Centaur Rivalry (Touched Series Book 3)

by Straight, Nancy

  I shook my head, “It doesn’t matter. I’ll be Mrs. Nash in an hour.”

  “Um, if you do, you’ll be the only Chiron Centauride in history to take on her husband’s name.”

  “Call me a trend-setter. My mom was Angela Benning my whole life. That was one she picked out of thin air, so taking Drake’s name shouldn’t be a big deal.”

  Bianca’s eyes went to the floor. Now I knew she was hiding something from me. “What? What aren’t you telling me?”

  “Normally I wouldn’t say anything, but I think Gage is ready for you to switch last names. At least not to be a Benning anymore.”

  “What are you talking about? I’ve always been Camille Benning. That’s the name on my birth certificate.”

  “You know Gage’s Dad, Kyle, hid your mom, right?”

  “Yes, but that’s not a big secret anymore. Everyone knows that.”

  “Gage’s dad was in the Army for a while. Did you know?” I shook my head that I didn’t. “He was stationed at Fort Benning in Georgia. He bought Angela a small house on the outskirts of the base. After she disappeared,” Bianca did air quotation marks, “he went to see her there a few times – but they decided it was too dangerous for both of them. She left for California, and that’s when she changed her last name to Benning. She told him it was so she’d never forget the few weeks of happiness he’d given her after he helped her escape.”

  I couldn’t believe that Bianca would know this about Mom and I wouldn’t. There was more I didn’t know about her than what I did, or the parts I thought I knew turned out to be lies.

  Another tap on the door: this time it was Gage. He let himself in and closed the door behind him. “Okay, we’re just about ready for you. Any last minute jitters I need to calm down?”

  That was just like him. Gage and I had nearly been married; in fact, Bianca, Drake and I escaped the day before Gage and I were to walk down the aisle together. If we had been human, a friendship between the two couples after everything that had happened would be no more likely than hitting the lottery.

  “No jitters. I’m ready.” I wondered why Mom and Kyle’s relationship bothered Gage? It happened way before either one of us was born. As long as we had some time to kill, it wouldn’t hurt to find out a little more about my mom. “Gage, Bianca told me your dad and my mom hid in Georgia for a while. What else don’t I know about her?”

  Gage gave Bianca a confused look. “I’m not sure what all Bianca told you.” Gage shrugged his shoulders, “I heard stories about Angela most of my life. She was more than a crush to my father. Truth be told, I’m glad things worked out the way they did with the four of us. You look so much like her that I don’t think his sanity would have survived having you as a daughter-in-law.” Gage smirked, then added, “Mom heard all the same stories I did about Angela, and she would not have been the best possible mother-in-law for you, either.”

  I didn’t want to pry, but so many questions had bothered me since Zandra’s. Gage might be the only one with real answers. “If he loved her so much, why didn’t he just marry her and keep her away from Zandra?”

  “I asked Dad the same question lots of times. She needed to escape more than just Zandra’s home. She didn’t want anything to do with being the Chiron Centauride. She didn’t want to oversee the Centaur Council. She didn’t want every decision she made scrutinized. She didn’t want people to pretend to like her because of her lineage. The one thing she wanted more than anything else was freedom from Zandra. Dad couldn’t deny her after everything she’d gone through. He gave her the freedom she wanted and, in the process, tucked his love for her away.”

  There was something else in this whole “hiding scenario” that bothered me, “So, if Mom did all this with your dad’s help, why was there a Blood Debt? How come he was going to make me marry you?”

  “Only Angela and Dad knew it. I heard stories about Angela growing up, but he didn’t tell me about hiding her until after Zandra took you. When he found out you were there, he sat me down and told me everything.”

  “All those years, he wrote her off. He never tried to rekindle anything with her.”

  “That’s the part of the story you’re missing.” Gage looked at Bianca as if arguing about whether or not to let me in on his father’s secret. “Dad pledged your mom.”

  Now I was really confused. Drake told me the betrothal pledge was sacred. A centaur could only give it once, and if the Centauride changed her mind and broke the betrothal, the Centaur was still bound to her for eternity. Gage must not have known that I understood what it meant because he explained, “It doesn’t matter that he married my mom and had a family. When he reaches the pasture, Angela will be waiting.”

