Cloud Riders (Lord of the Planets) (4 page)

Her face felt puffy and tear-stained but she didn’t care anymore. He had let his friend try to hurt her and her eyes filled up with anger at him. ‘I was calling for you. Why didn’t you help?’ she hissed.

‘I am not your carer, Cassie. Someone like you should know what to expect if you want to stay in a house full of men.’

‘What do you mean someone like me? I’ve never even been around men. How the hell was I to know what to expect?’

Kayden sucked in a breath and sighed. ‘How old are you?’

‘Nineteen. Why?’ she asked.

He seemed angry but controlled his voice. ‘You seem very young for your age and the way you look. You’re telling me that you’ve never had a serious relationship?’

‘None.’ She shook her head, feeling miserable and upset. ‘But that doesn’t mean I’m stupid and don’t know what feels wrong.’

‘Maybe you should realise that the grass is not greener on the other side and whatever happened or what tiff maybe you had with your folks you should suck it up and go home. How long have you been around this area for?’

‘Since the day you found me. I was just kind of left.’

He looked at her sharply. ‘What do you mean, left?’

‘Near where you found me. My parents sent me away. I’m a very bad person.’

‘You’re lying. Stop it. Tell me the truth,’ he cautioned her.

She choked back tears, outraged and indignant. She lifted her chin, squaring her shoulders and trying to control her voice. ‘I’m not fibbing. I heard my parents say they wanted me gone permanently. Next thing I know I woke up in an aluminium container of some sort, my lack of memory making it obvious they had drugged me. I travelled for a couple days by plane and afterwards by car. The container is there, near where you found me. I’m not a liar!’ She watched his disbelieving glare with tears streaming down her face. ‘They hated me, like you do now—and your friend does—and I don’t know why you do! I’ve done nothing to you except be useless at taking care of myself.’ She jumped off the back of the truck in frustration, wincing at the pain in her foot. ‘Ow!’ she squeaked, holding both hands to her reddened cheeks. She plopped on the ground, rocking back and forth, nursing her foot and her hurt pride.

‘You must know your story is bizarre and totally unbelievable.’ He put up his hands in a frustrated motion. ‘However, I’m inclined to give you the benefit of the doubt and check out your story. But trust me when I say that if there is no container, Cassie, and this is just to get my sympathy …’ Kayden didn’t finish. He just picked Cassie up and put her in the car. They drove back in silence. Cassie became nervous when she saw that the other car was still out the front. She held her breath and started to shake, not wanting to go inside.

Kayden could feel her fear and growled, ‘It’s okay. I won’t let him touch you. Just settle down. Shit, do I have to treat you entirely like a damned child? You act like you’re bloody ten years old.’ He picked her up, annoyed again, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, not letting him go. She didn’t care how cross he was; he was safer than the others were. He laid her on the bed and pried her arms from around his neck. He shook his head. ‘I still doubt your wild story, Cassie. However, if you’re telling me the truth and want my help, you will stay here until I get back. If you’re a liar, maybe it’s best if you were gone when I return,’ he said and left her.

She heard him talking, the noise of car doors opening and closing and the engine of the car starting up, after that silence. Cassie was glad they were all gone and now alone, hobbled to the bathroom to freshen up. She knew he told her to stay in the room but she smelt like the horse and needed a shower. Finding another shirt in the wardrobe, she put it on and lay back on the bed. Her foot was sore so she took his advice and decided to stay off it.

It was some time before she heard the car pull up again. Only one door opened and one set of footsteps came inside as the car drove off. Cassie could hear Kayden pacing in the sitting room and knew he must have found she wasn’t lying and was wondering what to do with her now. She was just about to get up when he opened the door and came in. You could have fried an egg on his face; it looked so hot and red. He seemed a little calmer as he changed the dressing on her foot.

‘I told you not to move. You’ve opened it up again.’

‘I had to go to the bathroom. While I was in there I showered as well,’ she said bravely.

‘I noticed you’ve cleaned up. You smelt like a horse when I brought you home,’ he joked.

Cassie giggled and he smiled back and kept fixing her foot. It was the first time he had even attempted humour and it was refreshing to see him actually smile at her. His face was so handsome when he did.

