“I may have betrayed them, but I haven’t murdered in cold blood.”
Michael snorted. “Your father was a weakling, just as you and your brothers are. He didn’t deserve to be in the position he was in.”
“You were his closest friend and ally…” Colt accused him.
“And you weren’t the same for your brothers?” Michael said calmly.
The sound of a body hitting a wall caused me to jump.
“Stay clear,” Colt growled through his teeth.
It grew silent. I peeked around the corner again and lost my breath. Colt saw me.
His chest heaved, and his blue eyes fixated on me. My pulsed sounded in my ears, and my heart raced. I turned and ran back down the hall, his heavy footsteps following close behind me.
I hadn’t even made it halfway down the hall when he was over me. He pushed me against the wall, his arms slamming into the plaster, creating a cage. He pressed in closer and lowered his head. I turned away as his hot breath brushed my cheek.
He remained still for a few moments, as if he were contemplating his next move, then moved in closer, his mouth dangerously close to my lips. He closed his eyes as if he were going to kiss me, and the muscles in his neck flexed. It was as if he were fighting against his own will to give in, a will that had been controlled by Marcus.
“Colt,” I whispered and lifted my hand to his arm. He suddenly tensed and drew back, his jaw firming into solid granite.
“Where do you think you’re going, child?”
I clenched my teeth. I hated it when he called me that. I didn’t reply.
He pressed closer, trying to intimidate me. I pushed my hands to his chest, maintaining the distance. Why was it every time I reached out to him he’d switch modes? Like he was afraid to show his emotions…or he was being watched.
“Were you expecting Callon to swoop in and rescue you today of all days?” His voice was low and dangerous. “On your birthday?”
I inhaled a shaky breath. He was goading me on purpose again. Trying to get me angry, but why?
“You meant nothing to him, Cheyenne. You were merely a means to an end, just as you are with Marcus. Callon never loved you. It’s always been Nakari.”
“Stop,” I pleaded, my voice shook. “You’re lying.” His words rolled over in my mind.
“I’m telling you the truth, and the truth hurts.”
“No.” I lowered my head further, fighting the crimson-eyed beast that wanted to protect me.
“You don’t know what love is. You’ve never been loved.” He pulled my chin up, forcing me to look at him, into his cold, cruel, hatred-filled eyes.
He’d switched emotions faster than I could imagine. I couldn’t figure out which personality was really him.
“If your mother truly loved you, she’d have never put you in this position. If Gene and Alexis had loved you, they’d have taken you to Ireland when Callon told them to. If Callon had loved you, he wouldn’t have used you as a weapon.” His gaze hardened even more. “You’re a worthless piece of nothing, and why Marcus thinks you’re valuable is beyond me.”
Something snapped inside, and I began clawing at his arms and face, kicking and punching, trying to free myself and run away. He quickly clamped my hands together and opened a door, shoving me in. I landed on my back, my breaths heavy as he towered over me.
“You need to learn to control your temper, sweetheart.” His jaw firmed, but then his right eye began to twitch. He made to bend down, but it was like an invisible force pulled him back. He hurriedly turned and slammed the door shut. The sound of a click told me he’d locked me in.
I rushed to my feet and pounded on the door, cursing his name until my hands hurt, and I succumbed to the tears. I collapsed to the floor and pressed my legs to my chest. I wrapped my arms around them tightly and soon found myself rocking back and forth.
A numbness I’d never felt before began to fall over me. A hardening of my heart to any love I’d ever felt towards him. This wasn’t my Colt—this was the monster Marcus had created. My Colt was forever gone. He was constantly fighting what few glimpses I might have seen, and they would eventually be pushed down. I’d known it, but denied it till now. He’d broken my heart for the last time, but I couldn’t help but think he was hiding something.
I had no idea how long I sat curled in a ball, before I noticed sunlight breaking through a crack in what looked like curtains. I wiped my eyes and moved towards the small strip of light. Maybe it was a way out.
