Teaser!! Deceptions, Chapter 1 – because I can!

“I’m in here, Colt.” He was searching the Selavon house for me.
We’d made Helena, Montana, our home since the war ended. Colt had been outside with
the horses while I’d been inside chasing our yellow lab, Ember, around the house.

“Ember! Stop!” I cried for the billionth time. She had a shoe
in her mouth, and not just any shoe, but one of my favorite flats that I’d had
to order online, wait six months for, and then finally received only two weeks
ago. I’d had it under lock and key, or so I thought, until she followed me into
the closet and stole it right out from under my nose.

Her tail wagged, the thump, thump, thump of it beating out a rhythm
as it landed against the cabinet. I’d finally cornered in her in the kitchen,
and her caramel eyes told me everything as she stared me down. It was playtime,
and she wasn’t about to give up her hard-won trophy.

I crept closer, ready to leap if she made a break for the
hall when I caught sight of a lone apple on the kitchen counter. Ever so carefully,
I stretched out and grasped it, bringing it to her attention. I tossed it in
the air playfully and her hold on my shoe loosened.

“You want it, girl?” I asked with as much excitement I could
muster. “You want the apple?” Her head began to follow the movement of the
apple. Skillfully I lowered my hand, allowing her to get a whiff of it while I
inched even closer. My left hand went for the cream-colored leather flat when I
heard the sound of claws hitting the hardwoods and moving stealthily closer.

Before I could snatch my shoe from Ember’s mouth, Colt’s
chocolate lab, Moab, stole the apple from my fingertips.

“Moab, no!” I lunged for my shoe, which was once more firmly
grasped in Ember’s mouth, but missed my target, and landed face-first on the
hardwood floors. “Bad dogs!” I bellowed as they scurried down the hall and
departed through the now-open front door.

Colt knelt beside me, hiding a smile. “Lost another one,
huh?”

He helped me to my feet, and I shook my head. “It’s the fifth
pair this month, Colt,” I complained.

“Maybe you should lock them up better,” he replied.

I brushed back my blond locks and narrowed my eyes. “I did!” I
said through my teeth. “She followed me into the closet and stole it while I hung
the laundry!” My hands flew in the air. “She’s a shoe thief! And the worst part
is that she hides them! At least if she chewed them, I could possibly scold her,
but oh no, she runs outside every time, and buries them God knows where, so I
have a dozen or more shoes that are orphans! And it’s not just shoes that have
gone missing either! It’s socks, hats…”

Colt’s chuckle cut me off. His cheeks were rosy from being outside,
and his icy blue eyes danced as he stepped closer.

“I’ll buy you another pair, sweetheart.”

I rolled my eyes, but the anger was fading. “You bought that pair.”

He drew me into a hug, his bulky frame surrounding me, and
kissed my head. “I’ll buy you all the shoes in the world if that makes you
happy, especially if that’s the only thing we have to worry over now.”

I sighed; losing a pair of shoes, or in my case many shoes, was minor compared to what we’d
lived through in the past. Why was I getting so worked up over nothing? It wasn’t
like me. I had so much to be grateful for too. Six years had already gone by since
that final battle with Marcus. And five of them I’d been married to Colt.

Six years of traveling to the far ends of the earth to unite
the Timeless clans again. Six years of trying to adjust to a life without war, though
for some it seemed to be harder than others.

There had been factions that resisted, pockets of Timeless
that wanted to be left alone, and then there had been others who celebrated the
victory and became an active part of their clans again.

“Chey! Chey!” a tiny voice called out with excitement. Beau
came tumbling through the kitchen, his hand waving a familiar-looking shoe.

I slid from Colt’s arms, and dashed towards Beau, picking him
up and hugging him tightly.

“Oh, Beau, my hero!”

