Centaur Redemption (Touched Series) (23 page)

She let go slowly.  “What kind of favors?”

“Once you’re the Chairman, you can change things.  I know that Bruce and Beau’s kids are going to be accepted as part of the Tak Herd.  Since our line is back in good standing, their kids are going to be fine.”

“I’m not following?”

“Sorry.  I know you’re still pretty new to all this.  You know how it’s hard to be chosen by a Centauride, but for Centaurs there aren’t many other options.  If a Centaur isn’t chosen by a Centauride and marries a human or a half-breed, they’re shunned.”

I could see the confusion on her face; I wasn’t doing a very good job of explaining myself.  “Brent, okay?  Brent’s head-over-heels for Katherine; I don’t want to lose him.  He may be the youngest and a real pain in the ass most of the time, but he’s my brother.  When he marries Katherine, I don’t want him to fade into the background.”

“I don’t know how I could change that.  Isn’t that just the way it is?”

“It doesn’t have to be.  Your friend Daniel is in the same boat.  His dad’s pureblooded and his mom’s half-blood, but when Centaurs look at him, no one sees anything but human.  You could make it so that Centaurs who have human families can still be a part of their Centaur family’s lives.”

“How?”

“Tell the heads of families that’s how it’s going to be.  They’ll listen.”

“Why would they listen to me?  I don’t even understand all the customs; picking one that I don’t like doesn’t seem like the best way to win anyone over.”

“That’s just it, Cami.  No one likes that rule.  No one has ever liked it.  It rips families apart.  The families will back you up if you just tell them that’s how it’s going to be.”

“But if non-purebloods are considered Centaurs, wouldn’t some of the powers go away?  I mean, seeing the future, hearing other people’s thoughts, moving objects, those are all pretty cool.  When humans,” she paused as if struggling to find the right word, “breed with Centaurs, don't the bloodlines lose their strength?”

“Maybe they do, but not totally.  I’ve spent time with Daniel.  Tell me he isn't more than a regular human.”

“Okay, so let’s say I think it’s a stupid tradition, too, how do we keep our existence a secret if there is a huge influx of humans who know our secret?”

“Cami, you snore.”

“What?!”

“It’s true.  When you first came to South Carolina, you snored so loud you almost knocked the shutters off the windows.”  Cami looked so pissed I thought she was going to punch me in the nose.  “Hey, I’m just saying at some point in your past, a human had to have heard you sleep.  The fact that no one has ever told you proves that humans can keep secrets, too.”

“That’s not the same thing, Ben.  My sleeping habits wouldn’t make national news or spur a bazillion documentaries on the History Channel.”

“I’m just saying, a human that a Centaur wanted to bring into their Centaur family could be convinced to keep our secret.” 

She nodded a little apprehensively.  I’m probably not the only one who asked her to take advantage of her soon-to-be position, but I saw the way Brent looks at Katherine.  I hated asking her for this.  Part of my request may be selfishness on my side, too.  I’ve only got a few more years of eligibility, and if I end up with a human, I don’t want to give up my family, either. 

“You said two requests?”

“Right.  Do you think you could check on Cassie?  I don’t know what all Zandra did to her, but make sure she gets home okay.  She didn’t do anything wrong.  She didn’t deserve how she was treated here in Centauride.”

“Cassie?  I forgot all about her.  Do you think she’s already gone home?”

“I don’t know.  Rumors through the Centaur world spread like crazy.  She chose Brent, Brent backed out for a human.  I’m not sure she knew that until she got here.  She was humiliated in front of every herd at the Council.”

“I’ll see what I can find out.  Hold on, this should be easy.”  Cami stood up and walked to the door.  She called over the enforcer I had talked with in the hallway.  “Carlos, the Centauride Cassie, from the uh. . . Council meeting.  Do you know where she is?”

I couldn’t hear Carlos’ response, but Cami said, “Do you think I could talk to her?”

Carlos’ order echoed in the hallway.  “Spangler, Rodriguez, I need you to go get the Centauride Cassie.  Tell her that Mrs. Nash wishes to speak with her.”