  “Wait, so they could communicate telepathically? The same way I do with Drake?”

  “Yes and no. When they were relatively close, he in South Carolina and she in Georgia, they probably could. But after she moved to the west coast, no. That was too far away.”

  “How far can two be away from each other and still communicate?”

  Gage wound his fingers around Bianca’s, “We’ve been more than 50 miles apart and still been able to talk, but we haven’t been further apart than that.”

  “Further after you were married?”

  “Uh, no, it doesn’t work like that. The betrothal pledge is what ties the souls together. Being married doesn’t act like an amplifier for the pledge if that’s what you’re asking.”

  It still didn’t make sense to me. Mom and Kyle loved each other. He’d tied his soul to hers by giving her his betrothal pledge. Why would she go into hiding, and, more than that, why would he help her stay hidden? “I still don’t understand why he let her go.”

  “All I know is I’m glad you’re marrying Drake so Mom doesn’t have to be reminded of Angela every time she sees me for the rest of her life. She already knows she’ll spend eternity alone.” I’d never met Gage’s mom, but I could only imagine her pain. Drake had told me most Centaurs were in loveless marriages; it sounds like the Richardsons were no exception.

  Gage watched me as my confusion refused to subside. He leaned over and gave my arm a gentle squeeze. “I wish I had all the answers for you. If it’s important to you, maybe you can talk to Dad about it one day. But right now you have a couple people waiting for you on the beach. One Centaur in particular is getting pretty antsy. You ready?”

  I was. I pushed all the thoughts of Kyle and Mom out of my mind. Whatever stupid decisions they’d made when they were young had no bearing on me today.

  Gage held out his elbow to escort me down to the beach. He leaned down and whispered, “By the way, you look beautiful. I’m glad history didn’t repeat, and we both got our happily-ever-after.”

  I squeezed his arm, “Me, too.”

  Bianca trailed us out of the cottage. She had heard us and added telepathically, “Me three.”

  In the same place Drake and I had sunbathed earlier, Drake stood next to the priest waiting for me. Drake looked amazing. He stood in a loose fitting white button-down shirt and baggy cargo shorts, bare-footed with his toes buried in the sand. Drake’s blue eyes were fixed on mine as Gage led me to the beach.

  This was it. I never imagined myself married at twenty-three, but I wasn’t nervous. I didn’t question my decision or worry that I’d regret it later. The certainty that washed over me was surreal. I carefully stepped across the hot sand, on the way to my awaiting destiny – Drake.

  I didn’t notice anything but Drake standing in front of me, waiting patiently with an enormous smile. His eyes looked brighter in the sun, his skin a dark contrast to the sand beneath him. Someone cleared his throat behind me, but I didn’t break eye contact with Drake to see who it was. A hand stretched out from behind a tall palm tree, stopping Gage and me. I looked to see who it was attached to, and my heart nearly stopped. “Gage, thanks for standing in for me. If it’s all right with Camille, I’d like to be the one to give her away.”

  Chapter 20

 
(Camille, Outside of Cancun, Mexico)

  I couldn’t believe my eyes – Will was here. I looked to a small group sitting in white plastic chairs set up under a clump of trees, hidden from view of the cottage by shrubs. Beau and Lacey, Bruce and Hannah, Bart, Ben and Gretchen were all sitting in the shade. Drake’s mom, Hallenjah Nash, sat in between Gretchen and a Centaur who looked like an older version of Drake. Bianca walked up and stood next to Gage, her smile beaming, “Surprise.”

  I was stunned. “How did you. . . ?”

  Will’s arms gathered me in a tight hug. “Bianca always has a few tricks up her sleeve.” He was smiling so hard that his eyes wrinkled. I let go of Will and leaped the few steps to Lacey and Beau, who both stood up and hugged me hard.

  I hadn’t seen them since they left South Dakota and went into hiding. She leaned down close to my ear, “I told you it would work out.” Lacey was the seer. Before she and Beau left South Dakota, she told me not to worry, things were going to work out. The realization hit me: it was her voice that I had heard in my head. All those times I tried to convince Drake his transformation was only temporary – it was because Lacey had seen it. She told me before she left.