His chubby cheeks were cold from running outside. I nuzzled my
nose against them and kissed him. He was such a cute little guy. He had his mother
Layla’s green eyes, and Brogan’s dark hair. His dark curls were in a disarray,
but his eyes sparkled. I set him back down. He was large, even for a six year
old. Chance were, he was going to be built like his dad—a tank.

His voice rose as he told an animated story about how he had rescued
my shoe from Ember. And I couldn’t help but get all tingly inside. Our family had
been expanding at a record rate, and all these little additions warmed my
heart. I loved being an aunt to all of them, but I didn’t know if I was ready
to have one of my own yet.

So many children being born felt like a miracle, considering the
fact that Timeless women typically only had one or two children. We’d been born
with a special gene allowing us to live longer; one year for every one hundred
human years, but not allowing us to repopulate the earth during that time. That
special gene slowed down everything, especially a woman’s reproductive cycle. It’s
not that I minded that much. Having a cycle once every five to ten years was
fine with me; however, it wasn’t good if you wanted to start a family.

But somehow things had changed after the war ended. Dex and
Callon weren’t sure if it was due to the change in powers between the clans, or
nature itself taking over and repopulating the Timeless race. Whatever it was,
babies were abounding.

Brogan and Layla were prime examples. They’d been married a
long time, as Layla had put it, and hadn’t had children prior to the war
ending. But now they had three children, all under the age of five. Beau was
the oldest at five and a half; Madeline, known as Maddy, was three; and Bleu was
two.

There were a lot of weddings after ours too. Daniel and Bree,
Callon and Nakari, Maes and Andre, and following the weddings were a lot more births.
Callon and Nakari had three—Cade, age five; Duke, age four; and Sophie, age
three. Maes and Andre had Devereux, or Dev as we called him, who was five and
half like Beau; Felicie, nicknamed Cici, age three; and Chaz, age two. Even Daniel
and Bree had a little girl, Rayne, who was one and a half. Colt and I were the
only couple, outside of Dex and Lilly, who didn’t have children. And I knew it was
weighing on his heart.

They dynamics of our whole family had changed. Koda was the only
one still single, but he stayed to be near us. He lived in Daniel’s cabin, my
first home away from home with the boys. But Koda had something in the works that
he wasn’t ready to share yet with Colt and me. He’d been leaving frequently, along
with other family members, and I’d yet to meet her, or get her name. From what I
overheard in a conversation between Andre and Bree, there were some abandonment
and anger issues that needed to be worked through, but I knew it wouldn’t be
long till he joined the ranks of married couples.

Clayton and Quinn had gone to help Raina rebuild the Servak
clan with Jahlem and Darrien. They made an annual visit around the Fourth of
July and would stay a few weeks to catch up. And there was Shad, Maes’ younger
brother. He and Maes had mended their wounds, but Shad was a loner at heart. He
came and went, staying only briefly before moving on again.

The rest of the family had stayed nearby; Colt had plenty of
land, and he had subdivided it into our own little Timeless community. The homes
were built far enough apart to give us space, but close enough to join with paths
through the forest. We had weekly dinners that Lilly organized and alternated
the hosting homes. It was a family reunion every week.

“Beau!” Brogan’s voice echoed in the front hall, followed by
the sound of the front door closing. Heavy footsteps pounded down the hall to
the kitchen, and a tall, dark shadow paused in the doorway. “Son, you can’t
keep running off like that.”

Brogan took a breath and looked over at Colt. There were dark
circles beneath his green eyes, his black hair looked somewhat matted on the left
side, and his jacket was misbuttoned.

“I can’t figure out where he gets all this energy from.” He
shook his head and pushed the stray hair that fell onto his forehead back. “I
mean he doesn’t stop—ever.”

Beau smiled up at Brogan and then dashed off into the great
room.

“If he’s not crawling the walls, he’s yakking my ear off. And
if he’s not doing those two things, he’s eating everything in sight! And he’s only
five!”

