Centaur Rivalry (Touched Series Book 3) (7 page)

If I told Daniel, he’d try to find an angle on why D
rake would do it, never accepting that he did it out of love for me.  Daniel had been my best friend for as long as I had known what a best friend was, but this was too much, even for him.

“It’s not up to me to tell.  You’ll have to ask him yourself, but it was the most selfless action I’ve ever known.”

We were still walking about twenty paces behind Katherine and Brent.  Daniel leaned over and awkwardly kissed my temple, “You’re blind, Cami.”

My voice came out stiff,
“You don’t have all the facts, Daniel.”

“Look.  I don’t wan
na argue.  I get that you’ve claimed him – it doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“No.  But it’d be nice if you could be happy for me.”

“Yeah?  That’s not going to happen.  Not unless you dump him.  If you do, I’ll throw you a party – then I’ll be happy for you.”

I was readying my sharp response to Daniel when
Katherine raised her voice to Brent.  “Be mindful of yer laws.  There are only seven; it shouldn’t be that hard ta remember ‘em!”  They were far enough in front of us that I couldn’t see what had just happened.

Brent’s voice went low
, but we heard him clearly, “Do not touch me.  You are but a woman, and I am a Centaur.”  Damn, Brent!  Who talks like that? 
That
human was our only shot at making it out safely, and he had to start antagonizing her.

I jogged up between the two of them with Daniel on my heels.  “
Katherine, don’t mind Brent.  None of the tenants require Centaurs to have manners – so he left his in South Carolina.”

Brent’s eyes were fierce when
he snapped at me, “Stay out of this.”

Equal contempt
shot back at him when I answered, “Stop being a jerk.  Katherine has been extremely accommodating.  You forget, Bianca and Gage are coming to pick us up and Katherine’s helping us to safety.  Don’t be rude.”

“Rude?  She tried to accost me.”

Daniel snickered behind me, and I did everything in my power to hold a straight face.  Katherine’s shoulder-length fire red hair swung around clipping me in the eye, “I did no such thing!”

Brent shouted,
“You did!  You touched my arm and asked why I’d not yet been chosen.  Just because you are aware of our ways, does not give you the right to mock them.”

“I wasn’t mocking anything.  Some Centaurs may have considered my words a compliment.”

“On what planet?  And what makes you think I haven’t been chosen?”

All three of us stood, mouths agape. 
Had Brent been chosen?  Why wouldn’t Brent have told us the minute he arrived?  Having been chosen by a Centauride would explain his reaction to Katherine.  It might even explain his reaction to Daniel around Jessica.

I
was the first to recover, “Brent, wow.  Congratulations.  Why didn’t you tell us?”

His words were nearly inaudible, “I’m not sure. . . I mean. . . never mind.  You wouldn’t understand.”

“You were chosen, but she changed her mind?” I questioned.

“No!”  Brent’s angry stare cooled as his eyes darted to the floor, “Maybe.”

“You don’t know if you’re betrothed?”

Brent pursed his lips together tight
ly and shook his head.

Confused, I could only manage, “I don’t understand.”  I eased over toward Brent, but he put his back to me.

I was surprised when it was Daniel who took two steps forward, laid his hand on Brent’s shoulder, and said, “Because of the Lost Herd?”

Brent’s eyes went glossy
, as he nodded.  Daniel reached his arm around Brent’s neck, and brought their heads together in a hard head-butt, “It’ll work out.”

Brent
shoved his hands in his pockets.  His gaze went to the floor as the words started flowing out of him.  “Cassie’s father called and talked to Mom.  Dad wasn’t home.  It wasn’t like Bruce and Hannah, I mean, Cassie chose me, no money was exchanged.  She’s beautiful, and smart, and she chose
me
.”  Brent’s voice cracked and he stopped.

Brent had been chosen by a Centauride, but after word spread about my family being part of the Lost Herd, he had to go into hiding. 
Maybe she hadn’t backed out.  Maybe she just didn’t know how to reach him.  Why hadn’t he just called her?

Daniel had a way of always saying exactly the right thing when it was most important,
and now was no exception.  “Humans are seriously underrated.  If your Centauride backs out, I’ve got a list of girls you can start weeding through.”

Katherine
walked away.  I wasn’t sure if she was offended by Daniel trivializing women or if she was just anxious to get out of the tunnel.  Daniel let go of Brent as the three of us trailed her.  Within ten minutes we found ourselves directly under another ladder.  An arrow pointed up that read, “Stable.”  Katherine turned around, looking only at me, “Tell yer friends we’re in position and can come up as soon as they’re ready for us.”