I pulled the material apart, revealing what at one time would have been a bedroom. Dust particles floated in the air, and I coughed as they drifted by. The broken frame of a bed was pushed in the far corner. A dresser was overturned, and the drawer’s contents were spilled out across the dusty carpet. The remnants of a chair lay crumpled in a pile, and a nightstand with papers spilling out was near what appeared to be a doorway.
I moved cautiously in the room, being careful not to disturb the contents. I studied the clothes lying near the dresser. They were women’s attire, along with perfume bottles on top.
I stepped over them and moved towards the nightstand. Yellowed papers spilled from the drawer, papers that looked like they’d been ripped from a journal, as their edges were ragged. I gently pushed them around; I was sure it was a woman’s handwriting. I picked up a few pieces, lifting them up into the light. There were dates at the top, and some had hearts and flowers or other doodles drawn on them. I skimmed over the words…
July 21
He was watching me again today. His gaze following me wherever I went in the room. My father says it’s because he likes me, but I don’t feel warmth from his stare. His eyes are cold and calculating, like he’s plotting something below the surface, and it scares me. I don’t like it when my father leaves me alone with him, he makes me feel uncomfortable.
September 8
Father says he’s leaving for a while and that I’m to stay here. He’s been fiddling with his spells again. He thinks I don’t know, but it’s affecting his mind. He says things, odd things that make no sense, and I’m becoming worried for his safety, for mine as well. I also heard him talking, planning…my future. He wants an alliance with them, but I don’t think he realizes what he’s getting into.
I grabbed more sheets from the floor, now more curious than ever about who the author was.
June 15
So much has changed, so much that I don’t have words to express. Two years have nearly passed since my betrothal was announced, and I grow more frightened every day. My heart is heavy. The burden is great, but I don’t know how to bring this plan into play without passing it down to my children, if I should ever have any. I’m not strong enough. My powers are too weak to bring this monster down, but I know one day, it will come to pass…it will be my children that end this misery that has ruled with an iron fist over the Timeless race.
I wish I could have borne this burden alone, but I know that I cannot. I know whom I must turn to, and I know the fate that will become my burden to bear. I know the anger that it will stir, and many will suffer beyond repair.
I am heavy hearted as I write this, knowing what I shall pass along. But they will be strong, and they will know what needs to be done when the time comes. They will see, like I did, that there is only one way to defeat…they will be stronger than I ever was.
I pressed my hand to my lips, catching an initial at the bottom. S. I knew who the remnants of this journal belonged to…Sahara.
The lock on the door clicked and I shoved the papers into my pocket.
“Cheyenne?” Darrien’s brown head peeked around the corner.
I stood, brushing the dust from my legs.
Both he and Jahlem hurried to my side. They eyed the mess around me and then stared at me, before they helped me step over the debris. They didn’t say a word, but they knew, just like me, whose room this had been.
They escorted me back to my room.
“Marcus wants you downstairs when you are d
ressed,” Jahlem said cautiously. “We’ll wait till you’re ready.”
I nodded and headed for the bathroom. I knew they’d seen the tearstains on my cheeks and the crumpled papers in my pocket. I opened the vanity drawer and shoved the journal pages inside. My mom had left me a message, whether she intended to or not, and I needed time to study it.
I washed my face and pulled my hair back. I stared at myself in the mirror for a few moments. Dark circles etched my eyes, and my cheeks looked sunken. I could have put some makeup on, but I just didn’t care anymore. Grabbing a jacket from the closet door, I pulled it on and entered my bedroom.
Jahlem’s caramel eyes softened as I neared.
“Happy Birthday, Cheyenne,” he said.
Darrien reached out and squeezed my hand. “Happy Birthday.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. It’d been the kindest thing they’d done for me so far, because it came from their heart with no strings attached. I may not have had long conversations with them, but since my arrival they’d done everything they could to make me comfortable. They hadn’t been cruel and calculating. They’d been kind and concerned about my safety. Willing to step in when needed. They were holding onto me by a thread, afraid it would snap and they’d lose me.
