Promises (5 page)

The attacks took place quickly; if I’d blinked, I would’ve missed them. The Trackers lunged forward, and bodies began to fly, limbs snapping. Colt was taking two to three at a time with little effort. There were no weapons like I had seen in my first dream; this was hand-to-hand combat.

Daniel flashed in and out of the valley as he took the enemy down. But it was only a matter of time before they would break through our defenses…

A lone hand attached itself to my arm, and a second later the hold was broken as Callon shoved me back into Mandi.

“
Use her as a shield,” he ordered. I clung to Mandi’s mane.

Suddenly fingers laced around my ankle, and I was yanked to the ground and thrust under her belly. I screamed. Mandi turned and kicked, sending the Tracker flying. I climbed back to my feet, shaking. Their numbers were dwindling, but then more Trackers poured out from the forest. It would only be a matter of time before they got what they came for…

Panicked, I turned towards Callon as his eyes closed. Tears filled mine in answer. I looked down. We had nowhere left to go…

“
Cheyenne,” Callon called out. He grasped my arm, and my head jerked up. “We—I can’t keep you safe while you’re with us. I don’t want this, but we have no other choice.”

Daniel flashed to my side and grasped my arm, and we vanished. Seconds later, we were on the riverbank.

Daniel spoke quickly, “Hide in the caverns here…”

His eyes widened before he fell forward, knocking me to the ground.

“
Daniel!” I screeched and crawled over him. Blood was running from the base of his skull.

A hearty chuckle sounded, and I turned towards the river. “That was way too easy.”

I blinked. Standing a few feet before us was one of the three men I’d seen on the ridge. He was casually tossing a large rock in his hand.

I rose.

“
Well, this is convenient.” A smirk rose on his thinning lips. “Quite a delivery service. He dropped you off for me now, did he?”

My heart skipped a beat.

He took a step closer, and I looked down at Daniel’s unmoving body. I couldn’t just leave Daniel, but if I stayed, I’d be captured…

I stepped over Daniel once again. I wouldn’t give this Tracker the opportunity to hurt him if I could stop it. My eyes locked on the river, and I bolted, hoping to draw him away from Daniel and give me the chance to escape.

I leapt to the right, attempting to plunge into the river, but my attacker grasped my leg. I tumbled to the rocky ground, cutting my cheek. Ignoring the pain, I scrambled to get up, turning slightly to kick at him. With one good tug, he was above me and pinning me to the ground so I couldn’t move.

“
Well, now,” the low voice rumbled. “Aren’t you quite the little fighter? I think the boys will get a kick out of you.”

I turned my head, and my eyes landed on Daniel.

“
Don’t worry about him, darling. You’re the only one I want.”

Before I could blink, I was yanked from the ground and hoisted over his shoulder. A moment later, we were running up the ridge to the other two men. I struggled to free myself, punching and kicking to no avail. He dropped me abruptly to the ground, and the air was knocked from my lungs as a rock imbedded itself between my shoulder blades. I tried to catch my breath as the men looked on. They may have been able to carry me, but none of them were comparable to Colt. These men were smaller, closer to Daniel’s height and frame…maybe I stood a fighting chance.

The blond Tracker grinned.

“
Look what I found lying around down below, boys.” He let out a disgusting laugh, which made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. “Thought you might enjoy this one. She’s got a lot of fight in her.”

I scrambled back on my hands, and they encircled me. My heart was racing as my fingers searched for anything to use as a weapon. I secured a large rock in my palm and climbed to my feet. The red-haired Tracker lunged; I swung my rock-bearing fist with everything I could muster. I made contact with his cheek, and he stumbled back, grasping his bloody face in disbelief.

“
I told you she’s a fighter,” the blond Tracker chuckled.

The red-haired Tracker snarled. I knew the repercussions would be bad. He stormed toward me. Before I had time to react, he had me by the throat and pinned me against the rock face.

“
Not so fast now, are you?” he spat. I clawed at his arms, trying to pull them away.