“
Bianca, we’re right under the access panel from the tunnel.  Are you ready for us to come up?
”

Her response was immediate, “
No.  Don’t come up.  We’re dealing with a situation.  Stay put.
”

I opened my eyes as three sets of eyes looked back at me. 
Bewildered, I shook my head, “She said not now.”

Daniel’s voice was loud, “Why not?”

All three of us shushed him, “She didn’t say.  All she said is they’re dealing with a situation and to stay put.”

I glanced at my watch
:  it was approaching two-thirty a.m.  What situation could be going on this time of night?  Katherine had said the stables were remote.  Were there some high school students having a kegger in the middle of nowhere?  No, it was too cold for something like that.

Katherine
showed concern for the first time, “Ask if we shud meet ‘em at a different access point.”

I nodded and quickly asked
Bianca, “
Do you want us to meet you somewhere else?
”  Nothing.  Not a single thought or image came in response.  “
Bianca?  Bianca, can you hear me?
”  Concern began to ebb into my consciousness.  Why wouldn’t she respond?  Had something happened to her?  I counted to ten, slowly, and tried again.  “
Bianca, it’s me.  What’s going on?
”

When she didn’t respond again, I snapped my eyes open wide, “Something’s wrong.  I don’t know what
happened, but she’s not answering now.”

Brent reached for the ladder and started climbing. 
Katherine reached up and caught his pant leg, then cursed under her breath.  Brent got the hint and stopped climbing.  She turned to me, “Ask Jessica if she knows what’s going on.”  My eyes closed again.  I’d spent less time with Jessica, but it should have been enough time to zero in on her thoughts.  I visualized the tall Centauride, her platinum-colored hair, her easy smile and her rough demeanor.  “
Jessica, can you hear me?
”

“
Now isn’t the best time, Cami.  Are you still with Katherine?
”

“
Yes.  She’s right here.
”

“
Wherever you are, they can’t find you.  Stay there.
”

“
Who can’t find us?
”

I got the
same response I’d gotten from Bianca.  It was as if they both severed their connection with me.  My palms began to sweat.  My eyes fell on Katherine.  How could she help us?  Why did Jessica want us to stay with her?  What was going on?

(
Camille, Abandoned Mining Tunnel in South Dakota
)

Before I allowed full-blown panic to overtake me, I tried one more conversation.  “
Drake, can you hear me?
”

His response was immediate,
“
What’s taking you guys so long?”

I breathed a sigh of relief and wiped my palms on my jeans. 
“
I’m not sure.  Daniel, Brent, Katherine and I are fine, but Jessica and Bianca both severed their connection with me without much explanation.
”

Worry clouded his voice,
“
Severed it?  Bianca tuned you out?  Who’s Jessica?
”

“
She’s a Centauride who owns the bar Katherine took us to tonight.  Neither one will answer me
.”

“
It’s probably just a precaution.” 
His words were meant to calm me, but I felt his tension.
“Where are you?  I can come to you.”

I waffled about whether to tell him Roscoe had been at the bar before
Katherine shoved us down the tunnel.  If I did, Drake would come running no matter what I said after.  Bianca had told me to stay put.  If she thought I needed Drake charging in here, she would have told me.  “
No, we’re fine
.”

“
Say the word and I’ll be there.
”

I felt the corners of my mouth curl up.  I could count on Drake. 
“
I know.  We’re safe here.  I’ll let you know if anything changes
.”

“
I’ll be here.  I’m ready to run now
.”  Drake could run faster than any car drove; he could be here in minutes if I needed him.  Brent was almost as fast, and despite his foul mood, there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to protect me, either.  Daniel wasn’t like Drake or Brent, but I’d pity anyone who tried to get past him – whether they had mythological powers or not.

“
Okay.  If anything changes, I promise I’ll let you know
.”  My nervousness was back under control.  I marveled at the soothing effect of Drake’s voice.  We were going to be fine.

I opened my eyes;
Daniel, Brent and Katherine were staring at me, concern set deep in their eyes.  “Jessica couldn’t communicate with me either.  I’m not sure why they would both just cut their connection with me.”  I purposely left out that I had contacted Drake.  There was no sense getting Daniel worked up by mentioning him.

Katherine
blew out a sigh of frustration.  “Yer related to Zandra Chiron, aren’t cha?”

I answered through gritted teeth. 
“Only by blood.”  Zandra was my grandmother.  After everything I’d gone through, I still didn’t know what to think of her.  There were times when the only emotion I had for the woman was hate.

