Bianca had given me a quick hug. I was thrilled to see her, but it wasn’t her embrace that I’d longed for. The reunion I’d never hoped for, never thought possible—happened. The thrill of seeing him in front of me rendered me speechless. Drake scooped me up into his arms. I didn’t care about anything else in the world. He was alive. I could hear Phineas filling Bianca in. I was so wrapped up with Drake that I didn’t think he was listening, either. He whispered, “I never thought I’d see you again. Not until after you belonged to Gage. Not until there was no chance for us. I need you, Camille. Don’t marry him. I swear I’ll wait for you for as long as it takes, but don’t marry him.”
“I won’t.” I couldn’t get anything else out because Drake’s lips were on mine. There was nothing discreet about us, and I didn’t care if the entire world saw us. I pulled my lips from his and said, “Leave with me, now.”
Drake’s eyes drifted to the necklace I still wore. His hand reached for it in a silent reminder to me that I couldn’t go. I couldn’t contain my smile. “Your mom was here.” I reached up to the clasps of the necklace and took it off.
Drake’s eyes grew to the size of quarters. “You took it off!”
“Your mom fixed it. It turns out any Matriarch can remove it. I thought I was going to have to marry Gage to get it off.”
I was still cradled in his arms, his voice heavy, “You were going to go through with it? You would have married Gage?”
“I didn’t know you were alive until your mom told me a little while ago. As far as being bound to Gage, I didn’t think I had much of a choice. If I had refused to marry him, I would have stayed a prisoner here. I’d already planned to go back to California, to my old life. I figured Gage would let me divorce him.” Some of my darker desires included convincing Gage to return to Zandra’s estate to exact revenge for the killing of Bianca and Drake. Now that I knew the truth, I didn’t think I’d share that one with anyone.
“There’s no divorce for Centaurs, Camille. It can’t be done. A couple united can be parted by death, but the surviving Centaur cannot marry again. They cannot be bound a second time.” Drake finally eased me onto my feet but kept his arms wrapped around me.
“Anything is possible. I was born of two Centaurs that weren’t married. That isn’t possible either.”
“Camille, you don’t understand. You’re the only one. There are no others.”
“What do you mean there are no others?”
“You’re the only Centaur child to be born out of wedlock. Gage would never have agreed to a divorce. He would have been shunned by his family. He would have lost his livelihood. He would have been disgraced.” Drake still held me in his arms, the warmth I never thought I’d feel again encircling me.
“Well then, it’s a good thing Bianca isn’t dead. He can marry her.” I was all smiles and wasn’t sure gravity still worked because I felt like I was floating. I brought myself back to earth when something that had bothered me for a long time came to mind, “But wait—Gretchen said she gave Will permission to be with my mom if he wanted.”
Drake eyed me curiously, “Your father shouldn’t have been able to . . . you know . . . with your mother. Gretchen may have given him permission because she didn’t know what to make of it. I’ve heard of no bloodlines from the pastures of Thessaly that can break a bond.”
“So maybe he was from a different pasture.”
Drake stopped, arguing with himself more than with me, “There couldn’t be. It’s not possible.”
“What’s not possible?”
“Something I need to talk to my parents about when we return.”
Phineas cleared his throat. He wore a grin that stretched from the side of the house to the window. “What are you two waiting for? Let’s go.” Phineas led us straight to the garage, where we all piled into a sleek black Mercedes. I saw a rack of fresh vegetables setting by the door to go into the house. “Give me a second.” I grabbed eight tomatoes out of the pile and went to the Bentley. I shoved each of them into the car’s gas tank, one right after the other, replaced the gas cap, and jumped back into the sedan.
Bianca asked, “What was that for?”
“They’ll be able to go thirty miles before the engine seizes. They’ll be stranded, and it’ll give us a better head start. Drive Phineas!”
