Daylight, a Timeless Series Novel (39 page)

“A risk? Dex said something about us marrying during the summer solstice so we would counterbalance each other. Is that it?”

“It’s more than that. During the ceremony, we are united with the
Braid del amour,
the braid of love. The Braid is placed upon us, binding our hands and arms together, then the ritual is performed to show we’re united in power and love.” He hesitated for a moment.

“What?”

“We’ll lose our powers for a period of time. We’ll be completely vulnerable.”

I blinked and then quickly recovered.
“How long will we be without powers?”

He looked down at my hand, caressing my fingers.
“We don’t know for sure.”

I tilted my head. “Why not?” My mind began spinning. “Dex and Lilly were married, and so were Brogan and Layla. Why can’t you ask them?”

“It’s different for everyone. It’s only used for clan leader marriages, and honestly, it all depends on the power of the couple uniting. If they’re weaker, it may just be hours or days; if they’re stronger, days or weeks.”

I began twisting my Servak ring. Both Callon and I were considered strong, which meant it could be weeks before our powers were restored. Weeks in which Marcus could plan an attack and slaughter us all
, but my parents had taken the risk too.

“What about my parents? Their marriage was the most recent
. Dex would have married them.”

“He did, but right after the wedding they went into hiding. He never got the opportunity to ask.”

Of course…but someone had to know. If they were in hiding, they would have been guarded.

“Who guarded over my parents during this time?” I asked.

Callon was quiet for a moment then replied, “Dex might know. I’ll ask him, and then maybe we can get a closer estimate.”

I nodded, still distracted by the thought of losing our powers.

“We’re working on ensuring our safety,” Callon added.

I knew he was, but things could happen, unexpected things.

“Where’s the Braid now?”

“Hidden.”

“Do you know where it’s at?”

“No, Dex is the keeper of the Braid.”

Dex kept the Braid hidden; at least that was a plus. But being completely vulnerable didn’t set well with me.

“Who performs the ceremony?”

“Dex.”

“Can anyone else perform the ceremony?” I stared at the red and gold area rug beneath my feet.

“Yes, one other.”

“And let me guess…he’s with Marcus?”

“Yes,” Callon replied.

He drew me into a hug
, and I soaked up his musky scent. We were risking our lives just by marrying each other, a risk that had to be taken, just like my parents had. Both the Servak and Consilador clans’ power had weakened over the years. Dex had told me that. We needed to marry to restore the balance before it got completely out of control.

“I’ll always come for you, Cheyenne, always,” he whispered in my hair.

But if Marcus came, would Callon come too late?

“Cheyenne?” Lilly’s voice echoed in the front hall. Her footsteps paused at the library’s entry. “I’m sorry to bother you, sweetheart, but when you’re done
, Layla and I need you for a fitting.”

I glanced behind me. Her blue eyes twinkled with excitement.

“We’ve only got a few more weeks till the big day.”

“I’ll be right there, Lilly,” I replied.

A bright smile flashed over her lips and then she disappeared, but not before calling out, “We’ll be up in your room waiting.”

I snuggled back into Callon’s hold
, if only for a few more moments.

“You’d better go, love. You don’t want to keep Lilly waiting.” He kissed my head.

I sighed. I’d rather spend the afternoon in his arms than be fitted for a dress that I might die in. He drew back and stood.

“I’ve got more research to do. We can have some alone time tonight if you’d like.” A warm grin appeared.

“I’d like that,” I said softly.

With one last glance at Callon, I headed for my bedroom. Might as well get this over with sooner than later.

I entered my bedroom to find Bree, Andre and Nakari. Bree and Andre greeted me with a smile, but Nakari clasped her hands and looked down. She’d been like this for weeks now, since I’d found out about the engagement. I honestly couldn’t tell if she wanted to be here or not, not that I cared anymore. But if it was uncomfortable seeing me in a gown, knowing I was marrying the man she loved, well, I completely understood. I’d have felt no different if the roles were reversed. It was time I just let it go and made an attempt at friendship.

I stopped beside Andre
. Her blue eyes were wary at first, then turned to understanding.

“Nakari,” I said softly, “if this is difficult for you to be here, I understand, but if you want to
stay, I’d like you to.”

