Daylight, a Timeless Series Novel (26 page)

Leaning against the kitchen counter,
I stretched and immediately cringed. When Brogan meant training, he hadn’t been joking around. Everything hurt, and I sighed, touching my wrists. The finger marks had started to turn to bruises, but it didn’t make them any less painful. Brogan, Maes and Koda had all taken turns reaching for my arms, and I had to learn how to break their holds. It made sense, since most of my powers involved my hands, and Marcus had been quick to tie me up the last time we’d met.

Then there had been
Skylar’s routine, which my legs were still feeling. He’d been teaching me how to “glide.” I’d almost laughed when they said it like that, but after working with him, I understood why he seemed so graceful when he fought. There was a technique to his movements, allowing him to sidestep swings and attacks. It was a dance of sorts, choreography that I needed to learn.

“You okay?” Daniel asked
. He was standing just inside the kitchen doorway.

I blew the stray hair from my eyes.

“Yeah, just looking for some ice packs,” I replied.

“Let me help you.” He jumped beside me and grabbed some plastic bags from the counter. He moved again
, landing before the freezer, and filled them with ice. He landed beside me. “Here.”

“Thanks.” I pressed the ice packs around my wrist.

“It’ll be better by tomorrow.”

I
nodded, knowing tomorrow was when we’d leave the estate. I had faith in my powers, but my fighting tactics, well, they didn’t come naturally. Fighting a human, hands down I’d be fine, but another Timeless with cloaking abilities…that was completely different. Everything I thought I knew flew out the window, and only having two and a half days to prepare didn’t help either.

“We’re both strong enough
,” Daniel reassured me, as if he could hear my thoughts.

“I’m not worried about my strength, Daniel.”

“Nakari and I will be there. We’re faster than them.”

I sighed.
“I know we have to work together as a team, and although I’m stronger now, I’m still the weakest link.”

“Chey
.” Daniel touched my shoulder. “You’re not the weakest link.”

“
But my powers aren’t fully stable, and I’ve never encountered a Cloaker before.”

“
That’s why we’ll be there,” Koda answered entering the kitchen. He stopped beside Daniel. “You’ve got more abilities than you realize.”

“I just hope the risk we’re taking is worth it.” Even I was having doubts about leaving the estate. What if this was all just a trap?
But I had to know if Colt was alive. If we didn’t do this, I’d have even more regrets than before. I had to be brave and believe in my protectors.

I forced a smile.

“Come on,” Daniel said and tugged on my arm. “It’s been a while since we’ve played poker. It’ll help take your mind off things.”

I paced the
floor in the main library, glancing out the window. The sky was darkening by the moment, both because of the rainclouds and the approaching night. I swallowed. We would be leaving within the hour to travel to a town about thirty miles away. Callon wanted to stay away from villages and any smaller towns, believing a larger community would provide more safety, more human eyes watching. However, there was still a dense forest we had to pass through. That was going to be the most dangerous part of the trip, particularly on the drive back, and particularly with the storm rolling in.

I heard voices in the hall
, and then Andre appeared, and tilted her head at me.

“You’re a bit green, Cheyenne,”
she said.

I raised a brow. “Well
, that’s a nice thing to say.”

“Your aura that is.”

I continued with my pacing, waiting for her to tell me all about it.

“You’re worried, but trying to remain calm.”

I tapped my nose. I didn’t need Andre to tell me how I was feeling right now. I was a bundle of nerves.

“Maes won’t let me come with you.”

“I heard.” I paused and faced her.

She fiddled with her fingers. She was worried too.

“I think I’ll hide in the back of the car. I don’t need a dog telling me what to do.”

“He’s bossy.”

Andre smiled faintly and rolled her eyes. “Slightly.”

A dark shadow moved behind her
, and she shrugged. She stepped away, but not before she and Maes exchanged glances. It wasn’t her typical glance laced with sarcasm; this was woven with emotions she’d rather not share.

“Andre,” Maes’s grumbled. He too was hiding things.

“Are we ready?” I asked.

“It’s time
,” Maes informed me with a curt nod.

Grabbing my jacket from the chair, I followed Maes
to the hall. Koda was waiting there, holding his cloak. For anyone else, the cloak wouldn’t have worked, but because of my powers, it did. Lilly had even altered the length so I wouldn’t trip over it.

Memories of the last time I’d worn it crept forward, but I shut them out. I needed to do this.
I wrapped the fabric around my shoulders, but kept my head uncovered for the moment. Koda stepped out the front door, and I followed. Three black Range Rovers with tinted windows were waiting on the gravel drive. I glanced around. Why did we need three? Only eight of us were going.

“One’s a decoy,” Koda said. “The Campbell
’s are driving out before us.”

I nodded and watched
the first depart.

“Cheyenne
!” Lilly called out, rushing down the front steps. She didn’t bother to hide her anxiety as she hugged me.

“You need to be careful, do you understand?”
Her voice trembled. “I need you to come back, and in one piece. All of you.”

“I will, Lilly, I promise,” I replied.

She kissed my cheek and drew back. Dex joined her, and he patted my shoulder.

“We love you, Cheyenne,”
he said. “Be safe.”

“Love you too.”

