Blood Debt (Touched Series Book 1) (9 page)

“Camille and I were just getting to know each other a little better.  I texted Dad
.  H
e’s going to have it delivered.”

“Your brothers are outside clearing the grove for this weekend
.  W
hy don’t you go give them a hand
before it gets too hot
?”

I could see the relief on Brent’s face
.  H
e wasn’t at all comfortable with ou
r
conversation. 
“Sure
, Mom
.  See you later
,
Camille.”  Brent exited without another word.  It was a strange conversation
. 
I’d always been relatively
attractive
, n
ot a supermodel, but
why would he be surprised that I’d had boyfriends
?
  He seemed surprised that anyone
was
interested in dating me.  Talk about a bruise to the ego.

“I can help, too, Gretchen.”
  As much fun as I’d had with them yesterday, I couldn’t wait to listen in on more of their stories. 

I stood up and was two steps away when Gretchen said,
“You and I need to spend some time together.  I think there are some things your mother would want you to know.”

I felt a twinge of nervousness.  It hadn’t been that long since my mother’s death
,
and I
didn’t want to talk about her,
not with anyone, but
especially with Gretchen
. 

Gretchen sensed my apprehension,
“I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable
. 
I can see your mother’s memories are still tender. 
There are some things she didn’t share with you that I think
are
important you know
.”

“You knew my mother?”  I could feel my eyelids flex as my eyes widened.

“No, Camille.  I never met your mother, but I’m certain that she was wonderful.”

“Gretchen, I
. . . I appreciate it, but . . . I
’m not ready to talk about her.”

“How would you like to talk
to her
?”

I froze
. 
I felt a rush of heat shoot through my body
.  M
y heart skipped.  “She died, Gretchen.  I was there when it happened.”

“Her body died, yes.  But her spirit lives on.  She’s with you now.  She’s talking to
you right this second, but
you aren’t listening.” 
I
froze.  I didn’t know what kind of game Gretchen was playing, but I didn’t like it
.
 
They
were
a cult! I was right from the beginning.  Gretchen though
t
she could talk to ghosts.  How was I going to get out of here? 
No way was I getting sucked
in.

Chapter 7

Gretchen
broke eye contact with me and
looked over my shoulder
.  S
he sounded like she was angry when she said,
“You should have told her before you passed.  Do you know how hard it must be for her to hear this from me?”  Gretchen paused for a second carrying on her imaginary conversation.  “I will do my best
,
but
shame on you
for not
telling her yourself
!”
 
Gretchen’s eyes focused back on mine.  “Camille, I need for you to hear me out.  What I’m about to tell you will be difficult to hear, but it’s important that you know.”

Last night I hadn’t been sure how to feel about Will, but I’d liked Gretchen right away.  First impressions aren’t always infallible.  She was nuts, certifiable and likely the ring-leader of th
is
cult – it was always the leaders that were crazy.  I needed to decide if I wanted to humor her until Will got home or if I wanted to go outside and call a cab now. 
I wanted
to like
Gretchen, but s
o much had happened in the last month, I couldn’t afford to get attached to someone
who
believed she could talk to
spirits
–
not just any spirit, but my mother
’
s.  I
t would hurt too much
. 
The only people I’d ever met who
’d
made those claims were charlatans, thieves and
the mentally ill.

“I’m not a charlatan, or mentally ill
,
and seriously
,
Camille, what do you have that I’d like to steal?”

For the second time in as many minutes, I could feel my eyes bulging.
  Did I say that out loud?  Oh
,
my gosh, I’m losing it!
  “How? . . .
What’d you just say
?”

The warm smile reappeared, “Yes, Camille. 
Sometimes I have to
tune in
to retrieve information
. 
I’ll not make a habit of it.  I’ll ask that you give me the same courtesy.”

“The same courtesy
? 
What are you talking about?
I can’t read minds.”

“I’m afraid you can.  No one has ever taught you how.  Your mother is an interesting spirit.  She wanted you to have a normal human experience.  She thought that if she taught you how to use your gifts you would use
them
as a crutch.
”

“Use what as a crutch?”

“
In school, knowing what others were selecting for answers
on tests
would have precluded you from learning the material
for yourself
.
  At least, that’s what she believed.
”  Gretchen’s voice dropped the humor, “For the record, I disagree
.  Y
ou should
have
underst
ood
who you
were . . .
are.”

“You’re telling me she’s right here and you’re communicating with her right now?  You’re a medium?”

