Caitlin Goddess of Peace

by Debbie Behan

  He heard Kayden cover the mouthpiece not well enough and swear as he informed Cassie, whom he heard squealed excitedly. ‘Looks like I’m outvoted, so come on down. The men will love it, and Cassie is still jumping around tugging at me to find out when.’ He sounded amused.

  ‘We’ll head off after the guys have eaten.’

  ‘Did you want Woody to work with Caitlin? I hear she’s been through a lot lately.’

  ‘That would be great if it’s okay with Woody. I know his training abilities and would hate to take away from him the pleasure of getting up in my team’s grill.’

  ‘Don’t worry, he will do both, you can be assured of that.’

  Both men laughed heartily.

  Chapter Thirty

  Kayden’s Farm

  It was quite a reunion when they arrived on Earth. After the horses’ bridles had been removed, they were left in the barn to be washed down and fed by Tremaine, their horse handler.

  After the back slapping and hugs, the team were ushered into four-wheel drives. A dusty mad dash and the sound of tyres that skidded on gravel brought them to a sudden stop outside the stately home next door. Woody and Jason awaited the team’s arrival and reprimanded Ethan and Conor for racing each other.

  ‘Guys!’ Woody chastised. ‘You’re lucky K’s not here yet.’

  The pair got out of the drivers’ seats and high-fived each other, neither the winner but both having enjoyed the hell out of it. ‘Sorry.’ They grinned while they helped the girls out of the cars.

  ‘Like we believe they’re sorry.’ Jason glanced at Woody. ‘Show-offs.’

  Woody grinned. ‘Oh well, here we go again. Let’s go make the newborns feel welcome before we spank them and bring them to tears.’ Both men chuckled and strode towards the team.

  * * * *

  Once Kayden and Cassie arrived, the riders were split into their prospective teams to begin training. The rest of the day was spent in rigorous sports activities to enhance their psyche and build their vital strengths. Kayden was old school and didn’t ease up on them until late evening. Meanwhile, and reluctantly, Woody left them to it so he could coach Caitlin. She looked exhausted after Kayden had finished with her, but knew she would be worse off in the morning if he didn’t sort out what was causing her lack of energy.

  ‘Cait.’ Woody approached her as she leant against the fence gulping down a bottle of water. ‘While Kayden’s busy with the others, maybe we could take off for a few minutes.’

  ‘I’m all yours.’ Her smile was bright, but her eyes and body language told him how she really felt, dull and lethargic.

  They drove to the local water hole. The lake at night took on shapes as the mist moved upon it, the blackened water only visible when the moon shifted from the clouds above. Caitlin shivered at the eerie quietness. The slight lap of water as it licked the banks was the only sound once the engine cut out.

  ‘Come, let’s talk.’ His voice broke the silence as he flung out a blanket on the ground. ‘Sit, I don’t bite,’ he coaxed her.

  She wiggled to get comfortable and even though Woody felt her walls go up, she did do as he asked. He felt her struggle with the mixed emotions of wanting to keep her past locked up. She was a tough one to crack and with no other alternative, he used magic to relax her. Like last time, it took a while for her to succumb to him. Once she was submissive enough, he began to unravel the years of torment. It was even more of a challenge this time as Caitlin’s powers had strengthened extensively since their last session. Her amplified magic had exceeded Cassie’s, but her gifts were all over the place. He feared they would become a danger to her if she didn’t allow him to help.

  ‘Cait, if you don’t let me in to resolve your past, you’re a magnet for the other side.’

  ‘I could turn evil.’ She was stunned by the news.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘I’m trying, cross my heart. I’ve been able to open up to Axon and even told Jett.’

  ‘That so, you’ve still not dealt with it. You push it aside as if it were someone else. I have to help you face it and resolve it.’

  ‘It hurts.’ Tears sprang to her eyes.

  ‘I know, it’s because your past stays fractured, with many years missed. I can ease your pain, so let me.’

