Fated, A Timeless Series Novella (A Timeless Series Companion Novel)

by Wiedmeier, Lisa L

  Potassium chloride.

  Oh no…

  I turned and sprinted back towards the truck. Koda had laid Bailee on the backseat. She looked so lifeless.

  “She’s so cold, and barely breathing.” His voice cracked.

  “Move!” I shoved him out of the way and began removing Bailee’s coat. “She’s been poisoned, get my bag from the front seat.”

  “What?!”

  “Just get my bag, Koda!”

  That seemed to snap Koda from his shock. He jumped into the front of the truck and fumbled for my medical bag. I snatched it off him, breaking the lock as I searched for the right antidote. I needed several, as if this stuff stayed in her system too long, her heart would stop. Once I found what I was looking for, I removed a needle and jabbed it into Bailee’s arm. She didn’t make a sound, not even when I injected the second and third lots.

  “Start the truck and get driving!” If this didn’t work quickly, we’d have to take her to a hospital.

  Koda all but leapt into the driver’s seat. The engine screamed, and we began moving.

  Come on, Bailee! I flung off my coat and jacket, covering her body. I needed to warm her up. Her chest moved; she was still breathing, but only just. My hand rested on her wrist. Her pulse was slowing.

  “How is she?” Koda asked, turning to peek a glance at her.

  I didn’t reply. A long breath left her, and her head rolled to one side. Her next breath didn’t follow.

  No!

  I threw the coats aside and tore open her shirt. Koda could scream at me later. Pressing my hands against her breastbone, I started compressions.

  “Callon!” The truck began slowing.

  Keep driving! I won’t let her die!

  How could I make such a promise? This was just like…no! I snapped back to the moment and continued on. Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four…

  Once I got to thirty I tilted her head back and blew in two deep breaths. Her chest filled with air, but her breathing didn’t resume. Snarling, I jumped back to chest compression again. My arms were shaking, but I knew I couldn’t stop. I’d counted up to twenty-seven again when Bailee suddenly howled. My hands flew to her neck. Her pulse was back! She groaned, coughing, and her eyes slowly opened.

  Exhausted, I wrapped her in my coats. She started shivering. Koda managed to shrug out of his jacket, and he threw it back. He cranked the heating on to full, so much that the windows misted. Gradually, Bailee’s shaking ceased, and her eyes fell closed again.

  I sank into the seat beside her, watching her calming breaths. I’d brought her back, but it had been much, much too close. With trembling fingers I reached for my phone and typed out a text to Colt and Daniel.

  We’re on our way home. She’s with us, alive.

  “Callon…” Koda hesitated. “Thank you.”

  I simply nodded, wiping my sweaty brow. A sickness had settled in the pit of my stomach. This could’ve been Cheyenne. No way a human would have tolerated the dose Bailee had taken. Cheyenne’s heart would’ve stopped immediately and without more advanced medical equipment I’d have never brought her back. I gripped Bailee’s hand, which was still so cold.

  Bailee, thank you. I’m sorry you had to suffer like this. I promise I won’t forget what you’ve done.

  I shook my head, watching the scenery roll by. My mind was made up. I couldn’t wait any longer. I was going to take Cheyenne to Ireland immediately.

  And nobody was going to stop me.

  Chapter 5

  “Sometimes we just need to forget the past.” ~Daniel

  I tapped my foot against the chipped floorboards. The cabin was falling to pieces, and snow drifted through the broken roof. It must’ve been abandoned for years. I rubbed my hands together, sheltering under a cracked rafter and wishing I’d remembered my gloves. Callon stood on the porch, unmoving. He didn’t notice the cold at all. His eagle-eyes roamed the horizon, searching, waiting for the Wilsons’ arrival.

  A chilly breeze swept through, and I pulled my fedora closer. After the near disaster of Cheyenne’s shopping trip, everything had become a blur. The incident with Bailee had been the final straw, and Callon had lost his patience. He was determined to get Cheyenne out of the country, and he was not going to bow to Gene’s wishes any longer. He’d been totally stressed out, and Colt and I had barely managed to stop him doing anything drastic. Eventually he’d calmed and let us arrange this emergency meeting out in the wilderness, though I knew I’d have to watch his temper.

