Daylight, a Timeless Series Novel Page 4

  Guilty I’d brought up a painful memory, I pointed down the hall. It was my turn to distract him. “How many rooms?”

  “Fifteen bedrooms.”

  My eyes widened. I’d never been in a home with fifteen bedrooms; never been in one with more than four. But this was a manor, not a home. And it was ours now.

  “How big was your family again?” He’d told me at one time, but I just couldn’t remember clearly.

  “Big.” Another smile perched on his lips, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

  “And how many wives did your father have?”

  “Too many,” Daniel chimed in.

  I hesitated for a moment. “He wasn’t married to them all at once, was he?”

  “No,” Callon replied.

  “So what happened to them?”

  “Some died by accident, childbirth or acts of war.”

  “Childbirth and accidents?” I was about to add more, but thought better as the too-fresh memory of Colt’s death rose to the surface. It was a fact, Timeless could die.

  Sympathy crossed over Callon’s face, and he squeezed my hand.

  I sighed, dreading my next question.

  “How many wives do you have, Callon?”

  Daniel fidgeted and looked down the hall. Callon was staring at the painting when he finally answered.

  “None.”

  I swallowed, knowing it may be true, but not the whole truth. Once again, he was hiding the truth from me, but why? If I was to marry him, why did he continue to keep secrets? Didn’t he know this built a barrier between us?

  “Do you know which room you’re staying in?” Daniel jumped to my side, acting as a mediator.

  I glanced back down the hall and realized I hadn’t a clue. I could get lost in this place. “No.”

  “This way.” Daniel pointed, and I followed.

  I counted the doors so I’d know in the future. They all looked the same to me. We stopped, and Daniel slipped a pink tassel on the crystal handle. He smiled.

  “There. This way you won’t forget.”

  My chest tightened. This was my Daniel, always looking out for me. I leaned forward and drew him into a hug.

  “Thanks,” I whispered.

  “I’d do anything for you, Chey. All you need do is ask.”

  “Hmph, how pathetic.” A low French accent growled in the hall.

  Maes.

  “What’s it to you?” I stared down the jade-eyed monster before me.

  Moments passed with no reply, but I noted that Callon exchanged a dark glance with Maes.

  “So you’ve seen the estate,” Maes stated. “It’s about time you came out of that room.”

  My entire body began to tighten. My irritation was flaring, and that thing splayed too near the surface. It was as if I was ready to do battle, my anger suddenly growing at the hand that I’d been dealt. My fingers balled into fists, but before I could act, the hall vanished, and I was back downstairs.

  “You don’t need to deal with him right now,” Daniel said softly. He whisked me into the kitchen and pulled out a stool for me. “Here, have a seat and I’ll make you a sandwich since you didn’t eat last night.”

  He opened the fridge door and began gathering his supplies. I watched, taking deep breaths and letting the rage fade. As much as Daniel sympathized, he couldn’t understand what I was dealing with. None of them could.

  I was adrift in a dark stormy sea with nothing to cling to. My light, my hope, had all been crushed. Everything I’d ever loved had been dragged away from me and pushed below the raging waters, never to be seen again.

  “Ham and cheese?”

  Briefly broken from my thoughts, I nodded.

  The only resolution in sight was Marcus’s death. That would mean this dark force inside me would have to be freed, but how could I even think of such a thing? I’d almost killed everyone by allowing it out the first time. I pressed my shaking hand to my forehead, brushing my hair aside.

  A plate slid before me. My hands curled in my lap as I stared at it.

  “I promise I didn’t poison it,” Daniel forced out a chuckle.

  “I know.” I picked up the sandwich and ate half before I couldn’t stomach anymore.

  He packed up the sandwich and placed it in the fridge. “I’ll save it for you in case you get hungry later.” Hopeful eyes met mine. “I know I sound like Callon, but you’ve really lost too much weight, Chey.”

  I stared down at my hands. I knew I’d lost weight, but I really didn’t care. Food had no taste anymore. Nothing had flavor.

  “I’ll try and eat more,” I promised.

  Daniel remained quiet for a few moments.

  “We have a surprise for you.” He waved me towards the door. “Come on, you’ll like this.”

  I remained still. What was he up to?

  He turned back, waiting for me.

  I sighed and followed him out of the kitchen and onto the terrace. Irritated voices instantly drifted toward me, one French and another familiar tone that I hadn’t heard for a long time.

  “Cheyenne!” Lilly cried out. She hurried up the terrace stairs and wrapped me in her arms. “Sweetheart, we’re here. It’s all going to be better now.”

  My heart pounded against my chest. Dex and Lilly were here! But what had Callon told them?

  Lilly’s black hair pressed against my cheek. “We’re so sorry.”

  I began to shake, trembling from head to toe. The feelings I’d pushed away all came flooding back at once. Memories of Colt flashed before my eyes. Our last day together in the cave where he showed me the magical glowing stones, before I found out I was betrothed to Callon.

  I fought to inhale, but the air wouldn’t fill my lungs.

  “Shh,” Dex whispered as his arms encased us further. “We’re here to help, Cheyenne.”

  “He’s gone,” I muttered. “Colt’s gone.”

