The flight had been longer than any I could remember. After the plane flew over us, Gretchen sent a helicopter to retrieve us from our remote mountain top. When the helicopter arrived, Drake had been crouched down behind the boulder Zandra had sat on earlier, doing his best to make sure the helicopter pilot couldn't see him. The pilot handed over clothes for Drake, saying only, "Gretchen said you needed these."
I looked at Zandra, "Go ahead and get aboard, I'll get these to Drake."
She nodded and climbed in while I sprinted over to the big rock. Drake looked exhausted. I didn't know the half of what he and Zandra had been through up here. I wanted to hear every detail, but the more pressing issue was to make Drake's hooves disappear so we could all get out of here. "Time to switch back, warrior time's over."
Drake smiled. "Man, it's going to feel good to be in my regular body again."
"So, do it already," I urged.
Drake closed his eyes, pressed his fingertips to his temples while his lips formed a thin line as if every bit of his concentration was required to make the change. The helicopter’s blades were still spinning while both Zandra and the pilot were staring in my direction. Neither could see Drake on the other side of the boulder.
Drake let out a frustrated sound. He shook his head, "I can't, Cami. I don't have the strength to force my body to do anything else today. You go with Zandra. Have one of the enforcers come back and get me later. They'll need to retrieve all the bodies up here anyway."
How many times had I said these same words? "I'm not going anywhere without you."
Drake leaned up against the boulder, "I'm spent. You and Zandra need to get back to South Africa. I'll catch up with you."
I turned toward the helicopter and spoke to Zandra, "Drake can't change back into a human. The pilot isn't a Centaur, so it's not like shoehorning Drake in the helicopter in his warrior form is an option either. Why don't you go back now, then send a Centaur back to get us. One of my brothers might be able to fly the helicopter back for us. I think if Drake rests a little longer he'll be able to change."
"No, we go back together. Tell him to take his time." I couldn't believe her words. I didn't know what all had happened to them, but whatever it was, Zandra wasn't going to leave him here. The helicopter blades began to slow, so she must have told the pilot to shut it down.
I thought back to the night we were at Katherine's house in South Dakota, Daniel had gotten him to change out of jealousy. In Cancun on our wedding night, I had gotten him to change without sending him into a jealous rage. The memory of that moment rushed back to me, and I knew what I had to do.
Drake was leaned up against the boulder, his eyes downcast and his shoulders slumped. I picked up a rock that must have weighed thirty pounds, dropped it in front of him, and used it as a step. A mischievous grin appeared when he said, "What're you up to?"
"I had this idea. Humor me." Standing eye-to-eye with him on my rock, I gently leaned over to kiss him. My fingers wound into his hair as my hands pulled him harder against me. When his lips broke free of my grip, they slid to my neck as I felt his hot breath cascade down my back.
His breathing came in shallow rasps, when his arms nearly pulled me off my rock and onto him. Little specks of white began to pepper his skin, tiny ones, the size of thumbtacks. "Keep going, Cami, it's working."
I whispered, "When you change back, I'm going to kiss every inch of your body."
Drake moaned as the spots of white light grew in size and intensity. His hands continued roaming up and down my arms, caressing and kneading their way from my wrists to my collar bone.
My lips were still near his ear. My teeth grazed his tender earlobe when I confessed, "I'm going to wrap my legs around you." Drake's hands lost interest in my arms when both slid down my sides to my lower back.
Drake's voice sounded like it was in pain, "I've missed you."
In my most seductive voice, I told him, "When I'm done with you tonight, you will never again spend a night away from me." That did it. Bright light encompassed all of Drake's skin, the flash so brilliant I had to look away.
When I could open my eyes again, Drake had pressed my body against the boulder. He kissed me hard while his body kept pushing harder and harder against mine. Fire erupted from my inside. I wanted him, and from the look staring back at me – he wanted me even more.
Zandra's voice sounded in my head, "We saw the flash. Is Drake okay? Are you two coming?"
"In a minute," I groaned.
She warned, "Camille, the pilot is already suspicious. The longer we wait, the more questions he'll have."
"Okay, I get it. We're coming."
I reached down to the ground, grabbed the pile of clothes Gretchen had sent and shoved them at Drake. "Zandra says tick tock."
Drake smiled, "Tell Zandra that I said she could wait a minute. Or five," his lips were back at my neck, "or maybe twenty." Tingles ripped through me when I thought how incredible twenty minutes would be with him right now.
The blades on the helicopter started spinning at full-speed again. We weren't being given twenty minutes, or five minutes. It was time to go. I ripped myself away from Drake and offered, "I promise, when we get back to the hotel, I'll post enforcers at the door to make sure we have some privacy."
Drake dressed quickly before he answered, "I'm holding you to that one."
The helicopter ferried us to the airport where everyone enthusiastically waited. After the initial joy of being rescued subsided, no one talked much or made plans. No one was plotting our next move. We must have all shared the same collective sigh of relief, stunned that we had all survived. When the plane touched down at the airport in South Africa, it was without fanfare or awaiting SUVs. A customs agent came to the plane, and although not everyone had their passports, somehow William got us cleared.
