Promises (37 page)

“
Cheyenne!” Colt bellowed, and I flew to the ground just as the boulder crashed down beside us…where I’d just been standing.

I blinked.

“
Hey.” He held my face, forcing me to look at him. “Calm down.”

What had I done?

Maes, Callon and Daniel were standing around me. I looked beyond them and saw the disaster I’d created. The grass in the meadow was flattened. Trees lay toppled to the side, and not only did I move the large boulder, but several others lay strewn about nearby as well.

Colt had managed to stop me. I lowered my head. I’d felt the thrill when I released the power. I was in control, I was calling the shots…and then I was losing control. Would I be able to control this thing inside me as long as Colt was nearby? He made me feel complete, whole again. He’d promised to help me.

“
You’re going to have to work on that,” Maes said.

I shot to my feet, pushing Colt aside.

“
You!” I shoved my finger in his chest. “You keep pushing me like I’m a weapon to be used at your beck and call!”

He leaned forward, causing me to step back. “We’re pushing you for a reason, Cheyenne.”

“
I’ve just barely figured out I have powers!” My hands flew in the air.

“
Marcus is getting closer every day. You have to be ready!”

“
Cheyenne,” Callon moved closer, his hand grasping my arm in an attempt to pull us apart.

I jerked away and stalked towards the water. He followed me.

I collapsed into the moist grass as the exhaustion hit, and rested my head in my hands. I could have caused myself and my guardians serious harm. We were Timeless, but a boulder would surely kill them…they meant the world to me.

“
Are you okay?” Callon asked.

“
I’m fine.”

Callon moved closer, stroking my back. It was comforting, and I found myself edging closer. For once, Callon wasn’t the one pushing, but was providing comfort.

“
I’m sorry, Callon.”

“
You have nothing to be sorry about.” He rested his hand on my shoulder.

“
I—I didn’t…”

A crow cawed, and I jumped, losing my train of thought. I looked up and watched it fly into the trees.

“
Mean to lose control?” Callon finished for me.

My cheeks burned with shame.

“
Thank you.” I lifted my head and looked into his warm eyes. There was so much about him I’d purposely not opened up to. I’d closed myself off for fear of being hurt, and of pushing the brothers apart. I’d promised him a new start, and he needed to know how I felt, “You…you know I care deeply, don’t you? I may have been angry about what happened at Dex and Lilly’s, but I never stopped…” I swallowed. I just couldn’t say the words yet. “You and Colt mean the world to me. I don’t want anything to happen to either of you.”

The hard planes of his face disappeared. The part of him he’d been holding back, the part he hadn’t allowed me to see was now visible. He leaned closer, and our noses touched.

“
I know.” Before I knew it, his hand was behind my neck. His breath tickled my lips; it wouldn’t have taken much more to make me give in.

A splash echoed from the river, and Callon broke his gaze. Colt was nearby, throwing stones. When he saw me, he smiled. However, when I looked at Callon again, a shiver ran through me. Those hard planes had returned. He flicked his eyes towards me, a stony coldness I’d never witnessed set into his jaw.

“
You told Colt you loved him.”

My breath caught.

“…
and if I did?” I turned away, unable to hold his stare.

“
No, Cheyenne,” Callon rumbled. “This is going to stop. You’re causing yourself more agony than you need to. You’re betrothed to me, not Colt. It was a mistake to ever let him near you, a mistake that I’ll have to live with for the rest of my life.” His hands cupped my cheek. “Cheyenne, look at me.”

I didn’t want to look. I didn’t want to see in his eyes or hear in his voice how my childish fantasies of love needed to end. I didn’t want to be told that the only thing my heart truly desired was out of my reach.

“
You are only hurting yourself. I won’t stand by and watch you endure anymore suffering when I can end it.” He stroked my cheek. “Your destiny is with me, not Colt.”

My tears fell freely, and I pushed him away. I turned and marched off alone, regretting that I’d ever agreed to this outing. Why had I asked them to come? Why did I constantly think I could change Callon’s mind when I knew he was unshakeable? I didn’t want to hear his words of destiny. I wanted to choose my own.

I was right back where I started.

I’d barely made it to the forest edge when Maes spun me around.

“
You’re not wandering off alone, Cheyenne,” he growled. “Just because you had a little tiff doesn’t mean you run away.”

I yanked my arm back. “Leave me alone, Maes!” I shouted. “I’m tired of being told what to do!”

His dark stare leveled with mine. “This isn’t about what you want to do. This is about your role in the Timeless world. Face it, mon espoir, you’re stuck with it.”

Stuck with it, my…

Maes released my arm, and I headed into the forest with my guardians trailing behind.

My mind wandered. I was so sick of running and hiding, and I still wasn’t any closer to understanding why. Why did Marcus need me? Why was he so evil? And why wouldn’t anybody tell me? They had provided no proof except in stories. They said he killed my parents, but that was their version. What if it was wrong? What if it was all a big misunderstanding? The only real thing I knew for sure was that I loved Colt and Callon. My heart belonged to them.

We walked for hours through the forest, while I replayed all the words like a slow motion film. A film that I couldn’t edit or recreate, a film that would always come up with the same ending.

There were so many things I loved about them both. With Colt, I had a relationship that had been built around a friendship and had grown naturally. He made me laugh and feel good about myself. I was always at ease with him. Life was easy, comfortable…carefree. And most importantly he was my light, my ray of hope in the darkness.

My thoughts drifted to Callon. Our relationship had been rocky from the start. He made me uncomfortable, unsure and had hidden things from me. He’d play the evasive game and expect me to follow along willingly…but he also challenged me. He made me think, pushed me to my limits. Would I have come up with the berry poisoning idea if not for his constant talk that I couldn’t escape? Would I have taken so many risks and proved what I was capable of if he hadn’t fed my determination? He guided my potential in ways I didn’t understand. And beneath his serious demeanor, I knew he was kind and caring too.

