Gods and Mortals: Fourteen Free Urban Fantasy & Paranormal Novels Featuring Thor, Loki, Greek Gods, Native American Spirits, Vampires, Werewolves, & More (225 page)

The music quieted and a hush fell over the guests. Gretchen and Will stood on the porch while Kyle Richardson stood to their side. They watched as the seven of us made our last few steps in their direction. Just before we were at an arm’s distance from Mr. Richardson, I saw a silvery shimmering light come into focus, standing at his side. Gretchen’s eyes watched the shimmering figure, and she glanced my way to see if I could see it, too. I nodded to her my silent answer. I could feel the strength from the figure, the warmth that emanated from it. It was Mom.

I could see her, really see her, not just her outline as she stood tall beside Mr. Richardson. Whatever she had tried to tell me in the woods was no longer a priority for her. She wasn’t trying to say anything to me; she simply stood next to Mr. Richardson. She had always been protective of me, so I expected her to be glaring at him – she wasn’t. She seemed to be looking at him in an affectionate way. Why would she be looking at him like that? I was thrilled to see her; maybe she had just positioned herself there to give me strength, to let me know she was there for me.

I
wasn’t
sure what to expect. I felt like Beau was going to march right up to him and start swinging. He didn’t. Beau stopped short just feet before the shimmering light. The men all seemed oblivious to it, but Hannah, Gretchen and I could see Mom.

Mr. Richardson spat out his words, fury seething through his pores, “I don’t want my son to meet you, not yet. However, I refuse to let my bloodline perish, as your mother nearly extinguished it twenty-eight years ago. My son, Gage, is twenty-four. If he is not betrothed by his twenty-ninth birthday, I will summon you, and you will marry him. You will not take a husband before his twenty-ninth birthday. If he should become married before that date, no debt will be owed to my family. If it is you he marries, your debt will be repaid by your wedding vows. Do you understand my terms?”

In my mind I was silently cheering — five years. I wouldn’t have to go through this whole ritual of finding a husband for five years! This was the best possible situation for me. No pressure, no reason for men to introduce themselves to me. I was ready to scream out “Yes!”, but I didn’t want to make a big mistake. “Mr. Richardson, I’m too new to this life to make this decision without counsel. I need to speak to my father, privately.” I saw Will’s posture straighten as his chest stretched.

“Of course, Camille, your family should counsel you on my offer.”

I stepped through the door and into the front hallway. Will followed me and closed the door behind us. I very nearly squealed, “This is great, right?”

A pleased grin spread across his face, “Yes, this is excellent news. I think he offered the fairest deal he could under the circumstances. I’ve heard that his son, Gage, is a good man. Without a formal promise to you, other Centaur women may still consider him. If one of them chooses him for her husband before his twenty-ninth birthday, you owe their herd nothing.”

I opened the door, not even waiting to be fully out of the house, “Mr. Richardson, I accept your offer.”

His words were slow as his eyes nearly burrowed into mine, “You understand the gravity of your words?”

“I do.”

“You will not commit yourself to another for the next five years?”

“I won’t.”

“Do you understand the consequences should you not honor your promise to me this evening?”

“I do.”

Mr. Richardson stepped directly in front of me, his hands tight behind his back. I didn’t know what it was about him, but he gave me one final threat, “If you dishonor our agreement, I will not hesitate to take my payment.”

My eyes narrowed. I didn’t need this added reminder. “Mr. Richardson, I am fully aware of the consequences. If at any time in the next five years you threaten my life or the life of someone in my family without justification, I won’t hesitate to take yours. Just so we’re clear.”

There was a collective gasp in all directions. No one expected me to make the threat, but I wanted this man to know my mother had not raised a daughter to be weak, to be submissive, or to be manipulated by anyone. It wasn’t an empty threat, and I would not hesitate to make good on it. I had not grown up with the luxury of a family – other than my mom. I grew up where if someone threatened your life, you’d better check their hands for a weapon. In a matter of days I knew there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my new family, including not allowing this reject of a man to bully them. I put my back to him and walked away, allowing my threat to hang in the air, daring him to test me moments after I had made it.