I looked around at this group of people who had come to mean so much to me. Bruce and Hannah walked arm-in-arm in the front of our group. Beau and Lacey held hands, swinging them as they shadowed the other two. Ben pushed Bart good-naturedly several feet to the right, as the two shared some sort of inside joke. Gretchen rested her head on William’s shoulder as they, too, made their way to the row of awaiting taxi cabs. Bianca and Gage stood at the bottom of the stairs, waiting patiently for Drake and me to fall in step with them. As we started to follow the others, I turned around: off by herself, Zandra quietly trailed the rest of us.
My heart went out to her. When we all piled into taxicabs, it was Zandra who chose to ride in one alone. It made sense: she wasn’t staying at the same resort we were, but a small part of me felt bad knowing that wherever she was going – she was going there by herself. Would Angelo and Cameron be waiting for her return? What would she tell them if they were?
When we pulled in front of the lobby, Drake insisted on meeting with Pierre right away. My adrenaline waned and all the fight was gone from me. I didn’t argue with him or try to convince him to check in with Pierre later. Carlos met us in the lobby, and I was vaguely aware of him helping me to my room. I felt like I had been drugged, but knew better. My body wanted to collapse, and I had no good reason for forcing it to do anything else.
I awoke to bright sunshine streaming through the curtains. Drake’s side of the bed had been slept in, but I didn’t see him in the room. I must have really been out of it not to hear him come in last night or leave this morning. That’s when I saw the note taped to the bathroom door.
Dear Cami,
Gone out for a couple hours. Get some rest. Carlos is outside the door if you need anything.
I love you,
Drake
I didn’t need any more rest: it felt like I had slept for days. A shower was in order. The spa-like bathroom was exactly what I needed. I turned both shower heads on me and stood under the too hot water until my skin turned a lovely shade of red. Although it felt incredible, the hot water did little to make the last week fade from my mind.
I had almost lost Drake. The image of him lying on
the ground, the enormous wound on his side and his words that he would see me in the pasture flooded my senses. If Zandra hadn’t insisted on taking him, would she be dead right now? Did she know that at the Council meeting? Was that why she was adamant that I not accompany her to begin with?
As I dried off, there weren’t a whole lot of options for clothes. We hadn’t packed very heavy when we left Cancun, and what was left of my clean clothes were in a backpack in Daniel’s room.
I dug around the room and in the top drawer of a dresser found a pair of short gray shorts and one of Drake’s white ribbed tank-tops. Pulling them on, the shorts came just below my cheeks while the tank-top was so worn, it looked like I was using tissue paper to cover me. I’d have to ask Carlos to go retrieve my backpack, because the alternative was going to Daniel’s room in a towel, or this.
A soft tap sounded at the door. I hesitated: I wasn’t dressed for any kind of company. Why would someone be knocking at the door? If Carlos was out there, he would have knocked and then opened the door to announce the visitor. He'd done it dozens of times before.
A second knock on the door sounded. My feet held their ground. Was I overreacting? Maybe Carlos had stepped away and another enforcer was posted who didn’t know me. If it was someone I hadn’t met, maybe he wouldn’t feel comfortable opening the door to announce a visitor. A feeling of dread took me, or maybe my enforcer escort was gone – something had happened to them. Flashbacks of Phineas kidnapping me from the hotel in South Dakota whizzed through my mind. I looked through the peep hole, but it was covered from the other side.
Will said Centaurs from the Lost Herd were converging on South Africa as news spread. Was Phineas here? Would he try a similar stunt? A third knock sounded, this one softer than the other two. I took a deep breath, unlocked the door, and slid it open a crack.
Drake stood leaning up against the door frame. His brilliant smile appeared as his eyes took me in from head to toe. “Nice outfit.”
I laughed, "Thanks," gesturing to my outfit like it was an evening gown, "I picked it out just for you. Why'd you knock? Don't you have a key?"
"I like the look on your face when you aren't expecting to see me."
I opened the door wider as Drake stepped through. He let the door close slowly behind him. Drake leaned into me, his lips brushed mine lightly, the suppleness soft and inviting. Drake’s kiss deepened as his body molded perfectly to mine. One of his hands slid to the small of my back, while his other explored lower, sliding inside the back of my shorts.
I stood on my tippy toes so I could reach his ear. “I missed you.”
Drake’s deep sigh reverberated against my chest as he breathed out, “Take your clothes off.”
His words sent a jolt of electricity through me. I slipped my shirt over my head and let it drop to the floor, exposing my breasts. His mouth wasted no time, kissing and nibbling its way across my skin. Heat radiated off me where his lips caressed, as tingles erupted throughout my body. Drake tugged at the waist band of my shorts and pushed them to the floor. I stood naked, his hands caressing my exposed flesh.
I unbuttoned Drake’s shirt, burying myself into his chest. I slid his shirt off of his arms and let it drop to the floor with my clothes. My hands grappled for his waistband, unbuttoning his pants and sliding them off, too. Stepping into Drake, my skin pressed hard against his, confessing, “You feel incredible.” Drake pressed himself harder to me as a groan escaped from me.