Cami returned to the sofa.  “You have my word.  I’ll see if there is anything I can do for her.  If I really do become the Chairman, I’ll see what I can do about non-purebloods, too.”

I stood as pride filled my chest.  Cami would be the best leader the Centaur had ever known.  She surprised me when she asked, “So what happened with the business you all ran in Charleston?  Financial planning, right?”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, when everyone went on the run, did you close it down?”

“Naw, Dad hired some humans to run it.  Mom was there for the interviews, so she picked people who could be trusted.  Why do you ask?”

“With everything that has happened, I was just thinking it was strange that you all worked together, then you all left Charleston.  I hadn’t heard anyone talking about it.”

“No, it was more of a cover than anything.  Humans get suspicious of people who are just independently wealthy, so Dad started the business when we were all just kids.  Mom was the one who used her Centauride powers to help us pick the right stocks for customers.  Even though we all went to the office every day, it wasn’t like a real job.”

"Is your mom still feeding stock tips to the people running it?"

I laughed, "She's been a little busy the last few days, but before we came to South Africa, yes."

“Are all Centaurs the same?  Working for appearances?”

“No, we were just lucky.  Drake’s dad has a construction business, and he really builds houses.  Cassie is a nurse in a doctor’s office.  Every family is different.”

A knock sounded on the door; Carlos cracked it slightly, “The Centauride Cassie to see you, Mrs. Nash.”

(Camille Nash – Lost City Resort, South Africa)

I hadn’t gotten a good look at Cassie in the warehouse.  I didn’t want to guess what all Zandra may have put her through.  The last time I had set eyes on her, she was being held by an enforcer in the warehouse as Drake and I made our way to the Council Chambers below ground.  Brent filled me in on what Ben had done while Drake and I were underground.  I was proud of Ben.  Having spent little time with him, I never would have guessed he would be the brother who would go to a stranger’s aid.

I was embarrassed that until Ben asked me to check on her, it hadn’t occurred to me to wonder about her condition or where she even was.

From what little I had seen, Cassie was beautiful, but in a more natural way.  Most Centaurides I had met reminded me a lot of Bianca, perfect in every way.  Cassie’s face was symmetrical, her hair a dark blonde that fell effortlessly at her shoulders.  Her beauty was her own, the way she walked with confidence, her head held high in an almost defiant manner.  She didn’t wear the same easy smile Bianca, Hannah or any other Centaurides I met wore.  There was something about Cassie that reminded me of Mom.   Her eyes watched me cautiously as she asked, “I was told you wanted to see me?”

I plastered my most welcoming smile on, and answered, “Come in.  Can I get you a drink or anything?”

“No, thanks.”  Cassie’s eyes took in Ben sitting beside me on the sofa as I motioned for her to take a seat in the chair opposite us.  When her gaze didn’t migrate from Ben, she added, “I’m sorry.  You all look so much alike.”

Ben knew exactly what she meant.  It must have been a hazard of growing up with four other brothers.  “Yeah, we get that a lot.”

Her look hardened a little as she turned back toward me.  “You wanted to talk to me?”

Right to the point, I liked that.  “Ben asked if I could check on you.  Are you okay?  Are you being treated well?”

Her voice was curt when she answered, “I’m fine.”  Her eyes settled back on Ben when she added, “I appreciate what you did at the warehouse.”

Ben’s voice was soft, “I, uh. . . I’m sorry.”

Her voice was incredulous, “You’re sorry?  For what?”

Ben’s answer sounded sincere, “I’m sorry for what the enforcers did to you.  I’m sorry for my idiot brother breaking your betrothal.  I’m sorry that you got caught up in this mess with my family.”

Skeptically she answered, “None of that is your fault.”

“Maybe not, but it should never have happened to begin with.”

A quiet settled on the three of us.  Before it could become more uncomfortable, I asked, “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it, but I
am
curious.  Why were you held to begin with?”

“Because I’m stupid, that’s why.”

Ben didn’t press her for details, but I didn’t understand, “I’m not following.”