Slowly her auburn head rose and green eyes stared at me
with a mixture of emotions. Bree grasped Nakari’s arm in support.

“I’d like to stay,” she replied.

I nodded.

“Well
, someone wore her big girl panties today.” Andre’s sarcasm made me grin. I looked over my shoulder, she raised a brow.

“Well, I just found some laying around and thought I’d give them a try,” I replied.

The room erupted in light laughter.

Lilly and Layla appeared from the bathroom doorway and headed towards the bed. A large wooden framed full-length mirror was propped up against the wall nearby.

Layla’s blue green eyes lit up. She’d been working very hard to create a dress that I’d love, but from her drawings, it was hard to say what it would look like on me.

“Over here,” Layla called out and motioned for me to come beside the bed. “We’ve got your dress ready.” Her smile was contagious
, and I couldn’t help but grin.

Lilly looped her arm in mine as she met me halfway. “It’s going to be beautiful, Cheyenne.”

A pile of white silk lay on my bed. Layla and Lilly carefully lifted the dress up, revealing its simple beauty. It gave the appearance of a ball gown, but what Layla had done to it was utterly amazing. She dropped the waistline and had buttons running down the full length of the long train. A small band of rhinestones and crystals embroidered the bodice, and there was a tulle halter strap that would help hold it in place.

“Come on,” Lilly tugged at my hand. “It’s time to try it on.”

I was in complete and utter awe as I undressed and then allowed Lilly and Layla help me put the gown on. The room grew silent as I turned towards Bree, Andre and Nakari.

Bree’s hazel eyes watered. She brushed back her long brown hair and smiled a genuine smile.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

I gathered the skirt up in my hands and walked towards the mirror. I was completely speechless
. It was even more beautiful than when it had been lying on the bed. This was my wedding dress, but I was marrying someone completely different than who I thought I would be. Colt should have been here with us. He should have been reunited with his family…

“I think you’ve outdone yourself this time, Layla,” Andre said thoughtfully
, bringing me back to the here and now.

My fingers traced the rhinestone and crystals, such a simple addition that made it sparkle. And the tulle halter was flattering and feminine. I twisted to see the back had a semi deep plunge that revealed
my back without going too far.

Without a word, Layla and Lilly began tugging at the side seams, adjusting the tulle around my neck and pinning where they thought alterations should be made.

I caught Nakari as she tried to hide her watery eyes. My heart ached, regardless of the fact that we hadn’t been the best of friends, or even friends. She was hurting, and it was because of me. She didn’t have to be here. She could have left, and I wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but the fact that she stayed made me realize truly what type of person she was. She was sacrificing, just like the rest, but she did it with more dignity and honor than I ever had.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

She blinked, but recovered quickly.

“It’s no one
’s fault, Cheyenne. It’s just the way it is,” she replied quietly.

I nodded and turned back towards the mirror. We probably would never be the best of friends, but knowing we could accept each other was better than the anger and hatred we’d been feeling before.

“Here,” Layla said breaking the moment. “We need you to try on your evening gown too.”

“What?” I asked in surprise. No one had said anything about an evening gown.

“Regardless of the fact that this will be a small family ceremony, Cheyenne,” Lilly said, “it’s tradition to have a wedding dinner.”

“A dinner?”

“Yes,” Lilly replied.

“If it’s just a dinner, then why the evening gown?”

Layla, Bree and Andre began tugging at my dress to get it off.

“Ouch!” I snapped as a pin lodged into my skin.

“Sorry,” Andre snickered.

“It’s a wedding dinner that will include music, and dancing. It’s the celebration before the celebration
, of course,” Lilly stated like I should have known about it. “This would have been a bigger deal if the clan members could be here for it.”

“Then why hasn’t anyone told me till now?” They removed the remainder of my wedding dress
, and I stood there in my underwear and bra, crossing my arms.

“Callon said he’d tell you.” Lilly began tapping her foot impatiently and her jaw squared. “I should have known he’d leave it to the last minute,” she huffed then waved her arms. “Men!”

Layla and Bree had already brought over a blue silk gown and were helping me into it. Lilly hauled me forward once it was on, determination etched in her blue eyes. She pulled pins from her mouth, and she and Layla were pinning again before I’d even had a chance to view the dress.

