Daylight, a Timeless Series Novel (32 page)

“Giving us enough time to get in and get out,” Callon added, his eyes focusing on me. “Cheyenne, you’ve been telling us all along Colt’s in Montana
, and so far you’ve been right. Where do you think we’re going to find him, at the cabin?”

Warmth welled up inside me. Callon
was showing more faith in my abilities.

“You’re asking our resident
princess
here?” Brogan snarled. “She has zero planning and strategizing experience, and we’re to go off her senses and good feelings?”

Daniel’s chest swelled. “
She hasn’t been wrong yet!”

“Calm down,” Dex stood and moved between us. “Cheyenne may not have all the experience and knowledge you
do, Brogan, but unless we allow her to step up, she never will.”

Brogan’s hands flew in the air. “I give up. Let’s all get ourselves killed
. In fact, let’s make a party out of it!”

“Brogan,” Callon commanded, “calm down.
If we play this right, I think this rescue is possible.”

“I can’t go on
think
,” Maes grumbled. “I have to know it’s going to work.” His jade-rimmed eyes bore into me. “Where, Cheyenne?”

“The waterfalls.” The words blurted from my mouth without warning.

“The falls?” Daniel’s eyes narrowed.

“The ones on the way to Dex and Lilly’s
?” Callon asked.

“Yes.” I sighed
, knowing why Colt would be there.

“Why there?” Koda asked.

I looked down at my Servak ring and twisted it. I didn’t need to look around to know all eyes were on me and what I was about to say.

“Because that’s where I first knew I loved Colt,” I whispered. Tears brimmed near the surface and Daniel’s arm came around me.

“Great!” Brogan snapped. “Now we’re off on a wild goose chase because the
princess
thinks life is a fairy tale and Colt will magically appear!”

“What gives you this idea, Cheyenne?” Dex asked. “Why the falls?”

He pushed his hands through his hair. Lilly moved beside him, her fingers sliding through his.

“The bracelet.” I turned and looked at Callon
. His mask was on again. “Colt risked sending it because he knows it was a place I’d never forget.”

Callon looked away
, and I felt a twinge on my chest. He knew I’d forever have feelings for Colt. I couldn’t just push them away. However, even if Colt returned, I’d have to ensure Callon knew where I stood—always.

“It’s not far from the ridge,” Maes said and rubbed his chin.

“The ridge where I jumped in the river?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he replied.

“What’s the fastest route?” Koda asked.

“
Balsom Pass,” Andre answered.

“You know the area?” Maes questioned.

“Probably better than you.” A sly smile rose on her lips. “No excuses to leave me home this time, puppy.”

Maes rolled his eyes
, and I couldn’t help but smirk.

“Then it’s settled.” Koda looked towards Callon. “I’ll make the arrangements
for the horses and gear at the closest entrance to Balsom Pass. Brogan can get the vehicles situated and we’ll be good to go.”

Callon nodded.

“But what about the Cloakers?” I asked. “Won’t they be in Montana?”

“Possibly,” Maes replied
. “Cloakers operate in colonies, like bees or ants. They have to follow the queen, the queen being Raina. Raina’s here, which means they’re all here now, but if she travels, they’ll follow or die.”

“Follow or die?” I said.

“The colony can’t survive without the queen. And unfortunately, we can’t prevent her from traveling,” Dex added.

“So the risk remains,” I murmured.

“We leave in three days,” Callon said. He left the room, heading for the library.

“It’ll be okay,” Daniel murmured. “He’s under a lot of pressure.”

I sighed. The pressure I was creating wasn’t helping either.

I headed for my room. I had plenty of time to pack, but being alone
was probably best at the moment.

“Cheyenne,” Callon called out from the library.

I stopped and changed direction. He had his back turned towards me, but his hand extended.

“Here,” he said.

He was holding my bracelet.

I plucked it from his fingers, unsure what to say.

“Callon…”

“It’s fine. I have a lot to prepare for
, so I’d like to be alone.”

I sighed. What’d I said
about my feelings for Colt had hurt him. It would have hurt me as well.

“Thank you.”

I slipped the bracelet on my wrist and headed for the stairs. Koda, Brogan and Maes’s voices murmured through the hall. Dex and Lilly stood near the dining room conversing. At the top landing, Bree and Daniel talked as well. There was a lot at stake here, an awful lot.

I entered my bedroom and left the door open. Crawling on top of my bed, I snuggled up between the pillows. My fingers r
an over the dark stones of Colt’s bracelet. I’d given him back the other half, the other half that glowed when the two touched. He’d given it to me as a reminder, that no matter how far apart we were, I could always bring them together to remember our love. A love that haunted Callon.

Callon
’s words from the library echoed in my mind, and I swallowed. He said I needed to be prepared, that Colt might not be the same…or was it that Callon who wouldn’t be the same? Would having Colt around cause problems? Would they fight like in the past?

I pressed my hand to my chest. I knew deep down that I
wouldn’t be able to handle it if they did. It would only break my heart to have to tell Colt to remain distant, to push him away after bringing him home.

A tear trickled down my cheek. What
ever happened was going to shake things up. I just had to make sure it didn’t shake me over the edge.

My small pack sat in the hall just outside my bedroom door. Dawn was arriving; we’d be leaving within a few hours. I entered my closet one last time
, searching for a pair of gloves.