  Bruce and Hannah hugged me next. Drake and I first met at their wedding, and I couldn’t believe they’d risk exposing themselves to come to ours. Bart and Ben were all smiles, too. Both gave me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.

  Gretchen stood on the other side of Ben, and when she hugged me, it wasn’t a quick embrace. She held me so tightly it nearly crushed my lungs. I couldn’t believe my eyes; everyone was supposed to be in hiding. Why would they risk coming here?

  Gretchen heard my thoughts and answered aloud, “We couldn’t let you get married without your family.” She motioned to Drake’s parents, “Your whole family.”

  Drake stepped up to hug his parents then wound his arms around my waist as his lips went to my ear, “Sorry. Gage and Bianca made me promise not to tell. They wanted to surprise you. We should get started before we lose the priest in the surf. Don’t worry – everyone is staying for the party afterwards.”

  “Party?”

  “Let this be a lesson to us both. If Bianca tells us she needs two hours to make room reservations, she is probably doing more than making a couple phone calls.”

  Hallenjah held out her hand and I took it. She looked almost regal. I had only met her once, briefly, when she told me Drake was still alive, and she took the dreadful shock collar off of me so we could escape Zandra’s house. Her voice was warm, “You look radiant, Camille. Welcome to our family.” Her words nearly brought tears to my eyes. She knew I was from the Lost Herd, yet she willingly accepted me.

  Drake’s father was a different story. He took my hand awkwardly, and his palm felt stiff around mine. “Mr. Nash, it’s great to finally meet you.”

  Drake’s Dad looked from me to Bianca and back to me. His eyes held nothing but loathing – it was obvious he didn’t want to be here. I remembered Drake telling me his father had wanted him to collect a Blood Debt when Bianca had run off with Gage. Drake had stood up to his father and told him it was his idea to call things off with Bianca.

  The smile I’d plastered on my face began to falter. I looked to my right, where Drake had appeared beside me. “We’re both glad you’re here, Dad.”

  His father huffed, “Didn’t have much of a choice, did I? Couldn’t let your mother come here by herself.”

  Hallenjah’s voice was irritated, “Don’t you start, Nathan. When your only son gets married, you drop what you’re doing to be a part of it.”

  In an unfriendly tone and wearing an angry look, Nathan said, “You are lovely.” I didn’t know why he bothered to say something nice if he didn’t mean it and he didn’t want to be here.

  Drake and I had been through so much: two kidnappings, the belief that he’d died, his transformation into a Centaur Warrior, running for our lives – too much for anyone to get to spoil today. I didn’t listen in, but I believed Hallenjah was silently scolding him. Drake’s words were soft and sweet in my head, “He doesn’t do well with surprises. Don’t pay any attention to him.”

  I nodded my answer to Drake, but turned my eyes on his father. “Mr. Nash, could I have a word with you?”

  Hallenjah and Drake froze. My tone was sharp and anyone within ten feet knew it wasn’t a request. “Do I have a choice?” He raised his eyebrows.

  “No.” As I started walking back toward the bungalow, Drake and Hallenjah took a step in our direction. I turned around and shook my head, “No, we’ll just be a minute.”

  We were back on the porch of the bungalow before either of us said a word to the other. He stared at me with angry eyes. Maybe he was mad that I’d pulled him away from Hallenjah. Maybe he was embarrassed I’d been so forceful in front of everyone. Maybe he was just a jerk. “Can I call you Nathan?”

  He nodded. With more confidence than I was feeling, “Okay, out with it. This is the ‘speak now’ part – before you have to ‘forever hold your peace’.”

  Nathan’s words were sharp, “I’ve got nothing to say to you.”

  “Really? Maybe I can get things going for you. How about: you’re not good enough for my son. Let’s start there.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “Don’t let me put words in your mouth. Whatever problem you have with Drake and me getting married, I want to know what it is now.”

  “You want to know what my problem is?”

