Centaur Redemption (Touched Series) (21 page)

My stomach dropped as goose bumps erupted on my arms.  “You’re not serious?”

“I am.  Zandra told him she intended to disregard his orders.  It was her choice as the Chairman, and she decided no more harm would come to any of the Lost Herd.  She said she would not honor his decree.  No more Centaur blood would spill over something one of his gods was responsible for.”

Brent’s voice was low, but carried throughout the room.  “She’s tougher than any of us gave her credit for.  For her to say that to Zeus, she must have been on a suicide mission.”

Had she done this for Cameron and me?  She stood up to Zeus; I had seen it in Quinton’s memory myself.  It had taken most of her life, but she was finally the true leader of the Centaur.  The herds needed her and I needed Drake.  “What are we waiting for?  We can’t let Zeus kill her!”

Gretchen stood tall, her voice full of pride.  “She has named you as her successor.  You need to stay here.  If anything were to happen to you, her stand against Zeus would be for nothing.  She is still alive, but if she dies, don’t let her final act of courage be in vain.  It is your responsibility to lead the herds.”

I could see her reasoning, but the unreasonable part of my brain refused to agree.  It was selfish on my part, but I wouldn’t be good for anything if I lost Drake.  I had already known that feeling and remembered all too well what it did to me.  I would live with a giant gaping hole in my soul if he went to the pasture now.  I needed him. 

“Where’s Cameron?”

Gretchen looked confused.  “Cameron?”

“My brother.  Where is he?”

Gretchen shook her head.  “I don’t know.  No one has seen him since the day of the Council meeting.”

I looked at Jessica.  “You knew him in South Dakota, right?”

She shook her head.  “Sort of.  We weren’t friends or anything, but we went to the same high school.  He didn’t know he was a Centaur, so he never paid any attention to me.  I’m not sure he would even recognize me.”

“I don’t care how you do it.  Find him.  Tell him everything that’s happened.  If I don’t come back, he’s my successor.”

Daniel jerked to his feet, “Whoa!  What do you mean if you don’t come back?”

“I’m going after Drake and Zandra.”

Will stepped through the door just as I spoke.  His voice was stern, “I’d like a word with my daughter.  Would you all give us a minute?”  Everyone sheepishly walked out the door except Gretchen.  His voice didn’t change as he looked at his wife, “Alone, please.”

I still wasn’t great with the Centaur dynamics.  It was clear Gretchen was in charge, but she gave a slight bow of her head and joined the others.  No one, not even Will, was going to talk me out of this.  My words blasted quickly, “He’s my husband, Will.  And as much as I hate her, next to Cameron, she’s the closest thing I have left of Mom.  I’m going.”

He winced.  My words stung him.  “Cami, listen.  I know what you must be feeling.  I believe even if we left now and took everyone with us to help, we wouldn’t stand a chance against Zeus’ wrath, and we’d probably be too late anyway.  Stay here.  We’ll send others to try to find Drake and Zandra.  We need you.  Not just your family, but all of the herds need you.”  His tone softened when he added, “I need you.”

Any other moment in my life his confession would have brought me to a blubbering mess.  Growing up without a father was painful.  I’d always dreamed of this guy, wanting a father who wanted me.  The fact that he was willing to send his sons who he had raised since birth into certain death in an effort to spare me wasn’t lost on me.  More touching was that I knew each of my half-brothers would volunteer without hesitation to do it. 

But it wasn’t any other moment in my life.  It was now.  I couldn’t live without Drake.  If Zeus killed him, he would be driving a stake through my heart at the same time.  I wouldn’t survive.  A shell of a Centauride would live on, but it wouldn’t be me.

“There’s nothing you can say.  I’m going, with or without your help.”

Will walked to the window and stood, his back to me.  “That night you first called me, do you remember?”

Of course I remembered.  I had replayed our conversation in my mind at least a hundred times since then.  It had only been a few months ago, but it could have been yesterday.  “I remember.”

“When we hung up, I fell to my knees.  I think somehow in the back of my mind, I knew that Angela had lied to me.  I was ashamed of my deception, that I had purposely seduced her.  I regretted that I had broken my vow to Gretchen.  I was furious with my father for ordering me to do it.  But when I hung up the phone that night, I knew that my lies and deception had resulted in a person who could change the world.”