The anticipation sent quivers through me. I wanted him in the most carnal way, but I wanted this moment to last. My fingernails caressed his skin, leaving goose bumps in their wake. His hands were on my back drawing me closer as his body continued to rub against mine.
Drake felt so good in my arms I didn’t want to move for fear that some new danger would present itself and take him away from me again. My body took over and drowned out my scattered thoughts. I couldn’t wait another second. Angling Drake against the wall, my lips began exploring his body.
There was an enormous scar from his hip all the way to his navel. Drake shivered as my lips traced the scar. Another scar ripped down his right leg. A third was on his chest just above his heart. Each of these three looked like they had torn or burned the muscle underneath. Other smaller scars peppered his skin. I had never seen scars on a Centaur. I doubted that another Centaur had received wounds from Zeus and lived to tell about it. Drake’s ice blue eyes watched me as I kissed every square inch of him. His body shuddered under my touch.
My mouth returned to the sensitive skin of his earlobe and pleaded, “Make love to me.”
The turmoil and uncertainty of the last week evaporated in that instant. We were not two scared lovers, we weren’t being hunted, and our self-proclaimed responsibilities of saving the Lost Herd were behind us. All was right with the world. I intended to hold him to his promises of a life full of passion, spending every possible moment together – beginning right now.
Chapter 25
(Cameron Chiron – Centurion, South Africa)
"Thanks Roger, I'll stop by after the ceremony."
Roger stopped just short of the door, turned and said, "No matter how this plays out, you've always got me."
Why had I never called the number he left me? I didn't know how much I had missed him until he reappeared, virtually out of thin air, to protect me from Angelo. There was something about Roger. I promised him I'd give William Strayer a chance, but given everything that had happened, I wasn't too sure about any of the new family that had found me, well, except Grandma.
"Thanks. An enforcer stopped by last night to tell me she made it back safe, but was too worn out for visitors. I'm going to go by her room before we have to go to the ceremony and make sure she's okay."
"I'm sure she'd like that. I'm still blown away that you're going to be the next Chairman. I always knew you had it in you." I could see the pride in Roger's eyes. He had made me the man I am today. No matter what my duties entailed, I wasn't going to give him up again. Grandma told me I couldn't share our secret with humans, but technically a goddess had shared the secret before I could even talk, so him knowing shouldn't be a problem.
"Tell me all about it when you get back tonight." Roger left my room. His was the room directly across from mine, so I listened for his door to close to make sure no trouble waited for him in the hallway.
I looked at the clock on the other side of the room. The enforcer told me we were leaving at 1:45, which gave me about a half hour. I stood in front of the mirror, looking at the crazy tuxedo that had been delivered. Snickering at my image, I looked like I was going to prom. My hands brushed off a couple pieces of lint as I looked back at the clock. I knew which room was hers; I could just stop by and say hello. My gut felt funny, wondering if she had already talked to Angelo. What if he was right?
Would the heads of family accept me as their new Chairman? It seemed like whatever Grandma said was done without question. Up until the Council meeting, enforcers were going crazy looking for the Lost Herd. After she said no harm would come to them, it was like the Lost Herd came out of the woodwork. If she told everyone I was the new Chairman, they'd have to accept it.
Or would they kill me on the spot? I didn't trust Angelo, and the Peru trip proved he had something up his sleeve. He was meeting with a couple goddesses. What could they do to sway the heads of families? My stomach started knotting again.
Stuffing my wallet into my pocket, I exhaled deeply. I didn't want her to retire if this was going to freak everyone out. I needed to see Grandma. Reaching for the door, I pulled it open wide and stepped right into a guy in front of my door, holding his hand in mid-air ready to knock.
He sprawled out onto the floor as I ran into him full force. His eyes were wide open staring at me in surprise. I offered my hand to pull him up off the floor, "Hey, sorry, man, I didn't see you."
A big smile spread on his face, "No problem." He stared at me for a second, then said, "Shit, you look just like her!"
I didn't
recognize him. He was my age, normal height, normal build. I was getting better at picking out who was a human and who was a Centaur, but there was something about this guy. I couldn't be sure who I had just helped up off the floor.
Now was my first chance to make a good impression. He could be someone from one of the original families. "I'm Cameron. Have we met?"
"No. I'm a friend of Cami's. You got a minute?"
Cami, there was someone I still didn't want to see. Angelo was sure she was coming after us. I may not have a full-blown Centaur Warrior on my flank, but I could hold my own. I didn't trust either of them. If this guy was one of their friends, I didn't trust him, either.
"You gotta name?"
"Sorry. I'm Daniel. Cami and I grew up together in San Diego."
"Oh, well, nice to meet you. But as you saw," or felt, "I was just on my way out."
Daniel didn't budge from his spot right in front of my door, "It'll just take a minute, promise."
Great. What had she sent him over for? To threaten me? To tell me to stay away from the coronation ceremony? Maybe to ask if I could step out of the way so the "golden child" could step in as the Chairman instead?
My answer was sharp, on purpose. "What?"
Centaur Redemption (Touched Series) Page 23