Promises (12 page)

We fell into a routine, each concentrating on our own tasks. The whole atmosphere at the cabin had changed from before our trip to Dex and Lilly’s, before I found out about Colt and Callon’s betrayal. There were no more smiles, no more joking and no more peaceful moments. It was almost like I was a stranger in my own house…but it wasn’t my home. It was theirs, and the reminder was constant.

Daniel was the only one who made my stay somewhat bearable. I was allowed into town for a weekly shopping trip to the grocery store, and in exchange I made a weekly meal. At least that was more than they’d allowed in the past. As the weather became colder, Callon, Colt and Daniel began playing card games. Maes didn’t take part, preferring to observe everything.

I, however, worked on distancing myself from Colt and Callon. I’d stopped talking with them unless necessary. I’d find ways to dodge their touches, and I forced myself to avoid eye contact. I’d stare at their shoulders or hair if I was forced to look their way. They’d noticed. How could they not?

There were no hikes, rides with Mandi, or anything that would involve leaving the dirt road. It was too unsafe. As long as I stayed on the main road, Maes could cover my tracks. If I wandered off, my scent would enter the forest, and we’d have the Tracker army to deal with. And of course the Tresez. Maes was the only thing holding them back. What was he to them? How much power did he hold that he could command their actions?

The first snowfall arrived days before Thanksgiving. Something about the first snow was always so magical. When summer came to an end, the heat dissipated and I could taste the moisture in the air—I longed for snow. The flakes gently cascaded to the ground like ballerina dancers, twisting, and turning in the air. It was so calming watching them drift down. Maybe my affinity came from my mom and dad; they loved the snow too. It brought back happy childhood memories.

I stood out on the balcony watching the speckles float to the earth. We were going into town to get groceries for our Thanksgiving dinner. Callon hadn’t been as uptight recently, possibly an effort to console me, and I had a plan in my mind. I’d been biding my time, but my patience was running out. I needed to figure this whole thing out; I needed to know the truth. I wouldn’t find it here—I had to find it on my own. No distractions from them, no distractions of anything. I was already tiring; their presence alone was wearing me down.

Regardless of the dangers, today was the day—today I would leave. I’d been scoping out the store for quite some time. I didn’t need anything more than my wallet to escape.

I was dressed and waiting when Callon appeared beside me.

“
Beautiful, isn’t it?” I commented, gesturing to the snow. It was probably the nicest and the most I’d spoken to him in a long while.

“
Yes, very,” Callon replied, puzzled by my comment.

I looked straight into Callon’s eyes—there was sadness, and a desire to comfort me. I blinked and turned away. This was the reason I’d been avoiding eye contact. Even with as little conversation as I’d had with Colt and Callon, even with me never forgiving them for their betrayal…I had to admit I still loved them.

It was the love of a family, the only family I had now. My guardians had given up so much for me, but my relationship with them could never be the same. Without a conscious decision, I touched his right hand. I just needed to keep the feel of his skin fresh in my mind.

In that gesture, Callon saw my vulnerability; just for that brief second, he knew I was weakening. He slid his fingers over mine, and our rings touched. An uncontrollable shiver ran over me. A deep satisfaction reflected in his eyes. We didn’t move. We just stood and stared—an invisible electricity flowing between us. The current was so strong that it was becoming harder and harder to resist. I looked away and gently pulled my hand free. This was the first time since my fever that our rings had touched—the connection was real—I felt it.

I stared at the snow until I had regained my composure.

“
Are you ready?”

“
If you are,” Callon replied.

“
Let’s go then. I don’t want to miss out on buying that big turkey.” I forced a smile.

Daniel, Maes and Colt were waiting in the great room. Colt neared with my coat and helped me put it on. “Thanks,” I said as our fingers touched, and hope lit in his icy blue eyes. I had to look away. I was completely helpless if I stared into them too long. What was wrong with me?

