Centaur Legacy (32 page)

Her eyes left the opposite wall and
fell on mine. “You made the right choice. If Zeus knew our days
were numbered with you as a human, I’d much rather have a long life
with you like this, over a short life with you as a human. But I’m
not sleeping in barns forever.”

I pulled Cami off the sofa and into my
arms. She wasn’t angry, or hurt, or numb. She was keeping the
promise to me she made the moment she arrived here today. She was
looking on the bright side.

(Drake – Cameron’s house,
SD)

Beau knocked on the door; Lacey was
with him. I noticed Daniel was still absent, probably for the best.
He had been angry with me the day I tried to get him to take Cami
back to San Diego, then furious with Cami for refusing to go. She
told me they weren’t speaking to one another, but he refused to get
on a plane until he was sure she didn’t need him.

I hoped that one day I’d get a chance
to know Daniel. There was never a more faithful and loyal friend a
person could hope for, and I wanted to make sure Cami never lost
him.

Beau had to get over the initial shock
of seeing me. Will had already prepared him for it, and I was sure
Lacey had confirmed it was true before they arrived – but seeing is
believing. I understood the shock he was feeling, as I got the same
surprise every time I walked past a mirror.

Cami and I had made two bogus Facebook
profiles. There were only a few countries in the world that didn’t
have access to Facebook, and we didn’t intend to go to those. She
would be able to go to an internet café and check the messages. We
all agreed we wouldn’t post any actual pictures of ourselves or
where we were, but if we needed to contact each other, we would be
able to access these profiles.

I’d known Beau my whole life, and I
hoped it wouldn’t be long until we saw each other again. Beau held
out his hand. I shirked it away and grabbed him in a warrior’s
embrace. “Take care, old friend. I hope we see each other again,
soon.”

“Take care of Cami,” he turned his gaze
to his sister, “and, Cami, don’t let him get away with anything
just ‘cause he’s got hooves. There isn’t anything says a man’s got
to have toes to help with the dishes.”

The three of us laughed while Lacey
stood awkwardly a few feet away and cringed at Beau’s comment. I’m
sure she must have thought it callous, but it was far easier for
all of us to look at the situation with humor, even if it was a dig
on me.

Beau would be the safest of
the Strayer sons, since he was quickly approaching the end of his
eligibility. The Centaur Council might choose to ignore him
entirely in favor of rooting out members of the Lost Herd who could
still cloak themselves as one of the other families. I hoped at
least
he
would be
safe. Bruce was the Strayer son who was closest to my age, but Beau
had always been the big brother I wished I’d had.

Cami grabbed hold of Beau, “Thanks for
dropping everything to come to our rescue. We’ll do the same for
you if you ever need it.” Lacey and Cami had spent very little time
together, so I was a little surprised at Lacey getting teared
up.

Lacey said, “You two are going to be
fine. I’m sure of it.” It warmed my heart, whether it was a true
premonition she’d had or just hopeful thinking.

Cami smiled, took Lacey in a quick hug
and answered, “Lacey, thank you isn’t adequate. I’ll never forget
you.”

Beau held the kitchen door open for
Lacey. It hadn’t occurred to me until she passed under his arm
through the door to their awaiting car; she had to have sneaked out
of the hotel to accompany Beau here. No way would her father have
allowed her unescorted in a car with Beau.

I wondered if there was something
between them, but dismissed the idea. Beau had already made his
decision to leave Centaurs behind and had broken it to his family.
Her father must have considered Beau and Daniel safe escorts for
her.

We watched their taillights disappear
down the road. It would be a rough few weeks ahead of us, and I
wanted to enjoy what little time we had left at Cameron’s place
without the stress of being on the run. I lit a fire in the
fireplace, and joined Cami in the living room. Conversation was
sparse, our time together to relax was limited, and neither of us
needed to fill that time with words.