“Cheyenne!” Maes barked, nodding towards the second Range Rover. He opened the rear door, and I crawled in. Callon was already waiting inside. Daniel slid in beside me and Brogan took the driver’s seat. Maes moved into the passenger side. I turned to see Nakari, Skylar and Koda get in the second Range Rover. Koda was our one-way radio link to the second vehicle.

Maes turned. “
Wrap up and buckle in, Cheyenne.”

I nodded and
slipped Koda’s cloak hood over my head. Now I’d be invisible. I quickly buckled my seatbelt. Moments later we were driving down the long gravel drive.

Callon kept his gaze forward, just like the rest.
Our shoulders touched, but that was about all the contact we could risk. He had to pretend I wasn’t here.

A tingling sensation ran over my skin as we passed the estate’s main gates. I jerked slightly as the heavy raindrops began to fall.
The storm had broken again.

The drive was quiet, but I couldn’t stop glancing through the windows.
We were out in the open, exposed, vulnerable. I could only hope the cloak would fool them. Without me, the Trackers and Tresez had no reason to pay attention. Still, if we took too long, they’d get suspicious. We needed to hurry.

“Breathe, Cheyenne,” Maes said
. “You’re ready for this.”

I pressed my eyes closed for a moment and inhaled. I swear at times that dog could read my mind. Calm, I needed to remain calm and aware of my surroundings. I
returned to watching the landscape, searching for hidden dangers.

Rolling green hills dotted with low-lying rock walls and open pastures with farmhouses lay around us.
Those walls could easily hide a Tresez in this ever-darkening rainstorm…or worst yet, Cloakers.

Several v
illages blurred past, their houses nestled tightly together. I shifted in my seat, trying to push down the nausea. I was working myself up too much. I took a few cleansing breaths.

“It’s going to be okay, Chey,” Daniel whispered.
I could tell he wanted so much to touch my hand, to reassure me, but he couldn’t. I wasn’t supposed to be here. Despite the risk, I softly brushed my hand against his.

Finally
the gloomy darkness of the forest appeared. The atmosphere in the jeep changed dramatically. Maes sat forward, while Brogan gripped the wheel tighter. Callon and Daniel had practically stopped breathing, alert for the smallest hint of trouble.

Within moments
, we were completely covered in shadows. I didn’t need to look at the speedometer to know Brogan had increased his speed. The headlights from the second Range Rover no longer lit the interior of our car; they were literally riding our bumper.

Maes
spread his arms, one resting on the dash, the other on Brogan’s seat. He was bracing for something when his head whipped to the left. He stared out past Callon’s shoulder.

“Did you see anything, Maes?” Brogan snapped.

“Just a dog.”

Brogan nodded, but Maes kept his eyes glued to the landscape for a while longer.

A bend in the narrow road was coming up. We came upon it, and a moment later an open patch of rolling hills appeared. The ruins of a moss-covered castle stood stoic in the downpour.

I stared at it
longingly. This was about as much sightseeing as I’d ever get while in Ireland. What I wouldn’t have given to be able to stop and view the ancient walls, to run my fingers over the old stones and dream about who had once lived there. Could it have been a Timeless like us, or perhaps a wealthy family that had lands and livestock?

“It won’t be long now,” Callon said, his gaze still locked on the trees. “Another five minutes
, and we’ll be out of the forest.”

I nodded
even though no one could see me. Almost exactly to the minute, the trees vanished and more rolling hills surrounded us. The hills turned to small cottages, at first spread out, but quickly gathering together as we neared the city. We were almost there.

The car began to slow and
as we circled a roundabout, brightly colored buildings came into view, along with the city’s name, Killarney. Even in the gloom, the cheeriness of yellows, reds and greens were hard to ignore. The buildings were compacted in rows, each linked to the next the entire length of the street. People milled about regardless of the weather; it was a Saturday after all.

We passed through several roundabouts when Brogan turned left and we stopped, parking in a larger lot. Koda parked beside us.

“Stay here,” Maes said. He left the Range Rover.

I watched through the tinted glass while he
ensured the area was secure. I glanced at the dashboard and saw it was now four o’clock. With the wave of his hand, we too exited the vehicles. I made sure Koda’s cloak hood was over my head.

Callon
pressed close, his chest brushing my back, while Daniel stepped beside me, holding an umbrella. Callon had barely spoken a word since we’d left, not that he needed to. The tension in his face told me everything I needed to know.

The sidewalk began to swell with weekend shoppers,
and the sight of other people was comforting. At least we blended in.

We began walking. Daniel and Callon walked side by side, and I kept
just a step behind them. I caught glimpses of the colorful shops, and the smell of fresh bread. The scent of spices and meat grilling caused my stomach to grumble, regardless of the fact I didn’t need to eat. What I wouldn’t do for a caramel frappe along with a blueberry scone. My mouth began to water at the thought, but that would have to wait for another time.

We followed Brogan, winding our way
down a few alleys before we stopped at a rundown brick building near the edge of town.

Brogan slid
a huge metal door to the side and ushered us in. Any light in the dreary building vanished when the door closed.

“Wait here,” Brogan said
. He disappeared into the darkness.

The sound of electricity crackled
, and a dim light in the far corner of the warehouse appeared. Brogan waved us on, standing at the base of a staircase that led to a metal walkway.