I chuckled. I loved seeing Brogan like this, all his love and
attention focused on his family and not war. But then again, he waged his own
battles at home trying to keep up with all three children. I had been given the
opportunity to see the softer side of him. It was a side I’d rarely seen till his
children came along, a side I enjoyed.

“Is Layla at home with Maddy and Bleu?” I asked.

“Yeah, divide and conquer. Beau will be starting school next
fall. We’re hoping that’ll help. At least Layla and I will only have one each
to contend with while he’s gone.” Brogan pushed his hair back again. “Poor
teacher who has him as a student…” he muttered before his eyes brightened. “Did
I tell you Layla found a cat in the fridge last week?” He shook his head and
tried to hide his smile. “When she asked Beau why he put the cat there, his
reply was that it was hungry and thirsty.”

Colt and I burst into laughter. Colt moved closer to Brogan
and slapped him on the shoulder. “I bet you never saw that coming!” Colt said.

A crash came from the great room and Brogan sighed, taking
large steps to the doorway. “I have no idea what he’s done now, but I’m sorry. I’ll
pay for it.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing, Brogan,” I replied, knowing I’d Beau-proofed
the house years ago.

Brogan and Colt stopped inside the doorway searching for the
mess, when I moved past them, and eyed the set of books that had been knocked
from the coffee table. I bent to pick them up.

“I told you it was nothing.” I began
arranging them on the table when a sharp pain in my stomach overwhelmed me. A groan
escaped me, and I grabbed my stomach and I doubled over.

“Chey?” Colt rushed to my side, his hand resting on my back.
“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know,” I muttered, breathless with the pain.

“Chey?” Beau’s squeaky voice said, as his little fingers
touched my head. “What’s wrong? I thought you were happy cuz I brought your shoe
back?”

I looked up to see his head tilting down at me. “You did a
good thing bringing me back my shoe, Beau, and I’m happy. I just don’t feel very
good right now.”

His innocent eyes lit up. “I’ll get Callon. He fixes
everything!” He stomped his foot and took off running before Brogan could stop him.

Brogan sighed. “Looks like we’re going to get Callon. We’ll
be back, Cheyenne. Just hold tight.” His footsteps disappeared and then the
front door closed. The scrabbling of nails caught my attention, and soon Ember
and Moab were beside us, tails wagging and noses sniffing.

Colt rubbed my back tenderly. “Your stomach?”

I nodded, trying not to move.

“Is this the first time you’ve had this type of pain?”

“Sort of,” I replied, gripping my stomach tightly.

“Sort of?” he repeated.

“It’s never been this bad.”

His hand stopped moving. “Can I lift you to the couch or
carry you to bed?”

“Not yet, but I’m sure it’ll subside soon.” I tried to take
slow, deliberate breaths to ease the pain. Chances were, this was linked to the
reason my emotions had been a little off lately. I’d lost track, but likely it was
time for my cycle to appear again, and the last time I had one it was bad. It was
at the cabin with the boys, and I mainly remember yogurt being mutilated. How
many years ago was that?

“When was the last time it happened?” Colt asked probing further.

Ember and Moab were now lying on the floor in front of me, watching
with curiosity.

“Last week, I was walking the dogs…and a few days ago in the
shower.” I moved to lie on my side, curling my legs into my chest. He brushed
the hair from my eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” His brow creased with worry.

“I didn’t think it was a big deal. It’s likely cramps and has
to do with my cycle, Colt. It’s been a long time.”

“Or it could be something more. It’s not like you haven’t had
your fair share of injuries. Maybe it’s related to one of those.”

“This is why I didn’t tell you. You’re overreacting.” I
squeezed his hand. “It’s nothing. Callon will check me out and give the all clear,
okay?”

Moab’s head perked up and he leapt to his feet and rushed
from the room. Ember followed close behind. The front door flew open, and Beau
once again raced into the great room.

“I got him for you, Chey!” he said, proudly smiling. “We ran
the whole way too!”

“Thank you, Beau,” I replied.

