Cloud Riders (Lord of the Planets)

by Debbie Behan

  Kayden’s Near Loss

  ‘Let’s make a move, Kayden.’ Woody stood up, steadying himself with the table. Shit! Talk about overdoing it. ‘It’s late and the horses need tending to.’ He slurred a little.

  ‘Is the traitor still out there? I’m not in the mood for any more lies,’ Kayden said, not looking forward to dealing with the woman who had secretly withheld who she was. Worse though was the way she sneakily wormed her way into his world and now blatantly threw his love back at him by lying.

  ‘Old man Cross told me she’s long gone.’ Woody staggered, pulling him up. ‘Come on. She’s with her dad now and good riddance to the lying bitch.’

  ‘You’re right. We can’t stay here forever soaking in our stupidity. I can’t believe I was so sucked in. All I know is she better keep right away from me from now on. If I get my hands around her bloody throat I’ll squeeze the life out of her.’

  Jason came around the other side of Kayden, helping Woody steady him as he walked. ‘Maybe we should go and put out the wizards star that she’s on and then she’s on her own with no one. I tell you now if I had my time over, I would have not only hit her with the damned car but reversed back over her again. Sorry, boss but she’s a no-good, lying, bitch. I should have stuck to my first impression of her. She’s a whore all right—did us all over. All that bullshit about being innocent. She faked it all.’

  ‘Shut up, Jason, I’ve had enough already. If I hear her name mentioned again, even whispered around me, I’ll go crazy, I’m so livid.’ Kayden kicked a chair that was in his way, then tried to calm down enough to say goodbye to the Cross family. He did manage a slurred thankyou for their hospitality and an incoherent apology. He hoped they hadn’t spoilt the night by brooding about the traitor Cassie. They had tried hard not to talk about it unless they were not being listened to, but he was sure the younger son knew what they were saying as he kept throwing Kayden angry looks. He tried to tell Kayden he was under some sort of influence. Yeah right, he thought angrily.

  They mounted their horses and Kayden could hardly wait to get back home and think straight. The dark cloud hanging over him felt like a monkey on his back, mocking him at every turn. He wasn’t even feeling upset about never seeing her again. Just so Goddamned, bloody angry with her.

  They hit the clouds and like magic his mind cleared. He felt bile rise to his throat as he realised just what he’d been doing: thinking and saying spiteful, insulting crap about his Cassie all night. His neck cracked as he spun around quickly, viewing the rest of his men. They too had snapped out of it and were feeling the wave of guilt and ill feeling that had hit him.

  ‘What have we just done?’ was all he could say to them before he threw up. He was shaking with revulsion at how he had treated his princess. What had happened? Confused, his hands gripped hard against his aching head, glad that Zoltan knew the way home because he was too beside himself with disgust at his behaviour to even think about the trip. Pain gripped at his insides as he groaned. He felt like the biggest bastard ever.

  It was dead quiet, not a sound. He looked around to see if the men were still with him. Woody looked worse than he felt. Kayden dropped back and rode in between Woody and Jason. We must have been under a spell, surely, he relayed.

  Woody nodded but was having trouble even thinking. His eyes were glued in front of him.

  What if she never comes home? Aldebaran has powers we have no idea how to fight. She thinks we hate her. How will we ever get her back if he keeps the spell on her? She’ll never believe anything we say. ‘God,’ Kayden groaned out load, breaking the no-talking rule.

  Woody finally found his voice. ‘We should have guessed he would do something underhanded. He’s the most goddamned evil lord in the whole galaxy. We should have come straight back home instead of thinking about a bloody good time. On top of what bastards we all feel, Zoren will be furious we’ve lost her. Magic or no magic, it will never be a good enough excuse for any of this mess.’

  ‘Jeez, what were we thinking?’ Jason frowned. ‘We know how little and helpless she is compared to all of us. With all our strengths and powers we must have looked so frightening to her when we were attacking her about the story she was trying to tell us.’