But how could he force me to choose?

Darkness covered the forest, and I couldn’t go on any longer. Why couldn’t I have been human? Why couldn’t Colt have been human? Why couldn’t we be together? Why did I have to be the last of the ruling clan, expected to lead a group of people I knew nothing about? Forced into a marriage that my mother had shrugged off without complaint. Why should I have to shoulder her burden?

Maybe Maes was right; she was selfish. Selfish enough not to care about her own child…

Voices suddenly broke through the trees. My heart jumped to my throat, and I dropped to the ground. Callon moved beside me.

“
Did you find her?” growled a husky voice. My fingers dug into the cold earth, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end.

“
No. I know she came this way. The dogs sniffed her out. She has to be someplace close,” another replied.

My breath caught, fearing the worst, but I didn’t have any pain in my back where the Tresez’s scar lay. Weren’t they close enough?

“
Find her. Marcus wants her now.”

A branch snapped nearby, and I pressed my hand to my mouth. Marcus was here?
But how?

“
Do you know what her powers are?”

“
He was really vague.”

“
Who?”

“
Ma—damn, they’ve almost caught up!”

“
What?”

“
Get ready.”

My mind was whirling. Trackers? Or worse?

I searched the black forest, scarcely able to breathe. This was bad…why did I have to let my emotions get the better of me? Now I’d placed my guardians and myself in a dangerous situation. I could potentially defend myself, but I couldn’t take on a whole army of Trackers on my own. I had barely figured out how to move the air…

I played out the options in my head. We could run for it, try and fight them off, or we could keep hiding and hope they’d pass by. Their footsteps crunched closer, and I clenched my teeth.

It only took a fraction of a second for Callon to reposition himself, and I was almost completely covered by his body—he was shielding me from whatever was still out there. My heart was pounding. He cocked his head to the side, listening—waiting for an opportunity.

A low growl erupted, and white fangs flashed behind Callon’s head. A small screech left my lips, and suddenly the Tresez disappeared as Colt kicked it away. A second later, Callon rolled to his side and thrust me upright, then caught me before I fell.

“
Run!” he shouted.

We ran into the dark forest, Callon, Maes and Colt surrounding me. I glanced back in search of Daniel. I found him surrounded by Tresez. We had to help him! I slowed only to have Callon latch onto my arm and pull me away.

“
Daniel! We have to help Daniel!” I screamed.

“
No! They’re blocking him from you. We have to run!” Callon said.

“
We can’t leave him!”

“
They know he can jump you, Cheyenne. They’re going after him for that reason.”

My heart sank. Daniel was sacrificing himself for me again…

I lowered my head and sprinted with every ounce of energy I had. I was not going to let Daniel’s effort be in vain. The moonlight broke through the tree canopies, reflecting to the forest floor. I skirted my gaze from side to side; a flash of black flew by and darted off to the right. Was something circling us?

More branches crackled behind us, and loud thundering beats closed in. My mind raced...was it a horse? A Tresez? Whatever it was, it was huge and gaining ground.

Our pace suddenly increased, and I was finding it difficult to keep up. In the blink of an eye, Colt disappeared.

“
Colt’s…got it…” Callon panted, and we ran on.

The landscape changed, and my legs began to feel like rubber as we climbed a ravine. We stopped at the top. I leaned over, puffing. My side began to ache.

“
It’s too far to jump,” Callon said.

“
I’ll take her,” Maes said.

“
You’re not taking her alone.”

Maes pushed himself in front of Callon. “We have to get her out of here, and only I can jump her across.”

“
No,” Callon growled. “I don’t trust you!”

I moved closer. I had to break up this standoff.

“
I trust you, Maes,” I said.

Callon stared at me. Indecision traced the planes of his jaw.

“
It’ll be okay, Callon. Maes can hide me while you protect me.”

“
I don’t like this,” Callon grumbled. “I said…”

“
I know what you said, but we don’t have a choice right now. I’m stronger, and Maes will keep me safe. I trust him.”

He sighed and nodded at Maes.

Maes shifted into his Tresez form, and Callon helped me climb onto his back. I wound my fingers into his fur and pressed myself low as he took a few steps back. His muscles tensed, and suddenly we were sailing across the ravine. I lost my balance as we landed and tumbled to the ground. A moment later, Maes, human once again, had me by the arm. I twisted to see Callon disappearing in the distance. Maes and I were on our own now.

“
This way,” Maes said as I struggled once again to keep up. I hadn’t completely recovered from my training in the meadow yet.

The forest was buzzing with shadows. I said I trusted Maes, and I had to…but the trees cracking nearby caused me to pause.

I turned to the right and swung around a large pine tree, trying to gauge the distance between the sounds and us. Panting, I lifted my hands and sent a pulse of air in their direction. A tree toppled to the ground. My head snapped to the left as branches broke nearby, and that familiar pain in my shoulder came to life.

I created a whirlwind and surrounded myself with it. A dark creature moved just outside of my protective barrier, and suddenly the air around me began to thin. My fingers began to tingle, and the dizziness threatened to overtake me. I dropped my hands and stumbled to the ground as a low growl erupted. The growl was there one moment and gone the next as I turned to see the beast disappear.

Maes had removed the threat.

I jumped to my feet again as Maes signaled for me to run. A whistle of wind whipped past my ear, and a stinging sensation touched my right wrist. I looked down in alarm. A leather strap had secured itself around my wrist. I was thrown through the air, landing on two fallen pine trees. My scream was severed as my ribs smacked into the earth, crushing my arm beneath them.