by Debbie Behan
‘I’m okay.’ Caitlin was surprised he had worried.
Aldebaran kept calm as he spoke, which surprised them all. ‘Axon has trust in all his Riders, even the females in his team. They are well equipped with the power to handle even, as you so rudely stated, an evil little man such as me.’
Conom intervened. ‘I would watch what you say next, Orion. Caitlin is the only reason we have agreed to this sneaky goddamned treaty. And after you have apologised to Ald, you would do well to trust in her as we do.’
‘What, so it’s a deal.’ Orion’s mood instantly changed and he grinned in his strange blokey way and made them smile too.
‘Deal!’ Aldebaran shook his head. ‘How the hell I still agree to it after this just went down between us is beyond me, but it’s done.’
Conom stood with his arms crossed, the muscles flexing. ‘Caitlin has our backs, she promised us she will handle the treaty so if it isn’t the way the redhead just made us see it, we know you didn’t listen, and we’re coming back for revenge.’
With nose in the air, Caitlin huffed at them and tossed her hair to the side. ‘That will not be necessary and to prove how true to my word I can be, I have organised a little replacement for me while I go and arrange for the contract to be drawn up and pack a bag for my hunting trip. Someone I am sure you will all enjoy the evening with.’ She put out her hand. ‘Axon can you take me home?’
I guess I’m leaving.’ Axon stood up.
‘Hey, that’s not playing fair. We were expecting at least a few drinks to seal the deal. Maybe a few laughs.’ Conom eyed her, his frown noticeable.
‘Oh, I think you’ll still enjoy yourselves pretty much.’
Caitlin pointed to the sky, where a horse appeared through the overhead clouds. ‘This party is only just about to start. Have fun boys.’
‘Cassie!’ Kayden, Aldebaran and Conom said at once, grins from ear to ear.
‘She’s good!’ Aldebaran squinted his eyes at the glare, a suspicious smile at Caitlin.
‘Hell, she’s better than good.’ Kayden kissed her head as he raced past her to meet his woman.
Aurek, shocked by her sudden departure plans, looked confused.
‘You can pick me up tomorrow.’ She blew him a kiss as Axon transported her out, not waiting for a second longer to have time alone with her before she left him again.
Axon’s last line of sight was Aurek, well Orion. The pet name had begun to stick. The man had the biggest smile on his mug, and his damned woman had put it there. ‘Mongrel for taking my woman hunting,’ he mouthed, and Aurek broke up laughing. What he replied, Axon didn’t care. She was his for the next eighteen hours.
* * * *
On Ara and while Caitlin packed, Axon spoke to Jett.
‘That sneaky flaming nephew of mine is going to take her where?’
‘Hunting at some private location; he won’t tell me where, that’s the only thing.’
‘It’s okay, I can track her if I think she’s in any trouble.’
‘That eases my mind. With you keeping an eye on her too, she should be right then.’
‘Can’t talk her out of it?’
‘Nope! She tells me I’m not her husband yet so I can’t order her around.’
‘Sounds like Glow. Oh well, if her mind is made up, all we can do is keep tabs on them. If he is as good with her as he was here, there shouldn’t be any issues. If not, I’ll personally wring my nephew’s damned neck.’
Axon was pleased he could rely on a god such as Hades. Caitlin had done a remarkable job with him, but he also knew with all these men she had falling at her feet, he was going to have to step up and be more to her than them. It was him that wanted to be waiting at the end of the aisle when she said, I do. He had already started to understand the way the universe pushed her in different directions and each time, so far, it was for an outcome he could never have achieved so simply. He hung up, feeling much better. His intention would be to discuss the wedding when she returned, and he didn’t want any more excuses from her. Now, to find my woman and make her forget every other man alive. He was on his own mission now.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Hunting in the Wild
Hesitant on how to dress for something like a camping trip, Caitlin decided to put on shorts and thinly strapped singlet over a pair of bathers. Not having her magical beast to clothe her, she had to be prepared. All Aurek would give away was that the days were sometimes windy but humid and warm, nights cool. This had her try many hairstyles. In the end, braided sides were secured and clipped up with the rest of her hair. With sunnies tucked on her head for later, she had only just bent down to tie up her hiking boots when she heard voices.