A little louder than was necessary, but definitely spoken for my benefit, I heard, “William, thank you for allowing me to join in Bruce and Hannah’s celebration this evening. It has been my pleasure to be a part of such an enchanting evening.”

Brent was the first one to catch up to me. He whispered, “Geeze, remind me never to cross you. I thought Dad was going to have a heart attack back there. I bet your lessons from Mom tomorrow include not threatening the life of Herd Leaders.”

“It wasn’t a threat, Brent. That was my promise to him.”

“Threatening to kill someone isn’t something to be done lightly.”

“Brent, you ever seen someone murdered right in front of you?”

“Uh... no.”

“I didn’t grow up here. I grew up in the real world: watching drive-bys, robberies and gang retaliation. I saw one guy killed over forty bucks. It can make you a little jaded. I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean to follow through. Gretchen can give me any lesson she wants. If Kyle threatens you or anyone else in my family – it’ll be the last thing he ever does.”

“Camille, this is the real world, too. We may put a higher price tag on life than the people you grew up with. It doesn’t mean our dangers are any less real or our warnings can be ignored.”

“Maybe you’re right, but I bet he doesn’t try anything that could be construed as threatening. Think of my exchange with him as modern warfare – a pre-emptive strike.”

Brent shook his head at me. He seemed unwilling to agree with me, but at least he decided not to argue the point further. Within minutes the party was again in full swing: Kyle Richardson was noticeably absent. As soon as the music returned, the makeshift dance floor was crowded, voices were again chattering loudly, and everyone was having a good time. For as massive as he was, Gus had great rhythm and was by far my favorite dance partner. I couldn’t help but wonder how cool it would be to go to all the NFL games. He asked, “So, any chance you’d want to catch a movie this weekend?”

I gushed, “Um, okay. We can do that?” I still wasn’t sure what was and wasn’t okay.

He beamed back at me, “You bet. You choose someone in your family to escort us.”

I thought of the choices. Although I was closest to Brent – he was not in favor of dating for the sake of dating. Maybe Beau? “Give me your number, and I’ll send you a text with the
who
and
when
. You’re sure no one will think it’s a big deal?”

“There’s a line-up of other Centaurs waiting to dance with you. You’re welcome to tell every one of them that we have plans for next Friday.” Gus’ smile was all encompassing, and I couldn’t help but smile at his jab against the others.

To be fair, I did dance with every other available Centaur. I don’t know how many turns I had taken on the dance floor, but enough that I needed to rest. I made my way to a table where Brent was sitting. I desperately wanted to ask him if a movie was okay, but decided to wait and ask Beau when no one else was around.

I had just barely arrived at the table when Drake and his beautiful fiancé, Bianca, came to the same table and sat with us. I was a little nervous given his reaction to me in the woods, but he wasn’t glaring at me or anything. The music was still going full tilt. I had seen the two of them dancing on the floor and knew they had to be near exhaustion as well. Brent and Drake seemed to be pretty good friends, immediately engaging in conversation about some sporting event. I lacked the energy to pretend to have interest in their conversation; Bianca’s interest mirrored mine.

Bianca looked over at me with a thoughtful smile, “Is it true that you are a long lost Centauride?”

I hadn’t heard of this word before. “Centauride? – I’m sure I should already know, but what is it?”

Bianca smiled sweetly, “A female Centaur.”

It still felt odd that everyone so openly spoke about creatures I’d considered nothing more than myths until a week ago. “That’s what everyone keeps telling me.”

“So, it’s true. You really had no idea?”

“My mom died recently. I didn’t know about my ...” What was the right word? “ancestry.”

“You’re lucky to be a Strayer. They are one of the strongest herds.”

“Really?”

She smiled sweetly, “I’ve watched all the eligible Centaurs vying for your attention tonight. It’s hard to choose which herd to join. Trust me, I was where you are recently. I just picked Drake a month ago.”

“The choosing process still seems so foreign to me, but I guess there isn’t a rush.”

“I imagine you had people breaking down your door when news spread of your arrival.”

“The front door’s still intact, but I did meet a bunch of men today.” I leaned in and did my best to keep my voice low, “Is it true there’s no dating, or was Brent pulling my leg?”

Conspiratorially she answered, “Yeah, you window shop for a while, and you can go on a chaperoned date, but even those are frowned on.”

