He grinned and hugged her. 'Why do you care?'

'Woody told me how you guys feel me now we're connected. You know, about that hum that makes you want to be near me.'

He nodded and looked surprised that Woody had told her.

'Well, times that by five and you will feel what is inside me. So if you're sad, then I'm feeling sad too, me boy.' She grinned. 'Bet you all didn't know that. It started as soon as we ate our first meal together.'

'Same.'

Cassie nudged into him. 'Hey, but it is our little secret, okay? No way do I want my man getting himself all worked up that I can feel you all too.'

'You didn't even tell Woody.' He chuckled, looking a lot happier that only he knew her secret.

She shook her head. 'Now give me another one of those hugs and go take a shower while I dish up. Goddamn, you can cook,' she giggled, sniffing the air as he took off for a shower.

Kayden caught the tail end of the conversation Cassie had with Conor. He couldn't remember a time when the men looked so completely happy and so at ease with one another. They had gone from a confident five to a feeling of oneness. The magic of Cassie was a gift to them all.

My Prince.

It was a stinking hot evening and that night after dinner they all cooled off in the lake at the back of the property. Afterwards Woody and Jason built a fire for them to dry off. Cassie cuddled up to Kayden, worn out from her session with Woody and glad for the warmth as the nights seemed to get chilly of late. It had been one of those fabulous days, one of the ones you slide into your memory bank to retrieve on a bad day. By the sound of some of the stories now being told, there were going to be a few of those. Her man's body was warm and the eyes she was trying so hard to keep open, shut with a thud. Almost overcome with sleep, she listened as the stories of other missions changed to the new threat in the galaxy. She smiled, imagining them waiting for her to conk out before bringing up something they thought might make her worry and in turn, hinder their fun together. She was sure they could smell her fear and she so wanted to change all that, to toughen up and become more confident and gutsy. Hopefully that would stop them treading on eggshells around her.

In her fog, their voices still made sense and she could almost feel the evil that breathed down their necks. This man's name was Aldebaran and this dark wizard had a friend, a tyrant called Conom. Both were powerful rulers and both were determined to take over the constellation of Orion's Belt. Both were hell-bent on destroying anyone who dared to stand in their way. As she listened to them work out a game plan to stop the feud and bring reconciliation, sleep overcame her. She felt safe enough with those around her to drift into a dreamy world of darkness and peace.

Eyes blurry from too deep a sleep, Cassie was surprised when she woke to find they had camped out all night. A sudden jolt of excitement gripped her: she had never slept outdoors before. It was nice to wake up and see all her friends still hanging out, even if they were asleep. The boys were lying on sleeping bags around the fire. They must have been in a deep sleep as they were breathing heavier than they did when they rested before a mission. Then she saw the empty rum bottles and understood their comatose states.

Kayden still had her securely in his arms and her movement woke him up.

'Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you,' she whispered as she rolled around to face him. His eyes were dreamy and loving and he started kissing her gently around her neck and then her face until he found her lips, groaning as his feelings overwhelmed him.

'Shh, you'll wake the others,' she giggled.

He put his head up and saw they were not in bed. 'Shit!'

'Shh,' she chuckled again.

He stood and pulled Cassie to her feet, taking her around to the other side of the truck. He leant up against it and pulled her into him again, covering her lips with his hot mouth while his tongue explored the sensitive and sensual parts of her mouth. 'I could eat you all up, baby, you taste so delicious,' he groaned.

'Later, bad boy, you have to go check the horses first.'

His eyes roamed over her and he grinned with a naughty, boyish look.

'Kayden, behave.' She slapped his arm playfully He stepped away from her and put his hands up, smiling. 'Okay, but I'm coming back to get you, my lovely and sending this riff-raff home. I have something very special in mind for you today and you'll want it to be private.'

'Wow, the mind boggles.' Cassie did a little wiggle and twirl for him, lifting the edge of her T-shirt up to stir him before skipping off laughing.

Kayden pounced on her like a lion and snatched her up in his arms, growling deeply into her ear while nuzzling her hair. 'You're so wicked, woman. Now behave until I get back or look out,' he said, putting her down.

Jason lifted his head up, rubbing his eyes. 'Hang on, K,' he said pulling on his boots as he watched Kayden head for the truck. 'I want to come and check on Starburst, make sure yesterday hasn't rattled his chain.'