Aurek had arrived, and Caitlin moved from her room and leant over the top floor landing. ‘Hi there, shorts and hikers okay?’
‘Perfect.’ Aurek sounded bright and grinned as he watched her run down the steps. She was glad they were alone, except for Nigel who fussed as she reached the bottom of the stairs, slipping on her backpack.
‘Is Axon here to see you off?’ Aurek glanced around.
‘Nope, he’s gone. Axon and the team had a call out early, so it’s just us. Whenever you’re ready, we can leave.’ She thanked Nigel, and he stood away from them.
Aurek didn’t have to be told twice. He was impatient to get an early start. With an arm around her shoulders, he transported them from her Home World, Ara.
* * * *
Caitlin blinked with the bright sunlight and slid her sunglasses over her eyes. A log cabin came into view, and by the thinness of the air, she knew they were up high on a mountain. The valley below was a long way down, and even the river that ran between the mountains seemed so far away.
‘It’s so green – peaceful – silent – not even the whistle of a bird and I get the strongest scent of pine and lavender.’
‘I’m glad it pleases you.’ He bent and picked up some pre-chopped wood from a pile beside the cabin and motioned for her to do the same. ‘The appeal of a good hunting trip is to cook what you catch.’
Caitlin struggled to pick up even one of the thick logs. ‘Guess we’re going to starve then.’ She shrugged, dusted her hands, straightened and followed him inside, empty-handed.
Once he dumped the wood by the fireplace, he turned and shook his head at her. ‘Sit down while I get another armful.’
You don’t have to tell me twice. The backpack was shrugged off her shoulders, and with a grin, she flopped onto the sofa and stretched out, arms under her head. ‘Well, come on! Quickly now!’
‘Up, lady muck!’ He helped her back to her feet. ‘Not letting you get away with that behaviour. One in, all in.’ He bullied her until he saw her hands and the ripped skin from the attempt to help. ‘Really, are your hands that delicate?’ He looked upset. ‘I know they felt soft, but geez Glow, you poor little pumpkin. And here you are acting all tough as if you didn’t hurt yourself.’
‘I’m sorry. I should have warned you how much work I am.’
He lifted her onto the bench and from a first aid kit in the drawer, dabbed her grazed skin with lotion and laid a plaster across each hand. ‘Please tell me in future to stuff off if I go flinging orders. I’m just not used to having someone so fragile.’ He kissed her hand, and the kindness made her smiled so brightly she glowed, literally. It took him by surprise, and he stepped back as the glow highlighted her hands before disappearing.
Caitlin chuckled at his reaction while she removed the plasters, and the afterglow took away the redness it left. ‘See, not so fragile after all. It’s better now.’
‘I know to be one of the Riders you are powerful, but to heal yourself, that’s beyond cool.’ He was flabbergasted. ‘The name Glow. That’s how you got it isn’t it?’
‘Yes, but sadly I didn’t do this.’ She held up healed hands. ‘My team mustn’t be too
far away from us, and it’s their magic I must have just tapped into. No – unfortunately I can’t just do it myself.’
‘That’s right, you mentioned they had left when I got there this morning. Hope I have you to myself.’
He saw her listen for something and smile. ‘Yes, all yours.’
‘Bet they were ticked off.’
‘That isn’t the word for it. The boys would have loved this, but even so, Rory would never intrude. No– they are up there somewhere working their tails off while I partake in this little adventure all on my own.’
‘With me!’
‘The two of us.’
‘Well, I’m happy today you were able to fix what I caused. You are off kitchen duties, soldier.’ He held her hand and searched for marks, but there was none. ‘Sorry, Glow.’
‘Accepted.’ Caitlin jumped off the bench. ‘Now I’m better, can we go?’ The warmth of light in her eyes flickered with excitement, and with it, Aurek felt a sudden adrenalin rush. In fast motion, almost quicker than the eye could follow, he had gone out, got another load of wood, placed it by the hearth and stood back in front of her.