(Beau Strayer – Hotel near
Crazy Horse Mountain, SD)

We returned to the nearly abandoned
hotel. Dad had rented the place for the month, so it looked like a
ghost town. The eeriness of the quiet gave me goose bumps. As we
walked into the empty lounge, Lacey’s expression was tentative. I
knew it was time for her to go. She was a sweet girl who dropped
everything, putting her own grief on hold to help strangers; I’d
never forget her. I wanted to tell her I’d see her back in San
Diego, but that was a lie.

My decision had been made. When I
returned to San Diego with Daniel, I would start my life over – no
longer a part of the Centaur community. Being a descendant of the
Lost Herd would be dangerous for my family, but Centaurs seeking
the Lost Herd would not pursue me. My decision to leave Centaurs
behind me and to live the remainder of my life as a human made me
less of a target.

Lacey fidgeted with her purse, absently
opening it, looking for something, then closing it. Lacey was a
seer: she already knew what lay ahead of me. Her voice was soft
when she said, “So, I guess there’s nothing left but to go to the
airport and to go home.”

I could feel the smile stretch wide on
my face, “Thanks, for everything. I mean it.”

Lacey had been a few feet away from me.
She walked over to me and put her hand on my forearm. Her touch was
warm, and warning bells went off in my head. I’d been raised never
to touch a Centauride, and except for few, if any, missteps in my
life, I hadn’t. Her gesture had caught me off guard. Electricity
shot up my arm and straight to my heart.

I needed to pull my arm from her hand
before I did something I’d regret later, but I didn’t. Her touch
was tender. The initial electricity I felt gave way to a warm
sensation just before her words sliced me wide open. “Beau, you
know it’s your right to claim me.”

I felt my heart picking up speed. She
couldn’t be serious. I’d already told her I wasn’t carrying on my
bloodline. I had decided to live as a human; I was doing it on my
terms. She had her whole life ahead of her; why would she bring
this up?

Lacey was just a kid – a stupid kid who
was playing with fire. She didn’t know the beast raging just under
the surface, fighting to be free and make that
proclamation.

I looked into her green eyes staring
into mine, the delicate lines of her face – she was the most
enchanting Centauride I’d ever seen. It would be easy to claim her
as mine; it would be more than the answer to a prayer – but I had
already resolved to that dream’s death. I refused to sentence her
to a marriage out of obligation. I simply responded, “I
know.”

Her eyes continued watching me; she
waited for me to say something else. I refused to claim her, to
force myself on a Centauride, even as every fiber in my being
screamed for her. The turmoil in my head was unbearable; a weaker
Centaur would crumble, but I held strong. I’d made my decision.
When I didn’t answer, her soft voice prodded, “Beau, you saved my
life. I wouldn’t be alive right now if it weren’t for you. You only
have to tell my father that you’re taking what belongs to
you.”

I shook my head. Nothing would make me
happier than to spend this life and eternity with Lacey, but I
couldn’t think of an action that would be more selfish. Of all the
Centaur laws, the Third Centaur Tenant was the one I disliked the
most. Having seen it invoked on an unwilling Centauride when I was
young, the image of her protests still haunted me.

Evangeline and I had known each other
most of our lives. It was the summer before our junior year of high
school. A group of us were spending the day on Folly Beach,
surfing, sunning, playing volleyball – everyone enjoying that
perfect beach day.

Evangeline had just turned sixteen the
day before and was waiting for the DMV to open Monday morning so
she could get her driver’s license.

The waves were enormous that day; a
summer storm was brewing in the Atlantic and would hit the coast
the following morning. None of us should have been in the water,
but we were all stupid. While Evangeline was surfing, the undertow
pulled her under the water and out to sea. We saw it happen, and
every young Centaur on the sand went into the water after her. The
current was too strong, and we lost her.

Word spread like wildfire, and Centaur
rescue boats started arriving from all directions; a couple
helicopters were even brought in. Several hours went by without any
word. Her family paced the shore with the rest of us, looking for a
glimpse of her.

