Urban Mythic: Thirteen Novels of Adventure and Romance, featuring Norse and Greek Gods, Demons and Djinn, Angels, Fairies, Vampires, and Werewolves in the Modern World
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I could see her brick wall a second time, but it wasn’t as sturdy as it had been a few minutes ago. I could feel Gretchen in the house. I knew she wasn’t paying attention to what we were doing, but I also knew her curiosity would get the better of her soon, so we needed to practice elsewhere. “Come on, let’s try this outside for a while.” Cami was horrified. She was pretty sure I’d seen the image in her mind and was worried what I would do. I could feel her fear, not the fear of physical harm but of losing her only friend. I tried to reassure her, “It’s okay, Cami. Remember when I told you there is no decision either of us will make that will ever come between us? I meant it. Let’s go.”
Reluctantly, Cami stepped out into the sunshine. We walked to the far corner of the property where a lonely wooden gazebo stood off by itself. It was flanked by wildflowers that seemed to grow in every direction, inviting us to share their breeze. The setting was a perfect place to continue practicing her brick wall. After an hour she was nearly exhausted, but she was able to maintain it no matter what I said to her.
I leaned against the wall, not sure how to begin. “You know how I said telling someone too much of their future had a way of interfering with fate?”
“Sure.”
“I know how you feel about Drake.” Camille wouldn’t look at me, so I kept talking. “Cami, I’m not mad. Drake’s a great guy. I think I know how both of us can get exactly what we want.” She eyed me cautiously, and if the tables were turned, I would probably have the same skepticism. “If you can get Drake to break our engagement, my mother would be mortified — so mortified that she would let me choose the man I have wanted all along.”
“Drake wouldn’t do that to you. He promised me, never again, Bianca. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to kiss him. I would take it back if I could.”
“You aren’t listening to me, Cami. If you can convince him to break the engagement, you can choose him.”
“I can’t.”
“You could try.”
“No, you don’t understand. I can’t choose anyone for five years.”
“What are you talking about? You can choose anyone you want, whenever you want – that’s every Centauride’s prerogative.”
“Not after the night of Bruce and Hannah’s wedding. I owe a blood debt to Kyle Richardson. He isn’t going to force me to marry his son, at least not right away, but if his son hasn’t been chosen by a Centauride by his twenty-ninth birthday, I have to choose him.”
“Gage Richardson? You’re Gage Richardson’s backup?”
“Yeah, I never thought of myself as a ‘Plan B,’ but I guess that’s fair. So my convincing Drake to break the engagement with you wouldn’t guarantee that I could choose him. Besides I hardly know him, so even if I could — I don’t know that I would. I don’t even like him.”
“You don’t like Drake?”
“No!” I couldn’t tell if she said it more to convince herself or me. “Bianca, I swear, I don’t know how it happened on Sunday. I... it wasn’t something... he just...” She couldn’t finish her thought, and I couldn’t finish it for her.
I didn’t want to put her on the defense, so I asked gently, “What don’t you like about Drake?”
“I hardly know him. He’s your fiancé.”
I realized I rolled my eyes at her, but I couldn’t help it. “Cami, I told you Saturday, I only chose Drake because I couldn’t choose the Centaur I wanted.”
Cami told me in a not so empathetic way, “Then you must not have loved him, either. If you did, nothing would have stopped you.”
“You have no idea how much pressure was put on me. I had to make a decision, and I know I made the wrong one. Drake’s handsome, he’s strong, he’s honest, and if you give him a chance, you might decide that you do like him.”
“Yeah, right. I want a guy who goes around putting the moves on other women? No, thanks. If I wanted someone like that, I’d still be dating my last boyfriend. If you don’t want to marry him, call it off – but leave me out of it.”
This was the point when I wanted to strangle Cami. “Right, I know you still have this idea that you’re human and can go roll in the hay with any guy who catches your fancy, but that isn’t your reality anymore. I can’t just break the engagement with him, either.”
Cami stood up straighter, looked me square in the eye and blasted, “I don’t care who my parents are or what the traditions are. Other than potentially getting stuck with Gage Richardson, I’ll see who I want, when I want, and nobody is going to force me to be or not to be with anyone.”
I tried to diffuse her frustration, “Cami, I’m not forcing Drake on you. I’m asking you to give him a chance.”
Her stance softened a little, “What’s the point? Even if I did like him, or better yet, even if I fell madly in love with him – then what? I think the whole idea of choosing is stupid, but I couldn’t choose him even if I wanted to. Remember, Gage Richardson?”
“Gage is who I chose, but my mother wouldn’t give me her blessing. Do you see how perfect this is? If you can get Drake to break the engagement, I can choose Gage, I’ll get my mom’s blessing, and you would be free to choose Drake.”
“Have you listened to anything I said? I’m not choosing anyone. If he breaks his engagement with you and I don’t choose him, then his bloodline is lost. That’s not going to be on me. I’m not signing on for any of this.”
I wanted to smack her at that moment. I wanted to tell her I knew she was destined for him, that Grace could see the future and had seen the two of them together, but doing so could screw up everything. “Maybe if you got to know Drake a little better? No pressure. Just give him a chance.”