We raced down the driveway, Phineas pressed a button, and the foreboding gates opened wide for us. We were free. As we sped down the two lane road, it felt like we had wings instead of wheels. Bianca told me they’d been held in the guest house the whole time. It didn’t occur to me that the guard staff had changed—the staff of four rotating their watch over me had changed to two—but I was so out of it from the grief of losing them both, I hadn’t noticed.
The sun was just setting over the horizon when we pulled into Will and Gretchen’s driveway. It was a marvelous homecoming. Everyone but Beau stood outside awaiting our arrival. Gage arrived within minutes and grabbed hold of Bianca, the same reunion Drake and I had shared just hours before. No one said a word, as they had pushed all pretense aside, holding each other tenderly, ready to finally begin their life together, regardless of who had been betrothed to whom. I expected William to say something about rules, commitments, bloodlines or something, but he didn’t – he looked relieved.
Drake pulled me close to his side and addressed my father. “Camille has had a horrific ordeal. She’s not ready to make her choice, but when she is, she’ll choose me.” Drake looked down at me as if he were waiting for me to argue what we both already knew. “As her unofficial fiancé, I will protect her to the death, and I will not leave her side.”
Will nodded, “Gretchen agrees with you; it’s only a matter of time.”
My eyes darted to Gretchen. She bowed her head slowly, and I blurted out, “I thought if you told someone their future, you jinxed it or something?”
Gretchen stepped closer to Drake and me, in a tone that left nothing to interpretation, “Camille, your destiny has been fluid. I’ve seen so many different outcomes for you in the last two months, I’m still not certain. What I do know: If you choose a Centaur, Drake is the Centaur you’ll choose—when you’re ready. Your heart has already made the choice. You just need to give your mind time to accept your heart’s decision.”
Drake was standing behind me when Gretchen said he was my future. I felt his arms wrap around me as he lovingly kissed the top of my head. Drake whispered, “There’s no rush, Camille. Take your time, but know that I won’t allow anyone to separate us.”
I crossed both arms over Drake’s arms that were wrapped around me and leaned back fully into his warm embrace. It felt like things were going to be okay, even if I only got to savor that feeling for a couple minutes. I didn’t miss Gretchen’s words, “If you choose a Centaur.” I’d said from the beginning that I wasn’t sure I wanted anything to do with being a Centaur – but that was before I knew how I felt about Drake.
Drake spoke to my father, “It’s only a matter of time before Zandra catches up to us.”
Will nodded, “Get some rest. I can forbid her entry into my home. You’ll be safe here. Welcome to our family, Drake. Thank you for bringing Camille home.”
We climbed the steps to my room. So much had happened; I hardly knew where to begin. With all the weird rules and strange traditions, I half expected someone to jump in front of us and send us to separate rooms. No one did. While we walked into my room, Drake said, “You know she’ll be here soon.”
“Uniting the bloodlines is no more than a pipe dream for her now. Gage and Bianca are going to make it official – he’s off the market. Once he’s chosen, officially, by Bianca, my blood debt is paid.”
“Gage has a brother, Camille.”
“What?”
“I can’t believe he never told you. Brandon is eighteen, and if Gage is out of the picture, Zandra could do the whole thing over again. Gage’s dad and your grandmother are serious about uniting their two bloodlines.”
“What’s the big deal?”
/>
“I think they’re trying to find immortality.”
“Immortality?”
“Chiron was an immortal who willingly gave up his immortality. Unice was made a human before Chiron, and had immortal blood in her veins, as well. I think Kyle and Zandra are trying to make Centaurs immortal again or at least their bloodlines. They aren’t going to give up just because Gage and Bianca are together; in fact, Bianca is probably in as much danger as we are.”
“Does she know?”
“The three of us talked about it while we were all at Zandra’s estate. They know to go into hiding. They can use Aphrodite’s magic to hide if they need to. We already know that works.”
I thought of what Gage told me, how his dad was really in love with my mom, how he hid her and protected her. Gage could do the same thing for Bianca, and I might never see them again. “I need to talk to Bianca.”
“They’ve already left.”
“Do you know where they went?”
“I have an idea, but nothing specific.”
