Daniel pointed at my room, "Could we talk inside? I don't think either of us wants to get busted for talking Centaur stuff in the hallway."
Who was this guy? What gave him the right to barge in and demand anything? "Look, I don't know why Camille sent you here, and I don't care. I need to go see someone. Excuse me." I tried to push past him in my doorway, but he grabbed my shoulder, holding me in place. I looked at his hand, then at him. Shrugging away from his grip, I warned, "Don't touch me."
"Whoa, Sunshine, I just want to talk to you. Cami doesn't know I'm here. She'd fricken slash my tires if she knew. Give me two minutes."
Sunshine? Who did he think he was talking to? Frustrated, I could easily waste more than two minutes arguing with this guy about why I didn't have time for him. Begrudgingly, I stepped backwards into my room and held the door open for him to pass. When I closed the door behind him, I didn't offer him a seat. Whatever he needed to say, he could spit it out and go.
"Well, at least you don't act like her. If I asked her for two minutes, and she didn't want to talk to me, she'd have set a stop watch."
His comment made me want to grin. As soon as I had backed into the room, I'd looked at the digital clock on the wall and would be keeping track of when his two minutes was up. "You needed to speak with me?"
"Okay, so you're a little like her: she cuts right to the chase, too. So, I know you and Cami got off to a rough start."
"And let me guess? You're here to tell me that she's really sweet and will be devastated if I don't immediately run to her and forgive her for everything she's done?"
"Yeah, glad to see sarcasm doesn't run in your family. No, I'm not here to tell you how sweet she is. That'd be a lie. Cami's about as sweet as a Great White. I'm here to tell you, she's been through enough. I heard about what you pulled in the lobby and the warehouse with her."
"Ah, a threat? Why am I not surprised?"
"Don't be a douche. I've known her since we were nine. She pretends to be all tough, but she's not, okay? She's pretty special. You don't know her like I do, and what you do know has been manipulated by these yahoos you're related to."
"Once I'm Chairman, I'm not going to rescind Grandma's decree. The Lost Herd will be fine. Happy?"
"Chairman?" A strange look flashed on Daniel's face.
Maybe he wasn't in "the know" as much as he thought he was. Grandma was clear when she told me when she retired it would be me leading the Centaur Council. Grandma was a strong leader, and I would have liked a little more time getting to know the ins and outs of Centaur stuff, but it's not like she would be very far away if I needed her. "Yes, there's a ceremony this afternoon. I won't pursue the Strayers, or Camille, or any of them. Now, if there's nothing else, I have somewhere I need to be."
"Slow down, Speed-racer. Forget all the Centaur Council crap. I'm talking about your sister. Do you know what all she's been through?"
"I've pieced it together. I get it, when our mother died she took it hard. Noted."
Daniel leaned with his back against the door. My eyes glanced at the clock on the wall – he had already hit his two minute limit. I was just about to forcibly remove him when he said, "She was alone. Really alone. When Angela died, she hadn't told Cami anything. Hell, I knew more about Centaurs and Centaurides than Cami did."
That was a surprise. Why wouldn't our mother have told her about being a Centaur? I knew our mother had run away, but I assumed our mother had filled her in as to why.
"Just a few minutes before Angela died, she told Cami who your dad was." Daniel looked away, "Damn, that seems like forever ago." He snickered, "I tried everything I could think of to keep her from calling him. I worried if she made the call, I'd lose her."
Now I was really confused. Was Daniel an ex-boyfriend of Camille's? He had piqued my interest, marginally, so I didn't remind him he was past his two-minute threshold. "But she did, and sure enough she was on a plane the same day. I told myself she'd go out, meet him, and with any luck, she'd come back to her old life in California in a couple days. She spent a week with your dad before Zandra kidnapped her."
Here we go again. Grandma told me that Camille had embellished how awful it had been at Grandma's estate. "She wasn't kidnapped. Grandma invited her to stay to get to know about our heritage."