  In a great deal of emotional anguish, she finally gave in, lay back on the blanket and through tears, found the sadness he prompted from her. ‘I hate them for what they did to me. They treated me worse than an animal,’ she sobbed.

  Woody watched carefully for signs. Divulging some things made her so angry she would squeeze her fists tight, baring white knuckles as she angered over the memories. As other times she would come to tears. During these moments Woody was able to seal the cuts with magic and after a moment he saw her breathe and unclench or stop crying. It was then he would prompt her to continue. ‘Did you ask them if you could go outside to play even?’

  ‘In the earlier years, yes. I would wrap my arms around their legs, crying and begging for them to take me with them. On other times I hid by the door and would attempt to escape. They would shake me off or throw me on the floor and make me starve for a day or so before they came back. In the end, I knew there was no one coming for me and nor would I ever see the light of day, so I gave up. I didn’t bother acknowledging them when they came, not that they would stay long. Mostly they just sat reading. It seemed to suit them fine that I went quiet. My meals came on time, and they stayed a little longer if I was good.’

  This time she was vulnerable enough to allow him the use of magic to recollect the finer details she struggled to remember. She broke down in the end, and in her negative emotional state, he was able to erase the sadness from her mind and mend the many cuts they had carved into her heart and soul.

  As if a great weight lifted from her shoulders, she sat up and blinked, taking a big long breath, and when she breathed it out, she felt completely recharged. Better now and able to talk without the pain, they sat for a long time while she spoke of her life before and then her most recent mission with Hades; the kidnapping, the friendship, the betrayal and the camaraderie formed in the end.

  He scratched his head. ‘The forgiveness for such a criminal act and the empathy you showed that man leaves me mystified. When our Cassie was kidnapped, she forgave the kidnapper because he was her father. The god you call Jett was nothing to you. It must have been difficult to complete such a mission with a stranger as powerful as Hades.’ He rolled his shoulders and chewed on a stick of grass in thought. ‘What you did took real guts.’

  ‘Not so much.’ She pulled her hair back and clipped it up above her head. ‘It wasn’t as if he harmed me. Just had me spooked at first. After all, he is a big man and potentially dangerous. Just his presence in the room had me shaking in my boots at first; well, until I worked out he stayed true to me as Jett. Hades, on the other hand, reared his head a couple of times, and I can tell you, it was chilling.’

  ‘You have linked him to you. I can feel it.’

  ‘Yes, although I’m not sure how it happened. I noticed it the first night we met. I think it has something to do with a calming power I project. He knows about it, and so does Axon, and neither worries as it isn’t strong enough yet to do any real harm.’

  ‘I think there is something more at work here, Cait. This power the universe gifted you with makes no sense. It should be gone while danger is at bay and yet even now, I battle it, and I’m one of the good guys so I’m not sure why you project it towards me. It insists I probe further to bring it out fully and my intuition tells me that this is about more than the battle to force Hades into giving up on the fight for the Planet Mercury.’

  ‘I don’t understand. Until the dispute was sorted, I wanted to stay on Pluto. I was sure the feud was settled as the essence had toned right down and I was over the moon to be home.’

  ‘This is where this job gets trick
y. You have formed a bond and Hades not only wants you, but he also needs you. It is you, Caitlin, and you alone, that have set him on a path that includes your friendship. Without you, he’ll go back to his old ways and become the tyrant he used to be.’

  Woody left her to ponder while he grabbed two bottles of water from the car. When he returned he handed her one before his massive bulk lowered beside her again. ‘You know, Cassie had the same learning experience with the warlord Conom, who kidnapped her. And believe me, Kayden was not impressed when they became friends. He’s still not happy about it. Axon is even less patient, and I warn, he is not going to like this relationship at all.’

  She put her head down, unsure what to say. He told her nothing she didn’t already know.

