Daylight, a Timeless Series Novel (27 page)

I pulled down my hood and looked around. The
stench of must and oil hung in the air. Dusty old machinery lay in the corners, and a broken-down delivery truck had its hood open. It must’ve been an abandoned garage or something.

The clanking of heavy footsteps echoed off the walls
, and I looked up. Two figures were standing on the walkway, peering over the rail towards us.

“Glad you could make it,” one said—a woman with a soft voice.

Tre and Jayna were here.

Chapter 14

We climbed the metal walkway. My shoe caught in Koda’s invisibility cloak, pulling out part of the hem Lilly had made. Callon grasped my elbow.

“Careful,”
he admonished.

I nodded, too anxious to speak. This was it
. We were about to find out if Colt was alive.

“Tre, Jayna,” Brogan
greeted them. He gestured to me. “This is Cheyenne.”

I stepped closer and pulled my hand out of the cloak.

“Nice to meet you,” I replied, shaking their hands. The twins smiled in response.

“The honor is ours,” the man—Tre—said. “We only hope we can be of some help to you.”

I couldn’t help but see a resemblance in him to Quinn. In fact, both he and Jayna were of smaller stature, and had darker skin with black hair. Something about the shape of their face, the curve of the lips, too; they had to be related.

“We need to get started,” Maes ordered. “I don’t like what I’m feeling around here.”

Brogan moved back. Tre and Jayna stepped forward, placing themselves between me and Callon.

“Did they tell you how this was going to work?” Jayna asked.

“Sort of,” I replied. “From what I understand, it’s like a camera?”

“It’s based off memories, Cheyenne,” Tre answered. “Jayna and I made a trip to Marcus’s compound because we had to have a visual link
to the
place
. What you’re going to provide is a link to the
person
.”

“Marcus,” I said.
“So what we’re going to see isn’t what’s happening now?”

“No, it
will be a memory, Marcus’s memory,” Tre replied. “But it will be a recent one, so it should give us useful information.”

“We’re going to need to hold your hands and
borrow your powers,” Jayna explained. “It’s going to feel a bit uncomfortable once we lock on a memory, but I promise the feeling will ease within a few moments.”

“Okay.”

“We’re then going to filter through both your memories to allow the connection with Marcus and Colt. Some of them may be duplicates because we can’t have a connection to both at the same time. We’ll start with Marcus first, then switch to Colt.”

Tre and Jayna extended their hands
, and I clasped them. Callon did the same. I couldn’t read his expression.

“You need to close your eyes, Cheyenne, and think of Marcus. I know this is going to be hard, but if you can produced a happier memory
, that will make the process faster,” Tre said.

I
frowned. Any memory of Marcus was laced with anger and hatred.

“You can do this, Chey,” Daniel whispered.

I closed my eyes, trying to bring forth a happy memory. Almost instantly, I felt the wind. I was surrounded by trees, which were shaking from the force of the hurricane. I was on the hillside standing over Colt’s body. Red-hot rage filled my veins, giving life to the crimson-eyed beast. I’d destroy them all!

“Cheyenne!” Callon screamed.

My eyes shot open, and I gasped. Callon squeezed my fingers.

“Cheyenne,” he said again, but this time softly. “I know this is hard
. I know where your mind wants to take you, but you have to think of something else. Try and focus in on how you met him. You didn’t know who he was then. Before he…” He trailed off.

I exhaled
, trying to clear my mind from the rage. Instead I focused on a time I’d seen him in a softer light. When I’d spent time with Matt.

“Cheyenne?” A hand touched the back of my head. “Are you feeling okay?”

I groggily lifted my head to see steel gray eyes staring at me in concern.

“Dinner’s ready, but if you don’t feel good…”

I sat up straight and realized I must have fallen asleep. “No, I—I’m fine.” I forced a smile and stood up. Matt watched me closely.

I gritted my teeth, my anger stirring again. He’d been nothing but a lying cheat. He was never a friend. No! I snapped to myself.
He was Matt then, a concerned neighbor. Nothing more.

“Is the kitchen table okay?” he asked.

I nodded and headed for the kitchen. He pulled out the chair for me. “Thanks.” I sat and watched as he moved to the chair beside me. Sighing, I dropped the napkin in my lap and raised my brows at the full plate of pasta before me. “Wow, this looks great, Matt.”

A smug smile spread over his face. “Thanks. Now dig in.”

I rolled my fork with pasta and blew on the sauce to cool it down. The taste that touched my tongue was simply amazing. “Matt, this is fantastic!” I quickly shoved another bite in.

“It’s an old family recipe.”

“Don’t ever lose it!” I smiled, meaning it for the first time in a long while.

We finished dinner, and I was once again shooed off into the great room as Matt cleaned up. I stared out the windows, watching the rain tumble to the ground. I hadn’t realized truly how much I missed my trio until now.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Matt asked as he sat across from me in the chair.

I looked down and fiddled with my Servak ring. It had actually been nice having company around. But my thoughts were private, and the thoughts about what happened earlier were off limits. “It’s not worth the penny,” I replied.

He sighed. “I worry about you, Cheyenne. One so young shouldn’t have to bear whatever burden you’ve chosen to bear.”

“I didn’t choose it. It chose me.”

“I’m a good listener, you know.”

I looked up and met his open face. “I’m sure you are, but I’m a lousy talker.”

He remained silent for a few moments.

“What’s your favorite color?”

I tilted my head. “Huh?”

“What’s your favorite color?” he asked again and took a sip of his wine.

I shrugged, as I had no idea where he was going with this. “Blue.”

“Favorite time of year?”

“Fall.” It seemed simple enough to give one-word answers.

“Song?”

“I don’t have just one.”

“Fair enough.” He nodded. “Okay, favorite instrument?”