“Why?”

“Because if you go on a couple dates with a guy and then decide he’s not the right one, it almost looks like a rejection. If a Centaur is rejected by a Centauride, other Centaurides might not think to give him a chance. Why take someone else’s reject when there are so many to choose from.”

“And once you choose, then there’s no changing your mind?”

“No, it’s a final decision.”

“How long did it take you to decide?”

Her eyes darted to Drake, I’m sure to see if he was still engrossed in conversation with Brent. “It was the hardest decision of my life. I agonized over it for weeks.”

“Weeks? That doesn’t seem like a long time.” I realized we were whispering, and this was obviously not a conversation she wanted to share with her future husband. I motioned for her to step away from the table, and she quickly followed my lead. Both Brent and Drake stood up when they realized Bianca and I were going for a walk. I shot them both a look and motioned for them to stay at the table. They did.

We strolled across the grounds and were well beyond everyone’s earshot before she spoke again. “From the time I was sixteen I had men anxiously hoping I’d choose them. I went to college first. My mom told me she picked my dad at sixteen, and although she loved him and didn’t regret her decision, she knew that the things that were important at sixteen were different at twenty-two.”

“So you’re twenty-two?”

“Yes. These last few months almost killed me. I knew I couldn’t put it off any longer. My father had already made it pretty clear that he was going to arrange a marriage. I was terrified of who he might pick. He started bringing Centaur men home for dinner; all of them seemed to look at me like I was a piece of meat. I couldn’t take the chance, so I made my decision last month.”

“Drake? He’s really handsome. That was probably an easy choice.” I remembered his calloused hands catching me in mid-air right before I nearly fell off the porch and his quick reaction when I’d ticked off Kyle Richardson. Drake seemed like a great catch: smoking hot, kind, super-fast, and definitely protective. “I could see why you picked him.”

Bianca looked around to make sure we were still alone. “He wasn’t actually my first choice. Don’t get me wrong, I know he’ll make a wonderful husband, but I had planned to choose another until my mother disapproved.”

“Really? I thought all Centaur men were nearly perfect?”

I could tell Bianca was apprehensive talking about her first choice. “My mother hated the family of the man I wanted to choose, so she wouldn’t hear of it. She said it would be a terrible fate, and she would never give me her blessing.”

“
D
on’t
parents mellow out after a while? I mean, after the wedding she would have been fine with it.”

Bianca shook her head, “She’s our family’s matriarch. I couldn’t go against her wishes. Falling out of her favor would have impacted my abilities.”

“Abilities? You aren’t just automatically psychic and stuff?”

“Oh sure, I can read other’s thoughts, but some in my family have telekinetic powers. Those have to be given to the daughter from the mother.”

“Wait, like moving objects with your mind?”

“Yeah! My mom’s amazing. She’s one of the strongest I’ve ever seen! She can lift a semi-truck while carrying on a conversation.” I could tell this was still a sensitive subject with Bianca, and I was more than surprised that she would openly share it with me. After she collected her thoughts again, she said, “I couldn’t disappoint her.”

I’d never been a fan of idle gossip, but Bianca had piqued my interest, “So, the guy you wanted to marry – did he know?”

She didn’t want to talk about it. Her eyes fell from mine when all she said was, “He knew.”

“He was an okay guy? It was just his family that your mom didn’t approve of?”

She forced a smile at me. I knew there was more to this story that no way would she tell a stranger. “He was... is an incredible guy. It’s not his fault what his parents or grandparents did, but Mom was convinced that an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. She absolutely hates his grandfather and told me she would never give me her blessing.”

“So how did you pick Drake?”

“I’d known him forever. He’s sweet and kind. I knew we would mesh okay.” I couldn’t help but notice that Bianca still wouldn’t look at me, and I knew she needed a subject change.

“I wonder if my mom was telekinetic?”

Bianca answered, “She was a Chiron, so I’m sure she was.”

Bianca said, “Chiron,” with reverence, as if it was a big deal. I didn’t want to press her about it, but knew I needed to find out more about my mother’s family. “So do you think, since my mom’s dead, I won’t ever be able to do telekinetic stuff?”

“You can still talk to your mom, right?”