It figured that Callon was supposed to tell me and had forgotten
. That in and of itself was forgivable, but the fact that Lilly said there would be dancing made me antsy.

“I don’t know how to dance,” I blurted out.

Both Layla and Lilly stood.

“Didn’t you go to dances in high school?” Andre
asked.

“No.”

“Were you an ugly duckling or something?” she snorted.

I narrowed my eyes.

“Andre!” Layla said and gave Andre a glare. She turned her attention towards me, grasping my hands. “We can teach you.”

“Skylar and Clayton will teach you
, starting tonight,” Lilly stated and then twisted me around.

Bree and Nakari grasped my arms to prevent me from falling. They began removing the dress
, and I was left standing once again in my bra and underwear.

“Callon and I were going to be alone tonight,” I said and then
reached for my jeans lying on the bed.

“Well
, you’ll have hundreds of years to spend alone!” Lilly snapped. “Tonight is your first lesson.”

With those words
, she disappeared out the bedroom door with the blue gown while Layla followed with the wedding gown.

“Here, let me help
!” Bree called out and ran after Layla and the trailing white silk.

I pulled my jeans and
T-shirt on, shaking my head.

“I’m not a dancer,” I mumbled under my breath. I was going to make a complete fool of myself. For someone who was musically inclined, I should have had some sort of rhythm, but it was like I had two left feet. Colt had tried to teach me once and we
’d ended up on the floor laughing. I didn’t need any more memories floating around in my head constantly reminding me that Colt betrayed us—me.

“We’ll stick with you,” Nakari said.

“If Skylar could teach Koda to dance, then surely he can teach you,” Andre added.

I sighed. I had no other choice.

Chapter 21

One, two, three.
One, two, three.

The
count floated in my head as I moved with Skylar around the sitting room. They’d cleared the furniture, making a dance floor of sorts. Initially we started out slowly, focusing on hand positions, moving my feet properly to offset my partner’s legs, keeping my head up…

T
hen came the more complicated stuff. In the second and third week, I had to put it all together—easier said than done—and to place the icing on the cake, I needed to remember the steps for each dance. Although Nakari and Andre had promised to “stick with me,” they’d been overruled by Lilly. She needed them elsewhere. And why we couldn’t have done it in my room or another more private place was beyond me. Apparently I still needed to be harassed about my lack of abilities.

Today didn’t sit well with me.
Despite all the practicing, falls and stubbed toes, I still hadn’t gotten the hang of it. And the wedding was only days away.

“Keep your head up,” Koda said
, interrupting my dance so he could tilt my chin up. “You’re not looking over his right shoulder. You’re going to trip each other up.”

I ground m
y teeth. Koda and Brogan had taken to watching my progress, adding in their opinion whenever they felt like it, and I’d had about enough. It was hard enough to remember everything and keep my steps in line, but their constant harassing was going to push me over the edge.

I tripped on Skylar’s foot
, bumping into his chest.

“
Ow!” Skylar flinched. “Careful, Cheyenne.”

“Sorry,” I muttered.

He helped me upright again. His wild dark blond locks looked even messier since he’d started teaching me. He kept running his fingers through his hair. He’d been more patient than I could have ever been.

“It’s okay
. It’s a bit hard to dance with heels on,” he reassured me, but his green eyes said something completely different. Like,
you should have gotten this by now, Cheyenne
.

I looked down at my shoes. I’d stepped on his toes more than once with the
stilettoes. He was right on one thing; wearing strappy heels to dance in took some getting used to. I couldn’t help it; I’d always preferred flats.

“You’re getting it, Cheyenne,” he added. “By Friday night
, you’ll be ready.” He leaned in a little closer. “Besides, Koda was way worse than you to begin with.”

I couldn’t help but grin.

“Thanks,” I whispered, but knew I was still a long way from feeling comfortable with dancing.

Daniel started the music again
, and Skylar extended his hand. We were ballroom dancing now, which I had to admit was a bit easier. It was more flowing action, and all I had to do was follow Skylar’s lead.

We circled around the room when once again the dancing twins felt they needed to add their
commentary.