‘Now we can go.’ He laughed as she slipped her arm through his, ready for transportation.
‘This time, lazy one – we walk.’ He picked up his backpack, tossed it over one shoulder, a gun over the other and left Caitlin to follow as they trudged along a narrow dirt track that took them farther up the mountain.
Yellow flowers brushed soft against her legs, and she couldn’t resist the urge to stop and touch them, which caused her to lag behind. Aurek saw her interest and thought her unusual that even the slightest things gave her such pleasure, so he picked one and put it in her hair. ‘A keepsake.’
He liked her smile and wondered if this trip was about hunting for either one of them. A ladybird that crawled on a branch now fascinated her. The intense expression as it now crawled on her hand was like a child’s and yet he knew her strengths; she fascinated him.
Higher up the hill, the air was thinner, and he heard her puffing and stumble at times after him. He stirred about her unfit state when she plonked down on a rock and drank a full bottle of water. ‘Too much lying around with that uncle of mine, he’s spoilt you, made you lazy.’
Instead of the usual teasing reply, her hand went up to stop him. ‘What’s that sound?’ she whispered.
There was dense bush not far from them and dropping down his backpack, gun in hand, he crept slowly towards it. ‘What do you want to catch for dinner? It may be a rabitto.’ He had them on their bellies waiting for it to come out.
‘Fish!’ she whispered and chuckled at his stunned look. ‘Just mucking with your head.’
He ignored her fooling around, rested the gun in her arms and held it steady for her. Knowing now how fragile his new friend was, he held it tight, so the force of it going off didn’t leave a bruise on her shoulder. Once aimed, he got her to squeeze the trigger. The sound made her jump.
‘That shut you up didn’t it? I bet life became real without the magic of your horse protecting you from sounds.’
‘Hell yes. Now I know I’ve been spoilt. That was loud.’ She slapped him playfully, ‘What happened to health and safety? Where are my blatzing earmuffs and goddamned safety glasses, rotten shytzter?’ It amused her to continue giving him a hard time until her ears stopped ringing. ‘Anyway…’ Her attention was back on the rabitto. ‘Did we get it? I’m not doing that again.’
’Direct hit. You got it, babe.’ He put the gun on lock and swung it over his shoulder.
Suddenly her mood lifted. ‘Wahoo! She jumped up and high-fived his outstretched hand.
They retrieved their kill, but all the bantering and laughing had scared the rest of the creatures off. The one they did get they took over to a little stream nearby. Here, Aurek cleaned, gutted and washing it in the fresh water before securing it tightly in a sack. As he worked, her fascination with all that surrounded them spiked curiosity. ‘Where are we? You can tell me now, I can’t blab where we are going to be followed.’ She chuckled at his half grin. ‘I mean, the Ruler from here must be so proud. This land is so plentiful and alive.’
‘This is the Home World of Mensa, named after the Ruler, Lord Mensa. This is one of my favourite constellations to frequent. The two of us have shared many hunting trips and go way back.’ He gestured towards the hills. ‘These are the Table Mountains of Mensa. When we get over the next rise, you should get a good view of his homeland if the mist has lifted by then.’
At the top, Aurek stood holding Caitlin on a cliff edge so she could see the village below. ‘It’s old English culture, only this one’s not in ruins.’ A few loose rocks fell as she strained to peer further over the steep overhang.
‘I gotcha,’ Aurek calmed her when she became nervous.
The castle below had been built into a mountain, and the architecture was quite exquisite. The roofs of the cottages towered up like witches’ hats, and a massive stone wall appeared to run around the full length of the township. She couldn’t help but get a warm feeling about the people; living so close to each other they would surely have to be a friendly community.
‘It’s so charming and check out the gardens. How meticulous are they!’
He was pleased she liked it and enjoyed her company as she chatted happily about what their lives must be like, while he steered them in search of some quail he knew rested not far away.