"Cami wasn't invited to Zandra's estate, she was thrown in a car trunk and held captive with an electric shock collar on her. I showed up there with the Sheriff trying to see Cami, and Zandra had the whole place locked up tighter than New York City after a terrorist scare. Zandra pretended to murder Drake and Bianca, did you know that? She thought she could force Cami to marry another Centaur."
"Grandma told me she had tried to arrange a marriage, but Camille was opposed."
"Opposed? She and Drake ran away to Ireland to try to find protection from Zandra. Then she risked her life coming back to the states to find you."
"She wasn't looking for me. She only wanted the arrow in my possession. Drake stole it."
"Yeah, and after, Zandra ordered her enforcers to kill Cami and Drake, so she knew very well how your house was destroyed. Drake was changed into a Centaur by Chiron in order to protect Cami. Cami convinced the Centaur Council to accept the Tak herd in defiance of Zeus. Cami called on the goddess Athena, and Athena appeared in my hotel room and transported Cami away with her. Cami went to fight for Zandra after all of Zandra's enforcers were killed. Cami has talked directly to Zeus, for gods' sakes. Where were you when your grandmother needed to be saved? What have you done that makes you think you should be the Chairman of the Centaurs?"
I was speechless. I had no idea what to respond to. Had she done all of those things? She saved Grandma?
Daniel shook his head, "Talking to you is about as easy as shoving a pig through a python. What I'm trying to tell you is, from the minute she found out you were alive, I was replaced."
A pig through a python? Whoever this guy was, he had a colorful vocabulary. "What do you mean, you were replaced?"
"Cami is more family to me than anyone I share genetic material with. From third grade until she met William, she and I did everything together. She wants to be your sister. She wants you in her life. You need to give her a chance."
"That's really touching, but we've all had tough lives. She and I don't have anything in common, and the few times I've met her, she hasn't been overwhelmingly thrilled to see me, either." Although I said the words, the image of her throwing her arms around my neck in the lobby and refusing to let go played in my mind. Her hands were like vise-gripes when I tried to pull her free.
"Nothing in common? Aside from the obvious that you two look eerily the same, let's try this. Can you ride a bike?"
A bicycle, was he mad? What the hell did that have to do with anything? Roger had only ever forced me to try to ride a bike once – I hated it.
"She's terrified of bikes. Strangest phobia I've ever seen. When you eat M&M candy, are you able to mix colors or do you have to separate them?"
Had Roger been talking to this guy? From the very first bag I'd ever eaten, I always had to separate the colors. I shook my head. This proved nothing: lots of people ate their candy that way.
"Ever ridden a skate board?" I nodded that I had. Roger and I had built my own skate park on the other side of the chicken coup. Had Daniel been to my house in South Dakota? "Cami's a natural! She was fearless when she was younger. Everyone would stop skating when she was at the park just so they could watch her."
I looked back at the clock on the wall. I was running out of time. If I didn't get up to see Grandma soon, I may not get to see her before we had to leave. "Okay, I get it. She and I may have some similar quirks. I'm late." Motioning for him to open the door and leave, it was his departing words that gave me the most pause.
"Just give her a chance. There is a reason people move mountains for her. Cami is someone who would sacrifice her life for a family she hardly knows. If she's willing to do that to save your sorry butt, think about what she would
do as Chairman, what she'd be willing to do for all Centaurs."
My blood pressure rose. He didn't even know me. "What makes you think I don't put others' interests ahead of my own?"
"I know when she found out Drake was no longer human, it didn't change how she felt about him. She loves unconditionally. I know she wants to be the Chairman because she wants to make sure all the herds are protected. Is that why you want the job? If not, maybe you aren't the right person for the job."
Daniel opened the door and walked out. I stood dumfounded. Had he just asked me to stand aside and let Camille take my place as the Chairman? He couldn't be serious. Grandma had already made her decisions. She told me she didn't trust Camille.
Why did I want the position? Was it the power and authority? No, I wanted it because Grandma trusted me. I wanted to make her proud. Everyone else in her life had been an utter disappointment – I wouldn't let her down. A thought occurred in the back of my mind: why hadn't Grandma found me when she got back? She sent an enforcer I didn't know to tell me she had made it back okay, why didn't she tell me herself? Had something changed? Daniel's attack kept repeating in my head: Where was I when Cami was saving Grandma? I was in some cave with a crazy uncle I never should have trusted, being saved by a human guardian, like I was still a kid.
