I searched the runway. It wouldn’t take much for Raina to appear. Misty clouds had moved in. She could easily disguise herself in them.
“Let’s go!” Koda said and we ran towards the hangar.
As we rounded the corner, a jet came into view, and not just any jet. The code AJ318 was splashed across the tail. I knew what 737’s looked like, and this was just a tad smaller. It could easily seat at least twenty comfortably. A staircase was propped up beside it, and two men stood holding it, ready to move it after we were safely inside. Maes stood inside the doorway, waiting for us.
Koda bounded up the stairs and quickly turned as Callon pulled me alongside. As I followed him down the aisle, the smell of leather and polish hit my nose. The bright interior came into view. We hurried through the spacious walkway and quickly sat down. I heard the exterior door slam close.
The jet jerked to life, and I fell back into the leather seat, struggling to buckle in quickly. Within moments, we were out of the hangar and taxiing down the runway.
I glanced around the cabin. Skylar twisted in his seat and gave me a smile. An interior door opened, exposing the cockpit, and Clayton moved to take his seat. There was plenty of room; this was a luxury jet. It even had a couch and what looked like a bedroom in the back.
Koda and Brogan settled opposite us, on the other side of the table. Daniel sat on our right, an arm’s length away. He leaned over and touched my shoulder.
“We made…”
“Raina!” Maes hissed, cutting him off, and a second later Raina’s black mist materialized in the aisle. She lunged forward and I gasped, but she never made contact as Koda and Brogan blocked her. Callon’s hand tightened on my waist.
“You’ve made a bad choice, Raina,” Maes rumbled. “Stick around, and you’ll lose all your mindless workers.”
Raina’s black mist appeared again, her face plunging forward. I pressed back in to the seat, my breath suddenly gone. An awful hissing sound left her lips before she disappeared from the jet.
Maes pushed Brogan and Koda apart, his jade-rimmed eyes on me.
“We won’t have the enchantment to run back to this time, Cheyenne. Use your skills wisely. Your very life will depend on it.”
I nodded.
Don’t forget to breathe… a voice whispered in my mind, and I blinked.
Maes turned and took his seat while I inhaled a shaky breath. Had he just spoken to me?
The whispery clouds surrounded us as I stared out the jet window. Callon’s grip loosened, and I adjusted myself in my seat. The threat of Cloakers was gone at the moment, but it would return when we arrived in Montana. I had no doubt that Raina and her minions would be there at some point, and I’d have to be prepared. I’d have to do better than I had with our previous encounter. There was no invisibility cloak to hide me, or an enchantment to seek refuge in.
My mind couldn’t help but run back to the moment when Raina lunged at me, and the voice I’d heard in my head…or at least I thought I had. Maes was staring at me, but now I couldn’t remember if I saw his lips moving. Was I completely losing it? Chances were I was losing it.
“I’ll show you around once Quinn gives the okay, Chey,” Daniel said. “It’s much nicer than the commercial airlines.” He rubbed his hands together nervously. He was trying to distract himself.
“That’d be nice,” I replied.
Callon’s shoulder touched mine as he pulled a book from his pack. I stared at the old worn leather binding. It was the medical book he’d shown me before. Within moments he was fully immersed in it.
I twisted my engagement ring on my left finger. How was Colt going to handle our engagement? It wasn’t like he hadn’t known it would happen, but he’d been gone for so long. I sighed. So much had changed—I had changed. I wasn’t the same Cheyenne he’d fallen for.
Maybe it was just as well…
Chapter 17
I shifted nervously in the SUV, adjusting the seatbelt for the millionth time. We were so close to reaching the cabin, I could almost smell fresh pine burning in the fireplace and see white smoke bellowing out of the chimney.
Callon grasped my hand, his fingers intertwining with mine.
“We’re going to find him, Cheyenne,” Daniel said quietly near my ear. “We’re going to bring him home.”
