Daylight, a Timeless Series Novel (49 page)

I fell to my knees and stared out across the water. The calm and seem
ingly serine landscape angered me. How could this lake remain tranquil when I was faced with such turmoil?

My mother had just told me why she had me…to destroy the one who destroy
ed her. She wasn’t strong enough, but I would be. I’d bear her burden, the entire Timeless race’s burden…I had to keep my enemy closer—I had to marry Marcus.

It was the only way. I had to form an alliance, an alliance that no one would understand. They’d judge me, say I betrayed them—and I’d lose them in the end. Anything I’d ever fought for would be destroyed, burned, and I’d be the one holding the matches. They’d never be able to look
at me again with love and understanding. I’d be hated as much as Marcus was—I’d become like Marcus—I’d take his place once I’d destroyed him. It was just another vicious circle…

“Cheyenne?” Marcus said softly. He moved beside me and kneeled. “You’re upset?”

I sat on my legs and turned to him. I didn’t bother to hide the tears or sorrow.

“What’s wrong?” He wiped a falling tear away. “Tell me what makes you so sad.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but closed it. What could I say to him? He sat beside me, genuinely concerned about my well-being. How could I tell him that by marrying me, it would destroy him in the end? That his marrying me would destroy me in the end too.

He carefully drew me into a hug, but I didn’t fight it. This would be one of the few tender moments he’d ever get from me before I ruined his life. He rubbed my back gently and cradled my head in his hand. I didn’t have the strength to tell him I’d marry willingly—I didn’t want to have the strength.

A commotion sounded behind us, and Marcus’s hold tightened. He helped me to my feet. When I looked up, Daniel was only a few feet away. My breath caught, and I rushed to his side, only to have Marcus hold onto my wrist, preventing me from reaching him.

I raised my hand as the iridescent lights flickered, and Daniel raised his to match mine.
It was my hope, but it had come to late. His deep blue eyes held such sadness. I felt the electricity tingle my skin as I pressed my palm forward and the pained looked on his face as he did the same. The enchantment wouldn’t allow us to touch, but just knowing he was reaching out like I was made me feel loved. The last love I’d probably ever feel again.

“I’m sorry,” I mouthed
. “I’ve failed you.”

I closed my eyes
, not wanting to see his despair. It was bad enough what I was feeling inside. Marcus drew me back, and we walked towards the gate. This would be the last time I’d ever see Daniel again, and I wanted to remember him and the love he so freely gave.

I remained secluded in my room
, trying to find another solution other than marrying Marcus, but there was none. I pored over my mom’s writings, and every time I read it, I came to the same conclusion. It was the only way.

A guitar sat in the corner near the terrace doors. I knew Colt
had brought it in while I slept. He was still trying to convince me that he was sorry for all he’d done, for what he’d put me through, but it was pointless. The only thing he’d done was send me further into despair. He’d been the one to lock me in the room where I found my mother’s papers…he’d been the one to seal my fate.

The last of the evening’s light began to fade from sight
, and I picked up the guitar and walked onto my terrace. I sat, my fingers hovering over the strings, willing myself to let go. I closed my eyes as I began to strum, releasing all the pent-up emotions that had been swirling in my head. All the anger and regret that washed over me threatened to drown me in sorrows. All the words of betrayal I knew were to come…all the love I was about to lose for the sake of saving them.

Faces floated in my mind
: Callon’s last panicked expression, the hurt and pain of failure. Daniel’s lost blue eyes, unsure what was to become of us…and Colt’s seeming betrayal of my heart. I’d never see them again, never know their touch or words of love. They soon would only be a memory, fading into the mist.

I wrapped the notes around me, tightening
their hold and keeping what remnants remained inside me. Salvaging what I could before it all changed again—for the worse.

I played long and hard
. I played until my fingers ached and I had nothing more inside me to give. Until every last ounce of me had poured itself out and exposed me for who I was…a weapon to destroy another.

I stilled and rested the guitar across my lap. The moon was now shedding its light across the garden
, and I looked up, surprised at what I saw.

My small garden and the stone
walls in front of me were filled with Trackers and Tresezes. They’d been drawn here by my music, entranced as they stared up at me. The entire time I’d been here, they’d kept to themselves, avoided me. I was sure Marcus had threatened them, but now they had seen for themselves. It was just like when I played around the fire in Marcus’s camp. They were spellbound.

Blond hair moved in the crowd. Colt inched his way to the front, but his face was hidden in the shadows. I rose and entered my bedroom
, setting the guitar back where I’d found it.

I lurked in the shadows
, watching the crowd dissipate from my garden. I wanted to walk around in it. I wanted to lie in the grass and stare up at the moonlit sky. I wanted to be alone.

Darrien and Jahlem met me outside my door and followed me to the locked metal door. Darrien opened it
, and I followed them down the passage stairs and out into the garden. I stopped them before they followed.