Grandma wanted me to convince Camille to stay away from the Council meeting. I hadn't been able to, but that's because I was still so angry with Drake and Camille. If what Daniel said was true, was I really the best choice to take over for Grandma? I hadn't been kidnapped or been on the run. How many times had I touched the arrow? It had never magically transformed me into a Centaur Warrior.
Were the gods sending me a message?
Chapter 26
(Camille Nash – Lost City Resort, South Africa)
Gretchen had a beautiful turquoise evening gown delivered to my room. It was cut low in the front, no back, and it hugged my frame perfectly. Shimmering silver sandals and a matching clutch accompanied the delivery. I had never been to a ceremony like this, none of us had, so I had no idea what to expect.
As far as Zandra was concerned, I was already the Chairman of the Centaur Council. Evidently, if you make that announcement to Zeus, anything after is just formality. Drake wore a black tuxedo with a bow tie that matched the bright turquoise of my gown. It was tailored perfectly, and, despite everything he had been through the last few days, he looked like he was ready for a Hollywood movie premiere. Drake held out an arm, “Your chariot awaits.” The color of our ensemble set off the blue of his eyes, the same icy hue I’d first seen and fallen in love with. I could have blown off the ceremony in favor of a little more alone time with Drake.
Instead, I took his arm, and the two of us stepped into the hallway where our enforcer escort waited. None wore their usual charcoal gray combat fatigues; all had traded them in for tuxedos. Carlos nodded a greeting as we emerged from the room, and he took his “point” position leading us down the hallway to the elevator. The logistics of being escorted by so many Centaurs was becoming more fluid. When the elevator door opened, I instinctively went to the center of the car, with Drake on my right, while all the enforcers encircled us.
A convoy of black Mercedes SUVs were waiting outside for us again. When tonight was over, I made a mental note to ask Will how so many of these vehicles were always available regardless of where we were. Carlos held the back door open for Drake and me to slide into the second truck waiting in line. Carlos took the driver’s seat, and an enormous Centaur sat in the front passenger seat. Aside from the curious stares from onlookers along the way, the drive to Centurion was uneventful.
When we pulled up in front of the warehouse, luxury cars and SUVs were jammed into every available parking place. I jeered, “Looks like we’re late – we’ll have to park out in the sticks.”
Carlos grinned, “I don’t think so, ma’am.” We had been the second vehicle in the convoy, but he pulled around to the far side of the warehouse, pressed a garage door opener, and a roll-away door in the far right corner opened, exposing an underground parking garage.
“Nice. I like how you roll, Carlos.”
“No, I like how you roll, Chairman.”
We were brought up through a different set of stairs than the one we had used to go to the Council’s Private Chambers. When we emerged on the ground floor, music played quietly in the background, Centaurs and Centaurides milled about with champagne flutes, as an excited buzz filled the air.
At the front of the room stood Zandra, the same place she had been the last time I was in the warehouse. So much had changed since my first appearance here. Next to her was Zethus, but this time his wife Maggie was beside him, too. Everyone in the room seemed to be enjoying themselves, while Zandra and Zethus stood stoically looking out over the crowd.
I squeezed Drake’s hand, silently urging him to follow me. He did. As I walked up to her, I stopped short at Zethus and gave him a big hug. “It’s good to see you again.”
“Ah, darlin’ I wouldn’t have missed this fer the world.” Zethus gestured to his wife, “You remember Maggie?”
“Of course, I do. Maggie, thanks so much for your hospitality and for your gift.” I opened the clutch I was carrying just far enough for her to see the ugly spider broach she had given me in Ireland.
“I’m glad you keep that awful thing with you. Ne’er could stand the sight of it, either. I kept it jammed in me purse the same way.”
