Daylight, a Timeless Series Novel (34 page)

He handed me Mandi’s reins, but where I’d expected to see youthful eyes, instead they were weathered, telling me a different story. He was a Timeless. But why did he look so young? He should appear in his twenties, at least.

“I think they want you over by Andre and Nakari
.” The boy pointed. “Can you take Sam too?”

“Sure.”

I took the reins and headed towards Andre, but then stopped.

“Have you been caring for them?” I asked.

“Yes,” he replied.

“Thank you.”

He nodded and turned back to his duties without giving me his name.

I pulled Mandi and Sam along
, then stood by Nakari and Andre, waiting for our departure. Daniel appeared with Charlie and Bo. He rolled their reins in his palms and stared into the forest.

The rest of our rescue party neared. Brogan took hold of one of Nakari’s horse
s, mounting in a swift motion. I was about to mount when Callon touched my arm.

“Here,” Callon said
, wrapping a black scarf around my neck. He pulled a hat from his pocket as well. “I want you to stay warm.”

“Thanks,” I replied and slipped the hat on over my braid. My ears were already starting to feel the chill.

“You must tell me if you get too cold,” he ordered. “It’s already late afternoon, and we’re going to be riding through the night to get to the falls.”

“I will.”

He sidestepped and threw a small pack over Mandi’s saddle, securing it in place. He then took the reins from my hands as I mounted. Once everyone was set, we set off into the forest, Andre and Maes leading the way.

Our pace was steady, and eyes alert to every movement. Callon and I rode
side by side, Daniel and Nakari just an arm’s length away. No one spoke, and I only heard the thud of hoof beats and the horses’ heavy breathing.

As the sun tucked below the trees,
I adjusted my scarf, pulling it up and over my nose. It appeared they’d had an early spring with only small patches of snow remaining, but I knew that could change within the blink of an eye. When night fell, the temperatures would drop even lower.

I glanced back
. Koda, Brogan and Clayton rode behind us, watching our backs. Clayton was holding Sam’s lead rope, guiding him along. I sighed. Soon Colt would be riding him back with us. We’d bring him home at last.

I took a cleansing breath
, trying to push the nervousness down. My stomach had already been churning somersaults. I’d heard Callon’s warning—all their warnings, but deep down I knew he’d be the same Colt, the same man I’d come to love…that we all loved.

Darkness fell over the forest. I zipped my jacket higher; I was becoming colder as the night wore on. A shiver escaped me
, and I fought to keep my teeth from chattering. Callon rode closer.

“You’re cold.”

“Maybe a little,” I admitted.

He glanced at Nakari and rode ahead, trotting alongside Andre. We came to a stop.

“We need to warm up,” Callon ordered.

At least it wasn’t just me this time.

Within moments we’d dismounted. Clayton and Koda disappeared while Callon moved closer and rubbed my arms.

“We’ll have a fire soon.”

“I though as a Timeless I wouldn’t be affected by the cold as much,” I said.

“True, but we’ve been in Ireland
. We have to acclimate to an area first,” Callon replied. “I’m not as warm as you might think,” Callon admitted.

Andre and Nakari huddled beside us.

“Thanks,” Andre said. “I didn’t want to be the one to slow us down, but it’s colder than Antarctica here.”

“It’s not that bad,” I said
, regardless of the fact that my teeth were chattering.

Andre scoffed.

“Oh, give me mass flooding and daily rain any day!” she joked. “If it gets any colder right now, there’ll be icicles warmer than me.”

“So melodramatic,” Nakari said
and rolled her eyes.

“I have
acclimatization issues. Is that so wrong?” Andre shot back. “You’re not exactly looking so warm yourself, Blue Cheeks.”

“I was in a rush
. I didn’t realize which blusher I used,” Nakari answered.

I
brought my fingers to my mouth, partly to warm my hands, but mostly to hide my chuckling. I’d never known Nakari to have a sense of humor. Then again, that was hardly a side of her she’d want to show to me…

Soon the boys had built a
crackling fire, and we hovered beside it. Callon, Maes, Koda and Brogan stood in a huddle nearby, going over the plans again, I was sure. It was a get in and get out sort of plan; we wouldn’t have time for anything else if we wanted to beat the Trackers, Tresez and Cloakers. They’d even talked about using
other
options with Colt as well, if they thought he was under Marcus’s influence. I wasn’t exactly sure what those
other
options were, but I’d seen Callon bring along syringes and bottles.

“Are you getting warmer?” Clayton asked
, adding another log to the fire.

“Getting there,” Andre replied.

Even Nakari inched closer to my side. She must have been desperate.

“Thanks for the extra layers,” Nakari said quietly. “I appreciate you thinking of me.”

I nodded, deciding not to tell her it’d been Callon’s idea.

Steam poured from Nakari’s mouth like she was going to speak, but nothing came out. I gave her a sidelong glance,
but she looked away.

“Just say it, Nakari,” Andre said.

I looked at Nakari again; this time her green eyes fought to hide her apprehension.

She sighed and stared
into the fire.

“I know just about everyone had given you warnings about Colt, Cheyenne, but I’ve kept quiet because of our…unique relationship. I just want to ask one small thing
. Please don’t break Callon’s heart.”

My throat tightened. She thought I’d crush him.

“I’m not as coldhearted as you might think, Nakari!” I snapped.

“I’m sorry
. It’s just that I’ve known Callon for a long time…I know what he’s been through in the past, and I can’t bear to watch him travel down that path of despair again.”

