Centaur Redemption (Touched Series) (32 page)

The anticipation sent quivers through me.  I wanted him in the most
carnal way, but I wanted this moment to last.  My fingernails caressed his skin, leaving goose bumps in their wake.  His hands were on my back drawing me closer as his body continued to rub against mine. 

Drake felt so good in my arms I didn’t want to move for fear that some new danger would present itself and take him away from me again.  My body took over and drowned out my scattered thoughts.  I couldn’t wait another second.  Angling Drake against the wall, my lips began exploring his body. 

There was an enormous scar from his hip all the way to his navel.  Drake shivered as my lips traced the scar.  Another scar ripped down his right leg.  A third was on his chest just above his heart.  Each of these three looked like they had torn or burned the muscle underneath.  Other smaller scars peppered his skin.  I had never seen scars on a Centaur.   I doubted that another Centaur had received wounds from Zeus and lived to tell about it.  Drake’s ice blue eyes watched me as I kissed every square inch of him.  His body shuddered under my touch.

My mouth returned to the sensitive skin of his earlobe and pleaded, “Make love to me.”

The turmoil and uncertainty of the last week evaporated in that instant.  We were not two scared lovers, we weren’t being hunted, and our self-proclaimed responsibilities of saving the Lost Herd were behind us.  All was right with the world.  I intended to hold him to his promises of a life full of passion, spending every possible moment together – beginning right now.

(
Cameron Chiron – Centurion, South Africa
)

"Thanks Roger, I'll stop by after the ceremony."

Roger stopped just short of the door, turned and said, "No matter how this plays out, you've always got me."

Why had I never called the number he left me?  I didn't know how much I had missed him until he reappeared, virtually out of thin air, to protect me from Angelo.  There was something about Roger.  I promised him I'd give William Strayer a chance, but given everything that had happened, I wasn't too sure about any of the new family that had found me, well, except Grandma.

"Thanks.  An enforcer stopped by last night to tell me she made it back safe, but was too worn out for visitors.  I'm going to go by her room before we have to go to the ceremony and make sure she's okay."

"I'm sure she'd like that.  I'm still blown away that you're going to be the next Chairman.  I always knew you had it in you."  I could see the pride in Roger's eyes.  He had made me the man I am today.  No matter what my duties entailed, I wasn't going to give him up again.  Grandma told me I couldn't share our secret with humans, but technically a goddess had shared the secret before I could even talk, so him knowing shouldn't be a problem. 

"Tell me all about it when you get back tonight."  Roger left my room.  His was the room directly across from mine, so I listened for his door to close to make sure no trouble waited for him in the hallway. 

I looked at the clock on the other side of the room.  The enforcer told me we were leaving at 1:45, which gave me about a half hour.  I stood in front of the mirror, looking at the crazy tuxedo that had been delivered.  Snickering at my image, I looked like I was going to prom.  My hands brushed off a couple pieces of lint as I looked back at the clock.  I knew which room was hers; I could just stop by and say hello.  My gut felt funny, wondering if she had already talked to Angelo.  What if he was right?

Would the heads of family accept me as their new Chairman?  It seemed like whatever Grandma said was done without question.  Up until the Council meeting, enforcers were going crazy looking for the Lost Herd.  After she said no harm would come to them, it was like the Lost Herd came out of the woodwork.  If she told everyone I was the new Chairman, they'd have to accept it.

Or would they kill me on the spot?  I didn't trust Angelo, and the Peru trip proved he had something up his sleeve.  He was meeting with a couple goddesses.  What could they do to sway the heads of families?  My stomach started knotting again. 

Stuffing my wallet into my pocket, I exhaled deeply.  I didn't want her to retire if this was going to freak everyone out.  I needed to see Grandma.  Reaching for the door, I pulled it open wide and stepped right into a guy in front of my door, holding his hand in mid-air ready to knock.