My cheeks flushed. I was defective, and Bianca would be the first person outside my family to know. “I can see her, sometimes, but I can’t hear her.”

“Really? You know, she’s right here with us now.”

“How can you tell?”

Bianca giggled at me, “Duh, I can see her.”

“Does she want to say anything to me?”

Bianca looked past my shoulder and nodded, “She said she’s proud of you. You handled yourself with strength and courage, but there is something she needs to tell you about Mr. Richardson.” Bianca paused for a second, looking back at me, “She doesn’t want me to know. She’s still very strong.” Bianca furrowed her eyebrows as if sizing up my invisible mother. “Once someone passes over, their strength seems to diminish by the day until after a while they just leave entirely. Your mom must have been seriously strong while she was alive because she doesn’t seem to be weakening.”

I chuckled, “I don’t know, I never saw her lift a semi-truck in the air, but she was tough – she didn’t take crap from anyone.” I wasn’t sure why I felt such a kinship to Bianca, but I confessed, “I miss her. So if she died before she could teach me all the stuff I’m supposed to know, does that mean I’ll never be like everyone else?”

“I bet the two of you find a way. You just need to practice communicating with her.”

I was seriously excited that both Gretchen and Bianca believed it was only a matter of time before I’d work out the kinks. Bianca was looking off into the distance, and I wondered if there was something more she wasn’t telling me. “So this guy you didn’t choose, that you wanted to – why was he on your short list?”

Her face took on a sad look, one foreign to the happy expressions I’d seen up until now. “We went to college together. Centaurs aren’t allowed to date, at least not unsupervised. But we pushed the envelope and met each other at movies, football games, the library, none were ever technically a date because we never went together – we just happened to keep meeting each other. He was who I saw in my future.”

“If you can tell the future, and you see him there, doesn’t that mean you’ll end up with him?”

“I wish. I can’t see the future. But when I dreamed of the future, he was the one I was tied to.”

“But you picked Drake anyway?” This didn’t make sense.

“Don’t get me wrong, Drake’s great. My family approves, and I care about him.”

“But you wanted someone else. Does he know?” I felt bad for Drake. This whole concept seemed ludicrous.

“Drake knows.” She dropped my stare and seemed ashamed of what she shared next, “They were best friends. We all grew up together.”

I felt my eyes widen, “Best friends?”

“Past tense. They haven’t spoken since my parents made the announcement.”

“I’m sorry.” It was all I could say. This Centaur selection process seemed dumb; I looked back at the table and wondered how Drake felt about the whole thing. He may have found a woman to carry on his bloodline, but he’d lost his closest friend in the process. Maybe because I hadn’t grown up knowing what I was or because I didn’t feel particularly tied to my ancestry, I couldn’t imagine the pain the three of them must have gone through. “So do you still talk to him? The other guy?”

“No, it’s too painful. He knew it was a possibility. We all knew how my mother felt about his grandfather. We’d hoped that she could let the past be, but it was too much a part of her.”

“What’d his grandfather do to your mom?”

“He tried to buy her.”

“Buy her?”

“His bloodline was in jeopardy. My family’s one of the few Centaur lines that isn’t wealthy. He was desperate and made a plea to my grandparents for my mom. When they declined, he went to the bank and bought the note on their farm. He evicted them and humiliated them in front of everyone. My mom’s never forgiven him for it.”

“Holy crap, that’s terrible.”

“Centaurs can be ruthless, especially Centaurs who are approaching the end of eligibility. Choose wisely, Camille. My mom isn’t the only one that something like this happened to.”

“From what I can tell, I don’t think money is much of an issue, but thanks for the warning anyway.”

“There are lots of other ways families can be manipulated.” Bianca whispered, “Like trading.”

The hair on the back of my neck suddenly stood on end, “What’re you talking about?”

She looked in all directions again. “You didn’t hear this from me, but...you’ve got four eligible brothers, right?” I nodded, not know where this was going. “If your parents get desperate for one of their sons to be married, they could trade you to another family in exchange for a wife for one of their sons.”

“What? No way!”

“It happens all the time, Camille. If you don’t choose someone quickly, your family will choose for you.”