“Your arm looks like a limp noodle, Cheyenne,” Koda said above the music
.

“Any limper and it might collapse,” Brogan added. “Better start pumping some iron.”

I forced Skylar to stop. My eyes narrowed, and I quickly crossed the room. Koda and Brogan were leaning against the wall, arms crossed, smirks on their lips. I poked Koda in the chest.

“Okay, twinkle toes,
if you’re so good, show me how it’s done!” I snapped.

“
Gladly.” Koda yanked on my arm and tried to drag me to the dance floor again. I shrugged him off.

“No, not with me. I need to
see
, remember?”

He rolled his eyes.

“Fine, I’ll just call Nakari…” He yelled her name, but I put up my hand.

“
Ah ah, not so fast.”

He
looked at me, speculating. “You want a solo number?”

My own smirk rose.

“Nope. Your partner’s Brogan.”

“What
?!” Brogan marched over. “I’m not dancing with Koda.”

“Chicken?” I taunted.

“Listen,
princess
,” he grumbled. “I don’t…”

He was cut off as Koda grabbed his arm.

“She wants us to show her, so show her we will,” Koda said. “I’m man enough for the challenge. Are you, Brogan?”

Brogan eyed Koda for a moment
, then switched his glare to me. His eyes bore into mine, but I could tell he’d accepted the challenge.

“Fine,” he said.
“Let’s show this amateur what she needs to aspire to.”

“Music!” Koda commanded
. He stuck his hand out for Brogan to take.

A sly smile began to grow. I couldn’t believe they were going to dance for me.

“You’re not leading, Koda, I am,” Brogan said.

“No, I will,” Koda argued.

“Listen,
girls
, we don’t have all day,” Daniel chimed in and started the music.

Brogan shoved his hand in Koda’s, allowing him to lead.
As they started to get into the rhythm, Nakari emerged from the door. Her green eyes filled with confusion, but that quickly dissolved into a grin.

“Someone called…”
She started giggling. “I thought they were supposed to be teaching you to dance, Cheyenne.”

“They told me they could do better, so I told them to prove it
,” I answered, folding my arms.

Brogan stumbled over Koda’s foot.
Koda frowned slightly.

“Careful, Brogan,” I taunted
, “your other left foot is getting in the way.”

They whisked by, Brogan snarl
ing as he passed.

“They’re actually not bad,” Nakari said. “I’m surprised.”

“Whoa!” Andre’s giggle echoed from the hall. “This is a first! Maes!”

At first Maes look as baffled as Nakari had. Then a s
mirk formed on his lips.

“Careful, Brogan, Koda’s been known to grope his partners,”
he joked. “Wouldn’t want Layla getting jealous now.”

“Does this dance come with a skirt?
‘Cos one of you needs one!” Daniel added.

Koda and Brogan abruptly stopped.

“Alright, enough homophobia,” Koda said. He took two strides towards me and grabbed my hand. “Your turn,
princess
.”

I could only
squeal as he pulled me into his arms and then he was dancing me around the floor, faster than Skylar had ever done. I struggled to keep up.

“Slow down!” I pleaded, but Koda was having none of it.

“If you can master a hurricane, this should be no trouble,” Koda said quietly. I blinked. Why was he referring to my power over air? It wasn’t like I could blast Callon around the room…

My eyes widened. Wait, that wasn’t what Skylar meant!

I adjusted my grip around Koda, regaining my footing on the floor. Rather than try and match his moves, I closed my eyes and felt the movement of the air around me. Now that we were moving with speed, I could feel it all around me, understanding my position much better. My eyes couldn’t keep track, but my other senses could.

Using the
rhythm of the air, I started to move my feet. The pulse of the music took over, and I drifted from note to note. I opened my eyes again, and to my amazement, I was matching Koda toe to toe. My confidence grew, and soon I was dancing with my eyes closed.

Koda slowed, and brought us to a gentle stop.

“See,” he said, smiling. “I knew you could do it.”

Icy blue eyes
shone down on me, icy blue eyes that should have been Colt’s. I looked away. Colt would have encouraged me like this. He’d always believed in me, but now…

Koda squeezed my waist.

