Promises (32 page)

“
Concentrate,” Maes rumbled.

Methodically, my right wrist circled, and I raised my left hand out over the water, trying to feel the air I was creating.

I heard a loud gasp, and my eyes shot open as Maes grasped my wrist.

“
Did you see that?” a female voice called out. “It looked like a funnel of water on the lake.”

“
Where?” another answered.

“
Right in front of that couple,” she replied.

I stiffened, and Maes remained immobile.

“
I didn’t see anything,” a male added. “Hurry up. We’re gonna be late.”

What had I created while my eyes were closed? I looked up to see a sly smile emerging on Maes’s lips.

“
You can move air,
mon espoir.”

I blinked. I could move air? How?

“
Maes, don’t joke around! What did you really do?”

“
I did nothing,” Maes said. He helped me away from the edge. “I’m just a dog, remember? You on the other hand…you’ve got another power.”

My mind reeled. The sunlight danced off my watch, and I blinked. I had hours before my guardians would arrive. A smile broke across my lips.

“
Help me with it, then!”

“
Bien sûr, Cheyenne.”

We hurried off the dock and into the grass. I didn’t want any more witnesses. We stopped abruptly.

“
Wait here,” Maes said. His long strides took him to the adjoining path. He cautiously scanned the area, taking in every sound, and when he felt satisfied, he returned to my side.

He nodded towards the trail. We needed to take a walk, since there were too many eyes here.

We followed the trail back to the house and then veered off into the forest, Maes leading the way. He stopped and pointed to a more secluded area beneath a group of trees and led us toward the tall grass. “I want you to move the air in this small area. Make it look like crop circles.”

I nodded and began moving my wrist again in a circular motion, but nothing happened. I inhaled and raised my left hand up like I’d done over the water and twisted my right wrist again, still nothing. Perplexed, I turned towards Maes, who was deep in thought.

“
What were you thinking about when you waved your hands over the water?” he asked.

“
I was seeing the air move.”

“
Are you doing that now?”

“
Yes. Well, sort of.”

He was silent for a moment. “Try it with your eyes closed again.”

I glanced around, suddenly self-conscious. I’d look like a drunken idiot pointing at invisible people…

“
I’ll make sure no one sees you.” He raised a brow. “That’s why we hiked out here, remember?”

“
Okay.” I closed my eyes and once again gestured with my hands. It was odd this time around. My fingers began to tingle, and my breath seemed to catch from lack of air. I could feel my hair whipping around, and suddenly an intense dizziness threatened to topple me over. A voice was faintly calling my name when I tumbled to the ground.

“
Cheyenne!” Maes’s French accent rolled over his tongue. “Cheyenne! Are you okay?”

I blinked to clear the fog from my mind.
What just happened?

Was that how I’d moved the Tresez? But that had only been a small gust of air…

“
Mon espoir.” Rough fingers turned my face, and jade-rimmed eyes studied me. “We need to go. You’ve created a bit of a mess here.”

Maes helped me to my feet, keeping a grip on my arm. I tried to focus in on the toppled trees in front of me. Wait…toppled trees?

“
I did that?” I asked in disbelief.

“
Yes, and regardless of us hiking out here, that’s going to be hard to hide.” He pulled me along to the path while his eyes darted around.

I stumbled along beside him in shock at what had just happened. My head was throbbing…had I hit it when I fell? I didn’t have long to think about it. As soon we arrived at the house, I plopped down on the couch, exhausted. Maes disappeared to the kitchen.

He returned and sat in front of me on the coffee table, a glass of water in one hand and a wet towel in the other. Placing the glass of water on the table beside me, he leaned forward and dabbed the wet towel on my forehead. It came away bloody.

I winced as he touched my temple, and he drew back slightly. “In the future, when I say crop circles, I mean crop circles, not total and complete destruction where every human in a two mile radius can witness it.”

“
I didn’t know,” I said. “It’s not like I’ve ever done this before!” I cringed; raising my voice caused my head to pound.

He blew out a breath of air as he pressed the wet towel to my forehead again.

“
Ouch!”

He mumbled something in French, tossing the towel in my lap, before he moved back and sat in the chair opposite me.

“
That was something else, Cheyenne.” He shook his head. “I’ve never been privy to witness the beginning of someone’s powers like this before.”

“
Why not?” I asked. This was strange, coming from him. “You’ve been around for a long time. Surely you’ve seen a Timeless come into their powers before.”

“
Not like this. Your power is something else. Magnificent…and deadly.”

“
What’s that supposed to mean?”

“
I could feel the power radiating off you. I couldn’t even touch you while you wreaked havoc on the trees.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “You felt power radiating off me?”

“
Yes, parrot,” he said, his eyes serious.

I pushed my hand to my head and winced, pressing my eyes closed. “My fingers were tingling.”

“
Well, more than just my fingers were tingling. We’re going to have to do some training and fast, before you lose control. If you hadn’t fallen, you could have caused some serious damage.”

I sighed. Great, this power was just like my anger, then. I slumped down further into the couch and let my head rest on the cushion as my eyes closed. My temple was throbbing, but it was more than just the ache that had me worried. My entire skull was beginning to feel like a vice was being tightened around it. It wasn’t as bad as my transformation headaches, but it was awfully similar.

When I opened my eyes again, darkness had arrived.

“
Feeling better?” Maes’s deep voice rumbled. He was still sitting in the chair, but in the dark.

I sat up. “Yeah. Why are you sitting in the dark?”

“
I didn’t know if the light would bother you.”

I turned and reached for the lamp beside me and clicked it on. I squinted, but the light didn’t hurt my head. Actually, now that I thought about it, my head was feeling much better.

“
Cheyenne, do you trust me yet?”