  “We know,” Dex replied.

  “We’re here now,” Lilly repeated, her tears mingling with mine. “I wish I could change things for you. I wish you didn’t have to suffer as much as you have.” Her voice shook. “It’s going to be okay. You’re not alone, Cheyenne. You’ve never been alone.”

  We remained in a silent embrace for what seemed like an eternity before Dex and Lilly drew back. I kept my head lowered as Callon came to my side, his hand rubbing my back.

  “It’s been a bit rough around here,” Callon said softly. “But Cheyenne’s strong. She’ll pull through.”

  “Strong?” Maes muttered under his breath, “She knows nothing of suffering.”

  “Maes!” Callon jerked away from me. “Enough!”

  Jade-rimmed eyes met mine—cold, dark and unemotional. The dog had no heart after all.

  “Come on.” Lilly locked her arm around me and pulled me towards the field. “Let’s go for a walk.”

  Lilly led us down a grass path, leaving the rumbling voices behind. The sound of horses whinnying in the distance caught my attention.

  “I’ve missed you greatly, Cheyenne,” Lilly said. “I—I wish Dex and I could have been the ones to raise you…”

  My throat grew tight, and I kept my eyes forward. “If you’d been my guardians, then chances are you wouldn’t be here right now,” I replied.

  She sighed. “It’s just that you would have known us. We would have told you the truth, and you wouldn’t have closed yourself off so much.”

  I didn’t reply. Chances are they would’ve hidden things from me as well, especially if that had been my parent’s wish. There was also a reason why I’d closed myself off. No connection meant no pain when they departed. Colt had been the only one to break down that barrier, and now he was gone too. Proving I’d been right all along.

  Lilly stopped and turned towards me.

  “Don’t lock us out, Cheyenne. Callon told us what’s been going on.” Her shaking hand brushed her black locks behind her ear, and our eyes met. “I wanted to come the moment we found out, but Callon held us back. He didn’t want
to push you farther over the edge than you already were.” Her blue eyes softened. “I want to help. I want to be the one you confide in. I want to love and nurture you…”

  “You want to take the place of my mother,” I finished her sentence.

  “I want to love you as your mother, Sahara, would have wanted me to.” Her shoulders sagged forward as her gaze moved to the grass. “Your mother and I became close in her final years, and yet she never told me about you. I know why now.” Tears began to stream down her cheeks. “It’s because she wanted me to be here for you now. She knew her life was coming to a close, and she was ensuring you were taken care of.”

  I stared at the fragile woman before me. She was baring her heart to me, opening it up if I’d just accept it. Was this truly what my mother would have wanted? I just couldn’t accept any more misery in my life if something were to happen to Lilly or anyone else.

  “I know,” I whispered. I reached out and touched her hand, squeezing it.

  A tear-stained smile rose on her lips.

  The fenced pasture ahead caught my eye. Two black stallions caught my attention. We stopped at the fence and watched them run and prance until they neared. I stood up on the rail.

  They were tall, at least eighteen hands each. Their black coats shimmered in the sunlight, giving off a bluish tint. I studied them as they gave wild snorts. They were almost identical. The only distinguishing difference between them was that one had a notch missing in his ear.

  I reached out to them with my mind, cooing and calming them until they became still. I stretched my hand out, and the notched-eared beauty moved closer, nudging my hand across his snout. His black eyes met mine in understanding. The other moved closer, his head hovering near my cheek. A gentle nod caused his snout to brush my cheek and then he moved away. Both, however, remained immobile just a few steps away from me.

  “I knew you had this gift, Cheyenne,” Lilly said softly. “I could see it even before your transformation.”

  I stepped down and looked around at the vast estate around us.

  “You can talk with them, right?” she asked.

  I nodded.

  “Can they communicate with you?”

  “No, it’s just one-sided.”

  “I used to be able to talk with animals…” Lilly trailed off.

  I stopped in my tracks. “Used to?”

  She smiled. “Yes.”

  “What happened?”

  Before she could answer, a voice spoke.

  “Enjoying your walk, ladies?” Callon asked. I jumped, releasing a small squeak. Where’d he come from?

  Lilly smiled. “Yes, I thought it would be nice for the two of us to have some girl time.”

  Callon’s smile brightened, and for the first time in a long time it seemed to reach his eyes. “I think that would be the best thing for Cheyenne right now,” he replied.

  I turned my attention back to the matter at hand. “Lilly, you said used to.”

  She smiled and then glanced at Callon, but no reply came.

  I was so over this non-disclosure. I turned on Callon, brows puckering, shoulders tensing when suddenly it all faded away. I stared at the man whose face had softened and weary eyes pleaded. He reached out and took my hands in his as Lilly departed.

  “I promise not to hold back on you, Cheyenne, but I’ve just barely gotten you back. I won’t allow anything or anyone to push you to those dark depths.”

  “But I just want to know…”

  “And you will, but I need you whole again before the weight of all that you bear comes crashing down on you. I was wrong in holding back earlier, but you have to believe me that it was always for your protection.” He moved closer, lifting his hand to tilt my chin up. “First, I want to see those bright blue eyes of yours once more. Not the gray clouded haziness that’s been there. I want the Cheyenne that I came to love and adore before all of this started. I want to see you smile. I want to hear your laughter. I want to feel the love I know you still have inside of you.”