“Bianca, you want me to spend time with your fiancé, to see if he’s the guy that I want to marry? Do you know how idiotic that sounds?”
“Don’t you see? This is perfect. We couldn’t have planned it better if we tried!”
“I don’t think this is such a great idea. I think this whole process is stupid. Unless I’m forced to marry Gage, I may stay single my whole life. My mom did. It worked okay for her.”
This was going to be harder than I thought. Now was a perfect time for a late lunch. I picked up my cell phone and called Gage back. When he answered, he didn’t sound all that happy with me; he started with, “I’ve already told you to stop calling me.”
“Oh, stop it. A friend and I are going to go to Andolini’s for pizza. We’re leaving now.”
“I hope you two have fun.”
“I know Andolini’s is your favorite.”
“So.”
Cami eyed me suspiciously; she could only hear my half of the conversation. I turned to make my conversation as private as possible, “I miss you. You don’t have to talk to us. I just want to see you. Please?” I heard his sigh, “Gage, it’s just pizza.”
“All right, but this is it. This is the last time, Bianca.”
Cami was watching me when I hung up. I smiled and dialed Drake. He worked crazy hours and told me he usually threw himself into his work and would forget to stop to eat lunch. “Have you had lunch yet?”
“Uh, no, not yet.”
“Do you want to meet for lunch at Andolini’s?”
“Do we have an escort?”
“All taken care of. Can you meet us there in thirty minutes?”
“Sure, okay.”
When I hung up, Cami’s tone was accusatory, “What’re you up to?”
“There is no better way to get to know someone than to have pizza with them. Let’s go. We need to get there before either one of them does.”
“You just invited your fiancé and your boyfriend to lunch with us? Aren’t you the least bit worried?”
“You just said you needed to get to know Drake better. I’m making that happen.”
“No, I didn’t. I said this whole thing is dumb.”
“Cami, I know you have feelings for him. Don’t you want to find out what those feelings are?”
“He’s your fiancé!”
Chapter 22
(Camille Benning – Charleston, SC — Wednesday noon)
We found a table in the furthest corner of the place. Music was going, the place was full, and the aroma of marinara, basil and bread baking filled the air. I felt utterly terrified. Still new to the Centaur world, I asked Bianca, “Are you sure it’s okay for us to meet Gage and Drake?”
“We just can’t go anywhere alone with a guy. Look around you: there are at least a hundred people here.” Bianca ordered the pizza at the counter, then came back to take a seat.
Drake was the first to arrive. His jeans were covered in a white powder. Drake had told Will that his dad’s construction business was going well; maybe he worked with his father, too. His bright blue eyes were wide when he realized I was their escort. I did my best not to make eye contact with him, but my eyes refused to cooperate, and I stole more glances than I’d like to admit as he approached our table.
Bianca, still maintaining the façade that she was here to spend time with her fiancé, welcomed him with, “Hello, Darling, I’m so glad you could break away and meet us.”
Drake mumbled something, but my heart was racing so fast I didn’t hear him. This was an awful idea, one of the worst I’d ever been a part of. My stomach was slowly knotting itself. I wanted to blend into the wall, disappear into the background, or better yet — go outside and wait in the car.
Without warning, Bianca stood up and excused herself. She told us she was going to the ladies room, but I knew she wanted to leave us alone. It was strained silence initially before Drake murmured, “About Sunday, I...I...we shouldn’t...you two are...I’m sorry.” When he looked at me, I could see the sorrow in his eyes. I couldn’t be angry with him no matter how hard I tried.
He couldn’t get a coherent sentence out, and I wasn’t confident I’d be able to either. Instead, I simply told him, “She knows.”
Alarm spread across his face, “She knows? What’s she know?”
“She knows we kissed on the yacht.”
His alarm turned to panic, “What’d she say?”
“Ha! You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
Drake looked toward the ladies room, willing her to emerge. “Is she going to break off the engagement?” I didn’t say a word, and Drake reached across the table, putting his hand on my wrist, “Seriously, Camille, is she dumping me?”
Before I could answer, I saw a tall, slender, light complexioned man come through the front door. He had dark hair, and a nicely trimmed goatee and mustache; his eyes scanned the room looking in all directions. I couldn’t be sure, but if I were a betting person, it was probably Gage. Drake saw that I was watching the door, and when he saw the man who had just arrived, he confirmed my suspicion, “I guess I got my answer: there’s Gage. Dammit!...I’m screwed. I am so screwed.”
I didn’t see Bianca come out of the restroom, but within a few seconds she had met Gage at the door. The two stepped to the side and took a seat in a small booth on the opposite side of the room. When it was clear that Drake and I had been given some privacy, I thought it best to clue him in. “Okay, you’re screwed, but so are Gage, Bianca and I.”
His elbows were on the table, and his hands propped up his head as if it weighed thirty pounds. “How do you figure?”
“Bianca wants you to break your engagement off with her. She wants it to be a fairly elaborate break up, enough so her mother is embarrassed enough to overlook the fact that she dislikes Gage’s grandfather. Then she thinks her mother will let her choose Gage.”
