Awakening: A Timeless Series Novel, Book Four (19 page)

“Cheyenne!” Daniel screeched
, and I blinked.

Daniel was above me, his hands on my shoulders, but we weren’t in a burning house
. We were in the great room, and I was still on the couch. I’d still been dreaming?

Instantly
, I sensed the power leave my fingertips and watched in horror as my hand grew amber hot.

A screech left Daniel’s lips
followed by a gurgling cry for help. The smell of burning flesh surrounded me, and black trails began to run up his cheek. I fought to pull my arm back, but Daniel’s hands had latched around my forearm and wouldn’t let go. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, and I released a gut-wrenching scream as Brogan kicked him away.

Where had everyone come from? What was happening?

I fell to the ground in shock, and Lilly’s wailing at the sight of Daniel only sent me deeper into despair. I was pushed further away as the family gathered around him. What had I done?

“He’s got third degree burns!” Nakari screamed.

“He’s not breathing!” Dex yelled. “We need to clear his airway!”

“Daniel!” Colt bellowed
. “Daniel, answer me!”

“Get him
to the kitchen!” another voice cried out.

Bree’s hysterical sobs echoed in my ears
, and eyes filled with something close to hatred locked on mine. She blamed me, as she rightfully should. I rose, trying to move closer to see him.

“Colt!” I cried, but he ignored me. “Colt
, please!”

Brogan shoved me away
, and I tripped, landing on the cold stone floor.

“You did this, Cheyenne!” Brogan growled. “You killed him!
You deliberately did this! You’ve been waiting to kill us all and join Marcus!”

I sat there, shaking, as they rushed him
away. No, no, this wasn’t…I’d killed Daniel…they didn’t need to confirm it. I felt it in my heart. I felt the life in him leave when his eyes rolled back. He wasn’t breathing because I’d burned his airway. I’d cut off the very breath from his lips, and I couldn’t stop it.

Colt turned, his eyes cold. His mouth opened to speak, but then he closed it
, shaking his head. He turned again and rushed off to be with Daniel.

I’d done this to him…

I rocked back and forth on the ground. Why had this happened? It was a dream. I’d been dreaming and then woken, but I really hadn’t. When had Daniel come to me? Why did the power leave me?

“No,” I whispered. The reason this happened was because Marcus did this to him. He used me, controlled me, and I’d allowed it. This was why he never
bothered to send an army after me; he was going to use me to murder my own family. One by one, he’d have me kill them before my very eyes, and I could do nothing to stop it…

“You’re a loose cannon waiting to blow, Cheyenne,” Shad whispered near my ear.

I glanced towards the front door. It was open.

“Seems someone found your fuse.”

He began circling me, waiting for some sort of response.

And I had none. I was a loose cannon, and Marcus controlled the fuse.

I always longed to see this, to watch your heart tear in two, my angel, as you murder the ones you love with your own hands…to watch your meekness shatter so you can be reborn and rule the Timeless clan alongside me!

“Marcus,” I whispered in horror.

He was going to continue to use me if I stayed here. He didn’t need to send out Conall or Raina any more, because he had me!

I jumped to my feet and
ran out the front door towards the forest. There was only one place I could go, and I couldn’t stay here. I had to get as far away from them as I could. They needed to forget about me.

Tears poured from my eyes, blurring my vision. I had no idea where to head, but knew my legs would take me
far from here.

I was brokenhearted and alone again.

Chapter 13

I fell into the snow, exhausted. A fine mist streamed from my mouth as I lay there, panting. I’d been running for hours in the dark and through the snow, and for all I knew I was going in circles. Daniel’s face, his wide eyes, the shock and horror from what I’d done replayed on a loop in my mind.

My heart had
a heaviness to it that weighed me down. I’d killed Daniel. One of the few who believed in me no matter what, and how had I repaid it? I clenched my fingers into the snow, and fought back a sob.

I rolled to my back, and stared up into the night sky. Heavy snowflakes tumbled down, wetting my cheeks and lashes. So many innocent flakes that could soon cover me like a
blanket, that could bury me alive if I allowed it. I closed my eyes, fighting back the tears.

What had started out as a new chapter, a tide turning, had turned tragic before I ever got the chance to make a difference. They’d been right all along; the bridge I’d opened with Marcus allowed him access to my powers. When I’d argued that they were wrong, that I could control this, it was just Marcus giving me a false sense of trust. He was learning everything he could about me, so he could control me and turn me into a murderer.

I never wanted to control you, my angel.
Marcus’s voice whispered in my mind.
It was only to show you what you are capable of.

“So that’s what you call it?!” I screamed and pounded my fists in the snow. “I killed Daniel because of you!”

Sacrifices are always made.

“Well, sacrifice this!” I spat.

I’d lay here till I died. He’d have no power over me then, or over my family. Yet as soon as the thought crossed my mind, warmth began to spread through my veins, the warmth from an element I now despised. I couldn’t even be selfish and end my misery. If I did, Marcus would gain everything. It wouldn’t be only the Timeless race that would suffer; he would then focus his gaze on humans.