I held up my hand asking for a minute while I went to stand on the terrace. I stared out into the valley, searching for anything, any sign that I wasn’t alone. I studied the outline of the trees far away, wanting, hoping to see a shadow.
Jahlem stepped beside me.
“They’re out there, Cheyenne,” he said softly. “They’re trying.”
I looked down at my hands. I knew Jahlem was trying to give me a speck of hope, but if he knew, Marcus knew, and if Marcus knew…he was preventing them from being seen or making contact. Marcus was working hard to drain away any and all hope I had of a rescue—ever.
I followed them to the sitting room, my dark mood deepening as the gloominess of it tugged at my sleeves. Marcus was standing near the windows, staring out at the lake. He turned and smiled while I remained near the fireplace, waiting to find out what he wanted now.
He closed the distance quickly and grasped my hands. I didn’t flinch or pull away like I had in the past, and a pleased smile rose on his face. His gray eyes softened.
“I’d like to take you for a walk outside the compound this morning,” he said.
I didn’t reply immediately, unsure if he truly meant what he’d said. Since the moment I’d arrived here, the main gate had been closed, and guards roamed the stone walls watching for signs of my rescuers. I’d barely caught sight of Conall. It seemed Marcus had him busy protecting his compound. Why was he offering to take me outside the compound now, unless he was doing it to prove a point, but what was his point? Was it that he wanted to flaunt his powers in front of Callon or was it that he’d succeeded in killing off his opposition?
“If you’d rather not,” he said, releasing his hold.
“I want to go,” I replied.
His smile returned.
“Shall we?” He held out his hand for me to take.
I hesitated for just a moment, before extending my hand. He grasped it, and we left the manor promptly. A tall figure stood in the shadows near the lower terrace. I didn’t need to see clearly to know it was Colt. Darrien and Jahlem closed the distance behind me, and we stopped at the main gates while they were opened for us.
My hands grew sweaty as we exited the medieval gates, and then my heart sank when I saw the pack of Tresez waiting. Gold-rimmed eyes met mine and then looked towards Marcus. A moment later, we were surrounded. This was what it was all about. It was a show of power for Callon. Marcus wanted Callon to see that no matter what he tried, Marcus’s army always surrounded me. He wanted Callon to know that he was always in control.
We walked in silence down the narrow path, with only the pad of the Tresezes’ paws hitting the ground. Even the birds had grown silent. I pulled my hand free and touched the tall grasses and wildflowers, causing the scent to rise in the air. I inhaled, thinking of all the times my mom picked them and had the scent floating through the house. How she always loved flowers, particularly poppies.
I stared out at the large valley below his compound, hoping for a sign…any sign that Callon was here. Grasses swayed in the breeze, and a lone deer tracked through the opening before the forest. I picked a dandelion and blew the white wispy seeds in the air, scattering them. A few drifted out towards the vast valley and then trickled to the ground as the iridescent glitter from the enchantment prevented them from passing through. Marcus had pushed the enchantment out further than just the stone walls. He’d created a pathway of sorts to the mountain lake.
We stopped before the lake. The sun danced off the surface, and the mountains’ reflection was perfectly etched on the smooth shell. The rugged mountains shot straight up from the base of the water, and the dense forest ran to the rocky shore before pouring out at the edge of the valley.
Steam poured from my mouth with each breath I took. It was cool, but not cold. Soon the sun would rise further and warm the field and rocks. Soon the birds would emerge and chirp their merry songs. Soon, I’d be forced to make a choice, although I’d have rather drowned myself in the cold glacier lake before betraying those I loved.
I closed my eyes and tried to think of happier days. Days that I’d spend with Callon and Daniel, days I laughed and smiled. Days where I felt love.