Two sets of eyes watched my exchange with Maggie. I recognized the two men as Zethus and Maggie's sons. She beamed, "It migh' be time for a proper introduction." Maggie waved the two over to where we stood. "Camille, Drake, you remember Chuck and Craig?"
Craig's fingers gripped his ears, as if I needed him to jog my memory. When we first stumbled across Maggie in Thessaly, her two sons had tried to jump us. Drake quickly got the better of Chuck, while I tried to pull Craig's ears free from his head. I held out my hand, "It's a pleasure to see you both again."
Craig shook my hand and shared a wide grin, "You left a lasting impression. It's great to see you under better circumstances this time." Chuck and Drake shook hands, too.
I asked, "This is your first time to Centurion?"
"Yes. First time out of Thessaly." The four of us chatted briefly. Had the events of the last few days not happened with Zeus, it wasn't lost on me that each of them had had about as much of a chance at being Chairman as I did. Before finding out about Cameron and me, I wonder if Zandra had ever considered Chuck or Craig? She had never come right out and said it, at least not to me, but she told Chiron that she had no plans to pass the position on to Angelo.
My eyes wandered out around the crowd. Centaurides were lavishly adorned with jewelry and fancy hats. Centaurs standing near their wives and daughters were at the ready, but each looked marginally at ease. The mood in the room was definitely one of celebration.
On the far left of the room stood Cameron, and on the opposite side of the warehouse stood Angelo glaring in my direction. Cameron looked lost. I had hoped to talk to Cameron before the ceremony, but there hadn’t been time earlier. Regardless of Zandra’s proclamation to Zeus, I wasn’t willing to lose a brother the way she had over a stupid power struggle. I turned to Zandra, “Before we start, I’d like to talk to Cameron for a minute. Have you talked to him since we got back?”
Zandra looked over to where Cameron stood, "No. I didn't have the chance. Why don't you say hello and I'll join you in a minute."
Drake fell into step behind me as I started weaving my way through the crowd to my brother.
He saw me coming and looked around to see if I was coming to see some invisible person behind him. When he turned around and no one else was there, he cautiously watched me make my approach to him. When he didn't smile or take a step toward me, I wondered if I was making a mistake. Maybe Chiron was right and he hadn't taken the news of me becoming the next Chairman well. Maybe too much had happened for the two of us to reconcile.
D
rake leaned down close to my ear, "You don't have to do this."
I did. Cameron and I had to work some things out; now was the time to get us back on track. I straightened my posture, raised my chin, and put one foot in front of the other until I stood directly in front of him.
Cameron forced a smile and said, "So, I see you got Grandma back in one piece."
I had warmed, marginally, toward her since our little jaunt to Peru, but the idea of "Grandma" so smoothly rolling off my tongue wasn't happening. "That was all Drake."
Cameron cocked his head to the side, sizing up Drake. "Huh, I wouldn't have expected that."
"Yeah, me neither," slipped out before I could catch the words.
"Careful, sister. Grandma hears that and there could be a Lost Herd all over again."
That was a joke. Cameron was joking with me. He wasn't as callous as the last time we spoke. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. I needed to be sure, so I asked, "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I need to know that you are okay with her selection."
Confused, he responded, "Why wouldn't I be? It's not like she's going anywhere. She will be around to make sure I don't screw up."
Did I hear him wrong? Had he not heard she was going to choose me? Crap!
Drake's voice rang clear in my head. "I knew she wouldn't tell him. Even after Chiron told her to."
I nodded an acknowledgment to Drake. "Um, Cameron, I don't know how to say this, but Zandra already told Zeus I was to take over as the Chairman."
"What?! Why would she do that?" Words wouldn't come to me. Cameron positioned himself directly in front of Drake, pointing an accusatory finger. "You did this! Her life was in danger, and you only saved her if she made Camille the Chairman, is that it?"
Centaurs and Centaurides standing near us stopped talking. All had abandoned their own conversations in favor of listening to ours.
"Of course not," Drake answered.
Cameron turned his attention to me, an angry look on his face, "Coercing an old woman is unforgivable."
Centaur Redemption (Touched Series) Page 24