  ‘Also, after chatting with Cassie before we came here, I feel I need to give you the heads up about another gift you may not be aware of yet. Cassie is picking up from you that your journey is far from over with this family. That there is still much work for you to do before you finally achieve your goal. Because of the evil that surrounds them, she believes you have a new power, but as her equal, it is not allowing her access. It is a one-off power to erase a link to a moment in time and undo an injustice inflicted upon you, but she cautions that if you use this gift, you may lose all memories of the entire event.’ He sat quietly while she took it all in.

  ‘I’ve got so much to learn, Woody. I worked really hard, yet felt as if I fumbled through that mission. I damned near stuffed it up. Then I had to fix it and thought I might even lose Axon because of it. You don’t know how hard it is when nobody understands why you are doing something because what I am given is for me alone. Not to be shared.’ Caitlin pressed her face into her hands and sobbed into them.

  ‘Cait, I get it, and Axon gets it now. The Cosmics are a new team and have a lot to learn in the trust department but believe me, they get it too, and if they don’t, I will speak to them before you leave.’

  ‘No!’ She sucked back a sob.

  ‘Then no more crying; you did the best you could at the time. What I want you to remember is none of us is perfect.’ He grinned at her. ‘Well, I am,’ he teased and chuckled with her. ‘Mistakes are made because we deal with perfect imperfection. Gods and Rulers have lived so many years they are almost impossible to change in character. They have belittled and bullied their way through life. To have gained even a little ground with Hades is a great feat.’

  ‘I’m learning I can’t change anything in a day, but do see the progress when I look into Hades’ eyes and find Jett,’ she said and gave him a sidelong look as she spilt that she also knew there was more to come. ‘In saying that, as Cassie has picked up, I’m also getting vibes this is far from over so Axon and the team, well they had better strap in and give me a break, cause if Cassie and I are right, my work is not done.’

  ‘In that case, I would make the best of the next couple of days. Rest up for when the universe calls once more. You will need to be in top form.’

  ‘Agreed.’

  He had earned her trust, and consequently, she confided secrets she had never disclosed to even her best friend, Rory.

  Woody watched her dig into the earth with a stick. His admiration for this little redhead was intense and deeper than he thought he would feel for any female. In fact, he battled with his feelings for her. The urge to snatch her into his arms and kiss her lush lips tempted him. What the …? He shook his head as he fought back with his own power to stop her taking him over. He was falling, and hard. What is she doing to me? The seductress emitted goddess control as she unknowingly began to steal his heart.

  ‘Hell!’ He shook himself and threw himself into the lake to cool off the desire that came over him. She gave off some sort of powerful love potion and sucking in a gob full of water, he nearly choked with an outburst of laughter as he surfaced.

  She stood up with hands on her hips. She had no idea why Woody had thrown himself into the lake and laughed. ‘Have you gone mad?’

  Unable to fight the feeling off, he used the water element to re-freshen his powers, he swaggered out of the water. ‘Damn, girl, that was weird. I thought for a minute that I was a lovesick puppy. That is some crazy awesome magic.’

  ‘Really! Is it that strong?’

  ‘That essence you release, the one that Axon and Jett believe you use to calm evil— well now your walls have come down, it’s at its peak. On a good person, it works the opposite way. Instead of the calming effect, I wanted to make love to you. And I mean cave man love, drag you into my grotto and never release you.’

  ‘Oh my god. How do I stop it? Are you okay?’

  ‘I’m fine now. I have a barrier between us, but girl, until the magic I used to heal you breaks down in your system, we’d better stay right here and away from the others.’

  Caitlin breathed out deeply. ‘This power isn’t something new. It’s been such a pain to live with. The guys have commented for years on how my perfume lingered and yet I never wore any. They would cuddle up close, unable to go. Can I tell you how weird it is to wake up with five friends so close, and the strangeness we all felt when it toned down. The funny looks they gave when they realised they had spent the whole night on my floor instead of going home.’