Kayden nodded, waiting.

Woody also stirred and jumped up refreshed, showing no side effects of all the alcohol he would have consumed. He threw some more wood on the fire poking at it with a stick. Ethan and Conor both just groaned at the noise, rolled over and went back to sleep.

The morning was crisp with the fragrance of fresh redwood in the air. It felt so peaceful just listening to the crackle of the flames as they bit into the dry wood. Cassie plonked down next to Woody, who put a friendly arm around her. 'Feel like working with me for half an hour while it's quiet?'

She didn't refuse. She felt like he had lifted a great weight off her in the last session and looked forward to learning more about her own abilities. What he had her doing already had amazed and excited her He smiled at her enthusiasm. 'Just want to check your concentration after yesterday, see if you held it.'

'No probs, I am all yours.'

'Okay, cutie. I need you to be serious for me. Imagine we're on the other side of the lake and take us there-no dunking me in that water.'

Cassie looked over to the other side and then closed her eyes and concentrated. The temptation to drop him in that water was just too strong and she stopped and shook her head. 'You really shouldn't have put that thought in my head. I can't get past it.'

'Cassie.' He sounded firm, no nonsense.

'Boy, no guessing who woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,' she mumbled and closed her eyes again. She felt him with her as she visualised the other side of the lake. It was only after she felt them moving did her eyes open, allowing the magic of the moment to flow through them as they gently floated towards the opposite embankment. The sensation although strange left her empowered, determined and focused as she concentrated on Woody's arm around her so she could keep them moving. The spot she had chosen to set them down was coming closer as the thought popped back in her head about dunking him. It was just too strong and she started to let go of her new found gift when she heard him whisper in a grumpy voice, 'Cassandra.'

Something frightened her. It was what he called her. She shook violently as she fought to regain control. Once they sat back on solid ground, tears stung her eyes. Her breathing was uncontrollable and she was beginning to panic. She struggled to get up but Woody kept a firm grip on her. 'Woody, let me go or I'm warning you, I will make you!' she fumed at him.

'Shh ... work with me, talk to me,' he said sweetly and kissed her head. 'Tell me what you're feeling.'

'Angry!' she snapped.

'What memories did it just bring back?'

Frustration and uncertainty weakened her mood. 'My mother was the only one who ever called me Cassandra. I never once saw fear in her eyes and yet she never once stuck up for me. I was her child, her daughter. Woody, why?'

'Maybe she knew where you inherited your powers from, Cassie. Maybe she was special also and kept it a secret so she could live a normal life. She would have been exposed herself if she pandered to you. You must have got it from one of your parents.'

Cassie breathed out a big sigh of relief. Could that have been it? she thought. 'I never thought about it like that. She may have struggled and suffered for years. I know how hard it was for me to hide away my natural abilities. She must have gone through hell trying to hide as well. I always thought I was just a freak. Hereditary never came to mind.'

'It still doesn't excuse her behaviour toward you, Cassie. You should forgive her. It will help you heal but never feel sorry for her. She made her choice and it made her a terribly selfish and dangerous guardian to you. You deserved so much better.'

Cassie felt calmer. She was blown away by how smart and caring Woody was. 'You always make me feel like I'm so worthy.'

He squeezed her gently. 'You, my dear Cassandra, are the most precious gift that anyone could ever dream of.'

She searched his face and almost smiled. 'It didn't cut me when you said it that time.'

'Because your name is beautiful and when you hear it I want you to remember it the way it was meant to sound.' He stood up, pulling her to her feet with him. 'No more today. Kayden's just returned and is looking for us.'

They walked back around the other side of the lake. Kayden did seem anxious. 'We've been summoned,' he revealed to them while searching Cassie's face. Without thinking, he tucked her hair behind her ears as if he was looking for something, maybe trying to read her mind through her facial expressions. 'How is she, Woody? Will she be okay to ride on her own? It's a renegade star this time. I'll need to be hands-free to help you. Zoren wants it extinguished.'

Cassie spun around and eyed Woody, remembering Kayden had told her it was Woody she must convince. 'Woody, please. I won't muck around, I promise. You're teaching me. I get it now.'

He crossed his arms, looking up at the sky, the muscle in the side of his neck twitching as he thought about his answer.

'Please. I promise I won't even smile unless you tell me to.'