I weakly smiled at Daniel and glanced at Callon. He’d barely spoken to me since leaving for Montana, since returning Colt’s bracelet to me. I could only imagine all the emotions and burdens whirling through his thoughts. The pressure he was under…and the warning to Daniel and me about Colt—the condition we might find him in.
Maes turned in his seat, stretching his arm out, his eyes searching the forest.
I glanced back as well. Andre and Nakari had been put in the third row seat. We needed both Daniel and Nakari nearby for our safety. Andre shrugged her shoulders.
“Did you see something?” Koda asked.
“No, it was nothing,” Maes replied.
Koda slowed and turned onto the gravel road leading to the cabin.
Maes’s jade-rimmed eyes met mine. He didn’t have to say a word as I took a breath. I’d been holding it again without realizing it.
“You really need to stop doing that, mon espoir,” he grumbled.
“Sorry my breathing bothers you,” I replied.
“You need to learn to control your emotions as a leader. Holding your breath shows your weakness.”
I rolled my eyes, staring out the tinted windows. It wouldn’t be long now.
The SUV rolled to a stop and Maes jumped out. Daniel’s fingers locked around my elbow. Patches of snow remained on the ground. I leaned forward, watching Maes shift into his Tresez form and dart off into the forest. Had he seen something?
I turned around. The second SUV had also arrived, and Brogan stepped out. Nakari moved in the backseat, her hand coming to rest on Callon’s shoulder. Callon unlocked his hold on my hand. Although the tension between Nakari and me had lessened, watching her touch Callon made me uncomfortable. Nakari avoided eye contact.
“He’s back,” Andre said and pointed out the window to distract me.
Maes jumped in the SUV.
“Old tracks,” Maes said. Nodding, Koda continued down the drive.
I strained to see between the front seats. One more turn and we’d be there…one more turn, and we’d be closer to finding Colt. I twisted my Servak ring with my thumb. Would he be here? Would it be that easy?
Our trip had been smooth so far, with not a sign of a Tracker, Tresez, Cloaker or Ghoster. Quinn had planned it out perfectly, and we’d remained ahead of Marcus. Brogan’s spies had led them on a wild goose chase, as my father would have said, and hadn’t been caught yet. How long our luck would last, well, that was unknown.
The SUV came to a stop, but Callon held my arm, preventing me from getting out.
“Wait till they clear it,” Callon said.
I blew the hair from my eyes as we watched Maes transform again. He circled the house while Brogan and Koda stepped up on the front porch, disappearing from sight. Clayton moved beside our SUV. My leg began to twitch. I just needed to get out and look around.
Koda’s head appeared from the porch, and he waved his arm. I blinked and found myself outside with Daniel. The familiar gravel crackled under my boots, and I stopped midstride. My old Jeep lay just ahead, covered with a tarp.
Memories soared in my mind…the day I met Callon at the cathedral, how he’d come to help me when I couldn’t drive. The fight I’d had with the Jeep to get my laptop and the months of teasing afterwards. The snowy day I slid underneath it and found the tracking device they’d planted…
“Cheyenne?” Callon broke me from my reverie. “Come on.”
I followed him up onto the porch, warmth flowing inside me. I remembered all the games played around the table, laughter from teasing, movies watched. The smells of leather and wood hit my nostrils as we entered the cabin. Callon paused. His fists tightened slightly before he relaxed
them. I moved beside him.
Dust coated the kitchen table and side tables in the great room. No one had been here since we’d left, at least not that I could tell. Daniel disappeared into the bedrooms, and I followed, heading towards Colt’s room.
I hesitated at Colt’s doorway, staring at his dresser. The other half of my bracelet was gone, along with the note I’d left him. Moisture stung my eyes. He had been the one to send it. He’d read my note…
Brogan and Koda entered the room.
“Is anything missing?” Koda asked.
I pointed to the dresser, as Daniel appeared beside me.
“The bracelets I left there are gone,” I said.
Both Brogan and Koda examined the dresser, opening the drawers. They didn’t find anything, though. As I debated whether to mention my note, I heard the clack of claws hitting the hardwood in the hallway. Maes padded towards me, sticking to his Tresez form.
