Cassandra's Challenge by M. K. Eidem
William watches the gathering storm and suddenly realizes what Kayden has said. His brother lived, if he hadn’t then he would never be. But William descends from the Fourth Son. He said ‘King’s First Son’ not his brother. There is something he doesn’t know. He’s beginning to doubt what he’s always believed.
“What don’t I know?”
Kayden turns, staring at him as if he’s trying to reach a decision. As William waits there is a sudden break in the gathering clouds, a brilliant ray of light drives back the growing gloom.
It reminds him of Cassandra, his life mate, his light. Of the decisions he’d made for her, all with good reasons. The clouds regroup shutting out the light, William finds Kayden watching him.
“I would have lost her, my life mate, if she’d done what I demanded, followed the path I had decided was best for her. I was willing to make the sacrifice. She was not. She didn’t care about winning the battle, she would win the war. She never lost sight of what was truly important. I did.”
“What did she do?”
“She found another way. One unthinkable to me, she would leave Carina. She wanted no part of the darkness keeping us apart. She would go to Messene, from there disappear. Going somewhere she wouldn’t be found. That was her decision. I would have to decide if she left alone. It was an easy choice to make. I couldn’t protect her if I wasn’t with her.”
William is shocked by what he’s hearing. This is not what’s believed in the House of Protection, Kayden had been labeled a murderer, his name never spoken again.
“Your life together?”
“Full, filled with children, love, arguments, respect, honesty. She is my Queen. I would willingly die for her, she for me.”
“And you’re House?”
“We built our own, letting in the light, fighting the dark, building the House we would never have been allowed on Carina. What I had to leave behind could never compete.” As the storm begins to rage Kayden confronts William.
“Will you make your own House, with your life mate? Or live in the one you’ve been assigned? Will it be filled with light, or darkness? It’s always been you’re choice.”
Easing back from the comm center Cassandra rubs her tired eyes. Looking to William she finds him asleep in the bed they’d shared, turned towards her as if he’d been watching her before sleep claimed him. She has to make him realize he’s wrong. But words weren’t going to work, she knows her life mate, he wouldn’t change his mind when it comes to protecting her. She understood, she felt the same way about him. It is how he would protect her that she has to convince him to change.
Walking towards the bed she quietly removes her clothes turning off the light, time to show him what he will lose. Leaning over him her mouth explores his chest while her hands lightly caress his sides. Her mouth moves down with her hands, sliding under his sleeping pants to caress his stiffening shaft.
Waking to darkness, fully aroused, William feels his life mate’s hands holding him. Her mouth planting kisses across his abdomen he groans.
“Cassandra…”
Searching for her in the darkness his discovers she’s naked. Gripping her waist he pulls her up for an urgent kiss. Straddling him she dives into the kiss, her breasts pressed against his chest, hands gripping his shoulders.
Breaking off the kiss she uses her teeth along his jaw on her way to the sensitive spot behind his ear. Her hips are alive within his hands, telling him she’s as aroused as he.
With her mouth continuing its assault William’s control vanishes. Pulling her under him his mouth attacks her breasts while he removes his pants. Then he is deep inside her, surrounded by her heat. Running a hand down her thigh he pulls her knee up so they are even closer.
The pace is brutal, the desire unrestrained. Cassandra hooks her legs around his waist trying to get closer, her nails digging to his sweat slicked back. Feeling her release approaching she pulls his head up, her tongue mating with his as wildly as her body. Moments later they climax, violently.
When sanity returns, William finds himself still on top of Cassandra, pressing her into the bed. Easing away, he caresses her cheek finding it wet with tears.
“Cassandra, what...” Her fingers on his lips silence him. Curling into his side she lays her head over his heart and sleeps.
In the dark William’s trying to figure out what just happened. She’d come to him, his life mate, after everything that had happened, she’d still come to him. But she hadn’t spoken he realizes, hadn’t said his name. The heart she sleeps on aches.
Waking up alone, William rises to find Cassandra back at the communications consul as if the night had been a dream. Pulling on his sleeping pants he approaches.
“Cassandra…”
“Aunt Cassie?”
Both adults turn to the quivering voice, finding Victoria standing in her hatchway, cheeks wet. Cassandra’s immediately out of her chair.
“What’s wrong Tori?” She’s on her knees in front of her. “Bad dream?” The nightmares had stopped since the thread had been removed.
“No.” Tori wraps her arms around her burying her face in her neck.
“Then what? Come on baby tell me.” Cassandra pulls her into her lap. Raising her head Victoria looks at the Admiral who’s squatted down next to them.
“Are you in trouble because of me?” Her eyes lock with his.
“What?” William’s shocked.
“They said yesterday that you got in trouble because of the Regulians, that’s why we’re going back to Carina early. Is it because of me? Because of the thread?” William’s appalled that Tori would blame herself for their return to Carina.
“Tori, that’s not true! You’re not to blame for any of this.” He pulls both of them into his arms. “Neither of you are.”
“Then why are you in trouble?”