The journey back to the lake was educational, and Caitlin enjoyed every second of it. Aurek amused her when he snaked along the ground, aiming the gun up and to the left of him towards some quail. He was a big man and how he thought he was camouflaged was beyond her, but he did get his prey.
As they sat by the waters’ edge, Aurek showed how to pluck the birds while they were still warm. The feathers easily came out. A quick wash and they were in the bag with the rabitto.
She slapped her hands together to remove the fluffy residue before removing her shorts and a tank top and diving into the coolness. She was glad she had decided to wear a bikini underneath. The swim down proved to be further than she thought although she delighted at the clarity of the water, the bottom so visible she could see every brightly coloured stone. After a gasp for air and diving back down she went to retrieve one of the odd pebbles that caught her eye. Lifting out of the water and resting on a ledge, she washed the sand from it and admired the tones in the green stone.
Aurek joined her to see what she had discovered. He wasn’t surprised she had found something else to amuse her. It seemed, no matter where he took her, he too felt her joy of seeing this Home World for the first time. He wanted to study nature at its finest through her eyes.
‘What have you found this time?’ He sat beside her.
‘Not sure, thought it might be a gem.’ She held her hand out flat so he could see.
‘Ah – that is Torpez stones. This is the only world you will ever find them.’ He picked it up and held it to her neck. ‘Matches your eyes, and it would make a most impressive pendant.’ He handed it back. ‘Take it back with you.’
Her giggle muffled as she dived back down and positioned it where she found it. When she came up empty handed, Aurek looked confused.
‘I’d never take something so precious that doesn’t belong to me unless the owner wanted me to have one. It belongs here for others to find and admire.’
He shook his head. ‘You are one good young lady. I need to teach you to be a bad girl or those gods will eat you alive when you go back to work.’
‘I can be bad.’ She pulled a school teacher face that he laughed at.
‘Sure you can. How about we go and explore a little before that goody two shoe thing you have going on rubs off.’ He took her outstretched hand and pulled her out of the water. ‘I saw something go in behind the waterfall. Maybe there’s a cavity where we can catch something other than a stone.’
Both climbed the embankment and followed a slippery path behind the waterfall and into a cave. Caitlin ducked around Aurek and straight in ahead of him. He followed quickly, ready to snatch her up if there was something dangerous in it.
‘You’ve got no fear,’ he scolded. ‘What if you’re confronted by a begrizzo or who knows what else lives here?’
‘Then you can take out your big gun and shoot it.’
‘That’s of course if I had it on me,’ he retorted, unamused she was taking this so calmly. He had to take good care of her, and if she got even a scratch, he felt sure Axon would wring his neck.
She slipped her hand in his. ‘Come on, don’t wimp out on me now.’ She pulled at him to keep walking.
They got to an underground chamber, which gave them three options. As Aurek debated what tunnel to take first, she lunged at him from behind, making him think it was something coming at him. He jumped, and her squeal of delight cracked them both up as it echoed so loudly. A flutter from birds she’d scared had their eyes flick up to the roof where glow-worms rested, and their brightness lit up the cave. ‘Keep that up Glow, and I’ll throw you over my shoulder and take you home,’ he threatened.
She grinned. ‘Okay, I promise to behave.’ She kept her fingers crossed behind her back. Sure! Call me a goody two shoes! She chuckled silently.
The first corridor led nowhere. The second led into a cave of bats that hung upside down. The things were so big they were the size of a small human. It got her thinking. ‘Maybe vampires live here, and this is their incubator. Bet they’re in the next cave hanging by their human-like feet. If they chase us, I’ll protect you.’
‘Glow, you’re worse than taking a kid hunting, you’ve got such a vivid imagination,’ said Aurek, as they entered the next tunnel. ‘Anyway,’ he humoured her, ‘even if they did exist they could not exist in this hot sunny climate.’
Caitlin held his arm tightly, not giving in to his factual statement. ‘But I didn’t believe immortals existed until I became one,’ she whispered and ran off from him into the next cave.