As expected, I sat in my usual place in the truck, boxed between Colt and Callon. Colt sat a bit closer and our legs touched. I closed my eyes and forced back the feelings pushing too close to the surface. He was different than he used to be, and I knew he had changed because of me. I missed his smiles, his sense of humor, his teasing. Now his head was always low, his eyes filled with guilt, his brow lined with worry. The Colt I loved was buried beneath the guilt…snatched from me forever.

The drive into town was quiet, matching my mood.

“
What are you thinking about, Cheyenne?” Callon broke the silence.

“
Thanksgiving dinner,” I lied. “My mom always took care of it.” My mom…I missed her. She would have scolded me for lying so easily. What a disappointment I was.

“
It’s not as hard as you think,” Daniel chimed in. “You’ve proven yourself a great cook. I’m sure it’ll be fine. Besides, you poisoned us before, and we survived.”

Light laughter broke out.

I kept my gaze forward. “Thanks for your vote of confidence, Daniel,” I murmured.

Daniel squeezed my shoulder. I knew he was just trying to get me to smile, laugh…anything to cheer me up. I very rarely smiled or laughed anymore. He didn’t understand what a broken heart did to someone.

We arrived at the crowded grocery store. We weaved up and down the aisles, checking the list off as we went. I’d purposely left off a few items.

“
Callon,” I called out as he was unloading the cart at the checkout with Colt. “I need to run to the bathroom before we leave. Do you mind?”

“
No, I’ll take you.” Callon stepped closer.

“
I won’t be long. Can Daniel go with me? We’ll meet you at the truck in a few minutes.”

Callon nodded. Daniel took my arm as Maes began to follow. Stopping, I turned around, my irritation flaring.

“
Maes, Daniel is with me. I’m just going to the bathroom. I don’t need an army escort.” Maes paused, an eyebrow raised. I swallowed. Did he know I was up to something? “I’ll be right back,” I said firmly. I couldn’t back down now. Reluctantly, he turned away.

As we neared the bathroom, I set my plan in action.

“
Shoot,” I grumbled. I fumbled with the list in my hands and passed it to Daniel. “I forgot the stuffing and broth. Can you get them to Callon before he checks out? I’ll only be a minute. I’ll come straight up front, okay?”

Daniel hesitated only slightly. “All right, hurry though.”

I nodded and hurried into the bathroom as Daniel walked off. I waited a few moments, then cracked the door. He was gone. I bolted for the storeroom doors and ran out the rear exit into the alley. I was at the service entrance to the hardware store with my hand on the knob. A harsh yank, and it flew open. I took two steps into freedom, almost giddy that my plan had worked when I was suddenly pulled from my feet. I let out a yelp that was quickly muffled as a large hand covered my mouth.

“
Gotcha,” Colt said.

My jaw hung open. How did he get here so fast? He must have been waiting for me.

Seconds later, the truck appeared at the end of the alley. I glared at him.

“
We’ve got groceries to get home, Cheyenne. Let’s not waste any more time.” Colt pushed me over his shoulder and headed for the truck.

I was too shocked to struggle.

“
How did you know?” I was so easily caught…what did I do wrong?

“
It was just a matter of time. We already knew where the entrances and exits were, and we knew you’d try them.” Colt paused briefly. “Although it did take you longer than we thought to make a break for it. Besides, your face is pretty easy to read when you’re determined.”

My face was easy to read?

Colt opened the truck door and sat me on the seat. Callon grasped my arm and pulled me over to the middle.

“
Nice trip?” Maes was slouched in the back seat, arms folded over his stomach, smiling like a content cat.

“
Sorry, Daniel,” I said quietly. I really didn’t like using him like that; I just didn’t have a choice.

“
It’s okay. I knew what you were doing anyway.”

Colt buckled me in while Callon held on to my arm.

I looked up and saw Colt hesitating. It was as if he wanted to speak to me, to reach out and touch me, but he didn’t. His eyes were speaking a thousand words to me as we held our gaze. He was unsure about us, about where our relationship would end up. The relationship that he wanted and I was fighting to distance myself from. It was like an echo of the intense moment at my house before I left for Montana.

