Fated, A Timeless Series Novella (A Timeless Series Companion Novel) (27 page)

“Finally!”

I
all but jumped out of the
truck
. At last, we were back in
Sagle
.
From the moment we’d landed I’d been alert, waiting for any message from Cheyenne. I’d tried texting her myself, but Daniel had accidently sp
i
lt
soda
over my phone and I was still waiting for it to dry.
Of course, I was tempted to borrow Daniel’s phone, though
I doubted it would work.
Cheyenne wouldn’t recognize the number and might ignore it.

“Happy now?” Callon asked, grabbing the bags and heading towards
the
front door
of the house
.
As he fumbled with keys, I jerked my head at Daniel.

“Time to switch,” I said.

You’re not going anywhere,
Callon called out.
We’ve still got to arrange our back-up plan.

I threw my hands in the air.

Are you kidding me, Callon?!

No,
Callon answered.
You and Daniel need to map out an alternative route to the airport in case we run into problems
, one that doesn’t use the main roads
.
We might need to use it if Gene and Alexis are followed.

My fist clenched, and I punched the truck door.
He was doing this on purpose!

Callon was there in an instant, his jaw tense.

What’s the problem?

…nothing. We’ll do it now.

I stormed to the passenger side of the truck and flung the door open.
The quicker I
got
this over with, the quicker I could see Cheyenne again.
Before
Daniel could put the truck in gear,
however, my phone beeped.

A
new
message.

A sudden discomfort settled in my stomach. Eh, it was probably another junk text.
I’d get a flood of them now I was back with the main network.
The keypad was still sticky with
sugar
,
so
i
t took some
time to get the message to load. Finally
the name
of the sender
flashed,
and
I almost choked
. This was from Cheyenne, but it was an old message, sent last week
the evening I’d left for Ireland
.
I hadn’t received it because of the lack of signal cover.

They’re never coming home
.

My hand started to shake.

Oh my God…no…

“Colt?” Daniel
reached over
and
shook me. “Colt, what is it?
What’s the matter?
”

I couldn’t speak
, dumbfounded
.
This wasn’t right. I had to be dreaming this.
I re-read the message twice, three times, twenty times.
It wouldn’t go away.

“No…”

The phone beeped again; a voicemail from the same date. I let it play, listening to Cheyenne’s frail voice begging me
to call back.

“NO!”
I
ripped the seatbelt off and
jumped out of the truck.

“Colt?” Callon turned around. Once he saw the look on my face,
though,
his
eyes went wide
. “Colt, what is it?!”

They’re DEAD!
I rac
ed
for the garage
, my heart filled with dread. The image of Cheyenne’s lifeless body flickered before me and I wanted to scream
.
Gene and Alexis never made it home, Cheyenne’s been by herself all week!

What?!
Callon’s eyes burned. He flipped out his phone.
Let me call…

I didn’t bother catching the rest of his words; I’d found the motorcycle keys.
Wryly I grabbed the helmet,
before jumping into the seat
and hammering the kick-starter.
The engine didn’t fail me and roared to life instantly.

Colt, wait!
Callon barked.
Don’t go alone!
You don’t know what’s…

I ignored
his
protest and shot out onto the road
, going as fast as the
gears
would let me
.
I didn’t care if a hundred Tresez were waiting for me; I’d tear through them all to get to Cheyenne if I had to.
The message continued to haunt m
e
.
Never coming back
…
she’d been all alone for seven days, she’d lost the parents she loved and hadn’t had anyone to support her
grief
.
Worse, she’d been completely vulnerable to attack.

I should never have left.

I ripped down the country road, taking the corners way too fast, but I didn’t care.
I’d stalled
long enough
back at the house
, and I was going to make up for
it
. My phone burned in my pocket, the screen frozen on
the
last message from Cheyenne
.
The distress call I’d been listening out for
,
but had never received…

My mind reeled as I came towards the highway.
How, ho
w could this have happened? The Wilsons had
been so cautious for all these years!
I knew we should have never got the Laundess involved, we should’ve just kept it to ourselves.
Now
Marcus
had
found them
and exacted his final punishment.
Damn him, damn
him
for killing Gene and Alexis! I’d never forgive him for shattering my Cheyenne’s heart. Never!