“You can’t die,” a French accent said. “He won’t allow it.”

Shad had followed me.

“I’m resting, you idiot.”

“Right,” Shad purred.

The sound of snow
crunching as he circled me forced me to sit up.

“Why are you here, Shad?” I brushed the moisture from my cheeks.

“Had nothing better to do.” He stopped and leaned up against a tree, crossing his arms.

“Well
, find something better to do.”

I strode off into the forest again. The pre-dawn light brightened the heavy cloud cover, but the grey gloominess felt even heavier upon me. Shad’s footsteps lingered behind me, the paw pads of a Tresez.

What achievements I’d accomplished as leader of the Kvech. I’d singlehandedly destroyed the O’Shea line. I’d crushed Callon to depths he’d likely never recover from. I’d made Colt a traitor to the Timeless clans. But worst of all…I bit my lip hard, drawing blood. Daniel, the one who’d been a brother to me, who always filled me with calm and always found it in his heart to trust me; I’d killed him. No, I’d
murdered
him. His blood would forever be on my hands. Everything I touched, I destroyed.

Tears that wanted to fall wouldn’t. I’d already bared my soul, and it didn’t change a thing—everything would always remain the same. I wasn’t meant for love or a family. I was a bomb waiting to go off—a bomb that had already gone off. I was a weapon only fit for death and destruction.

I should never have let them bring me back.

I trudged through the deepening snow, wandering wherever my steps took me. I just had to get as much distance as I could between myself and my family. I couldn’t even call them that now; I had no right. I had to leave them forever in my memory, nothing more.

Mile after mile I walked, not knowing where I was heading or even caring. And mile after mile, I never grew cold. A constant warmth trickled through me, ensuring I’d live.

I stopped at the base of a mountain, my legs tiring from pushing through the frozen snow.
A small opening between a group of boulders caught my eye. Shad must’ve seen it too, as he darted off towards it and disappeared through the entry. A moment later he emerged, waiting for me to arrive.

I entered the crevice and found a place on the dry dirt to sit. I curled my legs to my chest and lay my head on my knees. Shad shifted once he saw me settled, and returned
a short while later with wood.

He stacked the wet lumber and then looked at me.

“Do you mind?” he asked.

I sighed. I knew what he wanted. It didn’t matter at this point what I did with
the fire. If I accidently toasted a troublesome Tresez name Shad, no one would give it a second thought…except maybe me.

I stretched out my fingers and watched the blue hue emerge. I kept my hands over the saturated wood until the snapping and crackling stopped, and a steady flame took its place. I drew my hands back and wrapped them around my legs again, resting my head on my knees once more. How many fires like
this had I spent with the O’Shea’s, with Daniel…

Shad warmed his hands over the fire while my mind began to wander.

So much had changed in the span of a single day. I was finally beginning to understand my heritage, all the hopes and dreams I’d thought had been thrust upon my shoulders, only to realize they’d been so very pointless. I’d been confident, no, arrogant that I could defeat Marcus, after centuries of veteran Timeless had failed. Me, the stupid, naïve failure, who thought she could best him. Now everything had been wiped away without a second thought, like dust in the wind.

The darkness,
his
darkness, had so easily slipped over me, and I couldn’t stop it. Even the crimson-eyed beast that had fought so hard for me before remained dormant, unwilling to assist when I needed it most.

Where had it all gone wrong?

“You’re better than them,” Shad said as he stoked the fire.

I kept my gaze on the
flames.

“You’re a wolf in sheep’s clothing, Cheyenne. You’re better than
the humans, and better than the other Timeless. You’ve got control over air, water, and fire. You have abilities with nature. You’re probably one of the most powerful Timeless who’s ever lived. Yet you let those weaklings gnaw at your heart until you crumble into nothing.”

I turned away from him. I didn’t want to listen to this.

“If you went back to Marcus, you could be happy,” Shad went on. “You wouldn’t have to run and hide. All those times your parents moved you, just to hide their Timeless power. Why should you have to hide when you’re blessed with such amazing gifts? And why should you have to listen to those pathetic clan leaders, envious of your strength? Wouldn’t you like to never be hurt again, never to be mistrusted?”

“Shut up,” I whispered, but my voice faltered.

“Wouldn’t you love to have a family that doesn’t judge you constantly? That fears you because they know they can’t match you? That keeps you on a leash like some pet, only giving you treats when they see fit.”

“And Marcus would treat me any different?” I retorted. “He wants to make me his puppet.”

“A puppet has strings,” Shad answered. He flicked at his white strand of hair. “With Marcus there are no strings, only freedom.”

“Why are you so interested in me sharing power with Marcus, Shad?” I changed the subject; his words were starting to sway me
, and I didn’t like it. “Don’t you realize that you’d still be bound to him? Don’t you want the curse broken so you can have your own thoughts, your own desires?”