“Just remember, you owe me a dance now.”

I nodded, but kept my gaze away from his face. It
would only bring back memories of a Colt that no longer existed. The Colt that couldn’t be there for the wedding.

“Well,
good job, Cheyenne,” Skylar said. “Apparently you just needed a challenge.”

“You know she only does well under pressure,” Maes said.

I rolled my eyes at him. Skylar chuckled.

“
I’ll remember that for next time,” he said. “Rest for a few days. You’ll be doing plenty of dancing on Friday.”

I nodded.

“Thanks, Skylar. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“You’re welcome.”

He waved his hand to have the furniture set back into place. I sat in the music area and removed my heels, stretching my toes. It was a reminder why I didn’t usually wear them. Standing on the pads of my feet all day made them ache.

While Koda and Brogan lifted the sofa,
Daniel flashed by and left through the front door. I frowned. It wasn’t like him to leave without a word. What was he up to?

I waited for a few moments
, then followed him out. Grabbing my shoes was probably a good idea, but he might disappear by the time I found them. The stone on the front steps was warm—the sun had finally decided to show itself after all these rainy months. I relished the warmth for a few moments, before carefully stepping onto the gravel. Daniel was sitting on the ledge of the front fountain by himself. He was staring into the distance.

“Daniel?” I called out.

He turned, and gave me a half smile. I slowly walked over to him, stopping to dig a pebble out of my foot.

“
Is everything alright?” I asked, plopping down beside him. A slight breeze cooled my skin.

“
It’s nothing,” Daniel replied quietly. A little too quietly. He picked up a small round stone and skipped it down the road. I sighed. Something was bothering him. He’d been keeping to himself more over the last few days. I sat beside him, silent. Daniel was never a good one for secrets. Eventually he’d cave. He couldn’t hide things from me, just like I couldn’t hide things from him.

“Do you think he’s out there?” Daniel said, his voice somber.

Ah…I thought that was what was bothering him. Colt. The person that had been bothering all of us.

“
He’s with Marcus now,” I replied.

Daniel shook his head.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he said. “I mean…is
our
Colt still out there? Trapped inside that…” His voice shook. “I just want to know why he’s acting this way. We’ve been through so much in the past. I can’t imagine what it would take to make him betray us.”

I touched his shoulder.

“I don’t know, but…” I swallowed. “Andre said he was telling the truth. It wasn’t a trick.”

“I don’t believe it.” He picked up another stone and threw it.
“Andre must have gotten it wrong. Colt never…he’d never side with Marcus, ever. I know he wasn’t around all the time, but he was always there for us when he needed to be.”

“I don’t want to believe it either,
” I said, “but we both saw it with our own eyes.” Even saying the words pierced my heart. I didn’t want it to be the truth either.

“He should be here with us
.” Daniel clenched his fist. “He should be a part of the wedding.”

I looped my arm in his and leaned my head on his shoulder. Colt’s betrayal ran deep. Marcus knew it would. How Colt could have fallen
under Marcus’s sway was beyond belief. He’d been fighting him for hundreds of years, but then again Callon had accused Colt of wandering, doing his own thing…maybe it had started long ago and no one knew. Maes’s thoughts had started to change once he was around us. Why couldn’t Colt have changed his mind in the same manner?

“He
should
be here with us,” I said, my mind still whirling through the
why
. “But we can’t dwell on the past. We can’t change what he is now, Daniel. What we have to do is move on.” I said the words, but in my heart I didn’t mean it.

“I’m tired of moving on, Chey,” he whispered. “So tired.
He’ll always be my brother, and I…I want him home.”

He hid his face from me, but I still caught the glisten of tears
. We were all tired of the changes, the constant struggle to move on after another senseless tragedy. Daniel and the others had seen far more than I had, but the most heartbreaking thought was that it wasn’t over yet. There would be more death and loss before we’d find peace.

“I know, Daniel
.”

The crunch of tires on gravel caused me to look up. In the distance
, an old yellow truck was slowly approaching. Who was coming to see us? Daniel felt me tense.

“It’s okay. It’s the Campbell
’s. They’re bringing Lilly the things she asked for.” He gave a weak smile. “Wedding stuff.”