left the cabins. Jahlem and Darrien thought we had a few days’ reprieve from Marcus, but that had been well over thirty-six hours ago. I could feel the noose tightening around my neck.

Jahlem exited the SUV and came to my door, opening it.

“He’s going to be here, Cheyenne,” Nakari repeated and then got out of the SUV.

Jahlem helped me stand, and I closed my eyes as a sudden bout of dizziness swept over me. I held his hand tight, waiting for it to pass. Without warning
, I felt my fire element rise, as the cold crisp air wrapped itself around us. My legs gave way, but Jahlem caught me, and wrapped my arm around his shoulder. Darrien came alongside too, both helping me walk across the street to where Nakari stood holding a door open.

We entered the gr
ay brick condo and stopped at the elevator doors. Nakari didn’t have to jump me after all. The elevator opened, and Nakari pushed the number four. It would’ve been wise for him to stay on the fourth floor; he’d be able to see someone coming before they knew it—someone like us.

We exited the elevator and walked down the hall, stopping at door number
410. Nakari glanced back before jumping into the condo. A few moments passed before she opened the door.

My heart began to race. Had we found him? Had he let us in so willingly? We passed over the threshold, and my eyes searched the dark space. Where was he? A light suddenly illuminated the loft, and Nakari stood near a large arched window, her head hanging low.

I glanced around. Large arched windows filled two exposed brick walls, and black exposed steel beams ran the length of the room. A spacious white modern sectional and two upholstered box chairs sat to the left. A gray and white striped rug with a glass coffee table sat before them, covering the exposed concrete floors. Just behind the living area were sleek black cabinets and granite countertops, and a glass dining table separated a dining area. I turned to my left; a partition wall made of steel beams and frosted glass hid what I knew to be a bedroom.

This was his home, his style and taste. He’d been living here
. I could smell his musky scent lingering in the air. He’d been hiding from me here, but he’d gone.

Tears began to well up in my eyes, tears I couldn’t hold back
, but I didn’t want to. My time had run out. Callon wanted nothing to do with me. I pushed away from Darrien and Jahlem and collapsed onto the couch.

You’ll never find what you’re looking for
, Marcus whispered in my ear.
He doesn’t want you, my angel.

“No!” I hissed.

A dark veil began to slip over me, creeping up my legs and into my chest. My breath caught as it rolled up my neck and face. My head began to ache as what felt like a clamp tightened over my skull. I pressed my eyes closed and curled into a ball.

“Cheyenne?” Darrien said trying to sooth me. “Cheyenne, what’s wrong?”

I couldn’t even speak to let them know, to tell them to run. Marcus had returned and soon, very soon, he’d have me do something I’d regret for the rest of my life.

Chapter 21

“Cheyenne,” Darrien said, his voice shaking. “You have to tell us what’s wrong.”

He was trying to roll me over. I pushed him away. Marcus had returned, and if Darrien or any of them got too close, I could accidently kill them. I struggled to form the words.

“G—go,” I murmured. “M—Marcus.”

Darrien stilled and stepped back. He understood. I had to get away from them. I needed to keep them out of my line of sight. The bedroom. I forced myself to roll to my side, and dropped to the striped rug, my fingers digging into the soft material.

Pain rippled across my skull
. It was as if Marcus was tightening his hold on my mind. I pressed my eyes closed, trying to force his hold down. A breeze swept over my neck, and when I looked up, I was in Callon’s bedroom. Nakari had jumped me.

A dark
-stained concrete wall with a shelving unit built into it served as his headboard. A black and gray chevron-lined comforter with striped smoke-colored sheets covered the bed. Two metal end tables with office lamps sat on either side.

Inch-by-inch I crawled the remainder of the way to the bed, dragging myself up
to lie on the top. Callon’s musky scent drifted through my senses. He’d been here not that long ago.

Had he seen us coming and left? Or had he already departed knowing we were close?
He ran because of me. He still didn’t want anything to do with me.

He won’t come to you
. He doesn’t want you
, Marcus whispered in my mind.
You’re worthless in your family’s eyes. I’m the only one who knows your value.

He knew nothing of value. He was using me, like he’d done to countless others before me. His control over me was so much deeper than I’d realized, and I was growing weaker by the moment.

Come back to me, and I’ll restore you.

I knew he’d say anything to get me to return. Was he the one causing me to become
frail? I lost my breath as the pressure in my head grew. It was as if he was tightening a clamp around my head, trying to crush me completely.

Let go, my angel. Let go
, and the pain will disappear.

“No!” I screamed. “I won’t give in!”

It had to be him, but how?