Frustrated that he chose now to own up to his actions, I blurted out, “Look, I forgive you, okay?  I know why you did it.  I’m glad to be alive.  That wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t done what you did.”

Will still faced the window.  His shoulders slumped, “That just makes this all the harder.”  I wasn’t ready for a touching moment.  I had a clear path to the door.  I readjusted my backpack on my shoulders and took a few steps before his words caught me up short.  “I forbid you to leave.”

My back stiffened as an actual laugh escaped me.  Will didn’t know me at all.  In the twenty-three years I’d had with Mom, she’d never breathed those words to me.  She knew me too well.  Forbid me?  Who was he to me?  A father who wanted me after I’d already found my own way?

My hand was on the door knob when he finally turned toward me, “You’ll stay; forcibly if necessary.  Centaur Enforcers are positioned outside the door.  They have orders to detain you.  You have my word that I will do everything in my power to find Drake and Zandra and get them back here, but you aren’t going.”

He wasn’t serious.  I opened the door to call his bluff, but sure enough, there were twenty enforcers standing at attention in the hallway, evenly spaced between the doors.  I slowly closed the door.  “I’m leaving.  There’s nothing you or those goons can do to stop me.”

“I hoped it wouldn’t come to this.  I wish you could see your importance to our family, to all herds.”

I opened the door again and stepped into the hallway.  There was nothing left to say to him.  I made a quick left, but the enforcer closest to me stepped directly in my path.  I took a step to the right to go around him, but he stepped in front of me again.  “Excuse me,” I said, with as much contempt as I could pour into two words.

“Apologies, Ms. Chiron.  Our orders are to escort you at all times on the property.”

“It’s Mrs. Nash,” I corrected.  “Fine, escort me, but step aside so I can pass.”

The enforcer gave me a sincere smile.  “My apologies again, Ms. Chi. . . Nash, I am Carlos, and I walk point.  You’ll need to tell me where we’re going.”

A heavy sigh escaped me.  Walked point?  What the heck did that mean?  “I’m looking for my friend Daniel.”

“Very well, follow me.”  In a fluid motion, Carlos was two steps in front of me, and two very large enforcers fell in on either side of me.  Within seconds Carlos was ten feet in front of us and the other mob of enforcers encircled us.  It was difficult to walk with the group and not feel like I was marching.  Every one of them was in lock-step with each other as their feet made a loud rhythm on the floor as they escorted me to Daniel’s room. 

We were down the hallway, around the corner, through a stairway, down two flights of stairs, then walking in another hallway before Carlos reached a door and knocked hard three times.  I tried to follow him up to the door, but my path was blocked by the enforcers who encircled me.  I saw the door open and heard Daniel’s voice, “What the hell?”

It was hard to peek around the shoulders that surrounded me, but I glimpsed Carlos walk through Daniel’s opened door.  Daniel’s voice was perturbed, “No, really, make yourself at home.  Don’t wait for an invitation or anything!”  A short pause then, “Get out of there!  Put that down!”  Another pause before I heard him shout, “Who the hell do you think you are?”

It was quiet for a couple seconds then Carlos popped his head out the door.  “All clear.”

The circle around me walked to the door, then a gap opened up for me to escape the protective detail.  Each of the enforcers took a position lining the hallway, much as they had outside Will and Gretchen’s room.  When I reached the doorway, Daniel looked pissed.  Tentatively I asked, “Can I come in?”

“What’s going on?  What’s with the storm troopers?”

I whispered.  “Inside, okay?”

He held the door open wide for me to pass.  Carlos took a position inside the room.  He stood at attention, his gaze fixed on something on the opposite wall.  I’m sure it was his way of trying to blend in, but it didn’t work for me.  “Carlos, could you go outside with the others?”

“I’m here for your safety Ms. Chir. . . Mrs. Nash.”

“I’ve known Daniel since third grade.  I’m in no danger with him.”

“Orders, ma’am.”