“Hey,” Andre said.
I turned to see her in the doorway. “You ready?”

I nodded
, too afraid to speak. My stomach was in knots, and I was a bundle of nerves. I left the bathroom and glanced around my bedroom. Colt’s bracelet sat on my bedside table; I couldn’t forget to bring it. I cleared the distance and placed the stoned bracelet on my wrist. I pulled my sleeve down to cover it and turned to meet Andre’s intent blue eyes.

“Be careful, Cheyenne,” she said.

I looked away. I didn’t need any explanation of her warning, I knew what she was referring to, what all of them had made reference to. I needed to guard my heart. But most importantly, I needed to guard Callon’s too. He was my fiancé now, and I’d have to keep my distance from Colt. If I hurt Callon, I’d have the wrath of others to deal with.

I
headed out the door. Someone had already picked up my pack.

Daniel’s arm looped in mine
. A nervous grin rose and quickly disappeared. He’d been warned just like I had. Colt may not be the same, but neither he nor I wanted to believe it. Colt had sent us a message to come find him and that was what we were going to do.

Daniel jumped us down the hall, stairs, and into the sitting room
where our group was gathering. He jumped to Bree’s side, while Brogan, Koda, Maes and Callon stood near the terrace doors, reviewing our plans. We’d been through it hundreds of times, but it still didn’t make it any less stressful. One mistake could cost us dearly.

Nakari gave
me a sidelong glance as Andre joined her. At least I wouldn’t be alone with her. Andre acted as a buffer, though things had gotten better between us. Both Nakari and I had wordlessly agreed that we weren’t going to be best friends, but we’d tolerate each other. She’d keep her distance from Callon, and I’d keep my distance from her.

“Cheyenne,” Lilly said. She reached for my hands, tears form
ing in her eyes. “I need you to promise me that you’ll be cautious. I know what you want, both you and Daniel, but…”

“I know, Lilly,” I replied. She didn’t need to
remind me.

She drew me into a hug. “
Please be careful. I want you back in one piece.”

“I will.”

Dex neared, stress and worry filling his hazel eyes. “Don’t use all your power at once, Cheyenne. Conserve them. Chances are you’re going to have a fight on your hands, and Callon will need you. Anticipate your enemies like you’ve been trained, and remember that you’re more than capable.”

“Let’s go,” Koda called out.

Dex leaned in and hugged me, placing a kiss on my cheek.

“We love you.”

“Love you too,” I replied and headed for the terrace doors.

Brogan lagged behind, speaking softly to Layla before he followed.

The hum of a helicopter hung in the brisk air. We were meeting it in the field by the lake. Koda held up his hand in the predawn light, and Callon moved beside me, his fingers locking over mine. He had two packs over his shoulder, one of which was mine.

The winds whipped up lo
ose debris around us as the mechanical beast settled on the ground. Within moments Koda had the side door open and was ushering us in. There were six seats in the back. Brogan, Maes and Andre took the seats facing us. Callon had me sit in the middle, and he and Daniel helped me buckle in. They dumped the packs on the floor. The door closed, and Koda climbed in the front seat as Quinn lifted off the ground. Nakari sat on the floor and wrapped her arm around my leg. Callon pushed his arm behind the buckles, securing his fingers onto my waist while Daniel grasped my hand.

Cloakers or no Cloakers, I wasn’t going anywhere.

The red horizon loomed before us, and I felt the familiar tingle over my skin as we left the safety of the enchantment. It was a race against time now.

Nobody spoke
. I couldn’t even hear a breath as the misty green landscape flew by. Everyone kept their gaze to the sky, ready for just about anything.

A flicker of black caught my eye
, and I tensed. They’d assured me that Raina wouldn’t be able to fly this high. She did have limitations.

“It’s alright,” Daniel whispered. “It was just a crow.”

I nodded, but still kept my vision on every speck that seemed out of place.

Soon, though not soon enough, t
he whine of the engine changed. We were landing.

Nakari rose to her knees
, and everyone snapped open their buckles. Callon pulled me tighter against his side, and Daniel kept hold of my hand. Koda had already jumped out of the helicopter before it was properly seated on the helipad.

The side door flew open
, and we piled out. Everyone formed a tight circle around me. My heart began racing faster. We only had a short window to get off the ground and not draw attention to ourselves.

Maes and Koda
led the way and stopped just outside of a hangar. Koda held up his hand, and we paused. Maes disappeared around the side, and we waited.

I searched the runway
. It wouldn’t take much for Raina to appear. Misty clouds had moved in. She could easily disguise herself in them.

“Let’s go!” Koda said and we ran towards the hang
ar.

As we rounded the corner, a jet came into view, and not just any jet. The
code AJ318 was splashed across the tail. I knew what 737’s looked like, and this was just a tad smaller. It could easily seat at least twenty comfortably. A staircase was propped up beside it, and two men stood holding it, ready to move it after we were safely inside. Maes stood inside the doorway, waiting for us.

Koda bounded up the stairs and quickly turned as Callon pulled me alongside.
As I followed him down the aisle, the smell of leather and polish hit my nose. The bright interior came into view. We hurried through the spacious walkway and quickly sat down. I heard the exterior door slam close.