A silky caress ran across my neck. From under my lashes I watched as Marcus placed a single red poppy below my nose. I inhaled, the sweet scent tickling my senses. He pulled it away and broke the stem off. Stepping closer, he brushed my hair behind my ear and put the flower in my hair. He leaned in and placed a kiss on my cheek.
“Happy Birthday, Cheyenne.”
Chapter 26
I sat in the sunshine, in the middle of my private garden. My fingers traced the handwritten words over the yellowed paper. They were my mother’s words, her journaling, pouring out her soul, and I’d found them. She’d seen the progression, the long slow journey into madness her father made, before she had come to the conclusion that there was no other way out.
But what puzzled me the most was that she knew she’d leave this burden to her children…to me. Why did she say she wasn’t strong enough? What did she mean by those words? Her last sentences kept running through my mind.
“They will be strong, and they will know what needs to be done when the time comes. They will see, like I did, that there is only one way to defeat…they will be stronger than I ever was.”
What would I see? I just wanted to know, wanted it spelled out so I’d make no mistake…the one way to defeat him. It had been a week, and I still wasn’t any closer to deciphering her hidden message.
“Cheyenne?”
I jumped and quickly crumpled the thick papers in my lap. I hadn’t heard Colt approach. I glanced over my shoulder. He stood behind me. My jaw tensed, and I curled my legs into my chest. I could run, but he’d catch me and torment me even more. I was tired of running and hiding from him. It was time for him to see he had no effect on me any longer.
He sat beside me, but I refused to make eye contact. If I saw his hatred or his mixed emotions one more time…
“You should hate me,” his voice was low and full of emotions. “I deserve every ounce of bitterness you feel in your heart towards me.”
Oh no, he wasn’t going to try and play me for the fool again. I stood and walked towards the gate, knowing it was locked. He followed.
“I don’t blame you for turning your back on me, for running away. But you have to know, everything I’ve done, it was for you.”
“So the hatred, the condemning, vile spewing words, were all for me?” I said through clenched teeth. “You’re too kind, Colt. How can I ever thank you?”
I stopped in front of the gate, focusing my attention on the corner, trying to block him out.
“That day, the day you thought I died…I did. Marcus may have brough
t me back to life, but I died on the inside, knowing what I’d have to put you through.”
“It would have been better if he’d never brought you back!” I hissed.
He stilled. “I deserve that,” he murmured. “What I’ve done, what I’ve said, I’m sorry.”
I lowered my head, staring at the black rusty hinges. They were old, just like this conversation was getting old. I was tired of having my heart ripped to shreds and then glued back together. The old Cheyenne was gone. I tried to slip past him when I saw what he was holding in his hands. My throat tightened and I pressed back up against the gate. Why did he have the other half of his bracelet?
His fingers uncurled, revealing a crumpled piece of paper. Carefully he smoothed it out. It was my note…the note I’d left him at the cabin.
You’re my one and only true light, Colt. You’re my sunshine, my hope and my love. A part of me died with you upon that hillside, and I shall never be whole again.
You stole my heart from the very first moment, and it’ll always be yours to have.
I love you, Colt O’Shea. I choose you. I wish with all my heart that you’d come back to me.
~C
“I’ve never been without this, Cheyenne. I’ve kept it on me from the moment I found it,” he whispered.
Words played in my mind, the words he’d spoken when he’d given me the bracelets.
If they were together, it would always light my way—if we were together, he’d always light my way.
He made to slide the bracelet on my wrist, but I pushed him away.
“No,” I muttered. “You don’t get to ask for my forgiveness. You don’t get any more second chances, Colt. I don’t even know who you are any more.”
“You know who I am, Cheyenne. I’ve just had to hide it from everyone, especially for your sake.”
“What do you mean by that?”
He gave no reply.
I pushed past, but his fingers laced around my arm. His hold was gentle but firm. I looked up into remorse-filled eyes. “This is not how I wanted you to find me, not how I wanted to see you again. But I had to do something, something so I wouldn’t have to see you suffer so much.”
Daylight, a Timeless Series Novel Page 39