Gods and Mortals: Fourteen Free Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Novels Featuring Thor, Loki, Greek Gods, Native American Spirits, Vampires, Werewolves, & More (223 page)

Don’t go outside alone. Had she seen something? Did she know something bad was about to happen? I did as I was told, but I felt my stomach cinching itself up into a tight knot.

A
fter I had checked
myself in the mirror, I could hardly believe the image staring back. I routinely had bad hair days, and the humidity of Charleston wreaked havoc on me. But in this moment, my dark hair somehow looked perfect. Since I was a little girl, I’d always had long auburn hair, naturally curly, which translated to naturally frizzy and wildly-out-of-control most summers. I happened to be wearing one of the most elegant gowns I’d ever seen and felt almost like a fairy princess. I smirked when I said out loud, “Or maybe a Centaur princess.”

A voice called from the other side of my door, “Honey, are you ready?”

I recognized the hesitant voice waiting in the hall, “Hi, Will, you can come in.”

The door opened and Will looked a little tentative. His apprehension melted away. He stretched his arms out to me, taking long strides in my direction, and took both my hands in his. “Camille, you are truly a vision. Have I told you today how happy I am that you’re here?”

Will stepped over to my bed and sat down, patting the space beside him. I took a seat next to him, a little self-conscious of my “princess” comment, wondering if he’d heard me.

Will took a deep breath and let it out loudly. “Gretchen has filled you in on some aspects of our kind that are less than ideal, yes?”

“What? That I’m supposed to pick a husband the same way someone would pick a new puppy at the pound?”

A nervous chuckle released from Will, “No, actually that was something I thought you might find appealing, but it’s related.” He cleared his throat, “Your mother had been betrothed to Kyle Richardson of Florida. He was not...pleased when your mother broke off the engagement.”

“Okay.” This much I knew, but he had my attention.

“Our kind, once a woman chooses, she cannot change her mind, at least not without paying a debt to the man she’s rejected. There is good reason for this: as men so clearly outnumber the women, if a woman chooses to break off her engagement, it is rare that another woman would consider that man a potential suitor. He is in essence ‘black-balled,’ and if he is an only child his bloodline is unlikely to continue.”

“So when my mom broke off her engagement, Kyle Richardson wasn’t able to marry anyone?”

“Actually, he is one of the very few that I have ever heard of to be betrothed a second time to a Centaur woman. The fact that he was given a second chance for his bloodline does not diminish his right to exact a blood debt.”

What she’d said had bothered me, but I wanted to hear it from Will. “Gretchen said that he wanted me dead. Is that true?”

“As he is the one that the debt is owed to, he sets the price. Given our circumstances and that so much time has passed, he does not wish for your death.”

The pain in my stomach didn’t diminish as I waited for Will to get to the bad news. “She said you would pay him, and he’d be fine. I get the feeling that that isn’t the case.”

“Mr. Richardson has traveled here tonight. He wishes to meet you.”

“Meet me? But why?”

“I explained to Mr. Richardson the situation — that I was unaware of you until just this week. You were indeed part of my family. Given your mother’s debt, I felt it was my responsibility to pay to ensure there would be no bad blood between our families.”

“So, how much am I going to owe you?”

Will shook his head. “You’ll owe me nothing, Camille. You’re my daughter. If he will accept money as payment, then there’s nothing to worry about.”

“If?”

“It’s complicated, Camille. For right now, he just wants to meet you.”

“So he’ll be here tonight? I have to meet with him?”

“Yes. I promise, I will be with you the whole time. Nothing will happen to you tonight. But you must talk to him.”

I noticed that Will told me everything would be fine “tonight,” but he made no mention of tomorrow or the day after. “Uh...okay. I feel like I’m missing something?”

“He didn’t mention it on the phone, but you know Gretchen sees things. Gretchen shared with me that Mr. Richardson has a son who is of age. He may be unwilling to set a price with an actual dollar value.”

“Are you saying I have to marry some guy I don’t know because my mother refused to marry his father? You aren’t saying that, are you?”

