Cloud Riders(69)

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.