Centaur Legacy

by Nancy Straight

  “There’s a good chance we won’t make it out alive.”

  “But there’s a chance we will. Plus I have my secret weapon.”

  “Your secret weapon? You’re able to plant ideas in other’s heads?” We hadn’t discussed it before, but I’d been told this was the Centauride skill which had infuriated Zeus to begin with. If she had the skill and planned to use it, there would be no escape for either of us.

  She shook her head, “No. I have the strongest magic in the universe.” I thought of the arrow, the way it had transformed me, and the fact that it was lost to us forever.

  Cami had read my arrow thought and answered before I could protest that the arrow’s magic was never going to be ours. “No. Before my mother left for the pasture, she told me the strongest magic was love. You’ve proved her right over and over again. Tomorrow we make our plans to travel to Africa.”

  “You’re forgetting Zandra is the chairman. We could fly all the way there and never address anyone.”

  “You are forgetting the effect you will have on them. Remember the astonishment on the men’s faces who saw you tonight? You are a living, breathing Centaur – no matter what they’re told to do, they’ll listen.”

  I hoped she was right. I hoped we wouldn’t be walking into more of an ambush than we had found tonight. I hoped a lot of things, but one more so than anything else. There was a chance that she was right. If we could make the Centaur Council see reason, we had a chance at a life together.

  I thought back to the few short weeks before when the only thing I had to protect Cami from was Zandra. I silently wished she were our only threat, but Cami was right. Looking over our shoulders for the rest of our lives was no life.

  I picked her up and laid her gently on the bed. “Get some rest. You’re going to need it.” I gave her a whisper of a kiss as I watched her heavy lids close. I held her hand with mine and used my other to gently stroke her hand.

  I watched her drift off to sleep as I had so many nights before. Once she was sound asleep, I let the words escape me. “Aphrodite, I feel you watching.”

  The only sound was Cami’s soft breathing. I let my eyes wander to her for a second then took a few steps to the window and looked up into the night’s sky. “I have felt your watchful eyes for days.”

  I don’t know what I expected, maybe for Aphrodite to materialize and acknowledge the only reason I still looked like this was my love for Cami. Maybe if we survived, Aphrodite would make me human again and let us have a normal life.

  I found Venus set close to Virgo in the sky; this was where Aphrodite watched from the heavens. When no voice spoke and she didn’t appear in front of me, I made one final request. “If anything happens to me, convince Cami to seek Daniel. He’s the only one on the planet I would trust to love her.” Venus twinkled brightly, acknowledging my request.

  After I said the words, I caught myself staring into the clear night sky through the gap in the curtains. Sagittarius is a summer constellation; there would be no hope of seeing it this time of year in the northern Hemisphere. I saw Orion, the hunter with his bow. The three stars in his belt shone more brightly than I had ever remembered seeing. Something clicked inside my head: it was Orion who I would want helping me protect Cami at the Centaur Council.

  Chapter 32

  (Drake – Deserted Hotel, SD)

  I felt my own eyelids growing heavy and gingerly backed away from the window. The room was the size of any budget rate motel I’d ever seen, so movement was restricted. As I was easing myself onto the floor, my phone began to vibrate.

  I looked at the caller ID and couldn’t believe my eyes: Gage Richardson.

  Gage was my best friend growing up. So much had happened since I talked to him. I didn’t worry about the danger of my cell phone signal being traced; I wanted to talk to him. The last I’d heard, he and Bianca had gone into hiding after our escape from Zandra’s.

  I could hardly contain my excitement when I answered, “Gage? Is it you?”

  “Yeah, how’s it going?”

  Loaded question. I looked at Cami sleeping peacefully a few feet away and answered without hesitating, “Never better. So what happened with you guys? I heard you left town.”

  “We’re back. We went to Bermuda after we left you and Cami.”

  “Bermuda? I thought you hated it there.”

  “It’s a popular wedding destination.”

  “No way! You two are married?”

  “Yeah, like the day we got there.”

  “Congrats, man. I’m really happy for you both.”

  An awkward silence hung when Gage said, “I . . . uh. . . I heard what happened.”

  The kidnapping? Our trip to Ireland? My transformation? There were too many possibilities to guess. “Yeah, it’s been a busy few weeks since we saw you.”

  “I haven’t told Bianca. She’s been driving me nuts wanting to call and talk to Cami since we few south, so I called William’s house tonight when we got back to see if she was there.”

  “William told you?”

  “He said they’re part of the Tak bloodline and they’re going into hiding. He said you and Cami are already to the winds.”

  “What else did he tell you?”

  “He was really cryptic, but said you might need me. I don’t care what Cami’s bloodline is, if you’re with her, we’ll do whatever you need us to. Just say the word.”

  He didn’t know about my transformation. “Thanks. So what happened with you two? No more sneaking around, her parents were okay with it?”

  “Yeah, that was amazing. The night we left Zandra’s we went straight to Bianca’s house to grab her stuff for the trip. Her parents still thought she was dead, so when we got out of the car and they saw us walking toward the house, her mom told us we had her blessing before we even got a word out!”