“Camille, the possibility is remote. Gretchen senses that his intentions are pure and that it is better to deal with this immediately rather than delay the meeting. Given the wedding tonight, it’s unlikely he’ll create any kind of scene.”

Our conversation had been calm, but I could feel my blood beginning to boil. I shouldn’t have lashed out at Will, but I was furious that this was even possible. “I’m not marrying some guy I don’t know. That isn’t going to happen!”

“I will never force you to do anything you do not choose. However, since Mr. Richardson has travelled here tonight, I need to insist that you meet with him.”

My mouth opened but nothing came out. I started arguing that this was one of the most absurd things I’d ever heard of, but reality was, meeting a man with Will wouldn’t be bad. It’s not like I was being told I had to marry his son. It was harmless, for now.

As I tried to convince myself that everything would be fine, I realized that knot in my stomach still hadn’t eased. Will reached over and took my hand in his. “Camille, I promise no harm will come to you. Do you trust me?”

How do you trust someone you hardly know? I looked in his eyes and nearly melted when I saw love staring back at me through his deep brown eyes. No matter how much I disliked the situation, I did trust him. He may not have been a rock star, he wasn’t fixing world hunger, but he was exactly the type of father I had dreamed of. I realized I didn’t need a lifetime to know that I loved him unconditionally and trusted him emphatically. He was my father. I was safe with him, and regardless of what a big wheel he was financially, he had given me the one thing I had craved my whole life — a family who loved me back. I reluctantly nodded that I did trust him.

Will took me in an embrace. When he let me go, he took my hands in his again. “I have one last request before we head downstairs.” I gave him a quizzical look as I couldn’t imagine anything more concerning than what we’d just talked about. “In front of the guests, I need for you to address me as your father.” He paused, then added, “Especially, Mr. Richardson. I understand if you aren’t comfortable with it, and privately you may address me any way you wish, but tonight, please call me ‘Dad.’”

My whole life I had known the word. It had always been in my vocabulary. Never having called anyone that name, my eyes gave him my answer. I could feel the glossiness and used all my willpower to keep them from leaking. I could feel the enormous smile begging to be released along with the tears. I held it all in and simply replied, “Okay.”

When we stepped off the front porch together, jitters threatened to envelop me as I looked at all the people I didn’t know. Will must have sensed how nervous I was when he confessed, “Having found you is a dream come true for me.” It was exactly what I needed to hear. His love for me gave me the strength I needed to face all the strangers on the grounds.

I had been walking on air, floating three feet above the ground. I was going to my brother’s wedding with my dad tonight — just a short week ago, an event and a circumstance I would have never dreamed possible. The air I was floating on suddenly got too thin, and I felt my foot miss the bottom step. I instinctively knew I was getting ready to do a face plant on the pavement in front of at least two hundred people I’d never met. My arms flailed out to the sides as if I were a bird about to take flight.

I
n that single
second my mind was able to think clearly about three things: I was going to look like a complete idiot in front of everyone, the impending scab on my face would be both painful and embarrassing, and I was sure I would ruin this amazing dress. It’s laughable how quickly my mind had all three complete thoughts as my eyes squinted and my arms flapped in mid-air.

Instead of the rough cement of the sidewalk, I felt two strong, calloused hands. One cradled my face while the other hooked under my abdomen. Those two hands lifted me up from my swan dive and placed me gently on my feet on the sidewalk. Initially I thought Will had caught me, but when I looked up, I saw those hands were attached to a stranger.

I should have been embarrassed with my clumsiness, maybe a little awkward that such a hunk of a man had just saved me from making a complete spectacle of myself in front of hundreds of people – but I didn’t. Instead, my eyes took him in. I was wearing shoes with at least a three inch heel, and he still towered over me. His eyes were ice blue – almost turquoise. His dark blonde hair was short, and although impossible to see his frame through his tux, his body took on a “V” shape with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. A great smile spread wide on his face. I waited for some smart-alecky remark about my gracefulness, but he turned to Will and said, “I hope she’s all right.”

Amazed that I wasn’t a bloody mess, “How did you catch me? Where’d you come from?”

