Daylight, a Timeless Series Novel (25 page)

“You’ve taken everything away from me, Callon,” Colt snarled. “Everything!” His nostrils flared like an angry bull. Koda stepped between the brothers, flashing a dark glare at Colt.

The ache in my heart doubled. C
allon had been pushed to this point because of my relationship with Colt!

In an instant
, the scenery changed again. We were on the ravine when a brilliant light flashed, causing me to gasp. I could taste it on my tongue before I realized the familiar dark rage. But this wasn’t the red-eyed beast I’d known. This was Callon’s own monster. Black, bitter and holding enough regret to fill an ocean. Anger, hatred, and despair swirled around him like a black mist, and I was terrified at its intensity.

I stood unmoving
, watching Colt’s death play out before me. Tears streamed down my cheek. An uncontrollable sob escaped me, and suddenly I was crushed against Callon’s chest. The forest was gone, replaced by bedroom furnishings.

“Cheyenne, I—I’m so sorry. You were never meant…” Callon moaned.

I clung to him, pushing myself closer, unable to speak.

“I
never should’ve banished him. I was just trying to do what was best,” he whispered. “You shouldn’t have touched me.”

“How?” I cried. “How could I see your memory?”

“Your powers, they’re so much stronger than we know. You shouldn’t have been able to…I’m so sorry.”

I curled myself into his lap further. I could have prevented so much if I’d only listened. I’d been acting just as selfishly as Colt, but I—we could change that now. If Colt were alive…

“Why didn’t you ever tell me?” I asked. “We had all that time in Montana.”

I drew back and stared into the warmth of his hazel eyes. He gently wiped the tears from my cheeks.

“I wanted to so many times, but you’d been through so much already. You’d lost your parents; you’d been ripped away from your home. You’d just been told you were Timeless, and there was no way to explain it all without overwhelming you. And your transformation…it nearly cost you your life. Colt was safe for you. You always turned to him. I just never thought it would turn out like this.”

He paused for a moment.

“I always thought that through reliving memories, I could change what happened in the past,” he whispered. “What I did to you, what I said to Colt…”

“But you can’t
,” I said. “You can’t dwell on the past. Neither of us can. We can only work on what lies ahead.”

“If Colt’s alive…”

“Then we’ll find him together and make things right.”

Callon drew me closer.
“I just don’t want to lose you in the process, Cheyenne.”

“You’re not go
ing to lose me, Callon,” I said. I pulled away, looking him straight in the eye. “I’ve made so many mistakes, so many failures against my name…but not any more. I understand now, clearer than ever, what I need to do.” I paused, and took a breath. “I’m going to marry you.”

Chapter 13

“You ready?” Callon asked as he stepped inside my bedroom. I’d been staring out the terrace doors, watching the rain again, waiting for him.

He pushed his fingers through his brown wavy locks and sighed. He was as nervous and anxious about this meeting as I was. It had been over a month since Brogan sent word to Tre and Jayna,
and apparently he’d heard from them. I was told it took time before they could relay the data, whatever that meant.

“
I can’t wait for the rain to stop,” I said, trying to ease the tension.

A smirk rose
on his lips. “It always rains here, Cheyenne.”

I leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Well
, then at least I have you to cuddle with.”

His arm came around my waist
, and he escorted me down the hall. “I didn’t know I was cuddling material,” he chuckled.

“
Not everyone qualifies, you know.”

He squeezed my waist. “
You have to qualify?”

“Oh yes.”

We paused at the top of the stairs and he turned toward me.

“You’re not going to
be more specific?” A twinkle grew in his eyes.

“Well
, first.” I touched his shoulders. “You have to have broad shoulders. It makes for more snuggling room. Second.” My fingers caressed his cheek. “These must be unshaven.”

He smiled.

“Third.” My lips brushed his. “These must be kissable.”

“Three qualifications.” He pushed the hair behind my ear. “
Seems I make them all.”

“Lucky you…”

Daniel suddenly flashed beside us, and I gasped, slightly annoyed that he’d ruined the moment.

“Hurry up,” Daniel said
. He rubbed his hands together nervously, eager to get going. My heart softened. He’d been so jumpy—he wanted to know about Colt as much as we did. I knew deep down that we’d find him today, but it was going to be hard on all of us. Especially if our worries about him were true.