  Soft, warm, supple lips touched mine. A swarm of butterflies erupted in my stomach, and my lids lowered.

  “I want you to be surrounded with love and support, the love of your family, of those that care about you more than caring about what you will become.” His words were full of passion. “You told me that you wanted to start over, love. Well, I’m asking the same for me. I want to start over; I want to hold nothing back. I want to love you with my whole heart, and I want to protect yours from ever being broken again.”

  A tender caress brushed the corner of my mouth, and my breathing hitched.

  “I love you, Cheyenne, and I intend to love you for the rest of my life,” he whispered.

  A cool wind swirled around us, and I shivered from the chill.

  He pulled me into a hug, his strong arms surrounding me. Strength was what I needed right now. I was weak. Too many failures that I could never take back encircled me.

  “Come on.” He kissed my forehead. “Let’s get back before your goosebumps get any bigger.”

  I nodded and fell into step beside him.

  “You see the lake?” he asked.

  My eyes followed the shoreline as it disappeared into the tree-lined hills.

  “It looks pretty big.”

  He smiled. “It is.” He turned us and pointed out towards the estate. “You see all this land to the left and right of the estate?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s all ours.”

  “Looks like a lot of work.”

  He chuckled. “It is.”

  “Who takes care of it?” I asked. “Since obviously you don’t live here all the time.”

  “It’s been in my family for many generations. We have an arrangement with the Campbell family, who maintain it for us.”

  “So they’re human?”

  “Yes.”

  “But wouldn’t they know you and your family are different?”

  “Yes, but they took an oath.”

  “An oath?”

  “Yes, an oath to serve us and preserve our lands and protect our names.”

  I stopped. “What do they get in return?”

  “Protection.”

  Okay, but still.

  “They’ve never once let out that you were different?” I asked.

  He faintly smiled. “No. It’s different over here. Families serve for generations upon generations. They knew the oath they were taking, and knew the consequences if it were ever broken.”

  I raised a brow. “What would be the consequences?”

  Callon looked away. “Death.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes.”

  I hesitated. “So—so you’d follow through on this if the oath was broken?”

  “Of course.”

  Here was another side of Callon I hadn’t seen before. Somehow I knew it was there, but maybe I’d chosen to ignore it. It made sense. Callon was a leader. He was one to follow all the rules—always.

  “Come on.” He pulled me along.

  We continued meandering through the field, stopping to pick wildflowers before we made it back to the terrace.

  “Here, let me put those in water for you,” Callon said. “I’ll be right back.”

  He disappeared through the doors and I sat on a chaise, staring out into the horizon, watching a lone crow fly overhead.

  I’d made it another day.

  “Cheyenne,” Maes rumbled.

  My breath caught, and I scrambled back onto the chaise.

  “Quit sneaking up on me!” I snapped, glaring at him.

  A small smirk rose on his lips. Before I could retort again, the crow cawed. I turned, watching small sparrows chase it away.

  “Did you know,” Maes said, “that in Irish mythology, crows are associated with Morrigan, the goddess of war and death.”

  I stared at him blankly for a few moments. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He sat in a chair across from me.

  “Morrigan
was the goddess of battle. She’d sometimes appear in the form of a crow and fly above the warriors. Her purpose was not to attack, but to render the warriors helpless at the right moment.”

  My eyes narrowed.

  “Are you trying to scare or warn me?”

  “That is entirely up to you, mon espoir.”

  Great, now he was back to calling me his hope.

  “Don’t call me that, Maes.”

  “More are coming.”

  “What?” I grew rigid. “Who’s coming?”

  “Koda, Nakari, Clayton and Skylar.”

  My stomach began to roll with nausea. Dex and Lilly were here—that was all I needed. Why bring others I didn’t know?

  And why Koda…

  “Maes!” Callon snapped. “Get in here!”

  Maes smirked to himself, before he departed through the terrace doors. But my anger was now directed at a new target.

  What did Callon think he was doing to me?

  Chapter 4

  I couldn’t believe this. They were all coming; the ones who rescued me from Marcus. I knew I should be relieved—they’d all risked their lives to get me out—but the thought of seeing Koda again was too much. He was identical to Colt in just about every way. His blond hair and blue eyes, his massive arms and tall frame, the way he’d produce a crooked smile, making me see the man I loved all over again.

  The man I’d lost…

  Tears stung my eyes. Why was Callon doing this? How could he think I was ready for all those horrible memories to be unearthed again? I’d barely escaped from the depths of my despair, and now he was cutting my lifeline and throwing me right back!

  A chill breeze crept over the terrace, and the last of the sunlight streamed over the manor. Yet even when the wind stopped, I was still shivering. It wouldn’t be long now before the familiar darkness reached out, calling me to join with it. To let go and let the shadows take over. Then all my light would be extinguished, and I’d be perched on the edge of the black abyss. An endless pit of shadows where a pair of crimson eyes lurked, waiting for me to take that final step.