  We’d chosen a remote forest about twenty miles outside of Sagle, to minimize the risk of eavesdroppers. Colt had found this place recently, and it turned out to be an ideal hiding place. The recent snowstorms would put anyone off the long drive, and it would be easy to pick up tracks. There’d been some prints littered around when we first arrived, however, they belonged to the local wildlife. The Tresez wouldn’t think to look in such a dilapidated area.

  I paced the remains of the front room, the tension tight in my chest. I wasn’t sure how this was going to turn out. I’d been horrified at what happened to Bailee, and agreed it wasn’t safe for Cheyenne to stick around, but I couldn’t ignore Gene and Alexis’ concerns, either. We were treading a fine line, and it would only take a little slip for everything to fall apart.

  There was also the issue of preparation. Even without the hassle of arranging flights and packing what we needed, we couldn’t just bring Cheyenne to the O’Shea manor as it was. It would need some ‘adjustments’ beforehand, and that would take time. If we could wait till her graduation, we’d be able to sort things out properly. Anything shorter and we’d be really pushed. And there’d be no point taking Cheyenne away if we’d leave a trail for Marcus to follow…

  The snow kept falling silently, and I gritted my teeth. Impatient, I jumped into the forest to survey the surroundings once more. I’d done this so many times already, but the wait was killing me. What was taking the Wilsons so long? They said they’d be here on time. As I glanced at my watch, I could see they were almost an hour late.

  I looked back to Callon. He was staring into the trees, his eyes narrowed. A few minutes later, footsteps crackled in the snow, and two figures appeared. Ah; Gene and Alexis were here at last. They must’ve parked further up the road to draw less attention.

  “Gene, Alexis!” Callon called out. His irritability was already showing.

  Easy, Callon, I warned.

  I can handle it, Callon snapped back.

  “Callon,” Gene replied, just as curtly. “Sorry we’re late.”

  The two exchanged dark glares. I gulped. This wasn’t going to go well at all. Hoping to stop the sparks flying, I jumped to Callon’s side. Alexis startled, and Gene held her arm.

  “Hello Daniel,” she said. “You scared me.”

  “Sorry.” I shoved my hands in my pockets, quietly thankful for the distraction. Still, I couldn’t get used to the habit. I wouldn’t be able to jump freely once we met up with Cheyenne. Callon had warned us not to reveal our powers or overload her with too much information. Just finding out she was Timeless would be a big enough shock, let alone everything else that came with it.

  “Oh, I should be used to it by now,” Alexis replied, smiling. “It’s still very frightening when you pop up out of no-where.”

  I chuckled. Callon’s jaw tightened. He didn’t see the funny side.

  “Let’s get down to business, shall we?” His voice was cool and distant. He wasn’t going to mince his words.

  “Yes,” Gene said.

  Callon led them inside the ruined cabin, and we stood in what used to be the front room. A cold breeze blew past, matching the current atmosphere.

  “Listen Callon,” Gene began, “I’ve been searching for another location for Cheyenne, but…”

  Callon’s brow rose.

  “You’re still wasting time with that? We’ve already decided Cheyenne is coming to Ireland to stay with us.”

  “But it’s too big of a move!”
Gene protested. “How can she be expected to uproot and live in a foreign country when she’s still in the middle of her studies? You can’t break apart her future like this.”

  Callon’s lip curled.

  Callon, hold on, I said quickly. He’s only trying to do what’s best for Cheyenne.

  Callon’s eyes darkened.

  If he was trying to do what was best for Cheyenne, he’d have listened to me ages ago.

  Gene began to rub his hands together. He was on edge.

  “Gene and I want Cheyenne to stay in this country for other reasons, too,” Alexis piped up. “We feel it would be safer.”

  “No,” Callon replied. “You’re thinking about this all wrong. The Sarac forces are growing stronger and you know his stronghold is in Canada. He’s only a border away.”