Daniel jumped ahead
, landing at the bottom of the stairs, and gave me a restless glance. He disappeared again, and we headed down the stairs. When we reached the hall, I headed for the library, but Callon tugged my hand and nodded towards the sitting room. We were meeting there. As we headed inside, I soon understood why; everyone was here, and there wasn’t enough space anywhere else.

Brogan leaned against the fireplace,
conversing with Dex. He flashed me a dark glance, but I ignored him. I’d gotten used to it by now. The rest of the group was scattered on the sofas, talking in low murmurs. The tension in the room was thick, and I held Callon’s hand tighter. He guided me to a spot that had been reserved for us, and we sat together. Daniel jumped beside us and sat on the arm of the chair, his leg bouncing nervously. Bree moved beside him and took his hand, her fingers interlocking with his.

Brogan
cleared his throat, and the murmurs fell silent. He strode to the center of the room and looked at Callon.

“Tre and Jayna are here,”
he said.

Blinking,
I glanced around the room. I hadn’t noticed anyone new.

“
I see,” Callon murmured. He sounded distracted—he must have been thinking something through.

“
Are you going to let them in?” Maes asked.

My brow creased.
Let them in? He must have been referring to the enchantment. But Tre and Jayne were allies, right? It shouldn’t affect them…

“
That’s irrelevant at this point,” Callon replied. “Their powers won’t work within the boundaries of the enchantment. If we want to know what Marcus has been up to, we’ll have to meet them in the open.”

Maes lower lip twitched
, and he cast a sidelong glance at me. “Is that really a good idea?”

“We
have no choice,” Brogan broke in. “The Tresez have already crossed through once, and to get the most accurate information, we’ll need both Callon and Cheyenne to help them. We have to risk the exposure.”

I sat up straighter. Callon hadn’t mentioned that I’d be so closely involved.

“Why us?” I asked. “If it’s just information on Marcus, couldn’t they simply tell us?”

“It
’s not quite as easy as that,” Dex replied. “It’s a bit hard to explain without seeing it, but look at it as having a camera in Marcus’s back yard. They’re able to project visions across vast distances, but they do have limitations. That’s why we need to meet with them.”

I
twisted my Servak ring. It was pretty hard to picture something like that. What kind of power did these two possess?

“I don’t like
it,” Maes said. “Marcus’s army sits outside these walls, and we’re going to just waltz out and say hello? We might as well hand Cheyenne over with a bow tied around her.”

“
You don’t think we’ve thought about that?” Brogan growled. “We’re going to take precautions.”

Maes’s eyes flared.

“Having your two most powerful clan leaders preoccupied like this is an opportunity for Marcus,” he said. “You’d really endanger them for the sake of a little information?”

“Tre and Jayna
can show us what we need to know,” Brogan growled. “There’s no other way.”

Maes
scoffed, his chest swelling. “
I
have a better idea of what the Sarac could be up to…”

“Like how you predicted the Tresez attack?” Brogan shot back. Maes bared his teeth, stepping forward, but Koda blocked his way. “T
his isn’t my first rodeo, Maes. I’m in charge of this operation, and you can keep your
ideas
to yourself.”

Maes
’s nostrils flared. My fingers tightened around Callon’s as I thought Maes was about to shift, but then Andre pulled him back. I didn’t need her aura skills to know it was getting red hot in here.

Callon stood
up.

“Enough,
both of you,” he commanded. “I knew sending for Tre and Jayna would be dangerous, but I think it’s worth the risk. If we don’t find out about Colt, then that puts us in a tough position. We’ve already seen how the enchantment was manipulated. It can happen again, and next time I won’t be strong enough to repair it.” He sighed. “Then there really won’t be anywhere safe for any of us.”

I blinked. It had drained Callon that much?

Dex stepped closer, resting his hand on Callon’s shoulder.

“
Besides, from what I can tell, the Sarac’s movements here appear random,” he went on. “They’re watching us, but not attempting to re-enter.”

“How
can you be so sure?” I asked.

“I can
sense them, Cheyenne,” Callon answered. “The enchantment isn’t just a barrier, it also helps me see the surrounding area. This is our best opportunity to catch up on Marcus’s plans.”