Cassie leaned back in the chair, “Brent called me from South Dakota.  Did you know that?”

I nodded that I did.  I remembered when he made the phone call; it was the morning we all left South Dakota.  We had decided to split up for safety.  Brent, Katherine, Jessica and Daniel were heading to Las Vegas while Bianca, Gage, Drake and I went to Cancun.

“He told me he,” she paused as her voice cracked, “that you were all part of the Tak herd.  He said he was going on the run and that he understood if I wanted to break the betrothal.  I was in shock.  As far as I knew, the Tak herd had been exterminated a thousand years ago.” 

She looked angry, like maybe she’d been holding this in for a while, but continued.  “I told him I didn’t care, that if he wanted, I’d go on the run with him.  He said no, that I would be safer at home with Dad.  He told me to tell everyone I had broken our betrothal.  Stupid, right?  He was giving me the perfect out, letting me down easy, but I was too stupid to see it.  I told him I wasn’t going to break the betrothal and that I’d be waiting for him.”

Ben’s lips pursed together tightly, his eyebrows narrowed, and he sounded almost angry when he answered, “I’m sorry for that, too.”

Irritated, Cassie shouted, “Stop apologizing!” She took a breath, looking back at me, “Then three days later, he calls me from Mexico and says the whole thing is off.  Like the idiot I am, I assumed he was breaking off the betrothal for my safety – which just made me want to wait for him all the more.”

“When the enforcers came to my home asking if I knew where Brent was, I didn’t.  They told Dad I was being invited to Centurion by the Chairman herself.  I hadn’t told Dad about the whole Lost Herd thing – all I had told him was that Brent was out of the country with his family.  The
Strayers
,” she said the name with serious contempt, “were well known around Charleston, so he was excited thinking that you must be connected to the Chairman through one of the original families.” 

She shook her head, “If he’d have only known.  It felt like something was wrong with the invitation, but I couldn’t decline.  A big jet was waiting for me at the airport; it bore the Chiron family crest on the tail, and the inside of the plane was more luxurious than any jet I had ever seen.  While we were in South Carolina and throughout the whole flight, the enforcers treated me great.  Once we landed in South Africa, it was a whole different story.”

Lightly, I urged, “What did they do to you?”

“Let’s see, did you know that there is one level of the warehouse that is like a dungeon from a story book?  Yeah, complete with a cement floor, no windows, cells with metal bars holding only a military cot and a commode?  If that weren’t bad enough, for added fun, shackles are bolted into the wall.  I was escorted from the airport directly to the dungeon.”

Cassie shivered, and I wanted to reach out and hold her, but before I could flinch she continued, “Each day the only thing they asked me was where was Brent, who were the Strayers' known associates, and where was the family hiding.  I knew Brent was in Mexico, or at least that’s where he said he was calling from the last time I had talked to him, but I never said a word.  I never gave them anything.  I didn’t even tell them that he had called to break our betrothal.  If I had just said we weren’t betrothed, maybe they would have let me go.  But I didn’t, because in my mind, he had only broken it off for my safety.  After two days, when they figured out the shackles wouldn't hold me," Cassie grinned as she pushed the memory to me of her popping the locking mechanism each time they tried to chain her to the wall, "they decided I might cooperate if they withheld food and rationed my water.  I asked if I could take a shower – denied.  I demanded to call my father – they ignored me.” 

“I never said a word.  Not once did I say anything because I thought Brent was a decent guy.  By the fifth day, the Chairman stopped by.  I felt dirty and grimy because I hadn’t been able to shower or brush my teeth since I left South Carolina.  I expected for her to see the conditions and come to my aid – instead, she put the necklace of obedience on me.  She asked me the same questions the enforcers had.  When I lied and gave her the same answers I had given the enforcers, I was shocked like a dog.”

It was my turn to apologize.  “I’m so sorry, Cassie.  I wore that necklace for weeks at her estate, so I know exactly what you’re talking about.  Well, I wasn’t as smart as you, because by the time Drake’s mom removed the stupid necklace, my neck was surrounded with scabs.”