William doesn’t know how to respond. The decision that he’d made to return to Carina, to protect them, had been easy to make, it should have only affected him. But it is affecting all of them. In ways he hadn’t considered. Concentrating on the battle he’d lost sight of the war. It seems Kayden was right.
“It’s not that I’m really in trouble, Tori.” William looks to Cassandra for help, but her eyes tell him he’s on his own. He’s caused this.
“Then what?”
“There are going to be people that are unhappy that the Retribution is back early. When High Admiral Valerian gets here he’s not going to like some of the things we have to tell them, about what happened to Earth.” Victoria’s eyes bore into the Admiral’s trying to tell if he’s telling her the truth then moves to Cassandra’s.
“Aunt Cassie?”
“The Admiral wouldn’t lie to you Victoria, you know that.” The conviction in her voice humbles him. He’d given her every cause to doubt him.
“So the kids are wrong? Wait until I tell them.” Tori starts to slide out of her Aunt’s arms.
“Tori, that’s not such a good idea.”
“Why?”
“Tori,” Cassandra isn’t sure how to explain it so settles on the truth. “The things that happened to Earth, that happened to you. It’s going to upset people. It will upset people on the Retribution. The Admiral needs to inform his boss first and he can’t do that until we get to Carina. So you can’t say anything.”
“But others are.”
“I know, but it has to be this way. Otherwise the Admiral really will be in trouble.” William watches Tori processing it, thinking it through, just like her Aunt.
“Okay, I won’t say anything. I’ll go get ready for class.” Giving a quick kiss to both of them, she goes into her room.
Rising William helps Cassandra to her feet. Tipping her head up, he watches the shutters fall back over her eyes, shutting him out again. Refusing to let her pull away he kisses her. He knows he hurt her. That she’s angry with him, but still, she’d told Tori he wouldn’t lie to her. Pulling her close he rests his chin on her head.
“We need to ta
“Will it change anything?” Cassandra’s voice is low as she looks towards Victoria’s room.
“I don’t know….I honestly don’t, I did what I thought was right.”
“For who?” William allows her to ease away, but won’t release her.
“Everyone.”
“It might have been right for you. But it was wrong for Tori, wrong for me. We have the right to decide what’s right for us. As for you and me there’s no us. How can there be when you’ve decided my future?” She pushes against his bare chest. “If you wanted one without me in it, all you had to do was say so.”
“How can you think that!” William demands giving her a hard shake, his voice low and urgent.
“Because it’s what you’ve done.” Her voice breaking she looks away. “Let go, before Tori comes back….please.” Slowly releasing her, she walks into the ready room, wiping her eyes.
Returning she’s followed by Hutu with first meal. Tori’s out of her room, the Admiral dressed. Hutu checks the plates, giving Tori a smile.
“Thank you, Hutu.” The Admiral dismisses him.
“You’re welcome sir. Do you want second meal at the regular time mam?” Hutu turns to Cassandra. Knowing she didn’t eat her meal the night before.
“That would be fine Hutu. Thank you.”
Smiling at her he leaves the Admiral’s quarters. Cassandra’s finding it hard to eat as she sits next to William. Smiling at Victoria she forces herself to take a bite of the loblolly Hutu had brought her. William notices her lack of appetite, she should be starving after not eating the night before. When Victoria finishes she quickly picks up her plate and her own barely touched bowl.
“Why don’t you go wash up and we’ll head to class.”
With Victoria out of the room William walks up behind Cassandra, trapping her against the counter.
“You didn’t eat.” Saying nothing she grips the counter, unable to turn and face him. The day is just starting and already she is struggling. William leans in kissing her neck.
“Please…. Don’t…” Cassandra begs her voice wobbly.
“I’m done Aunt Cassie.” William steps away as Tori comes out of the bathroom. Taking a deep breath Cassandra pastes a smile on her face.
“Okay, grab your bag, and we’re out of here.”
“Bye Admiral.”
“Bye Tori, have a good day at class.” Watching them leave he realizes that in a few days it would be forever. What he planned, what he put in motion, would cause that. Walking to his desk he sits down. Is it really the only way?
Thinking back to the dream he’d had, Kayden had said he couldn’t protect his life mate if he wasn’t there. Why hadn’t he realized that? Why would he trust it to anyone else? Quinn is right, Cassandra would worry about everyone except herself, someone has to worry about her, and he would be that person.
Plans need to be redrawn, strategies reworked. Cassandra needs to be included, in every step. He has a lot of work to do, repairing the damage he’s caused. Getting on the comm he contacts Quinn and Lucas for a meeting in his ready room.
Hugging Victoria goodbye Cassandra turns to Javiera. She’d spent a lot of time the night before looking at angles, trying to figure out different scenarios. But the one thing she kept coming back to is that she can’t do this alone, even if she and William where together, they’d need help. Help from people they could trust. For Cassandra that meant Javiera and Leander. But they need to know what they were getting into.
“I need to talk to you, to you and Leander.” Javiera looks at her friend, seeing the seriousness in her eyes.
“Leander was in quarters when we left, if we lucky we can still catch him.” The two women walk in silence to the Michelakakis’ quarters. Just as they round the corner they see Leander.