  “That’s why it would be better for Cheyenne,” Gene countered. “She’d be right under his nose and he wouldn’t know.”

  “He knows something already,” Callon interjected. “Especially since we’ve been killing off his spies. He’s been trying to find out what we’ve been hiding for the last couple of months. And once he gets impatient, he’ll start looking around himself.” He briefly closed his eyes. “Even we can’t protect Cheyenne from that.”

  Gene fell quiet, and my heart reached out to him. He’d been put in such a difficult position. When he didn’t reply for a while, Callon frowned.

  “What aren’t you telling me, Gene?”

  Gene hesitated. Alexis moved closer, wrapping her arm around his shoulders.

  Something’s scaring him, Callon, I said. You pushing him won’t make him spill it any quicker.

  Stay out of this, Daniel.

  I clenched my fist. Callon was going too far this time. I wanted Gene to tell us the secret, but not at the cost of bringing more danger upon us, or Cheyenne. Callon didn’t need to be like this. He’d been more brusque with the Wilsons ever since we’d snuck into Cheyenne’s room that night. I wish I knew why. It must have had something to do with her ring.

  “Please, Gene, try to think this through,” I said, trying a less abrasive approach. “If there was no other choice but to move Cheyenne out of the country, where would you want her to go?”

  Callon glared.

  Who asked you to butt in, Daniel?!

  I ignored him. There were other ways to settle this; we didn’t need to argue.

  Gene sighed.

  “I don’t want to move her…”

  “But if there was no other choice,” I insisted. “Where would you go?”

  Gene chewed his lip, thinking through his response.

  “I suppose somewhere in the Caribbean,” he replied. “Most wouldn’t think to look for us there, and it’s pretty suited for American tourists. But if we were followed, it’d be much harder to hide on an island than on a large continent.”

  “I didn’t ask you to come here to debate about this,” Callon growled. I gripped his wrist.

  Callon, don’t antagonize them further. Let me try talking before you lose it.

  Callon grunted. I’d never seen him so worked up.

  “Alright Callon, if you must blame someone, blame me.” Alexis lowered her head. “I’m reluctant with your plan because Cheyenne won’t take this news easily. It’s going to be a big blow to her when she discovers the truth, and throwing in a move to a foreign country will just push her over the edge. She’s going to be so upset and angry, she could well fall into a depression. She’s going to think we’ve all betrayed her, especially Colt. And then there’s the fact we’ll have to keep her locked away…”

  I flashed a sidelong glance to Callon.

  See, I told you there was more.

  “That is an unfortunate risk I’m willing to take,” Callon answered coldly. “I don’t think you quite understand the danger now. It might have started with a few stray Tresez but now I’m on the verge of having the front lines of the war shifted to Idaho.”

  “But Callon…”

  “Does Bailee’s sacrifice mean nothing to you?!” Callon snapped. He couldn’t hold back any longer. “She almost died, and she’s Timeless! If that had been Cheyenne, her heart would’ve stopped immediately and not even a miracle would’ve brought her back! You’re just being…”

  I spun around. I had to diffuse the situation. My fingers brushed Callon’s arm and we jumped into the forest. As we landed, he flung off my hand, his eyes burning fury.

  What the hell do you think you’re doing, Daniel?!

  You need to take a step back and cool off! I shot back. You’re the acting clan regent, you need to be level headed about this and you’re getting way too emotionally involved. I paused, letting my words sink in. Gene’s not the only one hiding something, is he? I know you saw something in Cheyenne’s room that night that’s got you worried. Not to mention you’re stressed about going home yourself…

  Callon scoffed, and started back towards the cabin.

  I know you vowed never to return to the estate, I went on. He didn’t turn to face me. You don’t have to face the past anymore, Callon. It’s time to move on.

  He still didn’t answer. Frowning, I jumped to catch up to him.

  Fine, I’ll do all the preparation. I’ve been taking care of the place anyway. But I can’t do everything by myself…

  Callon’s pace quickened.

  I don’t want to hear any more, Daniel.

  I rolled my eyes, but kept quiet.