“I want to be alone tonight,” I said putting up my hand.

They nodded and stayed behind. I knew they wouldn’t be far, but I wanted to be as alone as I could before I would come to grips with telling Marcus I’d marry him.

My shoes crunched over the gravel path
, and I stopped to pick a lone pink daisy before lying down on the grass. I twirled the stem in my fingers as I stared up at the starlit sky. The scent of the freshly cut grass brought back memories of my mom and me. During the summer months we’d lie out on the freshly mowed field and stare up at the stars, counting, laughing and dreaming about what lie ahead for us. Neither of us would have ever dreamed this up, neither of us thought we’d be apart.

A shadow moved across the stone
wall, and then the thud of feet landing on the grass neared. I knew who it was, knew he wouldn’t leave me alone till he got his sorrow off his chest and begged for forgiveness.

I didn’t acknowledge him at first
. I kept my gaze elsewhere. Eventually he sat beside me.

He remained silent for a long time, staring out into the darkness. When he finally spoke, he couldn’t keep the raw emotions from pouring out.

“I wanted to take the burden of fighting Marcus away from you, Cheyenne.” He paused. “I didn’t mean for it to be like this. I thought I could defeat him from the inside. Even if I had to hurt you in the process, it would be nothing compared to the pain he would put you through. So I tried to push you back, to keep your emotions away from me. To stop you from loving me again.” He looked down at me. “But I made a mistake, and have paid the price.” He sighed. “I don’t deserve forgiveness. Yet no matter what you think of me, I love you, and I'll do whatever it takes for us to beat him. Together.”

I sat up. The shadows hid his eyes from me, but I knew who was speaking to me…
my
Colt. Why now? Why did he decide to reveal this to me now rather than earlier when he could have swayed my decision? Why did he have to be so cruel and drive me to the point of breaking?

“Why? Why’d you act so mean and heartless? You didn’t have to…” I trailed off
, my mind wandering to the past encounters.

“I didn’t have a choice once I made the decision.”

“What do you mean you didn’t have a choice? There’s always a choice, Colt,” I snapped.

He shook his head. “No, there was no choice when I decided I’d rather die protecting you than see you suffer more. I just didn’t know the consequences to my decision.”

I stared up at him, waiting for more.

“When Marcus brought me back, I could eith
er fight him and die, or make him believe I’d conformed to his will. I made the decision to try and end this from the inside before he ever got to you again.”

“But you played a part in my capture
. You’re the one who brought me here!” I hissed.

He sighed, his head sinking lower.

“It was never supposed to come to this.”

“But it did,” I said.

“And I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”

We remained silent for a few moments before he spoke again. This time his head rose
and his hand wrapped over mine, like he’d just made a sudden discovery.

“I know how we can get out of here.”

“How?”

“The enchantment, Marcus expanded it over the lake.” A sly smile rose. “It can’t go under the water.”
He squeezed my hand tighter. “I can’t believe I just now realized this…”

I pinched my brows tighter. “What do you mean?”

“The enchantment can go around, or even over water, but never through.”

I still didn’t understand and shook my head.

“We can leave through the water, by going under the enchantment.”

I blinked.
Our escape had been before us and I didn’t even know it.

He jumped to his feet
, taking me with him. Hope lit in his eyes, where I knew I had none.

“I’m going to make this up to you, Cheyenne.” He leaned down and pressed a
firm kiss to my lips before disappearing up and over the stone wall.

I paced the gray
marble floor in front of the terrace in my bedroom. I hadn’t seen or heard from Colt since he’d made his confession to me a week ago. Regardless, I knew I couldn’t go with him. My fate had been sealed. I had no choice but to stand tall and accept destiny. It was just that my heart was breaking in the meantime.

A knock at the door drew my attention.

Darrien entered, holding a scrap of paper in his hands. He handed it to me.

I carefully unfolded it. It was a note from Colt
. He wanted to see me in the garden. I looked up at Darrien.

“Did you read it?”

“Yes,” he replied.

My heart began to race.

“Are you going to tell Marcus?”

“No. We’re here for you, Cheyenne, no one else.”

I pressed my eyes closed for a moment. For all of Colt’s stupidity, thinking he could defeat Marcus, I couldn’t have him die on me now. I headed for the garden.

Colt was waiting, hiding in the shadows of
a tree. He immediately pulled me beside him, hiding us from sight.

His fingers began to stroke my cheek.

“We can leave right now, Cheyenne. I’ve got it all worked out.”

I didn’t reply, unsure how to tell him the decision I’d come to. His icy blue eyes search
ed mine in the dimming light. The sun was setting. He’d planned our escape, waiting for nightfall.

“What?” he questioned. “I know where Callon and the others are. We’ll be able to escape before Marcus knows what’s going on.”