She’d kidnapped me, put a horrible device around my neck that passed itself off as jewelry to the naked eye – but was the equivalent of a shock collar for a dog.  She’d lied to me and told me she’d murdered Bianca and Drake
, in an effort to trick me into marrying Gage.

When I was at my lowest moment searching for Drake by myself in South Dakota –
Zandra knew he had transformed into a Centaur, yet her only concern was getting the Chiron arrow back.  Zandra fed me a story about trying to protect me from my destiny – but I didn’t believe it.  Mom hid from Zandra her whole adult life – regardless of her intentions, Zandra was evil.

Katherine
clenched her fists, “There aren’t many powerful Centaurides in the world, and Zandra’s the only one I’ve seen in the area.”

I grabbed
Katherine’s shoulder, “Wait, you’ve seen Zandra in the area?  Recently?”

Katherine
looked at my hand on her shoulder.  I let go but stood in front of her so she couldn’t dodge my question.  “She was here a couple days ago and had Roscoe all in a tizzy.  She left, but maybe she came back.  It would make sense.”

“
What would make sense?  Bianca and Jessica would stop communicating with me if Zandra were nearby?”

Katherine
chuckled, “You’re so clueless.  How did ya make it this long?”

I shrugged my shoulders
, trying to follow my earlier advice to Brent: to be respectful and to remember she’s helping us.

When I didn’t try to defend myself,
Katherine continued, “Yer blood is like a homing beacon for Zandra, so as long as she’s within fifty miles, maybe a hundred, she’ll always be able to find ja.  She’s the chairman of the Centaur Council – that’s not a job ya get because of congeniality.  Bianca and Jessica are smart enough to know she’s looking for ya and ta mute their conversations with ya if she’s close.”

“So, it’s just a matter of time.
”  I looked among the three of them, wondering if they’d come to the same conclusion I had.  “She’s close, and if I don’t get out of here, she’s going to find all of us?”

Katherine
shook her head, “Yer with me.  She may know yer close, but she won’t be able to find ja.”

What did she mean? 
“With you?  But you’re a human.”

Katherine
crossed her arms defiantly, “Think of me as a cloaking device.”

Incredulously, I stammered,
“A what?”

“
Zandra could be ten feet away from us, and she couldn’t find ja if I’m close.”

“How is that possible?”

“Cami, I’m human, but I have a special ancestry, too.”

Brent
’s eyes went wide, and he was suddenly standing in between Katherine and me.  He’d moved so fast I hadn’t even seen him flinch, yet all I could see was the back of him.  His tone was accusatory, “Wait, are you telling us you’re a Lapith?  But . . . Lapiths are extinct?!”

Cockiness seeped into her voice,
“You’re right.  Lapiths are extinct . . . just like the Lost Herd of Centaurs.”

I shook my head, “What
’s a Lapith?”

Brent
stood tall, still blocking me from Katherine, and answered my question without so much as a glance in my direction.  “The only natural enemy of the Centaur.”

Blood iced in my veins.  If she was
our enemy, had we been dragged down here to our deaths?  Had other Lapiths taken Jessica, Bianca and Gage hostage?  I took a few steps away from her.

She shook her head, “If I wanted
ja dead, I’d have let Roscoe take ya at Jessica’s bar.  Get closer to me before she figures out where ya are.”

I wanted to believe
Katherine, but if I’d learned anything from Phineas, trust had to be earned, not given freely.  Instead of moving closer to her, I angled myself around the side of Brent so I could see her.  “So when you first saw us at the motel, you knew who we were?”

“
No.  I thought it was strange you were all drawn ta my motel.  I didn’t learn who ya were until I went inta town with Brent.”

Brent
’s eyes went wide, “Hey, I never said a word!”  His eyes danced between Katherine and me.

Katherine
smirked as she held up her index finger, “You tol’ me ya couldn’t go home.”  Her middle finger sprang to attention, “You tol’ me you’d followed yer friends up from South Carolina.”  Katherine’s ring finger joined the other two, “You said yer sister has a different mother.  It’s not rocket science, Einstein.”

Brent blushed.  Had
Katherine been who we all thought her to be – a normal human girl, none of those tidbits of information would have caused alarm with anyone.  Since she had some insight into our world, it was easy for her to know who we were.  “So who are we hiding from?  Zandra?”

“That’s the only Centauride Bianca and Jessica would be worried about.  Neither of them have anything t
o do with the Lost Herd round-up going on all over the place, so there would be no reason for them ta be detained.  It’s got to be Zandra.”

“You think they’re being detained?”