“
Hey, you don’t need to hurt her,” the dark-haired Tracker commented. He grabbed his comrade’s arm, and he loosened his hold.

I collapsed to the ground, coughing. A thick branch was within arm’s reach, but when I tried to grab it, the blond Tracker kicked it away. Seconds later, he had me by the arm again, dragging me to the edge of the ridge. No words were said, but the fighting below stopped briefly, and I saw my guardians look up. Daniel was back with his brothers, fighting. He thought I’d gotten away. I didn’t have to see their faces up close to know they were utterly horrified. I’d failed miserably at hiding. I tried to break free, but the Tracker only held on tighter.

The blond Tracker’s eyes narrowed.

“
It’s always nice to have the upper hand in battles. It makes it easier.” In one quick movement, he tossed me like a rag doll into the rock wall. I slumped to the ground in agony. I was next to the branch once more. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I secured it in my hand. My attackers had turned their backs on me. They were watching the fight. Seizing my opportunity, I leapt to my feet and swung at the blond Tracker. He jerked around and caught the branch mid-swing.

“
Now, that’s not playing nice, is it?” An evil smirk filled his face as he pulled the branch from my hand and wrapped his long fingers around my throat. I grappled with his arms, fighting for air. To my surprise, his grip loosened, and his eyes grew wide. He grasped my right hand and drew it closer, staring at the rings.

“
Well, isn’t this a nice surprise?” he said. “Boys, we have some royalty among us.” The dark-haired and redhead Tracker came over to us quickly, inspecting my fingers. There were no more smiles. In fact, they looked almost…scared?

“
We need to get her to Marcus now. This is big,” the dark-haired one said warily.

The blond Tracker tightened his hold on my arms. He wasn’t about to let me go. Suddenly, a loud bellow came from the valley below. Colt was shouting out my name. The Trackers were momentarily distracted. Colt’s voice gave me strength, and I lifted my leg and kicked my boot heel into the Tracker’s knee. He collapsed forward with his arms out to catch himself, and I bolted for the river’s edge. A scream escaped me as I descended, vocalizing the fear inside me.

I crashed into the water below and said a quick prayer of thanks that it was deep enough. I held my breath, hearing the splash as my attackers dove in after me. The current was too strong, though, and it snatched me away before they could find me. I stayed underwater for as long as I could, until I was finally forced to surface for air. There was no sign of them anywhere.

The strength of the undercurrent was a mixed blessing. The rock walls that formed the banks shot straight up, and there was nowhere to climb to safety. I was at the river’s mercy. Large boulders dotted the water’s edge, but the middle was clear for the moment. I kept searching desperately for a way to leave the raging river, but the walls were too sheer. I was trapped.

I was growing weak as the icy water thrashed about me. My limbs were stiff. I began bobbing under the surface for longer periods; I didn’t know how much more I could take. I would have to fight my way to shore when the time came…if the time came. Would I ever see the trio again? Would I ever see Colt again? Would they ever find my body, or would it be washed away?

My eyes were almost closed when I saw a lone Tresez running alongside me on the canyon wall above. Was it here to witness my death? It wouldn’t be long now. I glanced ahead once more. The canyon began to narrow, and the water churned violently as it was forced between the rock openings. Boulders were strewn everywhere in my path now. It was only a matter of minutes before I would be pushed headlong into the whipping, crashing fury…

A loud splash echoed behind me, and I twisted to see the Tresez swimming towards me. In a matter of seconds, the creature was at my side, nudging my arm. Instinctively, I latched on to its fur, crawling on its back as it began to swim.

I tightened my grip and wove my fingers into its thick hair. The white water crashed over us. The creature was strong, forcing its way around the boulders riddled in our path. The pounding and slapping water seemed endless. I was beyond exhausted. The freezing water was taking its toll, and my hands began to slip. The water pulled me further away from the Tresez, and I could do nothing to stop it. I slipped under the surface, and the darkness, the heaviness, pushed me down. I wanted to reach up, but my arms wouldn’t move.