A truck’s horn blared; I was riding too close. I swiftly overtook, watching
for the gravel driveway.
My
gas was running low, but I couldn’t stop.
I had to get to her
now
.
One week, one stupid week
away and I’d
already
failed
in
my promise to protect her.
But hope continued to beat in my heart.
She had to be alive, she had to be…

“Cheyenne, I’m coming,” I muttered, crouching low against the
handlebars
. “Just hold on!”

At last the
gravel
entrance
appeared.
My heart hammered into my ribs
as I
rode
down the long driveway
scann
ing
the Wilson’s
house.
The house I’d visite
d so often
it might as well have been my own
.

T
he Jeep
stood
alone
in the drive,
and
I sighed. I’d only known Gene and Alexis for a couple of years, but they’d been such kind-hearted people. How anyone would want to hurt them made me sick. I could only imagine what Cheyenne had been go
ing through. And all alone, too.

I parked beside the Jeep, then grabbed the keys and removed my helmet. None of the lights
in the house
were on, but
it was still daylight. Otherwise, everything looked, well, normal.

Sighing, I dumped my helmet and headed to the porch. A sudden chill raced through me, and I checked over my shoulder. Something moved into the trees. Frowning, I backed away from the door. I cast an eye across the forest, but nothing else sti
rred. There was something there,
but if it wanted Cheyenne, it’d have to get through me first.

I plucked the spare key from its hiding place. I was betting Cheyenne wouldn’t answer the door.

“Cheyenne?” I called loudly; I didn’t want to frighten her by entering without warning.

No reply.

The silence filled me with dread, so I unlocked the door and stepped through.

“Cheyenne? Cheyenne, where are you?”

The hall was empty
.
I
t’d been full of camping stuff when I’d left. Cheyenne still didn’t answer, so I began to check the rooms. The living room was
dusty and barren
, as was the rest of the hall and the downstairs bathroom. Swallowing back panic, I thundered up
the stairs to the bedrooms. No-
one there, either.
No, she couldn’t be dead…

“CHEYENNE!”

I raced back down the stairs, heading for the kitchen.
The moment I stepped inside, my heart skipped a beat
.

She was curled up at the top of the basement stairs, her blonde hair limp against her back, her head tucked into her knees.
She looked so broken.
Caught
between relief and horror, I
stood there like an idiot.
I didn’t know what I should do.

“When d
id you get back?” Her voice
crack
ed
.

That seemed to shock some sense into me, and I licked my lips.

“This morning.”
The impulse
to run over and hold her
was overwhelming. I wanted to sweep her in my arms and
take her pain away, but I wasn’t sure how she’d react.
She had so much to deal with,
I couldn’t let my feelings get in the way. Not when she was hurting like this.

I approached carefully, and squatted beside her. She didn’t move. Gently I took her shoulders, and turned her around. Our eyes met briefly
.
H
ers were a
deep, dark
gray, reflecting the sadness within.
I’d never seen them s
uch a
hue, and I never wanted to ever again
.

“I’ve missed you,” Cheyenne whispered, hanging her head. I caught her chin, and tilted her face up. No, don’t hide in your despair. Share
it with me, let me take it away.

“I just now received your text and voicemail messages,” I said. “I’m so sorry.”

It was a pathetic excuse. I should’ve been here, should never have left. Why had
the enchantment
chosen this time to
fail
?
Why had it
drawn me away from Cheyenne when she’d needed me the most
?
We’d been so optimistic, preparing everything so carefully, and now all the hopes and promises
of the future
lay in pieces at my feet.

“You’re here now.” Cheyenne’s voice was barely a breath.

I couldn’t stand it any longer, and pulled her tight into my chest. Her arms moved instinctively, wrapping round and pressing me close. A quiet sob escaped her, and she began to cry. I hushed her, stroking her hair, and she burrowed into my shirt, her
muffled
gasps turning to
mournful
wails.
I knew she’d been holding back, trying to keep strong. She’d had to face this all alone, burying her sorrows deep. I couldn’t let her do this to herself. She had to let it out.

It was uncomfortable
crouching
on the floor, so I scooped Cheyenne in my arms and took her to the living room.
She seemed so small and frail.
Still her tears came, but I didn’t care. She could cry for all eternity, and I’d be here. I was never going to leave her like this again.

As I started to rock her in my arms, her gasps lessened. Eventually she calmed again, but she didn’t let go. I didn’t want her to, ever.