He sprawled out onto the floor as I ran into him full force.  His eyes were wide open staring at me in surprise.  I offered my hand to pull him up off the floor, "Hey, sorry, man, I didn't see you."

A big smile spread on his face, "No problem."  He stared at me for a second, then said, "Shit, you look just like her!"

I didn't recognize him.  He was my age, normal height, normal build.  I was getting better at picking out who was a human and who was a Centaur, but there was something about this guy.  I couldn't be sure who I had just helped up off the floor.

Now was my first chance to make a good impression.  He could be someone from one of the original families.  "I'm Cameron.  Have we met?"

"No.  I'm a friend of Cami's.  You got a minute?"

Cami, there was someone I still didn't want to see.  Angelo was sure she was coming after us.  I may not have a full-blown Centaur Warrior on my flank, but I could hold my own.  I didn't trust either of them.  If this guy was one of their friends, I didn't trust him, either.

"You gotta name?"

"Sorry.  I'm Daniel.  Cami and I grew up together in San Diego."

"Oh, well, nice to meet you.  But as you saw," or felt, "I was just on my way out."

Daniel didn't budge from his spot right in front of my door, "It'll just take a minute, promise."

Great.  What had she sent him over for?  To threaten me?  To tell me to stay away from the coronation ceremony?  Maybe to ask if I could step out of the way so the "golden child" could step in as the Chairman instead? 

My answer was sharp, on purpose.  "What?"

Daniel pointed at my room, "Could we talk inside?  I don't think either of us wants to get busted for talking Centaur stuff in the hallway."

Who was this guy?  What gave him the right to barge in and demand anything?  "Look, I don't know why Camille sent you here, and I don't care.  I need to go see someone.  Excuse me."  I tried to push past him in my doorway, but he grabbed my shoulder, holding me in place.  I looked at his hand, then at him.  Shrugging away from his grip, I warned, "Don't touch me."

"Whoa, Sunshine, I just want to talk to you.  Cami doesn't know I'm here.  She'd fricken slash my tires if she knew.  Give me two minutes."

Sunshine?  Who did he think he was talking to?  Frustrated, I could easily waste more than two minutes arguing with this guy about why I didn't have time for him.  Begrudgingly, I stepped backwards into my room and held the door open for him to pass.  When I closed the door behind him, I didn't offer him a seat.  Whatever he needed to say, he could spit it out and go.

"Well, at least you don't act like her.  If I asked her for two minutes, and she didn't want to talk to me, she'd have set a stop watch."

His comment made me want to grin.  As soon as I had backed into the room, I'd looked at the digital clock on the wall and would be keeping track of when his two minutes was up.  "You needed to speak with me?"

"Okay, so you're a little like her:  she cuts right to the chase, too.  So, I know you and Cami got off to a rough start."

"And let me guess?  You're here to tell me that she's really sweet and will be devastated if I don't immediately run to her and forgive her for everything she's done?"

"Yeah, glad to see sarcasm doesn't run in your family.  No, I'm not here to tell you how sweet she is.  That'd be a lie.  Cami's about as sweet as a Great White.  I'm here to tell you, she's been through enough.  I heard about what you pulled in the lobby and the warehouse with her."

"Ah, a threat?  Why am I not surprised?"

"Don't be a douche.  I've known her since we were nine.  She pretends to be all tough, but she's not, okay?  She's pretty special.  You don't know her like I do, and what you do know has been manipulated by these yahoos you're related to."     

"Once I'm Chairman, I'm not going to rescind Grandma's decree.  The Lost Herd will be fine.  Happy?"

"Chairman?"  A strange look flashed on Daniel's face. 

Maybe he wasn't in "the know" as much as he thought he was.  Grandma was clear when she told me when she retired it would be me leading the Centaur Council.  Grandma was a strong leader, and I would have liked a little more time getting to know the ins and outs of Centaur stuff, but it's not like she would be very far away if I needed her.  "Yes, there's a ceremony this afternoon.  I won't pursue the Strayers, or Camille, or any of them.  Now, if there's nothing else, I have somewhere I need to be."