The sounds of multiple footsteps came behind him. Great, he
brought more than just Callon. I knew it would be mere moments until the entire
family arrived on our doorstep.

“Colt, can you carry me to the bedroom now?” I asked.

He didn’t hesitate as he gently lifted me and carried me to our
bed. I was right: more than Callon and Brogan had arrived. Koda was here too. Brogan
and Koda hovered just inside the room, while Beau jumped up on the bed beside me.
I rolled onto my side, folding my legs tightly into my stomach to protect it.
Beau’s tiny fingers rubbed my back as he tried to comfort me.

“Cheyenne,” Callon said, “can you tell me what’s going on that
you got Beau all worked up?”

“She doesn’t feel good,” Beau stated firmly. “Like I told you.”

“Yes, Beau, I got that. But let’s have Cheyenne answer this
time, okay?” Callon replied.

Beau released a huff of air and sat cross-legged, his arms folded
tight on his chest.

“It’s my stomach, cramping,” I answered.

“I’m going to need to examine you. Can you roll over on your back?”
He moved to sit beside me, and gently touched my arm.

I nodded and Brogan reached over, plucking Beau from the bed.

“But, Dad!” Beau cried. “She needs me!”

“Callon’s here now, son. Let him take over,” Brogan replied.

Callon helped me roll to my back, and I winced as the
movement caused pain to ripple across the lower portion of my stomach. I
pressed my eyes closed for a moment, and opened them to see concern in his.

“Can I?” he asked, his hand hovering over my lower belly.

I nodded.

He pulled my shirt up, and began gently pressing his fingers
over my stomach, stopping from time to time as he watched my reaction. The
lower his fingers went, the more I winced. He continued his probing for a few
minutes before he stopped just above my pelvic bone.

“That hurts there?”

“Yes.”

He stared at me a moment before drawing my shirt back down
and glancing at Colt.

“Ask Daniel to bring over the portable ultrasound machine. I
want to take a deeper look before we go any further.”

Colt nodded and then stared at me. He didn’t need a phone to ask
Daniel to bring the equipment over; he was close enough to speak to him telepathically.
Though over six years had passed, Callon couldn’t speak to his brothers this
way anymore. It didn’t seem to bother Callon, but it bothered me. He had given
up his powers so I could live. He’d also given up ruling the Consilador clan.

I knew his choice was made based on more than keeping me alive;
it was because of his actions. He was fearful of what he’d become after
bypassing the rings’ powers. He’d met The Overseer, Adele, a powerful ancient
Timeless from the clans’ first founding. Adele had chosen to live apart from
the other Timeless, but instead became an observer; a watcher who ensured the
clans didn’t destroy each other. As a watcher, she had never interfered—until
now.

She’d seen the Timeless fate and made a choice to take
action. She chose Callon to share limited knowledge with in hopes of preventing
our destruction. And while the final outcome of saving my life likely wouldn’t
have changed, Callon did the unspeakable. He bypassed the power of the rings in
an effort to try and help end the war.

I didn’t need to speak to him to know what he had done; his
memories of it were left intact with me because his powers ran through my
veins. He feared his future, saw visions of what he’d become—no different than
Makhi, Jorell, or Marcus. He’d go mad with the power, and it would destroy him like
it had done with the others. He had to give his powers up, because they were
tainted now.

At first I was fearful of the powers, especially the clan powers
that were passed over to Colt. But we realized they weren’t Callon’s powers, only
the Consilador clan’s powers. Because Callon removed himself from being the clan
leader, gave up his clan powers to Colt, the infection didn’t pass on. Colt was
safe; however, we were never completely sure of my safety. Dex and Callon
researched, and from the small bit of information they found, they came to the
conclusion that the infection of powers stayed with the original person who
bypassed the rings. So if Callon ever got his powers back, there was a chance
he could become like Marcus and the others. It was a chance we weren’t willing
to take.

