Awakening: A Timeless Series Novel, Book Four (9 page)

My vision grew blurry for a moment and then cleared as I blinked. It was
as if I could see these night creatures clearly now, could hear their heartbeat, their breath in my ear. All my senses were suddenly heightened.

Slow heavy breaths filled my ears, as the hair began to rise on the backs of their necks. I blinked
. It looked different somehow than what I’d seen in the past. The clumps of hair were forming spikes. Was this something new, or was it just because of my heightened senses?

Simultaneously
, low growls grew as they revealed white fangs emerging from pink, fleshy gums. They both began slowly stalking forward. Which one would leap first, I didn’t know, but I kept my palm up and out.

I
took cautious steps back. I had no idea if a tree, stump, or fallen trunk would cause me to trip. I needed to remain on my feet with these two and stay away from those spikes. They obviously hadn’t shown them till now, and I assumed there was a reason.

I could feel w
arm blood running down my back. The Tresez’s teeth had sunk deep. I tried to pull my left arm in closer to my body. I didn’t need it to be something they could latch on to easily.

Without warning
, one leapt straight for my chest. I aimed a surge of power at its own chest, knocking it to the ground. I searched for the second one. It had disappeared, and the one on the ground was now rising.

I
was suddenly flung into a tree as the missing Tresez collided into my back. Pine needles and branches scratched my face as I struggled to right myself. I didn’t have time to try to push myself up as razor sharp teeth caught my calf and dragged me out.

My right hand ignited with power and a yelp escaped
the Tresez as I made contact with its nose. I jumped to my feet and met the other black creature head on, latching my arm around its throat. A barb from its neck embedded itself into the back of my right arm, and I wanted to scream as a lightning bolt of pain traveled up to my neckline. I pushed it back. I needed to end this now.

I
threw more of my weight on to its back, enduring the sharp barbs as I focused my power into the palm of my hand. I made contact with its throat and released the growing surge. A strangled gurgle left its lips and then it fell to the ground, taking me with it.

I
frantically kicked at its neck, shoving it away and setting myself free. The lone Tresez didn’t waste any time as it ran by and latched on to my left arm. A blood-curdling scream left my lips, and it took a few moments for me to realize I was being dragged through the forest.

I tried to right myself, my right hand reaching out to grasp anything, but the creature was moving to
o quickly. It was darting in and out of the trees, jerking me back and forth, so I couldn’t touch it.

I fought to see what was coming, where he was taking me
, when I spotted a fallen tree. He was heading straight for it. I braced myself, curling my legs behind me. Just as my back and thighs hit, I used my legs to propel myself into its side.

The moment I made contact with my hand, I released a surge so powerful it blasted me away. I hit the ground hard and searched for the creature. It lay
completely still on the forest floor. Blood oozed from its chest where my hand had touched. The large incision was still smoking. A gooey red substance began to ooze out and I heard the faint sound of a heart beating.

I remained motionless
, watching the unmoving creature and listening as the heartbeat began to slow and finally stopped. I laid back on the pine needles and took a breath. It was done. The Tresez were dead, but I’d used my powers.

I
rolled to my belly and began panting. I may have won, but I’d sustained heavy injuries. I needed to get back, to warn the others—there might be more here or coming. I scooted close enough to a lower branch and pulled myself up to my knees. I bit my lower lip as the jolt of just standing nearly sent me down again.

I
tried to pull my left arm closer, only to have a different kind of pain lodge itself into my neck and then run down to my thigh on my right side. I leaned against the tree for support as I tried to catch my breath. I glanced down; a barb was protruding out of my right thigh. With all the strength I could muster, I yanked it out.

A scream escaped me
, and I fell harder into the pine tree. It almost felt worse after pulling it out. It was as if the air alone were causing a reaction. I had to get out of here…I needed help.

I
struggled out from under the tree and looked around. I wasn’t even sure exactly where I was anymore. I hobbled around, searching for where I’d first encountered my attackers. If I found the spot, I’d have a better idea which way to go. As I walked, the patter of raindrops began to echo around me. The rain had returned.

My clothing
was soon soaked through as the rain grew heavier, and I couldn’t control the shivers quaking through my limbs. I spotted the first dead Tresez in the darkness, still slumped over on the ground. At least now I knew where I was.

Every step was excruciating
. Each and every jarring movement brought me closer to my knees. I walked for hours, willing myself to keep going. This was survivable…unless I succumbed to hypothermia.

A break in the trees told me I’d
finally made it back. I stepped into the meadow and saw the beacon before me. Light was emerging from the large windows, and then the steel doors opened.

I
fell to my knees. I didn’t have the strength to push on. Steam poured from my mouth as I panted. A large black Tresez was racing towards me. Maes had seen me. Colt and Daniel ran after him while a few others gathered on the stone steps.

Maes shifted
right in front of me and caught me as I collapsed.

“What happened?!”

The word barely escaped my lips before my eyes rolled back. “T—Tresez.”

*****

Voices whispered around me, tickling my ears. Warm, tender fingers brushed my hair aside and dabbed my temple with cool water. I inhaled and took in the woodsy scent. He’d come back. Colt had brought him back as he promised.

“Callon,” I whispered.

“Rest, sweetheart,” a low voice rumbled. “You’re safe now.”

My lashes fluttered open. Colt was sitting on the edge of the bed
, stroking my cheek, and the early morning sun was streaming through the windows. Callon hadn’t returned. My chest tightened. I began to realize he might never come back, at least as long as I was here.

“Cheyenne,” Daniel said
, grasping my fingers and pulling my hand to his chest. He sat on the other side of the bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I
was run over by several semis,” I replied. I ached everywhere, but ache was far better than the pain that I’d been in.