“I already have my own thoughts and desires, little one.”

“Right, so coming to whisper in my ear was your own doing?”

“Actually, it was.”

I stared into his eyes, searching for the truth.

“You came of your own accord?” I asked.

“Yes.”

Shad may have been a master at twisting his words, but he didn’t outright lie, at least not that I’d seen. And he’d never actually confirmed Marcus had sent him
. He just kept spinning in circles.

“Why?”

He lifted a brow. “Why do you think?”

My mind wandered back to our first meeting, to how Maes had reacted. He’d said Shad was a thorn in his side; one he should’ve taken care of years ago. Then there was the constant sneaking in the shadows, avoiding Maes and the others, but only long enough to put thoughts in my mind. Thoughts I’d thought were coming from Marcus, but really were only self-serving to Shad.

“You despise Maes,” I said.

“You’re getting closer,” he replied.

“You like to stir the pot, to cause chaos, complicate things for Maes. You don’t care what happens to the other Timeless or Marcus. You don’t care about restoring order or balance. Your whole goal is to throw everything up in the air. You’re Maes’s other extreme, and you thrive on seeing what you can get people to do.”

“Bingo, let’s give the girl a prize, shall we?”

“What did Maes ever do to you to deserve this?” I shook my head. “How can you hate him so much? He’s your brother!”

Shad’s jaw grew tight, and his eyes darkened.

“He deserted me when I needed him most, and for what? A worthless woman who turned against him!” He shook his head. “I’d been warned he’d treat me like this, but I had faith in him until the end, until I saw with my own eyes, and watched him walk away.”

“Which is what you helped me do,” I said as realization sank in. “I was regaining their trust, their hope
, and you helped Marcus shatter it all to pieces.”

“I didn’t help Marcus do anything. He played into my hand out of pure luck.”

I returned my gaze to the fire again. Every road I traveled always led to the same path…Marcus.

“And that little fire trick you did…it wasn’t all Marcus. It was your hands that did it. The weight falls solely on your shoulders for Daniel’s death.”

My breath caught, and my eyes watered. It did fall on my shoulders. I was the one who had opened the bridge with Marcus and let this happen.

Come to me, my angel. Come to me and I will give you rest. Come lay your weary head on my shoulder and let me show you what real love feels like.

“You don’t know how to love,” I hissed.

“Love isn’t part of the equation,” Shad said. He thought I was speaking to him. I didn’t reply, but instead closed my eyes and rolled to my side. I just wanted this nightmare over.

Daniel…

I stared at the grey rock lining the cave
’s walls. I never knew my heart could endure so much pain and still survive. But that was all I could do now. It seemed ridiculous that I still clung to life, but I knew why; Marcus wanted to ensure I lived.

The morning rays trickled through the trees until
they reached the mouth of the cave. I should’ve been happy the sun was shining, bringing with it warmth, but all I felt was the cold shadows stirring inside me. The shadows of Marcus’s thoughts trying to bombard my senses. The heaviness of a broken heart knowing I’d erased any future for Daniel.

I rolled over. Shad was gone. Good riddance. He wasn’t any help to me, only a reminder that I’d played into
Marcus’s hand. That I was simply a pawn in this never-ending war.

I stood at the cavern entrance, determining which direction I should go. The snow was fresh and crisp, unlike me. But all I saw was red…
Daniel’s blood still haunting me.

I sighed and strode south, following the base of the mountain. At least I’d been fortunate enough to leave before the winter storms. I’d managed to find a break in the weather, and hoped it would hold out till I got where I was going…wherever that was.

I began the process of numbing myself, like I’d done in the past, to all the emotions swirling inside me. I’d push down any happy memories of Daniel, the laughter, the time we’d spent together in the cabin. Just the thought of him brought tears to the surface. He’d done so much for me. He let me take his power to escape the cabin back in Montana, he’d helped me through the grief of Colt’s death, he believed me when I said Colt was still alive, and even when everyone else had turned against me, he still wanted to believe in me, that I’d made the right choice.

I’d forget about Callon,
the love and support he’d given me till I crushed his heart. Till I pushed him so far over the edge that he couldn’t even exist around me. I’d forget about the love I felt for him when I walked down the aisle and the hatred I’d witnessed when he spoke to me for the first time after I married Marcus.

And Colt, I’d wiped clean the slate we’d had. I
’d wash away the waterfalls, the first moments I knew I loved him. I’d wring out all his touches, and the faith he had in me.

As for my family, I was no longer worthy to be accepted by them. I
’d done everything wrong, and they were right to hate and fear me.

I’d have plenty of time to wallow in my sorrows
, later, then I could remember them as they were and as I loved them. But who was I fooling? They’d engrained themselves in my life so deep it’d be hard to push their memories away. At least I didn’t have to worry about anyone searching for me. The snow had done its job, covering any trail I might have left. I was gone, forever.