Daylight, a Timeless Series Novel (20 page)

A feathery touch traced over my knuckles
, stopping on my Kvech ring. Callon adjusted it so the stone was on top again. I exhaled, stretching slightly, and looked up to see his warm hazel eyes.

“You’re awake
.” My voice cracked, and I tried to clear it. I started to sit up, but suddenly the aches and pains from my last Tresez battle decided to come to life. Callon gently pushed me back down.

“You don’t need to get up yet.” He eyed my neck, his fingers tracing the bruises. “Conall did this to you?”

“His idea of taking me quietly.”

“I’m sorry
. This is my fault. He shouldn’t have been here.”

“Daniel said something about the enchantment failing. What happened?”

“I don’t know exactly.” He lowered his head.

“Can you tell me how it works? How you created it? Maybe that will help.” I rested my hand over the top of his.

He remained quiet, processing his thoughts.

“I don’t want to sit back on the sidelines anymore, Callon. I need to be involved. We need to share this responsibility equally.”

A small smile rose. “Do you know how long I’ve waited for you to say this?” He leaned in and kissed my forehead. “First you surprise me by saying ‘I love you’ and now this. I really don’t deserve…”

“I don’t deserve you.”
He wouldn’t have left me, I knew that now. He took his responsibilities too seriously, but regardless of my previous feelings, he’d been the one who allowed me to make the choice instead of forcing me. He’d been patiently waiting. “Let me help you with this.”

“Alright.” He lay back down, staring at the ceiling. “
I’ll need to go back a bit. When we came here a couple of years ago, preparing for your arrival—”

I
propped myself up on my elbows.

“You came here to prepare for me?”

“Yes. It was the week Gene and Alexis were murdered.”

The blood drained from my cheeks
, and sympathy flashed through his eyes.

“We’d sent Daniel ahead of time to get the house in order, but something happened to the enchantment while he was here.” His face
fell. “Colt didn’t want to leave you, but you were supposed to have been in Hawaii at the time. Gene and Alexis were going to tell you about being Timeless, and possibly about us. They were supposed to let you know that you’d be moving to Ireland right after graduation.”

My eyes welled with tears. “They were going to take me on a tropical vacation
?” I whispered. I was instantly transported back to that week and the camping equipment lining the front hall. “And Colt was in on the surprise…”

“Yes
.” Callon’s voice grew quiet. “Except everything changed when we left, and we had no idea what happened until we returned.”

I wiped the tears from my cheeks
, as the old wounds started to open up. No, I couldn’t let them. I couldn’t change the past, but I could make a difference in the future. I pushed back the dark shadows that wanted me to live out their death again.

“So what happened to the enchantment?”

Callon hesitated for a moment, unsure if he wanted to go on. “Daniel tried to fix some holes that had sprung up over the years.”

“Holes?”

He sighed. “I hadn’t returned here for a long time. The enchantment needs to be renewed from time to time. Otherwise gaps appear. Gaps that allow others in.”

“Like what just happened with the Tresez?”

“Yes.”

“But you fixed it
, right?”

“I thought I had. What Daniel tried to do in actuality erased the old enchantment. It takes all the living heirs to create a new one.”

“So you gathered all the heirs and created a new one?”

“Daniel, Colt and myself
are the only descendants of the O’Shea family, so together we created a new enchantment, one I thought would be stronger over time.”

“But something happened.”

Callon sighed. “It just doesn’t make sense,” he said. “Enough time has passed since the enchantment was created for it to be stronger than the previous, and I’ve been checking every day to make sure there are no holes.”

“Is that whe
re you’ve gone on your walks?” And he always came back with dark circles under his eyes…

“Yes.”

My eyes widened. “It drains you.” Just as I had suspected.

Callon nodded.

“So how else could the enchantment have been broken?” I mused.

He turned towards me warily. “Only by a living heir.”

I blinked, confused. “But only you and Daniel are left. And Daniel wouldn’t open any holes, at least not on purpose.”

He looked away. “I
’ve already talked with Daniel. He’s got nothing to do with the current holes.”

That also meant
Nakari couldn’t have let the Tresez in. I sighed and lay back down. “I accused Nakari of letting them in.” Yet another mistake I’d made.

“No, Nakari couldn’t have.” He sat up and shook his head. “The only other
person who could’ve broken through would be…”

“Colt,” I muttered, but hope didn’t rise
. Instead confusion set in. “But if Colt were alive, why would he let the Tresez in? He’d never do anything to harm us.” I struggled to sit up, and Callon helped me. “My dreams. They’re true, aren’t they?”

Callon
stood up and headed towards his windows. He pulled the curtains apart.

“I don’t know.”

My gaze moved to the wool rug, and I fought to push back any hope that Colt was alive for the sheer reason of not hurting Callon once again. I’d felt Colt, in my dreams, as if he were alive and calling out to me. I was treading on dangerous ground here. If Colt were alive, the fact still remained—we’d never be together. I knew that now, but the wariness I’d witness in Callon’s eyes told me everything. He was fearful of Colt being alive and my feelings for him.

I moved towards Callon, turning him
toward me and caressing his cheek. “I love you, Callon O’Shea, and Colt possibly being alive will change nothing. I know, I understand now, that we can never be together as I wanted, and although I can’t ever stop loving him, I’m yours now. You and I are a team, and we need to be united on every front.”

A faint smiled rose. He lowered his head
, and my eyes closed as a tender caress was placed on my lips. “I love you too.”

A knock at the door ended our brief moment.

“Callon,” Brogan called out, “we need to talk.”