  ‘How could we have been so cruel?’ Conor said and then cursed in a different language.

  Kayden shuddered at the thought of five big blokes twice the size of her, all glaring down in disbelief, nothing but anger and contempt on their faces. He moved back in front of them, not wanting to picture any more of their fears in his head as well as his own.

  They reached the ranch and walked their horses into the stables and a huge sigh of relief came from within them as they spotted Starburst. Kayden looked up, thanking the heavens above, while Starburst shook his head at them with disgust in his eyes. Kayden didn’t care how he looked at him, he had never been so happy to see him. It meant Cassie was still here on earth.

  He dropped Zoltan’s reins and left his horse where it stood. With his heart just about in his throat he ran into the house, praying she was inside even though there were no lights glowing through any of the windows to say someone was there. The bedroom door was closed and he knew that he’d left it open. He was hoping against all odds she hadn’t packed her stuff in a backpack and shot through. He opened it slowly. He could hear her light little breaths and his legs shook at the emotions running though him. He wanted to wake her and beg her forgiveness but feared he would scare her, having made her so angry she might accidentally blow him into a million pieces.

  She’s here, men. I don’t care where you bed down tonight but I am going to go hold my woman and hope when she wakes she forgives me.

  Before he even finished sending the message to them, Woody was at his side. ‘Are you sure she’s in there? It’s so dark, I can’t see a thing,’ he whispered, peering in too.

  Kayden nodded. ‘I can hear her breathing. Listen: so sweet and melodious. Thank God.’

  Woody nodded. ‘Yes, I can hear it now too. That potion must have made her too sleepy to run. Even our whisperings aren’t disturbing her even a little. The guys and I will bunk in the barn for the night. None of us are dealing with this real well. Wake us when she gets up, okay?’

  Kayden nodded. He closed the door nervously and walked over to the bed. He slipped out of his clothes and slid in carefully next to her, trying not to wake her. She was like a magnet and rolled into him as soon as she felt him. He tried to stop shaking as he pulled her into him. God, she feels so good to hold. He prayed she would forgive him and stay in his arms like this forever. He lay there thinking about the first time he had held her. She had been on the side of the road, covered from head to toe in red dust, her face screwed up, holding back sobs of pain. Yet he felt her relax at his touch before she had opened up her gorgeous eyes for him. He was so shaken he had trouble breathing. Even picking her up to put her on the truck, her delicate little frame had just seemed to gently mould into his as if he’d been holding her all his life. He remembered getting really drunk with Jase to stop himself from going out into the barn and holding her during the night. In the light of the morning, Jason had finally convinced him that she was another plant and they should get rid of her before she worked her evil into him any further.

  Kayden cleaned her up a bit before he took her home. He dragged her outside roughly, hosing the crap off her, angry she still had such an effect on him. Then he had deliberately watched her undress to see how confident she was, waiting for the so-called spy to throw herself at him further. He was shocked she was so shy. She went bright red as she removed her wet things, knowing he was watching her, so red in fact, her whole body seemed to take on the crimson shade. It was then that he had spotted her nasty bruises and the look she gave him was so wounding he had to get away from her. His stomach had turned that night for being so cruel, hosing her and leaving her in the barn like an animal. This night and then, were the only two times in his entire life he ever remembered feeling that sick. He pulled h
imself together, showered, and with every intention of taking her back where he found her, had marched out to the shed. Kayden had listened to Jason and knew he was right, she had to go. Seeing her curled up on the hay his whole body and mind weakened with the sweet look on her face. As he picked her up, he knew she was different and took her into his home and his heart, all in the same night.

  Cassie moved in his arms and it shocked him back to reality. His mind had been going over every detail of their time together. He noticed when he joined her in bed that she was naked and his heart bounded heavily, holding her bareness against him, knowing this might be for the last time if he couldn’t convince her he was sorry. There was no way he could sleep either because if he nodded off for just a few minutes and she woke, she might slip away in the night. He shook his head lightly, forcing himself to stop feeling so drugged by her nearness.