“How do we get in contact with them?”
“That’s the point, Camille. We don’t.”
“Gage won’t break contact with his family, will he?” Growing up with just Mom and me, it was hard to imagine willingly giving her up, let alone a whole family.
“He’s not sure how far his dad’ll go. He’s not taking any more chances with Bianca.”
“Maybe Mr. Richardson isn’t so bad. Maybe it’s just he and Zandra together that are the problem.”
“She’s power mad, Camille. She’ll hunt us down with or without Gage’s dad.”
“She’s an old woman, Drake. I doubt she’d stand a chance against us.”
“You are still unfamiliar with our ways. Don’t confuse age with power or strength. The only reason you and your mother were safe for all those years was Aphrodite’s magic protected you both. That protection is no longer there. Zandra is a Centauride scorned: she will seek her revenge.”
“So what are you saying? We need to go into hiding?”
“We need more than a good hiding spot. We need magic of our own.”
I could see Drake was just as exhausted as I was. We slipped into my bed, his arms wound around my body, and I felt tingles all over my skin. I didn’t want to talk about Zandra, going into hiding, or finding our own magic. I only wanted to feel Drake’s body against mine, savor the rhythm of his heart beating against me and listen to his breathing. We melted into each other and drifted off together. It felt like I’d only just blinked my eyes when an arm shook me.
“Camille,” Will’s voice was an urgent whisper, “wake up. Quickly, wake up.”
I wiped the sleep from my eyes, squinting into the darkness. I felt the warmth of Drake’s body against mine as his muscles flexed beside me. “What’s wrong, Will?”
“Camille, Zandra is on her way. It’s worse than we thought. You need to get up. We need to get you out of here.”
“I thought you said we’d be safe here?”
“You’ve got an hour, two at best and her forces will be upon us. You’ll be safe inside my walls, but I can’t offer you protection outside the house, and you couldn’t stay inside forever.”
“Where will we go?”
“I’ve chartered a plane. You’ll need to get to the Monck’s Corner Airport where a plane is waiting. Go now, Sweetheart. It’s your only chance.”
Drake tugged me hard. He didn’t need to hear anything else. “Camille, I’m not losing you again, let’s go.”
I turned to Drake, “But where? Won’t she find us wherever we go?”
“I’ve got an idea.” Drake turned to Will and asked, “How big of a plane is it?”
“It’s a jet, son. Go. Everything you need is waiting on the plane.” Will pulled me into a tight embrace. “Be careful. If you need us, we’re a phone call away. I’ll stay here long enough to throw her off of your trail. Don’t go near San Diego.”
Drake nearly pulled me out of Will’s arms. “I’m sorry, Love, we need to go.” I started to struggle against him when he murmured, “I can’t lose you again.” That was all it took. I knew if I lost him a second time, I wouldn’t survive – I couldn’t fault him for feeling the same. “I’m going to give my parents a call. We need to go in five minutes.”
I looked around the room. There wasn’t much of me here. As I packed clothes, I saw my cell phone by the night stand, exactly where I’d left it several months before. Neither Will nor Gretchen bothered to unplug it while I was gone. My voicemail box was full. I saw the call log. Daniel had called every day for the last two months. I needed to call him and let him know I was okay. But what would I tell him?
Drake peeked in through my bedroom door, “Ready, love?”
“I guess so, but I need to know where we’re going.”
“Ireland, at least that’s where we’ll start.”
“Ireland?”
“Ireland’s our first stop. Our history is unreliable; too many fables are mixed in with truths, so I’m not a hundred percent certain where we’ll end up. Do you have a passport?”
“Well, yeah, but not here. It’s at my apartment in California.” Spring break of my senior year was in Cabo San Lucas. I had only that single stamp in my passport, although I had fantasies of traveling the world. Not in my darkest nightmares could I have imagined a deranged grandmother coming into my life then chasing me around the planet.
“Looks like we’ll need to make a detour.”