“It’s time you become a part of our meetings, Cheyenne. It’s time you participate in the planning. There’s a lot you need to catch up on,” Callon
invited.

I nodded and followed him to the door, reaching out and intertwining my fingers with his. I’d need Callon’s strength
, especially since Brogan would only look down upon me. He’d only seen me react out of anger, act selfishly and push everyone aside. It was going to be an uphill battle with him and another…Maes.

I sighed. I was going to have to make things right with him, if he’d even talk with me. He’d been right all along, and I’d ignore
d his warnings.

Brogan eyed me like a speck of dirt on his shoes as we entered the hall.

“Cheyenne,” Brogan grumbled.

Yup, a long
, slow uphill battle, one that I deserved.

Brogan led us down the stairs and into the library. Dex, Koda, Daniel, Andre, and Maes
were waiting. The library door clicked closed, and I couldn’t help but feel the pressure change in the room. I understood all the clan leaders being present, but what role did Andre play? It looked like she’d purposefully placed herself next to Maes, but why?

Callon led us to a couch
, and I looked up at Maes. He was staring at Callon, but wouldn’t make eye contact with me, not that I blamed him. Daniel sat beside me. At least I could always count on Daniel.

“Do you feel you’ve patched the enchantment, Callon?” Dex asked. He was flipping through an old manuscript on the table.

“It’s been repaired,” Callon replied.

“How’d we get a hole in it in the first place?” Brogan leaned against the table, his arms crossing over his chest.

“I thought that only one of the O’Shea’s could change it,” Maes stated. “And there’s only two here.”

“Daniel didn’t do anything, Maes.” Callon eyed him carefully.

“I wasn’t accusing him.”

Andre shifted uncomfortably. “We know that, Maes,” Andre replied. “You were referring to the elephant in the room—Colt.”

They knew, or at least had an idea, like Callon did. I was about to speak up, when Daniel touched my arm. A softness passed through his blue eyes. No, I needed to keep quiet and listen right now. I’d have plenty of time to speak up later, when I’d earned their respect.

All eyes remained on Callon, waiting for a reply.

“He may still be alive,” Callon finally replied.

Koda stood up, his nostrils flaring.

“We watched him die on that ravine. There was no way he could have survived Marcus’s attack! We would’ve brought him with us…”

“He had no pulse,” Callon answered solemnly, “but that doesn’t mean that Marcus couldn’t have changed things. No one knows truly how vast his powers are.”

“That would explain Marcus’s lack of movements,” Brogan added. “He’s been quiet for too long. Even our spies haven’t been able to get a handle on his whereabouts or plans.”

“Colt would have never willingly handed over the estate, Callon,” Dex pleaded. “You, I, we all know this. Marcus must be using him, forcing him to work for him.”

My heart pounded in my chest. I wanted to scream out that we needed to rescue him, that we couldn’t leave him to Marcus’s devices…but instead I pressed my lips together tighter. I was part of a team now. I couldn’t just do what I wanted. I needed to see where these conversations lead.

“We need proof,” Maes stated. “Even if Marcus has Colt, risking our lives for the life of one…this whole thing reeks of a trap.”

“Call in the twins,” Dex answered, his gaze hardening into a well-seasoned war strategist. “Jayna and Tre are the best. Brogan, you can make contact with them, right?”

Brogan nodded, but
he looked to Callon for the final verdict. Callon squeezed my hand.

“Contact them discreetly, Brogan
. We can’t have the Sarac know of our plans.”

“Will do.” Brogan quickly exited the room.

The meeting dispersed, and my heart couldn’t help but ache for so many reasons. Just knowing Colt may be alive gave me hope, but knowing he’d been under Marcus’s power for as long as he had…

T
hen there was Maes. I had to make this right now. I couldn’t delay it any longer.

I headed for the door when Andre grabbed my arm.

“I don’t know if you should talk to him right now.” Her blue eyes studied mine. “He’s very angry.”

He’d made it very clear he was still angry with me, but I couldn’t let it fester any longer.

“Why were you in the meeting, Andre? Everyone here has a leadership position except you, unless there’s something I don’t know,” I asked.

She raised a brow. “I’m here because of the tension in the room
. I can read it.”

“Because I came to the meeting.”

“Yes. When Callon told Daniel that you were coming, I was asked to be a ‘mood moderator’ of sorts.”

“So you can read moods?”

“I can read moods, emotions, and can even tell if someone’s being truthful.”

“Just about anyone can read moods, Andre, and based on eye contact they can tell if someone is lying.”

“True, but when you’ve lived as long as we have, it’s easy to train yourself not to give away the signs,” she explained.

“How can you read me or anyone else?”
I asked.

“The best way to describe it would be an aura.”

“An aura?” I repeated.

“When you went out yesterday, your aura was red, which indicated your anger.
It also had a black hue to it too, which showed your depression and withdrawal.”

“And today?”

She smiled. “For the first time since I’ve met you, your aura is a pale blue mixed with specks of yellow and pink.”

“And that means?” I sat on the arm of the couch.

“Blue tends to mean calm, content. The mixture of yellow indicates your concern, worry over the situation and pink, well that’s love.”

“You can see all that?”

“I see it all.”

“What about Callon? Did you see his aura?”

“I don’t kiss and tell. I’ll tell you what I see in you, but not others, unless they give me permission or under direct orders from clan leaders.”

I nodded. It was probably best, as it would cause problems otherwise.

I headed for the door. I needed to talk with Maes.

“I’d still advise against speaking with Maes right now,” Andre called out as she followed me into the main hall. “Give it a few days.”