His warm smile grew into a Cheshire cat grin, “I, uh, saw her falling. Thought she wouldn’t want to spend her brother’s wedding in the emergency room.”

When Will and I stepped off the porch, no one had been anywhere near us. I knew because I was focused on all the people off in the distance. So unless this guy was the invisible man, he had literally materialized out of nowhere. It was strange, but he was looking at Will, not me. “Well, thanks. I’m Camille.” I held out my hand in an effort to shake his.

This handsome stranger looked at my hand, then to Will with a frightened look on his face. Will was standing at my side and casually slid his hand over the top of mine, gently pushing it down from where it hung in mid-air. “Drake, we’re so glad you could come tonight and celebrate with us. How is your father?”

Drake angled his body so that I was no longer in his direct line of sight. He answered Will, “His construction business is doing well. He sends his regrets that he couldn’t be here.” I didn’t know what to think. This Drake guy had caught me in mid-air but refused to accept my hand or allow me to thank him properly. Instead he pretended as if I weren’t there. After the welcoming I’d received from Gus and Chris earlier, this guy’s response to me had me dumbfounded.

Will was all smiles when he said, “I’ll make sure to catch up with him soon. Thank you, Drake, for your quick action.” Will’s eyes darted in my direction, making it clear that he was appreciative of Drake for not letting me swan dive into the cement. Will placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me forward, away from Drake. Once we were several strides away, he leaned down and whispered to me, “I should have warned you. Betrothed men will not address you directly and under no circumstances will they physically come in contact with you.”

“But he caught me in mid-air. I was just trying to say thanks.”

“It’s okay. He’s not offended. He knows you aren’t familiar with our customs. I am sorry I wasn’t paying closer attention. I didn’t realize you’d lost your footing until Drake had already caught you.”

“I didn’t even see him near us until he caught me.”

Will smiled and nodded, “Centaur men are very fast.”

“Like Superman fast?”

“Pshaw...Superman was a comic strip character... But I guess that’s pretty accurate. Most Centaurs can sprint short distances at the speed of sound.”

My mouth opened and my eyes widened. He couldn’t be serious. “The speed of sound?”

“Well, I could say ‘faster than a speeding bullet,’ but depending on the caliber and weapon the bullet is shot from, some bullets travel several times faster than the speed of sound.”

“You’re serious?”

“Camille, I know this is all new to you. I rather hoped we would have been able to slowly immerse you into our ways, but now I wonder if we shouldn’t have assembled a handbook of some kind.” Will’s smile never wavered, but there must have been something else he desperately wanted me to know. Just as he opened his mouth, he stopped and his posture abruptly changed – his hand still resting on the small of my back was now rigid.

“William, it’s so nice to see you again.” A tall, thin man, somewhere in his late forties or early fifties was walking directly toward us. He stopped directly in front of Will with what I could only describe as a forced smile. “I’m happy that one of your sons is finally taking his place in the kingdom. I genuinely hope your other four are not forced to settle for a human.”

William ignored the snide comment and graciously said, “We’re very happy for Bruce, too.”

“One is enough for your bloodline, so you have my heartfelt congratulations.”

“Thank you.” Will was looking around the yard and out to the grove. I recognized the look: he was planning a getaway from this guy.

“I heard the bride’s father required a handsome dowry be paid. I hope that’s an ugly rumor?”

“Kyle, the negotiations of the heart are not for any of us to speculate on.”

“The heart, or the wallet?” Kyle gave a hearty laugh and slapped Will on the back.

I looked at Will, wondering if he had really bribed the bride’s father. If it were a lie, he would be screaming right now, defending the honor of the bride and her father. At least I thought so. I didn’t know him all that well, but he didn’t strike me as someone who would let a verbal assault go unanswered.

The man’s eyes roved in my direction. I felt the weight of his stare; I wasn’t frightened, but definitely uncomfortable. “So this is Camille Chiron. It is lovely to meet you. You look just like your mother.”