I blinked. She was convinced I’d hurt him. I turned on her.

“I love him. I’m going to marry him, and I have no intention of breaking his heart or allowing past emotions to get the best of me. We’re out here to rescue Colt because he is an important part of this family—nothing more.”

Even as I said the words I knew the untruth to them…Colt was more than a part of this family, he was a vital part of me. But I knew I’d have to suppress any and all emotions of
romantic love for him—I had to for Callon’s sake, for mine and for the Timeless clans.

“Thank you,”
Nakari whispered. “I just needed to hear it from your lips.”

Callon
paused in his discussions and looked over at us. He’d heard the conversation, heard what I’d said. His eyes drifted to Nakari; her head was lowered. It’d taken a lot of courage for her to say those words to me. Words I mostly likely needed to remember and heed the warning.

Brogan, Koda, Maes and Callon stepped closer to the fire, warming themselves. I looked around, but realized I hadn’t seen Daniel in a while.

“Where’s Daniel?” I asked.

“Here,” Daniel replied. His shoulder brushed mine. “I was just securing the area.”

“Thank you,” I replied.

As soon
we’d warmed, we mounted and were riding once more. I knew that by midday we’d make the falls, as long as the weather held up.

I shivered off and on
for the remainder of the night, but when the sunlight began to break through the trees, warmth spread through my limbs again.

“It won’t be much longer now,” Daniel said. “Just be sure to stick close
, just in case we need to make a quick escape.”

I nodded. They’d been drilling it into my head; running was just fine for now. We’d stand and fight later.
My safety was their first and foremost concern.

“Remember,” Callon added, “go for the water. If Cloakers are here, they can’t touch you there.”

I remembered what he and Dex had told me earlier. Water was the Cloakers weakness. They needed to have a solid surface to land on before they could grab someone. It would be like pouring coffee grounds into water, they wouldn’t be able to stick together. At least that was the best explanation Dex had given me.

“
Yes, got it,” I replied.

My fingers tightened on the reins and Mandi whin
nied. She knew something was up. She felt just as anxious as I did. I stroked her neck.

“It’s alright, girl
. It’s going to be alright.”

She nodded in agreement and kept up
her steady pace.

A pile of blacke
ned ash and partially burned logs lay slightly uncovered beneath the snow. I glanced around. While the snow on the ground made the forest look slightly different, I knew exactly where we were. This was the campsite we’d used on our travels to Dex and Lilly’s. I kicked Mandi’s side and rode ahead.

Callon and the others didn’t try and stop me, and Maes allowed me to lead. My legs tightened in the stirrups as a large log came into view. Mandi leapt over it with little effort, landing in the small stream. Her hooves found solid ground again as we cleared the bank
, and my breath caught. Soon the falls would be coming into view.

I heard it
first, the gushing gurgling of the river and then the pounding of water hitting the rocks. We were close now, very close. Within the blink of an eye, the gravely beach beside the small pool came into sight. Brogan, Callon, Koda and Maes pushed ahead, and I slowed Mandi to a walk. Nakari, Clayton, Daniel and Andre stayed back with me.

I search
ed the forest, looking for any movement, any sign of Colt. My heart raced, pulsing with energy. He was here, nearby.

Koda, Callon and Brogan dismounted and Maes disappeared into the surrounding trees. Callon waved us forward.
When I stopped, he held Mandi while I dismounted.

“I don’t see anything
,
princess
,” Brogan grumbled. “No tracks…”

“You’ve only glanced around from horseback, Brogan,” I
said. “Colt wouldn’t want to be found by anyone else. He’d make the clues hard to find.”

Brown eyes bore into mine.

“We have to search on foot,” I insisted.

Callon waved Brogan off
, but not before a nasty glare etched his eyes. Back to feeling lower than pond scum…

“Spread out,” Callon ordered
. He squeezed my hand.

Daniel jumped beside me
, and I headed for the water’s edge. His fingers latched over mine. We had to stick together, no matter what.

I followed the shoreline, walking slowly, examining every detail, searching for a
hidden clue—a boot impression in the sandy surface, rocks out of place—anything. The spray of icy cold water brushed over my cheeks, and I stared at the falls, taking in their beauty once again.

Anxiety welled up inside me,
making my heart race even faster. I was here again, here at the falls where I first knew I loved Colt. I watched the misty images form, Colt standing before me as I sat, his fingers brushing away my wet hair. The feel of his bare chest against mine…

I fought to push down the emotions, the feelings of warmth and happiness, as I knew they were a lie. It’d been nothing but turmoil since I’d met him, nothing but heartache, but still…

“Cheyenne?” Daniel squeezed my hand.

I blinked.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Daniel.”

I focused again on the details, on the spot where I’d sat with him. It was different somehow. The water flowed over what appeared to be rocks, yet I was sure nothing had been there last time.

“Daniel
, take me to the falls.”

“Chey?” He raised a brow. “The water…”

“Just do it!” I tugged him forward.

Daniel jumped us to the falls, to the ledge where I’d sat before. The icy cold water was pushing at my
shins; the spring run-off was starting already. I fought to remain standing as I tried to walk closer to the edge.

Daniel gripped my arm, trying to pull me back.

“Chey, you’ll fall in.”

“Look!” I pointed to the watery surface
. Large stones were arranged in a pattern. Daniel’s eyes grew wide.

“It’s a word!” he shouted above the roar of the falls.

We both moved closer, my eyes trying to make out the clue.

“
It says ‘
Come
’!” Daniel exclaimed. “It’s a clue!”