I didn’t want to bring up the arrangement I’d made with Kyle Richardson. She and Drake weren’t anywhere around when it happened, and it wasn’t something I wanted others to know about. With that agreement, there was no way I could be auctioned off to the highest bidder, but the idea that this was done to others turned my stomach. I wondered why the family had been so welcoming: it couldn’t be for that. I felt a pit forming in my stomach. I didn’t want to believe her.

Bianca must have sensed that she had struck a chord because she said, “A friend of mine, Grace, told me about you.”

I was still reeling from the fact that maybe my family wasn’t as genuine as they had appeared. When I looked back at her, I didn’t have the strength for anything more. I was worried I might fold in on myself.

“Grace can see the future. She always tells me that as far as actually seeing someone’s future, free will has a lot to do with it. Knowledge of the future has a way of impeding fate, so she rarely tells me anything good.” Her wide smile reappeared, her eyes sparkled, “But she did tell me: you and I are going to be best friends. None of the choices either of us makes in this lifetime will drive a wedge between us.”

Just like that, I had a new BFF. I had called my best friend in California, Daniel, several times during the week. He was excited that things were going so well and was a little shocked when I told him about the new car and about intending to stay a little while longer – I couldn’t wait for the night to be over so I could call and tell him about Bianca.

After Bianca left, I went into the house and sat in my bedroom. I thought about what she’d said — the telekinetic powers. I tried to think of a time my mom did that in front of me and laughed out loud when I remembered – her purse! My mom’s purse was always stuffed full, so full, it was impossible for me to find anything in it. Yet she never even looked in the enormous bag: she just reached in and it seemed like whatever she wanted jumped into her fingers. I remembered one time when I had looked in her purse for the car keys for five minutes before dropping it onto the table in frustration. She walked over to the table, put her hand in the bag, didn’t even look at the gaping mess, and said, “Here they are,” then tossed the keys to me.

I shook my head at the memory. Still chuckling to myself, I looked above the mantle and saw a beautifully framed picture of a white Arabian horse cantering up a rolling hill. Another memory unfolded. The terror from the memory washed over me. I was a little girl, maybe five. We had moved into a second floor apartment that had a high security garage at ground level. My mom had just unloaded the last box. The garage had one of those heavy steel doors, and she said, “Cami, get away from the door. It’ll squish you like a bug.”

For the first few seconds I did as I was told, but just as the door reached the halfway mark, I saw my stuffed white horse forgotten inside, laying on a box. That white horse had been my constant companion as a child. I didn’t want it to be locked inside, so I dashed under the closing door to save it while her back was turned. I had tripped on the return trip out of the garage, and my legs were in the garage door’s path. It wasn’t one of the new doors that instantly pops back up if something is in the way; all five hundred pounds trapped me and pressed hard on my legs as I screamed.

I could feel the gears trying to turn in an effort to use the door as a guillotine on my legs. She didn’t come to me, she didn’t scream for help, she stood several feet away and looked at the door, willing it to let me free. As her concentration increased, I felt the pressure of the heavy door subside. Her voice sounded strained when she yelled, “Now, Cami, pull your legs free, now.” I did and a second later the steel door crashed to the cement and locked itself into the eyelets securing it in place. When I was free, she wiped the hot tears from my cheeks, lifted me into her arms and carried me upstairs.

As a child, the fear of nearly losing my legs paled in comparison to the shame of disobeying her. Once the tears subsided, I confessed, “I’m sorry, Momma, my horse is scared of the dark.”

“It’s okay, Cami. Sometimes I’m scared of the dark, too.”

“You made the door let me go.”

“Shhh, don’t tell anyone. It’s a secret.”

Never once did we talk about it again. I could remember having fuzzy dreams of the incident, but this was the first time the whole event replayed in my mind. Something about the painting of the white horse and the conversation with Bianca made me remember. I wasn’t sure if my mom’s spirit was still anywhere near me, but I talked to her anyway.

“You moved the door. When I was little – when we moved up to Orange County, you kept the door from crushing my legs.” Nothing, I didn’t smell her perfume, I didn’t see her, but I continued anyway, “You have to teach me how. I know you didn’t want this life for me, but you have to help me.” Still nothing. I wanted so badly to see her, or know that she was with me. The words were out before I could stop them, “I can’t lose you again. Show me how to talk to you.”