I curled my legs to my chest, holding them tight. Tears streamed down my cheeks. I was losing this battle, the battle I
had thought I could fight alone. I was going to die in Callon’s bed, and he’d never know how sorry I truly was.

He’d never understand what I’d done
. He’d only ever see it as a betrayal. But it didn’t matter now. Marcus had won. I’d failed the entire Timeless race with the one thing my mother had told me to do…marry Marcus.

My mind began to float into darkness, a room with no windows or doors. My fingers traced the frigid surfaces, and no matter which way I turned, only coldness surrounded me. I fought to bring forth my fire element, but instead fell to my knees
, weak and exhausted. I pressed my hands to my face; the iciness from them chilled me even more.

Was this my fate? My mother had doomed me to failure before I even got a chance to change our history? Goosebumps trailed down my neck
, and I began to shiver.

“Cheyenne,” a voice whispered. “Cheyenne, come back.”

I curled tighter into myself, holding on to what was left of me.

“Cheyenne, you don’t want to stay there,” it whispered again.

Someone’s warm breath tickled my ear. I stilled.

“I know you’re weak and tired. I can help you, but only if you come back.”

It wasn’t Marcus whispering in my mind. This was different and yet familiar.

“Please, love, come back.”

My breathing hitched, and my lower lip shook. I knew who was here; I knew the voice speaking to me. I scratched at the blackness surrounding me, searching for a way out. Warm arms engulfed me, and I clung to them tightly. My eyes fluttered, and soon light began to emerge, warm light and fuzzy images of the room I’d been in.

“Callon?” I called out in desperation, still unsure if it
was truly him. “Callon!”

“I’m here,” he whispered
in my ear. “I’m here now.”

I couldn’t control myself as the sobs broke from my chest. His hold only grew tighter, and I clung to him like he was my last breath of life. He’d come back, he’d come back to me.

“I’m sorry,” I wailed. “I’m so sorry.”

“
Shh,” he soothed me.

His warm fingers caressed my cheek.

“Rest,” he murmured. “We’re here for you.”

My body began to grow lax, my mind clearing.

The Timeless race will despise you, my angel
, Marcus whispered.
They’ll despise you when you murder Callon.

I couldn’t catch my breath, and I struggled to free myself from Callon’s hold.

“Cheyenne!” he cried. “Don’t fight me!”

“No!” the bellowing cry came from my belly. “He’s going to have me kill you!”

Callon’s hold loosened, and I scrambled to the floor, curling myself into the far corner.

“Please,” I begged, “stay away.”

His heavy footsteps told me he’d moved, but I knew it wasn’t far. I heard voices nearby.

“It’s worse than I thought,” Callon’s low voice said. “Marcus has a deep hold.”

“She’s growing weaker by the moment, Callon,” Nakari said. “You saw her. I’ve never seen a Timeless look so frail.”

“He’s draining her like a battery,” Colt’s husky voice said in realization. “She’s his main power source.”

“But he weakens himself when he controls her,” Darrien said.

“And he
’s restoring his powers by taking them from her,” Colt replied.

“How?” Jahlem questioned. “I’ve never seen him do this before.”

“Because he has the Consilador’s powers,” Callon replied. “He’s using my mind control powers to not only control her, but to steal her powers to regenerate himself faster.”

“He’s killing her,” Daniel said. “Callon, you have to help her.”

My heartbeat quickened. Colt and Daniel were here. They’d come for me, but it was too late. I was beyond the point of no return, a failure for the Timeless race to blot out of their history.

An eerie silence drifted over me. A black mist gathered at my feet, but it wasn’t Raina. Steam
drifted around me as the walls began to turn to ice. Slowly the deep freeze began to creep across the floor, and inch by inch it moved closer to me, ready to swallow me whole.

He won’t help you, my angel. I’m the only one offering you true freedom.

Callon’s shadow loomed behind me, and I fought back my fears. Marcus had threatened me, but only because he feared Callon. He knew he was the only one who could save me. I closed my eyes, waiting for his touch. Chills raced down my neck, as his warm breath lingered.

You feel your powers rising, my angel? The golden whips of death that killed Skylar will murder your love…

My veins tingled with the power of fire running through them, but it wasn’t as it had been before. I looked down at my hands, the now frail bony skeletons that they were. A blue hue flickered to life, but then vanished. I was too weak; he couldn’t use me because he’d drained me too far. I didn’t have much longer.

Callon’s chest pressed against my back, his hands trailed down my arms. His strong fingers gently grasped my wrist
s and crossed my arms over my chest. He remained still, waiting for me to relax in his hold.

