Cloud Riders (Lord of the Planets)
Read Cloud Riders (Lord of the Planets) Online
Authors: Debbie Behan
Table of Contents
Kayden Confides in his Princess
The constellation Aquarius with a Twist
Ophiuchus Constellation - The Ruler and Physician King Lepius
Published 2012 by Butterfly Kiss Books
Copyright © 2012 by Debbie Behan
All rights reserved.
These stories are works of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the author or the publisher.
ISBN: 978-0-9874013-1-1
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Preface
Zoren is the archangel, protector and guardian of the solar system. Hidden, home worlds on Planets, Moons and Stars spiral out of control by the greedy, immortal tyrants and warlords that rule them. The ‘Lord of the Planets’ series will take you to many of these worlds as a crack team of super powerful riders, our universal peacekeepers, are summoned to neutralise many volatile situations.
Employed by Zoren, Kayden Hunter is in command of a select group of men enforce law and order. Kayden fights today, not only to keep his team alive but also to control the most powerful woman the galaxy has ever known.
Princess in a New Land
A couple of days ago Cassie had a home and a nanny that catered to her every need.
Suddenly, her whole world had transformed and she found herself alone and miserable. Cassie’s last memory of home was a hand covering her eyes and a smelly cloth held against her mouth. The fumes had burnt her throat.
She woke in a dark metallic crate; the sides felt like aluminium. It seemed no bigger than a packing box. She could feel that her ears were pressurised and she cried out as her body slammed into the sides of the container. It was obvious it was being unloaded.
‘Ouch!’ she screamed out as the container landed with a thump. Her bottom hit hard and she felt her whole spine adjust, and not in a good way. Cassie was unable to stand up in the confined space and she started to cry, not yet able to grasp what was going on. The drugs she had been given were still making her groggy.
Her sobs were so heavy that her lungs and stomach began to hurt from the deep gulps of air she was trying to suck in. Cassie tried closing her eyes, which didn’t help either. Her head ached and she felt violently ill from the smell of herself being locked up for she didn’t even know how long
.
She thought it might have been a couple of days by the way her stomach twisted with hunger and she was so dehydrated, her sobs were waterless.
She heard someone turning a key in the padlock on the door and she sat very still, waiting for a face to peer in at her. Cassie shook with fear as she listened to the sound of doors slamming as the vehicle sped off. It was only then that reality sank in.
I’ve been left to die.
Cassie’s adrenalin kicked in; feral instincts made her howl like an animal. She lashed out with her legs, booting the section where she had heard the key used. It was stuck. Cassie curled her legs tight and pounded on the door. After using every ounce of strength she could muster, the door fell open.
She stayed inside for a long time, scared to look at where she was. She focused her eyes. The scorching sun stung and bit into her pupils as it shone inside the crate. All she knew was that she had been dropped off in bushland somewhere.
Cassie finally plucked up courage and ventured out, forcing her aching body to walk towards a dead tree that had toppled over nearby. Using one of the stumps that jutted out, she undid the knot that bound her hands together. Cassie wiped her face, stood up and realised that even though her body was stiff and sore she had finally been released from her captivity. She was happy to be alive. Free at last!
Cassie stretched, glancing around for water, a sign, or a road to follow. The vehicle must have veered a long way off the main road to get her to where she was, as there were only tyre marks in the dirt as far as she could see. If I follow the tracks, will they lead me back to the road? Or is it a trick to take me further away from civilisation?
Disorientated, she decided to head in the opposite direction, not trusting her kidnappers. The bush began to thin out until there were just sparse trees and bushes that poked out of the fine and powdery red dirt. She frowned as a whirlwind picked up the red sand, stinging her eyes and sticking to her clothes and body where she was perspiring.
‘Great,’ she grumped. ‘Now I must really look a sight
.’
She gazed down at herself, wondering if she did find a road if someone would pick her up. I look and smell disgusting. The wind whipped up again. She could barely see two feet in front of her and the heat in the wind was unbearable. Have they dumped me in a desert somewhere? She wiped the dirt off her face and hands but it just smeared and felt worse. Every step she took she forced herself against the strong wind. How much worse can this get? She trudged along, trying to find some sign of civilisation.