“
Done for the day now, Cheyenne?” Callon’s testiness was clear, but was his irritation directed at me or Colt?

I didn’t say a word for the whole drive home. I kept going over the plan in my head, trying to pick out the flaws. What had I done wrong? How had they known what I would do? It was as if they could read my face, predict my actions and easily stop me without breaking a sweat.

I clenched my fist in my lap. I had failed at this attempt, but I would not fail again. I was quiet, stewing over what happened. Colt leaned closer.

“
Don’t be mad, Cheyenne. It’s not that bad being stuck with us, is it?”

I sat rigid, glaring out the front window. Colt had no idea how truly heartbreaking it was to be with him and Callon every day. I could never be away from them. Somebody always had to be nearby because of the threat on my life. I lived with all four of them twenty-four/seven without room to breathe, to think…to mend my shattered life, and I could never seek comfort in Colt or Callon’s arms. I could never feel a warm embrace without wondering what was behind it. I could never break down and cry to release all these pent-up emotions.

The snow increased in intensity as we arrived home. I waited for Colt to get out of the truck. He surprised me by pulling me by my arms and inverting me over his shoulder once more.

“
Colt!” I shouted. “Put me down!” My anger was building quickly.

“
No,” Colt said calmly.

“
Colt!” I snapped again.

Without missing a step, he carried me into the house and dropped me on the sofa. I attempted to rise, and he wrapped his bulky arms around me as we both fell back into the couch.

“
Colt!” I said through my teeth. “Where am I going to go now? Let me go!”

“
Do you remember,” Colt whispered, “after we brought you back from the bank, when I said I never wanted to feel so helpless again?” He pushed me back further, tilting my head to look up at him. “I’m never letting you go, Cheyenne. I swore I’d protect you, and I meant it.” He softly kissed my cheek.

That was too much, and I lost it.

“
Like you meant all those other promises you broke?!” I screamed, fighting to free myself. “Damn it, Colt! Don’t you realize what you’re doing to me? I’m sick of you stomping my heart to pieces and then cutting me again with the broken shards!” Colt’s arms loosened. “It’s horrible living with the two of you. Every day I have to see you, smell you, hear you, and know I can never be held in your arms, or feel your love ever again.” The tears were flowing freely. “How blind are you?” My hands were shaking. “How much more selfish can you be?” I whispered. “I can’t stand this…I have to leave. The two of you are going to destroy me.”

The room had become deathly quiet. Callon’s hand touched my shoulder, and I jumped. My reddened eyes met the sympathy in his.

“
Cheyenne, I…” Callon began to say when I bolted from the room. This meltdown was quickly turning nuclear.

I slammed the bathroom door closed and crumpled against it to the floor, sobbing.

The crying slowed when a brown flash appeared out of the corner of my eye. My eyes grew wide as I saw an enormous spider. Its body was the size of my palm and the spiky long legs extended even further. The barbed hair was standing up on its back, and it moved.

I froze.

Its black orbs were staring at me, its fangs shifting swiftly back and forth. It repositioned itself rapidly. I screamed and scrambled away. The door burst open. Colt’s eyes were wide with panic, and I ran toward him. He caught me in his embrace. Seconds later, Daniel, Callon, and Maes came in, crowding the tiny room.

Daniel quickly cornered the gruesome creature as Colt escorted me to the great room.

My body was shaking from the emotional overload, and Colt’s arms only tightened as we moved to the far corner. I couldn’t hold back any longer and soaked in his touch, my fingers locking into his shirt.

“
I’m sorry, Cheyenne,” Colt whispered. “I’m so sorry for what I’ve done to you. But I won’t ever give up loving you.”

Footsteps echoed through the great room, and Colt shifted uncomfortably. His hand locked on my shoulders as if I was about to be pulled from his grasp. His muscles rippled over my cheek as it was pressed into his chest, and he held his breath as if he were waiting for something.