I looked at Will, silently asking if I was supposed to shake his hand or not. I didn’t want to look like a complete idiot and was desperately hoping for some sort of an indication on what I should or shouldn’t do. I wanted to correct him. I’d been Camille Benning my whole life. This week I’d gotten used to being called Camille Strayer, but no one had ever called me Camille Chiron. Still unsure of what was and wasn’t acceptable, I simply replied, “Thank you. Did you know her very well?”

“Better than most. We were betrothed.” He didn’t drop his stare as it went from uncomfortable to excruciating. Then a light bulb went off: this was the man my mother owed her blood debt to.

Will ended the conversation abruptly, “Kyle, I was hoping we could have our discussion after the nuptials.” I felt my own nervousness straighten my back and widen my eyes as reality set in that this man believed I owed him my life.

The weight of his stare was nearly painful. The look on his face did not match his words, “I wouldn’t dream of delaying such an important event. Of course we can talk after.”

He didn’t flinch, move, or break eye contact with me. I felt Will’s hand urging me forward. I could imagine why my mother had rejected him. Although every person I saw looked like they’d stepped off of a magazine cover, there was something about Mr. Richardson that didn’t feel right: a weakness of some kind, as if a part of him were missing. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but there was definitely something amiss when I compared him to all others in attendance. I couldn’t see what would have ever gained her interest in him to begin with. As I looked at the guests, young and old, there was definitely a common thread — attractiveness. They weren’t attractive in a Venice Beach kind of way, but in a Hollywood Movie Star kind of way. Tall, muscular, full heads of hair, charismatic smiles, and thoughtful words greeted me with each new introduction. I wondered silently what was so different about Kyle Richardson.

As we took our seats waiting for the ceremony to begin, I could feel eyes watching me. I worried that Kyle Richardson was staring me down, but when I turned my head, I was just in time to see Drake, the man who had caught me in mid-air, turn away. He sat next to a beautiful lady. Her long blonde hair flowed nearly to her waist; she had high cheek bones, a light complexion and perfect posture. She looked like the poster child for beauty. As I continued looking their way, she turned her gaze toward me and gave me a slight grin in silent greeting and raised her fingers in a casual hello. Wow, I could see why Drake wouldn’t want to rock the boat with her. I shared a half-grin with her and moved my gaze to where Bruce stood up front with the minister.

The ceremony was remarkably short. It mirrored every other wedding I’d ever attended until the very last announcement was made, “The two joined here today are now one in our kingdom’s eyes. Welcome them into our home. Should one perish before the other, remember Hylonome’s sacrifice when Cyllarus was lost in battle against the Lapiths. Neither will now breathe without the other.”

Not having a clue who Hylonome or Cyllarus were, I made a mental note to do some research. Will’s words echoed in my mind from the other night – that he and Gretchen had been on the outs when he met my mother – everything I’d heard since then sounded like that wasn’t really an option. I’d give it some time then ask Gretchen a little more. As thrilled as I was to finally have someone to call “Dad,” I still wasn’t convinced he was for real. Sure a living, breathing person, you bet – but I had a nagging feeling that something still didn’t feel right. This final statement of the wedding vows seemed ominous, unwavering. I wondered if I was taking this vow too literally.

I didn’t have long to consider the vows or what my father had done twenty-three years before – because within minutes a full-blown party erupted. The men who had introduced themselves to me in the house, Chris and Gus, and a slew of others after the ceremony each took his turn with me on the dance floor. Although a lot of fun, it wasn’t the best venue to get to know potential husbands or even potential boyfriends.

The dance floor had been assembled in a wooded area with lights beautifully strung from the trees. I staggered off the makeshift dance floor after my sixth partner had cut in, introduced himself, told me about his lineage. I decided to find one of my obviously absent brothers, thinking it might be more fun to dance with one of them over a desperate Centaur looking for a wife.

I felt a hand wrap itself around my forearm and pull. The shock of being pulled forward made me stumble as I ended up eye-to-eye with my mother’s jilted ex-fiancé. My mouth gaped open, and my eyes were wide. He hissed, “Well, aren’t you the little Homecoming Queen?”