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 himself 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.

It was late in the afternoon when Cassie finally asked some of the bigger questions they had all kept ducking like the plague. Did they have girlfriends or wives waiting at home for them, or maybe kids?

Jason was making them a coffee. 'Hell no. And hell no, definitely no kids. You have to be kidding. When we're not here annoying Kayden, the rest of us live on the farm next door. That's how we get here so quick. To ensure we had plenty of room to play with our boys' toys, we brought adjacent properties. We were all going to live here with the boss, build onto this house. Only Kayden was always so damned grumpy with us living under his feet that we decided to expand the house next door. Give him space and give us sanity.'

'My Kayden.' Cassie nudged him and made him grin. 'He's a pussy cat.'

Jason eyed her. 'Do you recall the first day we met you? Well, that was him twenty-four, seven. You have worked a miracle, girl.'

Kayden threw a towel at him. 'And you can't tell me she hasn't changed you guys?' he stirred him back. 'I can't remember you guys ever wanting to spend this much time around any woman.'

Conor nearly choked on his drink. 'Yeah true, but tell me how many of them will get out of the bathroom long enough to let us enjoy them. Makeup, hair, clothes, salons and dreary shopping drive me nuts. Cassie gets up and cooks us the best breakfast ever, never fusses over her appearance and yet scrubs up a treat and knows how to enjoy the day. She's just like one of the boys.'

'Not to me,' Kayden said, running his hand down her arm and putting goose bumps over her.

Woody laughed. 'Come on, mate, quit that or you'll have us all looking up an old flame for the night.'

Cassie sat up straight, an idea popping into her thoughts. 'Great idea! Let's have a party at your house. Invite your girls, your friends and have a bit of fun. I reckon we deserve it. Music, dancing and alcohol. Plus, I'd love to see where you live.'

The men looked at each other with the cheekiest grins.

'Hell yes, we're all in. What do you say, K?' Woody threw an arm around Jason, waiting for his answer.

'I know where I'd sooner be.' Kayden pulled Cassie closer to him. 'Nevertheless, if it's fun you need, sweetheart then let's go have some.'

The guys scrambled for the car. Jason turned before he jumped in. 'We'll organise everything, boss. Be at our house around six, okay?'

Kayden nodded.

Woody eyed him suspiciously. 'We can pick her up if you change your mind and don't feel like coming.'

'I said I'd be there, now nick off.'

Woody laughed loudly as he sat in the driver's seat and kicking the engine into life, he skidded off along the dirt driveway.

'At last, we're alone.'

'See? That was my plan,' Cassie giggled.

'Is that right? You're just lucky they didn't drag us over there to help.' Kayden watched Cassie quietly for a moment with an inquisitive expression. 'Okay, spit it out. What are you thinking?'

'What they said before about me not fussing.' She angled her head slightly.

'You seemed confused. Didn't your mother or a minder tell you what was going to happen to someone with powers like yours when you come of age?'

'I know now from talking to Woody that my mother should have told me a lot of things but never did. All I do know is what I have read in books. When I ran from you and went to Perth I had my twentieth birthday. It was then overnight that everything changed for me. Not only the superficial changes as you see me now, like never having to shave or cut my hair. Normal female bodily functions ceased leading me to believe I may never be able to have a child. Then there were the personality changes due to the strange dreams and daytime flashes of another world, the one you have now shown me. I felt smarter, wised up about all sorts of stuff. At first my thought was that it was a reaction to being so stressed and I thought I'd go back to normal with time. Except I already knew from talking to other females at the Casino that I was different. Not that it worried me too much as I've been a special case all my life. Going to a doctor was out. I guess I just didn't want to end up a lab rat, being experimented on. Then what if they figured out about my powers? You can see why I just decided to hide it. I'm sorry, Kayden, I should have told you about the baby thing. You know, the not having kids thing. But I thought in time maybe I'd be enough for you.'

He looked at her seriously. 'Honey, I know already that having children for our kind is almost impossible. You are more than enough, so never question that but that's not what worries me about all this. I can't believe your mother could be so heartless. Cassie, how old do you think I am?'

She searched his face, suddenly realising what she had already assumed: that the boys were immortal like the others up in the universe above. Woody especially was a real old style gentleman, although she wasn't yet entirely convinced this could happen to earth dwellers.

'You look maybe early to mid-twenties. You and your men all look around the same age. It's hard to say because you all act so grownup, as if you're a lot older than even that. I had given it thought, that you might be immortal like the rulers and gods up in the galaxy.'

Running his hand down her arm soothingly, he breathed out, sounding relieved. 'You have such insight, Cassie. I'm quite sure it's another of your powers that is only just beginning to develop. The men and I have been twenty for many years. Just like you, we had a growth spurt after our twentieth birthday where we developed into men almost overnight. You see, I know how weird that feels to go to bed wearing a man's size eight shoes and waking up needing size fourteen or bigger in most cases. Then the universe downloads a whole lot of information that your brain has no idea how to process at first. That's why your powers are still developing. It all takes time but believe me when I tell you, as soon as the time comes for you to use these powers, they will just flow out of you comfortably. None of us will ever age from this point on, honey because of our importance to the universe.'