Cassie thanked the heavens when she finally stumbled across a road and found a sign. Left will apparently take me to a mining town called Mt Newman, right to a town called Perth. Mt Newman was only a few miles away. She wasn’t sure how long it had been since she had eaten and there had been no sound of a car. Therefore, walking was her only option and she begun to trek her way along the dusty, partly covered road towards Mt Newman.
The sun beat down on her fair skin and the wind scorched her arms and face. Sadness overwhelmed her as she realised she might die before getting to the town. Thirst took over her every thought as she pushed harder against the howling wind.
Keep moving! She kept yelling at her body.
S
urely it couldn’t be far now. The thought swam around in her mind repeatedly.
She heard a car coming. A horn blasted. Turning in her dazed state, Cassie realised that she was walking in the middle of the road. The utility truck skidded to a stop. Pain screeched within her as she fell and rolled herself away from the loud motor.
‘What the hell were you doing walking in the middle of the damned road?’ she heard one of the men say as he checked her body to see if she had broken a limb.
Cassie shaded her eyes and saw another man leaning up against the truck with a smug look on his face. ‘Just leave her, Kayden. How many times have spies tricked us like this? Get us to feel sorry for one of the enemies very own so we take them in, using them to expose us? Christ knows where this one’s been. She’s so filthy she’d probably give you a disease just touching her or maybe that’s the plan. If we don’t get sick they’ll be sure they’re on to something.’
‘Shut up, Jason, she could be hurt. Just give me a sec.’
‘You’re a bloody vet! What can you do anyway? Let’s get out of here and leave her to her own luck. Someone will be along shortly and they can deal with the scrubber.’
‘And if you’re right, we need to know what enemy camp she’s come from.’ He straightened her out, slid his arms under her and picked her up as if she weighed nothing.
‘She’s not getting in my bloody car,’ Jason grumbled.
Cassie caught her breath and coughed but the dryness stopped her from talking. She wanted to tell them to leave her alone. Instead she just stared helplessly at the one called Kayden.
‘Help me get her in the car, Jason, and stop being a jerk.’
Jason moved to the back of the utility truck, unclipping the canvas cover and dropping down the tailgate, helped Kayden pick her up. ‘Put the dirty bitch in the back of the truck then. There’s no way I’m putting up with that smell all the way home.’
The two men were rough when they put Cassie down. Her head ached as Kayden shoved a rolled-up towel under it.
‘You know, she might be just one of the whores from out of town trying to run away. One took off only a few weeks ago, remember. Something to do with being under new management.’
‘Maybe we can put her to good use.’ Jason slapped his side with renewed vigour. ‘Hot damn, it’s been a while! Could I really be that lucky?’
‘Whatever, stud! We at least need to try to find out what we’re dealing with here first. It’s one of our hottest days and she won’t last long out here in the condition she’s in.’
Cassie passed out.
When she came to, she was in a horse stable in a barn. She was lying on hay and she was itchy everywhere it touched. It was dark and she was freezing but at least the moon was full and giving her some light. Next to her she could see a bottle of water and three biscuits on a plate. The thought crossed her mind that they might be laced with drugs but she was far too hungry to care. Nervously anticipating her fate and yet unable to stay awake long enough to do anything about it, she fell back to sleep.
When she woke again, she had a horse blanket on her that smelled worse than she did. The plate had gone but the bottle had been refilled. Giving thanks, she drank the water in gulps. Cassie jumped and put the bottle down when she heard steps. She scurried into the corner and tried to hide: her meeting of the two men had not made her comfortable about being around them at all. Her body froze as the man called Kayden moved towards her and dragged her out, his fingers digging into her arm.
He threw her out of the stables and turned a freezing-cold hose on her. She rolled into a foetal position out of instinct to stop it stinging the cuts. He kept asking ridiculous questions that made no sense and even though he was a bully and hurting her, she made no sound. Cassie had watched movies about mistreatment. The abuser always felt more of a thrill if the victim screamed and begged, so she choked it back. He kept it up until he realised she wasn’t going to participate in his line of questioning, then grabbed her arm and threw her back in the stable. He tossed a clean pair of jeans and a shirt at her and said impatiently, ‘Get dressed, whore. I’m taking you home or wherever the hell you want to go. But you’re not staying here.’