He didn’t speak for the rest of the day; he just lifted her wherever he wanted her to be while he worked through his jobs. They checked on the new foal and fixed a couple of fences before cleaning the stables. He was a hard worker and never seemed to stop. Cassie understood that he was so used to being on his own that having her around must have been why he seemed so frustrated. He was just a loner and happier to be by himself.

That evening they sat on the porch drinking coffee while they watched the sun set. Listening to the night creatures as darkness came made Cassie brim over with questions. The sounds filling the air were foreign to her. She questioned Kayden and he told her what they were. It was the first time they had really had a conversation that was more than simple politeness and it was nice just to listen to his honey-smooth voice that made her feel warm all over. When he was being just like that she could listen to him forever. He picked out the sounds for her and not only named the insects that made them but also gave her a description of their colours and shapes.

‘Your country is very different from what I have ever known.’ She turned and looked at him curiously. ‘Where am I? What country is this?’ Kayden seemed to get annoyed again and Cassie reacted by cringing away. ‘Don’t worry, I don’t need to know.’

It was a long time before Kayden answered. ‘You really don’t know?’ he asked.

Cassie lowered her eyes and felt stupid for having to ask. ‘I saw a sign when I first arrived that said Newman or Perth. I wasn’t very good at geography and those places don’t ring a bell.’

‘You’re on a farm a little way out of Mt Newman in Western Australia.’

‘Australia!’ Cassie was wide-eyed and shocked. ‘Kangaroos and koalas Australia?’ she asked, not quite believing what he was saying. ‘Why would they send me so far?’ Hot tears streamed out of her eyes now she knew that there was definitely no going home. ‘They sent me down under.’ She stood up and paced. ‘And probably hoped the desert or the crocodiles would get me. They really wanted me dead!’ Cassie stopped moving as the impact of where she was shattered the last bit of hope she had left. She flopped back onto the seat next to Kayden, wondering if panic attacks could kill because right at that moment, her heart was racing like a freight train, almost too fast to breathe.

Kayden slid his arm around her. ‘You are very convincing but your story is so unbelievable. How could someone do that to their own? Are you sure, Cassie, that you haven’t just run from a bad experience and are trying to get shelter? I promise if you tell me I will help you. I just need to know the truth.’

Cassie shook his arm off and pulled away. ‘Kayden, I repeat: I am not a liar and I do not need your help,’ she fumed. ‘I’m better now so let me make your life a lot easier and relieve your conscience. I’m not scared to go it alone nor do I need a babysitter anymore. This is my new life now, not yours. I’ll make it just fine on my own. I’ll head off to that Newman town tomorrow and that’ll be the end of it. Now go away and leave me alone. I hate them and I hate you,’ she sobbed and turned from him, wishing she never had to talk to him again.

Kayden sat for a minute, before getting up and walking back inside the house, closing the door. Cassie hated her family for what they had done to her and now she hated him. He had never believed a word she’d said and right then she didn’t care. I’m really on my own and I’ll show them all I can make it, she thought as she finally went to bed. She punched the pillow before cuddling it.

It was late in the night when a big crash woke her. It was so loud she jumped out of bed and stood frozen to the spot. There was another loud grumble and a shrieking crack that lit up the room. That one had her moving and she ran out of her room and flung open Kayden’s bedroom door. She stood there, breathing fast and hard.

He sat up, looking concerned and sleepy and rubbing his eyes.

Cassie whispered, ‘What’s that noise?’

As she said it, the house shuddered with another loud crack. She flew over and jumped at him, wrapping herself around him and trembling, waiting for the roof to come down around them. He lay back down with Cassie still clinging to him like a vine to a tree. ‘It’s just an electric storm. Don’t you have them where you come from?’

Cassie shook her head and clung to him as the sky crackled again.

‘Shh. Go back to sleep. It won’t hurt you, silly,’ he said, a bit jovial but sleepy.

He relaxed and breathed heavily, letting her know he’d gone back to sleep. Every time the noises cracked, they shot through her and there was no way she could sleep. She clung on to Kayden, not releasing her grip until the noises quietened down. It was only after she settled that she realised he was stroking her hair which helped her to doze off.