He bit his lip and she knew he was trying not to grin at the pleading look she was giving him. 'Don't let me regret it, Cassie. You have to do everything you're told without even thinking about it. If you have any crazy thoughts at all, Starburst will feel it and you could endanger both your lives. Do I make myself perfectly clear? Not a twitch unless you're instructed to.'

'Perfectly clear, not a twitch. Thanks, Woodsta. Starburst is going to be so excited when I tell him.' She let out a yahoo and hugged Kayden, excited.

Before following the men down to the satellite room beneath the barn, Cassie stopped quickly to tell Starburst. He seemed to understand and then gave her crazy look.

'You're excited, hey boy.' She felt just as keyed up as he was. Giving him one last pat, she went below to join the others to be briefed.

They were standing overlooking an oval table in the centre of the room when she joined them. The middle of it was lit up with the portion of the sky they were going to. Kayden was just finishing off the measurements and even the floor was lit up under their feet with a red line, mainly through the zodiacs.

'How do you come up with the exact coordinates?' Cassie asked, curious.

Kayden glanced up, glad Cassie was interested in that side of it. 'In astronomy, constellations are measured from a line called the ecliptic celestial equator, which is the path that the sun crosses the sky over the course of a year. The moon and the planets also lie within that ecliptic.' She followed his hand along what she was sure was the ring he spoke of. He pointed it out for her. 'This ecliptic ring is what is used to work out the exact location of the constellation or in this case where the rogue star has been detected. By using longitude and latitude measurements it gives us the exact point we need to intercept the target.'

Kayden lifted his head from the table that was his map system to the stars. As he spoke, his voice was articulate. He looked comfortable and confident as he began briefing them while projecting the info from his laptop onto the huge wall-to-floor screen. Cassie imagined he would have made an excellent speaker, maybe even a president, if this job hadn't come about.

He ran his long, strong fingers though his silky strands of hair and she watched as he unconsciously pushed it back off his face: a trait of his that was so endearing.

'Aldebaran, as you all know is renowned for his wild nights and joyful events,' Kayden continued with a smirk, putting it as delicately as he could for Cassie's benefit.

The men nodded in agreement.

He glanced over and spoke to Cassie, catching her up on what the others would already know. 'Mulu, ruler of the Crux, better known as the Southern Cross constellation, has three sons and four daughters. The Cross family and Aldebaran's new pal Conom are among the selected friends who have enjoyed many a social evening partying with Aldebaran on his home world.' He turned back to the group, addressing them all again. 'One of Mulu's daughters fell in love with the womaniser Conom. He knew how she felt and even though he felt nothing, he bedded the virgin. Then before the night was through, he went back to the party and that very same night bedded sister number two.'

'Do you lot know this Conom?' Cassie asked, thinking about her first time and how devastated the poor woman must have felt. 'I'd like the chance to zap the womaniser on behalf of that poor girl.'

Woody cut in, chuckling. 'None of us have ever met Conom so his character is only on hearsay. We have intel that he's a gambler and spends a lot of time on earth when not on his home world playing war games and causing trouble. Even sends his people to our meetings to do his dirty work, never showing up to anything he's invited to. He's very choosy whom he takes up with and we're not on his pal list. Zoren's the only one who knows his true identity.'

Kayden nodded. 'Yes, Zoren believes Conom is guilty as charged. He has a terrible attitude towards females. Apparently, he laughed at both women when they confronted him flipping them off as being ridiculously childish and jealous. Zoren said when his team questioned Conom he denied it was his fault and said that neither was very satisfying. He joked, saying he gave them what they wanted and lived up to his side of the bargain. The three brothers are furious he treated their sisters so poorly and forced Mulu into a corner, insisting he make a choice. Mulu has since severed the friendship with Aldebaran, now standing by his sons. They are refusing to have anything further to do with Aldebaran until he sends his new friend Conom packing. Which will never happen.'

'What did Aldebaran do? Did he try at all to mend the rift?' Woody leaned against the bench, crossing his arms.

Kayden chewed his lip. 'I'm hearing you, man. Those two have been mates since even before our time. Apparently, Aldebaran couldn't believe his once loyal companion Mulu and his children could turn their backs on him so easily when it had nothing to do with him. So he has wiped them off his Christmas list so to speak and washed his hands of the lot of them.'