I lifted a brow. That was out of the blue. “I think so, why?”

“
I need to know you trust me no matter what, even when a situation may look bleak. When it looks like all hope is gone, when the truth may not be what it seems. I need that kind of trust.” He leaned forward in his chair. “Can you trust me that way?”

The morning light filtered through my bedroom window, and my lashes fluttered open. They’d be here today, and I’d make it right with Callon. I stretched out on the bed, relishing the warmth, when I heard the rattle of pills. Startled, I sat straight up. Callon was sitting on the edge the bed, studying the small medicine bottle.

Excitement surged through me, and I leapt forward, throwing my arms around his neck and nearly knocking him to the floor. The blankets tangled up in my legs, but I didn’t care. I buried my head in his shoulder. He didn’t move.

“
I’m sorry, Callon,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry for the harsh words I said. I—I was angry, and I thought you’d come to take me back. I didn’t mean any of it. I was just lashing out, and you were there to take the brunt of it. Please forgive me, please.” Tears rose in my eyes. Why wasn’t he saying anything?

Slowly Callon’s arms moved and wrapped themselves around me. Still he didn’t speak.

“
I know you read Daniel’s email,” I said. “I didn’t mean to anger you further. I only wanted answers. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

An eternity seemed to pass before he broke his silence.

“
I’ve missed you, Cheyenne.” A warm kiss touched my hair, and he drew back. His brow creased. “Have you not been feeling well?”

I sighed. He was avoiding the issue, as always. For now, I’d let it slide. I was just so happy we were speaking to each other.

“
I’ve had some mild headaches,” I said. “But otherwise I’ve been fine.”

Callon arched a brow.

“
Headaches?”

“
Nothing major. Just mild. I hit my head yesterday.”

His eyes roamed to my temple, and he pushed my hair aside. “That looks like quite a bump.”

“
Yeah, I guess I hit it when I fell.”

“
You fell?”

I smiled. “I’m a klutz.”

A warm smile spread over his lips. There was such sincerity to his smile. It wasn’t forced. This was the real Callon that he’d been holding back. The real Callon that I needed.

“
Callon, I want… to start over with you. I need to put the past behind me, behind us.”

He helped me sit up, stealing a quick kiss on my forehead. Leaning forward, his fingers brushed over my rings, and a tingling sensation erupted in my stomach. It was as if he were moving in slow motion as his right hand spread over mine. I couldn’t tear my eyes away; I knew what was about to happen. Slowly he interlocked our fingers, sealing our rings together. A flurry of electricity jolted through my limbs, and I shivered involuntarily, closing my eyes.

Colt and I didn’t have rings; Callon and I did. I was sure this was Callon’s way of trying to win me over. Why else would he use this power over me?

He leaned in, his scent discombobulating me as our foreheads touched. I nuzzled closer. My body longed to be consumed by this internal fire.

“
Anew,” he whispered, his lips brushing my cheek. I trembled. The intensity of the current between us threatened to overwhelm me. “It can always be this way, Cheyenne, always.” He lifted our hands to my heart and pressed it close. “I belong with you. It’s your destiny.”

I inhaled a shaky breath, and fought to re-engage my thoughts. Something was fighting to take control, but I wasn’t all that sure I minded. “Anew,” I whispered, kissing his stubbled cheek.

He drew back, breaking the contact, and I was left breathless and flushed. He brought my hand to his lips as he unlocked our rings, and I gazed into his beautiful eyes. Those colors I’d come to adore; green, yellow and brown danced about for me as he purposely held my gaze.

He sighed as I withdrew my hand into my lap. We didn’t speak as we took in the special moment. He’d told me in the past he could make me forget about everything else. Well, he’d more than proven he could; when I had moments like these, nothing else mattered. As long as he was with me…

As we stared at each other, all the past hurts seemed to melt away. The lies, half-truths and hidden secrets fell into the abyss, never to be seen again. The suffering and pain that ran so deep was no more. All I remembered was the fact that he loved me and wanted to begin again. A single tear streamed down my cheek. My misery was finally coming to an end.

His thumb brushed it away. “No more suffering, love.”

I wanted to prolong this moment as long as I could, but I knew the others were waiting. Colt was waiting.

“
Get dressed and then come down.”

He squeezed my hand and headed towards the door. I watched as he disappeared into the hall, holding my hand to my chest.

I was starting new with all of them. I had to. I had to give Colt the same opportunity I’d given Callon and then one day, regardless of the betrothal, I’d make the choice.

I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror. My stomach was uneasy. I was actually nervous about seeing Colt again. I knew what I had to do with Callon, but Colt…he was a different story. While we hadn’t argued, I didn’t know where we stood anymore. He’d been my best friend, and I missed our closeness. But there was still the issue of the two of them loving me. I wasn’t going to come between them. Somehow, I had to ensure this weekend went smoothly. No circling each other like vultures. We could be a happy family again.

I sighed and headed for the door.

My shaking hand reached for the knob, and I hesitated. Maybe I should wait and let him come to me, but no, I knew that wasn’t the right choice. I needed to initiate this, I needed to open up, I needed to follow my heart.

“
Follow your heart,” I whispered and opened the door.

Colt was pacing near the base of the stairs, and my heart began to drum against my chest. He turned and faced me, his tall frame silhouetted against the light. I loved how it brought out his blond locks and tanned skin. Colt truly was the brightest thing in my life, and I never wanted to see it dim.

Heart pounding and legs weakening, I ran down the stairs and jumped into his waiting arms. Instantly, I knew nothing had changed with him. I loved him just the same, no matter what had happened in the past. I clung to him and buried my head into his neck. His massive arms swallowed me, welcoming and secure.