'So we won't wake up one day and just age into old people once the universe is done with us like in the movies? Our bodies will not drop all our flesh and end up skeletons or maybe dust?'

He smiled. 'You've been watching far too many vampire movies.' He laughed, turning to her this time with sincerity. 'I can't believe you've gone your whole life with absolutely no guardians to care for you or teach you what to expect. It is the normal way with any of us. We are born with a carer to ensure we develop as intended.' He shook his head. 'Like us, you will live forever, Cassie. We are immortals: a gift from the heavens to keep the balance between good and evil. Only a selected few are born with powers like ours. Some of us were born to fight evil and some to fight the light. It keeps the balance within our galaxies. With your terrible upbringing I really believe that you were ignored for a reason, that you were destined for evil. Yet through all the misery, you kept your heart pure and never gave up. That alone shows me how strong and trustworthy you will always be.'

Tears ran down her face. She had fought and fought hard, many times wanting to give up and destroy every single person who was hurting her but to hurt them back she would be no better than they were. Then she would have never been here, right now, where she was the happiest she had ever thought possible and with a man who loved her, even if she might not be able to give him a family. Hang on. Can immortals have babies, I wonder? Pulling out of Kayden's calming embrace, she had to ask. 'So can immortals ever have children? I mean I was born from one, right?' She felt a little more hopeful.

'Yes, it's possible but rare. If immortals could breed without difficulty, the world would be full of us. It's easier for an immortal male to father a child with a mortal female but it does not mean the child will automatically be born immortal. That too, is rare and depends on whether the gods permit it. They decide how many of us are required each century and for it to happen here on earth is a rarity. You see, you are born with a mission in mind. To want to fight or destroy, as I said, good and evil is the mix. To do what we do, it's imperative to have your roots here, to grow up and love this planet so you have the passion to want to protect it; to be prepared to die for it.'

Cassie considered what he said. She may not have had the passion and upbringing they had but she knew she would fight to the death to save Kayden and his men. And in return, by keeping them safe, she would keep all those they swore to protect alive.

Party Hour.

When Kayden and Cassie arrived at the party it was in full swing. The boys had started to worry that Kayden had changed his mind. They said they were just about ready to come kidnap their cloud girl. It was sweet they even missed her with the women that were obviously flirting and flaunting themselves around them. Cassie counted about a dozen girls and a few extra men, including Conor's brother Tremaine.

From the little Kayden had divulged on the way over, she knew that the guests were apparently from around the area and always looked forward to a get together. They were used to the boys organising things at the last minute and said they would never miss one of their crazy nights.

Jason took Cassie on a tour through the two-story home. You could get lost in the rooms alone. The boys' rooms had their own en suites, couches, TVs and stereo surround sound systems. Their beds were the biggest she had ever seen, all with canopies, plush quilts and pillows, similar to the style she had grown up with. Yet standing here admiring the furnishing was about as far as it went. She would sooner be happy with Kayden in his quaint two-bedroom home than have all the riches in the world. The bottom floor consisted of a sitting room, an ultra-modern kitchen, a dining room with a twelve-seated oval table and a massive theatre room. This led her out through large sliding doors to the entertaining area where pretty party lights grabbed her attention. The deck she stood on was lit up with hundreds of colourful fairy lights that cast cheerful vibrant shades over the guests chatting beneath them. She grinned, watching a few partygoers dancing and mucking around to one of her favourite tunes. Outside near the pool, two men she had never seen before stood at the BBQ cooking dinner, Conor and Tremaine watching on. Tremaine introduced the men to her as his two ranch hands, Rick and Steve. She chatted for a while before wandering off to fill her glass with more punch. The lights in the garden must have been on timer and lit up the yard, highlighting a large swimming pool with tropical plants. The palms framing the glistening clear water relaxed her immediately. The gazebo further down the backyard was also lit up with tiny bud lights and it made her smile. These boys had entirely too much time on their hands. It looked great.

Woody joined her, introducing her to his friend, Ella. She was tall, extremely well dressed in designer clothes, and her makeup and hair were perfect. She looked like she had just come out of a shoot for Vogue. She spoke down to Cassie with a fake smile and her eyes were cold. Yet when she looked back at Woody she glowed, and her eyes sparkled. Fake bitch. Cassie couldn't help but sum her up in two words. It was very clear she had issues with the amount of time Woody was spending with the team. Or more likely it's just me in particular. Silly, jealous woman.

Kayden watched Cassie's reaction to her. Coming over, he put his arm around his girlfriend protectively. 'Ella, nice to see you again. I see you've met my Cassie.'

Ella ignored his comment about her. 'Kayden, you seem to have been keeping Woody very busy lately. I trust you've worked it out so I can steal him away for a few days. Our family will be holidaying at Cable Beach Resort in Broome and would like him to join us so they can get to know him a little better.'

Kayden stole a look at Woody and it wasn't a happy one.