“Here,” Brogan pointed to the dresser.
Maes sniffed the air and then the side of the dresser, moving up along the drawers till he reached the top. He stayed there for a long time, then suddenly bolted from the room.
I chased after him, bumping into Callon in the hallway. Maes had disappeared into my old bedroom. We’d barely made it to my room when he ran out to Callon’s room. What was that crazy dog up to? Could he locate Colt completely by his scent?
Maes trotted back out to the hall, resuming his human form.
“He’s been here,” he said.
“How old is the scent?” Callon asked.
“A few weeks, maybe two or three at the most.”
Daniel jumped beside me, hope in his blue eyes.
“See,” he whispered. “I knew it!”
Callon nodded towards the great room; he wanted me to follow.
“Give me a minute,” I said. “I want to grab a few things from my room.”
“Sure.” Callon stepped close—he wasn’t going to let me go alone.
I headed straight for my closet, finding a small pack on the floor, and stuffed a couple of sweaters in along with a pair of jeans. I dug through the plastic container that held winter socks, hats and gloves. I knew it was going to be cold on our ride, and I needed more than what I’d brought with me.
Callon hovered in the doorway.
“Grab a few extras for Andre and Nakari too.”
I nodded. When I was done, I handed the bulging pack to Callon and reached for a jacket. All our jackets were a bit on the thin side for where we were heading. I shoved my hand in the pocket and paused. There was something hard and smooth inside.
“What?” Callon moved closer. I looked up into his worried hazel eyes.
My fingers brushed the familiar stones and I slowly withdrew my hand, revealing the other half of Colt’s bracelet. A slip of paper had been caught in the clasp. Callon’s eyes narrowed.
“What’s this?” He reached for the dark stoned bracelet and yanked the paper free.
“I don’t know,” I whispered. My hand began to shake.
Daniel appeared, his eyes intent.
“Open it,” he said.
Callon unfolded the small scrap of paper. Only one word had been scrawled across it.
Come.
My heart leapt. It could only mean what I’d already known. Colt knew I’d find this, and that I’d know where to head…come to the waterfalls. He was waiting for me there.
“Cheyenne?” Daniel touched my shoulder. “What does it mean?”
“The waterfalls,” I said. “He’s waiting at the falls.”
Callon shoved the pack at Daniel.
“Wait in the great room,” he ordered.
Daniel disappeared.
I clenched the bracelet tightly in my palm. Callon stepped forward, his hands pulling my chin up to see his eyes.
“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice soft.
I nodded.
He looked away for a moment, but not before I saw it…the worry, stress and anxiety over the whole situation, his distress over losing me again. I knew he’d been quiet, trying to hide his ever-growing fear of having Colt back in our lives again. Of what it would do to me, to us.
I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him. He needed to know…I needed to know, to say it out loud, to confirm it again for both of us.
“I love you, Callon,” I whispered.
He sighed and placed a soft kiss on my head.
“I love you too.”
A throat cleared, and Callon drew back. He grabbed a glove from the floor that had fallen out of the pack, before he took my hand and headed for the great room. Our rescue party was waiting.
“Let’s go,” Brogan ordered, and we followed him out the door. Daniel must have already told them about the falls, confirming what I’d said at the estate.
We loaded the SUVs and began our drive. I turned and watched the cabin disappear, my memories fading into the trees along with it. Callon’s arm came around my shoulder, pulling me into his side, his head touching mine. I closed my eyes to rest. I was going to need all the strength I could to do this—we all would.
“Cheyenne.” Callon nudged me and I peeled my weary eyes open. “You fell asleep.”
I stretched and sat up, blinking as I looked around. Several horse trailers sat around us, and we were parked at what looked like a trailhead.
“How long did I sleep?” I asked groggily.
“You were tired. You haven’t been resting much.” He pushed the hair from my cheek.
I knew I hadn’t been resting; my mind wouldn’t shut down long enough.