“I’ve been called many things
. 
I am the Matriarch of this family
,
and I have
pure
Centaur blood flowing through my veins.  As do you.”

Centaur?  The half
-
people, half-horse things?  No freakin’ way! 
Mentally ill and delusional
. 
I wonder if Will knew she was a
loon.
  He’d have to know
, right?

“Camille, I am not a loon.  Before being disrespectful, I suggest you remember I can read your thoughts as easily as I can hear your words.
 
Centaurs are a noble race.  We were not half-equestrian as many legends have adopted.  Humans were unable to explain
the speed of our men
and could only describe us
in terms of a warrior
being carried by
a horse
.  Early paintings showed
our kind as a
cross between a person and
a
horse.
  I can assure you, none of us have hooves.
”

I started feeling a little woozy.  She really could read minds.  Centaurs were a different race?  I looked just lik
e everyone else.  H
ow could I be a Centaur?

“Your mother and father
were
both full-blood
ed
Centaurs, Camille.  No human blood is mixed in your lineage
.  T
he
same is true for your brothers.”

“So, what’s a Centaur if it isn’t a half-person, half-horse?”

“As I said, t
he speed with which our men have always run was difficult for humans to understand.  They began drawing pictograms
millennia
ago of men with horse
bodies
to show our speed.  The men of our kind have always been fierce warriors
.  T
he women
are physically strong
,
but our real strength lies in our minds. 
Each
blood line
carries
different skills
: 
some are
psychic,
some
clairvoyant
, others can move objects
,
and some are able to predict the future with uncanny accuracy.
  There are other talents
, too – it depends which
blood line
is predominate
.
”
  

“But I can’t do any of those things.
”

“
Yes
,
you can
.  Y
ou just don’t know how. 
W
e are not
common
human
s
.  We have an obligation to keep our race going, to ensure our traits are not lost.  You, too, have the same obligation I do.
  You, too, have the same skills I do.
  In fact, as a Chiron, you probably have all the skills.
  Your mother chose not
to
share with you her talents or develop yours.
”

“What?
  My mother couldn’t do any of those things.
”

“
I don’t know why your mother chose to hide who
she was from you or why she kept her secrets from
you.  This is a critical time in your life
,
and without your mother to guide you, you could easily make poor
decisions
.  For this reason, I would like for you to extend your trip.  There is much for me to teach you
,
and I cannot do it in just a few days.”

I felt like she was waiting for me to say something,
but I was still in process mode, so she continued her explanation.

“It is only women of our kind
who
possess these skills
.  Men help promulgate the race, but it is the women who are revered.  When Will told me
he had met
your mother, I was floored.
  We all thought she was dead.  She was the last Chiron female heir
;
her brother never married. 
Everyone
believed the Chiron
blood line
would be extinct after this generation.
”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your mother permitted a union with your father, out of wedlock.  She must have done it out of an obligation to all Centaurs
, to keep her
blood line
alive.  But she taught you nothing
.  Y
ou know nothing of our ways or how you fit
.”

“She allowed a union?  That sounds a little antiquated.  It takes two to tango.”

“I am not belittling your mother
. 
I am merely trying to share with you our beliefs.  We are a warrior race, so rather than the 50/50 ratio of male to female
that humans have,
it is
80/
20.
”
 

“Why are so many more men born than women?”

“No one knows for sure
,
but my theory is that from an evolutionary perspective, a significant number of the
Centaur
male population should have been lost in battle - maybe something like 4 of 5. 
Because
we have known peace for so long
,
the males significantly outnumber the females.”

I couldn’t believe I was buying in to her delusion,
“Maybe
M
om didn’t know she was a
. . .
Centaur
?”

“Your mother was the daughter of
Zandra
.  I can assure you
Zandra
brought your mother up to know our ways.  Your mother chose to leave her family and abandon our race.”

“My grandparents are dead
.  M
y mom told me she’d been on her own since she was seventeen.”

Gretchen nodded, “She was indeed on her own from a young age, but I can assure you, your grand
mother is
very much alive.”

I felt my blood pumping again with enough force that I could actually hear my pulse. 
“Where?”

“
Zandra
lives in Florida.  Your grandfather, Isaac, passed away a few years ago.
  Neither ha
d
seen their daughter in more than a quarter century.  They did not know where she was
. 
Zandra
only knew of her passing
when she
sensed your mother’s spirit moving on to the spirit world.
”  Gretchen’s face took on a strange look when she added, “
She was
un
aware of you.”