  “That’s awesome.”

  “What about you and Cami?”

  Pride was loud in my voice when I answered, “She chose me.”

  “I knew it! I told you she would. So have you set a date?”

  I looked at her sleeping body just a few feet away from me, “With everything that’s been going on it hasn’t been a big priority.”

  “Man, I saw the way you two looked at each other. I know you two have been traveling all over without an escort. How are you keeping your hands off each other?” I could hear the humor in his voice when he added, “Or are you?”

  I thought of Gage as more family than friend, but I wasn’t sure how much I could tell him without putting him and Bianca at risk. “So far we’ve been able to keep the brakes on.”

  “You’re a better Centaur than I am. Once I saw Bianca was alive. . . let’s just say it’s a good thing the Bahamas are only a couple hours away.”

  Cami was still sound asleep in the bed while I was on the floor beside her. I touched the back of my hand to her cheek and felt the suppleness of her skin when I answered Gage, “I’ll wait as long as it takes. She’s mine.”

  “You pledged her, right?”

  I laughed, “Yeah, that was funny. You know how she’s never been around Centaurs? She’d never heard the pledge before. She woke up the next morning and wanted to hear it again.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah. Cami had no clue that I was tying my soul to hers. She thought I was just being sweet.”

  “That’s a riot. Did you tell her?”

  “It kind of gave it away when she found out I could hear her thoughts.”

  The humor in Gage’s voice diminished, “So, this Tak stuff could get bad. Where are you two going to go?”

  I cringed, hating to admit it out loud. I’d been through enough with Gage, there was no sense hiding the truth. “Centauride.”

  “Centauride! Are you nuts? You can’t go to Africa! They’ll kill her!”

  “Cami’s pretty sure about it. She wants to address the Council.”

  “The Centaur Council? What’s she going to say? ‘Never mind Zeus’s decree, leave the Taks alo
ne.’ Tell me that’s not her plan.”

  “I’m not sure what she’s going to say, but yeah, that’s probably pretty close.”

  “Come back to South Carolina. I’ll hide you both. I owe you both my life, because without Bianca I was pretty much dead.”

  “I’ll let her know you offered, but I doubt she’ll change her mind.”

  “You’re okay with it? Drake, it’s suicide.”

  “I love her. If she wants to address the Council, I’ll be standing right beside her when she does.”

  “I can’t let you go by yourselves. How about Bianca and I pick you up tomorrow. It’ll be like the old days. You can pilot and I’ll co-pilot for you.”

  Gage’s parents had a plane, but he’d never gotten his pilot’s license. I had a license but it wasn’t commercial and I had almost no hours logged flying a jet. Our “old days” consisted of renting small commercial planes from the local airports and flying a few hours away for an afternoon excursion. Even if I could pilot his dad’s jet, trying to fit into the cockpit looking like this would be impossible.

  “I appreciate the thought, but I’m not licensed for your dad’s plane.”

  “Where are you? Bianca and I’ll be there tomorrow, and we’ll figure out a plan from there.”

  Gage and Bianca could make all the difference for us. I trusted them both with my life, and more than that, I trusted them with Cami’s life. “It’s pretty late here. We’re near Rapid City, South Dakota. Call me in the morning after you’ve had a chance to lay everything out for Bianca. If you two are still up for it after she knows everything, call me and we’ll figure out where to meet from there.”

  “I know she’s going to be up for it. She’s dying to see Cami.” Gage paused for a minute and lowered his voice. “She told me those weeks that you two were locked up at Zandra’s, you kept telling her everything was going to work out. You told her you knew how much I loved her and that I’d find a way to get you both out of there.”

  “Hope was all we had. Neither of us knew what was going on, only that we were locked up and guarded.”

  “She said you told her no matter what happened, she could be with me.”

  I swallowed hard. I knew there was a chance Bianca and I wouldn’t escape until after Gage and Cami’s wedding. If that had happened, Bianca and I had already decided we’d find a way to be with the one we loved whether it went against the seven tenants or not. “We knew there was a chance we’d be locked up until after your and Cami’s wedding.”

  “You’re the only Centaur I know who would take the wrath of the gods over a beautiful Centauride.”

  “No. I’d take the wrath of the gods for the love of a beautiful Centauride. I’m glad it didn’t come to that.”

  “Yeah, me too.” I heard the shame in his voice when Gage admitted, “I wasn’t there for Cami the way you were there for Bianca. I left her alone.”

  “You thought we were dead. You were grieving.”

  Gage’s voice lowered, I couldn’t be sure if he was talking to himself or me. “I shouldn’t have left her. I want to make it up to Cami. She needed me then and I failed. I want to be there for both of you now.”

  Cami stirred on the bed next to me. There was no one I wanted in our corner more than Gage. “Sounds good. Give me a call in the morning; we’ll figure out how we can hook up. Tell Bianca we said congratulations. We’re really happy for you both.”