Heat began to rise in my body, and I didn’t need a mirror to know my face was flushed.  Since when did everyone else feel it necessary to make decisions for me?  “Whose orders?”

“I was told not to let you out of my sight, ma’am.”

“Whose orders, Carlos?”

For the first time, Carlos made eye contact with me.  “Pierre Adolcio gave the order, ma’am.”

Pierre was the reason Drake was with Zandra in the first place.  He had been so kind and welcoming in the beginning, but then threatened Drake with a Blood Debt if he didn’t escort Zandra.  The sound of his name made the bile rise from my stomach.  Why would he send a platoon of enforcers to follow me around?  Did he think I couldn’t be trusted?  Or was there real danger here? 

In as sweet a voice as I could find, I said, “It sounds like you and I are going to be spending a lot of quality time together.  You’ll learn eventually to choose your battles with me.”

Daniel cut in and said, “Here we go.  Let him have it, Cami.”

Ignoring Daniel, I continued, “I want to speak with Daniel privately.  You can fight me on this one if you want to, but if we go to Pierre’s room over something like this, how do you think he’ll react?  He wouldn’t actually demote you for having poor judgment, would he?”

Carlos’ eyes widened, but he said nothing, instead focusing harder on some spot on the opposite wall, as if he couldn’t hear my words.  I didn’t let up, “I mean, you’ve already checked the room and pronounced it
all clear
.  There is only one entrance and all the other enforcers are waiting outside the door.  Deciding that you need to stay here feels like an invasion of privacy.  I’m sure Pierre would agree with me.  Are you aware that my husband is of the Adolcio herd?”

Carlos glanced toward me as he swallowed and reaffixed his gaze on the far wall.  I opened the door and spoke quietly, “This is your last chance.  Give me some privacy, or I’ll guarantee you will no longer be part of the enforcer detail assigned to me.”

I took a gamble.  I wasn’t sure if this was an assignment enforcers got because they got in trouble or this was some sort of special detail they wanted to be a part of.  Seeing as I had only been a part of Centaur society since my introduction last week at the Council Meeting, I was hoping it was the latter.  Carlos did some weird move, knocked his heels together, bowed his head slightly, and answered, “As you wish, Mrs. Nash.”  He sped into the hallway so fast that I only saw a blur go out the door.

Daniel grinned from one ear to the other.  “Geeze, remind me again why you need those guys protecting you?  What was that, like thirty seconds?  I’m going to have to find a stop watch so we can see how long it takes you to get your way the next time.”

“This isn’t a game, Daniel.  I need your help.”

“Oh c’mon, it’ll be fun.  How about we see how long it takes before you can get one to drop and give you twenty.”

“Drake’s hurt.  He needs me.”

Daniel shook his head.  “He’s a Centaur, Cami.  I’m sure whatever injuries Quinton showed you are long since healed.”

“What if they’re not?”

“What?  Are you crazy?  If he’s in that much danger, then you don’t need to be anywhere near him.  He’ll come out on top.”  Daniel whispered under his breath, “They always do.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means a normal Centaur like Dad can watch his skin repair itself right before his eyes.  Drake’s a full-fledged Centaur Warrior.  You think he heals any slower?  I’m sure he’s fine.”

I tried to be stealthy and turn away from Daniel when I felt my lip quiver and my eyes cloud.  The image of Drake bleeding on the ground kept replaying in my mind.  Daniel didn’t see him.  Daniel didn’t see the look on Drake’s face or all the wounds on his body. 

Daniel sounded so sure.  Could he be right?  Could Drake be fine?  If he were fine, why would he tell Quinton he’d see me in the pasture?  I pretended to be enthralled with a vase on a table propped against a wall on the other side of the room.  It was elaborately painted in reds, orange, yellows and blues.  My attention fixed on the turquoise blue, just like the waters in Cancun, like the brilliant sky in Ireland, like the glacier color of Drake’s blue eyes.  My breath hitched. 

“Cami?”  I couldn’t look at Daniel.  I couldn’t speak.  I held that vase in my arms and cradled it to me, not trying to pry my eyes away from the blue color staring back at me.  Daniel’s hands turned me around toward him.  I kept my eyes fixed on the vase and felt my knuckles turning white.