  “Duh” was sooooo the wrong answer, and in spite of myself I almost let it slip out. Instead I just looked at him, waiting for a response. I didn’t want a shouting match, and I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to fix whatever his issue was, but he was Drake’s dad, so I was going to listen.

  “Fine. You’re from the Lost Herd. He marries you, his future’s over.”

  “That’s not a secret. Drake loves me, and he doesn’t care who my parents are.”

  “Of course, he doesn’t. It’s his life. His choice. It doesn’t matter what I think, so I’m not sure why we’re wasting time. You want to get married so bad, go do it.”

  “You know we wouldn’t be here right now if it weren’t for Hallenjah, right?”

  His words were slow and hateful, “Don’t remind me.”

  Anger began mauling my insides. I leaned up against the beam of the bungalow, steadying my legs. If he felt this strongly – should I go through with it? Did he already blame Hallenjah? “So, you wanted Drake and Bianca to marry.”

  “That’s not a secret, either. She was perfect for him.”

  I couldn’t keep the frustration and anger from my voice, “She was in love with Gage. Drake wouldn’t have been happy. They both would have been miserable.”

  His words rushed out, “They would have had a future. He could have had children with her. He could have taken over my business and had an honorable life. Instead, he’ll be looking over his shoulder for what’s left of his life. You’ve effectively destroyed our blood line by choosing him. Now you want me to be happy about it? Fine, I couldn’t be happier that you’re getting ready to exchange vows with my son. You’re signing his death warrant. For the love of Zeus, don’t have any children – the loss of Drake and grandchildren would kill Hallenjah.”

  Nathan looked out into the surf. I felt like he’d given me a swift kick in the stomach. The anger was gone, so was my rage that had steadily built up toward him. This didn’t have anything to do with him being angry about me being from the Lost Herd – at least not the way I was picturing it. All those times Drake said his father didn’t care for him or didn’t approve of him, nothing could have been further from the truth. My answer was calm, “I can’t promise you any set number of days you’ll have left with Drake. I don’t know if we’ve just got today, or ten days, or ten years, or a lifetime. The only promise I can give you is every day he has left will be spent with a Centauride who can’t live without him.”

  He blinked but didn’t turn away from the ocean. “I know you don’
t approve of me. If I were in your shoes, I’d probably feel the same. But you know as well as I do, Drake isn’t like other Centaurs. Drake would do more than sacrifice his life for me, he’d sacrifice who he is, and do it without regrets. I’ll never forget who he is. He’s your son and he learned how to be who he is from you.”

  Nathan continued looking off into the distance. Drake said the two had never been close, but after this conversation, I knew it wasn’t because Nathan didn’t care about him.

  I eased over toward him, understanding him better than maybe his own son did. “Drake told me that you wanted a big family. He remembers Hallenjah trying to convince you to try again, to have more children. Drake said he remembers her screaming at you about it, but you wouldn’t.”

  There was something different in his voice when he spoke. A tenderness that hadn’t been there before. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Hallenjah had complications giving birth to him. You wouldn’t try to have any more kids because you couldn’t bear the thought of losing her.” Nathan’s eyes wouldn’t meet mine, and his silence told me I was right. “That’s how much I love your son. No matter how impossible the odds, we’re going to succeed, because I can’t stand the thought of a day without him.”

  He turned toward me and looked into my eyes. Nathan shared the same color eyes as Drake – the same piercing ice blue. “I don’t know if we’ll be successful. I can’t guarantee that we won’t be hunted like dogs. But if you ask him, he’d tell you he’d take a few days of bliss with me over a lifetime without me. That’s how I feel about him, too.” I waited for him to argue with me, but no words came. “Deep down, you know I’m right, because that’s how you feel about Hallenjah.”

  His gaze refused to drop mine as he pursed his lips together hard and nodded. We stood there in silence. The only sound was the surf gently lapping against the beach. I waited for him to say something epic, or maybe just kind, or anything. Nathan pushed himself off the wall of the bungalow and held his hand out to me, “I see now why Drake was so taken with you. Not only are you lovely, you are compelling.” That didn’t sound like much of a compliment, but he gave me the same smile Drake had with the dimples that made me want to melt. “C’mon, the others are waiting.”