“And then what? I break the engagement, and then I’m forced to marry a human. The Nash bloodline comes to an abrupt end. I’d be lucky if my parents ever speak to me again.”
“Yeah, I didn’t say it was a great plan.”
Drake’s eyes narrowed, “You’re leaving something out. How are Gage, Bianca and you screwed in this scenario?”
“Bianca is in love with Gage.” I watched to see if he flinched with this little news flash – he didn’t, so he must have already known. “She won’t break off the engagement with you because her mother doesn’t approve of him. If Gage isn’t chosen by a Centauride before his twenty-ninth birthday, I have to marry him as payment of my mother’s blood debt to Gage’s dad. So yes – if you marry Bianca, you do it knowing she’s in love with another guy. If you marry her, I’ll more than likely get jammed into marrying the man my best friend is in love with. Clear enough picture for you?”
“Wait, when did you agree to marry Gage?”
“Saturday night, but I don’t know if there was much of a choice. I’ve never met Gage, but his dad said if he didn’t get married by the time he was twenty-nine, I would have to marry him.”
“But if Bianca marries Gage, you’re in the clear. You can choose anyone you want, right?”
“Yes.” I could feel my face growing warmer. I wanted to shout, “But I don’t want to choose anyone!” No matter how badly I wanted to shout it out, I said nothing. My “yes” hung in the air, and I saw that Drake had jumped to the same conclusion that Bianca had.
The full weight of his eyes was unleashed, and his stare stopped my breathing. I felt Drake’s hand under the table as his fingertips gently wound around mine. His light touch caressing my knuckles instantly brought a flashback of Sunday afternoon in my mind. At first I thought it was me reliving those few forbidden minutes, but I realized it was his memory of it that was pushed to me through his touch.
“Drake, don’t.”
He whispered conspiratorially, “Tell me you haven’t thought about me, and I’ll stop.” I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t. His fingertips continued lightly caressing my knuckles. My heart was still racing; I pulled my hand away from him and put them both on top of the table.
Feigning a resolve I didn’t feel, “I haven’t thought of you.”
“Not at all?” He didn’t look wounded — more like he didn’t believe me.
I straightened my back, and shook my head. “Not on purpose.” Holy crap, I’m an idiot.
Drake leaned way over the table. He was only inches away from me, his voice low, “That’s too bad. Every time I shut my eyes, I see you stretched out on the deck chair.”
My resolve started to seep from my voice when I reminded him, “You do realize you’re still engaged to Bianca, right?”
“From what you said — not for long.”
“I’m not going to be a rebound. Whatever you decide is between you two. Leave me out of it.”
“Rebound? I’m not in love with her, Camille.”
“Then you shouldn’t be marrying her.”
“Not to state the obvious, but I think that plan will be off the table soon.”
“Look, I don’t know what happened on Sunday or why, but I’m not looking for anyone right now.”
“I know what happened on Sunday. You felt the same sparks I did. You acted without thinking first – probably for the first time in your life. You’ve been beating yourself up about it ever since.”
“You haven’t?”
“Sure, until a couple minutes ago. Things happen for a reason, Camille.” Drake reached across the table and took both my hands in his. His hands were calloused and weathered, strong, yet his thumbs caressed the top of my hands as light as a feather. I could feel my frozen sensibility thawing “As much as you hate that you lost control for a few amazing seconds, maybe it was supposed to happen.”
We sat there watching each other. I’d noticed his eyes before; it was impossible not to: the light blue pierced me, my resolve ebbing away. I had always had a thing for guys with long hair: Drake’s was short, definitely too short for my liking. I’d do ne
arly anything in the world for a big smile with dimples: Drake wasn’t even giving me a grin. It creeped me out when men stared at me, but Drake wouldn’t drop my gaze. With all this, I should have heard warning bells, an internal siren telling me to hightail it out of there, but I didn’t. I knew that my face mirrored the same irrational longing that he had for me.
I remembered my conversation with Daniel from Sunday night, my confession of everything and his warning that no man only cheats once. “So what happens if you’re sitting next to another woman and you get the urge to kiss her? Losing control is okay as long as it’s supposed to happen?”
Drake was still holding my hands, still caressing the top of them with his thumbs. He pulled both of them across the table toward him, closed his eyes, as his soft lips grazed my knuckles. When his eyes opened, he still held my hands to his lips. I waited for him to deny it, to tell me that he’d never be unfaithful, that he was a decent guy. Instead, he pushed an image of the two of us to me without words.
We were again on the yacht, no one with us. I was wrapped in a towel staring out into the ocean. Drake came up behind me, circled his arms around me and pressed his body to mine. His lips swept my neck, our skin only separated by the towel covering me. His strong arms glistened in the sun, and I heard him whisper in my ear, “I want you, Camille.” I pulled my hands away from him, and the fantasy evaporated instantly.
I tried to shoot him a fiery response, but I couldn’t do it. The best I could do was, “That wasn’t an answer.”
“Anyone can tell you what you want to hear. I thought you’d rather see how I felt.”
“It still wasn’t an answer.”