'So, don't tell me, the sons have linked up with his enemy Orion. And Orion is offering them hunting privileges on his land in return for loyalty,' Woody cut in.

'You've got it in one. Orion heard of the squabble and befriended the brothers immediately as a tactical advantage. He gave them his sympathy with an offer that was obviously too good to refuse. Now, as you can guess, the boys accepted, blinded by whatever was on the table as an offer. Now to rub salt into the wound they have deliberately become allies, prepared to take up arms against Aldebaran to protect their new friend Orion.' Kayden switched on another screen, showing them the location where they would be going. 'Anyway, the sons have put Aldebaran's back to the wall. He and Conom have reacted unfavourably and have now put in place a plan to wipe the Cross family from existence.'

'Can't you threaten to put out their stars if they refuse to stop?' Cassie asked.

Kayden shook his head. 'The wizard is pulling his power from the dark side and our efforts to get even near his home world have been useless. He has a protection up that is impenetrable by good. All we can do until Zoren finds a way around it is to stop his assault.'

Woody let out a huff. 'Why they thought they could go up against Aldebaran has me beat. Orion needs a kick in the pants for involving them.'

Kayden agreed, turning back to the laptop and punching in new coordinates.

Woody played with his jaw in thought. 'Yes, and I for one would definitely be willing to hand out such a punishment.'

There were a few snickers and whispered comments from Conor, Jase and Ethan who were already laying bets down in Woody's favour.

Kayden put up his hand for quiet. 'Okay, settle down, men. The last thing I need is a price on any of your heads after Orion regains consciousness.'

Woody still had a gleam of amusement but kept quiet as Kayden moved everyone's attention onto the screen on the opposite wall. The rolling images focused on the far side of the galaxy. Kayden pointed out the rogue star that was on its way to the Southern Cross.

'This is the star that Aldebaran and Conom have now deployed to seek out and destroy the whole of the Southern Cross constellation. They aim to wipe out the entire Cross family. The star is at the end of its existence and its ruler is on a suicide mission, wanting to go down with his ship so to speak.' Being Cassie's first real mission riding solo, Kayden wanted her to understand the dangers. 'This particular star will not be easy to control or even destroy. It's an eruptive binary explosive star. Abbreviated name is RSCVN. When ready to expire it sends out flares and shrapnel at massive speeds until it blows up. Due to the problems in the past, Zoren has requested you personally be on guard for anything we might miss.'

Cassie got how unpredictable the situation could become yet with her and Starburst's magic combined she felt confident they would handle their part in the mission. Kayden ended the session by closing down the computers.

Back inside the house, they all lay around resting although it wasn't easy. There was a lot of anticipation and speculation because they were coming to grips with a new rider. Cassie would have her own horse so it was becoming a drawn-out topic of concern. When Kayden felt the topic was done to death, Cassie could feel him calming them and knew it wouldn't be long before they would all be put into a restful sleep so they could recharge, giving them all an extra boost in power for the mission ahead.

When he woke them, the sun was setting in the sky. Refreshed and feeling like she could take on whatever was thrown at her, Cassie walked outside with the guys to drink her coffee and watch Zoltan lead out the horses. They trotted in formation and then stood in a perfectly spaced row before them. They almost kneeled on one knee as they bowed their heads to show their loyalty. Even Starburst did it and she thought he looked particularly cute doing so.

The men bridled their horses and jumped up. Kayden gave Cassie a magical golden bridle for her ride and waited to help her.

Once she put the bridle on Starburst he transformed into the most glorious of all. As with the other horses, the pearl-beaded armour covered him entirely. His white wings, although massive, looked so much softer, maybe due to his young age. The outstanding feature was the saddle. She would be sitting on a golden saddle while the others sat on black ones. Also while the other horses had coloured beads identifying them as individuals, Starburst had blended-gold beading that swirled around his body. His normally dark tail and mane changed to pure white and he had golden beads marking a crown across his head. He looked magnificent.

'My prince,' Cassie curtsied, and it made him snort and nod his head at her as if he agreed.

Kayden lifted her on to Starburst and Cassie transformed differently this time. She wore white leather pants tucked into knee-high boots with gold markings and a very high heel. The soft golden top to the outfit looked more like a seductively cut corset the way it laced at the front, showing a little more cleavage than she was used to. Golden bracelets wrapped around her upper arm and the clip that held her hair up felt to her like the shape of a horse. It had star shapes that dropped from delicate chains and Kayden could barely contain his amusement at her show of discomfort as she eyed herself.