  ‘There must have been trouble around. Maybe you were a target, watched, and it was a night unsavoury characters may have tried to get into your apartment. With so many staying the night, they would rethink the odds. The team possibly saved your life.’

  ‘Maybe. I did live in rough neighbourhoods. Rory was always going crook at me for picking the cheapest apartments as they were usually located in the less desirable districts.’

  Woody took off his top and squeezed the water from it. ‘I have to warn you about this, Cait. You’re working with evil, and this power has been heightened so be careful, try to learn how to use it, or at least control it now you know you have it. This magic could confuse and frustrate an evil egg, okay.’

  ‘Yes, I will.’

  ‘Your team are also your guardians now, look to them if you need help.’

  ‘Rory will come up with something. He always does when it comes to me. We have a bond neither of us gets but thankful we have.’ Caitlin stretched her shoulders, a little more relaxed as the image of Rory calmed her.

  ‘All I know is that men like us that are not evil, feel the effect differently. Axon’s going to freak out when I take you back. The effect is starting to dull a little but wow, girl, the wish to make mad passionate love to you was ripe on my mind. I give you the tip.’ He chuckled and nudged her. ‘My Ella would castrate me if she thought that I even looked at another woman, so for goodness sakes, keep that bit of information secret, okay.’

  ‘I will.’ She smiled. ‘I do understand, you telling me is to let me know how serious it is, and I do get it. Mum’s the word.’

  ‘You, my little love goddess, just radiate, and there is no stopping what comes naturally. Stay close to your man tonight, and if the other boys or I get a bit over-excited, a good whack will sort us out. I’ll warn them so they can control it, but you’re on fire, honey.’

  She giggled. ‘Axon will be pleased then.’

  He laughed with her. ‘You’re going to blow his mind when I take you back. Guaranteed!’

  He got up, took her hand and helped her up. ‘I better take you back now. And I can bet you a dollar, my Ella will pick up on it and not be happy I have gone all gooey over you.’ His amusement at the whole situation made it painstakingly clear she wouldn’t live this down for quite some time.

  She punched him in the arm. ‘That’s for any further thoughts you might have on the way home.’ She laughed at him nursing his arm and the pretence that he would even feel the light hit.

  ‘That’s not fair, I wasn’t even thinking …’ He raised his eyebrow. ‘Well okay, maybe I did deserve it, but it’s not my fault.’ He jumped in the driver’s seat with
a mischievous grin that made her laugh louder.

  When they reached the farm, he stopped the car and moved over towards her, put his arm around her and gazed into her eyes, searching.

  ‘Do I have to slap you again?’ she cautioned him.

  ‘Just checking! It looks as if your subconscious is sorting it out. That’s one powerful weapon. With all my magic, it brought me to my knees. Jett is a tyrant, and Ruler of the Underworld, in other words, a real bad arse, so I hate to think who you still must have to deal with.’

  ‘More powerful than Hades? Now that’s a challenge.’

  He tickled her. ‘You have no fear have you girl.’

  ‘Yes, just one.’

  ‘What might that be?’

  ‘Losing the ones I love because of this.’

  ‘Just be careful how many you use it on, or you’ll end up with a following of males that are smitten by you and can’t live without you. Axon won’t share you with the whole galaxy, Cait. There’s a breaking point to any man’s patience. Even Kayden had his with Cassie.’

  ‘I’m new at all this. Cassie is so controlled and understanding of what powers she has. I’m all over the place and feel like an amateur against her.’

  ‘Just heed my warning and let the universe lead you. It will give you time to learn how to control some of the gifts you have received. Cassie’s been at it a lot of years now. When learning to control her magic she was just like you, so don’t be so hard on yourself.’ He put his hand on her forehead. ‘Enough of this worry; close your eyes and listen. What can you hear?’

  ‘Nothing!’

  ‘Relax further, deeper. What can you hear?’

  ‘Heartbeats and breathing.’

  ‘Deeper!’

  ‘Lots of noise and whispering, laughing, but I can’t make it out.’