A worried smile perched on his lips. “Well, from the looks of things
, that seems pretty accurate.”

I glanced around the room; this wasn’t the bunkroom I’d been sleeping in
before I escaped to the shed. This was the room Maes had wanted me to take, the one I’d refused. A real shiver escaped me. I could feel Marcus’s presence here.

A door creaked open and several heavy footsteps neared. Maes, Koda, Dex
, and Brogan circled the large bed.

“I need you to tell us
exactly what happened, Cheyenne,” Maes said, his arms crossing and his jade-rimmed eyes focusing on me.

“Every single detail,” Brogan added.

I met his hard stare as he crossed his arms as well.

“I met up with some Tresezes,” I said. “We fought, they lost. The end.”

“Where?” Koda moved in behind Colt, his hand resting on his cousin’s shoulder. “Did any get away?”

“
No, none got away, and it was about five miles from here.” I looked towards Maes. “Didn’t you already go out and find their bodies?” I knew he would have searched; I also knew I hadn’t been out that long.

He didn’t reply, but looked at Dex.

Dex stepped forward. “We pulled some barbs from your back and thighs. If they’d been left in, you’d be close to death right now.”

“You should have left them in,” Brogan said under his breath.

Colt jumped to his feet, his chest puffing, anger blazing in his icy blue eyes. Koda pushed him back.

“If I die, Brogan,” I said with icy coolness as I forced myself to sit up
, “then Marcus gets all my powers. How much better will that be for you?”

Daniel scooted closer, his arm coming around to support
me.

“Enough,” Maes growled and stepped closer. “You used your powers.”

“I had no other choice,” I replied.

“You’ve just brought Marcus to us, Cheyenne!” Brogan growled.

“Brogan, I just overheard you telling Dex that Marcus’s army hasn’t been around. Besides, if it bothers you that much, then I’ll leave.” I made a moved like I was getting up, even though I didn’t know if my thigh would support my weight.

“No!” Lilly’s voice shook
, and the bodies split as she pushed her way in. “She’s not leaving!”

“We’re having a clan leader meeting, Lilly,” Brogan said. “You are not allowed—”

Dex cut him off and put his arm around Lilly. “No, Brogan, she has just as much right as anyone to be here. Besides, Colt and Daniel aren’t clan leaders and yet they’ve remained.”

Brogan’s dark eyes met Colt’s. “He’s a traitor
. He should be banished with her!”

Koda’s fingers grew tighter on Colt’s arm.

“Callon isn’t here, which means I’m next in line,” Dex said as he straightened his shoulder and stepped closer to Brogan. He pushed his finger in his chest. “You have no authority here, Brogan. You don’t call the shots. I do.”

Brogan grew quiet, the veins on his neck bulging. It was taking everything in him
not to fight back. I could’ve spoken up and demanded that they recognize me as the rightful heir, but as I glanced around at each of them, I knew I was the cause of all of this. We couldn’t even carry on a civil conversation; I couldn’t hold this group together to fight against Marcus when the time came. I was going to be their demise…

Brogan stormed from the room and slammed the door behind him. Whatever trust and respect I had earned at one time from him
was wiped away, but his hatred for me hurt. I lowered my head.

A delicate hand touched my shoulder
, drawing me back. Lilly sat on the edge of the bed.

“I don’t want you to go, Cheyenne. I
know there’s still hope. There has to be,” she whispered. She leaned in and drew me into a hug.

I wanted to believe her, I wanted there to be hope
…and there was for her, but there was no hope for me. Marcus had to die, and I had to do it.

The Sarac line would end
, and the Consilador’s powers would be restored if I hadn’t already found a way to do it. With the last of the Sarac clan gone, Maes’s curse would surely have to be broken and Callon would be able to rebuild the Timeless race, restore what had been damaged for so many years.

But how would I
know for sure that Maes’s curse would be broken? Dex had already said not much was known about the curse. It had been hidden for a reason. Unless Maes knew…

Lilly drew back, stroking my cheek. Dark circles etched her eyes
. She wasn’t sleeping either. She was just as lost as I was.

“I love you, Cheyenne,” she said as a lone tear ran down her cheek.

As much as I wanted to hold back my love for her sake, I couldn’t. “I love you too.”

She rose and grabbed the bowl and rag Colt had been using from the side table and departed. Colt returned to sit beside me, propping me up against his chest. His fingers spread over mine.

Maes began to pace, and Dex stepped closer.

“How are you feeling now? Do you have any sharp pain in your back or right thigh?” He was back in doctor mode. It reminded me of Callon, and I felt a pang in my chest.

“No, but what were they? I’d never seen anything like that before.”

“They’re Tresez, but they’re what we would call condemned Tresez,” Koda
explained. He pushed his fingers through his now long blond hair, pulling it away from his eyes.

“Condemned?” I
repeated.

“They’re more animal than human,” Koda replied.

“I’m not sure I understand.”

Maes stopped pacing.

“Just like you, the Quaysaar clan members have many powers. Some have poisonous spikes or barbs and some are less human and more beast. The ones that have those spikes can’t change back even when the curse is broken. It’s something all Tresez have to fight,” Maes said solemnly.

“So even if I break the curse, Tresez will still exist,” I said.

“Yes.”

Great, they’d always be a threat to the Timeless.

I looked up at Colt. The icy blue eyes that had once danced with happiness and joy were somber. Everything about him had changed, just like everything about me had changed. Gone were the days of laughter, and here were the days of the unknown. The lines in his forehead creased as he squeezed my hand and sighed.