I shook my head. He should know that. “Guitar.”

He smiled. “All right, favorite food?”

“Mexican.”

“Favorite outdoor activity?”

I grinned, knowing he expected me to say hiking. “Horseback riding.”

“Really? It so happens I own some of the finest stallions in Canada.”

Suddenly an excruciating pain ran up my neck and into my head. My legs swayed, wanting to give way, but I didn’t fall. I was being held up somehow, floating in a vast sea of images…memories. We were racing across the sky, over the Atlantic Ocean, across the eastern coast of New York, and before I knew it, we were there.

Rugged mountains came into view,
followed by dense forests and a crystal clear lake. Now that we weren’t moving so fast, I spotted an army of Trackers and Tresez gathering behind thick, gray stone walls, the walls of a compound.

S
moke burned my nose and then cleared as we disappeared inside a large structure. I blinked, trying to focus in the dim lighting, when I heard him…
Marcus
.

“You failed yet again, Conall?!” Marcus bellowed.
We were in a living space, a sofa and chairs arranged near a fireplace. The room vibrated with electricity.

“She’s stronger than we realized,” Conall replied.

“It was simple,” Marcus growled. He stormed towards Conall, grasping his collar. “I told you how to control her—bind her hands! Without them, she’s no stronger than a human!”

Conall’s image became clearer; the same chiseled face, the same scar running from his eyes to his nose. The sound of dog tags rattled as Marcus shook him. Conall was larger than Marcus, yet he didn’t fight back.

“It was Maes,” Conall mumbled. “He interfered. We couldn’t get him out of the way.”

“
That’s no excuse!” Marcus roared. “I had the enchantment opened for you with the promise you wouldn’t fail me! Why is it that a stupid dog like you has such a hard time following simple instructions?!” Marcus released him and turned away. “You’re not up to this job. Get me…”

“No!
” Conall yelled. “I’ll get Cheyenne for you. Give me a second chance.”

“Second chance? You useless fool, you nearly killed her!”

Conall stepped back.

“Did you think I d
on’t know what happened? Did you think I didn’t see you try and strangle her? You don’t seem to understand what a precious gift she is!” Marcus growled.

“I can do this.”

“You can’t. I need someone stronger. Send a message to Ra—”

I didn’t catch the rest, as with a jolt
we were in a forest, dark and misty. I could see Callon; a wispy ghost floating before me. I followed him, when abruptly he reached back, his fingers intertwining with mine. My eyes caught the glow of a fire ahead, and I heard horses whinnying. A cold chill ran over my skin.

“Get him secured!” A raspy voice hissed in the distance. “I
ordered you to use the chains of Mozary, you fool! He’ll break through anything else!”

Our pace quickened, and we stopped just short of where
someone lay on their side. His clothing was ripped and bloody, and his blond hair was dirty and matted. His arms and chest were covered in bruises, and there were fresh cuts on his face. My eyes went wide.

Colt
!

My heart began to ache
, and I fought to reach out and touch him, but Callon held me back. Tears welled in my eyes. After all the grief and pain, I was so happy to see him alive, but I felt my guilt rise. We’d left Colt to be captured. We’d deserted him…

Colt staggered to his feet
. He was wearing the same shirt as he had that day, a huge hole burned through the chest where he’d taken the lightning bolt. His eyes filled with rage, and he attempted to step forward, but he was too weak and only managed to sink to his knees again.

From the shadows
, Marcus emerged, looking smug.

“It’s a nice show you put on, Colt,” Marcus taunted,
kicking dirt in Colt’s face. “So ready to give up your life for Cheyenne, and for what? So she could run off with Callon and leave you for dead?”

A bellowing growl vibrated
across the trees, and the muscles in Colt’s neck began to bulge.

“Did you really think she’d fall for you?
” Marcus went on. “Did you think I’d allow it?”

Colt
’s nostrils flared. He lunged forward, when a bright light flashed before us.

“No!” I screamed and broke free from Callon. I ran towards Colt and tried to help him stand, but every time I reached for him, his image vaporized.
It’s a memory. It already took place…

Several
Trackers jumped on him, binding his arms behind his back and securing them with chains. They shoved him to his knees, and Marcus paced around him. I stepped back.

“You fool, you think you’re strong enough to fight me?” he scoffed. “I should have left you for dead on the hillside instead of saving your pathetic life. You’re only good for one thing…” He stopped mid-sentence, his head rising
. A tingling sensation ran down my spine, when suddenly he looked straight at me. A cold smile flickered across his face.

“I see you,
angel,” he whispered, “and I’m coming for you.”

My breath caught.

“Cheyenne!” a voice screamed.

I fought to free myself, pushing back the hands that held me down.

“Cheyenne!”

I blinked and panicked hazel eyes came into view. Callon…

“He knows,” I whispered.

“It was a memory, he can’t!”
Callon protested.

“That wasn’t a memory, Callon,” Jayna said quietly
. She kneeled beside me. “He broke in somehow.”

“What?” Brogan growled. “Marcus broke into the memory?”

“We’ve got to leave now!” Maes snapped. “Get her up!”

Callon and Jayna helped me to my feet
, and the warehouse began spinning. Despite knowing the danger, I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off me.

“
Callon,” I said, “Colt’s alive! We shouldn’t have left him…”

“
There was no way he could’ve survived that hit,” Callon answered. “Marcus has done something to him…”

“
There’s not time to speculate!” Daniel ordered. He’d jumped up the stairs and was reaching for my hand. “We have to go!”

“
But we have to rescue Colt!” I cried.

“
Daniel’s right. Now is not the time,” Callon said. “We need to get out of here. We’ll have plenty of time to discuss this later.” He nodded at Daniel. “Get her to the car.”