“A detour, for a passport? Drake, did anything happen to you that I should know about while you were captive in Zandra’s guest house? A big knock on the head or something?”
Drake stepped through the door, was in front of me in four strides and looked into my eyes, “Yes. Something did happen. I fell hopelessly in love with a woman with a death sentence on her head. Now grab your backpack. Let’s go.”
“I think this is great and everything, but what kind of magic are we looking for? I mean, is it bigger than a breadbox? Are we going to need a crane?”
“I’ll tell you everything once we’re in the air.”
We didn’t go to the airport I’d flown into. We went up to a sleepy runway in Moncks Corner. I hated the idea of leaving my beautiful sedan in the lonely little parking lot. The car had fewer than three hundred miles on it, and it seemed like a huge waste of money considering how much I’d been able to use it.
As I shut the trunk, I looked at the small control tower in front of us. It was only two stories, with open-ended hangers spread out along the outskirts of the runway. It looked like maybe twenty small planes called this airport their home.
“So which one of these are we taking?”
“None of those. Your father sent a jet. It should be here somewhere.”
We walked the fifty feet from the parking lot to the airport’s terminal – I use that term loosely. I didn’t know airports existed that didn’t have TSA. No x-ray inspection, no displays announcing arrival and departure flights: this looked closer to a car rental agency than a real airport. A man looked over a counter with a headset on. “You Mr. and Mrs. Nash?”
I froze, but Drake didn’t miss a beat, “Yes. We’re here for a pickup.”
“Your pilot just radioed in, should be on the ground in about five minutes. He’s already filed his flight plan and says he doesn’t need fuel. Once he’s on the ground, you can go out to the tarmac. You’re all set.”
We saw a sleek, black jet making its approach to the airport. When it touched down, it looked seriously out of place with the privately owned Cessnas and crop dusters that hid under the open bay canopies. After it landed, we stepped out onto the runway. The aircraft’s engines were whining quietly as we walked out toward it. The hatch opened, and a set of stairs materialized from its fuselage. Drake led me by the hand to the stairs as a man wearing a headset, loud surfer shorts, and Oakley’s yelled down to us, “Drake and Camille Nash?”
Drake answered, “That’s us.”
“Come
on up. Sorry we’re late.” Once we were inside the cabin, the man said, “We were fixing the passenger manifest. For today’s flight to New York, you’re “Fred and Wilma Rubble.”
I smirked at the man, “A little obvious, don’t you think?”
“Naw, obvious would have been Fred and Wilma Flintstone. When we fly international, our manifest will have to match your passports.”
“My passport’s in California.”
“Already taken care of.” I cocked my head to the side, wondering how they’d had a chance to get my passport. Before I could ask, the man lifted the stairs behind us and closed the door. It was remarkably quiet inside and not like the commercial airplanes I’d been on. “I’m Chip. The bar is there, under the television. There should be some snacks in the cabinet under it. If you’re really hungry, there are some frozen meals in the freezer. There’s a bedroom in the back. Help yourself to anything you want.”
“You’re the pilot and the steward?”
“Co-pilot, and this is more self-service, if you know what I mean.” The engines began throttling up and Chip smiled, “Sounds like that’s my cue. The pilot must be ready to go. We shouldn’t be stopping along the way. FAA says I have to give you a safety briefing. If we lose cabin pressure during the flight, there are oxygen masks in the storage compartment over your seats. If we have an emergency landing, you can open either of the two doors by pressing and pulling the handle up. If the captain and I become incapacitated during the flight, pucker up and kiss your asses goodbye.”
My eye muscles flexed and Chip laughed, “Just making sure you were paying attention. Sit back, relax, watch a movie or do whatever you like. If you need anything, just hit the intercom on one of the seats.”
“Thanks, Chip. How long a flight will it be?”
“We’re going up to New York. We’ll get a full tank of fuel there and head to Dublin straight away. Mr. Strayer had us stop in North Carolina to pick something up for you. It’s in that envelope on the seat.”
Chapter 37
Camille Benning – Charleston, SC