“Well that’s convenient
,” I muttered, wishing he would’ve told me sooner. Then again, he probably hadn’t said anything because he didn’t want me to worry. Every day he looked so tired; keeping me safe had really taken its toll on him. If only I wasn’t so weak, I could’ve helped him…

“So how are we going to do this?
” I asked. “It’s like Maes said, we can’t just walk out there.”

Maes’s jade-rim
med eyes focused on me.

“
Maybe that’s not such a bad idea,” he said.

“
What do you mean?” I asked.

Callon began pacing in front of the fire.
“So you’re saying we just leave here in broad daylight?” he asked.

“
We
will,” Maes replied. He jerked his head at Koda. “Koda can keep Cheyenne hidden with his invisibility cloak. If Marcus’s forces don’t see her, they won’t suspect anything. They’d never expect us to move so openly if we had her with us.”

“
A reasonable observation,” Brogan said. “It could work.”

“
We could still run into trouble,” Dex chimed, rubbing his temple. “Even if Cheyenne is their main goal, there’s nothing to stop them from attacking us.”

“But it’s our best chance,” Koda said, folding his arms. He turned to Callon. “
What have you been sensing out there?”

Callon stopped pacing and stared at the fire.

“The usual suspects, Trackers and Tresez, but those aren’t the ones I’m concerned about.”

“Cloakers,” Daniel said
quietly.

“Cloakers?” I peered up into
his worried blue eyes.

“Yes.” His lips twisted uncomfortably. “You remember
the Ghosters, right?”

I nodded
, a shiver running down my spine. How could I forget those sparkling lights that ripped your soul from your body. “Yes. But I’m stronger now. The lights shouldn’t affect me, right?”

“You’ll be just fine with the Ghosters,
” Daniel said, “but the Cloakers…” He trailed off.

“You see, Cheyenne,” Dex
explained, “Cloakers are able to manipulate space. They can project themselves as black mist, and can travel as fast as the wind. But unlike the Ghosters, they can rematerialize on the spot as well. That makes them even more deadly.”

“
They can also take you with them, if you’re alone,” Maes added. “Avoiding physical contact is a must.” He looked at Brogan. “Did you consider this little problem as well?”

“
We can manage,” Daniel spoke up. “We’ll keep in constant contact with another by holding hands.”

“But it only takes a second for the contact to be broken and for them to take a Timeless
,” Maes countered.

“
Wait a second,” I said, holding my hand up. “They won’t be able to touch me if they can’t get near me. I can blast them back with my powers.”

“Possibly,” Maes replied
. “But some Cloakers are stronger than others. If Raina is out there…”

“
Let me do it,” Daniel said, his hand coming to rest on my shoulder. “I’ll protect Cheyenne. If we run into trouble, I can jump us out of there.”

Callon turned towards us, but remained silent. Daniel’s fingers tightened on my shoulders, but then relaxed. They were talking it out.

“Honestly, Daniel,” Koda said, “I’d be more worried about Callon.”

“Callon?” I
glanced to him, not sure I understood. “Is this true?”

Callon
lowered his head. “I haven’t regained all of my strength. Giving some to Tre and Jayna might leave me with nothing at all for a short time.”

“Then don’t
do this,” I said. “Let me.”

“It has to be both of you
, Cheyenne,” Dex said. “Callon has the connection to Colt, and you have the connection to Marcus.”

“What?”
I raised a brow. “How do I have a connection to Marcus other than being betrothed?”

“It’s twofold really,”
Dex replied, “You were with him, which gives a temporal connection, but mainly it’s because of the Servak ring. It was in his possession for a period of time.”

My thumb rolled over my Servak ring. These rings
still had more to them than I knew. But if this whole thing was based on close connections…

“I still don’t understand
why Callon needs to do this too,” I admitted. “I had a deep connection with Colt. Wouldn’t that also work? And what about Daniel?”

“Callon’s connection is stronger.” Daniel’s shoulders sagged. “And my powers aren’t great enough.”

“Your powers are great enough to help us in other ways, Daniel,” Callon assured him.

Daniel gave a weak smile.

“How long will it take you to arrange a safe meeting place, Brogan?” Callon asked.

“
Give me three days,” Brogan replied. “In the meantime, we’ve got some training to do.”