When Cassie woke up much later she was on her own. She sat up, remembering the storm and feeling silly about being scared. She scrambled out of his big bed and looked for him. He was having a coffee and reading the paper. She looked at him a bit shyly. ‘Sorry about last night and the whole storm thing,’ she said, embarrassed, as she slipped into the bathroom.

‘Watch that foot. Don’t press on it too hard,’ he cautioned and she hopped the extra few steps to prevent it opening up again.

Cassie came out of the shower to find he had fried a couple of eggs for her. She ate while he cleaned up his plate of food and finished reading the paper. He said he had already gone out to the paddocks and she felt sad that she’d missed seeing the foal this morning. It was her last morning here and she would have liked to say goodbye. Kayden was most likely wanting to get his rounds out of the way early so they could leave directly after breakfast. She suddenly regretted saying she hated him and was leaving

Truth Unfolds

Kayden put his plate down and lifted her onto the table. She flicked the suds on her fingers at him. He grinned and after taking the oversized bandage from her foot, said that it looked good and today she just needed a bandaid. After putting a plaster on, he slid her off the bench. They heard a car pull up and Jason walked in with a box. He had a black eye and Cassie shrank into Kayden as he came closer.

‘My sister packed up some of her old clothes for Cassie to wear and she also put some girl stuff in there for her.’

Kayden laughed. ‘Nice shiner. Sorry about that.’

‘I deserved it.’ Jason glanced at Cassie. ‘Now she’s in the light and I’m sober I can see she really is just a little cutie.’ He grinned. ‘We thought you were … it doesn’t matter, I just came to apologise.’

Jason didn’t seem like the scary person she’d thought he was at all. In fact, now he was being nice she could see it was all one big misunderstanding. ‘Sorry for throwing you against the wall. I guess we’re even, hey?’

‘You know, how did someone as fragile-looking as you manage to throw ninety-five kilos across the room?’ Jason asked.

Cassie put her head down and knew they had probably guessed her secret. Nervously, she glanced up at Kayden, trying to judge what he was thinking. His face gave nothing away.

‘I told you I was really bad,’ Cassie choked out, upset, and strode to her room to figure out what to say next. They wanted an explanation and what was she meant to say? ‘Sorry, guys, I’m a freak of nature’? She started to close the door behind her but Kayden followed her straight in.

‘Stop running, Cassandra and tell me what’s going on. I can’t help you if you keep hiding secrets from me.’

‘I’ve been telling you the truth but you never believe me. I’m bad, Kayden. There’s a power in me that will come out if people try to harm me. That’s why they sent me away. My dad says I’m evil and I promised myself I wouldn’t use it here. I tried not to but …’ Cassie stopped, breathed heavily and whispered, ‘I have never been kissed before and it felt yuck … and he touched me … where he shouldn’t.’ She blushed brightly at the thought.

Kayden looked at her, surprised. ‘You’re joking. I can maybe believe you’ve never been in a relationship before but to tell me at nineteen you’ve never been kissed, come on, Cass. That’s a bit much to swallow for even one as gullible as I am where you are concerned.’

Cassie sighed. She hated how he questioned everything, believing only things that had solid proof. Well, maybe she liked it too. He was no pushover and as frustrating as that was she pushed on. She had to start trusting someone and Kayden was definitely someone she was starting to trust. ‘All my life I’ve been kept a prisoner in my parents home to prevent others from finding out my secret. My family are, let’s say, very wealthy and high in status with the community. I was their freak daughter who they hid from their social world. My only contact ever with a male was with the gardener and chauffeur although I was never allowed out of my room to talk to them. I just watched through my window. Honest to God, you are the first man that I’ve ever been game enough to talk to. I would be in so much trouble right now if we were at my home.’ She sucked in a long breath and let it out. ‘I do try so hard not to use the evil in me but it just happens when I get angry. I thought I could control it but I felt scared. I’m so sorry.’

Kayden’s eyes went dark again and his expression was frozen. He looked like he was going to explode.

Cassie panicked. ‘Please don’t hurt me. I won’t ever bother you again. Just take me to that town. On the other hand, I can walk if you prefer. Please don’t do what they did to me. I’ll find somewhere to live on my own so that nobody will ever get hurt again. Please, just give me a chance to prove I can change.’ Tears ran down her face. She was petrified, imagining what he might do to her.