The knowledge should’ve died with Makhi and Marcus, so the
Timeless clans would never have the temptation again. But it lived on in my
head because Callon had performed it, and it was a heavy burden to bear. I knew
I’d never use it, but just knowing the knowledge was at my fingertips, that the
potential was there, was unnerving.

The flash of a dark shirt brought me out of my thoughts. Daniel
had arrived. Daniel greeted me as he always did, with a twinkle in his blue
eyes and a smile on his face; however, he was somewhat subdued as he handed the
equipment over to Callon.

“Heard you’re not feeling well, Chey,” Daniel said quietly as
he watched Callon setting up the equipment.

“Come on, Beau,” Brogan said, tugging on his son’s hand. “It’s
time for us to leave.”

“But Chey needs us!” he cried as Brogan lead him out the
door.

“I’ll come with you,” Koda said, feeling a bit uncomfortable himself.

Colt moved to the other side of the bed, his gaze remaining steadily
on mine. He brushed his hair back from his eyes as he sat and took hold of my
hand. He didn’t need to say a word for me to know he was worried. I could also see
he wanted to ask Callon more questions, but not the kind he wanted me to hear.

It’ll be okay, Colt,
I said in my thoughts, knowing it was only by Callon’s powers that I was able
to do it. Callon will figure it out, and it’s
going to be fine. I’m sure it’s just because I haven’t had a period in a long time.
I kinda figured when I did, it’d be bad. Remember the time at the cabin? I went
a little nuts. I smiled and squeezed his hand, trying to reassure him.

He didn’t answer, not that I expected him to. I rarely spoke
to him in my thoughts. I usually blocked him. It was bad enough having Maes
probe me from time to time. I didn’t need him or Daniel rattling up around in there
too. It was an unspoken agreement I had with the two of them. Maes, however, was
a different story.

Callon lifted my shirt again, and pulled my yoga pants down slightly
as he squirted gel across my belly. I jumped from the chill. I swallowed and
took a breath The pain was finally subsiding, as it had the past couple of
times.

Satisfied with the machine’s settings, Callon moved the wand
towards me, gliding it across the upper and then lower portions of my stomach. I
stared at the screen, dumbfounded. It looked like a bunch of blobs with light
and dark shadows. He held it still for a few moments, and then traced over the
same spot several times before he pulled the wand back and smiled.

“I think we’ve found your problem, Cheyenne,” Callon said, deliberately
pausing as he glanced between Colt and me. “You’re pregnant.”

My jaw dropped, and I blinked. Colt’s hold grew tighter
around my fingers.

“Wait…what?!” I cried.

“Babies, Cheyenne,” Callon answered.

“Don’t I have to pee on a stick or something? Or at least have
a blood test done before you can come to that conclusion?”

This time it was Colt’s turn. “Babies?” Colt repeated.

“Two, or at least what I can tell so far with this initial
ultrasound. I want to do more testing because she’s been cramping, and then
schedule her with our OB-GYN in Helena.” He glanced at me again. “I’ll have you
pee on a stick if that’s what you want, Cheyenne, and the doctor in Helena will
do the blood work. But it’s not going to change the fact that I can see your
babies. I want you to rest for today, then tomorrow come over to my clinic.”

Colt answered for me. “Okay.”

I looked up at Colt, his eyes dancing in delight. He held up
two fingers and chuckled. Daniel jumped across the room and Colt and grabbed
him in a hug.

“You’re having twins!” Daniel cheered. “I can’t wait to tell
Bree!”

“What?!” Brogan demanded as he and Beau dashed into the room.

“Did I hear twins?” Koda repeated, following in behind them.

“Yes, twins!” Colt gushed and rounded the bed to meet Brogan and
Koda’s hug.

Brogan slapped him on the back as they separated, while Beau
squealed, “Chey’s havin’ a baby!”

Their laughter and joy nearly overwhelmed me while I lay there
and tried to take it in.

Dear lord, I was having twins…