by Debbie Behan
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 theirs 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.
Chapter Twenty-One
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 ensuites, 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. How fake? 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.
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.
Woody put his hands up in a submissive gesture while grinning. ‘Sorry, mate, she only sprung it on me tonight too. I knew nothing about it.’
Kayden’s reaction might have seemed polite to those who didn’t know him but by the pressure Cassie felt as his grip tightened as he controlled himself, she knew better.
&
nbsp; ‘Woody has commitments, Ella; he knows a few days are simply out of the question. The resort is a little too far for him to get back quickly if I need him home. In saying that, I’m sure you and he will try and work out a compromise.’
Ella touched Kayden on the arm. ‘I’m sure you could manage for a couple of days without him, Kaydie darling. It would be easier if I knew what you two do over there. I could send you some paid help to replace him.’ She spoke sweetly.
Kayden smiled politely, taking her hand off his arm and patting it before letting her go. ‘You know it’s not something I care to discuss, Ella. Good try though.’
She glared at Cassie. ‘I bet your playmate knows,’ she said in annoyance and waved her hand in a huffy, dismissive gesture. ‘Have your little secrets,’ she said, walking off irritably.
Woody was embarrassed. ‘Sorry she’s in a bit of a mood tonight. A few drinks and she’ll settle down.’
‘Don’t apologise for her, Woody. It’s exactly that feistiness that appeals to you, right. Well, in the bedroom anyway.’
‘Cassie,’ he said, laughing. He got that she was kidding with him but wow, she had it right.
Kayden was laughing too as Jason came to join them, wanting to know what was so funny. When Kayden told him, he laughed so loud Cassie thought he was going to bring everyone over.
‘I’ve scratched my head for months trying to work out what the hell he sees in her and goddamn it if Cassie hasn’t found the answer within five minutes of meeting her,’ Jason remarked.
Woody was still grinning and put his arm around Cassie. ‘You’re too aware for your own good, young lady. Now, I better go find my livewire and cheer her up or I’ll be sleeping alone tonight.’ He winked and followed Ella inside.