A regretful expression spread on her face, “That’s a stronger word than I shoulda used.”  She was trying to pacify me, “Jessica is Roscoe’s sister.  No way is she being interrogated without any proof she broke one of the Centaur Tenants.  Bianca is from out of town, and her story about honeymooning with Gage is pretty believable.”

“So what do you think is going on?”

Katherine looked to Brent and Daniel, as if she were worried something she was about to say shouldn’t be said in front of them.  She wasn’t a Centauride, so I couldn’t have a telepathic conversation.  Her face flushed and she answered conspiratorially, “There are rumors that yer being protected by a Centaur.”

Daniel
threw up his hands, “Who is, once again, nowhere in sight when she needs him.”

Katherine
ignored Daniel’s outburst and asked me, “It’s true?  Yer protected by a Centaur warrior?”

I looked at Daniel who was seconds away from losing his cool
.  I nodded, “Yeah.  His name’s Drake.  He’s back at the motel.  He’s my betrothed.”

Katherine
looked astonished, as if searching my eyes for a morsel of doubt.  “A true Centaur warrior?”

I nodded
again.  Brent, who had said remarkably little to Katherine since the “accosting” incident, belligerently asked, “Why Lapith?  Do you intend to murder him?”

Katherine
’s glare was hard, her voice low and full of authority, “Watch yer tongue, Centaur.”

Daniel
all but ignored the insults flying between Katherine and Brent.  “Her true,” using his fingers for quotation marks in the air, “Centaur warrior, you’re referring to, why are there rumors floating around about that?  Wouldn’t it be more of a scandal if a human were protecting her?”

I felt a blush, hoping Daniel was just speaking hypothetically and not volunteering for the job.

I watched Katherine’s teeth sink into her lip.  She didn’t know how much Brent and Daniel knew.  I was sick of the secrets, because half of them I didn’t understand anyway.  Rather than try to keep them, I started rattling off everything that was potentially important, “Okay, just so we’re all on the same page.  Brent and I have the same Centaur father but two different Centauride mothers.  The Lost Herd is the only bloodline who is capable of procreation out of wedlock.”  So far none of the three looked surprised by this revelation.

I looked directly at Brent
; his back straightened as if bracing for the worst.  “I’m sorry you’re in limbo.  I’m excited for you for having been chosen, and I think it sucks that you don’t know if the betrothal is still on.  When we get out of here, we’ll figure out how to call her without giving away our location.  If we can’t get her on the phone, I’ll figure out how to contact your Centauride telepathically to see if she still chooses you.”  Brent pressed his lips together; in that brief second he shared the turmoil in his thoughts with me and nodded a silent “thank you.”

I gestured to
Daniel with my hand, “Daniel is three-quarters Centaur.  His father is pure-blooded and his mother is half-Centaur.  I’m not sure what the big whoopy-do is, because everyone keeps calling him a half-breed when he’s obviously more than that.” Daniel grinned but didn’t move to interrupt me.

“
Drake is my Centaur.  I chose him.  He doesn’t care that I’m from the Lost Herd, and yes, currently he doesn’t look human.”  Daniel was the only one with a confused expression, but he let me continue.

“
That’s everything I know.  Now, why in the heck do Lapiths not like Centaurs?”

Katherine
snickered, “It’s nice to have a Centauride who doesn’t mind laying her cards on the table.”  Katherine gestured to herself, “Lapiths are the humans who inhabited the pasture of Thessaly before Kentauros decided ta procreate with our mares.  The first Centaurs born on the pasture of Thessaly were Lapith property.”

Brent
’s reaction was loud and laced with anger, “My ancestors were not property!  They were children of a god and protected from harsh treatment at the hands of the Lapith, by the very god who fathered them.”

Katherine
’s volume matched Brent’s, “Right.  Protected?  If that’s what cha want ta call it.  You were creatures loathed by the gods.  Zeus couldn’t stand ta look at you, so he re-created you in his image and gave you seven simple rules to follow.”

“That’s not true!”

I jumped in between Katherine and Brent, “STOP!  Would you two give it a rest?  Decisions made by gods thousands of years ago seem less pressing than the fact that we have Zandra and a pile of Centaurs looking for us right now.”

I took a breath, exhaled slowly and did my best to sound calm.  “Brent is known to be of the Lost Herd
, so he needs a wing-man.  Daniel – that’s your job.  Katherine, use your cloaking powers or whatever they are to keep us hidden.  We wait fifteen minutes, and I’ll try contacting Bianca and Jessica again.  Until then, we keep our voices low and hang tight.”

Ten minutes later, Jessica’s voice
was in my head, “
Come back to the bar.  They’ve got patrols all over the place in the woods.
”  I breathed a sigh of relief.