He continued, “Now that we’re here, you need to be on your guard at all times. You need to trust your instincts.”
I nodded.
He sighed and opened the SUV door. We headed towards the others. Skylar and Quinn had stayed back to guard the jet, but there seemed to be more here than the nine of us. Blurs of bodies and horses rushed past. Everyone seemed to have a job except me.
Nakari and Andre stood to my right, each holding two horses. Both had put on the extra layers of clothing I’d brought. Snow was still on the ground, but the late afternoon skies didn’t look threatening. Clayton nodded as he passed, a black horse in tow—a very large black horse. Midnight…Koda’s horse was here? Would that mean…
I hurried past the side of the black SUV and around the corner to one of the horse trailers. Immediately a blond mane flashed before me and whinnying ensued. I burst into a grin. Mandi!
I rushed to her side and threw my hands around her neck. She pushed up against me. I stroked her chest.
“Mandi!” I whispered. “I wasn’t sure I’d see you again.” I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed her, how much she meant to me. She’d been a gift from the boys, a special gift that had stolen my heart. She stomped her foot in response. She understood me, always had, regardless of my gift of speaking with animals.
A nose nudged my back. I turned to see Sam, Colt’s brown beauty, demanding his share of attention too.
“Hey there, Sam.” I rubbed his nose.
“They’ve missed you,” a young voice said.
I looked up to see a small red-headed child untying Mandi’s reins, a faint smile on his pink lips.
“I’ve missed them too,” I replied.
He handed me Mandi’s reins, but where I’d expected to see youthful eyes, instead they were weathered, telling me a different story. He was a Timeless. But why did he look so young? He should appear in his twenties, at least.
“I think they want you over by Andre and Nakari.” The boy pointed. “Can you take Sam too?”
“Sure.”
I took the reins and headed towards Andre, but then stopped.
“Have you been caring for them?” I asked.
“Yes,” he replied.
“Thank you.”
He nodded and turned back to his duties without giving me his name.
I pulled Mandi and Sam along, then stood by Nakari and Andre, waiting for our departure. Dani
el appeared with Charlie and Bo. He rolled their reins in his palms and stared into the forest.
The rest of our rescue party neared. Brogan took hold of one of Nakari’s horses, mounting in a swift motion. I was about to mount when Callon touched my arm.
“Here,” Callon said, wrapping a black scarf around my neck. He pulled a hat from his pocket as well. “I want you to stay warm.”
“Thanks,” I replied and slipped the hat on over my braid. My ears were already starting to feel the chill.
“You must tell me if you get too cold,” he ordered. “It’s already late afternoon, and we’re going to be riding through the night to get to the falls.”
“I will.”
He sidestepped and threw a small pack over Mandi’s saddle, securing it in place. He then took the reins from my hands as I mounted. Once everyone was set, we set off into the forest, Andre and Maes leading the way.
Our pace was steady, and eyes alert to every movement. Callon and I rode side by side, Daniel and Nakari just an arm’s length away. No one spoke, and I only heard the thud of hoof beats and the horses’ heavy breathing.
As the sun tucked below the trees, I adjusted my scarf, pulling it up and over my nose. It appeared they’d had an early spring with only small patches of snow remaining, but I knew that could change within the blink of an eye. When night fell, the temperatures would drop even lower.
I glanced back. Koda, Brogan and Clayton rode behind us, watching our backs. Clayton was holding Sam’s lead rope, guiding him along. I sighed. Soon Colt would be riding him back with us. We’d bring him home at last.
I took a cleansing breath, trying to push the nervousness down. My stomach had already been churning somersaults. I’d heard Callon’s warning—all their warnings, but deep down I knew he’d be the same Colt, the same man I’d come to love…that we all loved.
Darkness fell over the forest. I zipped my jacket higher; I was becoming colder as the night wore on. A shiver escaped me, and I fought to keep my teeth from chattering. Callon rode closer.
“You’re cold.”
Daylight, a Timeless Series Novel Page 26