"Slow down, Speed-racer.  Forget all the Centaur Council crap.  I'm talking about your sister.  Do you know what all she's been through?"

"I've pieced it together.  I get it, when our mother died she took it hard.  Noted."

Daniel leaned with his back against the door.  My eyes glanced at the clock on the wall – he had already hit his two minute limit.  I was just about to forcibly remove him when he said, "She was alone.  Really alone.  When Angela died, she hadn't told Cami anything.  Hell, I knew more about Centaurs and Centaurides than Cami did."

That was a surprise.  Why wouldn't our mother have told her about being a Centaur?  I knew our mother had run away, but I assumed our mother had filled her in as to why.

"Just a few minutes before Angela died, she told Cami who your dad was."  Daniel looked away, "Damn, that seems like forever ago."  He snickered, "I tried everything I could think of to keep her from calling him.  I worried if she made the call, I'd lose her."

Now I was really confused.  Was Daniel an ex-boyfriend of Camille's?  He had piqued my interest, marginally, so I didn't remind him he was past his two-minute threshold.  "But she did, and sure enough she was on a plane the same day.  I told myself she'd go out, meet him, and with any luck, she'd come back to her old life in California in a couple days.  She spent a week with your dad before Zandra kidnapped her."

Here we go again.  Grandma told me that Camille had embellished how awful it had been at Grandma's estate.  "She wasn't kidnapped.  Grandma invited her to stay to get to know about our heritage."

"Cami wasn't invited to Zandra's estate, she was thrown in a car trunk and held captive with an electric shock collar on her.  I showed up there with the Sheriff trying to see Cami, and Zandra had the whole place locked up tighter than New York City after a terrorist scare.  Zandra pretended to murder Drake and Bianca, did you know that?  She thought she could force Cami to marry another Centaur."

"Grandma told me she had tried to arrange a marriage, but Camille was opposed."

"Opposed?  She and Drake ran away to Ireland to try to find protection from Zandra.  Then she risked her life coming back to the states to find you."

"She wasn't looking for me.  She only wanted the arrow in my possession.  Drake stole it."

"Yeah, and after, Zandra ordered her enforcers to kill Cami and Drake, so she knew very well how your house was destroyed.  Drake was changed into a Centaur by Chiron in order to protect Cami.  Cami convinced the Centaur Council to accept the Tak herd in defiance of Zeus.  Cami called on the goddess Athena, and Athena appeared in my hotel room and transported Cami away with her.  Cami went to fight for Zandra after all of Zandra's enforcers were killed.  Cami has talked directly to Zeus, for gods' sakes.  Where were you when your grandmother needed to be saved?  What have you done that makes you think you should be the Chairman of the Centaurs?"

I was speechless.  I had no idea what to respond to.  Had she done all of those things?  She saved Grandma?

Daniel shook his head, "Talking to you is about as easy as shoving a pig through a python.  What I'm trying to tell you is, from the minute she found out you were alive, I was replaced."

A pig through a python?  Whoever this guy was, he had a colorful vocabulary.  "What do you mean,
you
were replaced?"

"Cami is more family to me than anyone I share genetic material with.  From third grade until she met William, she and I did everything together.  She wants to be your sister.  She wants you in her life.  You need to give her a chance."

"That's really touching, but we've all had tough lives.  She and I don't have anything in common, and the few times I've met her, she hasn't been overwhelmingly thrilled to see me, either."  Although I said the words, the image of her throwing her arms around my neck in the lobby and refusing to let go played in my mind.  Her hands were like vise-gripes when I tried to pull her free.   

"Nothing in common?  Aside from the obvious that you two look eerily the same, let's try this.  Can you ride a bike?"

A bicycle, was he mad?  What the hell did that have to do with anything?  Roger had only ever forced me to try to ride a bike once – I hated it.