  As we returned to the porch, Callon stood tall. He climbed back to the front room, then stopped before Gene and Alexis. Gene’s face had hardened and his arms were crossed. Callon, though, seemed indifferent.

  “I want you to pay close attention, Callon.” Gene’s voice was deadly. “You might be the acting clan regent, and we are certainly grateful for everything you’ve done to protect Cheyenne so far. But we’ve raised her since she was a baby. Adopted or not, she is our own daughter, and we’re going to do what we think is best for her.”

  “I agree completely,” Callon replied.

  Gene’s expression faltered.

  “You agree?”

  “Of course I do,” Callon said. I raised a brow, wondering what had caused his sudden mood swing. “We both have Cheyenne’s interests at heart. It wasn’t my intention to get so worked up, and for that I’m sorry.”

  “Apology accepted,” Alexis said.

  “But if you’re absolutely convinced there’s no way she can move, we’re going to have to add more Timeless to our watch,” Callon answered. “Sagle will have to become our next outpost in the war.”

  Gene’s eyes widened.

  “Whoa now, Callon. I think you might be going a little overboard. With so many people around, Cheyenne will quickly figure this all out. And you should know by now how she hates meeting strangers.”

  “That’s a chance I’m willing to take,” Callon went on. “I can’t use enchantments here like I can around the manor. This will be the only way I can guarantee her safety.”

  “Enchantments?” Alexis questioned.

  “I’d heard about those,” Gene murmured. “Do they really work?”

  “Yes,” Callon said. “Daniel can vouch from experience.”

  I blinked, finally understanding what Callon was up to. Wow, he could really be sneaky sometimes.

  “Yeah, there’s an ancient enchantment around the O’Shea estate,” I explained. “It definitely keeps unwanted company out.” I would know; I’d been locked there for several years.

  Gene nodded slowly.

  “If that’s true, then Cheyenne wouldn’t be so overwhelmed with new faces,” Alexis said. It seemed the scales were tipping. “Perhaps…perhaps this would be for the best, after all.”

  They exchanged an uncertain look. I hid beneath my fedora, unable to stop my smile.

  This just might work, Callon.

  Callon didn’t reply. He simply stood there, awaiting their decision, though I could tell he’d already won them over. That was Callon for you. I was just glad he was
on our side.

  Eventually Gene let his arms drop to his sides.

  “Alright, then. We will move Cheyenne to Ireland.”

  YES! I had to hold back the urge to high-five my brother.

  “But our condition still stands,” Gene went on. “We will move after her graduation.”

  I heard Callon swear in his mind. Seemed he hadn’t got his way entirely. Still, at least we’d reached something of a compromise.

  “Very well,” Callon said. “We’ll need time to make the arrangements, anyway. The easiest thing would be to introduce her to the idea gradually. Give her a heads up at Spring Break. Whether you tell her the whole truth or not, you’ve got to let her know she’ll be moving right after graduation. Once you’re with us in the manor, you can explain everything else at your own pace.”

  “We can do that,” Alexis replied. “We’ll plan a trip for Spring Break. In the meantime, Gene and I can talk about what we want her to know.”

  “Colt mentioned Cheyenne suspects something already,” I said. “She’ll probably be expecting you to break some news to her.”

  “Then that should make it all the easier,” Callon said. He held out his hand to Gene. “So we’ve reached an agreement?”

  Gene nodded and took his hand.

  “So be it.”

  “Flight B453 to Chicago, final destination Dublin, is now boarding at gate F15…”

  I stood from the waiting area and grabbed my case. About time; the first flight had been overbooked and I’d been sitting here for hours waiting for the next one. The coming few weeks were going to be crazy, and I wanted to be back home as soon as possible. I’d called ahead and spoken to Ryan Campbell, whose family looked after the manor whenever we were away, and he’d made arrangements for my return.

  My seat was in first class, so I hurried through the departure gate, flashing my ticket to the attendant, then boarded the plane. I shoved my case in the overhead compartment and quickly sat down. It was unusually bright today, though I knew in Dublin it would be raining heavily.