  He stopped reminiscing and looked outside the window, watching as the sun touched the glass, the glare making him blink. Any other time he would be up now, tending to the horses, but this morning the whole universe could go to hell and he would still just lie here and wait. Yes, I will wait even though all the tough-man shit is threatening to cave and reduce me to a sobbing, blubbering, bloody mess if she rejects me. At the thought he started to shake uncontrollably at the mistake he had made in not bringing her straight back here.

  Mending Hearts

  Cassie had put Starburst in the stable and given him water, hay and a big kiss for bringing her home. She had gone inside and looked around, feeling too exhausted to even think straight. After a shower she walked into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her. Even as her mind growled at her to get changed and be on her way, the bed was just too enticing. Just a couple of hours won’t hurt, she thought as she threw the towel aside and slipped under the cool sheets. She would easily be gone by the time they made it back, knowing what time they normally arrived home.

  She lay for a few minutes, contemplating what she was going to do with herself now. Yawning, she rolled onto her side, too tired to even think straight. Whatever Aldebaran gave her to drink had totally mucked with her head and without another thought she drifted off to sleep. She hadn’t even felt Kayden come into bed. Yet now awake, she could feel she was all wrapped up in his arms. She tried to wiggle out and not disturb him but he only held her tighter, not letting her get up. He was awake and shaking but not talking. Is it his shaking that woke me? Is he angry? she thought, but couldn’t tell.

  ‘Please don’t leave me.’ His voice broke the silence. He was so upset that Cassie was gob-smacked.

  ‘I don’t understand. You don’t trust me, why would you want me to stay? You’re hardly making any sense. If we have no trust, our love is a lie.’

  He lent over, his face full of sorrow. ‘I do trust you, Cassie. I don’t know what came over me. I was so scared when you disappeared. I knew the wizard had you and that he might do something to you and even knowing all that, I still couldn’t help the dark feelings that came over me when you came back to us. It was as if I was under some kind of spell. It wasn’t until we moved into the clouds that our minds cleared. I promise we’re not like that—none of us are. We’re all so shaken up for what we did to you. Please stay, Cassie and give us a chance to make it up to you. I love you and the boys all adore you. This is all crazy. We know you,’ he said and allowed a sob to escape as he buried his face into her hair, kissing it.

  Cassie breathed out all the nasty thoughts she had and sighed with understanding. ‘I get it now. I told Aldebaran I was in love with you so he must have used some black magic on me to break us up. Now I know why he desperately wanted me to have that drink, a potion to repel you and make me look untrustworthy. With nowhere else to go he most likely thought I’d call him, knowing full well you would have all disowned me. That sneaky son of a bitch! Well, it backfired because he didn’t count on Starburst being smart enough to know his way home on his own.’

  ‘It had to be that,’ Kayden was agreeing. ‘I would never dream of treating you so appallingly. I’m so ashamed. You have no idea what a blessing it was when I came home and found you in bed. It was such a relief that you hadn’t run a mile from me, from us.’

  ‘I too was under the drug. Calm but just so tired. Hardly able to stay awake or think straight. The potion was obviously meant to keep me in a dreamy state of mind so I’d go to him as if it were nothing. It is only because Starburst is so clever I am here now. You know, he may have just saved us from being on opposite sides. That old man of mine, if he really is of course, has a bloody lot to answer for next time we meet. I won’t be falling for any more of his potions either,’ she said, now understanding what had gone down and feeling ticked off with Pops.

  Kayden was still very emotional as he spoke. ‘I’ve been lying here most of the night, not game to sleep in case you woke up and left before I had a chance to beg you to stay. Please say you forgive me, Cassie. I’m so very sorry.’

  ‘I’m sorry too, Kayden but I do have to go.’ And then she smiled. ‘But only to go to the little girl’s room and then I’ll be right back,’ she said, teasing him a little.

  He knew she was trying to joke and lighten the moment and he tried giving her a smile before he rolled off her. But she could feel his emotions as he watched her walk to the door and knew he was still devastated about the whole situation.