“Well, what do we have here? Hi Cassandra.” Leander’s smile fades as he looks at them.
“Can I talk to you, both of you, in quarters?”
“Yeah, sure….” Turning he leads the way unlocking the hatch. As they all enter, he secures it.
“So what’s wrong?” Cassandra isn’t sure where to start, how to start.
“Cassandra, what’s wrong?” Javiera asks. “I told you, you can ask me anything”
“I know, but this isn’t so much asking you something, but telling you, both of you. You might want to sit.” As they do she starts.
“What do you know about the attack on Earth?”
“Know? That the Regulians attacked and destroyed it.”
“But why?”
“Why?” Javiera looks at her husband. “Who knows with the Regulians?”
“They had a reason.” Cassandra looks at Leander who’s been quiet so far.
“What reason?” He isn’t sure he wants to know.
“They believe the missing princess of the House of Knowledge was there.”
“What?” Both are stunned. “How would they know? Why would they care? Why destroy the planet?
“I don’t think they did for the long time. I also don’t think they would have cared one way or the other except someone on Carina found out and they care, they care very much.”
“What are you saying?” Leander voice is low and quiet.
“I’m saying that there is a traitor on Carina, one that’s working with the Regulians because they care very much about the missing princess.”
“Cassandra, that’s ridiculous. That legend is over 2000 cycles old…no one believes it’s possible.” Javiera is relieved this isn’t something serious. Leander looks at Cassandra.
“The Admiral believes this?”
“Yes.”
“What? Leander this is crazy.” Javiera’s eyes become a little frantic.
“Is it? There was no reason for them to destroy the planet Javiera. All they had to do was run, that’s what they’ve always done. So why not this time?”
“I…”
“The poisoning of Tori…the bombing of your quarters….is Falco apart of this?”
“No, that had nothing to do with Earth, we thought it did at first, it fit but….” Cassandra trails off.
“But what?”
“Falco has nothing to do with the Regulians. Both her attacks were directed at me, Tori got the poison by mistake. That’s why we thought it was the Regulians.”
“Why Tori?” Javiera whispers.
“Seven cycles ago Tori was kidnapped, it was the Regulians. They implanted a thread in her arm. The Admiral discovered it after the second attack. Bliant removed it. The Regulians were tracking her. That’s how they found the fleet.”
“But why do they care?”
“Someone on Carina has made a deal with them Javiera. To either bring them the ‘Light’ as they call it or destroy it.”
“Leander?” Javiera looks to her husband.
“The Admiral knows all this?”
“Yes, that’s why he asked for the Dioscuri to replace the Retribution, to get back to Carina. Find the traitor.”
“It would have to be someone high up, someone powerful.”
“Who has a lot to lose.”
“You’re talking a royal.” Leander’s eyes clash with hers.
“Yes.”
“Fuck Cassandra, you’re talking the House of Knowledge.”
“Yes.” Watching her two friends struggle with the information, she begins to wonder if she’d doing the right thing.
“Look maybe I’ve made a mistake telling you this, but all I know is that in three days we’ll be in Carina. The Assembly is going to be called to challenge Queen Yakira. And somewhere in that Assembly will be the person responsible for the death of seven billion people, including my family. They need to be held responsible.” Leander has been watching Cassandra tell them what is going to happen, and what he sees stuns him. How had he missed it?
“It’s you…” Cassandra says nothing.
“What? Leander what are you talking about?”
“Cassandra, Cassan
“Yes.”
“Why are you telling us this?”
“Because we can’t do it alone, we’re going to need help. I’m going to need help, from people I know and trust but I need you to really think about it.” Cassandra looks from Javiera to Leander. “It’s going to be dangerous, Leander, and there’s no guarantee it will work. It’ll put your whole family at risk.”
“Cassandra…” Javiera looks at Leander.
“I need you two to discuss it with each other, to decide what’s best for your family. We have three days before we reach Carina, I’ll need to know what you decided by then. If you don’t feel you can I’ll understand. It’s a lot to ask.” She looks at both of them not realizing she’s looking like a Queen.
“And Leander, the Admiral doesn’t know I’m talking to you. I want you to know that this has nothing to do with the Coalition. There’s no orders, no ramifications to your career if you decide you can’t do this. It’ll remain between us.”
“Like there will be with the Admiral’s.”
“Yes.” Cassandra whispers.
“He really didn’t tell you what it would mean did he.”
“No he didn’t. Look, I know I don’t need to say this but I have to anyway. You can’t tell anyone what I’ve just told you. Not even Amina. Victoria doesn’t even know everything.”
“We won’t tell anyone Cassandra, whatever we decide.”
“Okay, I need to get back…I still have a lot of things to learn before we reach Carina. I’ll see you later.”
Leaving Cassandra knows she’s done the right thing trusting the Michelakakis’, she just isn’t sure it’s going to be enough. She needs to start assembling her House. Surround herself and Victoria with people she can trust and depend on. Why hadn’t she thought of this sooner? Heading back to quarters she has a plan to implement and a new possibility to look into. Time is running out.