Something grasped my arm, and I was pulled to the surface.

I gasped as I came out, but I still couldn’t look up—everything was weighted down. An arm, a man’s arm, reached under mine, and I was pulled out of the water’s current. Another arm went under my legs as we broke free from the icy cold abyss. My rescuer was moving rapidly, and then suddenly I was dropped to the ground and turned on my side. Immediately, I began coughing and spewing water. A warm hand lifted my head, helping me clear my throat, and another brushed the hair from my face.

The coughing ceased, and my shaking began. My rescuer scooped me up in his arms and began running, pressing me close in an attempt to warm me. I was barely conscious as he lay me down. His hands moved over me gently, removing my wet clothing. I knew what he was doing; my body temperature was dangerously low. He lay beside, pulling me into his warmth as he wrapped himself around me.

Whoever it was, he was as enormous as Colt. His muscles flexed as my cold cheek lay on his bare chest. He began rubbing my arms and back. The shaking continued as I dozed in and out of sleep.

Dawn came, and I was alone. I looked around to see a small fire and my clothing lying nearby. Still feeling chilled; I sat up and took account of my surroundings. I was in a small cave, near the entrance. I grabbed my damp jeans and pulled them on. My shirt was dry and went over my cami, which had remained intact. Whoever it was left me with a little dignity, and for that I was grateful.

I stepped closer to the cave opening and gasped. I was more than five hundred feet above the river. To my right was a sheer dropoff; to my left was a narrow path winding down. I took a few steps back.

“
Bonjour,” a deep voice rumbled. I yelped, twisting around to see who was speaking. “You’re finally awake.”

The man was enormous. His brawny olive-toned chest was exposed, and his powerful arms lay nonthreateningly at his side. An eerie darkness hovered over his presence as he stepped forward slowly. His gaze remained locked on mine, and his eyes drew my attention. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He paused, as I remained frozen. “My name is Maes. I’m not here to hurt you.”

Inhaling, I tried to reply, my voice cracking, “Are you the one who pulled me from the river?”

He arched an eyebrow, as if I’d asked the stupidest question in the world.

“
Right, obviously you did, as there’s nobody else around,” I mumbled to myself.

I continued to study him. His ebony hair lay tousled around his face; his eyes were as black as midnight except for the sliver of jade on the outer edges. And was it me, or was there a blue tint to his hair?

Maes folded his arms and sighed. “Do you have a name?”

I blinked and tried to bring myself back to the moment. “Uh, yeah. It’s Cheyenne.”

He took another step closer, and I tensed.

“
Cheyenne.” The way he said my name caused a chill to run over me.

He sat and patted the ground next to him. “I said I wouldn’t hurt you. Now, come sit. I have some food for you.”

He said he wouldn’t hurt me, but his tone was commanding like Callon’s. He was waiting for me to move, and reluctantly I did.

“
Trout’s on the menu.” Maes returned his attention to the fish in front of him.

Hesitantly, I sat, keeping my gaze on him the entire time. He ripped the fish apart with his fingers, slicing it open as if he held a knife. He placed them on a rock near the fire and turned. He was only an arm’s length away now. How easily he could rip my throat open with the swipe of his…I shook off the thought. He wouldn’t have saved me just to kill me in a cave, would he?

I needed to get Maes talking, as he didn’t seem likely to volunteer much information. Just like another man I knew…

“
So you warmed me last night,” I stated, feeling slightly uncomfortable that he’d seen me in my underwear. “Obviously my body temperature was low, or you wouldn’t have undressed me.” I waited for a response and none came. “I understand. Thanks.”

Nodding, Maes turned his attention back to the flames. I studied his profile as he stoked the fire. His movements, as precise as they were, hinted at great underlying power.

He was a skilled warrior.

“
You jumped in the river from the cliff, didn’t you?”

Maes kept his attention on the sizzling trout.

“
You weren’t who I see now, were you?” Once again, he didn’t respond. My heart began to race as realization sank in. “You’re a Tresez?” I whispered.