  When Cassie slipped back into the bedroom, he had his arm across his eyes, still miserable for what he had put her through. It was hardly fair for him to take all the responsibility; Aldebaran also had a lot to answer for. She eased into him very gently and he put his arms back around her as she tried to find the words to heal the moment. ‘Next time a big black blanket attacks me, can you at least get me back to the clouds before you stop and talk to me?’ she squeezed herself closer to him. ‘Also, maybe not talk to me until the next morning just in case.’ She kissed him around his neck. ‘Because there is so much more we can do to pass the time away while we’re waiting for the spell to break,’ she whispered, kissing his lips.

  His arms wrapped around her affectionately as he deepened the kiss, his love for her sending warm pulses through her body, luring her into his magical world. Cassie smiled, knowing that not even a wizard could break up a love like their’s forever.

  After she caught her breath and Kayden had fallen into a restful sleep, she left him to nap and headed for the kitchen. If the others were feeling like him, they would also need some of her forgiveness. The best way she knew to show them that was to cook some yummy food for when they surfaced. Within no time at all, hot sausage rolls, cheese scones, and chocolate muffins were being pulled from the oven and the third batch of pancakes had been flipped from the pan. While she worked she thought about all the happy times they had together and mixed all that love into what she made. She was just flipping the last pancake and putting the last batch of scones in the oven, when Kayden came out. He came over, more confident and so much happier now.

  ‘That smells so good,’ he said, kissing her neck. Cuddling in behind her, he looked over her shoulder. ‘Looks and smells delicious, honey. If this aroma doesn’t wake the men up, nothing will. You’re one of them now you know and they’re not happy with how this trip went down. They slept out in the shed. They wanted to be here when you woke up so they could say sorry too.’

  ‘Well, I kinda figured they wouldn’t be far away if they were feeling as bad as you were. You think this should cheer them up a bit?’

  Just as she finished saying it, the door flew open and they bounded in.

  ‘While you lot chat, I’m just going to have a quick shower,’ he said, kissing her cheek and ducking past a worried Woody who was heading straight for her.

  ‘I feel rotten, Cassie,’ he said, looking like he had barely slept.

  She put down the tea towel and put her arms out for a hug. ‘I thought my cooking would bring you to me.’

  Jason came over and made it a group hug. ‘We were all such mongrels to you and yet here
you are, cooking up a storm and making all our favourite foods. Does this mean we’re forgiven?’ he said, kissing her all over the side of her face and making her giggle.

  Then Conor and Ethan came in, joining the fun and making her giggle even more as they struggled to be the ones closest to her. They were all laughing and feeling better by the time Woody snatched Cassie up in his arms and pulled her from them. His warm smile and sweet face was all she needed to see to know that was how they all felt. There was a connection that none of them could deny. What one of them felt, they all did.

  Once the others behaved, he put her back down so she could flip the pancakes still in the pan. ‘Cassie, you know that even though Aldebaran is your father and may not harm you, we have to be mindful he is capable of these types of dirty tricks aimed at breaking us up.’

  Cassie flipped the pancakes out onto the dish. ‘We were all pretty gullible, Woodsta, allowing Pops to have his way with us, me included. But we shouldn’t let our work and the magic world up there interfere with our private time together down here. We have to become stronger than this and trust it will be okay the morning after each mission or the wizard has won.’

  Woody agreed, brushing a little bit of flour gently off Cassie’s cheek and smiling. She turned and pulled the last batch of scones out of the oven, asking Jason and Ethan if they wanted to start organising the coffees while she set the table. Kayden and Woody helped her while Conor poured out juices for everyone. At the table, Cassie watched the guys eating and chatting and as the food hit their empty stomachs she could see them not only sounding happier but looking so much better too. She grinned inwardly, knowing she had stronger magic than her father did. She had the most powerful weapon in the universe. It was called love, and she baked it into all the food that was enjoyed, right down to the last crumb.