“I’ve failed you, Callon,” I whispered.

“You’ve never failed me, Cheyenne,” he murmured against my hair. “Failure isn’t missing your target; it’s not having one. Failing isn’t falling down; it’s refusing to get back up. Failure isn’t trying; it’s failing to try. Failure is quitting, and you’ve yet to quit. You’ve never failed because you’ve never given up.”

His hold tightened.

“I’m the failure. I left you when you needed me most.”

“But you’re here now.”

“And I won’t let go.”

I closed my eyes, as my body stilled. I
wouldn’t kill him today. Marcus had ensured that by draining the very breath from my lips.

“You have the Consilador’s powers, Cheyenne
. You gained them when you married Marcus, just as he did. He’s controlling you using my mind powers, and I’m going to help you get them back.

“I want you to go back to that small space I pulled you from earlier. That dark room that you thought had no doors or windows. We’re going to open those windows and doors, using your memories to block him out.”

I exhaled, knowing where I was heading, but I wasn’t alone this time. Callon was with me. He’d help me. Callon’s fingers intertwined with mine, and I pulled him inside, opening the door and letting light in.

“He’s closed the windows to all your light, your happy memories,” he whispered. “We’re going to reopen them so he can’t wade through them.”

I stilled, listening to his directions.

“You had a happy childhood, love
. Open that window and let those memories flood you. Think of Gene and Alexis, all the love and warmth they provided you.”

My mind began to whirl as memories of my parents flooded my sight. Dancing in the rain with my mom because she wanted to feel the moisture on her skin. Running in the meadow with my dad as we chased a wild rabbit. Laughter around the campfire when a marshmallow exploded.

“Now move to the next,” he said. “Your time with Colt, your sunshine.”

The spray of water dampe
ned my skin, laughter and soap being thrown around. Hiking and flowers, and friendship abounded.

Callon didn’t need to say more as I whirled through the dark room and sprung open the doors and windows containing my happy memories, washing aside the deep despair and agony.

Campfires and waterfalls, the love from a brother, the love from a family. Callon holding me after Sam bolted. My fingers tightened over his as the vice on my head loosened and shattered into a million pieces.

Snow, beautiful, white, unstained snow began to tumble from the skies above. I closed my eyes, the moisture dampening my cheeks. I began to drift, light and airy
, to the snowy layer at my feet. My body grew heavy with sleep.

Callon’s warm lips touched my
neck. “I have you now, Cheyenne.”

Soft fingers brushed my cheek, pulling my hair from my lashes. They fluttered
, and I looked up into the warmth of hazel eyes I’d so dearly missed, and feared I’d never see again. I couldn’t speak at first as tears streamed down my cheeks. My hand lifted, touching his unshaven cheek as he sat on the edge of the bed.

“You came back,” I whispered.

“I came back for you,” he replied.

“I’ve missed you.”

A smile creased his lips. “And I’ve missed you.”

I took in every detail I’d missed in the dim lighting. His brown wavy hair had gotten longer, and my fingers pulled at the long layers. The brown Henley he was wearing
clung to his muscles as he leaned over me. Every beauty mark that I’d taken for granted, every speck of green and gold in his eyes, the pink hue of his lips.

He should’ve been my husband, but I’d destroyed any chance of it ever happening.

“I married Marcus, Callon. I married him thinking I could destroy him by myself, but I can’t.”

“You’re not alone.” He leaned in closer on his elbows. “I understand now.” He pressed his eyes closed. “I was angry, Cheyenne, consumed with anger and jealousy and…”

“But you understand now?” I asked even though he said he did. I needed to know he understood why I married him. That I never meant to hurt him.

His breath hitched, and his head lowered, burying it
self in my chest.

“I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you. It was Colt, Nakari, and Daniel who finally found me, brought me to my senses, helped me see beyond my fury and mistrust.”

My chest ached, and tears freely flowed. I rested my chin on his head; my arms came around his shoulders, holding him close.

“We’ve both made mistakes, Callon,” I said, my fingers rubbing his back. “Mistakes
that are in the past. We both have to move on.”

I couldn’t believe the words that were flowing from my lips, and yet they were true. We needed to forget about the past failures and concentrate on the future. Callon’s return had restored my faith that he did love me and
that he wanted to fight this battle together.

His head slowly rose, the tense muscles on his shoulders relaxing. Eyes, soft and full of compassion
, reached mine.

“I didn’t know if you’d forgive me. I don’t deserve it,” he said.

“I have nothing to forgive. I was the one who caused you pain. But we both understand now. It’s time to end this with Marcus.”