'You have nothing to be shy about, my love. It is how the women dress up there. Although now I've seen it on you I believe it was designed with you in mind.' He grinned. 'You're both going to give the stars quite a surprise when you turn up today. If you don't stop that renegade star in his tracks, I'll be amazed.'

As they reached the portal in the paddock, Cassie felt totally at ease as she leaned down to give her horse some encouragement. 'You are going to so love this,' she whispered to Starburst as they entered the clouds. Her mind felt at peace as she let the flow of colourful patterns mesmerise her and as soon as she calmed, she felt Starburst settle down too. Woody was right-he was so in tune with her she would have to take control and keep him unruffled on his first trip.

While inside the cloud, the green, yellow and blue lights that formed the shape of a star blended together until the portal appeared, gradually increasing in size. This time however, the colours seemed to melt into each other, getting brighter as if they were iridescent paints swirling together until the portal was big enough for them to glide through.

Kayden's thoughts entered her tranquil state. We'll come out in a minute and the horses will fly us up to another cloud called a noctilucent cloud which is around thirty-five miles long and fifty-six kilometres high. The cloud acts as a slingshot and will give us the height and speed we need to reach the Southern Cross.

As they came out of the fourth dimension, they flew along until they reached a very thin, almost transparent cloud that shimmered gold, pink and purple. The coloured lighting jutted across their path in fine bursts, lengthways this time. They veered upwards so high that Cassie closed her eyes, only peeking as they neared the top. Once there, she opened her eyes to a blue lightning bolt. It shot across ahead of them, opening in the middle like a stretched rubber band that became another portal that slung-shot them straight through. The boosted speed that the cloud gave them was so intense everything was almost a blur. Then presto, they were up in the stars where the atmosphere was clean and clear and the view as always, spectacular.

Cassie patted Starburst as he stretched his wings out for the first time and flew on Zoltan's command. 'That was fun, hey, boy?'

He made a little snorting sound and shot her a little magic burst, showing her how much he had loved it. Like her, this was where he belonged, in the heavens with his dad.

From up here, the stars closest to her looked like glowing bubbles in all shapes and sizes. It amazed Cassie how silent it was. There were no sounds except the gentle flapping of the horses' wings and the slight disturbance they made that moved so gently around her that it felt like soft silk against her skin.

The Crux constellation Cassie knew as the Southern Cross was now remarkably right in front of her. As they came closer preparing to land, you could see the surface of the largest star, Alpha-Crucis. The superior design of their home was unusual to say the least. The huge estate below spread across kilometres of ground and the massive home was built in the shape of a cross, the extraordinary creation symbolising the constellation. They slid off their horses and chatted while Kayden went to speak with the Cross brothers.

Beneath Cassie's feet, she noticed the surface was flat and smooth-actually, she was sure it was metres and metres of slate flooring. Now, looking up at the home from this angle, it towered high above her. Large, smooth slate blocks shaped the walls which were covered by a black roof with what looked like pure-gold guttering that matched the window frames, balconies and doors. Beautiful lighting surrounding the luxurious-looking home and in one area in particular, it gave you the impression there was a well-designed waterfall and river surrounding the castle-this finished it off perfectly. Without the gold and special lighting effects surrounding the home, it may have been all doom and gloom. The critters on this planet looked like dark green, soft mops that cleaned and added a shine to the surface as they moved, seeing the path ahead with eyes that stuck out on long feelers.

Centaurs-half man, half horse-guarded the outer perimeter of the castle and as the team dismounted, more Centaurs came from a bunker underground, surrounding them but keeping a reasonable distance. The Crux constellation was at the foot of the centaurs' constellation so even though the centaurs were wild and unpredictable in nature, they did protect their own and this included their close neighbours, the Cross family.

Kayden came back with two of the Cross brothers. As they shook hand with Jason and Woody, she could tell the four of them were old friends by the way they joked with each other. Both men had very dark complexions with jet-black hair that was cut short. They were both big boys but still looked small against the team. Their only freakish attribute was the colour of their eyes. They were a bright purple, hidden behind long purple lashes. The taller one stood with his arms crossed most of the time and Cassie felt his eyes on her. He seemed to absorb her as if he could read her every thought.