  “I will. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  As I hung up the phone, a huge weight lifted off me. Gage and Bianca were fine. We’d see them both soon. Gage was one of the most cunning Centaurs I’d ever met. With him helping us, we had a much better chance of coming out of the Centaur Council alive.

  Cami’s family had gone into hiding, so they should be safe. Daniel was probably already in San Diego, so Cami wouldn’t have to worry about him getting caught up in any of this. He wasn’t a pure-blood and he wasn’t part of the Tak bloodline; he’d be safe as long as he was home.

  My transformation into a real Centaur kept Cami safe today. Zeus had been right. If I were in human form, I’d never have been able to fight off the thirty Centaurs who stormed Cameron’s house tonight.

  Chiron hadn’t cursed me with this transformation; it was a better gift than I would have ever thought to ask for. My transformation saved the Centauride I loved.

  I leaned over and brushed my lips against Cami’s cheek. Her lips turned up in a content smile while she slept. Even if my days were numbered walking the earth, I knew what she’d said earlier was right. We could always count on eternity together.

  Other titles by Nancy Straight:

  Destiny Series:

  FREE at all bookstores - Meeting Destiny - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/17678

  Destiny’s Revenge - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/78543

  Destiny’s Wrath - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/126010

  Touched Series:

  Blood Debt - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/204708

  I hope you enjoyed Centaur Legacy! The third book in this series is still untitled but will be released in 2013. I try to keep everyone updated on my blog and Facebook. If you would like to contact me, here are the best places to find me:

  My Author Page on Facebook: http://alturl.com/en5ia

  My blog: http://www.authnancystraight.blogspot.com

  Twitter: @NancyStraight

  Goodreads: http://alturl.com/bnmv2

  I look forward to hearing from you!

  I’ve included an excerpt from a dear friend, Christie Rich. She has written an amazing young adult paranormal romance series, Elemental Enmity. There are three books in the series that have been published, they are: Five (Book #1), Dark Matter (Book #2) and Genesis (Book #3). Her first book, Five, is FREE e-book at all major bookstores. I hope you’ll take a minute to read this excerpt and fall in love with her writing the same way I have!

  Elemental Enmity Series, excerpt

  I twisted and cupped his flushed cheek. Sweat dripped from his hairline in tiny rivulets down his face and along my fingers. I moved my fingers over his forehead toward his chin. He caught my hand and touched his lips to my palm.

  I closed my eyes, letting my body anticipate every zing of electricity his movements created. Taking in a breath, I shivered. His lips found mine, and I melted into him, becoming a part of him, letting him take me to an indescribable height. He groaned, pulling me closer. My skin exploded in tingles as he traced my neck with his tongue. His breath came in my ear, catching then releasing. He tugged the edge of my shirt and slid the rough edge of his fingers along my abdomen.

  I stilled.

  He pulled back. “Is this okay?”

  My heart fluttered and my breath stopped. I dipped my chin in a slow nod.

  He smiled, his blue eyes flaring with desire. I found myself on my back. He lifted his shirt over his head and placed it under mine. Then he lay beside me.

  Every inch of me burst into lightning. I inched closer, running my palm down his chest. The slight dusting of hair tickled my fingers. I got caught up in the beauty of him, exploring the hills and vales of his body. I stopped at his belly button and looked at him.

  His breath was so shallow, I could barely hear him breathing, but I could see the effect I had on him. This was a power I had never known. Well, not never, but I wanted the power this time. I wanted to make love to him. He was my future. I couldn’t allow myself to focus on things that would make us both miserable.

  I gave him a shy glance, not really knowing how to start this. All I’d ever focused on was stopping myself from making a mistake.

  His gaze met mine. The intensity sent a shockwave to my bones.

  That’s when I noticed the tiny green line circling his blazing irises. I took a second glance just to make sure. It was still there. My stomach turned to acid.

  Muscles hardening, I scrambled away from him and leapt to my feet. My body surged with the power inside me. Never had I connected so strongly with the
elements. Both my hands lit up in blinding white light. My breath still hitched in my throat. I could hardly believe what was happening.

  She got him too. Ainessa had Luke and Zach under her spell.

  His eyes flew wide. “It’s not what you’re thinking, love. I know how it looks, but she doesn’t have control of me.”

  I shook my head at him. “I can’t trust you.”

  He stretched his hand out toward me. “Rayla, please. Come back to me.”

  I took a step away from him. “I can’t risk it.”

  His muscles tightened and he stiffened straight as a stick before his body convulsed. I knew what was happening, but I still didn’t want to believe it.

  A wicked smile stretched across his handsome face. Zach no longer gazed back at me. His voice came different, no longer holding the light lilt I was used to. “So surprised?” He stood, taking his time as if we had all day.

  My fear for him tore from my throat. “You have to fight her, Zach!”

  His body stepped closer. “I’m afraid Ammon’s not here right now. If you’d like to leave a message please hang up and try your call again.”

  My brows rose; she was trying to be funny. Well I sure as heck wasn’t laughing. “Why are you doing this to your own brother?”

  “Ha! I’ve already told you he doesn’t deserve to be called that.”