Five hours after she was pulled out to
sea, an older Centaur found her and radioed back to let everyone
know she was alive. Evangeline had been found clinging to her
board: dehydrated, burned from hours in the sun, and terrified. The
Centaur who found her had been days from his thirtieth birthday,
and he invoked the Third Tenant.

An unbetrothed Centauride whose life is
spared forfeits her choice to the Centaur who saved that life. The
tenant treated Centaurides as property, stating that because they
were given a second chance at life, it was their obligation to
repay their life to the Centaur.

That day on Folley Beach has haunted me
for thirteen years. I can still hear Evangeline’s screams when her
father gave her to the Centaur who was nearly twice her age. Every
race has their undesirables; Evangeline’s Centaur had been a beast.
I never saw Evangeline after that day. Her Centaur forbade her
return to school. I heard she was rewarded with a horrible
existence and bore eight children before she died at his hands a
year ago.

I’d seen Centaurs purposely put young
Centaurides in danger in the hopes that they could be the rescuer.
It turned my stomach.

Lacey took a step closer to me – I
distanced us with another step in the other direction. I shook my
head, gritted my teeth, and told her, “I can’t do that to you,
Lacey.”

The hurt registered on her face. I’d
seen the expression many times on my own: she believed I was
rejecting her. Lacey reached over and touched my forearm a second
time. “You’ve already proven that you’d put your life in jeopardy
for mine. I’m yours to take.”

I shook my head. “No. I don’t want to
marry you because you’ve got some misplaced obligation you feel you
owe me. I would have done the same thing for anyone: Centauride or
human.”

Her head was bowed. She gazed up
tentatively and gently argued, “But you didn’t do it for anyone. .
. you did it for me.”

“Lacey, you’re an incredible
Centauride. You’re going to make a Centaur very happy. I’m too old
for you.”

She wouldn’t let it drop. Did she not
know that I was a hair away from doing what I had detested in so
many others over the years? She didn’t relent and answered, “Only
eleven years. My father was nine years older than my mother
was.”

“Lacey, I’m not unhappy. I don’t
begrudge my destiny. My family won’t disown me, and I’ll be free of
the Centaur restrictions. Don’t pity me for not having been
chosen.”

She shook her head, “It’s not pity,
Beau. It’s your right. You only have to decide what is yours and
take it.”

I stood looking into her eyes, unable
to believe what I was hearing. I couldn’t afford to live in this
fantasy, and I wouldn’t let her convince herself it was okay. “It’s
not fair to you, Lacey. I won’t take that choice away from you.
Whatever obligation you feel you have to me for pulling you from
the car wreck, I release you.” In that moment my mind was screaming
to take back my foolhardy words, screaming that she belonged to me.
As difficult as it had been for me to accept that I would never be
chosen, I would never forgive myself if I stole her choice from
her.

Lacey looked at me with her soft green
eyes; her expression disarmed me, as if she weren’t looking at the
failure I felt I was. “So, you’ve made up your mind. You won’t seek
a Centauride for a wife?”

I took in a deep breath. “That ship’s
sailed. I’ve made peace with my decision. My family has accepted
it.”

“What if a Centauride chose
you?”

I felt a surge of the same energy from
before when she touched my forearm. I could hear my own heart
beating. My palms were sweating. Lacey couldn’t possibly be
considering choosing me?

I swallowed a large gulp of air; my
throat was dry. I felt light-headed and could see tunnel vision
coming on. My eyes narrowed when I asked, “Hypothetically. . . or
are we talking about you?”

Her eyes held mine, “Me.”

My words were barely audible when my
resolve began ebbing away. “Lacey, don’t do that.”

She couldn’t possibly understand. I
needed to walk away before I enacted the tenant which said she was
rightfully mine. I tried to make her listen to reason, “You’re
young and beautiful. You’ve got a heart as big as a Volkswagen.
Don’t settle for me.” My eyes dropped from hers as I mumbled, “Find
a Centaur worthy of you.”