Cloud Riders(11)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kayden sat with his head down. He was clenching his fists so hard she saw his knuckles turn white. He relaxed them. He had not restrained her yet so she took the silence and calmed conditions to mean he was letting her go. She stood up nervously to leave, only to feel his hand slip into hers gently and pull her back down.

‘Cassie, stay with me a while and talk to me, please.’

Cassie sat with a gesture of agreement. ‘You’re not mad at me, then?’

He shook his head. ‘Not at you, Cass.’

He immediately put her at ease. Cassie had never had anyone ask her to talk before, only ever been talked at. She suddenly realised what it must feel like to have a friend, to have someone who wouldn’t just yell, stomp off and ignore her, but wanted to know more about her. It was unsettling but nice.

‘Why didn’t you use your protective power on me when I hosed you and was mean to you?’

‘I don’t know. I was scared but I knew somehow that you were only angry with me, not out to harm me. Although, now you know the truth, I’m not so sure. Other signals from you are confusing me,’ she said honestly.

‘I’m hardly going to hurt you for doing what comes naturally to you, Cassie.’ He pulled out a hanky and passed it to her. ‘Why, if you are from overseas, haven’t you a stronger accent? You speak as if you have been living here for years.’

She dried her eyes and sniffled into the hanky he gave her. ‘My nanny was an Aussie and was the only one who was ever kind to me or even talked to me. Everybody loved her and I tried to model myself around her so that others might like me too. That’s how I knew about the outback and kangaroos, because she would sometimes sneak me into the garden and tell me stories of your land.’

‘What’s your surname?’ His eyebrows curved questioningly.